Dong B, et al. - In this investigation, researchers analyzed the relevance of hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-like 2 (HSDL2) in breast cancer, one of the women's most common malignancies and the leading cause of death from cancer among women worldwide, progression. By using immunofluorescence (IF) staining, the location of HSDL2 protein was detected in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. In 119 breast cancer tissues and 40 normal breast tissues, the expression level of HSDL2 was assessed by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. IF staining and IHC analysis showed consistently that HSDL2 was expressed predominantly in the cytoplasm of breast cancer cells. In breast cancer tissues, the positive rate of HSDL2 protein was significantly higher than in adjacent normal breast tissues. High HSDL2 protein expression has been correlated considerably with elevated histological grades, late clinical stages and low survival rates. In addition, multivariate analysis showed that HSDL2 protein in breast cancer patients was an independent prognostic factor. Overall, the authors concluded that HSDL2 plays a role in promoting the development of breast cancer. For patients with breast cancer, HSDL2 might be a valuable prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target.