Research Article

Association of Selected Cell-Cycle Regulatory Gene Expression and Clinicopathological Characteristics in Nigerian Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is biologically heterogeneous, and altered cell-cycle control contributes to tumour development, proliferation and therapeutic response. Cell-cycle gene expression data from Nigerian women are limited, particularly in relation to treatment status and clinicopathological characteristics. Aim: To determine the expression of cyclin A (CCNA2), cyclin D1 (CCND1), E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) and retinoblastoma 1 (RB1), and to examine their associations with demographic, reproductive, treatment-related and clinicopathological characteristics in Nigerian women with breast cancer. Methods: A hospital-based comparative cross-sectional case control study at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital included 120 women: 40 treatment-exposed (TG), 40 newly diagnosed untreated (NG) and 40 healthy controls. RNA from peripheral whole-blood-derived material was analysed by two-step RT qPCR with ABL1 as reference gene, and relative expression was calculated by the 2−ΔΔCt method with gene-specific healthy-control calibrators. Groups were compared by one-way ANOVA with post-hoc testing. Within TG and NG, normalised expression was compared across subgroups by t-test or ANOVA. Significance was p <0.05, and subgroup p values were not adjusted for multiple testing. Results: CCNA2, CCND1 and E2F1 did not differ among groups (p = 0.1774, 0.1201, 0.3444). RB1 differed (F = 5.8276, p = 0.0039): it was lower in TG (0.28 ± 0.08) than NG (1.15 ± 0.25; adjusted p = 0.032), with controls intermediate (0.83 ± 0.18). Age, breast density and immunohistochemical subtype were not associated with expression. Of 60 subgroup comparisons, 12 were nominally significant. These were menstrual history (TG CCNA2, CCND1, E2F1), tumour type (TG E2F1), clinical stage (RB1 in TG, p = 0.0112; in NG, p = 0.0006) and histological grade (TG CCNA2, E2F1, RB1). In NG, prior breast procedure was associated with CCND1 and E2F1, and treatment status with CCND1. Only the NG RB1-stage and TG E2F1-grade associations remained below a Bonferroni threshold. Conclusion: RB1 was the clearest between-group discriminator, and the TG-NG difference is unlikely to be explained by age, since the two groups were of similar age. The subgroup associations are exploratory because of small subgroups and multiple testing. Protein-level, tumour-tissue and longitudinal studies are needed. 

Authors affiliation:

Mieiwari Ibifubara Jumbo: Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Ebirien-Agana Samuel Bartimaeus: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State University, Nkpolu- Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Evelyn Mgbeoma Eze (ORCID): Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Zaccheaus Awortu Jeremiah: Department of Haematology and Blood Transfusion Science, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

How To Cite: M.I. Jumbo, E.S. Bartimaeus, E.M. Eze, and Z.A. Jeremiah. Association of Selected Cell-Cycle Regulatory Gene Expression and Clinicopathological Characteristics in Nigerian Women with Breast Cancer. Current Research in Health Sciences, 4(2):60–69, 2026. https://doi.org/10.58613/crhs428