TY - JOUR
T1 - Peripheral mRNA Expression and Prognostic Significance of Emotional Stress Biomarkers in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients
AU - Fiaz, Tahreem
AU - Nadeem, Muhammad Shahid
AU - Afzal, Obaid
AU - Altamimi, Abdulmalik S.A.
AU - Alzarea, Sami I.
AU - Almalki, Waleed Hassan
AU - Khan, Hafsa Ahmed
AU - Iahtisham-Ul-Haq,
AU - Hanook, Sharoon
AU - Kazmi, Imran
AU - Mustafa, Muhammad
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/11
Y1 - 2022/11
N2 - Emotional stress is believed to be associated with increased tumor progression. Stress-induced epigenetic modifications can contribute to the severity of disease and poor prognosis in cancer patients. The current study aimed to investigate the expression profiles along with the prognostic significance of psychological stress-related genes in metastatic breast cancer patients, to rationalize the molecular link between emotional stress and cancer progression. We profiled the expression of selected stress-associated genes (5-HTT, NR3C1, OXTR, and FKBP5) in breast cancer including the stress evaluation of all participants using the Questionnaire on Distress in Cancer Patients–short form (QSC-R10). A survival database, the Kaplan–Meier Plotter, was used to explore the prognostic significance of these genes in breast cancer. Our results showed relatively low expressions of 5-HTT (p = 0.02) and OXTR (p = 0.0387) in metastatic breast cancer patients as compared to the non-metastatic group of patients. The expression of NR3C1 was low in tumor grade III as compared to grade II (p = 0.04). Additionally, the expression of NR3C1 was significantly higher in patients with positive estrogen receptor status. However, no significant difference was found regarding FKBP5 expression in breast cancer. The results suggest a potential implication of these genes in breast cancer pathology and prognosis.
AB - Emotional stress is believed to be associated with increased tumor progression. Stress-induced epigenetic modifications can contribute to the severity of disease and poor prognosis in cancer patients. The current study aimed to investigate the expression profiles along with the prognostic significance of psychological stress-related genes in metastatic breast cancer patients, to rationalize the molecular link between emotional stress and cancer progression. We profiled the expression of selected stress-associated genes (5-HTT, NR3C1, OXTR, and FKBP5) in breast cancer including the stress evaluation of all participants using the Questionnaire on Distress in Cancer Patients–short form (QSC-R10). A survival database, the Kaplan–Meier Plotter, was used to explore the prognostic significance of these genes in breast cancer. Our results showed relatively low expressions of 5-HTT (p = 0.02) and OXTR (p = 0.0387) in metastatic breast cancer patients as compared to the non-metastatic group of patients. The expression of NR3C1 was low in tumor grade III as compared to grade II (p = 0.04). Additionally, the expression of NR3C1 was significantly higher in patients with positive estrogen receptor status. However, no significant difference was found regarding FKBP5 expression in breast cancer. The results suggest a potential implication of these genes in breast cancer pathology and prognosis.
KW - HPA-axis
KW - breast cancer
KW - distress
KW - emotional stress
KW - prognosis
KW - stress-related genes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85142821432&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijms232214097
DO - 10.3390/ijms232214097
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85142821432
SN - 1661-6596
VL - 23
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
IS - 22
M1 - 14097
ER -
