scholarly journals A Targetable Androgen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer Subtype Hidden Among the Triple-Negative Cancers

2014 ◽  
Vol 139 (5) ◽  
pp. 612-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damoun Safarpour ◽  
Fattaneh A. Tavassoli

Context Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subgroup of breast cancers that by definition lack expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). A diverse group of tumors, TNBC shares some morphologic and molecular features with basal-like breast cancer, a category of breast cancer defined by gene expression profiling. More likely to occur in young women and African Americans, TNBCs may exhibit aggressive behavior and are associated with poor prognosis despite their initial response to conventional chemotherapy. Because hormonal or HER2-targeted therapies are ineffective for these tumors, the main therapeutic option is systemic chemotherapy. Therefore, identification of new targets for therapy is urgently needed for this group. Objective To review and present recent literature along with our own experience regarding the clinical and morphologic characteristics and the prevalence of androgen receptor (AR) expression in TNBC, and to discuss the potential use of AR as a therapeutic target for AR+ TNBC. Data Sources Data sources are published articles from peer-reviewed journals in PubMed (US National Library of Medicine). Conclusions AR is the most commonly expressed hormone receptor among all breast carcinomas, with a prevalence of 25% to 75% among TNBCs. Therefore, we strongly support the routine assessment of AR in TNBC, and preferably in all breast carcinomas.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stijn Moens ◽  
Peihua Zhao ◽  
Maria Francesca Baietti ◽  
Oliviero Marinelli ◽  
Delphi Van Haver ◽  
...  

AbstractTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, lacking effective therapy. Many TNBCs show remarkable response to carboplatin-based chemotherapy, but often develop resistance over time. With increasing use of carboplatin in the clinic, there is a pressing need to identify vulnerabilities of carboplatin-resistant tumors. In this study, we generated carboplatin-resistant TNBC MDA-MB-468 cell line and patient derived TNBC xenograft models. Mass spectrometry-based proteome profiling demonstrated that carboplatin resistance in TNBC is linked to drastic metabolism rewiring and upregulation of anti-oxidative response that supports cell replication by maintaining low levels of DNA damage in the presence of carboplatin. Carboplatin-resistant cells also exhibited dysregulation of the mitotic checkpoint. A kinome shRNA screen revealed that carboplatin-resistant cells are vulnerable to the depletion of the mitotic checkpoint regulators, whereas the checkpoint kinases CHEK1 and WEE1 are indispensable for the survival of carboplatin-resistant cells in the presence of carboplatin. We confirmed that pharmacological inhibition of CHEK1 by prexasertib in the presence of carboplatin is well tolerated by mice and suppresses the growth of carboplatin-resistant TNBC xenografts. Thus, abrogation of the mitotic checkpoint by CHEK1 inhibition re-sensitizes carboplatin-resistant TNBCs to carboplatin and represents a potential strategy for the treatment of carboplatin-resistant TNBCs.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayca Gucalp ◽  
Tiffany A. Traina

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subtype distinguished by negative immunohistochemical assays for expression of the estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER/PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(HER2) represents 15% of all breast cancers. Patients with TNBC generally experience a more aggressive clinical course with increased risk of disease progression and poorer overall survival. Furthermore, this subtype accounts for a disproportionate number of disease-related mortality in part due to its aggressive natural history and our lack of effective targeted agents beyond conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. In this paper, we will review the epidemiology, risk factors, prognosis, and the molecular and clinicopathologic features that distinguish TNBC from other subtypes of breast cancer. In addition, we will examine the available data for the use of cytotoxic chemotherapy in the treatment of TNBC in both the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting and explore the ongoing development of newer targeted agents.


2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (18) ◽  
pp. 2966-2973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Colleoni ◽  
Bernard F. Cole ◽  
Giuseppe Viale ◽  
Meredith M. Regan ◽  
Karen N. Price ◽  
...  

