Nestin is expressed in basal-like and triple negative breast cancers

2008 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
pp. 1045-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Parry ◽  
K Savage ◽  
C Marchiò ◽  
J S Reis-Filho

Aims:To analyse the distribution of nestin expression in different breast tumours and to determine the prognostic impact of nestin expression.Methods:Nestin expression was immunohistochemically analysed in a cohort of 245 invasive breast cancer patients treated with therapeutic surgery followed by anthracycline-based chemotherapy using a semi-quantitative scoring system.Results:Nestin was exclusively expressed in grade III breast carcinoma and preferentially expressed in basal-like and triple negative cancers. Nestin-positive tumours displayed high proliferation rates and p53 nuclear expression. Lymph-node positive patients with nestin-positive cancers had a shorter breast cancer specific survival; however nestin was not an independent prognostic factor on multivariate analysis.Conclusions:Nestin expression is preferentially found in basal-like and triple negative breast carcinomas. Further studies are warranted to define the biological role played by nestin in these subgroups of breast cancers.

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1246
Author(s):  
Marta Sanz-Álvarez ◽  
Ion Cristóbal ◽  
Melani Luque ◽  
Andrea Santos ◽  
Sandra Zazo ◽  
...  

The bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), a member of the bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) protein family, has emerged in the last years as a promising molecular target in many tumors including breast cancer. The triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents the molecular subtype with the worst prognosis and a current therapeutic challenge, and TNBC cells have been reported to show a preferential sensitivity to BET inhibitors. Interestingly, BRD4 phosphorylation (pBRD4) was found as an alteration that confers resistance to BET inhibition and PP2A proposed as the phosphatase responsible to regulate pBRD4 levels. However, the potential clinical significance of pBRD4, as well as its potential correlation with the PP2A pathway in TNBC, remains to be investigated. Here, we evaluated the expression levels of pBRD4 in a series of 132 TNBC patients. We found high pBRD4 levels in 34.1% of cases (45/132), and this alteration was found to be associated with the development of patient recurrences (p = 0.007). Interestingly, BRD4 hyperphosphorylation predicted significantly shorter overall (p < 0.001) and event-free survival (p < 0.001). Moreover, multivariate analyses were performed to confirm its independent prognostic impact in our cohort. In conclusion, our findings show that BRD4 hyperphosphorylation is an alteration associated with PP2A inhibition that defines a subgroup of TNBC patients with unfavorable prognosis, suggesting the potential clinical and therapeutic usefulness of the PP2A/BRD4 axis as a novel molecular target to overcome resistance to treatments based on BRD4 inhibition.


Cells ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 259
Author(s):  
Madhuchhanda Kundu ◽  
Sumita Raha ◽  
Avik Roy ◽  
Kalipada Pahan

Although some therapies are available for regular breast cancers, there are very few options for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Here, we demonstrated that serum level of IL-12p40 monomer (p40) was much higher in breast cancer patients than healthy controls. On the other hand, levels of IL-12, IL-23 and p40 homodimer (p402) were lower in serum of breast cancer patients as compared to healthy controls. Similarly, human TNBC cells produced greater level of p40 than p402. The level of p40 was also larger than p402 in serum of a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse model. Accordingly, neutralization of p40 by p40 mAb induced death of human TNBC cells and tumor shrinkage in PDX mice. While investigating the mechanism, we found that neutralization of p40 led to upregulation of human CD4+IFNγ+ and CD8+IFNγ+ T cell populations, thereby increasing the level of human IFNγ and decreasing the level of human IL-10 in PDX mice. Finally, we demonstrated the infiltration of human cytotoxic T cells, switching of tumor-associated macrophage M2 (TAM2) to TAM1 and suppression of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) in tumor tissues of p40 mAb-treated PDX mice. Our studies identify a possible new immunotherapy for TNBC in which p40 mAb inhibits tumor growth in PDX mice.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yueh-Chun Lee ◽  
Wen-Ling Wang ◽  
Wei-Chao Chang ◽  
Yu-Hao Huang ◽  
Guan-Ci Hong ◽  
...  

Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in Taiwan and post-lumpectomy radiotherapy is one of the therapeutic strategies for this malignancy. Although the 10-year overall survival of breast cancer patients is greatly improved by radiotherapy, the locoregional recurrence is around 10% and triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are at a high risk for relapse. The aim of this paper is to understand the mechanisms of radioresistance in breast cancers which may facilitate the development of new treatments in sensitizing breast cancer toward radiation therapy. Tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) is a pseudokinase protein and known to function as a protein scaffold within cells. It has been reported that higher TRIB3 expression is a poor prognostic factor in breast cancer patients with radiotherapy. In this study, we investigate the involvement of TRIB3 in the radiation response of TNBC cells. We first found that the expression of TRIB3 and the activation of Notch1, as well as Notch1 target genes, increased in two radioresistant TNBC cells. Knockdown of TRIB3 in radioresistant MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells decreased Notch1 activation, as well as the CD24-CD44+ cancer stem cell population, and sensitized cells toward radiation treatment. The inhibitory effects of TRIB3 knockdown in self-renewal or radioresistance could be reversed by forced expression of the Notch intracellular domain. We also observed an inhibition in cell growth and accumulated cells in the G0/G1 phase in radioresistant MDA-MB-231 cells after knockdown of TRIB3. With immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry analysis, we found that, BCL2-associated transcription factor 1 (BCLAF1), BCL2 interacting protein 1 (BNIP1), or DEAD-box helicase 5 (DDX5) were the possible TRIB3 interacting proteins and immunoprecipitation data also confirmed that these proteins interacted with TRIB3 in radioresistant MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, the expression of TRIB3 in radioresistant TNBC cells participated in Notch1 activation and targeted TRIB3 expression may be a strategy to sensitize TNBC cells toward radiation therapy.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2657
Author(s):  
Luca Campedel ◽  
Paul Blanc-Durand ◽  
Asker Bin Asker ◽  
Jacqueline Lehmann-Che ◽  
Caroline Cuvier ◽  
...  

Inflammatory breast cancers are very aggressive, and among them, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the worst prognosis. While many studies have investigated the association between tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) before neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and outcome in TNBC, the impact of post-NAC TIL and TIL variation in triple negative inflammatory breast cancer (TNIBC) outcome is unknown. Between January 2010 to December 2018, all patients with TNIBC seen at the breast disease unit (Saint-Louis Hospital) were treated with dose-dense dose-intense NAC. The main objective of the study was to determine factors associated with event-free survival (EFS), particularly pathological complete response (pCR), pre- and post-NAC TIL, delta TIL and post-NAC lymphovascular invasion (LVI). After univariate analysis, post-NAC LVI (HR 2.06; CI 1.13–3.74; p = 0.02), high post-NAC TIL (HR 1.81; CI 1.07–3.06; p = 0.03) and positive delta TIL (HR 2.20; CI 1.36–3.52; p = 0.001) were significantly associated with impaired EFS. After multivariate analysis, only a positive TIL variation remained negatively associated with EFS (HR 1.88; CI 1.05–3.35; p = 0.01). TNIBC patients treated with intensive NAC who present TIL enrichment after NAC have a high risk of relapse, which could be used as a prognostic marker in TNIBC and could help to choose adjuvant post-NAC treatment.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e11519-e11519
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Tryfonopoulos ◽  
Georgios Oikonomopoulos ◽  
Stamatina Demiri ◽  
Lazaros Lekakis ◽  
Nikolaos Fragkiskos Pistamaltzian ◽  
...  

e11519 Background: Triple negative breast cancers are immunohistochemical surrogates of basal-like breast cancers. There is no complete overlap between triple negative and basal-like tumors and as gene expression studies evolve, further subclassification bearing clinical relevance is underway. Our purpose was to correlate clinicopathologic characteristics of triple negative breast cancer tumors with expression of basal markers in an effort to define immunohistochemically subgroups of this heterogenous disease Methods: Data were retrieved and analysed using our electronic databank. Patient samples were reviewed by an expert breast cancer pathologist and stained additionally for EGFR and CK 5/6 antibodies. Results: Sixty-five women with triple negative breast cancer were identified. Mean age was 58.3±12.9 years. Most tumors (86%) were of ductal histology, 53% grade 3, 48% having high Ki-67 index (>14%). 10% of patients presented with Stage IV, 25% with Stage III, 38% with stage II and 27% with stage I disease. 63% of patients were postmenopausal. EGFR staining was present in 43% of tumor samples, whereas CK 5/6 in 38.5%. Both EGFR and CK 5/6 expression was found in 18.5%, whereas 37% of tumors expressed neither EGFR or CK 5/6. No difference was observed between tumors expressing any of these 2 basal markers as compared to EGFR and CK 5/6 negative tumors in terms of Ki-67 index, grade, tumor size and nodal involvement. Lymphovascular invasion and non-ductal histology tended to occur more frequently (p=ns) in non-basal tumors. Additionally, patients with expression of any of the basal markers tended to be more obese than the non-basal triple negative breast cancer patients (p=ns). Conclusions: Further immunohistochemical markers apart from EGFR and CK 5/6 are needed in order to further define clinically meaningful subgroups of triple negative breast cancer.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (30_suppl) ◽  
pp. 87-87
Author(s):  
Adriana Aguilar-Mahecha ◽  
Josiane Lafleur ◽  
Elaheh Ahmadzadeh ◽  
Ewa Przybytkowski ◽  
Carole Seguin ◽  
...  

