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Tsoi H, Lok J, Man EP, Cheng CN, Leung MH, You CP, Chan SY, Chan WL, Khoo US. Overexpression of BQ323636.1 contributes to anastrozole resistance in AR+ve/ER+ve breast cancer. J Pathol 2023; 261:156-168. [PMID: 37555303 DOI: 10.1002/path.6157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Aromatase inhibitors (Ais) are used as adjuvant endocrine therapy for oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+ve) post-menopausal breast cancer patients. Ais, by inhibiting the enzyme aromatase, block the conversion of androgen to oestrogen, reducing oestrogen levels. Resistance to Ais limits their clinical utilisation. Here, we show that overexpression of BQ323636.1 (BQ), a novel splice variant of nuclear co-repressor NCOR2, is associated with resistance to the non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor anastrozole in ER+ve post-menopausal breast cancer. Mechanistic study indicates that BQ overexpression enhances androgen receptor (AR) activity and in the presence of anastrozole, causes hyper-activation of AR signalling, which unexpectedly enhanced cell proliferation, through increased expression of CDK2, CDK4, and CCNE1. BQ overexpression reverses the effect of anastrozole in ER+ve breast cancer in an AR-dependent manner, whilst co-treatment with the AR antagonist bicalutamide recovered its therapeutic effect both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, for BQ-overexpressing breast cancer, targeting AR can combat anastrozole resistance. Clinical study of 268 primary breast cancer samples of ER+ve patients who had been treated with non-steroidal Ais showed 32.5% (38/117) of cases with combined high nuclear expression of BQ and AR, which were found to be significantly associated with Ai resistance. Non-steroidal Ai-treated patients with high nuclear expression of both BQ and AR had poorer overall, disease-specific, and disease-free survival. These findings suggest the importance of assessing BQ and AR expression status in the primary ER+ve breast tumour prior to Ai treatment. This may save patients from inappropriate treatment and enable effective therapy to be given at an early stage. © 2023 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ho Tsoi
- Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Johann Lok
- Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Ellen Ps Man
- Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Cheuk-Nam Cheng
- Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Man-Hong Leung
- Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Chan-Ping You
- Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Sum-Yin Chan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Wing-Lok Chan
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
| | - Ui-Soon Khoo
- Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, PR China
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2
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Lu C, Yang Y, Lingmei L, Qiujuan H, Qianru G, Lisha Q, Wenfeng C, Yun N, Peisen Z. Identification of hub genes in AR-induced tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2023; 197:71-82. [PMID: 36334189 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-022-06788-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Approximately 30% of patients with oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer (BC) exhibit intrinsic or recurrent resistance to tamoxifen (TAM) adjuvant endocrine therapy. The androgen receptor (AR) is expressed in about 90% of ER-positive patients. Our previous studies found that BC patients with an AR:ER expression ratio ≥ 2.0 are more susceptible to TAM resistance. However, the specific mechanism by which a high AR:ER ratio promotes TAM resistance remains unknown. METHODS RNA sequencing was performed on 10 cases of BC tissues with AR:ER ratios ≥ 2.0 and 3 cases with AR:ER ratios < 2.0. We then compared our data with the screened TAM-resistant and TAM-sensitive cases from the TCGA BC database. Bioinformatics methods were used to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and to perform gene enrichment analysis. Weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) was used to screen hub genes in the AR-induced TAM resistance process. RESULTS PAM50 analysis showed that the molecular phenotype of BC patients with AR:ER ratios ≥ 2.0 was similar to that of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), whereas the BC samples with AR:ER ratios < 2.0 were classified as the luminal subtype. Among the AR:ER ratio ≥ 2.0 and AR:ER < 2.0 BC tumours, 1855 DEGs were identified. Gene enrichment analysis showed that DEGs were enriched mainly in proliferation-related molecular pathways, such as the cell cycle, necroptosis, metabolic pathways and DNA replication. WGCNA analysis showed that SEC14L2, RIIAD1, STC2 and MAGEA6 served as hub genes in AR-induced TAM resistance and were associated with BC survival prognosis in the TCGA cohort. CONCLUSIONS A high AR:ER expression ratio is a biomarker for patients who might develop TAM resistance, and AR expression seems to be a possible mechanism of resistance to endocrine therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cao Lu
- Department of Pathology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Breast Cancer Pathology and Research Laboratory, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Li Lingmei
- Department of Pathology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Huang Qiujuan
- Department of Pathology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Guo Qianru
- Department of Pathology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Qi Lisha
- Department of Pathology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Cao Wenfeng
- Department of Pathology, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Niu Yun
- Department of Breast Cancer Pathology and Research Laboratory, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Zhang Peisen
- Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300222, China.
