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Bauer D, Böhm MRR, Wu X, Wang B, Jalilvand TV, Busch M, Kasper M, Brockhaus K, Wildschütz L, Melkonyan H, Laffer B, Meyer Zu Hörste G, Heiligenhaus A, Thanos S. Crystallin β-b2 promotes retinal ganglion cell protection in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis. Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1379540. [PMID: 39318470 PMCID: PMC11419989 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1379540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Crystallin βb2 (crybb2) is upregulated in regenerating retinas and in various pathological conditions of the retina, including uveoretinitis. However, the role of crybb2 in this disease is largely unknown. Therefore, we used recombinant crybb2 (rcrybb2) as intravitreal treatment of B10.RIII mice prior to immunization with human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein peptide 161-180 (hIRBPp161-180) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) and concomitant injection of pertussis toxin (PTX) to induce experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU). In naïve mice, more beta III-tubulin (TUBB3) + and RNA-binding protein with multiple splicing (RBPMS) + cells were found in the ganglion cell layer of the retina than in EAU eyes, suggesting a loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) during the development of EAU. At the same time, the number of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) + cells increased in EAU eyes. RGCs were better protected in EAU eyes treated with rcrybb2, while the number of GFAP+ cells decreased. However, in retinal flatmounts, both retinal ganglion cells and retinal endothelial cells stained positive for TUBB3, indicating that TUBB3 is present in naïve B10.RIII mouse eyes not exclusive to RGCs. A significant decline in the number of RBPMS-positive retinal ganglion cells was observed in retinal flatmounts from EAU retinas in comparison to naïve retinas or EAU retinas with intravitreal rcrybb2 treatment. Whereas no significant decrease in TUBB3 levels was detected using Western blot and RT-qPCR, GFAP level, as a marker for astrocytes, increased in EAU mice compared to naïve mice. Level of Bax and Bcl2 in the retina was altered by treatment, suggesting better cell survival and inhibition of apoptosis. Furthermore, our histologic observations of the eyes showed no change in the incidence and severity of EAU, nor was the immune response affected by intravitreal rcrybb2 treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that intravitreal injection of rcrybb2 reduces retinal RGC death during the course of EAU, independent of local or systemic autoimmune responses. In the future, treating posterior uveitis with rcrybb2 to protect RGCs may offer a promising novel therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Bauer
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Michael R. R. Böhm
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Experimental Ophthalmology, Westfalian-Wilhelms-University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Xiaoyu Wu
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Tida Viola Jalilvand
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Experimental Ophthalmology, Westfalian-Wilhelms-University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Martin Busch
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Maren Kasper
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Katrin Brockhaus
- Institute for Experimental Ophthalmology, Westfalian-Wilhelms-University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Institute for Physiological Biochemistry, Westfalian-Wilhelms-University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lena Wildschütz
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | - Harutyun Melkonyan
- Institute for Experimental Ophthalmology, Westfalian-Wilhelms-University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Björn Laffer
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Arnd Heiligenhaus
- Department of Ophthalmology and Ophtha-Lab at St. Franziskus Hospital, Münster, Germany
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Solon Thanos
- Institute for Experimental Ophthalmology, Westfalian-Wilhelms-University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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2
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Alimena S, Stephenson BJK, Webber JW, Wollborn L, Sussman CB, Packard DG, Williams M, Comrie CE, Wang JY, Markert T, Spiegel J, Rodriguez CB, Lightfoot M, Graye A, O'Connor S, Elias KM. Differences in Serum miRNA Profiles by Race, Ethnicity, and Socioeconomic Status: Implications for Developing an Equitable Ovarian Cancer Screening Test. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2024; 17:177-185. [PMID: 38388186 PMCID: PMC11070176 DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.capr-23-0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Serum miRNAs are promising biomarkers for several clinical conditions, including ovarian cancer. To inform equitable implementation of these tests, we investigated the effects of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on serum miRNA profiles. Serum samples from a large institutional biobank were analyzed using a custom panel of 179 miRNA species highly expressed in human serum, measured using the Abcam Fireplex assay via flow cytometry. Data were log-transformed prior to analysis. Differences in miRNA by race and ethnicity were assessed using logistic regression. Pairwise t tests analyzed racial and ethnic differences among eight miRNAs previously associated with ovarian cancer risk. Pearson correlations determined the relationship between mean miRNA expression and the social deprivation index (SDI) for Massachusetts residents. Of 1,586 patients (76.9% white, non-Hispanic), compared with white, non-Hispanic patients, those from other racial and ethnic groups were younger (41.9 years ± 13.2 vs. 51.3 ± 15.1, P < 0.01) and had fewer comorbidities (3.5 comorbidities ± 2.7 vs. 4.6 ± 2.8, P < 0.01). On logistic regression, miRNAs predicted race and ethnicity at an AUC of 0.69 (95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.72), which remained consistent when stratified by most comorbidities. Among eight miRNAs previously associated with ovarian cancer risk, seven significantly varied by race and ethnicity (all P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in SDI for any of these eight miRNAs. miRNA expression is significantly influenced by race and ethnicity, which remained consistent after controlling for confounders. Understanding baseline differences in biomarker test characteristics prior to clinical implementation is essential to ensure instruments perform comparably across diverse populations. PREVENTION RELEVANCE This study aimed to understand factors affecting miRNA expression, to ensure we create equitable screening tests for ovarian cancer that perform well in diverse populations. The goal is to ensure that we are detecting ovarian cancer cases earlier (secondary prevention) in women of all races, ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic means.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Alimena
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Briana Joy K Stephenson
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - James W Webber
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Laura Wollborn
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Amia Graye
- Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia
| | | | - Kevin M Elias
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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3
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Wieder R, Adam N. Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Treatments and Adverse Events in the SEER-Medicare Data. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4333. [PMID: 37686609 PMCID: PMC10486612 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite lower incidence rates, African American (AA) patients have shorter survival from breast cancer (BC) than white (W) patients. Multiple factors contribute to decreased survival, including screening disparities, later presentation, and access to care. Disparities in adverse events (AEs) may contribute to delayed or incomplete treatment, earlier recurrence, and shortened survival. Here, we analyzed the SEER-Medicare dataset, which captures claims from a variety of venues, in order to determine whether the cancer care venues affect treatment and associated adverse events. We investigated a study population whose claims are included in the Outpatient files, consisting of hospital and healthcare facility venues, and a study population from the National Claims History (NCH) files, consisting of claims from physicians, office practices, and other non-institutional providers. We demonstrated statistically and substantively significant venue-specific differences in treatment rates, drugs administered, and AEs from treatments between AA and W patients. We showed that AA patients in the NCH dataset received lower rates of treatment, but patients in the Outpatient dataset received higher rates of treatment than W patients. The rates of recorded AEs per treatment were higher in the NCH setting than in the Outpatient setting in all patients. AEs were consistently higher in AA patients than in W patients. AA patients had higher comorbidity indices and were younger than W patients, but these variables did not appear to play roles in the AE differences. The frequency of specific anticancer drugs administered in cancer- and venue-specific circumstances and their associated AEs varied between AA and W patients. The higher AE rates were due to slightly higher frequencies in the administration of drugs with higher associated AE rates in AA patients than in W patients. Our investigations demonstrate significant differences in treatment rates and associated AEs between AA and W patients with BC, depending on the venues of care, likely contributing to differences in outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Wieder
- Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 185 South Orange Avenue, MSB F671, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
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4
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Wieder R. Fibroblasts as Turned Agents in Cancer Progression. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:2014. [PMID: 37046676 PMCID: PMC10093070 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15072014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Differentiated epithelial cells reside in the homeostatic microenvironment of the native organ stroma. The stroma supports their normal function, their G0 differentiated state, and their expansion/contraction through the various stages of the life cycle and physiologic functions of the host. When malignant transformation begins, the microenvironment tries to suppress and eliminate the transformed cells, while cancer cells, in turn, try to resist these suppressive efforts. The tumor microenvironment encompasses a large variety of cell types recruited by the tumor to perform different functions, among which fibroblasts are the most abundant. The dynamics of the mutual relationship change as the sides undertake an epic battle for control of the other. In the process, the cancer "wounds" the microenvironment through a variety of mechanisms and attracts distant mesenchymal stem cells to change their function from one attempting to suppress the cancer, to one that supports its growth, survival, and metastasis. Analogous reciprocal interactions occur as well between disseminated cancer cells and the metastatic microenvironment, where the microenvironment attempts to eliminate cancer cells or suppress their proliferation. However, the altered microenvironmental cells acquire novel characteristics that support malignant progression. Investigations have attempted to use these traits as targets of novel therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Wieder
- Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
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5
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Rujchanarong D, Scott D, Park Y, Brown S, Mehta AS, Drake R, Sandusky GE, Nakshatri H, Angel PM. Metabolic Links to Socioeconomic Stresses Uniquely Affecting Ancestry in Normal Breast Tissue at Risk for Breast Cancer. Front Oncol 2022; 12:876651. [PMID: 35832545 PMCID: PMC9273232 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.876651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A primary difference between black women (BW) and white women (WW) diagnosed with breast cancer is aggressiveness of the tumor. Black women have higher mortalities with similar incidence of breast cancer compared to other race/ethnicities, and they are diagnosed at a younger age with more advanced tumors with double the rate of lethal, triple negative breast cancers. One hypothesis is that chronic social and economic stressors result in ancestry-dependent molecular responses that create a tumor permissive tissue microenvironment in normal breast tissue. Altered regulation of N-glycosylation of proteins, a glucose metabolism-linked post-translational modification attached to an asparagine (N) residue, has been associated with two strong independent risk factors for breast cancer: increased breast density and body mass index (BMI). Interestingly, high body mass index (BMI) levels have been reported to associate with increases of cancer-associated N-glycan signatures. In this study, we used matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to investigate molecular pattern changes of N-glycosylation in ancestry defined normal breast tissue from BW and WW with significant 5-year risk of breast cancer by Gail score. N-glycosylation was tested against social stressors including marital status, single, education, economic status (income), personal reproductive history, the risk factors BMI and age. Normal breast tissue microarrays from the Susan G. Komen tissue bank (BW=43; WW= 43) were used to evaluate glycosylation against socioeconomic stress and risk factors. One specific N-glycan (2158 m/z) appeared dependent on ancestry with high sensitivity and specificity (AUC 0.77, Brown/Wilson p-value<0.0001). Application of a linear regression model with ancestry as group variable and socioeconomic covariates as predictors identified a specific N-glycan signature associated with different socioeconomic stresses. For WW, household income was strongly associated to certain N-glycans, while for BW, marital status (married and single) was strongly associated with the same N-glycan signature. Current work focuses on understanding if combined N-glycan biosignatures can further help understand normal breast tissue at risk. This study lays the foundation for understanding the complexities linking socioeconomic stresses and molecular factors to their role in ancestry dependent breast cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denys Rujchanarong
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Bruker-MUSC Center of Excellence, Clinical Glycomics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Danielle Scott
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Bruker-MUSC Center of Excellence, Clinical Glycomics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Yeonhee Park
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Sean Brown
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Bruker-MUSC Center of Excellence, Clinical Glycomics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Anand S. Mehta
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Bruker-MUSC Center of Excellence, Clinical Glycomics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Richard Drake
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Bruker-MUSC Center of Excellence, Clinical Glycomics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - George E. Sandusky
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Harikrishna Nakshatri
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Peggi M. Angel
- Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Bruker-MUSC Center of Excellence, Clinical Glycomics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
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6
