TrkC expression predicts good clinical outcome in the invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast independent of NT-3 expression

Little is known on the action of TrkC for the clinical prognosis and progression of breast cancer according to the availability of its ligand NT-3. We sought to investigate the prognostic relevance of NT-3-TrkC axis in breast cancer and estimate its role during the process of breast cancer progression. TrkC and NT-3 expression were evaluated in 236 invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), 60 pure ductal carcinoma in situ and 30 normal breast tissues by immunohistochemistry. Spearman’s rank correlation test, Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model were used for statistical analysis. TrkC expression was negatively associated with lymph node metastasis and tumor proliferation (p