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Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis,...
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Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Biomarkers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2023) | Viewed by 94596

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maurizio Di Bonito

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pathology Unit, “Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale—IRCCS di Napoli”, Naples, Italy
Interests: histopatholgy；breast pathology
Prof. Dr. Michelino De Laurentiis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Breast Medical Oncology Division, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS “Fondazione G. Pascale”, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: breast cancer adjuvant treatment; metastatic breast cancer treatment; breast cancer biomarkers
Dr. Monica Cantile

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pathology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-Irccs-Fondazione G. Pascale, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: tumor biomarkers; molecular pathology; tumor biobank; non coding RNAs; HOX genes; tumor microenvironment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

Breast cancer includes a broad spectrum of diseases characterized by different molecular subtypes with specific gene signatures and distinct clinical outcomes. Genomic profiles identify five intrinsic subtypes: luminal A (estrogen receptor and/or progesterone receptor positive, HER2 negative, and low expression of Ki-67), luminal B (estrogen receptor and/or progesterone receptor positive, HER2 positive/negative, and high levels of Ki-67), HER2-enriched (high expression of the HER2 oncogene and neighboring genes on its 17q12–21 amplicon), basal-like (triple negative, i.e., estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 negative), and normal-like breast cancer. Molecular subtyping has provided important indications about new biomarkers that can be used, both by in situ and molecular methods. However, in the diagnostic routine, the need to make early diagnoses and stratify patients, for prognosis and therapeutic response, still represents the main objective of  breast cancer clinical research.

Moreover, one of the main problems in breast cancer therapeutic approaches is the establishment of an intrinsic or acquired resistance to treatment. Resistance to antitumor therapies can be linked to a variety of different factors such as genetic mutations, increased drug efflux, tumor heterogeneity, altered crosstalk between tumor cells and environmental factors, and epigenetic changes related to the aberrant activity of many ncRNAs. Understanding these mechanisms and identifying the key molecules involved could offer a new scenario of biomarkers for the management of breast cancer patients.

This Special Issue entitled “Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance” aims to highlight novel diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers that could improve breast cancer management and treatment.

Dr. Maurizio Di Bonito
Dr. Michelino De Laurentiis
Dr. Monica Cantile
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • breast cancer subtypes
  • gene signatures
  • histological and molecular markers
  • drug resistance

Published Papers (32 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 6835 KiB  
Article
Oncogenic Targets Regulated by Tumor-Suppressive miR-30c-1-3p and miR-30c-2-3p: TRIP13 Facilitates Cancer Cell Aggressiveness in Breast Cancer
by Reiko Mitsueda, Hiroko Toda, Yoshiaki Shinden, Kosuke Fukuda, Ryutaro Yasudome, Mayuko Kato, Naoko Kikkawa, Takao Ohtsuka, Akihiro Nakajo and Naohiko Seki
Cancers 2023, 15(16), 4189; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15164189 - 21 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1223
Abstract
Accumulating evidence suggests that the miR-30 family act as critical players (tumor-suppressor or oncogenic) in a wide range of human cancers. Analysis of microRNA (miRNA) expression signatures and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database revealed that that two passenger strand miRNAs, miR-30c-1-3p and [...] Read more.
Accumulating evidence suggests that the miR-30 family act as critical players (tumor-suppressor or oncogenic) in a wide range of human cancers. Analysis of microRNA (miRNA) expression signatures and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database revealed that that two passenger strand miRNAs, miR-30c-1-3p and miR-30c-2-3p, were downregulated in cancer tissues, and their low expression was closely associated with worse prognosis in patients with BrCa. Functional assays showed that miR-30c-1-3p and miR-30c-2-3p overexpression significantly inhibited cancer cell aggressiveness, suggesting these two miRNAs acted as tumor-suppressors in BrCa cells. Notably, involvement of passenger strands of miRNAs is a new concept of cancer research. Further analyses showed that seven genes (TRIP13, CCNB1, RAD51, PSPH, CENPN, KPNA2, and MXRA5) were putative targets of miR-30c-1-3p and miR-30c-2-3p in BrCa cells. Expression of seven genes were upregulated in BrCa tissues and predicted a worse prognosis of the patients. Among these genes, we focused on TRIP13 and investigated the functional significance of this gene in BrCa cells. Luciferase reporter assays showed that TRIP13 was directly regulated by these two miRNAs. TRIP13 knockdown using siRNA attenuated BrCa cell aggressiveness. Inactivation of TRIP13 using a specific inhibitor prevented the malignant transformation of BrCa cells. Exploring the molecular networks controlled by miRNAs, including passenger strands, will facilitate the identification of diagnostic markers and therapeutic target molecules in BrCa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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16 pages, 3225 KiB  
Article
SaBrcada: Survival Intervals Prediction for Breast Cancer Patients by Dimension Raising and Age Stratification
by Shih-Huan Lin, Ching-Hsuan Chien, Kai-Po Chang, Min-Fang Lu, Yu-Ting Chen and Yen-Wei Chu
Cancers 2023, 15(14), 3690; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15143690 - 20 Jul 2023
Viewed by 994
Abstract
(1) Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. The accurate prediction of survival intervals will help physicians make informed decisions about treatment strategies or the use of palliative care. (2) Methods: Gene expression is predictive and correlates [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. The accurate prediction of survival intervals will help physicians make informed decisions about treatment strategies or the use of palliative care. (2) Methods: Gene expression is predictive and correlates to patient prognosis. To establish a reliable prediction tool, we collected a total of 1187 RNA-seq data points from breast cancer patients (median age 58 years) in Fragments Per Kilobase Million (FPKM) format from the TCGA database. Among them, we selected 144 patients with date of death information to establish the SaBrcada-AD dataset. We first normalized the SaBrcada-AD dataset to TPM to build the survival prediction model SaBrcada. After normalization and dimension raising, we used the differential gene expression data to test eight different deep learning architectures. Considering the effect of age on prognosis, we also performed a stratified random sampling test on all ages between the lower and upper quartiles of patient age, 48 and 69 years; (3) Results: Stratifying by age 61, the performance of SaBrcada built by GoogLeNet was improved to a highest accuracy of 0.798. We also built a free website tool to provide five predicted survival periods: within six months, six months to one year, one to three years, three to five years, or over five years, for clinician reference. (4) Conclusions: We built the prediction model, SaBrcada, and the website tool of the same name for breast cancer survival analysis. Through these models and tools, clinicians will be provided with survival interval information as a basis for formulating precision medicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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19 pages, 2778 KiB  
Article
Cytoplasmic Localization of Thyroid Hormone Receptor (TR) Alpha and Nuclear Expression of Its Isoform TRα2 Determine Survival in Breast Cancer in Opposite Ways
by Mariella Schneider, Melitta B. Köpke, Alaleh Zati zehni, Theresa Vilsmaier, Mirjana Kessler, Magdalena Kailuweit, Aurelia Vattai, Helene Hildegard Heidegger, Vincent Cavaillès, Udo Jeschke and Nina Ditsch
Cancers 2023, 15(14), 3610; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15143610 - 13 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1144
Abstract
The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the respective prognostic values of cytoplasmic and nuclear TRα, TRα1, and TRα2 expression in breast cancer (BC) tissue samples and correlate the results with clinico-pathological parameters. In 249 BC patients, the expression patterns of [...] Read more.
