Association of alpha2a and beta2 adrenoceptor expression with clinical outcome in breast cancer

AbstractBackground:Alpha2-adrenoceptor (α2 AR) antagonists inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. The action of beta2-adrenoceptors (β2 AR) on cell proliferation is still controversial. In this study, we investigated the association of α2a and β2 AR expression with tumor-relevant biological markers and clinical outcome.Methods:The expression of α2a and β2 AR was examined in paraffin-embedded samples of 220 operable breast tumors by immunohistochemistry. Associations between AR expression and tumor-relevant biomarkers were evaluated using the chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. Univariate analysis was modeled using Kaplan–Meier plots and multivariate analysis was modeled using the Cox test and adjusted for age, tumor size, lymph node status, and ER, PR and Her-2 status.Results:The α2a AR expression was associated with Her-2 status (P = 0.048) and a marginal significance was observed between α2a AR expression and ER (P = 0.061). In hormone receptor positive breast cancer patients, strong β2 AR expressio...