Expression Analysis of TREM2 and TC2N Genes in Human Breast Cancer Tissues.

Background: Since breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women around theworld, finding newbiomarkers for early diagnosis of breast cancer is invaluable. Objectives: This research assessed them RNA expression of triggering receptors expressed onmyeloid cell 2 (TREM2) and tandem C2 domains nuclear protein (TC2N) genes among Iranian patients with breast cancer. Methods: We acquired 50 samples of cancerous breast tumors and corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissues from Iranian women. The gene expression of TREM2 and TC2N wasmeasured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-RT-PCR). In addition, the association between TREM2 and TC2N levels with various clinicopathologic characteristics was also investigated. Results: The increased levels of TREM2 and TC2NmRNAs were shown in breast cancerous tissues in comparison with adjacent non-cancerous tissues (P < 0.05). Among the clinicopathological characteristics evaluated, tumor size, necrosis, and lymphatic tissue invasionwere significantly associatedwith high TREM2 expression. A significant relationship was also seen between increased TC2N expression and tumor grade. Sensitivity and specificity were shown at 84% and 94%, respectively, for TREM2 and 72% and 100% for TC2N. Conclusions: The data suggest that TREM2 expression, but not TC2N, could be a suitable biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]