The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the respective prognostic values of cytoplasmic and nuclear TRα, TRα1, and TRα2 expression in breast cancer (BC) tissue samples and correlate the results with clinico-pathological parameters. In 249 BC patients, the expression patterns of general TRα and the α1 and α2 isoforms were evaluated via immuno-histochemistry. Prognosis-determining aspects were calculated via univariate, as well as multivariate, analysis. Univariate Cox-regression analysis revealed no association between nuclear TRα expression and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.126), whereas cytoplasmic TRα expression was significantly correlated with a poor outcome for both OS (p = 0.034) and ten-year survival (p = 0.009). Strengthening these results, cytoplasmic TRα was found to be an independent marker of OS (p = 0.010) when adjusted to fit clinico-pathological parameters. Analyses of the TRα-subgroups revealed that TRα1 had no prognostic relevance, whereas nuclear TRα2 expression was positively associated with OS (p = 0.014), ten-year survival (p = 0.029), and DFS (p = 0.043). Additionally, nuclear TRα2 expression was found to be an independent positive prognosticator (p = 0.030) when adjusted to fit clinico-pathological parameters. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that subcellular localization of TRα and its isoforms plays an important role in the carcinogenesis and prognosis of breast cancer. Cytoplasmic TRα expression correlates with more aggressive disease progression, whereas nuclear TRα2 expression appears to be a protective factor. These data may help us to prioritize high-risk BC subgroups for possible targeted tumor therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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19 pages, 3747 KiB  
Article
Pre- and Post-Neoadjuvant Clinicopathological Parameters Can Help in the Prognosis and the Prediction of Response in HER2+ and Triple Negative Breast Cancer
by Laura Pons, Laura Hernández, Aintzane Urbizu, Paula Osorio, Paula Rodríguez-Martínez, Eva Castella, Ana Muñoz, Carolina Sanz, Laura Arnaldo, Eudald Felip, Vanesa Quiroga, Gustavo Tapia, Mireia Margelí and Pedro Luis Fernandez
Cancers 2023, 15(12), 3068; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15123068 - 06 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1128
Abstract
Neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) is one of the most widely used options for HER2+ and triple negative (TN) early breast cancer (BC). Since around half of the patients treated with NAT do not achieve a pathologically complete response (pCR), biomarkers to predict resistance are [...] Read more.
Neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) is one of the most widely used options for HER2+ and triple negative (TN) early breast cancer (BC). Since around half of the patients treated with NAT do not achieve a pathologically complete response (pCR), biomarkers to predict resistance are urgently needed. The correlation of clinicopathological factors with pCR was studied in 150 patients (HER2 = 81; TN = 69) and pre- and post-NAT differences in tumour biomarkers were compared. Low estrogen receptor (ER) expression, high tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and low cT-stage were associated with pCR in HER2+ tumours (p = 0.022; p = 0.032 and p = 0.005, respectively). Furthermore, ER expression was also associated with residual cancer burden (RCB; p = 0.046) in the HER2+ subtype. Similarly, pre-NAT, low progesterone receptor expression (PR; 1–10%) was associated with higher RCB (p < 0.001) in TN tumours. Only clinical and pathological T-stage (cpT-stage) had prognostic capacity in HER2+ tumours, whereas pre-NAT cpT-stage and post-NAT TILs had this capacity for the prognosis of TN tumours. We conclude that ER and PR expression may help predict response to NAT in HER2 and TN BC and should be taken into account in residual tumours. Also, changes observed in the phenotype after NAT suggest the need to reevaluate biomarkers in surviving residual tumour cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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18 pages, 10178 KiB  
Article
Metabolomic Signatures of Scarff–Bloom–Richardson (SBR) Grade in Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer
by Caroline Bailleux, David Chardin, Jocelyn Gal, Jean-Marie Guigonis, Sabine Lindenthal, Fanny Graslin, Laurent Arnould, Alexandre Cagnard, Jean-Marc Ferrero, Olivier Humbert and Thierry Pourcher
Cancers 2023, 15(7), 1941; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15071941 - 23 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1466
Abstract
Purpose: Identification of metabolomic biomarkers of high SBR grade in non-metastatic breast cancer. Methods: This retrospective bicentric metabolomic analysis included a training set (n = 51) and a validation set (n = 49) of breast cancer tumors, all classified as high-grade [...] Read more.
Purpose: Identification of metabolomic biomarkers of high SBR grade in non-metastatic breast cancer. Methods: This retrospective bicentric metabolomic analysis included a training set (n = 51) and a validation set (n = 49) of breast cancer tumors, all classified as high-grade (grade III) or low-grade (grade I–II). Metabolomes of tissue samples were studied by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Results: A molecular signature of the top 12 metabolites was identified from a database of 602 frequently predicted metabolites. Partial least squares discriminant analyses showed that accuracies were 0.81 and 0.82, the R2 scores were 0.57 and 0.55, and the Q2 scores were 0.44431 and 0.40147 for the training set and validation set, respectively; areas under the curve for the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve were 0.882 and 0.886. The most relevant metabolite was diacetylspermine. Metabolite set enrichment analyses and metabolic pathway analyses highlighted the tryptophan metabolism pathway, but the concentration of individual metabolites varied between tumor samples. Conclusions: This study indicates that high-grade invasive tumors are related to diacetylspermine and tryptophan metabolism, both involved in the inhibition of the immune response. Targeting these pathways could restore anti-tumor immunity and have a synergistic effect with immunotherapy. Recent studies could not demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy, but the use of theragnostic metabolomic signatures should allow better selection of patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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19 pages, 4390 KiB  
Article
DNA Methylation and Prospects for Predicting the Therapeutic Effect of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Triple-Negative and Luminal B Breast Cancer
by Vladimir O. Sigin, Alexey I. Kalinkin, Alexandra F. Nikolaeva, Ekaterina O. Ignatova, Ekaterina B. Kuznetsova, Galina G. Chesnokova, Nikolai V. Litviakov, Matvey M. Tsyganov, Marina K. Ibragimova, Ilya I. Vinogradov, Maxim I. Vinogradov, Igor Y. Vinogradov, Dmitry V. Zaletaev, Marina V. Nemtsova, Sergey I. Kutsev, Alexander S. Tanas and Vladimir V. Strelnikov
Cancers 2023, 15(5), 1630; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15051630 - 06 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2224
Abstract
Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer (BC), the main cause of deaths is resistance to existing therapies. An approach to improve the effectiveness of therapy in patients with aggressive BC subtypes is neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Yet, the response to [...] Read more.
Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer (BC), the main cause of deaths is resistance to existing therapies. An approach to improve the effectiveness of therapy in patients with aggressive BC subtypes is neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Yet, the response to NACT for aggressive subtypes is less than 65% according to large clinical trials. An obvious fact is the lack of biomarkers predicting the therapeutic effect of NACT. In a search for epigenetic markers, we performed genome-wide differential methylation screening by XmaI-RRBS in cohorts of NACT responders and nonresponders, for triple-negative (TN) and luminal B tumors. The predictive potential of the most discriminative loci was further assessed in independent cohorts by methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme quantitative PCR (MSRE-qPCR), a promising method for the implementation of DNA methylation markers in diagnostic laboratories. The selected most informative individual markers were combined into panels demonstrating cvAUC = 0.83 (TMEM132D and MYO15B markers panel) for TN tumors and cvAUC = 0.76 (TTC34, LTBR and CLEC14A) for luminal B tumors. The combination of methylation markers with clinical features that correlate with NACT effect (clinical stage for TN and lymph node status for luminal B tumors) produces better classifiers, with cvAUC = 0.87 for TN tumors and cvAUC = 0.83 for luminal B tumors. Thus, clinical characteristics predictive of NACT response are independently additive to the epigenetic classifier and in combination improve prediction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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13 pages, 291 KiB  
Article
HER2 and BARD1 Polymorphisms in Early HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Patients: Relationship with Response to Neoadjuvant Anti-HER2 Treatment
by Apolonia Novillo, María Gaibar, Alicia Romero-Lorca, Diego Malón, Beatriz Antón, Amalia Moreno and Ana Fernández-Santander
Cancers 2023, 15(3), 763; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15030763 - 26 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1835
Abstract
The addition to chemotherapy of anti-HER2 drugs such as trastuzumab or pertuzumab has improved outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. However, resistance to these drugs in some patients remains a major concern. This study examines the possible association between the response to neoadjuvant [...] Read more.