87 Background: Resistance to chemotherapy is the underlying cause of death in most patients dying of breast cancer. Patients with early stages of breast cancer whose tumor is or becomes resistant to chemotherapy have a poor prognosis, while women with advanced breast cancer live as long as their tumors respond to chemotherapy. Because of the great difficulty of obtaining clinical samples from drug resistant tumors in patients, there is scant information about molecular factors from actual drug resistant tumors. This project aims to systematically profile resistant triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) in order to discover molecular “resistance” genes/proteins as a first step to develop strategies to overcome drug resistance. Methods: Paired biopsies are collected from TNBC patients (NCT01276899). Four needle core biopsies are collected before the initiation of treatment and 2 weeks before surgery or at the time of progression in the neoadjuvant and metastatic settings respectively. Paired biopsies will undergo Next Gen Sequencing, flow sorted aCGH analysis, gene expression and miRNA profiling as well as phosphoproteomic profiling using reverse phase protein arrays. Results: We have currently enrolled 28 patients in the neoadjuvant setting and 3 metastatic patients. We have standardized the methods of collection and processing of tissue and blood specimens to ensure their molecular integrity and compatibility with different genomic and proteomic molecular platforms. Analysis of tumor cellularity has been incorporated into our quality control and we have optimized the extraction of nucleic acids to obtain high yields and optimal quality. In parallel, we have generated acquired resistance to paclitaxel in a panel of TNBC cell lines. These cell lines will also undergo genomic profiling and exome sequencing to identify molecular markers of resistance that will be correlated with the markers found in patient samples. Conclusions: This project will allow us to identify the molecular factors responsible for drug resistance in TNBCs and enable the elaboration of strategies to overcome resistance.


2019 ◽  
pp. 90-94
Author(s):  
Samane Jam ◽  
Alireza Abdollahi ◽  
Sanaz Zand ◽  
Zahra Khazaeipour ◽  
Ramesh Omranipour ◽  
...  

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for 15 to 20% of all breast cancers. These patients do not benefit from hormone therapy and other targeted treatments of breast cancer. Recently, researchers proposed the use of androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapies in this subset of patients. The rate of AR expression in TNBC patients varies from 0 to 53%. AR positivity is associated with a better outcome for breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate AR status in TNBC patients and its association with other demographic and pathologic features.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Cancer Institute of Iran, affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in 2015. Archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast tumor blocks were evaluated to determine the AR status of the tumors. Demographic and pathologic characteristics of the patients were retrieved from the department of pathology database. Data were analyzed with SPSS 18.0.Results: Seventy-seven TNBC patients with the mean age of 45.3 ± 11.5 were assessed. Twenty-six patients (34%) showed AR expression, and 51 patients (56%) did not have AR expression. There was no significant correlation between AR status and age, tumor size, histopathologic type of tumor, or lymph node involvement. However, AR positivity had a statistically significant association with a lower tumor grade and lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.029 and P = 0.01, respectively).Conclusion: TNBC patients with AR expression tend to have lower tumor grades and higher rates of lymphovascular invasion.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Ru Tang ◽  
Jia-Peng Deng ◽  
Wen-Wen Zhang ◽  
Huan-Xin Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The value of postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) for pathological node-positive triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) remains debatable. The aim of this population-based retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of PMRT on survival outcomes in this population. Methods Patients diagnosed with stage T1-4N1-N3M0 TNBC between 2010 and 2014 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We used univariate and multivariate Cox regression hazards method to determine the independent prognostic factors associated with 3-year breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS). The effect of PMRT on 3-year BCSS was analyzed after stratification by pathological staging of groups. Results Of the 4398 patients included in this study, 2649 (60.2%) received PMRT. Younger age, black ethnicity, and advanced tumor (T) and nodal (N) stage were the independent predictors associated with PMRT receipt (all P < 0.05). Patients who received PMRT showed better 3-year BCSS (OR = 0.720, 95% CI = 0.642–0.808, P < 0.001) than those that did not. The effect of PMRT on 3-year BCSS was analyzed after stratification by pathological staging of groups. The results showed that PMRT was associated with better 3-year BCSS in patients with stage T3–4N1 (P = 0.042), T1-4N2 (P < 0.001), and T1-4N3 (P < 0.001), while comparable 3-year BCSS was found between the PMRT and non-PMRT cohorts with T1–2N1 disease (P = 0.191). Conclusions Radiotherapy achieved better 3-year BCSS in TNBC patients with stage T3–4N1 and T1-4N2–3 disease. However, no survival benefit was found with the addition of PMRT in patients with T1–2N1 TNBC.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. TPS591-TPS591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Margaret Earl ◽  
Anne-Laure Vallier ◽  
Wendi Qian ◽  
Louise Grybowicz ◽  
Stanly Thomas ◽  
...  

