Correlation between tumor suppressor inhibitor of growth family member 4 expression and microvessel density in breast cancer.

Suppression of cell spreading and migration by inhibitor of growth 4 suggests that its loss may induce metastasis. Inhibitor of growth 4 expression level in 60 breast cancer tissues, 30 normal adjacent tissues, and tissues from patients with benign hyperplasia was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. The correlation between inhibitor of growth 4 expression and clinical stage, histologic grade, and microvessel density in breast cancer was analyzed. Inhibitor of growth 4 messenger RNA and protein expression in breast cancer was significantly lower than that observed in adjacent normal and hyperplastic breast tissues (P < .05). Inhibitor of growth 4 expression decreased with increasing clinical stage and histologic grade. Moreover, the presence of lymph node metastasis was correlated with decreased inhibitor of growth 4 messenger RNA expression (P < .01), and a negative correlation was noted between inhibitor of growth 4 protein expression and microvessel density in breast cancer. Inhibitor of growth 4 may represent an important biomarker for assessing the severity of breast cancer. Further studies are required to fully evaluate the diagnostic and possible prognostic value of determining inhibitor of growth 4 levels in breast cancer.