CD24 Ala57Val polymorphism predicts pathologic complete response to sequential anthracycline- and taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary breast cancer

CD24: A Novel Target for Cancer Immunotherapy

Cluster of differentiation 24 (CD24) is a small, highly glycosylated cell adhesion protein that is normally expressed by immune as well as epithelial, neural, and muscle cells. Tumor CD24 expression has been linked with alterations in several oncogenic signaling pathways. In addition, the CD24/Siglec-10 interaction has been implicated in tumor immune evasion, inhibiting macrophage-mediated phagocytosis as well as natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity. CD24 blockade has shown promising results in preclinical studies. Although there are limited data on efficacy, monoclonal antibodies against CD24 have demonstrated clinical safety and tolerability in two clinical trials. Other treatment modalities evaluated in the preclinical setting include antibody–drug conjugates and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. In this review, we summarize current evidence and future perspectives on CD24 as a potential target for cancer immunotherapy.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms as the efficient prognostic markers in breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC) is known as the most common malignancy in women. Environmental and genetic factors are associated with BC progression. Genetic polymorphisms have been reported as important risk factors of BC prognosis and drug response. Main body: Therefore, in the present review, we have summarized all single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which have been significantly associated with drug response in BC patients around the world. We have also categorized the reported SNPs based on their related genes functions to clarify the molecular biology of drug responses in BC.

CONCLUSION

The majority of SNPs were reported in detoxifying enzymes, which introduced such genes as the main genetic risk factors during BC drug responses. This review paves the way for introducing a prognostic panel of SNPs for the BC patients in the world.

Genetic Influences in Breast Cancer Drug Resistance

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in adult women aged 20 to 50 years. The therapeutic regimens that are commonly recommended to treat breast cancer are human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) targeted therapy, endocrine therapy, and systemic chemotherapy. The selection of pharmacotherapy is based on the characteristics of the tumor and its hormone receptor status, specifically, the presence of HER2, progesterone receptors, and estrogen receptors. Breast cancer pharmacotherapy often gives different results in various populations, which may cause therapeutic failure. Different types of congenital drug resistance in individuals can cause this. Genetic polymorphism is a factor in the occurrence of congenital drug resistance. This review explores the relationship between genetic polymorphisms and resistance to breast cancer therapy. It considers studies published from 2010 to 2020 concerning the relationship of genetic polymorphisms and breast cancer therapy. Several gene polymorphisms are found to be related to longer overall survival, worse relapse-free survival, higher pathological complete response, and increased disease-free survival in breast cancer patients. The presence of these gene polymorphisms can be considered in the treatment of breast cancer in order to shape personalized therapy to yield better results.

Polymorphisms within Immune Regulatory Pathways Predict Cetuximab Efficacy and Survival in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients

Simple Summary

Cetuximab is an antibody that blocks EGFR signaling and stimulates an immune response against cancer cells. For patients with advanced colorectal cancer, tumor sidedness and RAS mutation status are the primary factors used to select systemic therapy. Additional biomarkers are needed to better predict which patients will benefit from cetuximab-based regimens. The aim of our retrospective study was to assess the predictive and prognostic value of 12 germline single nucleotide polymorphisms in five immune related genes in 924 patients with advanced colorectal cancer undergoing therapy with cetuximab. We identified a CD24 germline genetic variant which independently predicted survival in a discovery cohort and confirmed these findings in a validation cohort. If confirmed in prospective studies, CD24 and other immune related polymorphisms may guide the use of cetuximab in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Abstract

Cetuximab, an IgG1 EGFR-directed antibody, promotes antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. We hypothesized that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in immune regulatory pathways may predict outcomes in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab-based regimens. A total of 924 patients were included: 105 received cetuximab in IMCL-0144 and cetuximab/irinotecan in GONO-ASL608LIOM01 (training cohort), 225 FOLFIRI/cetuximab in FIRE-3 (validation cohort 1), 74 oxaliplatin/cetuximab regimens in JACCRO CC-05/06 (validation cohort 2), and 520 FOLFIRI/bevacizumab in FIRE-3 and TRIBE (control cohorts). Twelve SNPs in five genes (IDO1; PD-L1; PD-1; CTLA-4; CD24) were evaluated by PCR-based direct sequencing. We analyzed associations between genotype and clinical outcomes. In the training cohort; patients with the CD24 rs52812045 A/A genotype had a significantly shorter median PFS and OS than those with the G/G genotype (PFS 1.3 vs. 3.6 months; OS 2.3 vs. 7.8 months) in univariate (PFS HR 3.62; p = 0.001; OS HR 3.27; p = 0.0004) and multivariate (PFS HR 3.18; p = 0.009; OS HR 4.93; p = 0.001) analyses. Similarly; any A allele carriers in the JACCRO validation cohort had a significantly shorter PFS than G/G carriers (9.2 vs. 11.8 months; univariate HR 1.90; p = 0.011; multivariate HR 2.12; p = 0.018). These associations were not demonstrated in the control cohorts. CD24 genetic variants may help select patients with metastatic colorectal cancer most likely to benefit from cetuximab-based therapy.