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3
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Santonja Á, Moya-García AA, Ribelles N, Jiménez-Rodríguez B, Pajares B, Fernández-De Sousa CE, Pérez-Ruiz E, Del Monte-Millán M, Ruiz-Borrego M, de la Haba J, Sánchez-Rovira P, Romero A, González-Neira A, Lluch A, Alba E. Role of germline variants in the metastasis of breast carcinomas. Oncotarget 2022; 13:843-862. [PMID: 35782051 PMCID: PMC9245581 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.28250] [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] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Most cancer-related deaths in breast cancer patients are associated with metastasis, a multistep, intricate process that requires the cooperation of tumour cells, tumour microenvironment and metastasis target tissues. It is accepted that metastasis does not depend on the tumour characteristics but the host’s genetic makeup. However, there has been limited success in determining the germline genetic variants that influence metastasis development, mainly because of the limitations of traditional genome-wide association studies to detect the relevant genetic polymorphisms underlying complex phenotypes. In this work, we leveraged the extreme discordant phenotypes approach and the epistasis networks to analyse the genotypes of 97 breast cancer patients. We found that the host’s genetic makeup facilitates metastases by the dysregulation of gene expression that can promote the dispersion of metastatic seeds and help establish the metastatic niche—providing a congenial soil for the metastatic seeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángela Santonja
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospitales Universitarios Regional y Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga, Spain.,Laboratorio de Biología Molecular del Cáncer, Centro de Investigaciones Médico-Sanitarias (CIMES), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Aurelio A Moya-García
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular del Cáncer, Centro de Investigaciones Médico-Sanitarias (CIMES), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,Departmento de Biología Molecular y Bioquímica, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Nuria Ribelles
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica Intercentro de Oncología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospitales Universitarios Regional y Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Begoña Jiménez-Rodríguez
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica Intercentro de Oncología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospitales Universitarios Regional y Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Bella Pajares
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica Intercentro de Oncología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospitales Universitarios Regional y Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | - Cristina E Fernández-De Sousa
- Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospitales Universitarios Regional y Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga, Spain.,Laboratorio de Biología Molecular del Cáncer, Centro de Investigaciones Médico-Sanitarias (CIMES), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - María Del Monte-Millán
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Juan de la Haba
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Biomedical Research Institute, Complejo Hospitalario Reina Sofía, Córdoba, Spain
| | | | - Atocha Romero
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, IdISSC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna González-Neira
- Human Genotyping-CEGEN Unit, Human Cancer Genetics Program, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana Lluch
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Oncology and Hematology, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valencia, Spain.,INCLIVA Biomedical Research Institute, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Emilio Alba
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular del Cáncer, Centro de Investigaciones Médico-Sanitarias (CIMES), Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,Unidad de Gestión Clínica Intercentro de Oncología, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospitales Universitarios Regional y Virgen de la Victoria de Málaga, Málaga, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Oncología, CIBERONC-ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
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4
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Place des biopsies liquides dans le diagnostic et la caractérisation moléculaire des cancers du sein. Bull Cancer 2022; 108:11S46-11S54. [PMID: 34969515 DOI: 10.1016/s0007-4551(21)00636-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The tumor biopsy remains essential for breast cancer diagnosis and characterization. Indeed, the treatment is decided according to histological subtype, and according to the presence of targetable molecular alterations. Notably, the presence of hormone receptors, ERBB2 hyperexpression or the existence of PIK3CA or ESR1 mutations are among the alterations commonly investigated. But these biological characteristics are determined only partially by tumor biopsy, due to tumor heterogeneity or tumor plasticity that happens spontaneously or under treatment. Liquid biopsy, and in particular circulating tumor DNA and circulating tumor cells, is a non-invasive method to identify and characterize the presence of cancer in the blood. The aim of this review is to determine the value of liquid biopsy to enhance or replace the data provided by a tumor biopsy.
