Objective:ToinvestigatewhetherGli1expressionisimportantinrelapseafterradicaloperationofbreastcancer.Methods:Usingimmunohistochemistry,Gli1expressionwasanalyzedinhumanprimarybreastcancer(n=284)andparacanceroustissues(n=20),andalsoinlocallymphnodes(n=28)andmetastaticlymphnodes(n=28).Results:InitialanalysisofGli1expressioninasmallcohortof20breasttumorsandtheirparacanceroustissuesshowedatendencytowardsGli1overexpressioninbreastcancertissues(P<0.001).Further,Gli1expressionin284breastcancertissuesampleswasanalyzedandasignificantcorrelationwasfoundbetweenincreasedexpressionofnuclearGli1andunfavorablerecurrence-freesurvival(RFS)(P<0.05).ThenuclearexpressionofGli1inmetastaticlymphnodesfollowingrelapseafterradicaloperationwasmuchhigherthanthatinthelocallymphnodesofprimarycarcinoma(P<0.05).Mostinterestingly,theexpressionofGli1wasmuchhigherintheinterstitialtissuesoftherelapsedgroupthanofthenon-relapsedgroup(P<0.001).Conclusions:BreastcancershowsahighprevalenceofGli1expression,whichissignificantlycorrelatedwithaggressivefeaturesandunfavorableRFS.NuclearGli1overexpression,especiallyintheinterstitialtissues,signifiedearlyrelapseafterradicaloperationofbreastcancer.