Novel insights into the function of CD24: A driving force in cancer

CD24 is a highly glycosylated protein with a small protein core that is linked to the plasma membrane via a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor. CD24 is primarily expressed by immune cells but is often overexpressed in human tumors. In cancer, CD24 is a regulator of cell migration, invasion and proliferation. Its expression is associated with poor prognosis and it is used as cancer stemness marker. Recently, CD24 on tumor cells was identified as a phagocytic inhibitor ("do not eat me" signal) having a suppressive role in tumor immunity via binding to Siglec-10 on macrophages. This finding is reminiscent of the demonstration that soluble CD24-Fc can dampen the immune system in autoimmune disease. In the present review, we summarize recent progress on the role of the CD24-Siglec-10 binding axis at the interface between tumor cells and the immune system, and the role of CD24 genetic polymorphisms in cancer. We describe the specific function of cytoplasmic CD24 and discuss the presence of CD24 on tumor-released extracellular vesicles. Finally, we evaluate the potential of CD24-based immunotherapy.

A Dinucleotide Deletion in the CD24 Gene Is a Potential Risk Factor for Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

CD24 is a sialoglycoprotein anchored to the cell surface via glycosylphosphatidylinositol and is involved in intracellular signaling processes. It plays an important role in the early stages of the multistep process of colorectal carcinogenesis. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms in the CD24 gene are reported to exert a diverse effect on cancer risk. We aimed to elucidate whether CD24 TG/del genetic variants are associated with susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

The study included 179 subjects, 36 with CRC (prior to surgery) and 143 healthy control subjects. Deoxyribonucleic acid was purified from peripheral blood leukocytes, and by using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, the CD24 gene was genotyped for the specific genetic variant, TG deletion. Additionally, CD24 protein expression levels were determined by Western blotting analysis.

RESULTS

The incidence of the TG/del was higher among the CRC patients compared with healthy controls, 14% and 10%, respectively (P = .54). CD24 protein levels were significantly higher among CRC patients. There were no significant differences in CD24 expression between CRC patients at different stages of the disease or between patients who carry the mutation and those who did not.

CONCLUSIONS

CD24 genetic variant might be of clinical value for risk assessment as part of cancer prevention programs. Further study on larger populations is needed to validate the importance of this dinucleotide deletion in CRC development. Overexpression of CD24 protein occurs early along the multistep process of CRC carcinogenesis, and a simple blood sample based on CD24 expression on peripheral blood leukocytes can contribute to early diagnosis.

A single-nucleotide polymorphism of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor gene can predict pathological complete response to taxane- and platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

Background

Germline genetic polymorphisms in certain genes are associated with the response to anthracycline- and taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer (BC). This translational study aims to evaluate the potential role of rs1042713 in the beta 2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2) gene in predicting pathological complete responses (pCRs) to taxane- and platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC).

Materials and methods

The distribution frequencies of rs1042713 were genotyped in LABC patients who received taxane- and platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Associations between tumor-relevant biomarkers, genotypes and pCRs were evaluated using Student’s t-test for continuous variables and Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. For univariate analysis, the relationship between the rs1042713 polymorphism and pCR was analyzed by Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. The modified ORs with their 95% CIs were calculated by a multivariate logistic regression analysis to explore the association between genotype and pCR.

Results

There was a significant correlation of the rs1042713 genotype with estrogen receptor (ER) status (P=0.008). Significant differences were detected in the rs1042713 genotypes of pCR and non-pCR patients (P=0.046). The pCR rate was 18.2% in patients with ADRB2 rs1042713 AA genotypes and 38.7% in AG+GG genotypes. Women carrying the AG+GG (OR=2.91, 95% CI: 1.02–8.29, P=0.046) genotype had a higher pCR rate than those with the AA genotype.