The addition to chemotherapy of anti-HER2 drugs such as trastuzumab or pertuzumab has improved outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer patients. However, resistance to these drugs in some patients remains a major concern. This study examines the possible association between the response to neoadjuvant anti-HER2 treatment in breast cancer patients and the presence of 28 SNPs in 17 genes involved in different cell processes (PON1, CAT, GSTP1, FCGR3, ATM, PIK3CA, HER3, BARD1, LDB2, BRINP1, chr6 intergenic region, RAB22A, TRPC6, LINC01060, EGFR, ABCB1, and HER2). Tumor samples from 50 women with early breast cancer were genotyped using the iPlex®Gold chemistry and MassARRAY platform, and patients were classified as good responders (Miller–Payne tumor grades 4–5) and poor responders (Miller–Payne tumor grades 1–3), as assessed upon surgery after 6 months of treatment. Proportions of patients with the HER2Ala1170Pro (rs1058808) SNP double mutation were higher in good (58.62%) than poor (20%) responders (p = 0.025). Similarly, proportions of patients carrying the synonymous SNP rs2070096 (BARD1Thr351=) (wv + vv) were higher in patients showing a pathological complete response (46.67%) than in those not showing this response (15.15%) (p = 0.031). The SNPs rs1058808 (HER2Ala1170Pro) and rs2070096 (BARD1Thr351=) were identified here as potential biomarkers of a good response to anti-HER2 treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
14 pages, 1584 KiB  
Article
Correlation of Yes-Associated Protein 1 with Stroma Type and Tumor Stiffness in Hormone-Receptor Positive Breast Cancer
by Yangkyu Lee, Soong June Bae, Na Lae Eun, Sung Gwe Ahn, Joon Jeong and Yoon Jin Cha
Cancers 2022, 14(20), 4971; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers14204971 - 11 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1296
Abstract
(1) Background: Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) is an oncogene activated under the dysregulated Hippo pathway. YAP1 is also a mechanotransducer that is activated by matrix stiffness. So far, there are no in vivo studies on YAP1 expression related to stiffness. We aimed to [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) is an oncogene activated under the dysregulated Hippo pathway. YAP1 is also a mechanotransducer that is activated by matrix stiffness. So far, there are no in vivo studies on YAP1 expression related to stiffness. We aimed to investigate the association between YAP1 activation and tumor stiffness in human breast cancer samples, using immunohistochemistry and shear-wave elastography (SWE). (2) Methods: We included 488 patients with treatment-naïve breast cancer. Tumor stiffness was measured and the mean, maximal, and minimal elasticity values and elasticity ratios were recorded. Nuclear YAP1 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs); tumor-stroma ratio (TSR) and stroma type of tumors were also evaluated. (3) Results: Tumor stiffness was higher in tumors with YAP1 positivity, low TILs, and high TSR and was correlated with nuclear YAP1 expression; this correlation was observed in hormone receptor positive (HR+) tumors, as well as in tumors with non-collagen-type stroma. (4) Conclusions: We confirmed the correlation between nuclear YAP1 expression and tumor stiffness, and nuclear YAP1 expression was deemed a prognostic candidate in HR+ tumors combined with SWE-measured tumor stiffness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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18 pages, 1149 KiB  
Article
Association of CD206 Protein Expression with Immune Infiltration and Prognosis in Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
by Angélique Bobrie, Océane Massol, Jeanne Ramos, Caroline Mollevi, Evelyne Lopez-Crapez, Nathalie Bonnefoy, Florence Boissière-Michot and William Jacot
Cancers 2022, 14(19), 4829; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers14194829 - 03 Oct 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2089
Abstract
Background: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) have a worse prognosis, but might respond to immunotherapies. Macrophages are plastic cells that can adopt various phenotypes and functions. Although they are a major immune population in TNBCs, the relationship between tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and TNBC progression [...] Read more.
Background: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) have a worse prognosis, but might respond to immunotherapies. Macrophages are plastic cells that can adopt various phenotypes and functions. Although they are a major immune population in TNBCs, the relationship between tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and TNBC progression has been rarely explored, with controversial results. Methods: We evaluated the prognostic impact of TAMs, quantified by immunohistochemistry with anti-CD68, -IRF8, -CD163, and -CD206 antibodies, in a well-described cohort of 285 patients with non-metastatic TNBC. Results: CD68 (p = 0.008), IRF8 (p = 0.001), and CD163 (p < 0.001) expression positively correlated with higher tumor grade, while CD206 was associated with smaller tumor size (p < 0.001). All macrophage markers were associated with higher tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte numbers and PD-L1 expression. Univariate survival analyses reported a significant positive correlation between CD163+ or CD206+ TAMs and relapse-free survival (respectively: HR = 0.52 [0.28–0.97], p = 0.027, and HR = 0.51 [0.31–0.82], p = 0.005), and between CD206+ TAMs and overall survival (HR = 0.54 [0.35–0.83], p = 0.005). In multivariate analysis, there was a trend for an association between CD206+ TAMs and relapse-free survival (HR = 0.63 [0.33–1.04], p = 0.073). Conclusions: These data suggest that CD206 expression defines a TAM subpopulation potentially associated with favorable outcomes in patients with TNBC. CD206 expression might identify an immune TNBC subgroup with specific therapeutic options. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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13 pages, 19447 KiB  
Article
Prognostic Value of Copy Number Alteration Burden in Early-Stage Breast Cancer and the Construction of an 11-Gene Copy Number Alteration Model
by Dingyuan Wang, Songlin Gao, Haili Qian, Peng Yuan and Bailin Zhang
Cancers 2022, 14(17), 4145; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers14174145 - 27 Aug 2022
Viewed by 1521
Abstract
The increasing burden of breast cancer has prompted a wide range of researchers to search for new prognostic markers. Considering that tumor mutation burden (TMB) is low and copy number alteration burden (CNAB) is high in breast cancer, we built a CNAB-based model [...] Read more.
The increasing burden of breast cancer has prompted a wide range of researchers to search for new prognostic markers. Considering that tumor mutation burden (TMB) is low and copy number alteration burden (CNAB) is high in breast cancer, we built a CNAB-based model using a public database and validated it with a Chinese population. We collected formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples from 31 breast cancer patients who were treated between 2010 and 2014 at the National Cancer Center (CICAMS). METABRIC and TCGA data were downloaded via cBioPortal. In total, 2295 patients with early-stage breast cancer were enrolled in the study, including 1427 in the METABRIC cohort, 837 in the TCGA cohort, and 31 in the CICAMS cohort. Based on the ROC curve, we consider 2.2 CNA/MBp as the threshold for the CNAB-high and CNAB-low groupings. In both the TCGA cohort and the CICAMS cohort, CNAB-high had a worse prognosis than CNAB-low. We further simplified this model by establishing a prognostic nomogram for early breast cancer patients by 11 core genes, and this nomogram was highly effective in both the TCGA cohort and the CICAMS cohort. We hope that this model will subsequently help clinicians with prognostic assessments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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14 pages, 3568 KiB  
Article
Aptamer Targets Triple-Negative Breast Cancer through Specific Binding to Surface CD49c
by Quanyuan Wan, Zihua Zeng, Jianjun Qi, Yingxin Zhao, Xiaohui Liu, Zhenghu Chen, Haijun Zhou and Youli Zu
Cancers 2022, 14(6), 1570; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers14061570 - 18 Mar 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2919
Abstract
Although targeted cancer therapy can induce higher therapeutic efficacy and cause fewer side effects in patients, the lack of targetable biomarkers on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells limits the development of targeted therapies by antibody technology. Therefore, we investigated an alternative approach to [...] Read more.