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Siddharth S, Parida S, Muniraj N, Hercules S, Lim D, Nagalingam A, Wang C, Gyorffy B, Daniel JM, Sharma D. Concomitant activation of GLI1 and Notch1 contributes to racial disparity of human triple negative breast cancer progression. eLife 2021; 10:70729. [PMID: 34889737 PMCID: PMC8664295 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Mortality from triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is significantly higher in African American (AA) women compared to White American (WA) women emphasizing ethnicity as a major risk factor; however, the molecular determinants that drive aggressive progression of AA-TNBC remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that AA-TNBC cells are inherently aggressive, exhibiting elevated growth, migration, and cancer stem-like phenotype compared to WA-TNBC cells. Meta-analysis of RNA-sequencing data of multiple AA- and WA-TNBC cell lines shows enrichment of GLI1 and Notch1 pathways in AA-TNBC cells. Enrichment of GLI1 and Notch1 pathway genes was observed in AA-TNBC. In line with this observation, analysis of TCGA dataset reveals a positive correlation between GLI1 and Notch1 in AA-TNBC and a negative correlation in WA-TNBC. Increased nuclear localization and interaction between GLI1 and Notch1 is observed in AA-TNBC cells. Of importance, inhibition of GLI1 and Notch1 synergistically improves the efficacy of chemotherapy in AA-TNBC cells. Combined treatment of AA-TNBC-derived tumors with GANT61, DAPT, and doxorubicin/carboplatin results in significant tumor regression, and tumor-dissociated cells show mitigated migration, invasion, mammosphere formation, and CD44+/CD24- population. Indeed, secondary tumors derived from triple-therapy-treated AA-TNBC tumors show diminished stem-like phenotype. Finally, we show that TNBC tumors from AA women express significantly higher level of GLI1 and Notch1 expression in comparison to TNBC tumors from WA women. This work sheds light on the racial disparity in TNBC, implicates the GLI1 and Notch1 axis as its functional mediators, and proposes a triple-combination therapy that can prove beneficial for AA-TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumit Siddharth
- Dept. of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, United States
| | - Sheetal Parida
- Dept. of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, United States
| | - Nethaji Muniraj
- Dept. of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, United States
| | - Shawn Hercules
- Department of Biology, MacMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - David Lim
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, United States
| | - Arumugam Nagalingam
- Dept. of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, United States
| | - Chenguang Wang
- Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, United States
| | - Balazs Gyorffy
- MTA TTK Momentum Cancer Biomarker Research Group, Budapest, Hungary.,Semmelweis University, Department of Bioinformatics and 2nd Dept. of Pediatrics, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Juliet M Daniel
- Department of Biology, MacMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Dipali Sharma
- Dept. of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, United States
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7
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Yan Y, Narayan A, Cho S, Cheng Z, Liu JO, Zhu H, Wang G, Wharram B, Lisok A, Brummet M, Saeki H, Huang T, Gabrielson K, Gabrielson E, Cope L, Kanaan YM, Afsari A, Naab T, Yfantis HG, Ambs S, Pomper MG, Sukumar S, Merino VF. CRYβB2 enhances tumorigenesis through upregulation of nucleolin in triple negative breast cancer. Oncogene 2021; 40:5752-5763. [PMID: 34341513 PMCID: PMC10064491 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-021-01975-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Expression of β-crystallin B2 (CRYβB2) is elevated in African American (AA) breast tumors. The underlying mechanisms of CRYβB2-induced malignancy and the association of CRYβB2 protein expression with survival have not yet been described. Here, we report that the expression of CRYβB2 in breast cancer cells increases stemness, growth, and metastasis. Transcriptomics data revealed that CRYβB2 upregulates genes that are functionally associated with unfolded protein response, oxidative phosphorylation, and DNA repair, while down-regulating genes related to apoptosis. CRYβB2 in tumors promotes de-differentiation, an increase in mesenchymal markers and cancer-associated fibroblasts, and enlargement of nucleoli. Proteome microarrays identified a direct interaction between CRYβB2 and the nucleolar protein, nucleolin. CRYβB2 induces nucleolin, leading to the activation of AKT and EGFR signaling. CRISPR studies revealed a dependency on nucleolin for the pro-tumorigenic effects of CRYβB2. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) xenografts with upregulated CRYβB2 are distinctively sensitive to the nucleolin aptamer, AS-1411. Lastly, in AA patients, higher levels of nucleolar CRYβB2 in primary TNBC correlates with decreased survival. In summary, CRYβB2 is upregulated in breast tumors of AA patients and induces oncogenic alterations consistent with an aggressive cancer phenotype. CRYβB2 increases sensitivity to nucleolin inhibitors and may promote breast cancer disparity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yan
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Athira Narayan
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Soonweng Cho
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Zhiqiang Cheng
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jun O Liu
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Heng Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Guannan Wang
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bryan Wharram
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ala Lisok
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary Brummet
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Harumi Saeki
- Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tao Huang
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Kathleen Gabrielson
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Edward Gabrielson
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Leslie Cope
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Yasmine M Kanaan
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Ali Afsari
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Tammey Naab
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Harris G Yfantis
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Stefan Ambs
- Molecular Epidemiology Section, Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Martin G Pomper
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Saraswati Sukumar
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Vanessa F Merino
- Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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8
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Turkistani S, Sugita BM, Fadda P, Marchi R, Afsari A, Naab T, Apprey V, Copeland RL, Campbell MC, Cavalli LR, Kanaan Y. A panel of miRNAs as prognostic markers for African-American patients with triple negative breast cancer. BMC Cancer 2021; 21:861. [PMID: 34315420 PMCID: PMC8317413 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-08573-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To investigate the global expression profile of miRNAs, their impact on cellular signaling pathways, and their association with poor prognostic parameters in African-American (AA) patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). METHODS Twenty-five samples of AA TNBC patients were profiled for global miRNA expression and stratified considering three clinical-pathological parameters: tumor size, lymph node (LN), and recurrence (REC) status. Differential miRNA expression analysis was performed for each parameter, and their discriminatory power was determined by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. KMplotter was assessed to determine the association of the miRNAs with survival, and functional enrichment analysis to determine the main affected pathways and miRNA/mRNA target interactions. RESULTS A panel of eight, 23 and 27 miRNAs were associated with tumor size, LN, and REC status, respectively. Combined ROC analysis of two (miR-2117, and miR-378c), seven (let-7f-5p, miR-1255b-5p, miR-1268b, miR-200c-3p, miR-520d, miR-527, and miR-518a-5p), and three (miR-1200, miR-1249-3p, and miR-1271-3p) miRNAs showed a robust discriminatory power based on tumor size (AUC = 0.917), LN (AUC = 0.945) and REC (AUC = 0.981) status, respectively. Enrichment pathway analysis revealed their involvement in proteoglycans and glycan and cancer-associated pathways. Eight miRNAs with deregulated expressions in patients with large tumor size, positive LN metastasis, and recurrence were significantly associated with lower survival rates. Finally, the construction of miRNA/mRNA networks based in experimentally validated mRNA targets, revealed nodes of critical cancer genes, such as AKT1, BCL2, CDKN1A, EZR and PTEN. CONCLUSIONS Altogether, our data indicate that miRNA deregulated expression is a relevant biological factor that can be associated with the poor prognosis in TNBC of AA patients, by conferring to their TNBC cells aggressive phenotypes that are reflected in the clinical characteristics evaluated in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safaa Turkistani
- Department of Microbiology, Howard University Cancer Center, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Bruna M Sugita
- Research Institute Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Paolo Fadda
- Genomics Shared Resource, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Rafael Marchi
- Research Institute Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Ali Afsari
- Department of Pathology, Howard University Hospital, Washington DC, USA
| | - Tammey Naab
- Department of Pathology, Howard University Hospital, Washington DC, USA
| | - Victor Apprey
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Robert L Copeland
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Cancer Center, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
| | | | - Luciane R Cavalli
- Research Institute Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA.
| | - Yasmine Kanaan
- Department of Microbiology, Howard University Cancer Center, Howard University, Washington DC, USA
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9
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Stringer-Reasor EM, Elkhanany A, Khoury K, Simon MA, Newman LA. Disparities in Breast Cancer Associated With African American Identity. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book 2021; 41:e29-e46. [PMID: 34161138 DOI: 10.1200/edbk_319929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Persistent disparities in the burden of breast cancer between African Americans and White Americans have been documented over many decades. Features characterizing breast cancer in the African American community include a 40% higher mortality rate, younger age distribution, greater advanced-stage distribution, increased risk of biologically aggressive disease such as the triple-negative phenotype, and increased incidence of male breast cancer. Public health experts, genetics researchers, clinical trialists, multidisciplinary oncology teams, and advocates must collaborate to comprehensively address the multifactorial etiology of and remedies for breast cancer disparities. Efforts to achieve breast health equity through improved access to affordable, high-quality care are especially imperative in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionately high economic toll on African Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica M Stringer-Reasor
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Ahmed Elkhanany
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Katia Khoury
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Medicine, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Melissa A Simon
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL
| | - Lisa A Newman
- Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian Hospital Network, New York, NY
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10
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Li M, Liu S, Huang W, Zhang J. Physiological and pathological functions of βB2-crystallins in multiple organs: a systematic review. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:15674-15687. [PMID: 34118792 PMCID: PMC8221336 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Crystallins, the major constituent proteins of mammalian lenses, are significant not only for the maintenance of eye lens stability, transparency, and refraction, but also fulfill various physiopathological functions in extraocular tissues. βB2-crystallin, for example, is a multifunctional protein expressed in the human retina, brain, testis, ovary, and multiple tumors. Mutations in the βB2 crystallin gene or denaturation of βB2-crystallin protein are associated with cataracts, ocular pathologies, and psychiatric disorders. A prominent role for βB2-crystallins in axonal growth and regeneration, as well as in dendritic outgrowth, has been demonstrated after optic nerve injury. Studies in βB2-crystallin-null mice revealed morphological and functional abnormalities in testis and ovaries, indicating βB2-crystallin contributes to male and female fertility in mice. Interestingly, although pathogenic significance remains obscure, several studies identified a clear correlation between βB2 crystallin expression and the prognosis of patients with breast cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and glioblastoma in the African American population. This review summarizes the physiological and pathological functions of βB2-crystallin in the eye and other organs and tissues and discusses findings related to the expression and potential role of βB2-crystallin in tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meihui Li
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Yangpu, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Shengnan Liu
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Yangpu, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Yangpu, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Junjie Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Military Medical University, Yangpu, Shanghai 200433, China
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11
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Comparative analysis of 1152 African-American and European-American men with prostate cancer identifies distinct genomic and immunological differences. Commun Biol 2021; 4:670. [PMID: 34083737 PMCID: PMC8175556 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02140-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Racial disparities in prostate cancer have not been well characterized on a genomic level. Here we show the results of a multi-institutional retrospective analysis of 1,152 patients (596 African-American men (AAM) and 556 European-American men (EAM)) who underwent radical prostatectomy. Comparative analyses between the race groups were conducted at the clinical, genomic, pathway, molecular subtype, and prognostic levels. The EAM group had increased ERG (P < 0.001) and ETS (P = 0.02) expression, decreased SPINK1 expression (P < 0.001), and basal-like (P < 0.001) molecular subtypes. After adjusting for confounders, the AAM group was associated with higher expression of CRYBB2, GSTM3, and inflammation genes (IL33, IFNG, CCL4, CD3, ICOSLG), and lower expression of mismatch repair genes (MSH2, MSH6) (p < 0.001 for all). At the pathway level, the AAM group had higher expression of genes sets related to the immune response, apoptosis, hypoxia, and reactive oxygen species. EAM group was associated with higher levels of fatty acid metabolism, DNA repair, and WNT/beta-catenin signaling. Based on cell lines data, AAM were predicted to have higher potential response to DNA damage. In conclusion, biological characteristics of prostate tumor were substantially different in AAM when compared to EAM. Walter Rayford, Alp Tuna Beksac et al. investigated gene expression alterations in African-American and European-American men who underwent radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer. The observed differences include higher expression of inflammation genes and lower expression of mismatch repair genes in African-American men.
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12
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Kakarla M, ChallaSivaKanaka S, Hayward SW, Franco OE. Race as a Contributor to Stromal Modulation of Tumor Progression. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112656. [PMID: 34071280 PMCID: PMC8197868 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Stromal cells play crucial roles in tumor development and are increasingly attractive targets for therapy. There are considerable racial disparities in the incidence and progression of many tumors, reflecting both environmental exposure and genetic differences existing between races. Tumorigenesis and tumor progression are linked to both the propensity to suffer an initiating event and the host response to such an event once it occurs, contributing to incidence and outcomes. In this review, we focused on racial disparities in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of different cancers as potential modulators of growth, metastasis, and response to treatment. Several studies suggest that the TME in AA has a distinct tumor biology and may facilitate both early onset and aggressive tumor growth while inhibiting anti-tumorigenic properties. The TME of AA patients often exhibits an immunosuppressive microenvironment with a substantial enrichment of immune inflammatory pathways and genes. As a result, AA patients can potentially benefit more from treatment strategies that modulate the immune system. Focusing on TME components for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes to address racial disparities is a promising area of investigation. Future basic and clinical research studies on personalized cancer diagnosis and treatment should acknowledge the significance of TME in racial disparities.
