Biological markers that could predict the progression of
ductal carcinoma in-situ (
DCIS) to invasive
breast cancer (IDC) are required urgently for personalized
therapy for patients diagnosed with
DCIS. As stroma was invaded by malignant cells, perturbed stromal-epithelial interactions would bring about tissue remodeling. With the specific expression of the
fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAP-a),
Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the main cell populations in the remodeled
tumor stroma. Golgi
phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3), a documented oncogene possessing potent transforming capacity, is not only up-regulated in many
tumors but also an efficient
indicator of poor prognosis and more malignant
tumors. The present study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the pathological value of FAP-a and GOLPH3 in predicting the recurrence or progression of
DCIS to invasive
breast cancer. Immunohistochemical techniques were applied to investigate the expression of FAP-a GOLPH3 in 449 cases of
DCIS patients received extensive resection and with close follow-up, but not being treated with any form of chemo- or radio-
therapy. The combination of FAP-a and GOLPH3 in predicating the recurrence or progression of
DCIS into invasive
breast cancer was specifically examined. The study demonstrated that the overexpression of FAP-a in stromal fibroblasts and GOLPH3 in
carcinoma cells are highly predictive of
DCIS recurrence and progression into invasive
breast cancer. Both FAP-a and GOLPH3 have high specificity and sensitivity to predict the recurrence of
DCIS. Moreover, the combination of FAP-a and GOLPH3 tends to further improve the specificity and sensitivity of
DCIS recurrence by 9.72-10.31 and 2.72-3.63%, respectively. FAP-a and GOLPH3 serve as novel markers in predicting the recurrence or progression of
DCIS into invasive
breast cancer.