Although targeted cancer therapy can induce higher therapeutic efficacy and cause fewer side effects in patients, the lack of targetable biomarkers on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells limits the development of targeted therapies by antibody technology. Therefore, we investigated an alternative approach to target TNBC by using the PDGC21T aptamer, which selectively binds to poorly differentiated carcinoma cells and tumor tissues, although the cellular target is still unknown. We found that synthetic aptamer probes specifically bound cultured TNBC cells in vitro and selectively targeted TNBC xenografts in vivo. Subsequently, to identify the target molecule on TNBC cells, we performed aptamer-mediated immunoprecipitation in lysed cell membranes followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Sequencing analysis revealed a highly conserved peptide sequence consistent with the cell surface protein CD49c (integrin α3). For target validation, we stained cultured TNBC and non-TNBC cells with an aptamer probe or a CD49c antibody and found similar cell staining patterns. Finally, competition cell-binding assays using both aptamer and anti-CD49c antibody revealed that CD49c is the biomarker targeted by the PDGC21T aptamer on TNBC cells. Our findings provide a molecular foundation for the development of targeted TNBC therapy using the PDGC21T aptamer as a targeting ligand. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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19 pages, 2855 KiB  
Article
Plasma Proteome Signature to Predict the Outcome of Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy
by Sungchan Gwark, Hee-Sung Ahn, Jeonghun Yeom, Jiyoung Yu, Yumi Oh, Jae Ho Jeong, Jin-Hee Ahn, Kyung Hae Jung, Sung-Bae Kim, Hee Jin Lee, Gyungyub Gong, Sae Byul Lee, Il Yong Chung, Hee Jeong Kim, Beom Seok Ko, Jong Won Lee, Byung Ho Son, Sei Hyun Ahn, Kyunggon Kim and Jisun Kim
Cancers 2021, 13(24), 6267; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13246267 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3751
Abstract
The plasma proteome of 51 non-metastatic breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) was prospectively analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled with nano-flow liquid chromatography using blood drawn at the time of diagnosis. Plasma proteins were identified as potential biomarkers, and their correlation [...] Read more.
The plasma proteome of 51 non-metastatic breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) was prospectively analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled with nano-flow liquid chromatography using blood drawn at the time of diagnosis. Plasma proteins were identified as potential biomarkers, and their correlation with clinicopathological variables and survival outcomes was analyzed. Of 51 patients, 20 (39.2%) were HR+/HER2-, five (9.8%) were HR+/HER2+, five (9.8%) were HER2+, and 21 (41.2%) were triple-negative subtype. During a median follow-up of 52.0 months, there were 15 relapses (29.4%) and eight deaths (15.7%). Four potential biomarkers were identified among differentially expressed proteins: APOC3 had higher plasma concentrations in the pathological complete response (pCR) group, whereas MBL2, ENG, and P4HB were higher in the non-pCR group. Proteins statistically significantly associated with survival and capable of differentiating low- and high-risk groups were MBL2 and P4HB for disease-free survival, P4HB for overall survival, and MBL2 for distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). In the multivariate analysis, only MBL2 was a consistent risk factor for DMFS (HR: 9.65, 95% CI 2.10–44.31). The results demonstrate that the proteomes from non-invasive sampling correlate with pCR and survival in breast cancer patients receiving NCT. Further investigation may clarify the role of these proteins in predicting prognosis and thus their therapeutic potential for the prevention of recurrence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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10 pages, 409 KiB  
Article
Prognostic Risk Assessment and Prediction of Radiotherapy Benefit for Women with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) of the Breast, in a Randomized Clinical Trial (SweDCIS)
by Fredrik Wärnberg, Per Karlsson, Erik Holmberg, Kerstin Sandelin, Pat W. Whitworth, Jess Savala, Todd Barry, Glen Leesman, Steven P. Linke, Steven C. Shivers, Frank Vicini, Chirag Shah, Sheila Weinmann, Gregory Bruce Mann and Troy Bremer
Cancers 2021, 13(23), 6103; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13236103 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 9181
Abstract
Prediction of radiotherapy (RT) benefit after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for DCIS is crucial. The aim was to validate a biosignature, DCISionRT®, in the SweDCIS randomized trial. Women were randomly assigned to RT or not after BCS, between 1987 and 2000. Tumor [...] Read more.
Prediction of radiotherapy (RT) benefit after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for DCIS is crucial. The aim was to validate a biosignature, DCISionRT®, in the SweDCIS randomized trial. Women were randomly assigned to RT or not after BCS, between 1987 and 2000. Tumor blocks were collected, and slides were sent to PreludeDxTM for testing. In 504 women with complete data and negative margins, DCISionRT divided 52% women into Elevated (DS > 3) and 48% in Low (DS ≤ 3) Risk groups. In the Elevated Risk group, RT significantly decreased relative 10-year ipsilateral total recurrence (TotBE) and 10-year ipsilateral invasive recurrence (InvBE) rates, HR 0.32 and HR 0.24, with absolute decreases of 15.5% and 9.3%. In the Low Risk group, there were no significant risk differences observed with radiotherapy. Using a cutoff of DS > 3.0, the test was not predictive for RT benefit (p = 0.093); however, above DS > 2.8 RT benefit was greater for InvBE (interaction p = 0.038). Recurrences at 10 years without radiotherapy increased significantly per 5 DS units (TotBE HR:1.5 and InvBE HR:1.5). Continuous DS was prognostic for TotBE risk although categorical DS did not reach significance. Absolute 10-year TotBE and InvBE risks appear sufficiently different to indicate that DCISionRT can aid physicians in selecting individualized adjuvant DCIS treatment strategies. Further analyses are planned in combined cohorts to increase statistical power. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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16 pages, 1296 KiB  
Article
MiR-195 and Its Target SEMA6D Regulate Chemoresponse in Breast Cancer
by Diana E. Baxter, Lisa M. Allinson, Waleed S. Al Amri, James A. Poulter, Arindam Pramanik, James L. Thorne, Eldo T. Verghese and Thomas A. Hughes
Cancers 2021, 13(23), 5979; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13235979 - 28 Nov 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2987
Abstract
Background: poor prognosis primary breast cancers are typically treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, recurrences remain relatively common even after this aggressive therapy. Comparison of matched tumours pre- and post-chemotherapy can allow identification of molecular characteristics of therapy resistance and thereby potentially aid discovery [...] Read more.
Background: poor prognosis primary breast cancers are typically treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, recurrences remain relatively common even after this aggressive therapy. Comparison of matched tumours pre- and post-chemotherapy can allow identification of molecular characteristics of therapy resistance and thereby potentially aid discovery of novel predictive markers or targets for chemosensitisation. Through this comparison, we aimed to identify microRNAs associated with chemoresistance, define microRNA target genes, and assess targets as predictors of chemotherapy response. Methods: cancer cells were laser microdissected from matched breast cancer tissues pre- and post-chemotherapy from estrogen receptor positive/HER2 negative breast cancers showing partial responses to epirubicin/cyclophosphamide chemotherapy (n = 5). MicroRNA expression was profiled using qPCR arrays. MicroRNA/mRNA expression was manipulated in estrogen receptor positive/HER2 negative breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and MDA-MB-175 cells) with mimics, inhibitors or siRNAs, and chemoresponse was assessed using MTT and colony forming survival assays. MicroRNA targets were identified by RNA-sequencing of microRNA mimic pull-downs, and comparison of these with mRNAs containing predicted microRNA binding sites. Survival correlations were tested using the METABRIC expression dataset (n = 1979). Results: miR-195 and miR-26b were consistently up-regulated after therapy, and changes in their expression in cell lines caused significant differences in chemotherapy sensitivity, in accordance with up-regulation driving resistance. SEMA6D was defined and confirmed as a target of the microRNAs. Reduced SEMA6D expression was significantly associated with chemoresistance, in accordance with SEMA6D being a down-stream effector of the microRNAs. Finally, low SEMA6D expression in breast cancers was significantly associated with poor survival after chemotherapy, but not after other therapies. Conclusions: microRNAs and their targets influence chemoresponse, allowing the identification of SEMA6D as a predictive marker for chemotherapy response that could be used to direct therapy or as a target in chemosensitisation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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16 pages, 1988 KiB  
Article
Variable Expression of the Disialoganglioside GD2 in Breast Cancer Molecular Subtypes
by Ramona Erber, Sareetha Kailayangiri, Hanna Huebner, Matthias Ruebner, Arndt Hartmann, Lothar Häberle, Julia Meyer, Simon Völkl, Andreas Mackensen, Laura Landgraf, Carol I. Geppert, Rüdiger Schulz-Wendtland, Matthias W. Beckmann, Peter A. Fasching, Nicole Farwick, Claudia Rossig and Paul Gass
Cancers 2021, 13(21), 5577; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13215577 - 08 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2663
Abstract
The disialoganglioside GD2 is a tumor-associated antigen that may allow for the application of targeted immunotherapies (anti-GD2 antibodies, GD2 CAR T cells) in patients with neuroblastoma and other solid tumors. We retrospectively investigated GD2 expression in a breast cancer cohort, using immunohistochemistry (IHC) [...] Read more.