TPS591 Background: No specific targeted therapies are available for Triple Negative Breast Cancers (TNBC), an aggressive and diverse subgroup. The basal TNBC sub-group show some phenotypic and molecular similarities with germline BRCA (gBRCA). In gBRCA patients, and potentially other homologous recombination deficiencies, these already compromised pathways may allow drugs called PARP inhibitors (olaparib) to work more effectively. Aims: To establish if the addition of olaparib to neoadjuvant platinum based chemotherapy for basal TNBC and/or gBRCA breast cancer is safe and improves efficacy (pathological complete response (pCR)). Trial design: 3-stage open label randomised phase II/III trial of neoadjuvant paclitaxel and carboplatin +/- olaparib, followed by clinicians' choice of anthracycline regimen. Stage 1 and 2: Patients are randomised (1:1:1) to either control (3 weekly carboplatin AUC5/weekly paclitaxel 80mg/m2 for 4 cycles) or one of two research arms with the same chemotherapy regimen but with two different schedules of olaparib 150mg BD for 12 days. Stage 3: Patients are randomised (1:1) to either control arm or to the research arm selected in stage 2. Methods: Stage 1 - Safety: both research arms combined. Stage 2 - Schedule selection criteria: pCR rate and completion rate of olaparib protocol treatment. It is a “pick-the-winner” design with 53 patients in each research arm. This allows a 90% power, 5% one-sided significance level to test null hypothesis of pCR ≤35% versus an alternative hypothesis of pCR ≥55% in each of the research arms. Stage 3 - Efficacy: anticipated pCR ~55-60% for all trial patients and ~60-65% for gBRCA patients. The trial is powered to detect an absolute improvement of 15% (all patients) and 20% (gBRCA patients) by adding olaparib to chemotherapy (enriched design). TNBC patient recruitment will be capped, to ensure required gBRCA patients are enrolled. Enrichment design is applied with overall significance level 0.05(α) = 0.025(αall)+ 0.025(αgBRCA) and 80% power. Target accrual: 527 [gBRCA 220] Current accrual: 17 Sites activated: 12 [expected number of sites 30-50].


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2644
Author(s):  
Brianne M. Cruickshank ◽  
Marie-Claire D. Wasson ◽  
Justin M. Brown ◽  
Wasundara Fernando ◽  
Jaganathan Venkatesh ◽  
...  

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are aggressive, lack targeted therapies and are enriched in cancer stem cells (CSCs). Novel therapies which target CSCs within these tumors would likely lead to improved outcomes for TNBC patients. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are potential therapeutic targets for TNBC and CSCs. We demonstrate that lncRNA prostate androgen regulated transcript 1 (PART1) is enriched in TNBCs and in Aldefluorhigh CSCs, and is associated with worse outcomes among basal-like breast cancer patients. Although PART1 is androgen inducible in breast cancer cells, analysis of patient tumors indicates its androgen regulation has minimal clinical impact. Knockdown of PART1 in TNBC cell lines and a patient-derived xenograft decreased cell proliferation, migration, tumor growth, and mammosphere formation potential. Transcriptome analyses revealed that the lncRNA affects expression of hundreds of genes (e.g., myosin-Va, MYO5A; zinc fingers and homeoboxes protein 2, ZHX2). MiRNA 4.0 GeneChip and TaqMan assays identified multiple miRNAs that are regulated by cytoplasmic PART1, including miR-190a-3p, miR-937-5p, miR-22-5p, miR-30b-3p, and miR-6870-5p. We confirmed the novel interaction between PART1 and miR-937-5p. In general, miRNAs altered by PART1 were less abundant than PART1, potentially leading to cell line-specific effects in terms miRNA-PART1 interactions and gene regulation. Together, the altered miRNA landscape induced by PART1 explains most of the protein-coding gene regulation changes (e.g., MYO5A) induced by PART1 in TNBC.


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