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13
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Roelands J, Mall R, Almeer H, Thomas R, Mohamed MG, Bedri S, Al-Bader SB, Junejo K, Ziv E, Sayaman RW, Kuppen PJK, Bedognetti D, Hendrickx W, Decock J. Ancestry-associated transcriptomic profiles of breast cancer in patients of African, Arab, and European ancestry. NPJ Breast Cancer 2021; 7:10. [PMID: 33558495 PMCID: PMC7870839 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-021-00215-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer largely dominates the global cancer burden statistics; however, there are striking disparities in mortality rates across countries. While socioeconomic factors contribute to population-based differences in mortality, they do not fully explain disparity among women of African ancestry (AA) and Arab ancestry (ArA) compared to women of European ancestry (EA). In this study, we sought to identify molecular differences that could provide insight into the biology of ancestry-associated disparities in clinical outcomes. We applied a unique approach that combines the use of curated survival data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Pan-Cancer clinical data resource, improved single-nucleotide polymorphism-based inferred ancestry assignment, and a novel breast cancer subtype classification to interrogate the TCGA and a local Arab breast cancer dataset. We observed an enrichment of BasalMyo tumors in AA patients (38 vs 16.5% in EA, p = 1.30E - 10), associated with a significant worse overall (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.39, p = 0.02) and disease-specific survival (HR = 2.57, p = 0.03). Gene set enrichment analysis of BasalMyo AA and EA samples revealed differences in the abundance of T-regulatory and T-helper type 2 cells, and enrichment of cancer-related pathways with prognostic implications (AA: PI3K-Akt-mTOR and ErbB signaling; EA: EGF, estrogen-dependent and DNA repair signaling). Strikingly, AMPK signaling was associated with opposing prognostic connotation (AA: 10-year HR = 2.79, EA: 10-year HR = 0.34). Analysis of ArA patients suggests enrichment of BasalMyo tumors with a trend for differential enrichment of T-regulatory cells and AMPK signaling. Together, our findings suggest that the disparity in the clinical outcome of AA breast cancer patients is likely related to differences in cancer-related and microenvironmental features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Roelands
- Functional Cancer Omics Lab, Cancer Group, Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Raghvendra Mall
- Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Hossam Almeer
- Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Remy Thomas
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar
| | - Mahmoud G Mohamed
- Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar
- Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (DiMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | | | - Kulsoom Junejo
- General Surgery Department, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar
| | - Elad Ziv
- Department of Medicine, Institute for Human Genetics, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Rosalyn W Sayaman
- Department of Population Sciences, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Peter J K Kuppen
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Davide Bedognetti
- Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (DiMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
- Cancer Immunogenetics Lab, Cancer Group, Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar.
| | - Wouter Hendrickx
- Functional Cancer Omics Lab, Cancer Group, Research Branch, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar.
| | - Julie Decock
- Cancer Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar.
- College of Health and Life Sciences (CHLS), Hamad bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar Foundation (QF), Doha, Qatar.
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14
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Xing F, Zhao D, Wu SY, Tyagi A, Wu K, Sharma S, Liu Y, Deshpande R, Wang Y, Cleary J, Miller LD, Chittiboyina AG, Yalamanchili C, Mo YY, Watabe K. Epigenetic and Posttranscriptional Modulation of SOS1 Can Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis through Obesity-Activated c-Met Signaling in African-American Women. Cancer Res 2021; 81:3008-3021. [PMID: 33446575 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-4031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ethnicity is considered to be one of the major risk factors in certain subtypes of breast cancer. However, the mechanism of this racial disparity remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that SOS1, a key regulator of Ras pathway, is highly expressed in African-American (AA) patients with breast cancer compared with Caucasian-American patients. Because of the higher obesity rate in AA women, increased levels of SOS1 facilitated signal transduction of the c-Met pathway, which was highly activated in AA patients with breast cancer via hepatocyte growth factor secreted from adipocytes. Elevated expression of SOS1 also enhanced cancer stemness through upregulation of PTTG1 and promoted M2 polarization of macrophages by CCL2 in metastatic sites. SOS1 was epigenetically regulated by a super-enhancer identified by H3K27ac in AA patients. Knockout of the super-enhancer by CRISPR in AA cell lines significantly reduced SOS1 expression. Furthermore, SOS1 was posttranscriptionally regulated by miR-483 whose expression is reduced in AA patients through histone trimethylation (H3K27me3) on its promoter. The natural compound, taxifolin, suppressed signaling transduction of SOS1 by blocking the interaction between SOS1 and Grb2, suggesting a potential utility of this compound as a therapeutic agent for AA patients with breast cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings elucidate the signaling network of SOS1-mediated metastasis in African-American patients, from the epigenetic upregulation of SOS1 to the identification of taxifolin as a potential therapeutic strategy against SOS1-driven tumor progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xing
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
| | - Dan Zhao
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Shih-Ying Wu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Abhishek Tyagi
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Kerui Wu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Sambad Sharma
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Yin Liu
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Ravindra Deshpande
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Yuezhu Wang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Jacob Cleary
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Lance D Miller
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
| | - Amar G Chittiboyina
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
| | - Chinni Yalamanchili
- National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, The University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi
| | - Yin-Yuan Mo
- Cancer Institute, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
| | - Kounosuke Watabe
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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15
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Prakash O, Hossain F, Danos D, Lassak A, Scribner R, Miele L. Racial Disparities in Triple Negative Breast Cancer: A Review of the Role of Biologic and Non-biologic Factors. Front Public Health 2020; 8:576964. [PMID: 33415093 PMCID: PMC7783321 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.576964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that lacks expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2). TNBC constitutes about 15–30 percent of all diagnosed invasive breast cancer cases in the United States. African-American (AA) women have high prevalence of TNBC with worse clinical outcomes than European-American (EA) women. The contributing factors underlying racial disparities have been divided into two major categories based on whether they are related to lifestyle (non-biologic) or unrelated to lifestyle (biologic). Our objective in the present review article was to understand the potential interactions by which these risk factors intersect to drive the initiation and development of the disparities resulting in the aggressive TNBC subtypes in AA women more likely than in EA women. To reach our goal, we conducted literature searches using MEDLINE/PubMed to identify relevant articles published from 2005 to 2019 addressing breast cancer disparities primarily among AA and EA women in the United States. We found that disparities in TNBC may be attributed to racial differences in biological factors, such as tumor heterogeneity, population genetics, somatic genomic mutations, and increased expression of genes in AA breast tumors which have direct link to breast cancer. In addition, a large number of non-biologic factors, including socioeconomic deprivation adversities associated with poverty, social stress, unsafe neighborhoods, lack of healthcare access and pattern of reproductive factors, can promote comorbid diseases such as obesity and diabetes which may adversely contribute to the aggression of TNBC biology in AA women. Further, the biological risk factors directly linked to TNBC in AA women may potentially interact with non-biologic factors to promote a higher prevalence of TNBC, more aggressive biology, and poor survival. The relative contributions of the biologic and non-biologic factors and their potential interactions is essential to our understanding of disproportionately high burden and poor survival rates of AA women with TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Om Prakash
- Louisiana Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Fokhrul Hossain
- Louisiana Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Denise Danos
- Louisiana Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Adam Lassak
- Louisiana Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Richard Scribner
- Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, St. George's University, True Blue, Grenada
| | - Lucio Miele
- Louisiana Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
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16
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Li Y, Pang X, Cui Z, Zhou Y, Mao F, Lin Y, Zhang X, Shen S, Zhu P, Zhao T, Sun Q, Zhang J. Genetic factors associated with cancer racial disparity - an integrative study across twenty-one cancer types. Mol Oncol 2020; 14:2775-2786. [PMID: 32920960 PMCID: PMC7607166 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well known that different racial groups have significantly different incidence and mortality rates for certain cancers. It has been suggested that biological factors play a major role in these cancer racial disparities. Previous studies on the biological factors contributing to cancer racial disparity have generated a very large number of candidate factors, although there is modest agreement among the results of the different studies. Here, we performed an integrative analysis using genomic data of 21 cancer types from TCGA, GTEx, and the 1000 Genomes Project to identify biological factors contributing to racial disparity in cancer. We also built a companion website with additional results for cancer researchers to freely mine. Our study identified genes, gene families, and pathways displaying similar differential expression patterns between different racial groups across multiple cancer types. Among them, XKR9 gene expression was found to be significantly associated with overall survival for all cancers combined as well as for several individual cancers. Our results point to the interesting hypothesis that XKR9 could be a novel drug target for cancer immunotherapy. Bayesian network modeling showed that XKR9 is linked to important cancer-related genes, including FOXM1, cyclin B1, and RB1CC1 (RB1 regulator). In addition, metabolic pathways, neural signaling pathways, and several cancer-related gene families were found to be significantly associated with cancer racial disparities for multiple cancer types. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) discovered through integrating data from the TCGA, GTEx, and 1000 Genomes databases provide biologists the opportunity to test highly promising, targeted hypotheses to gain a deeper understanding of the genetic drivers of cancer racial disparity and cancer biology in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Department of Breast SurgeryPeking Union Medical College HospitalPeking Union Medical CollegeChinese Academy of Medical SciencesBeijingChina
| | | | - Zihan Cui
- Department of StatisticsFlorida State UniversityTallahasseeFLUSA
| | - Yidong Zhou
- Department of Breast SurgeryPeking Union Medical College HospitalPeking Union Medical CollegeChinese Academy of Medical SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Feng Mao
- Department of Breast SurgeryPeking Union Medical College HospitalPeking Union Medical CollegeChinese Academy of Medical SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Yan Lin
- Department of Breast SurgeryPeking Union Medical College HospitalPeking Union Medical CollegeChinese Academy of Medical SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- Department of Breast SurgeryPeking Union Medical College HospitalPeking Union Medical CollegeChinese Academy of Medical SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Songjie Shen
- Department of Breast SurgeryPeking Union Medical College HospitalPeking Union Medical CollegeChinese Academy of Medical SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Peixin Zhu
- Boston Biosciences Inc.BostonMAUSA
- Broad Institute of Harvard & MITCambridgeMAUSA
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchMITCambridgeMAUSA
| | - Tingting Zhao
- Department of GeographyFlorida State UniversityTallahasseeFLUSA
| | - Qiang Sun
- Department of Breast SurgeryPeking Union Medical College HospitalPeking Union Medical CollegeChinese Academy of Medical SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jinfeng Zhang
- Department of StatisticsFlorida State UniversityTallahasseeFLUSA
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17
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Baltanás FC, Zarich N, Rojas-Cabañeros JM, Santos E. SOS GEFs in health and disease. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020; 1874:188445. [PMID: 33035641 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
SOS1 and SOS2 are the most universal and widely expressed family of guanine exchange factors (GEFs) capable or activating RAS or RAC1 proteins in metazoan cells. SOS proteins contain a sequence of modular domains that are responsible for different intramolecular and intermolecular interactions modulating mechanisms of self-inhibition, allosteric activation and intracellular homeostasis. Despite their homology, analyses of SOS1/2-KO mice demonstrate functional prevalence of SOS1 over SOS2 in cellular processes including proliferation, migration, inflammation or maintenance of intracellular redox homeostasis, although some functional redundancy cannot be excluded, particularly at the organismal level. Specific SOS1 gain-of-function mutations have been identified in inherited RASopathies and various sporadic human cancers. SOS1 depletion reduces tumorigenesis mediated by RAS or RAC1 in mouse models and is associated with increased intracellular oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Since WT RAS is essential for development of RAS-mutant tumors, the SOS GEFs may be considered as relevant biomarkers or therapy targets in RAS-dependent cancers. Inhibitors blocking SOS expression, intrinsic GEF activity, or productive SOS protein-protein interactions with cellular regulators and/or RAS/RAC targets have been recently developed and shown preclinical and clinical effectiveness blocking aberrant RAS signaling in RAS-driven and RTK-driven tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando C Baltanás
- Centro de Investigación del Cáncer - IBMCC (CSIC-USAL) and CIBERONC, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Natasha Zarich
- Unidad Funcional de Investigación de Enfermedades Crónicas (UFIEC) and CIBERONC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose M Rojas-Cabañeros
- Unidad Funcional de Investigación de Enfermedades Crónicas (UFIEC) and CIBERONC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28220, Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eugenio Santos
- Centro de Investigación del Cáncer - IBMCC (CSIC-USAL) and CIBERONC, Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
