Abstract: Objective To study the expression of FOXM1 in human breast cancer, analyze the relationship between FOXM1 and clinical pathological features and explore the role of FOXM1 in cell proliferation. Methods FOXM1 expression in breast cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on 147 parffin-embedded slices. χ2 test was used to analyze the relationship of FOXM1, clinical parameters, as well as Ki-67. What's more, Western Blot was used to analyze the role of FOXM1 in cell cycle process during serum starvation and refeeding. At last, the expression level of FOXM1 was knocked down to analyze the alteration of MCF-7 cell vitality. Results FOXM1 was highly expressed in breast cancer. The expression of FOXM1 was consistent with the level of Ki-67. FOXM1 expression in breast cancer was significantly correlated with Her-2, lymph node status, as well as Ki-67 (P<0.05). With serum starvation for 72 hours and refeeding with the DMEM medium contain 5% fetal bovine serum in MCF-7 cells, the proliferation ability was enhanced (P<0.05). While interferenced with FOXM1, the proliferation ability was inhibited (P<0.05). Conclusions The abnormal expression of FOXM1 might be closely related to the initiation and progression of breast cancer. FOXM1 might be an indicator to predict the prognosis and serve as a potential target for therapy in breast cancer.

Key words: breast cancer, FOXM1, siRNA, proliferation