CM

Objectives: Claudins are major adhesion molecules in tight junctions and are strongly expressed in various cancers. We thus investigated the expression of claudin 5, a member of the claudin family, in breast cancer. Methods: A total of 193 patients with breast cancer were identified based on their pathologic diagnosis. The expression of each claudin 5 was analyzed in the tumor by immunohistochemical staining. Parametric correlations were done between claudin 5 expression and the clinicopathologic findings. Results: Claudin 5 expression in patients with recurrent breast cancer was statistically significantly higher (P =.004). In addition, analysis of the correlation with other clinicopathologic factors showed statistically significan