To the editor,
I want to congratulate Park and colleagues for their article [1] in which they investigated the relationship between ABO blood types and breast cancer survival in young Korean patients. They reported that compared to blood group non-O, patients with blood group O were more likely to have favorable prognosis when younger than 40 years. Blood group antigens are expressed on the surface of red blood cells and numerous other tissues throughout the body, including breast ductal and lobular cells [2]. These A or B antigens on breast cancer cell surface may hide the breast cancer cells from immune system reaction against the breast cancer cells. Since breast cancer cells harboring no A or B antigens, so-called O type breast cancer cells may be recognized as a cell different than normal cells and destructed by immune cells. This proposal might explain why breast cancer cells with blood group O had a favorable prognosis compared to non-O groups in younger breast cancer patients. This proposal needs to be explored in further studies.
References
Park S, Kim KS, Kim JS, Han W, Park BW, Lee S, et al. Prognostic value of ABO blood types in young patients with breast cancer; a nationwide study in Korean Breast Cancer Society. Med Oncol. 2017;34:118.
Vowden P, Lowe AD, Lennox ES, Bleehen NM. The expression of ABH and Y blood group antigens in benign and malignant breast tissue: the preservation of the H and Y antigens in malignant epithelium. Br J Cancer. 1986;53:313–9.
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Altundag, K. Why do younger breast cancer patients with blood group O have favorable prognosis?. Med Oncol 34, 120 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-017-0979-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-017-0979-1