Diagnostic Value of VDR in Bone Metastasis and Prognosis of Patients with Breast Cancer and Expression Correlation Between Vitamin D Receptor and Hairless Protein

The research examined the expression of Vitamin D receptor (VDR) and hairless (Hr) protein in 119 breast cancer tissues and corresponding normal breast tissue. It found that low VDR protein expression was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis and was negatively correlated with bone metastasis. Low Hr protein expression was associated with longer overall survival and recurrence-free survival. The protein levels of VDR and Hr were positively correlated. Low VDR expression was also linked to advanced stages of cancer, ER-negative status, and bone metastasis, but not strongly associated with liver and lung metastases. The study concluded that VDR expression is a significant prognostic factor in primary breast cancer patients for predicting bone metastases and unfavorable clinical outcome, and could potentially be used as a prognostic marker.