Overexpression of FOXM1 Is a Potential Prognostic Marker in Male Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have outlined biological differences between female and male breast cancer (MBC) and concluded that MBC should be considered as an entirely separate disease. Whether FOXM1 has any indication for prognosis in MBC patients remains unknown. We sought to examine the expression levels of FOXM1 in MBC and to identify the relationship between FOXM1 expression and patient survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: FOXM1 expression was evaluated in a total of 130 MBC specimens.

RESULTS: FOXM1 was overexpressed in 37% of the MBC samples. FOXM1 overexpression was significantly associated with tumor size (p = 0.045), histological grade (p = 0.048), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.012), Ki-67 proliferation index (p = 0.016), and molecular subtypes (p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses indicated that FOXM1 was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in MBC patients (p < 0.001, hazard ratio = 0.69 (0.43-0.96)).

CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of FOXM1 was associated with well-established markers of poor prognosis; thus FOXM1 may represent a potential novel prognostic marker for MBC.