Conclusion

rs1042713, which is located in the ADRB2 gene, could predict pCR to taxane-and platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in LABC. This finding suggests that rs1042713 could play a potential role as a predictive marker in clinical settings.

Effects of FGFR gene polymorphisms on response and toxicity of cyclophosphamide-epirubicin-docetaxel-based chemotherapy in breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

The chemotherapy resistance and toxicity of chemotherapy are major problems in breast cancer treatment. However, candidate biomarkers for predicting clinical outcomes and better prognosis remain lacking.

METHODS

In this study, we analyzed possible impact of 8 genetic variants of fibroblast growth factor receptor1-4 (FGFR1-4) on the treatment response and toxicities in 211 breast cancer patients. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells, and the genotypes were examined using the TaqMan Pre-Designed SNP Genotyping Assays.

RESULTS

The FGFR4 rs1966265 and FGFR2 rs2981578 contributed to clinical outcome of breast cancer treated with docetaxel-epirubicin-cyclophosphamide (CET)-based chemotherapy. For rs1966265, AA genotype had significant correlation with the clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) when compared with GG and AG/GG genotype (P = 0.019 and P = 0.004, respectively). Moreover, A allele of FGFR2 rs2981578 had significant rates of response (P = 0.025). In addition, rs2420946 CC genotype was associated with higher frequency of toxicities compared with TT and CT/TT genotypes (P = 0.038 and P = 0.019, respectively). Also, rs2981578 AG genotype showed higher frequency of toxicities compared with GG genotype (P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest these polymorphisms, especially rs1966265 and rs2981578, might be candidate pharmacogenomics factors to the response and prognosis prediction for individualized CET-based chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

CD24 is a genetic modifier for risk and progression of prostate cancer

CD24 plays an oncogenic role in the onset and progression of various human cancers, including prostate cancer. In the present study, we identified two linkage disequilibrium blocks with four recombination hotspot motifs in human CD24 locus. To elucidate whether genetic variants of CD24 are associated with susceptibility to prostate cancer and its disease status, we conducted a case-control association study with two P170 C/T and P-534 A/C polymorphisms of CD24 in 590 patients with prostate cancer and 590 healthy controls. A significant increased risk of prostate cancer was found in men with the P170^T/T genotype over the P170^C/C genotype (odd ratio = 1.74, 95% confidence interval = 1.16-2.63, P = 0.008), and in men with the P-534^C/C genotype over the P-534^A/A genotype (odd ratio = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.18-2.26, P = 0.003). Cochran-Armitage trend analysis showed that the P170^T allele was significantly correlated with an increased risk of prostate cancer progression (P = 0.029, trend between genotypes and stages) and this observation was also validated in an independent sample cohort. Next, we found that tumors with P170^T or P-534^C alleles had more twofold increased protein expressions of CD24 as compared to those with P170^C or P-534^A alleles, respectively. Likewise, tumors with a combination of P170^T/T and P-534^C/C genotypes were associated with a high mRNA level of CD24. Our data suggest a significant association of CD24 genetic variants with prostate cancer onset and progression, which provides new insight into molecular genetics of prostate cancer; however, these findings need to be validated in multiple independent cohorts. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

CD24 genetic variants contribute to overall survival in patients with gastric cancer

AIM

To investigate the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CD24 gene in susceptibility and overall survival of gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS

We genotyped 3 tagging SNPs of CD24-P-534 in the promoter region, P170 in the coding region of exon 2 and P1527 in the 3' untranslated region - using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in specimens from 679 histologically-confirmed GC cases, 111 gastric atrophy (GA) cases and 976 tumor-free controls. Serum immunoglobulin G antibodies to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) of all subjects were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. CD24 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 131 GC specimens. Correlations between SNPs and risk of GC or GA were shown by P values and odd ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) compared with the most common genotype of each SNP using the unconditional logistic regression model after adjusting for age, sex and H. pylori infection. Survival within each SNP group was plotted by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test (recessive model). Hazard ratios with 95%CIs were computed by Cox regression model after adjusting for age, sex, histological type, tumor differentiation, clinical stage and post-operational chemotherapy.