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Rajarajan S, Korlimarla A, Alexander A, Anupama CE, Ramesh R, Srinath BS, Sridhar TS, Prabhu JS. Pre-Menopausal Women With Breast Cancers Having High AR/ER Ratios in the Context of Higher Circulating Testosterone Tend to Have Poorer Outcomes. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:679756. [PMID: 34234742 PMCID: PMC8256854 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.679756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Women with breast tumors with higher expression of AR are in general known to have better survival outcomes while a high AR/ER ratio is associated with poor outcomes in hormone receptor positive breast cancers mostly in post menopausal women. We have evaluated the AR/ER ratio in the context of circulating androgens specifically in patients younger than 50 years most of whom are pre-menopausal and hence have a high estrogenic hormonal milieu. Methods Tumor samples from patients 50 years or younger at first diagnosis were chosen from a larger cohort of 270 patients with median follow-up of 72 months. Expression levels of ER and AR proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and the transcript levels by quantitative PCR. Ciculating levels of total testosterone were estimated from serum samples. A ratio of AR/ER was derived using the transcript levels, and tumors were dichotomized into high and low ratio groups based on the third quartile value. Survival and the prognostic significance of the ratio was compared between the low and high ratio groups in all tumors and also within ER positive tumors. Results were further validated in external datasets (TCGA and METABRIC). Results Eighty-eight (32%) patients were ≤50 years, with 22 having high AR/ER ratio calculated using the transcript levels. Circulating levels of total testosterone were higher in women whose tumors had a high AR/ER ratio (p = 0.02). Tumors with high AR/ER ratio had significantly poorer disease-free survival than those with low AR/ER ratio [HR-2.6 (95% CI-1.02-6.59) p = 0.04]. Evaluation of tumors with high AR/ER ratio within ER positive tumors alone reconfirmed the prognostic relevance of the high AR/ER ratio with a significant hazard ratio of 4.6 (95% CI-1.35-15.37, p = 0.01). Similar trends were observed in the TCGA and METABRIC dataset. Conclusion Our data in pre-menopausal women with breast cancer suggest that it is not merely the presence or absence of AR expression but the relative activity of ER, as well as the hormonal milieu of the patient that determine clinical outcomes, indicating that both context and interactions ultimately influence tumor behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savitha Rajarajan
- Division of Molecular Medicine, St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India
- Centre for Doctoral Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, India
| | - Aruna Korlimarla
- Division of Molecular Medicine, St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India
- Department of Research, Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Bangalore, India
| | - Annie Alexander
- Division of Molecular Medicine, St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India
| | - C. E. Anupama
- Division of Molecular Medicine, St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India
| | - Rakesh Ramesh
- Department of Surgical Oncology, St. John’s Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore, India
| | - B. S. Srinath
- Department of Surgery, Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Bangalore, India
| | - T. S. Sridhar
- Division of Molecular Medicine, St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India
| | - Jyothi S. Prabhu
- Division of Molecular Medicine, St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India
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6
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Schott DS, Pizon M, Pachmann U, Pachmann K, Schobert R, Wittig A, Mäurer M. Influence of adjuvant radiotherapy on circulating epithelial tumor cells and circulating cancer stem cells in primary non-metastatic breast cancer. Transl Oncol 2021; 14:101009. [PMID: 33453469 PMCID: PMC7811056 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
CETCs have the same molecular properties as the cells in the primary tumor. Circulating cancer stem cells can be successfully identified in the blood of breast cancer patients and monitored during RT. Patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy had the highest number of CETCs prior to RT but the CETC counts decreased significantly during RT indicating that this group of patients could most likely benefit from adjuvant RT. Increase in cCSC numbers during RT could be a predictor for early recurrence of cancer disease.
Background : There is an unmet need to identify biomarkers that directly reflect response to adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). Circulating epithelial tumor cells (CETCs) represent the liquid component of solid tumors and are responsible for metastatic relapse. CETC subsets with cancer stem cell characteristics, circulating cancer stem cells (cCSCs), play a pivotal role in the metastatic cascade. Monitoring the most aggressive subpopulation of CETCs could reflect the aggressiveness of the remaining tumor burden. There is limited data on the detection and monitoring changes in CETC and cCSC numbers during RT in early breast cancer. Methods : CETC numbers were analyzed prior to, at midterm and at the end of RT in 52 primary non-metastatic breast cancer patients. Hormone receptor status was determined in CETCs prior to and at the end of RT. For the identification of cCSCs cell suspensions from the peripheral blood of patients were cultured in vitro under conditions favoring growth of tumorspheres. Results : Hormone receptor status in CETCs before RT was comparable to that in primary tumor tissue. Prior to RT numbers of CETCs correlated with aggressiveness of primary tumors. cCSCs could be successfully identified and monitored during RT. Prior to RT patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy had significantly higher numbers of CETCs and tumorspheres compared to patients after adjuvant chemotherapy. During RT, the number of CETCs decreased continuously in patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy but not after adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusion : Monitoring the number of CETCs and the CETC subset with cancer stem cell properties during RT may provide additional clinically useful prognostic information.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Monika Pizon
- Transfusion Center Bayreuth, Kurpromenade 2, 95448 Bayreuth, Germany.
| | - Ulrich Pachmann
- Transfusion Center Bayreuth, Kurpromenade 2, 95448 Bayreuth, Germany.