The disialoganglioside GD2 is a tumor-associated antigen that may allow for the application of targeted immunotherapies (anti-GD2 antibodies, GD2 CAR T cells) in patients with neuroblastoma and other solid tumors. We retrospectively investigated GD2 expression in a breast cancer cohort, using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) on tissue microarrays (TMAs), and its impact on survival. GD2 expression on IHC (n = 568) and IF (n = 503) was investigated in relation to subtypes and patient outcome. Overall, 50.2% of the 568 IHC-assessed samples and 69.8% of the 503 IF-assessed samples were GD2-positive. The highest proportion of GD2-positive tumors was observed in luminal tumors. Significantly fewer GD2-positive cases were detected in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) compared with other subtypes. The proportion of GD2-expressing tumors were significantly lower in HER2-positive breast cancer in comparison with luminal tumors on IF staining (but not IHC). GD2 expression of IHC or IF was not significantly associated with disease-free or overall survival, in either the overall cohort or in individual subtypes. However, GD2 expression can be seen in more than 50% of breast cancer cases, with the highest frequency in hormone receptor-positive tumors. With this high expression frequency, patients with GD2-positive advanced breast cancer of all subtypes may benefit from GD2-targeting immunotherapies, which are currently subject to clinical testing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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19 pages, 52747 KiB  
Article
An Immune-Related Gene Prognostic Index for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Integrates Multiple Aspects of Tumor-Immune Microenvironment
by Xiaowei Wang, Wenjia Su, Dabei Tang, Jing Jing, Jing Xiong, Yuwei Deng, Huili Liu, Wenjie Ma, Zhaoliang Liu and Qingyuan Zhang
Cancers 2021, 13(21), 5342; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13215342 - 25 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2611
Abstract
Tumor-immune cell compositions and immune checkpoints comprehensively affect TNBC outcomes. With the significantly improved survival rate of TNBC patients treated with ICI therapies, a biomarker integrating multiple aspects of TIME may have prognostic value for improving the efficacy of ICI therapy. Immune-related hub [...] Read more.
Tumor-immune cell compositions and immune checkpoints comprehensively affect TNBC outcomes. With the significantly improved survival rate of TNBC patients treated with ICI therapies, a biomarker integrating multiple aspects of TIME may have prognostic value for improving the efficacy of ICI therapy. Immune-related hub genes were identified with weighted gene co-expression network analysis and differential gene expression assay using The Cancer Genome Atlas TNBC data set (n = 115). IRGPI was constructed with Cox regression analysis. Immune cell compositions and TIL status were analyzed with CIBERSORT and TIDE. The discovery was validated with the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium data set (n = 196) and a patient cohort from our hospital. Tumor expression or serum concentrations of CCL5, CCL25, or PD-L1 were determined with immunohistochemistry or ELISA. The constructed IRGPI was composed of CCL5 and CCL25 genes and was negatively associated with the patient’s survival. IRGPI also predicts the compositions of M0 and M2 macrophages, memory B cells, CD8+ T cells, activated memory CD4 T cells, and the exclusion and dysfunction of TILs, as well as PD-1 and PD-L1 expression of TNBC. IRGPI is a promising biomarker for predicting the prognosis and multiple immune characteristics of TNBC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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17 pages, 5789 KiB  
Article
HMGA2 Supports Cancer Hallmarks in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
by Behzad Mansoori, Mikkel Green Terp, Ali Mohammadi, Christina Bøg Pedersen, Henrik Jørn Ditzel, Behzad Baradaran and Morten Frier Gjerstorff
Cancers 2021, 13(20), 5197; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13205197 - 16 Oct 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2486
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that exhibits a high proliferation rate and early metastasis leading to a poor prognosis. HMGA2 is a DNA binding transcriptional regulator implicated in tumorigenesis. Here, we demonstrate that the HMGA2 promoter is [...] Read more.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that exhibits a high proliferation rate and early metastasis leading to a poor prognosis. HMGA2 is a DNA binding transcriptional regulator implicated in tumorigenesis. Here, we demonstrate that the HMGA2 promoter is demethylated in TNBC tumors, leading to increased expression of HMGA2 at both mRNA and protein levels. Importantly, high HMGA2 levels in TNBC tumors are correlated with poor prognosis. To detail the role of HMGA2 in TNBC development and progression, we studied its effect on core cancer phenotypes. Stable knockdown of HMGA2 in TNBC cells revealed that HMGA2 may support cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion. In addition, HMGA2 knockdown decreased cancer stem cell (CSC) features. Importantly, we found that silencing HMGA2 inhibited NF-kB signaling and lead to decreased expression of the downstream molecules IL-6 and IL-8 and reduced STAT3 pathway activation. Our results demonstrate that HMGA2 supports cancer hallmarks in TNBC and may represent a promising target for TNBC treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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23 pages, 35056 KiB  
Article
Impact of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition on the Immune Landscape in Breast Cancer
by Fatima-Zohra Khadri, Marianne Samir Makboul Issac and Louis Arthur Gaboury
Cancers 2021, 13(20), 5099; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13205099 - 12 Oct 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2126
Abstract
The impact of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) signature on the immune infiltrate present in the breast cancer tumor microenvironment (TME) is still poorly understood. Since there is mounting interest in the use of immunotherapy for the treatment of subsets of breast cancer patients, it [...] Read more.
The impact of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) signature on the immune infiltrate present in the breast cancer tumor microenvironment (TME) is still poorly understood. Since there is mounting interest in the use of immunotherapy for the treatment of subsets of breast cancer patients, it is of major importance to understand the fundamental tumor characteristics which dictate the inter-tumor heterogeneity in immune landscapes. We aimed to assess the impact of EMT-related markers on the nature and magnitude of the inflammatory infiltrate present in breast cancer TME and their association with the clinicopathological parameters. Tissue microarrays were constructed from 144 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded invasive breast cancer tumor samples. The protein expression patterns of Snail, Twist, ZEB1, N-cadherin, Vimentin, GRHL2, E-cadherin, and EpCAM were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The inflammatory infiltrate in the TME was assessed semi-quantitatively on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained whole sections and was characterized using IHC. The inflammatory infiltrate was more intense in poorly differentiated carcinomas and triple-negative carcinomas in which the expression of E-cadherin and GRHL2 was reduced, while EpCAM was overexpressed. Most EMT-related markers correlated with plasma cell infiltration of the TME. Taken together, our findings reveal that the EMT signature might impact the immune response in the TME. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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13 pages, 1970 KiB  
Article
Metastasis Risk Assessment Using BAG2 Expression by Cancer-Associated Fibroblast and Tumor Cells in Patients with Breast Cancer
by Chang-Ik Yoon, Sung-Gwe Ahn, Yoon-Jin Cha, Dooreh Kim, Soong-June Bae, Ji-Hyung Lee, Akira Ooshima, Kyung-Min Yang, Seok-Hee Park, Seong-Jin Kim and Joon Jeong
Cancers 2021, 13(18), 4654; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13184654 - 16 Sep 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1827
Abstract
Few studies have examined the role of BAG2 in malignancies. We investigated the prognostic value of BAG2-expression in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor cells in predicting metastasis-free survival in patients with breast cancer. Tissue-microarray was constructed using human breast cancer tissues obtained by [...] Read more.