RESULTS

All of the three loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the control group. Median follow-up time for the 600 GC patients included in the survival analysis was 36.2 mo (range, 2.1-66.7 mo; 95%CI: 34.3-36.5 mo). Patients with the P-534 A/A genotype had significantly shorter survival (HR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.01-1.88, P = 0.042) than did the C/C or C/A genotype carriers after adjusting for age, sex, histological type, tumor differentiation, clinical stage and post-operational chemotherapy. This trend was more evident in patients who lived longer than 2.5 years (HR = 7.55, 95%CI: 2.16-26.32, P = 0.001). The P170 T/T genotype was associated with a shorter lifespan than the non-T/T genotypes, but not significantly so. None of the three genetic variants was found to be associated with risk of GC (including tumor stage, grade and distant metastasis) or with risk of gastric atrophy. Furthermore, no difference of CD24 expression was found among the genotypes.

CONCLUSION

The P-534 site in CD24 gene affects the overall survival of gastric cancer and may serve as a prognostic marker for gastric cancer.

Exploratory analysis of candidate germline gene polymorphisms in breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant anthracycline-containing chemotherapy and associations with febrile neutropenia

AIM

SNPs may be associated with (side) effects of chemotherapy and may be useful as biomarkers to predict febrile neutropenia.

PATIENTS & METHODS

187 DNA samples extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from patients with stage II/III HER2-negative breast cancer were genotyped.

RESULTS

Candidate SNPs were selected and explored for association with febrile neutropenia and/or pathological complete response. TT genotype of 388 C>T in FGFR4 (rs351855) had a tendency toward higher incidence of febrile neutropenia during neoadjuvant chemotherapy, compared with the CT (p = 0.383) genotype and compared with the CC genotype (p = 0.068).

CONCLUSION

The TT genotype of 388 C>T FGFR4 may be related to incidence of febrile neutropenia during neoadjuvant TAC (docetaxel, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide) chemotherapy and is possibly useful as a patient-related risk factor when assessing febrile neutropenia risk. Original submitted 23 January 2015; Revision submitted 26 May 2015.

Are pharmacogenomic biomarkers an effective tool to predict taxane toxicity and outcome in breast cancer patients? Literature review

PURPOSE

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease, characterized by various molecular phenotypes that correlate with different prognosis and response to treatments. Taxanes are some of the most active chemotherapeutic agents for breast cancer; however, their utilization is limited, due to hematologic and cumulative neurotoxicity on treated patients. To understand why only some patients experience severe adverse effects and why patients respond and develop resistance with different rates to taxane therapy, the metabolic pathways of these drugs should be completely unraveled. The variant forms of several genes, related to taxane pharmacokinetics, can be indicative markers of clinical parameters, such as toxicity or outcome.

METHODS

The search of the data has been conducted through PubMed database, presenting clinical data, clinical trials and basic research restricted to English language until June 2015.

RESULTS

We studied the literature in order to find any possible association between the major pharmacogenomic variants and specific taxane-related toxicity and patient outcome. We found that the data of these studies are sometimes discordant, due to both the small number of enrolled patients and the heterogeneity of the examined population.

CONCLUSIONS

Among all analyzed genes, only CYP1B1 and ABCB1 resulted the strongest candidates to become biomarkers of clinical response to taxane therapy in breast cancer, although their utilization still remains an experimental procedure. In the future, greater studies on genetic polymorphisms should be performed in order to identify differentiating signatures for patients with higher toxicity and with resistant or responsive outcome, before the administration of taxanes.

Combined aberrant expression of N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 and CD24 is associated with disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2), as a tumor suppressor, has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by reducing the expression of CD24, which has been identified as a prognostic factor for HCC patients. However, the clinical significance of combined NDRG2 and CD24 expression in HCC remains unclear. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship of NDRG2 and CD24 expression with clinicopathological parameters and patients’ survival.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression and subcellular localizations of NDRG2 and CD24 proteins in 130 pairs of HCC and adjacent nonneoplastic liver tissues.