| | | | | | - Andrea Wittig
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
| | - Matthias Mäurer
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
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7
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Kasimir-Bauer S, Keup C, Hoffmann O, Hauch S, Kimmig R, Bittner AK. Circulating Tumor Cells Expressing the Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) Indicate Worse Outcome in Primary, Non-Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1658. [PMID: 33014830 PMCID: PMC7497312 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: We analyzed mRNA profiles of prostate cancer related genes in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) of primary, non-metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients (pts) before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy to elucidate the potential of prostate cancer targets in this BC subgroup. Method: Blood from 41 TNBC pts (n = 41 before / 26 after therapy) was analyzed for CTCs applying the AdnaTest EMT-2/Stem Cell Select. Multimarker RT-qPCR allowed the detection of the prostate specific antigen PSA, the prostate specific membrane antigen PSMA, full-length androgen receptor (AR-FL), and AR splice-variant seven (AR-V7). Results: Before therapy, at least one prostate cancer related gene was detected in 15/41 pts (37%). Notably, in 73% of AR-FL positive cases, AR-V7 was co-expressed. After therapy, CTCs of only one patient harbored prostate cancer related genes. AR-V7+ and PSMA+ CTCs significantly correlated with early relapse (p = 0.041; p = 0.00039) whereas PSMA+ CTCs also associated with a reduced OS (p = 0.0059). This correlation was confirmed for PSMA+ CTCs in univariate (PFS p = 0.002; OS p = 0.015), but not multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Although CTCs that expressed prostate cancer related genes were eliminated by the given therapy, PSMA+ CTCs significantly identified pts at high risk for relapse. Furthermore, AR inhibition, often discussed for this BC subgroup, might not be successful in the primary setting of the disease since we identified AR-FL+ CTCs together with AR-V7+ CTCs, associated with therapeutic failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Kasimir-Bauer
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Corinna Keup
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Oliver Hoffmann
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Essen, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Rainer Kimmig
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Ann-Kathrin Bittner
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Essen, Essen, Germany
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8
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Malik A, Srinivasan S, Batra J. A New Era of Prostate Cancer Precision Medicine. Front Oncol 2019; 9:1263. [PMID: 31850193 PMCID: PMC6901987 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.01263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancer is the second most common male cancer affecting Western society. Despite substantial advances in the exploration of prostate cancer biomarkers and treatment strategies, men are over diagnosed with inert prostate cancer, while there is also a substantial mortality from the invasive disease. Precision medicine is the management of treatment profiles across different cancers predicting therapies for individual cancer patients. With strategies including individual genomic profiling and targeting specific cancer pathways, precision medicine for prostate cancer has the potential to impose changes in clinical practices. Some of the recent advances in prostate cancer precision medicine comprise targeting gene fusions, genome editing tools, non-coding RNA biomarkers, and the promise of liquid tumor profiling. In this review, we will discuss these recent scientific advances to scale up these approaches and endeavors to overcome clinical barriers for prostate cancer precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adil Malik
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre–Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia
| | - Srilakshmi Srinivasan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre–Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia
| | - Jyotsna Batra
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Australian Prostate Cancer Research Centre–Queensland, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia
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Agnoletto C, Corrà F, Minotti L, Baldassari F, Crudele F, Cook WJJ, Di Leva G, d'Adamo AP, Gasparini P, Volinia S. Heterogeneity in Circulating Tumor Cells: The Relevance of the Stem-Cell Subset. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11040483. [PMID: 30959764 PMCID: PMC6521045 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11040483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The release of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) into vasculature is an early event in the metastatic process. The analysis of CTCs in patients has recently received widespread attention because of its clinical implications, particularly for precision medicine. Accumulated evidence documents a large heterogeneity in CTCs across patients. Currently, the most accepted view is that tumor cells with an intermediate phenotype between epithelial and mesenchymal have the highest plasticity. Indeed, the existence of a meta-stable or partial epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) cell state, with both epithelial and mesenchymal features, can be easily reconciled with the concept of a highly plastic stem-like state. A close connection between EMT and cancer stem cells (CSC) traits, with enhanced metastatic competence and drug resistance, has also been described. Accordingly, a subset of CTCs consisting of CSC, present a stemness profile, are able to survive chemotherapy, and generate metastases after xenotransplantation in immunodeficient mice. In the present review, we discuss the current evidence connecting CTCs, EMT, and stemness. An improved understanding of the CTC/EMT/CSC connections may uncover novel therapeutic targets, irrespective of the tumor type, since most cancers seem to harbor a pool of CSCs, and disclose important mechanisms underlying tumorigenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Agnoletto
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Fabio Corrà
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Linda Minotti
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Federica Baldassari
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Francesca Crudele
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
| | | | - Gianpiero Di Leva
- School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK.
| | - Adamo Pio d'Adamo
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", 34137 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Paolo Gasparini
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127 Trieste, Italy.
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", 34137 Trieste, Italy.
| | - Stefano Volinia
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
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