Abstract
Background: We investigate L1CAM expression in ER positive/HER2 negative breast carcinomas. The finding of a potential correlation between high L1CAM expression and recurrent/metastatic disease in luminal A and B breast carcinomas may be helpful for risk stratification and open opportunities for targeted therapies.Methods: 304 cases comprising 152 cases of ER positive, PR positive/negative and HER2 negative recurrent/metastatic breast carcinomas and 152 non-recurrent controls were included. ER, PR, HER-2, Ki-67 status, Nottingham grade, tumor size, tumor stage, number of foci, lymph node status, lymphovascular invasion, phenotype, laterality, age at diagnosis and first distant or local recurrence were recorded. Results: L1CAM positive cases showed increased specificity for recurrence and these patients were significantly younger than L1CAM negative ones. Compared to L1CAM negative recurrent cases, L1CAM positive ones had a noticeably higher Ki-67, tended to be larger and recurred sooner. All L1CAM positive recurrent/metastatic cases were of the luminal B subtype compared to 67.3% of the L1CAM negative cases. Conclusions: L1CAM is highly specific for recurrence in a subset of breast cancer patients and may be associated with more aggressive behavior, particularly in luminal B breast cancers with higher Ki-67 expression. Further investigation about the prognostic value of L1CAM is warranted.