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18
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Matossian MD, Giardina AA, Wright MK, Elliott S, Loch MM, Nguyen K, Zea AH, Lau FH, Moroz K, Riker AI, Jones SD, Martin EC, Bunnell BA, Miele L, Collins-Burow BM, Burow ME. Patient-Derived Xenografts as an Innovative Surrogate Tumor Model for the Investigation of Health Disparities in Triple Negative Breast Cancer. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 1:383-392. [PMID: 33786503 PMCID: PMC7784803 DOI: 10.1089/whr.2020.0037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Despite a decline in overall incidence rates for cancer in the past decade, due in part to impressive advancements in both diagnosis and treatment, breast cancer (BC) remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women. BC alone accounts for ∼30% of all new cancer diagnoses in women worldwide. Triple-negative BC (TNBC), defined as having no expression of the estrogen or progesterone receptors and no amplification of the HER2 receptor, is a subtype of BC that does not benefit from the use of estrogen receptor-targeting or HER2-targeting therapies. Differences in socioeconomic factors and cell intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics have been demonstrated in Black and White TNBC patient tumors. The emergence of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models as a surrogate, translational, and functional representation of the patient with TNBC has led to the advances in drug discovery and testing of novel targeted approaches and combination therapies. However, current established TNBC PDX models fail to represent the diverse patient population and, most importantly, the specific ethnic patient populations that have higher rates of incidence and mortality. The primary aim of this review is to emphasize the importance of using clinically relevant translatable tumor models that reflect TNBC human tumor biology and heterogeneity in high-risk patient populations. The focus is to highlight the complexity of BC as it specifically relates to the management of TNBC in Black women. We discuss the importance of utilizing PDX models to study the extracellular matrix (ECM), and the distinct differences in ECM composition and biophysical properties in Black and White women. Finally, we demonstrate the crucial importance of PDX models toward novel drug discovery in this patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarite D Matossian
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Alexandra A Giardina
- Biospecimen Core Laboratory, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Maryl K Wright
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Steven Elliott
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Michelle M Loch
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Khoa Nguyen
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Arnold H Zea
- Biospecimen Core Laboratory, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.,Department of Genetics and Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, Louisiana Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Frank H Lau
- Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Krzysztof Moroz
- Biospecimen Core Laboratory, Louisiana Cancer Research Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.,Department of Pathology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Adam I Riker
- Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.,Department of Surgery, DeCesaris Cancer Institute, Anne Arundel Medical Center, Luminis Health, Annapolis, Maryland, USA
| | - Steven D Jones
- Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Martin
- Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Bruce A Bunnell
- Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Lucio Miele
- Department of Genetics and Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, Louisiana Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Bridgette M Collins-Burow
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Matthew E Burow
- Section of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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19
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Charan M, Verma AK, Hussain S, Misri S, Mishra S, Majumder S, Ramaswamy B, Ahirwar D, Ganju RK. Molecular and Cellular Factors Associated with Racial Disparity in Breast Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21165936. [PMID: 32824813 PMCID: PMC7460595 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21165936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that racial differences can influence breast cancer incidence and survival rate. African American (AA) women are at two to three fold higher risk for breast cancer than other ethnic groups. AA women with aggressive breast cancers show worse prognoses and higher mortality rates relative to Caucasian (CA) women. Over the last few years, effective treatment strategies have reduced mortality from breast cancer. Unfortunately, the breast cancer mortality rate among AA women remains higher compared to their CA counterparts. The focus of this review is to underscore the racial differences and differential regulation/expression of genetic signatures in CA and AA women with breast cancer. Moreover, immune cell infiltration significantly affects the clinical outcome of breast cancer. Here, we have reviewed recent findings on immune cell recruitment in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and documented its association with breast cancer racial disparity. In addition, we have extensively discussed the role of cytokines, chemokines, and other cell signaling molecules among AA and CA breast cancer patients. Furthermore, we have also reviewed the distinct genetic and epigenetic changes in AA and CA patients. Overall, this review article encompasses various molecular and cellular factors associated with breast cancer disparity that affects mortality and clinical outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Charan
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.C.); (A.K.V.); (S.H.); (S.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Ajeet K. Verma
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.C.); (A.K.V.); (S.H.); (S.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Shahid Hussain
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.C.); (A.K.V.); (S.H.); (S.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Swati Misri
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.C.); (A.K.V.); (S.H.); (S.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Sanjay Mishra
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.C.); (A.K.V.); (S.H.); (S.M.); (S.M.)
| | - Sarmila Majumder
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (S.M.); (B.R.)
| | - Bhuvaneswari Ramaswamy
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (S.M.); (B.R.)
| | - Dinesh Ahirwar
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.C.); (A.K.V.); (S.H.); (S.M.); (S.M.)
- Correspondence: (D.A.); (R.K.G.)
| | - Ramesh K. Ganju
- Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (M.C.); (A.K.V.); (S.H.); (S.M.); (S.M.)
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (S.M.); (B.R.)
- Correspondence: (D.A.); (R.K.G.)
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20
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Ping J, Guo X, Ye F, Long J, Lipworth L, Cai Q, Blot W, Shu XO, Zheng W. Differences in gene-expression profiles in breast cancer between African and European-ancestry women. Carcinogenesis 2020; 41:887-893. [PMID: 32267939 PMCID: PMC7359770 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgaa035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
African American (AA) women have an excess breast cancer mortality than European American (EA) women. To investigate the contribution of tumor biology to this survival health disparity, we compared gene expression profiles in breast tumors using RNA sequencing data derived from 260 AA and 155 EA women who were prospectively enrolled in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS) and developed breast cancer during follow-up. We identified 59 genes (54 protein-coding genes and 5 long intergenic non-coding RNAs) that were expressed differently between EA and AA at a stringent false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.01. A gene signature was derived with these 59 genes and externally validated using the publicly available Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data from180 AA and 838 EA breast cancer patients. Applying C-statistics, we found that this 59-gene signature has a high discriminative ability in distinguishing AA and EA breast cancer patients in the TCGA dataset (C-index = 0.81). These findings may provide new insight into tumor biological differences and the causes of the survival disparity between AA and EA breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Ping
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Xingyi Guo
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Fei Ye
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jirong Long
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Loren Lipworth
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Qiuyin Cai
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - William Blot
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Xiao-Ou Shu
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Wei Zheng
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
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21
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Barrow MA, Martin ME, Coffey A, Andrews PL, Jones GS, Reaves DK, Parker JS, Troester MA, Fleming JM. A functional role for the cancer disparity-linked genes, CRYβB2 and CRYβB2P1, in the promotion of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 2019; 21:105. [PMID: 31511085 PMCID: PMC6739962 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-019-1191-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the USA, the breast cancer mortality rate is 41% higher for African-American women than non-Hispanic White women. While numerous gene expression studies have classified biological features that vary by race and may contribute to poorer outcomes, few studies have experimentally tested these associations. CRYβB2 gene expression has drawn particular interest because of its association with overall survival and African-American ethnicity in multiple cancers. Several reports indicate that overexpression of the CRYβB2 pseudogene, CRYβB2P1, and not CRYβB2 is linked with race and poor outcome. It remains unclear whether either or both genes are linked to breast cancer outcomes. This study investigates CRYβB2 and CRYβB2P1 expression in human breast cancers and breast cancer cell line models, with the goal of elucidating the mechanistic contribution of CRYβB2 and CRYβB2P1 to racial disparities. Methods Custom scripts for CRYβB2 or CRYβB2P1 were generated and used to identify reads that uniquely aligned to either gene. Gene expression according to race and tumor subtype were assessed using all available TCGA breast cancer RNA sequencing alignment samples (n = 1221). In addition, triple-negative breast cancer models engineered to have each gene overexpressed or knocked out were developed and evaluated by in vitro, biochemical, and in vivo assays to identify biological functions. Results We provide evidence that CRYβB2P1 is expressed at higher levels in breast tumors compared to CRYβB2, but only CRYβB2P1 is significantly increased in African-American tumors relative to White American tumors. We show that independent of CRYβB2, CRYβB2P1 enhances tumorigenesis in vivo via promoting cell proliferation. Our data also reveal that CRYβB2P1 may function as a non-coding RNA to regulate CRYβB2 expression. A key observation is that the combined overexpression of both genes was found to suppress cell growth. CRYβB2 overexpression in triple-negative breast cancers increases invasive cellular behaviors, tumor growth, IL6 production, immune cell chemoattraction, and the expression of metastasis-associated genes. These data underscore that both CRYβB2 and CRYβB2P1 promote tumor growth, but their mechanisms for tumor promotion are likely distinct. Conclusions Our findings provide novel data emphasizing the need to distinguish and study the biological effects of both CRYβB2 and CRYβB2P1 as both genes independently promote tumor progression. Our data demonstrate novel molecular mechanisms of two understudied, disparity-linked molecules. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13058-019-1191-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya A Barrow
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville Street, Mary Townes Science Complex, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Megan E Martin
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville Street, Mary Townes Science Complex, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Alisha Coffey
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Portia L Andrews
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville Street, Mary Townes Science Complex, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Gieira S Jones
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Denise K Reaves
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville Street, Mary Townes Science Complex, Durham, NC, 27707, USA
| | - Joel S Parker
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Melissa A Troester
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jodie M Fleming
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, 1801 Fayetteville Street, Mary Townes Science Complex, Durham, NC, 27707, USA. .,Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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22
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Cui ZJ, Zhou XH, Zhang HY. DNA Methylation Module Network-Based Prognosis and Molecular Typing of Cancer. Genes (Basel) 2019; 10:genes10080571. [PMID: 31357729 PMCID: PMC6722866 DOI: 10.3390/genes10080571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Achieving cancer prognosis and molecular typing is critical for cancer treatment. Previous studies have identified some gene signatures for the prognosis and typing of cancer based on gene expression data. Some studies have shown that DNA methylation is associated with cancer development, progression, and metastasis. In addition, DNA methylation data are more stable than gene expression data in cancer prognosis. Therefore, in this work, we focused on DNA methylation data. Some prior researches have shown that gene modules are more reliable in cancer prognosis than are gene signatures and that gene modules are not isolated. However, few studies have considered cross-talk among the gene modules, which may allow some important gene modules for cancer to be overlooked. Therefore, we constructed a gene co-methylation network based on the DNA methylation data of cancer patients, and detected the gene modules in the co-methylation network. Then, by permutation testing, cross-talk between every two modules was identified; thus, the module network was generated. Next, the core gene modules in the module network of cancer were identified using the K-shell method, and these core gene modules were used as features to study the prognosis and molecular typing of cancer. Our method was applied in three types of cancer (breast invasive carcinoma, skin cutaneous melanoma, and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma). Based on the core gene modules identified by the constructed DNA methylation module networks, we can distinguish not only the prognosis of cancer patients but also use them for molecular typing of cancer. These results indicated that our method has important application value for the diagnosis of cancer and may reveal potential carcinogenic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze-Jia Cui
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiong-Hui Zhou
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
| | - Hong-Yu Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
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23
