Objective To investigate the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its correlation with microvascular density( MVD) in breast cancer tissues, and to explore their clinical significance in the development of breast carcinoma. Methods Expression of TLR4 was detected in 58 cases of breast cancer tissues and 30 cases of normal breast tissues by immunohistochemistry. MVD was calculated by labeling new vessels with CD105 antibody. Results The positive expression of TLR4 in breast cancer tissues and normal breast tissues was 67.2% and 13.3% respectively ( P<0.05). The average MVD was significantly higher in breast cancer tissues than that in normal breast tissues ( P<0.05). The expression of TLR4 in breast cancer tissues was positively related to MVD (r=0.581, P<0.05). TLR4 and MVD were not associated with age, size of tumor and histological grading ( P>0.05) ,but they were correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM staging ( P<0.05). Conclusion TLR4 was highly expresseed in breast cancer tissues, and it was correlated with microvascular angiogenesis. Promoting tumor angiogenesis may be one of the mechanisms in the occurrence and development of breast cancer. |