Results

NDRG2 protein was strongly expressed in the cytoplasm and plasma membrane of hepatocytes in adjacent nonneoplastic liver tissues, whereas its immunostaining was weak or negative in HCC tissues. In contrast, CD24 protein exhibited the cytoplasm immunostaining in tumor cells of HCC tissues but showed negative expression in adjacent nonneoplastic liver tissues. The statistical analysis also showed that the expression levels of NDRG2 and CD24 proteins in HCC tissues were respectively lower and higher than those in adjacent nonneoplastic liver tissues significantly (both P < 0.001). In addition, there was an inverse correlation between NDRG2 expression and CD24 expression in HCC tissues (P = 0.02). Moreover, combined NDRG2 downregulation and CD24 upregulation (NDRG2-low/CD24-high) more frequently occurred in HCC tissues with high serum AFP (P = 0.03), advanced tumor stage (P = 0.001) and high tumor grade (P = 0.02). Furthermore, HCC patients with NDRG2-low/CD24-high expression showed shortest 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival (both P < 0.001) of four groups (NDRG2-low/CD24-high, NDRG2-low/CD24-low, NDRG2-high/CD24-high, NDRG2-high/CD24-low). Of note, the multivariate survival analysis showed that the combined aberrant expression of NDRG2 and CD24 proteins was an independent prognostic factor for both 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival (both P = 0.01) in HCC.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the downregulation of NDRG2 combined with the upregulation of CD24 may play a synergistic role in the occurrence and progression of HCC. A combined detection of NDRG2/CD24 expression may benefit us in determining the prognosis in patients with HCC.

Virtual Slides

The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/13000_2014_209

CD24 single nucleotide polymorphisms and cancer risk

Cluster of differentiation 24 (CD24) has been implicated in the development of cancer. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CD24 gene are reported to exert diverse effect on cancer risk. However, the association between CD24 SNPs and cancer risk remains unclear due to contradictory published findings. We performed a meta-analysis by pooling all available published studies on the susceptibility of CD24 rs52812045 and rs3838646 polymorphisms to cancer. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) were calculated. There were five independent case-control studies with 5,539 cases and 10,241 controls included into the present study. The pooled results showed that no appreciable relationship was identified between any of the SNPs of CD24 and cancer risk. Interestingly, a protective role of the CD24 rs3838646 polymorphism was found in the risk of breast cancer, but lack of statistical significance (del allele vs. TG allele: OR = 0.89; 95 % CI, 0.79-1.01; P OR = 0.063; del/del vs.

TG/TG

OR = 0.70; 95 % CI, 0.44-1.12; P OR = 0.135; del/TG vs.

TG/TG

OR = 0.91; 95 % CI, 0.80-1.04, P OR = 0.180; del/del + del/TG vs.

TG/TG

OR = 0.90; 95 % CI, 0.79-1.03; P OR = 0.123; del/del vs. TG/TG + del/TG: OR = 0.69; 95 % CI, 0.44-1.08, P OR = 0.105). Our study firstly provides the evidence that SNPs (rs52812045 and rs3838646) of CD24 may not modify the risk of cancer. Nonetheless, more individual studies with high quality are needed for further elucidation.

CD24 gene polymorphism--a novel prognostic factor in esophageal cancer

BACKGROUND

The CD24 gene has been correlated with poor prognosis of various malignancies. The significance of CD24 in esophageal cancer remains unknown. Our aim was to evaluate the association between CD24 genetic polymorphism and esophageal cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between June 2011 and May 2012 patients with esophageal cancer and healthy controls were prospectively enrolled and clinicopathological data were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed to determine CD24 polymorphism at the coding region of CD24, which results in a substitution of the amino acid Ala by Val. Statistical significance was determined by unpaired t-test, χ²-test, and Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

A total of 102 patients were included, of whom 51 had esophageal cancer and the rest comprised a healthy control group. The incidence of the polymorphism variant (Val/Val) among the healthy subjects and the esophageal cancer cohort was 6% in both groups. The incidence of N3 (metastasis in 7 or more regional lymph nodes) was markedly higher in those esophageal cancer patients who carried the polymorphism variant compared with those who did not carry it (66% and 2%, respectively, p=0.007). No significant difference was found between the groups with regard to age, gender, histology type, tumor location, tumor stage, and other histological characteristics of the tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

This CD24 polymorphism may serve as a novel prognostic marker identifying esophageal cancer patients with poor prognosis. Further studies are warranted to evaluate CD24 function and to validate its predictive potential with regard to esophageal cancer.