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Huo D, Hu H, Rhie SK, Gamazon ER, Cherniack AD, Liu J, Yoshimatsu TF, Pitt JJ, Hoadley KA, Troester M, Ru Y, Lichtenberg T, Sturtz LA, Shelley CS, Benz CC, Mills GB, Laird PW, Shriver CD, Perou CM, Olopade OI. Comparison of Breast Cancer Molecular Features and Survival by African and European Ancestry in The Cancer Genome Atlas. JAMA Oncol 2019; 3:1654-1662. [PMID: 28472234 DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.0595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Importance African Americans have the highest breast cancer mortality rate. Although racial difference in the distribution of intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer is known, it is unclear if there are other inherent genomic differences that contribute to the survival disparities. Objectives To investigate racial differences in breast cancer molecular features and survival and to estimate the heritability of breast cancer subtypes. Design, Setting, and Participants Among a convenience cohort of patients with invasive breast cancer, breast tumor and matched normal tissue sample data (as of September 18, 2015) were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Main Outcomes and Measures Breast cancer–free interval, tumor molecular features, and genetic variants. Results Participants were 930 patients with breast cancer, including 154 black patients of African ancestry (mean [SD] age at diagnosis, 55.66 [13.01] years; 98.1% [n = 151] female) and 776 white patients of European ancestry (mean [SD] age at diagnosis, 59.51 [13.11] years; 99.0% [n = 768] female). Compared with white patients, black patients had a worse breast cancer-free interval (hazard ratio, HR=1.67; 95% CI, 1.02-2.74; P = .043). They had a higher likelihood of basal-like (odds ratio, 3.80; 95% CI, 2.46-5.87; P < .001) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ERBB2 [formerly HER2])–enriched (odds ratio, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.10-4.47; P = .027) breast cancer subtypes, with the Luminal A subtype as the reference. Blacks had more TP53 mutations and fewer PIK3CA mutations than whites. While most molecular differences were eliminated after adjusting for intrinsic subtype, the study found 16 DNA methylation probes, 4 DNA copy number segments, 1 protein, and 142 genes that were differentially expressed, with the gene-based signature having an excellent capacity for distinguishing breast tumors from black vs white patients (cross-validation C index, 0.878). Using germline genotypes, the heritability of breast cancer subtypes (basal vs nonbasal) was estimated to be 0.436 (P = 1.5 × 10−14). The estrogen receptor–positive polygenic risk score built from 89 known susceptibility variants was higher in blacks than in whites (difference, 0.24; P = 2.3 × 10−5), while the estrogen receptor–negative polygenic risk score was much higher in blacks than in whites (difference, 0.48; P = 2.8 × 10−11). Conclusions and Relevance On the molecular level, after adjusting for intrinsic subtype frequency differences, this study found a modest number of genomic differences but a significant clinical survival outcome difference between blacks and whites in The Cancer Genome Atlas data set. Moreover, more than 40% of breast cancer subtype frequency differences could be explained by genetic variants. These data could form the basis for the development of molecular targeted therapies to improve clinical outcomes for the specific subtypes of breast cancers that disproportionately affect black women. Findings also indicate that personalized risk assessment and optimal treatment could reduce deaths from aggressive breast cancers for black women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dezheng Huo
- Department of Public Health Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois,Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Hai Hu
- Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber, Windber, Pennsylvania
| | - Suhn K Rhie
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles,Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
| | - Eric R Gamazon
- Division of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
| | - Andrew D Cherniack
- The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Jianfang Liu
- Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber, Windber, Pennsylvania
| | - Toshio F Yoshimatsu
- Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jason J Pitt
- Committee of Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Katherine A Hoadley
- Department of Genetics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Melissa Troester
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Yuanbin Ru
- Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber, Windber, Pennsylvania
| | - Tara Lichtenberg
- The Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Lori A Sturtz
- Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber, Windber, Pennsylvania
| | - Carl S Shelley
- Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison
| | | | - Gordon B Mills
- Department of Systems Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
| | - Peter W Laird
- Center for Epigenetics, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan
| | - Craig D Shriver
- Clinical Breast Care Project, Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Charles M Perou
- Department of Genetics and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Olufunmilayo I Olopade
- Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois,Committee of Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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24
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Ryan BM. Lung cancer health disparities. Carcinogenesis 2019; 39:741-751. [PMID: 29547922 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgy047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared with all other racial and ethnic groups in the United States, African Americans are disproportionally affected by lung cancer, both in terms of incidence and survival. It is likely that smoking, as the main etiological factor associated with lung cancer, contributes to these disparities, but the precise mechanism is still unclear. This paper seeks to explore the history of lung cancer disparities and review to the literature regarding the various factors that contribute to them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bríd M Ryan
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
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25
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Torres-Luquis O, Madden K, N'dri NM, Berg R, Olopade OF, Ngwa W, Abuidris D, Mittal S, Lyn-Cook B, Mohammed SI. LXR/RXR pathway signaling associated with triple-negative breast cancer in African American women. BREAST CANCER-TARGETS AND THERAPY 2018; 11:1-12. [PMID: 30588086 PMCID: PMC6304259 DOI: 10.2147/bctt.s185960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Background Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is more prevalent in African and African American (AA) women compared to European American (EA) women. African and AA women diagnosed with TNBC experience high frequencies of metastases and less favorable outcomes. Emerging evidence indicates that this disparity may in fact be the result of the uniquely aggressive biology of African and AA disease. Purpose To understand the reasons for TNBC in AA aggressive biology, we designed the present study to examine the proteomic profiles of TNBC and luminal A (LA) breast cancer within and across patients’ racial demographic groups in order to identify proteins or molecular pathways altered in TNBC that offer some explanation for its aggressiveness and potential targets for treatment. Materials and methods Proteomic profiles of TNBC, LA tumors, and their adjacent normal tissues from AA and EA women were obtained using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and bioinformatics, and differentially expressed proteins were validated by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Our data showed that a number of proteins have significantly altered in expression in LA tumors compared to TNBC, both within and across patients’ racial demographic groups. The differentially overexpressed proteins in TNBC (compared to LA) of AA samples were distinct from those in TNBC (compared to LA) of EA women samples. Among the signaling pathways altered in AA TNBC compared to EA TNBC are innate immune signaling, calpain protease, and pyrimidine de novo synthesis pathways. Furthermore, liver LXR/RXR signaling pathway was altered between LA and TNBC in AA women and may be due to the deficiency of the CYP7B1 enzyme responsible for cholesterol degradation. Conclusion These findings suggest that TNBC in AA women enriched in signaling pathways that are different from TNBC in EA women. Our study draws a link between LXR/RXR expression, cholesterol, obesity, and the TNBC in AA women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odalys Torres-Luquis
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, .,Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA,
| | - Krystal Madden
- Department of Learning Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - N'sanh Mr N'dri
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA,
| | - Richard Berg
- Department of Surgery, Indiana University Health, Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Olufunmilayo F Olopade
- Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Wilfred Ngwa
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dafalla Abuidris
- Department of Oncology, National Cancer Institute, University of Gezira, Gezira, Sudan
| | - Suresh Mittal
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, .,Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA,
| | - Beverly Lyn-Cook
- Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, Jefferson, AR, USA
| | - Sulma I Mohammed
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA, .,Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA,
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26
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Chang CS, Kitamura E, Johnson J, Bollag R, Hawthorn L. Genomic analysis of racial differences in triple negative breast cancer. Genomics 2018; 111:1529-1542. [PMID: 30366040 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2018.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is more prevalent in African Americans (AAs), has a more aggressive clinical course including a higher mortality rate and an increased occurrence of metastases. This study was designed to determine if racial differences at the molecular level might explain the more aggressive phenotype in AAs. Mutation profiling, was performed on 51 AA and 77 CA tumor/ normal pairs. Transcript expression analysis was performed on 35AA and 37CA. Genes with high frequency mutation rates such as MUC4 and TP53 were common to both racial populations, however genes that were less frequently mutated differed between the races suggesting that those cause the more aggressive nature of TNBC in AA women. JAK-Stat and HER2 signaling were unique to the AA and PTEN and mTOR were unique to the CA profiles. Many pathways identified by the mutational profiles were predicted to be down-regulated by the transcript expression profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eiko Kitamura
- Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Joan Johnson
- Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Roni Bollag
- Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
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27
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Lupicki K, Elifio-Esposito S, Fonseca AS, Weber SH, Sugita B, Langa BC, Pereira SRF, Govender D, Panieri E, Hiss DC, Abdul-Rasool S, Cavalli LR. Patterns of copy number alterations in primary breast tumors of South African patients and their impact on functional cellular pathways. Int J Oncol 2018; 53:2745-2757. [PMID: 30320392 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2018.4589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common and the leading cause of female mortality among South African (SA) women. Several non‑biological and biological risk factors may be attributed to their observed high mortality rate; however, the molecular profiles associated with their breast tumors are poorly characterized. The present study examined the patterns of genome-wide copy number alterations (CNAs) and their potential impact on functional cellular pathways targeted by cancer driver genes in patients with breast cancer from the Western Cape region of SA. Array-comparative genomic hybridization analysis, performed in 28 cases of invasive breast cancer, revealed a mean number of 8.68±6.18 CNAs per case, affecting primarily the Xp22.3 and 6p21-p25 cytobands (57.14% of the cases), followed by 19p13.3-p13.11 (35.7%), 2p25.3-p24.3, 4p16.3-p15.3, 8q11.1-q24.3 and 16 p13.3-p11.2 (32.14%). Functional enrichment analysis of genes and microRNA targets mapped in these affected cytobands revealed critical cancer-associated pathways, including fatty acid biosynthesis and metabolism, extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, hippo and tumor protein p53 signaling pathways, which are regulated by known cancer genes, including CCND1, CDKN1A, MAPK1, MDM2, TP53 and SMAD2. An inverse correlation was observed among the number of CNAs and tumor size and grade; CNAs on the 4p and 6p cytobands were also inversely correlated with tumor grade. No association was observed in the number of CNAs and/or the affected cytobands and the different ethnic groups of the SA patients, indicating that their tumor genome is affected by CNAs, irrespectively of their genetic descent. Additional genomic tumor profiling in SA and other Sub-Saharan African patients with breast cancer is required to determine the associations of the CNAs observed with prognosis and clinical outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamil Lupicki
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington DC 20007, USA
| | - Selene Elifio-Esposito
- Department of Health Sciences, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná 80215-901, Brazil
| | - Aline S Fonseca
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington DC 20007, USA
| | - Saulo H Weber
- Department of Biotechnology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná 80215-901, Brazil
| | - Bruna Sugita
- Department of Genetics, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Paraná 80060-000, Brazil
| | - Bridget C Langa
- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Western Cape 7535, South Africa
| | - Silma R F Pereira
- Department of Biology, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luis, Maranhão 65080-805, Brazil
| | - Dhirendra Govender
- Division of Anatomical Pathology, University of Cape Town, National Health Laboratory Service, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
| | - Eugene Panieri
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
| | - Donavon C Hiss
- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Western Cape 7535, South Africa
| | - Sahar Abdul-Rasool
- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Western Cape 7535, South Africa
| | - Luciane R Cavalli
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington DC 20007, USA
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Stable Isotope-Resolved Metabolomic Differences between Hormone-Responsive and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cell Lines. Int J Breast Cancer 2018; 2018:2063540. [PMID: 30363973 PMCID: PMC6186330 DOI: 10.1155/2018/2063540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To conduct an exploratory study to identify mechanisms that differentiate Luminal A (BT474 and MCF-7) and triple-negative (MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468) breast cancer (BCa) cell lines to potentially provide novel therapeutic targets based on differences in energy utilization. Methods Cells were cultured in media containing either [U-13C]-glucose or [U-13C]-glutamine for 48 hours. Conditioned media and cellular extracts were analyzed by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Results MCF-7 cells consumed the most glucose, producing the most lactate, demonstrating the greatest Warburg effect-associated energy utilization. BT474 cells had the highest tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) activity. The majority of energy utilization patterns in MCF-7 cells were more similar to MDA-MB-468 cells, while the patterns for BT474 cells were more similar to MDA-MB-231 cells. Compared to the Luminal A cell lines, TNBC cell lines consumed more glutamine and less glucose. BT474 and MDA-MB-468 cells produced high amounts of 13C-glycine from media [U-13C]-glucose which was integrated into glutathione, indicating de novo synthesis. Conclusions Stable isotopic resolved metabolomics using 13C substrates provided mechanistic information about energy utilization that was difficult to interpret using 1H data alone. Overall, cell lines that have different hormone receptor status have different energy utilization requirements, even if they are classified by the same clinical BCa subtype; and these differences offer clues about optimizing treatment strategies.
