IGFBP3 expression associates with survival in triple negative breast cancer.
We mined published microarray data (1) to understand the most significant gene expression differences in the tumors of triple negative breast cancer patients based on survival following treatment: dead or alive. We observed significant transcriptome-wide differential expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3, encoded by IGFBP3 when comparing the primary tumors of triple negative breast cancer patients dead or alive. Importantly, IGFBP3 expression was correlated with distant metastasis-free survival in basal subtype breast cancer, a molecular subtype sharing significant overlap with triple negative breast cancer. IGFBP3 may be of relevance as a biomarker or as a molecule of interest in understanding the etiology or progression of triple negative breast cancer.