MAGEC2 is a member of
melanoma antigen (MAGE) family of
cancer-testis antigens and associated with
tumor relapse and
metastasis. Here, we investigated the expression of MAGEC2 in patients with
breast cancer and its clinical effects with underlying mechanisms. The expression levels of MAGEC2 were compared between 420 invasive
ductal carcinoma (IDC) and 120
ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. Correlations between MAGEC2 expression and clinico-pathologic factors or survival of patients with IDC were analyzed. In addition, MAGEC2 expression levels in
tumor tissues dissected from the primary focus and matched
tumor-invaded axillary lymph nodes were analyzed in 8
breast cancer patients. The functional effects of MAGEC2 overexpression were assessed in vitro using scratch assay and transwell chamber assay. MAGEC2 expression was increased in metastatic
breast cancer in comparison to the non-metastatic. MAGEC2 expression was significantly associated with ER negative expression (P = 0.037), high
tumor grade (P = 0.014) and stage (P = 0.002), high incidence of axillary
lymph node metastasis (P = 0.013), and distant
metastasis (P = 0.004). Patients with
tumor with MAGEC2 positive expression have a worse prognosis and a shorter
metastasis free interval. Multivariate analyses showed that MAGEC2 expression was an independent risk factor for patient overall survival and
metastasis-free survival.
Breast cancer cells that overexpressed MAGEC2 had stronger migratory and invasive potential than control-treated cells. Epithelial markers (
E-cadherin and
cytokeratin) were down-regulated in MAGEC2-overexpressing cells compared to controls, whereas mesenchymal markers (
vimentin and
fibronectin) were upregulated. Our results indicate that MAGEC2 has a role in
breast cancer metastasis through inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition. In addition, MAGEC2 is a novel independent poor prognostic factor in patients with IDC. Thus, targeting MAGEC2 may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for
breast cancer treatment.