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Mitchell KA, Zingone A, Toulabi L, Boeckelman J, Ryan BM. Comparative Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Coding and Noncoding RNA Differences in NSCLC from African Americans and European Americans. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 23:7412-7425. [PMID: 29196495 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-17-0527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Purpose: To determine whether racial differences in gene and miRNA expression translates to differences in lung tumor biology with clinical relevance in African Americans (AAs) and European Americans (EAs).Experimental Design: The NCI-Maryland Case Control Study includes seven Baltimore City hospitals and is overrepresented with AA patients (∼40%). Patients that underwent curative NSCLC surgery between 1998 and 2014 were enrolled. Comparative molecular profiling used mRNA (n = 22 AAs and 19 EAs) and miRNA (n = 42 AAs and 55 EAs) expression arrays to track differences in paired fresh frozen normal tissues and lung tumor specimens from AAs and EAs. Pathway enrichment, predicted drug response, tumor microenvironment infiltration, cancer immunotherapy antigen profiling, and miRNA target enrichment were assessed.Results: AA-enriched differential gene expression was characterized by stem cell and invasion pathways. Differential gene expression in lung tumors from EAs was primarily characterized by cell proliferation pathways. Population-specific gene expression was partly driven by population-specific miRNA expression profiles. Drug susceptibility predictions revealed a strong inverse correlation between AA resistance and EA sensitivity to the same panel of drugs. Statistically significant differences in M1 and M2 macrophage infiltration were observed in AAs (P < 0.05); however, PD-L1, PD-L2 expression was similar between both.Conclusions: Comparative transcriptomic profiling revealed clear differences in lung tumor biology between AAs and EAs. Increased participation by AAs in lung cancer clinical trials are needed to integrate, and leverage, transcriptomic differences with other clinical information to maximize therapeutic benefit in both AAs and EAs. Clin Cancer Res; 23(23); 7412-25. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khadijah A Mitchell
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Adriana Zingone
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Leila Toulabi
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jacob Boeckelman
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Bríd M Ryan
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
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Davis MB, Newman LA. Breast Cancer Disparities: How Can We Leverage Genomics to Improve Outcomes? Surg Oncol Clin N Am 2018; 27:217-234. [PMID: 29132562 DOI: 10.1016/j.soc.2017.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Breast cancer mortality rates are higher in African American compared with white American women. Disproportionately rising incidence rates, coupled with higher rates of biologically aggressive disease among African Americans is resulting in a widening of the mortality disparity. Higher rates of triple-negative breast cancer among African American women, as well as women from western sub-Saharan Africa, has prompted questions regarding the role of African ancestry as a marker of hereditary susceptibility for specific disease phenotypes. Advances in germline genetics, as well as somatic tumor genomic research, hold great promise in the effort to understand the biology of breast cancer variations between different population subsets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa B Davis
- Henry Ford Cancer Institute, 2799 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Lisa A Newman
- Breast Oncology Program, Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Health System, Henry Ford Cancer Institute, International Center for the Study of Breast Cancer Subtypes, 2799 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
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Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Stem Cells, and African Ancestry. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2018; 188:271-279. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2017.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 06/10/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Parada H, Sun X, Fleming JM, Williams-DeVane CR, Kirk EL, Olsson LT, Perou CM, Olshan AF, Troester MA. Race-associated biological differences among luminal A and basal-like breast cancers in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study. Breast Cancer Res 2017; 19:131. [PMID: 29228969 PMCID: PMC5725885 DOI: 10.1186/s13058-017-0914-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We examined racial differences in the expression of eight genes and their associations with risk of recurrence among 478 white and 495 black women who participated in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study Phase 3. METHODS Breast tumor samples were analyzed for PAM50 subtype and for eight genes previously found to be differentially expressed by race and associated with breast cancer survival: ACOX2, MUC1, FAM177A1, GSTT2, PSPH, PSPHL, SQLE, and TYMS. The expression of these genes according to race was assessed using linear regression and each gene was evaluated in association with recurrence using Cox regression. RESULTS Compared to white women, black women had lower expression of MUC1, a suspected good prognosis gene, and higher expression of GSTT2, PSPHL, SQLE, and TYMS, suspected poor prognosis genes, after adjustment for age and PAM50 subtype. High expression (greater than median versus less than or equal to median) of FAM177A1 and PSPH was associated with a 63% increase (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09-2.46) and 76% increase (HR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.15-2.68), respectively, in risk of recurrence after adjustment for age, race, PAM50 subtype, and ROR-PT score. Log2-transformed SQLE expression was associated with a 20% increase (HR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.03-1.41) in recurrence risk after adjustment. A continuous multi-gene score comprised of eight genes was also associated with increased risk of recurrence among all women (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.04-1.19) and among white (HR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.03-1.27) and black (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.02-1.20) women. CONCLUSIONS Racial differences in gene expression may contribute to the survival disparity observed between black and white women diagnosed with breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Humberto Parada
- Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, Hardy Tower Room 168, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Xuezheng Sun
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7435, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Jodie M Fleming
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Erin L Kirk
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7435, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Linnea T Olsson
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7435, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Charles M Perou
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Andrew F Olshan
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7435, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | - Melissa A Troester
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Campus Box 7435, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
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Drake BF, Brown KM, Gehlert S, Wolf LE, Seo J, Perkins H, Goodman MS, Kaphingst KA. Development of Plain Language Supplemental Materials for the Biobank Informed Consent Process. JOURNAL OF CANCER EDUCATION : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER EDUCATION 2017; 32:836-844. [PMID: 27037699 PMCID: PMC5047847 DOI: 10.1007/s13187-016-1029-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The US Department of Health and Human Services addresses clear communication in the informed consent process as part of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for revisions to the Common Rule. However, prior research has shown that participants may not fully comprehend research studies despite completion of an informed consent process. Our main goal was to provide plain language information about donation processes to a cancer biobank to supplement an informed consent form. We developed and conducted cognitive testing with supplemental brochures that clearly communicated information about three different models for consent (notice, broad and study-specific) to future use of biospecimens. During the brochure development process, we conducted qualitative, semi-structured, individual, in-person cognitive interviews among 14 women to examine participants' perceptions of the brochures. Each participant provided feedback regarding the understandability, graphics and layout, and cultural appropriateness of the brochures. Our findings demonstrate that these methods may be used to tailor consent form brochures, such as the ones developed here, to other populations. This study therefore adds to our understanding of how best to present content to help women from two different racial groups make informed decisions about participation in a cancer biobank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina F Drake
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Katherine M Brown
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Sarah Gehlert
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Leslie E Wolf
- Center for Law Health and Society, Georgia State University College of Law, 85 Park Place NE, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Joann Seo
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Hannah Perkins
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Melody S Goodman
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Kimberly A Kaphingst
- Department of Communication, University of Utah, 255 S. Central Campus Dr., Salt Lake City, UT, 84112-0491, USA
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, 2000 Circle of Hope Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
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Gupta V, Haque I, Chakraborty J, Graff S, Banerjee S, Banerjee SK. Racial disparity in breast cancer: can it be mattered for prognosis and therapy. J Cell Commun Signal 2017; 12:119-132. [PMID: 29188479 DOI: 10.1007/s12079-017-0416-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) has emerged as a deadly disease that affects the lives of millions of women worldwide. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Advancements in BC screening, preventive measures and treatment have resulted in significant decline in BC related deaths. However, unacceptable levels of racial disparity have been consistently reported, especially in African-American (AA) women compared to European American (EA). AA women go through worse prognosis, shorter survival time and higher mortality rates, despite higher cancer incidence reported in EA. These disparities are independent of socioeconomic status, access to healthcare or age, or even the stage of BC. Recent race-specific genetic and epigenetic studies have reported biological causes, which form the crux of this review. However, the developments are just the tip of the iceberg. Prioritizing primary research towards studying race-specific tumor microenvironment and biological composition of the host system in delineating the cause of these disparities is utmost necessary to ameliorate the disparity and design appropriate diagnosis/treatment regimen for AA women suffering from BC. In this review article, we discuss emerging trends and exciting discoveries that reveal how genetic/epigenetic circuitry contributed to racial disparity and discussed the strategies that may help in future therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijayalaxmi Gupta
- Cancer Research Unit, Research Division 151, VA Medical Center, 4801 Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, MO, 64128, USA.,Department of Pathology and Integrative Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Inamul Haque
- Cancer Research Unit, Research Division 151, VA Medical Center, 4801 Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, MO, 64128, USA.,Department of Pathology and Integrative Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Jinia Chakraborty
- Cancer Research Unit, Research Division 151, VA Medical Center, 4801 Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, MO, 64128, USA.,Blue Valley West High School, Overland Park, KS, USA
| | - Stephanie Graff
- Sarah Cannon Cancer Center at HCA Midwest Health, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Snigdha Banerjee
- Cancer Research Unit, Research Division 151, VA Medical Center, 4801 Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, MO, 64128, USA. .,Department of Pathology and Integrative Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
| | - Sushanta K Banerjee
- Cancer Research Unit, Research Division 151, VA Medical Center, 4801 Linwood Boulevard, Kansas City, MO, 64128, USA. .,Department of Pathology and Integrative Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. .,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
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Smith CJ, Minas TZ, Ambs S. Analysis of Tumor Biology to Advance Cancer Health Disparity Research. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2017; 188:304-316. [PMID: 29137948 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2017.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 06/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cancer mortality rates in the United States continue to decline. Reductions in tobacco use, uptake of preventive measures, adoption of early detection methods, and better treatments have resulted in improved cancer outcomes for men and women. Despite this progress, some population groups continue to experience an excessive cancer burden when compared with other population groups. One of the most prominent cancer health disparities exists in prostate cancer. Prostate cancer mortality rates are highest among men of African ancestry when compared with other men, both in the United States and globally. This disparity and other cancer health disparities are largely explained by differences in access to health care, diet, lifestyle, cultural barriers, and disparate exposures to carcinogens and pathogens. Dietary and lifestyle factors, pathogens, and ancestry-related factors can modify tumor biology and induce a more aggressive disease. There are numerous examples of how environmental exposures, like tobacco, chronic stress, or dietary factors, induce an adverse tumor biology, leading to a more aggressive disease and decreased patient survival. Because of population differences in the exposure to these risk factors, they can be the cause of cancer disparities. In this review, we will summarize recent advances in our understanding of prostate and breast cancer disparities in the United States and discuss how the analysis of tumor biology can advance health disparity research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl J Smith
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Tsion Z Minas
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Stefan Ambs
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis, Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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Serrano-Gómez SJ, Fejerman L, Zabaleta J. Breast Cancer in Latinas: A Focus on Intrinsic Subtypes Distribution. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017; 27:3-10. [PMID: 29054978 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-17-0420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Revised: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequent cancer in women worldwide. It is classified into intrinsic subtypes characterized by different molecular profiles and prognosis. The prevalence of the different intrinsic subtypes varies between population groups. IHC surrogates based on the expression of the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 have been widely used to study the distribution of intrinsic subtypes in non-Hispanic whites and African Americans, but data are limited for Hispanic/Latina women. Similarly, most studies analyzing gene expression profiles only include women of European descent. This review focuses on studies that describe the distribution of breast cancer subtypes in Hispanic/Latina women and highlights the need for more research in this population. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 27(1); 3-10. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia J Serrano-Gómez
- Grupo de investigación en Biología del Cáncer, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia.
