Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42558819›Full record

ArticleClinical Medicine Insights. Oncology2026

Stromal Laminin Subunit Alpha 3 is a Novel Prognostic Marker for Breast Cancer.

Zheqiong Tan, Suotian Liu, Dan Zhao, Shang Du, Chengfei Sheng, Hui Wang, Zhongxin Lu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical Medicine Insights. Oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Zheqiong TanDepartment of Medical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1269-4472
Suotian LiuDepartment of Medical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Dan ZhaoDepartment of Medical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Shang DuDepartment of Medical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Chengfei ShengDepartment of Medical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Hui WangDepartment of Medical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Zhongxin LuDepartment of Medical Laboratory, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women. Laminin subunit alpha 3 (LAMA3), a constituent of the extracellular matrix, is associated with tumor progression. However, its clinical relevance and function remain inadequately understood. Methods: We conducted a systematic evaluation of LAMA3 expression in breast cancer by assessing plasma, cell lines, and tissues using mass spectrometry, qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The colocalization of LAMA3 with tumor and stromal markers was detected by immunofluorescence. Tumor and stromal regions were digitally segmented using QuPath software to compute compartment-specific histochemical scores. The correlation of LAMA3 with clinical characteristics was evaluated using Chi-square and nonparametric statistical tests. The impact of LAMA3 expression on survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression models. Bioinformatics analyses were performed to investigate potential underlying mechanisms. Results: Plasma LAMA3 protein levels were elevated in patients, but its mRNA and protein levels were reduced in breast cancer cell lines and tissues. Analysis on TIMER 2.0 database showed LAMA3 was positively related to cancer-associated fibroblasts and epithelial cells infiltration in breast cancer tissues. Multiplex immunofluorescence revealed LAMA3 colocalized with cancer-associated fibroblasts and tumor epithelial cells. Although LAMA3 protein levels were reduced in breast cancer tissues, high stromal-but not tumor-LAMA3 expression was significantly associated with advanced histological grade, TNM stage, molecular subtype, recurrence, and poorer survival outcomes. Multivariate analysis indicated stromal LAMA3 as an independent prognostic factor for survival in breast cancer, with enhanced predictive power when combined with lymph node metastasis. Bioinformatic analyses suggested that LAMA3 protein was correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix-receptor interaction pathways in breast cancer. Conclusions: Stromal LAMA3, expressed in the tumor microenvironment, is a new potential prognostic biomarker for breast cancer, emphasizing the significance of spatial context in biomarker discovery and suggesting its use in risk stratification.

Indexed as

biomarkerbreast cancerextracellular matrixlaminin subunit alpha 3prognosis

Identifiers

PMID42558819
PMCPMC13438351

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.