Few studies have examined the role of BAG2 in malignancies. We investigated the prognostic value of BAG2-expression in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor cells in predicting metastasis-free survival in patients with breast cancer. Tissue-microarray was constructed using human breast cancer tissues obtained by surgical resection between 1992 and 2015. BAG2 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in CAFs or the tumor cells. BAG2 expression in the CAFs and cytoplasm of tumor cells was classified as positive and negative, and low and high, respectively. BAG2-CAF was evaluated in 310 patients and was positive in 67 (21.6%) patients. Kaplan–Meier plots showed that distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) was lesser in patients with BAG2(+) CAF than in patients with BAG2(−) CAF (p = 0.039). Additionally, we classified the 310 patients into two groups: 109 in either BAG2-high or BAG2(+) CAF and 201 in BAG2-low and BAG2(−) CAF. DMFS was significantly reduced in patients with either BAG2-high or BAG2(+) CAF than in the patients of the other group (p = 0.005). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that DMFS was prolonged in patients with BAG2(−) CAF or BAG2-low. Evaluation of BAG2 expression on both CAFs and tumor cells could help in determining the risk of metastasis in breast cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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14 pages, 1073 KiB  
Article
Transcriptome of Male Breast Cancer Matched with Germline Profiling Reveals Novel Molecular Subtypes with Possible Clinical Relevance
by Veronica Zelli, Valentina Silvestri, Virginia Valentini, Agostino Bucalo, Piera Rizzolo, Ines Zanna, Simonetta Bianchi, Anna Coppa, Giuseppe Giannini, Laura Cortesi, Daniele Calistri, Maria Grazia Tibiletti, Stephen B. Fox, kCon Fab, Domenico Palli and Laura Ottini
Cancers 2021, 13(18), 4515; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13184515 - 08 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2083
Abstract
Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare and understudied disease compared with female BC. About 15% of MBCs are associated with germline mutation in BC susceptibility genes, mainly BRCA1/2 and PALB2. Hereditary MBCs are likely to represent a subgroup of tumors with [...] Read more.
Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare and understudied disease compared with female BC. About 15% of MBCs are associated with germline mutation in BC susceptibility genes, mainly BRCA1/2 and PALB2. Hereditary MBCs are likely to represent a subgroup of tumors with a peculiar phenotype. Here, we performed a whole transcriptome analysis of MBCs characterized for germline mutations in the most relevant BC susceptibility genes in order to identify molecular subtypes with clinical relevance. A series of 63 MBCs, including 16 BRCA2, 6 BRCA1, 2 PALB2, 1 RAD50, and 1 RAD51D germline-mutated cases, was analyzed by RNA-sequencing. Differential expression and hierarchical clustering analyses were performed. Module signatures associated with central biological processes involved in breast cancer pathogenesis were also examined. Different transcriptome profiles for genes mainly involved in the cell cycle, DNA damage, and DNA repair pathways emerged between MBCs with and without germline mutations. Unsupervised clustering analysis revealed two distinct subgroups, one of which was characterized by a higher expression of immune response genes, high scores of gene-expression signatures suggestive of aggressive behavior, and worse overall survival. Our results suggest that transcriptome matched with germline profiling may be a valuable approach for the identification and characterization of MBC subtypes with possible relevance in the clinical setting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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18 pages, 2793 KiB  
Article
Altona Prognostic Index: A New Prognostic Index for ER-Positive and Her2-Negative Breast Cancer of No Special Type
by Anne-Sophie Wegscheider, Bernhard Ulm, Kay Friedrichs, Christoph Lindner and Axel Niendorf
Cancers 2021, 13(15), 3799; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13153799 - 28 Jul 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2331
Abstract
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease representing a number of different histopathologic and molecular types which should be taken into consideration if prognostic or predictive models are to be developed. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the validity of the [...] Read more.
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease representing a number of different histopathologic and molecular types which should be taken into consideration if prognostic or predictive models are to be developed. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the validity of the long-known Nottingham prognostic index (NPI) in a large retrospective study (n = 6654 women with a first primary unilateral and unifocal invasive breast cancer diagnosed and treated between April 1996 and October 2018; median follow-up time of breast cancer cases was 15.5 years [14.9–16.8]) from a single pathological institution. Furthermore, it was intended to develop an even superior risk stratification model considering an additional variable, namely the patient’s age at the time of diagnosis. Heterogeneity of these cases was addressed by focusing on estrogen receptor-positive as well as Her2-negative cases and taking the WHO-defined different tumor types into account. Calculating progression free survival Cox-regression and CART-analysis revealed significantly superior iAUC as well as concordance values in comparison to the NPI based stratification, leading to an alternative, namely the Altona prognostic index (API). The importance of the histopathological tumor type was corroborated by the fact that when calculated separately and in contrast to the most frequent so-called “No Special Type” (NST) carcinomas, neither NPI nor API could show valid prognostic stratification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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10 pages, 571 KiB  
Article
Time-Sequencing of the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio to Predict Prognosis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
by Joo-Heung Kim, Nak-Hoon Son, Jun-Sang Lee, Ji-Eun Mun, Jee-Ye Kim, Hyung-Seok Park, Seho Park, Seung-Il Kim and Byeong-Woo Park
Cancers 2021, 13(14), 3472; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13143472 - 11 Jul 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2272
Abstract
Since triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) have varying prognoses, it is important to identify subgroups with particularly poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to assess whether changes in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) during the treatment process were associated with poor prognosis in [...] Read more.
Since triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) have varying prognoses, it is important to identify subgroups with particularly poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to assess whether changes in the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) during the treatment process were associated with poor prognosis in TNBC patients. This study included 600 TNBC patients who underwent surgery from January 2005 to December 2016. The associations of the NLR and clinicopathologic factors with breast cancer recurrence and survival in patients who underwent both definitive local treatment (total mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery with radiotherapy) and systemic chemotherapy were analyzed. The NLRs at four time points (before surgery, before chemotherapy, before radiotherapy, and 1 year after surgery) were assessed. The univariate analysis showed that changes in the NLR before the start of radiotherapy (odds ratio: 1.115, confidence interval: 1.011–1.229) and 1 year after surgery (odds ratio: 1.196, confidence interval: 1.057–1.354) significantly increased the risk of recurrence or death. In multivariate analysis, T stage, N stage, and changes in the NLR were significant factors. A time-sequenced NLR may reflect the prognosis of TNBC patients. A poor prognosis is expected in patients whose NLR increases during treatment compared to the preoperative NLR, and additional treatment is needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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15 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
Early Detection and Dynamic Changes of Circulating Tumor Cells in Transgenic NeuN Transgenic (NTTg) Mice with Spontaneous Breast Tumor Development
by Wen-Sy Tsai, Tsung-Fu Hung, Jia-Yang Chen, Shu-Huan Huang and Ying-Chih Chang
Cancers 2021, 13(13), 3294; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13133294 - 30 Jun 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2642
Abstract
Background: This study used NeuN transgenic (NTTg) mice with spontaneous breast tumor development to evaluate the dynamic changes of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) prior to and during tumor development. Methods: In this longitudinal, clinically uninterrupted study, we collected 75 μL of peripheral blood [...] Read more.