| | - Laura Fejerman
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Jovanny Zabaleta
- Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, LSUHSC, New Orleans, Louisiana.,Department of Pediatrics, LSUHSC, New Orleans, Louisiana
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Deshmukh SK, Srivastava SK, Tyagi N, Ahmad A, Singh AP, Ghadhban AAL, Dyess DL, Carter JE, Dugger K, Singh S. Emerging evidence for the role of differential tumor microenvironment in breast cancer racial disparity: a closer look at the surroundings. Carcinogenesis 2017; 38:757-765. [PMID: 28430867 DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgx037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although increased awareness leading to early detection and prevention, as well as advancements in treatment strategies, have resulted in superior clinical outcomes, African American women with breast cancer continue to have greater mortality rates, compared to Caucasian American counterparts. Moreover, African American women are more likely to have breast cancer at a younger age and be diagnosed with aggressive tumor sub-types. Such racial disparities can be attributed to socioeconomic differences, but it is increasingly being recognized that these disparities may indeed be due to certain genetic and other non-genetic biological differences. Tumor microenvironment, which provides a favorable niche for the growth of tumor cells, is comprised of several types of stromal cells and the various proteins secreted as a consequence of bi-directional tumor-stromal cross-talk. Emerging evidence suggests inherent biological differences in the tumor microenvironment of breast cancer patients from different racial backgrounds. Tumor microenvironment components, affected by the genetic make-up of the tumor cells as well as other non-tumor-associated factors, may also render patients more susceptible to the development of aggressive tumors and faster progression of disease resulting in early onset, thus adversely affecting patients' survival. This review provides an overview of breast cancer racial disparity and discusses the existence of race-associated differential tumor microenvironment and its underlying genetic and non-genetic causal factors. A better understanding of these aspects would help further research on effective cancer management and improved approaches for reducing the racial disparities gaps in breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachin Kumar Deshmukh
- Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
| | - Sanjeev K Srivastava
- Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA.,Division of Cell Biology and Genetics, Tatva Biosciences, Coastal Innovation Hub, 600 Clinic Drive, 3rd Floor, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
| | - Nikhil Tyagi
- Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
| | - Aamir Ahmad
- Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
| | - Ajay P Singh
- Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
| | - Ahmed A L Ghadhban
- Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
| | - Donna L Dyess
- Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA
| | - James E Carter
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36617, USA
| | - Kari Dugger
- Department of Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Seema Singh
- Department of Oncologic Sciences, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36604, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
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Serrano-Gómez SJ, Sanabria-Salas MC, Garay J, Baddoo MC, Hernández-Suarez G, Mejía JC, García O, Miele L, Fejerman L, Zabaleta J. Ancestry as a potential modifier of gene expression in breast tumors from Colombian women. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183179. [PMID: 28832682 PMCID: PMC5568388 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Hispanic/Latino populations are a genetically admixed and heterogeneous group, with variable fractions of European, Indigenous American and African ancestries. The molecular profile of breast cancer has been widely described in non-Hispanic Whites but equivalent knowledge is lacking in Hispanic/Latinas. We have previously reported that the most prevalent breast cancer intrinsic subtype in Colombian women was Luminal B as defined by St. Gallen 2013 criteria. In this study we explored ancestry-associated differences in molecular profiles of Luminal B tumors among these highly admixed women. Methods We performed whole-transcriptome RNA-seq analysis in 42 Luminal tumors (21 Luminal A and 21 Luminal B) from Colombian women. Genetic ancestry was estimated from a panel of 80 ancestry-informative markers (AIM). We categorized patients according to Luminal subtype and to the proportion of European and Indigenous American ancestry and performed differential expression analysis comparing Luminal B against Luminal A tumors according to the assigned ancestry groups. Results We found 5 genes potentially modulated by genetic ancestry: ERBB2 (log2FC = 2.367, padj<0.01), GRB7 (log2FC = 2.327, padj<0.01), GSDMB (log2FC = 1.723, padj<0.01, MIEN1 (log2FC = 2.195, padj<0.01 and ONECUT2 (log2FC = 2.204, padj<0.01). In the replication set we found a statistical significant association between ERBB2 expression with Indigenous American ancestry (p = 0.02, B = 3.11). This association was not biased by the distribution of HER2+ tumors among the groups analyzed. Conclusions Our results suggest that genetic ancestry in Hispanic/Latina women might modify ERBB2 gene expression in Luminal tumors. Further analyses are needed to confirm these findings and explore their prognostic value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia J. Serrano-Gómez
- Grupo de investigación en Biología del Cáncer, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá D. C, Colombia
- Programa de doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá D. C, Colombia
| | | | - Jone Garay
- Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, LSUHSC, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Melody C. Baddoo
- Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Gustavo Hernández-Suarez
- Grupo de investigación en Biología del Cáncer, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá D. C, Colombia
| | - Juan Carlos Mejía
- Grupo de Patología, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá D. C, Colombia
| | - Oscar García
- Grupo de Seno y Tejidos blandos, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá D. C, Colombia
| | - Lucio Miele
- Department of Genetics, LSUHSC, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
| | - Laura Fejerman
- Department of Medicine, Institute of Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Jovanny Zabaleta
- Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, LSUHSC, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, LSUHSC, New Orleans, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Li S, Xu Y, Sun Z, Feng L, Shang D, Zhang C, Shi X, Han J, Su F, Yang H, Zhao J, Song C, Zhang Y, Li C, Li X. Identification of a lncRNA involved functional module for esophageal cancer subtypes. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2017; 12:3312-3323. [PMID: 27539139 DOI: 10.1039/c6mb00101g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Esophageal cancer (EC) is the sixth most common cause of death from cancer and has two principal histological subtypes: esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). In addition, Barrett's esophagus (BE), due to its strong association with EAC, is generally considered to be a premalignant condition of EAC. lncRNAs are believed to function in initiation and progression of multiple cancers, and therefore should play prominent, but unknown roles in the determination and behavior of different EC subtypes. In this study, by using expression profile re-annotation and differential expression (DE) analysis, we identified DE-lncRNAs and DE-protein-coding genes (DE-PCGs), and then constructed a lncRNA-PCG network, using co-expressed DE-lncRNAs (550) and DE-PCGs (5236), which was also annotated for EC subtypes. After module mining of the network, we obtained twenty candidate lncRNA-PCG modules that were ranked by gene expression and subtype-specification. Within the top four modules, we identified an ESCC specific module, two EAC-BE-specific modules and a heterologous module. Novel candidate lncRNAs were identified, in addition to lncRNAs known to be functionally connected to EC, and could be responsible for the subtype disparities in the GO biological process and at pathway levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Yanjun Xu
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Zeguo Sun
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Li Feng
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Desi Shang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Chunlong Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Xinrui Shi
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Junwei Han
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Fei Su
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Haixiu Yang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Jianmei Zhao
- School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing 163319, China
| | - Chao Song
- School of Pharmacology, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing 163319, China
| | - Yunpeng Zhang
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
| | - Chunquan Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China. and School of Medical Informatics, Daqing Campus, Harbin Medical University, Daqing 163319, China
| | - Xia Li
- College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
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Li Y, Steppi A, Zhou Y, Mao F, Miller PC, He MM, Zhao T, Sun Q, Zhang J. Tumoral expression of drug and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes in breast cancer patients of different ethnicities with implications to personalized medicine. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4747. [PMID: 28684774 PMCID: PMC5500564 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04250-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (DXME) play important roles in drug responses and carcinogenesis. Recent studies have found that expression of DXME in cancer cells significantly affects drug clearance and the onset of drug resistance. In this study we compared the expression of DXME in breast tumor tissue samples from patients representing three ethnic groups: Caucasian Americans (CA), African Americans (AA), and Asian Americans (AS). We further combined DXME gene expression data with eQTL data from the GTEx project and with allele frequency data from the 1000 Genomes project to identify SNPs that may be associated with differential expression of DXME genes. We identified substantial differences among CA, AA, and AS populations in the expression of DXME genes and in activation of pathways involved in drug metabolism, including those involved in metabolizing chemotherapy drugs that are commonly used in the treatment of breast cancer. These data suggest that differential expression of DXME may associate with health disparities in breast cancer outcomes observed among these three ethnic groups. Our study suggests that development of personalized treatment strategies for breast cancer patients could be improved by considering both germline genotypes and tumor specific mutations and expression profiles related to DXME genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Albert Steppi
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Yidong Zhou
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Mao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Philip Craig Miller
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
| | - Max M He
- Center for Human Genetics, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
- Biomedical Informatics Research Center, Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation, Marshfield, WI, 54449, USA
| | - Tingting Zhao
- Department of Geography, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Qiang Sun
- Department of Breast Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Jinfeng Zhang
- Department of Statistics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
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Özdemir BC, Dotto GP. Racial Differences in Cancer Susceptibility and Survival: More Than the Color of the Skin? Trends Cancer 2017; 3:181-197. [PMID: 28718431 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 02/03/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies point to race as a determining factor in cancer susceptibility. In US registries recording cancer incidence and survival by race (distinguishing 'black versus white'), individuals of African ancestry have a globally increased risk of malignancies compared with Caucasians and Asian Americans. Differences in socioeconomic status and health-care access play a key role. However, the lesser disease susceptibility of Hispanic populations with comparable lifestyles and socioeconomic status as African Americans (Hispanic paradox) points to the concomitant importance of genetic determinants. Here, we overview the molecular basis of racial disparity in cancer susceptibility ranging from genetic polymorphisms and cancer-driver gene mutations to obesity, chronic inflammation, and immune responses. We discuss implications for race-adapted cancer screening programs and clinical trials to reduce disparities in cancer burden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berna C Özdemir
- Department of Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gian-Paolo Dotto
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Lausanne, Chemin des Boveresses 155, 1066 Épalinges, Switzerland; Harvard Dermatology Department and Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02129, USA.
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Rauscher GH, Silva A, Pauls H, Frasor J, Bonini MG, Hoskins K. Racial disparity in survival from estrogen and progesterone receptor-positive breast cancer: implications for reducing breast cancer mortality disparities. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2017; 163:321-330. [PMID: 28251385 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-017-4166-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Non-Latina black breast cancer patients experience a shorter survival from breast cancer than their non-Latina white counterparts. We compared breast cancer-specific survival for the subset of black and white patients with estrogen and/or progesterone receptor-positive tumors that are generally targeted with endocrine therapy. METHODS Using data collected from a population-based cohort of breast cancer patients from Chicago, IL, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and hazard functions were generated and proportional hazards models were estimated to determine the black/white disparity in time to death from breast cancer while adjusting for age at diagnosis, patient characteristics, treatment-related variables, and tumor grade and stage. RESULTS In regression models, hazard of breast cancer death among ER/PR-positive patients was at least 4 times higher for black than for white patients in all models tested. Notably, even after adjusting for stage at diagnosis, tumor grade, and treatment variables (including initiation of systemic adjuvant therapies), the hazard ratio for death from ER/PR-positive breast cancer between black and white women was 4.39 (95% CI 1.76, 10.9, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS We observed a racial disparity in breast cancer survival for patients diagnosed with ER/PR-positive tumors that did not appear to be due to differences in tumor stage, grade, or therapy initiation in black patients, suggesting that there may be racial differences in the molecular characteristics of hormone receptor-positive tumors, such that ER/PR-positive tumors in black patients may be less responsive to standard treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garth H Rauscher
- Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, MC 923, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA. .,Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Abigail Silva
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Center of Innovation for Complex Chronic Healthcare, Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL, USA
| | - Heather Pauls
- College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jonna Frasor
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Marcelo G Bonini
- Departments of Medicine and Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kent Hoskins
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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Ademuyiwa FO, Tao Y, Luo J, Weilbaecher K, Ma CX. Differences in the mutational landscape of triple-negative breast cancer in African Americans and Caucasians. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2016; 161:491-499. [PMID: 27915434 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-016-4062-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2016] [Accepted: 11/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) occurs at higher frequency in African Americans compared with Caucasians. It is unclear if the biology of TNBC is different in African American versus Caucasians. In this study, we sought to evaluate racial differences in the molecular pathology of TNBC. METHODS Using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we identified TNBC patients with information on race. We analyzed differences in clinical characteristics, tumor somatic mutations, and gene expression patterns by race from whole exome and microarray data. RESULTS 1104 patients were identified, of which 178 had TNBC. TNBC was more frequent in African Americans than Caucasians (33.3 vs 14.9%). Although more African Americans than Caucasians overall were classified as basal-like from PAM50 gene expression (34.8 vs 16.1%), no differences in the TNBC cohort were observed. Median tumor somatic mutation counts were higher in African Americans versus Caucasians (39.5 vs 34), but no racial differences in the mutation counts in TNBC were observed. Somatic mutation analysis revealed racial differences in specific high prevalence genes in all patients (TP53 46% in African Americans vs 27% in Caucasians; PIK3CA 23% in African Americans vs 34% in Caucasians; and MLL3 12% in African Americans vs 6% in Caucasians). TNBC patients did not have any specific high prevalence genes associated with racial differences. There were no racial differences in gene expression patterns in selected genes involved in breast cancer biology. Overall, African Americans had shorter TTP and worse DFS. Racial differences in clinical outcomes were not observed in TNBC. CONCLUSION The mutational landscape of TNBC is similar between African Americans and Caucasians. The higher frequency of TNBC in African Americans is therefore not associated with a different genomic profile of commonly established tumor regulatory pathway genes. Other modifiable factors may exist that contribute to the racial disparity in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Foluso O Ademuyiwa
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
| | - Yu Tao
- Division of Biostatistics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Jingqin Luo
- Division of Biostatistics, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Katherine Weilbaecher
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Cynthia X Ma
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
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Evans-Knowell A, LaRue AC, Findlay VJ. MicroRNAs and Their Impact on Breast Cancer, the Tumor Microenvironment, and Disparities. Adv Cancer Res 2016; 133:51-76. [PMID: 28052821 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2016.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is a worldwide health issue as it represents the leading cause of cancer in women and the second-leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women, with an increasing incidence. Nothing speaks more clearly to the shocking breast cancer health disparities than the fact that African American (AA) women are as likely to get breast cancer as Caucasian American (CA) women, yet have a higher breast cancer death rate. It is becoming increasingly apparent that racial disparity in cancer exists due to molecular differences in tumor biology as well as, or in addition to, socioeconomic and standard of care issues (Albain, Unger, Crowley, Coltman, & Hershman, 2009). A greater understanding of the risk factors and biological links associated with breast cancer, will significantly impact AA communities due to the higher deaths associated with this disease in this population. microRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules that were recently discovered as major players in the regulation of many diseases including cancer. Although, there are many studies that have investigated the role of miRNAs in breast cancer, few have investigated their role if any in breast cancer disparities. This review serves to summarize the current published literature that is involved in the study of microRNAs and their impact on breast cancer disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Evans-Knowell
- South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC, United States
| | - A C LaRue
- Research Services, Ralph H. Johnson VAMC, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - V J Findlay
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States; Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States.