CD24 polymorphisms cannot predict pathologic complete response to anthracycline- and taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer

INTRODUCTION

To evaluate the correlations between CD24 polymorphisms and clinicopathologic variables of patients with breast cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CD24 were genotyped by the Sequenom MassArray iPLEX Gold System in 170 patients with breast cancer, and a total of 120 patients with histologically confirmed T2-4N0-2 M0 breast cancer were recruited to therapy with docetaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (TAC) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Data were analyzed by the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

There were no significant correlations between CD24 polymorphisms and any of the clinicopathologic variables, and no significant associations were found between either of the polymorphisms and CD24 protein expression. The clinical response rate and the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate were 68.8% and 27.1% in patients with the CD24 rs3838646 CA/CA genotype, and 87.5% and 20.8% in CD24 CA/Del and Del/Del genotype. There were no statistically significant differences between the CA/CA group and the Del allele group. The clinical response rate was 85.4% in patients with the CD24 rs52812045 C/C genotype and 63.9% in patients with the CD24 C/T and T/T genotype. There was a statistically significant difference between the C/C group and the T allele group (odds ratio = 0.28; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.73, P = .01). The pCR rate was 29.2% in patients with the CD24 rs52812045 C/C genotype and 23.6% in patients with the CD24 C/T and T/T genotype. There were no statistically significant differences between the C/C group and the T allele group. In a multivariate analysis, there was no correlation between CD24 rs3838646 or rs52812045 genotype and pCR.

CONCLUSION

CD24 rs3838646 and rs52812045 polymorphism could not predict the pathologic complete response to anthracycline- and taxane-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Additional larger studies are required to confirm this finding.

CD24 polymorphisms in breast cancer: impact on prognosis and risk

Overexpression of CD24 has a negative impact on breast cancer prognosis. We have recently reported that the CD24 codon 57 Val/Val genotype (rs52812045) is associated with pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for primary breast cancer and correlates with intratumoral lymphocyte infiltrates. This study was performed to investigate the influence of CD24 polymorphisms on breast cancer prognosis and risk. A total of 2,514 patients and 4,858 controls recruited as part of the MARIE study, a population-based case-control study, were genotyped for two CD24 polymorphisms (rs52812045, rs3838646) using TaqMan custom genotyping assays. Associations with overall and breast cancer-specific survival were assessed using uni- and multivariable Cox regression models stratified by age at diagnosis and adjusted for prognostic factors. Conditional logistic regression analysis adjusted for major risk factors was used to estimate multivariable odds ratios for risk of putative allele carriers compared to wildtype carriers. CD24 Ala/Val was significantly associated with breast cancer prognosis [Val/Val hazard ratio (HR)(adjusted) = 1.52; 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.00-2.30, p = 0.05 and HR(adjusted) = 1.83; 95 % CI: 1.10-3.05, p = 0.018 for all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality, respectively). The association was significant only in patients with a BMI <25 and in those who received adjuvant chemotherapy. None of the CD24 alleles was associated with breast cancer risk. These results provide further evidence of the CD24 Val/Val genotype influencing outcome in primary breast cancer. Together with previous data of CD24 overexpression as a poor prognostic marker, the findings underline the biological importance of CD24 for breast cancer.

EMT-associated up-regulation of L1CAM provides insights into L1CAM-mediated integrin signalling and NF-κB activation

Expression of L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) is associated with poor prognosis in a variety of human carcinomas including breast, ovarian and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Recently we reported that L1CAM induces sustained nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation by augmenting the autocrine production of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), a process dependent on interaction of L1CAM with integrins. In the present study, we demonstrate that transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) treatment of breast carcinoma (MDA-MB231) and PDAC (BxPc3) cell lines induces an EMT (epithelial to mesenchymal transition)-like phenotype and leads to the expression of L1CAM. In MDA-MB231 cells, up-regulation of L1CAM augmented expression of IL-1β and NF-κB activation, which was reversed by depletion of L1CAM, L1CAM-binding membrane cytoskeleton linker protein ezrin, β1-integrin or focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Over-expression of L1CAM not only induced NF-κB activation but also mediated the phosphorylation of FAK and Src. Phosphorylation was not induced in cells expressing a mutant form of L1CAM (L1-RGE) devoid of the integrin-binding site. FAK- and Src-phosphorylation were inhibited by knock-down of various components of the integrin signalling pathway such as β1- and α5-integrins, integrin-linked kinase (ILK), FAK and the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) subunit p110β. In summary, these results reveal that during EMT, L1CAM promotes IL-1β expression through a process dependent on integrin signalling and supports a motile and invasive tumour cell phenotype. We also identify important novel downstream effector molecules of the L1CAM-integrin signalling crosstalk that help to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying L1CAM-promoted tumour progression.