Nibrin and IL20 Potential Association With Breast Cancer: At Both Benign and Malignant Levels

Abstract

     Breast cancer is a major cause of malignancies–related mortalities among women worldwide. The development and progression of this disease are attributed to the contribution of key cellular modulators, including the NBN (Nibrin) gene and interleukin 20 (IL20), that are linked to genomic instability, stemness, cell cycle regulation and cancer predisposition. Due to the lack of local studies investigating NBN gene expression in the context of breast cancer, the present study aims to assess its gene expression along with the assessment of interleukin 20 (IL20) serum levels in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in comparison to cases with benign breast lumps and healthy controls. Total RNA was extracted from the collected blood samples of all 118 participating subjects, including 73 with breast tumor (50 malignant breast tumor and 23 benign breast tumor patients) and 45 healthy controls. Relative NBN gene expression was estimated using q-PCR, while IL20 serum levels were assessed using the ELISA technique. Additionally, a number of socio-demographic/clinical features (age, BMI, breastfeeding, menopausal status and family history) were evaluated for associations between them and the measured parameters. NBN gene expression levels were significantly upregulated (p ≤ 0.05) in both malignant breast cancer group (2.33 ± 0.41) and benign breast lumps (1.25 ± 0.25) compared to that of the healthy control group. Additionally, IL-20 serum levels showed significant differences (p=0.031) between benign and malignant breast cancer patients (0.69 ± 0.014 and 0.64 ± 0.009, respectively) in comparison to healthy controls. This finding suggests the potential involvement of IL-20, as a stemness modifier in breast carcinogenic events. Overall, the present study findings support the association of NBN and IL20 overexpression to breast cancer pathogenesis, with the potential to be involved in precancerous events via its contribution to breast lumps development.