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Costantino NS, Freeman B, Shriver CD, Ellsworth RE. Outcome Disparities in African American Compared with European American Women with ER+HER2- Tumors Treated within an Equal-Access Health Care System. Ethn Dis 2016; 26:407-16. [PMID: 27440982 DOI: 10.18865/ed.26.3.407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Breast cancer mortality rates are higher for African American women (AAW) than for any other ethnic group in the United States. Recent reports suggest that outcome disparities between AAW and European American women (EAW) are present in the ER+HER2- subtype. To improve our understanding, pathological characteristics, mortality and molecular profiles from women treated within an equal-access health care system were evaluated. PROCEDURES All AAW (n=90) and EAW (n=308) with ER+HER2- tumors were identified. Gene expression profiles were generated from primary breast tumors from 57 AAW and 181 EAW. Pathological characteristics, survival and gene expression analysis were evaluated using chi-square analysis, log-rank tests and ANOVA. RESULTS Tumors from AAW were significantly more likely to be PR-, Ki67+ and of higher grade. Tumor stage, size and lymph node status did not differ significantly, nor did mortality rates (P=.879). At the molecular level, genes PSPHL and CRYBB2P1 were expressed at significantly higher levels in tumor tissues as well as normal stroma and blood from AAW. Polymorphisms controlling expression of each gene were identified with minor allele frequencies differing significantly between populations but not between cases and controls within each population. CONCLUSIONS Survival disparities were not detected in patients with ER+HER2- tumors treated within an equal-access health care system and molecular differences in tumors were not causal. Thus, outcome disparities in AAW with ER+HER2- tumors are largely attributable to socioeconomic factors affecting access to screening and treatment, rather than reflecting underlying biological differences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benjamin Freeman
- Clinical Breast Care Project, Murtha Cancer Center, Bethesda, Md
| | - Craig D Shriver
- Clinical Breast Care Project, Murtha Cancer Center, Bethesda, Md
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Jones J, Mukherjee A, Karanam B, Davis M, Jaynes J, Reams RR, Dean-Colomb W, Yates C. African Americans with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma exhibit gender differences in Kaiso expression. Cancer Lett 2016; 380:513-522. [PMID: 27424525 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2016.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Revised: 06/03/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Kaiso, a bi-modal transcription factor, regulates gene expression, and is elevated in breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Depletion of Kaiso in other cancer types leads to a reduction in markers for the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) (Jones et al., 2014), however its clinical implications in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDCA) have not been widely explored. PDCA is rarely detected at an early stage but is characterized by rapid progression and invasiveness. We now report the significance of the subcellular localization of Kaiso in PDCAs from African Americans. Kaiso expression is higher in the cytoplasm of invasive and metastatic pancreatic cancers. In males, cytoplasmic expression of Kaiso correlates with cancer grade and lymph node positivity. In male and female patients, cytoplasmic Kaiso expression correlates with invasiveness. Also, nuclear expression of Kaiso increases with increased invasiveness and lymph node positivity. Further, analysis of the largest PDCA dataset available on ONCOMINE shows that as Kaiso increases, there is an overall increase in Zeb1, which is the inverse for E-cadherin. Hence, these findings suggest a role for Kaiso in the progression of PDCAs, involving the EMT markers, E-cadherin and Zeb1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Jones
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy University, Troy, AL 36082, USA
| | - Angana Mukherjee
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy University, Troy, AL 36082, USA
| | - Balasubramanyam Karanam
- Department of Biology and Center for Cancer Research, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
| | - Melissa Davis
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Jesse Jaynes
- Department of Biology and Center for Cancer Research, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA
| | - R Renee Reams
- College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA
| | | | - Clayton Yates
- Department of Biology and Center for Cancer Research, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA.
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Monzavi-Karbassi B, Siegel ER, Medarametla S, Makhoul I, Kieber-Emmons T. Breast cancer survival disparity between African American and Caucasian women in Arkansas: A race-by-grade analysis. Oncol Lett 2016; 12:1337-1342. [PMID: 27446434 PMCID: PMC4950488 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2016.4804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite progress in breast cancer treatment, disparity persists in survival time between African American (AA) and Caucasian women in the US. Tumor stage and tumor grade are the major prognostic factors that define tumor aggressiveness and contribute to racial disparity between AA and Caucasian women. Studying the interaction of race with tumor grade or stage may provide further insights into the role of intrinsic biological aggressiveness in disecting the AA-Caucasian survival disparity. Therefore, the current study was performed to evaluate the interaction of race with tumor grade and stage at diagnosis regarding survival in a cohort of patients treated at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (Little Rock, AR, USA). The cohort included 1,077 patients, 208 (19.3%) AA and 869 (80.7%) Caucasian, diagnosed with breast cancer between January 1997 and December 2005. Kaplan-Meier survival plots were generated and Cox regressions were performed to analyze the associations of race with breast cancer-specific survival time. Over a mean follow-up time of 1.5 years, AA women displayed increased mortality risk due to breast cancer-specific causes [hazard ratio (HR), 1.74; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.23–2.46]. The magnitude of racial disparity varied strongly with tumor grade (race-x-grade interaction; P<0.001). No significant interaction was observed between race and tumor stage or race and age at diagnosis. Among women diagnosed with grade I tumors, the race disparity in survival time after controlling for tumor stage and age was strong (HR, 9.07; 95% CI, 2.11–38.95), but no significant AA-Caucasian disparity was observed among women with higher-grade tumors. The data suggest that, when diagnosed with grade I breast cancer, AA may experience poorer survival outcomes compared with Caucasian patients, regardless of tumor stage or age. The findings potentially provide significant clinical and public health implications and justify further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Behjatolah Monzavi-Karbassi
- Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA; Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Eric R Siegel
- Division of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Srikanth Medarametla
- Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Issam Makhoul
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA; Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
| | - Thomas Kieber-Emmons
- Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA; Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
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Toro AL, Costantino NS, Shriver CD, Ellsworth DL, Ellsworth RE. Effect of obesity on molecular characteristics of invasive breast tumors: gene expression analysis in a large cohort of female patients. BMC OBESITY 2016; 3:22. [PMID: 27148454 PMCID: PMC4850667 DOI: 10.1186/s40608-016-0103-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Background Obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women and is associated with decreased survival and less favorable clinical characteristics such as greater tumor burden, higher grade, and poor prognosis, regardless of menopausal status. Despite the negative impact of obesity on clinical outcome, molecular mechanisms through which excess adiposity influences breast cancer etiology are not well-defined. Methods Affymetrix U133 2.0 gene expression data were generated for 405 primary breast tumors using RNA isolated from laser microdissected tissues. Patients were classified as normal-weight (BMI < 25), overweight (BMI 25–29.9) or obese (BMI ≥ 30). Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA using Partek Genomics Suite version 6.6 using a false discovery rate <0.05 to define significance. Results Obese patients were significantly more likely to be diagnosed ≥50 years or with African American ancestry compared to lean or overweight women. Pathological characteristics including tumor stage, size or grade, lymph node status, intrinsic subtype, and breast cancer mortality did not differ significantly between groups. No significant gene expression differences were detected by BMI in a non-stratified analysis which included all subtypes or within luminal B, HER2-enriched or basal-like subtypes. Within luminal A tumors, however, 44 probes representing 42 genes from pathways such as cell cycle, p53 and mTOR signaling, DNA repair, and transcriptional misregulation were differentially expressed. Conclusions Identification of transcriptome differences in luminal A tumors from normal-weight compared to obese women suggests that obesity alters gene expression within ER+ tumor epithelial cells. Alterations of pathways involved in cell cycle control, tumorigenesis and metabolism may promote cellular proliferation and provide a molecular explanation for less favorable outcome of obese women with breast cancer. Targeted treatments, such as mTOR inhibitors, may allow for improved treatment and survival of obese women, especially African American women, who are more likely to be obese and suffer outcome disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allyson L Toro
- Clinical Breast Care Project, Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber, 620 Seventh Street, Windber, PA 15963 USA
| | - Nicholas S Costantino
- Clinical Breast Care Project, Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber, 620 Seventh Street, Windber, PA 15963 USA
| | - Craig D Shriver
- Clinical Breast Care Project, Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Uniformed Services University, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20889 USA
| | - Darrell L Ellsworth
- Clinical Breast Care Project, Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine at Windber, 620 Seventh Street, Windber, PA 15963 USA
| | - Rachel E Ellsworth
- Clinical Breast Care Project, Murtha Cancer Center, 620 Seventh Street, Windber, PA 15963 USA
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Schmitz KH, Gehlert S, Patterson RE, Colditz GA, Chavarro JE, Hu FB, Neuhouser ML, Sturgeon KM, Thornquist M, Tobias D, Nebeling LC. TREC to WHERE? Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2016; 22:1565-71. [PMID: 26792261 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-14-1214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
When information is exchanged across disciplinary boundaries, resources are shared, and discipline-specific approaches are altered to achieve a common scientific goal, we create a new intellectual space for transdisciplinary research. This approach, fostered heavily by multiple NCI-funded initiatives, has the potential to forge new understanding of major public health issues. By breaking down disciplinary barriers, we work toward making real, meaningful, and lasting forward motion in addressing key public health issues. One of the transdisciplinary initiatives of the NCI is TREC: Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer. In this article, we review the goals and scope of TREC, as well as the ways in which the initiative promotes transdisciplinary science. A particular focus is on multiple examples of the most unique aspect of the initiative: the funding of developmental projects across multiple TREC centers, toward the goal of incubating high-risk science that has the potential to translate into major leaps forward in understanding energetics in cancer. As we enter an era of greater focus on investigator-initiated science, new approaches may be needed to ensure that the peer review process is not solely organized along disciplinary lines. Inclusion of expertise regarding transdisciplinarity, as well as representation from multiple scientific disciplines within a panel, may allow transdisciplinary research to receive an educated hearing. The body of researchers trained to work in a transdisciplinary research space is ideally suited to address these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn H Schmitz
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
| | - Sarah Gehlert
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ruth E Patterson
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Graham A Colditz
- Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jorge E Chavarro
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Frank B Hu
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Kathleen M Sturgeon
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Deirdre Tobias
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
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Keenan T, Moy B, Mroz EA, Ross K, Niemierko A, Rocco JW, Isakoff S, Ellisen LW, Bardia A. Comparison of the Genomic Landscape Between Primary Breast Cancer in African American Versus White Women and the Association of Racial Differences With Tumor Recurrence. J Clin Oncol 2015; 33:3621-7. [PMID: 26371147 DOI: 10.1200/jco.2015.62.2126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE African American women are more likely to die as a result of breast cancer than white women. The influence of somatic genomic profiles on this racial disparity is unclear. We aimed to compare the racial distribution of tumor genomic characteristics and breast cancer recurrence. METHODS We assessed white and African American women with stage I to III breast cancer diagnosed from 1988 to 2013 and primary tumors submitted to The Cancer Genome Atlas from 2010 to 2014. We used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the association of race and genetic traits with tumor recurrence. RESULTS We investigated exome sequencing and gene expression data in 663 and 711 white and 105 and 159 African American women, respectively. African Americans had more TP53 mutations (42.9% v 27.6%; P = .003) and fewer PIK3CA mutations (20.0% v 33.9%; P = .008). Intratumor genetic heterogeneity was greater in African American than white tumors overall by 5.1 units (95% CI, 2.4 to 7.7) and within triple-negative tumors by 4.1 units (95% CI, 1.4 to 6.8). African Americans had more basal tumors by the 50-gene set predictor using the predication analysis of microarray method (PAM50; 39.0% v 18.6%; P < .001) and fewer PAM50 luminal A tumors (17.0% v 34.7%; P < .001). Among triple-negative subtypes, African Americans had more basal-like 1 and mesenchymal stem-like tumors. African Americans had a higher risk of tumor recurrence than whites (hazard ratio, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.05 to 4.67). Racial differences in TP53 mutation, PAM50 basal subtype, and triple-negative tumor prevalence but not intratumor genetic heterogeneity influenced the magnitude and significance of the racial disparity in tumor recurrence. CONCLUSION African Americans had greater intratumor genetic heterogeneity and more basal gene expression tumors, even within triple-negative breast cancer. This pattern suggests more aggressive tumor biology in African Americans than whites, which could contribute to racial disparity in breast cancer outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Keenan
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Beverly Moy
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Edmund A Mroz
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Kenneth Ross
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Andrzej Niemierko
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - James W Rocco
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Steven Isakoff
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Leif W Ellisen
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Aditya Bardia
- Tanya Keenan, Beverly Moy, Kenneth Ross, Andrzej Niemierko, Steven Isakoff, Leif W. Ellisen, and Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and Edmund A. Mroz and James W. Rocco, Ohio State University/Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
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