Background: This study used NeuN transgenic (NTTg) mice with spontaneous breast tumor development to evaluate the dynamic changes of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) prior to and during tumor development. Methods: In this longitudinal, clinically uninterrupted study, we collected 75 μL of peripheral blood at the age of 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks in the first group of five mice, and at the age of 32 weeks, the time of tumor palpability, and one week after tumor palpability in the second group of four mice. Diluted blood samples were run through a modified mouse-CMx chip to isolate the CTCs. Results: The CTC counts of the first group of mice were low (1 ± 1.6) initially. The average CTC counts were 16 ± 9.5, 29.0 ± 18.2, and 70.0 ± 30.3 cells per 75 μL blood at the age of 32 weeks, the time of tumor palpability, and one week after tumor palpability, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between an increase in CTC levels and tumor vascular density (p-value < 0.01). This correlation was stronger than that between CTC levels and tumor size (p-value = 0.076). The captured CTCs were implanted into a non-tumor-bearing NTTg mouse for xenografting, confirming their viability and tumorigenesis. Conclusion: Serial CTCs during an early stage of tumor progression were quantified and found to be positively correlated with the later tumor vascular density and size. Furthermore, the successful generation of CTC-derived xenografts indicates the tumorigenicity of this early onset CTC population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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26 pages, 8170 KiB  
Article
3D Multicellular Stem-Like Human Breast Tumor Spheroids Enhance Tumorigenicity of Orthotopic Xenografts in Athymic Nude Rat Model
by Reza Bayat Mokhtari, Bessi Qorri, Manpreet Sambi, Narges Baluch, Sushil Kumar, Bikul Das, Myron R. Szewczuk, Herman Yeger and Hai-Ling Margaret Cheng
Cancers 2021, 13(11), 2784; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13112784 - 03 Jun 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4860
Abstract
Therapeutic targeting of stem cells needs to be strategically developed to control tumor growth and prevent metastatic burden successfully. Breast cancer presents a unique clinical problem because of the variety of cellular subtypes present, including cancer stem cells (CSCs). The development of 3D [...] Read more.
Therapeutic targeting of stem cells needs to be strategically developed to control tumor growth and prevent metastatic burden successfully. Breast cancer presents a unique clinical problem because of the variety of cellular subtypes present, including cancer stem cells (CSCs). The development of 3D stem-like properties of human breast tumor spheroids in stem cell factor conditioned media was investigated in orthotopic xenografts for enhanced tumorgenicity in the athymic nude rat model. MCF-7, ZR-75-1, and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines were cultured in serum-free, stem cell factor-supplemented medium under non-adherent conditions and passaged to generate 3rd generation spheroids. The spheroids were co-cultured with fetal lung fibroblast (FLF) cells before orthotopic heterotransplantation into the mammary fat pads of athymic nude rats. Excised xenografts were assessed histologically by H&E staining and immunohistochemistry for breast cancer marker (ERB1), proliferation marker (Ki67), mitotic marker (pHH3), hypoxia marker (HIF-2α), CSC markers (CD47, CD44, CD24, and CD133), and vascularization markers (CD31, CD34). Breast cancer cells cultured in stem cell factor supplemented medium generated 3D spheroids exhibited increased stem-like characteristics. The 3D stem-like spheroids co-cultured with FLF as supporting stroma reproducibly and efficiently established orthotopic breast cancer xenografts in the athymic nude rat. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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15 pages, 2207 KiB  
Article
Tumor Extrinsic Factors Mediate Primary T-DM1 Resistance in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Cells
by Yukinori Endo and Wen Jin Wu
Cancers 2021, 13(10), 2331; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13102331 - 12 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2784
Abstract
To explore if the tumor microenvironment contributes to the primary resistance of HER2-positive breast cancer cells to T-DM1, we examined whether Matrigel, a basement membrane matrix that provides a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture condition, caused the primary resistance of HER2-positive, T-DM1-sensitive breast cancer [...] Read more.
To explore if the tumor microenvironment contributes to the primary resistance of HER2-positive breast cancer cells to T-DM1, we examined whether Matrigel, a basement membrane matrix that provides a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture condition, caused the primary resistance of HER2-positive, T-DM1-sensitive breast cancer cells (JIMT1 and SKBR-3 cells) to T-DM1. This is different from the conventional approach such that the cells are exposed with escalated doses of drug to establish a drug-resistant cell line. We found that these cells were able to grow and form spheroids on the Matrigel in the presence of T-DM1. We further explored the molecular mechanisms that enables these cells to be primarily resistant to T-DM1 and found that EGFR was activated in the spheroids, leading to an increased HER2 tyrosine phosphorylation. This in turn enhances cell growth signaling downstream of EGFR/HER2 in the spheroids. HER2 tyrosine phosphorylation promotes receptor internalization and degradation in the spheroids, which limits T-DM1 access to HER2 on the cell surface of spheroids. Blocking EGFR activity by erlotinib reduces HER2 tyrosine phosphorylation and enhances HER2 cell surface expression. This enables T-DM1 to gain access to HER2 on the cell surface, resumes cell sensitivity to T-DM1, and exhibits synergistic activity with T-DM1 to inhibit the formation of spheroids on Matrigel. The discovery described in this manuscript reveals a novel approach to investigate the primary resistance of HER2-positive breast cancer cells and provides an opportunity to develop a therapeutic strategy to overcome primary resistance to T-DM1 by combing T-DM1 therapy with kinase inhibitors of EGFR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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Review

Jump to: Research, Other

23 pages, 418 KiB  
Review
Blood-Based mRNA Tests as Emerging Diagnostic Tools for Personalised Medicine in Breast Cancer
by Helena Čelešnik and Uroš Potočnik
Cancers 2023, 15(4), 1087; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15041087 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3150
Abstract
Molecular diagnostic tests help clinicians understand the underlying biological mechanisms of their patients’ breast cancer (BC) and facilitate clinical management. Several tissue-based mRNA tests are used routinely in clinical practice, particularly for assessing the BC recurrence risk, which can guide treatment decisions. However, [...] Read more.
Molecular diagnostic tests help clinicians understand the underlying biological mechanisms of their patients’ breast cancer (BC) and facilitate clinical management. Several tissue-based mRNA tests are used routinely in clinical practice, particularly for assessing the BC recurrence risk, which can guide treatment decisions. However, blood-based mRNA assays have only recently started to emerge. This review explores the commercially available blood mRNA diagnostic assays for BC. These tests enable differentiation of BC from non-BC subjects (Syantra DX, BCtect), detection of small tumours <10 mm (early BC detection) (Syantra DX), detection of different cancers (including BC) from a single blood sample (multi-cancer blood test Aristotle), detection of BC in premenopausal and postmenopausal women and those with high breast density (Syantra DX), and improvement of diagnostic outcomes of DNA testing (variant interpretation) (+RNAinsight). The review also evaluates ongoing transcriptomic research on exciting possibilities for future assays, including blood transcriptome analyses aimed at differentiating lymph node positive and negative BC, distinguishing BC and benign breast disease, detecting ductal carcinoma in situ, and improving early detection further (expression changes can be detected in blood up to eight years before diagnosing BC using conventional approaches, while future metastatic and non-metastatic BC can be distinguished two years before BC diagnosis). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
22 pages, 5079 KiB  
Review
Classic and New Markers in Diagnostics and Classification of Breast Cancer
by Roman Beňačka, Daniela Szabóová, Zuzana Guľašová, Zdenka Hertelyová and Jozef Radoňák
Cancers 2022, 14(21), 5444; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers14215444 - 05 Nov 2022
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6309
Abstract
Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed form of female’s cancer, and in recent years it has become the most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Like many other tumours, breast cancer is a histologically and biologically heterogeneous disease. In recent [...] Read more.
Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed form of female’s cancer, and in recent years it has become the most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Like many other tumours, breast cancer is a histologically and biologically heterogeneous disease. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in diagnosis, subtyping, and complex treatment of breast cancer with the aim of providing best suited tumour-specific personalized therapy. Traditional methods for breast cancer diagnosis include mammography, MRI, biopsy and histological analysis of tumour tissue in order to determine classical markers such as estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR), cytokeratins (CK5/6, CK14, C19), proliferation index (Ki67) and human epidermal growth factor type 2 receptor (HER2). In recent years, these methods have been supplemented by modern molecular methodologies such as next-generation sequencing, microRNA, in situ hybridization, and RT-qPCR to identify novel molecular biomarkers. MicroRNAs (miR-10b, miR-125b, miR145, miR-21, miR-155, mir-30, let-7, miR-25-3p), altered DNA methylation and mutations of specific genes (p16, BRCA1, RASSF1A, APC, GSTP1), circular RNA (hsa_circ_0072309, hsa_circRNA_0001785), circulating DNA and tumour cells, altered levels of specific proteins (apolipoprotein C-I), lipids, gene polymorphisms or nanoparticle enhanced imaging, all these are promising diagnostic and prognostic tools to disclose any specific features from the multifaceted nature of breast cancer to prepare best suited individualized therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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22 pages, 3736 KiB  
Review
From Immunohistochemistry to New Digital Ecosystems: A State-of-the-Art Biomarker Review for Precision Breast Cancer Medicine
by Sean M. Hacking, Evgeny Yakirevich and Yihong Wang
Cancers 2022, 14(14), 3469; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14143469 - 17 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 7486
Abstract
Breast cancers represent complex ecosystem-like networks of malignant cells and their associated microenvironment. Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are biomarkers ubiquitous to clinical practice in evaluating prognosis and predicting response to therapy. Recent feats [...] Read more.
Breast cancers represent complex ecosystem-like networks of malignant cells and their associated microenvironment. Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) are biomarkers ubiquitous to clinical practice in evaluating prognosis and predicting response to therapy. Recent feats in breast cancer have led to a new digital era, and advanced clinical trials have resulted in a growing number of personalized therapies with corresponding biomarkers. In this state-of-the-art review, we included the latest 10-year updated recommendations for ER, PR, and HER2, along with the most salient information on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), Ki-67, PD-L1, and several prognostic/predictive biomarkers at genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic levels recently developed for selection and optimization of breast cancer treatment. Looking forward, the multi-omic landscape of the tumor ecosystem could be integrated with computational findings from whole slide images and radiomics in predictive machine learning (ML) models. These are new digital ecosystems on the road to precision breast cancer medicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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21 pages, 1765 KiB  
Review
Peripheral Blood Transcriptome in Breast Cancer Patients as a Source of Less Invasive Immune Biomarkers for Personalized Medicine, and Implications for Triple Negative Breast Cancer
by Helena Čelešnik and Uroš Potočnik
Cancers 2022, 14(3), 591; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers14030591 - 25 Jan 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5343
Abstract
Transcriptome studies of peripheral blood cells can advance our understanding of the systemic immune response to the presence of cancer and the mechanisms underlying cancer onset and progression. This enables the identification of novel minimally invasive immune biomarkers for early cancer detection and [...] Read more.
Transcriptome studies of peripheral blood cells can advance our understanding of the systemic immune response to the presence of cancer and the mechanisms underlying cancer onset and progression. This enables the identification of novel minimally invasive immune biomarkers for early cancer detection and personalized cancer management and may bring forward new immunotherapy options. Recent blood gene expression analyses in breast cancer (BC) identified distinct patient subtypes that differed in the immune reaction to cancer and were distinct from the clinical BC subtypes, which are categorized based on expression of specific receptors on tumor cells. Introducing new BC subtypes based on peripheral blood gene expression profiles may be appropriate, since it may assist in BC prognosis, the identification of patients likely to benefit from immunotherapy, and treatment efficacy monitoring. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive, heterogeneous, and difficult-to-treat disease, and identification of novel biomarkers for this BC is crucial for clinical decision-making. A few studies have reported TNBC-enriched blood transcriptional signatures, mostly related to strong inflammation and augmentation of altered immune signaling, that can differentiate TNBC from other classical BC subtypes and facilitate diagnosis. Future research is geared toward transitioning from expression signatures in unfractionated blood cells to those in immune cell subpopulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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17 pages, 987 KiB  
Review
Molecular Biomarkers Predict Pathological Complete Response of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients: Review
by Ana Julia Aguiar de Freitas, Rhafaela Lima Causin, Muriele Bertagna Varuzza, Cassio Murilo Trovo Hidalgo Filho, Vinicius Duval da Silva, Cristiano de Pádua Souza and Márcia Maria Chiquitelli Marques
Cancers 2021, 13(21), 5477; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13215477 - 31 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3002
Abstract
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is often used to treat locally advanced disease for tumor downstaging, thus improving the chances of breast-conserving surgery. From the NAC response, it is possible to obtain prognostic information as patients may reach a pathological complete response (pCR). Those who [...] Read more.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is often used to treat locally advanced disease for tumor downstaging, thus improving the chances of breast-conserving surgery. From the NAC response, it is possible to obtain prognostic information as patients may reach a pathological complete response (pCR). Those who do might have significant advantages in terms of survival rates. Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease that requires personalized treatment strategies. The development of targeted therapies depends on identifying biomarkers that can be used to assess treatment efficacy as well as the discovery of new and more accurate therapeutic agents. With the development of new “OMICS” technologies, i.e., genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, among others, the discovery of new biomarkers is increasingly being used in the context of clinical practice, bringing us closer to personalized management of BC treatment. The aim of this review is to compile the main biomarkers that predict pCR in BC after NAC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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7 pages, 1179 KiB  
Commentary
On the Therapeutic Potential of ERK4 in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
by Fadia Boudghene-Stambouli, Mathilde Soulez, Natalia Ronkina, Anneke Dörrie, Alexey Kotlyarov, Ole-Morten Seternes, Matthias Gaestel and Sylvain Meloche
Cancers 2023, 15(1), 25; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers15010025 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1550
Abstract
ERK3 and ERK4 define a distinct and understudied subfamily of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Little is known about the physiological roles of these atypical MAPKs and their association with human diseases. Interestingly, accumulating evidence points towards a role for ERK3 and ERK4 signaling [...] Read more.
ERK3 and ERK4 define a distinct and understudied subfamily of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Little is known about the physiological roles of these atypical MAPKs and their association with human diseases. Interestingly, accumulating evidence points towards a role for ERK3 and ERK4 signaling in the initiation and progression of various types of cancer. Notably, a recent study reported that ERK4 is expressed in a subset of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines and that this expression is critical for AKT activation and for sustaining TNBC cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in mice. The authors also showed that depletion of ERK4 sensitizes TNBC cells to phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors. They concluded that ERK4 is a promising therapeutic target for TNBC and has potential for combination therapy with PI3K inhibitors. Here, we raise concerns about the cellular models and experimental approaches used in this study, which compromise the conclusions on the oncogenic role of ERK4 in TNBC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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20 pages, 2744 KiB  
Systematic Review
Prognostic Role of PD-L1 Expression in Invasive Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by Magno Belém Cirqueira, Carolina Rodrigues Mendonça, Matias Noll, Leonardo Ribeiro Soares, Maria Auxiliadora de Paula Carneiro Cysneiros, Regis Resende Paulinelli, Marise Amaral Rebouças Moreira and Ruffo Freitas-Junior
Cancers 2021, 13(23), 6090; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cancers13236090 - 03 Dec 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2205
Abstract
Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has been investigated in various types of cancer; however, the role of PD-L1 expression in breast cancer remains controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association of PD-L1 expression with clinicopathological variables, overall survival [...] Read more.
Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has been investigated in various types of cancer; however, the role of PD-L1 expression in breast cancer remains controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association of PD-L1 expression with clinicopathological variables, overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) in invasive breast cancer. A total of 965 articles were included from CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases. Of these, 22 studies encompassing 6468 cases of invasive breast cancer were included in the systematic review, and 15 articles were included in the meta-analysis. PD-L1 expression was associated with age ≥ 50 years, lymph node status-negative, progesterone receptor-negative, Ki67 ≥ 20%, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative. PD-L1 positivity was associated with worse OS (hazard ratio, HR, 2.39; 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.26–3.52; p =< 0.000); however, there was no significant improvement in DFS (HR 0.17; 95% CI −0.12–0.46; p =< 0.252). PD-L1 positivity was significantly associated with the clinicopathological characteristics of favorable and unfavorable prognoses. However, the final clinical outcome was associated with lower OS and had no significant association with DFS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Breast Cancer: Novel Histological and Molecular Markers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, Therapeutic Prediction, and Drug Resistance)
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