Purpose Retrospective studies suggest that primary breast cancers lacking estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) and not overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2; triple-negative tumors) are particularly sensitive to DNA-damaging chemotherapy with alkylating agents. Patients and Methods Patients enrolled in International Breast Cancer Study Group Trials VIII and IX with node-negative, operable breast cancer and centrally assessed ER, PR, and HER2 were included (n = 2,257). The trials compared three or six courses of adjuvant classical cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) with or without endocrine therapy versus endocrine therapy alone. We explored patterns of recurrence by treatment according to three immunohistochemically defined tumor subtypes: triple negative, HER2 positive and endocrine receptor absent, and endocrine receptor present. Results Patients with triple-negative tumors (303 patients; 13%) were significantly more likely to have tumors > 2 cm and grade 3 compared with those in the HER2-positive, endocrine receptor–absent, and endocrine receptor–present subtypes. No clear chemotherapy benefit was observed in endocrine receptor–present disease (hazard ratio [HR], 0.90; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.11). A statistically significantly greater benefit for chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy was observed in triple-negative breast cancer (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.73; interaction P = .009 v endocrine receptor–present disease). The magnitude of the chemotherapy effect was lower in HER2-positive endocrine receptor–absent disease (HR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.29 to 1.17; interaction P = .24 v endocrine receptor–present disease). Conclusion The magnitude of benefit of CMF chemotherapy is largest in patients with triple-negative, node-negative breast cancer.


Author(s):  
C. Divyapriya ◽  
Aarthi Kannan ◽  
Vijayashree Raghavan

Introduction: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are widely considered a key sign of the immune interaction between host and tumor, and potentially prognostic biomarkers of good or bad outcome in various cancers, including invasive breast cancer (IBC). Aim and Objectives: To correlate the expression of CD4, CD8 T-lymphocytes in invasive carcinoma breast with established markers of prognosis like tumour size, grade, lymph node status and molecular subtypes mainly ER, PR, Her 2Neu, Ki67 status, mainly the triple negative breast cancers(TNBC). Methodology: 58 Invasive breast carcinoma proven tissue blocks were subjected to immunohistochemistry and morphometric analysis for positive CD4, CD8 T-lymphocytes were done. Results:  Triple negative breast cancer subtype shows high TILs than other pathologic subtypes. Tumor interface CD8+ cells very well correlated with the pathological higher nodal stage. Majority CD4, CD8 positive cells were populated more towards the stromal and interface of the tumor microenvironment rather thatintratumoral. Conclusion: CD4+ and CD8+ counts may be a valuable independent prognostic tool in predicting the outcome in invasive breast cancer.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 5009
Author(s):  
Swetha Vasudevan ◽  
Ibukun A. Adejumobi ◽  
Heba Alkhatib ◽  
Sangita Roy Chowdhury ◽  
Shira Stefansky ◽  
...  

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subgroup of breast cancers which is treated mainly with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was considered to be frequently expressed in TNBC, and therefore was suggested as a therapeutic target. However, clinical trials of EGFR inhibitors have failed. In this study, we examine the relationship between the patient-specific TNBC network structures and possible mechanisms of resistance to anti-EGFR therapy. Using an information-theoretical analysis of 747 breast tumors from the TCGA dataset, we resolved individualized protein network structures, namely patient-specific signaling signatures (PaSSS) for each tumor. Each PaSSS was characterized by a set of 1–4 altered protein–protein subnetworks. Thirty-one percent of TNBC PaSSSs were found to harbor EGFR as a part of the network and were predicted to benefit from anti-EGFR therapy as long as it is combined with anti-estrogen receptor (ER) therapy. Using a series of single-cell experiments, followed by in vivo support, we show that drug combinations which are not tailored accurately to each PaSSS may generate evolutionary pressure in malignancies leading to an expansion of the previously undetected or untargeted subpopulations, such as ER+ populations. This corresponds to the PaSSS-based predictions suggesting to incorporate anti-ER drugs in certain anti-TNBC treatments. These findings highlight the need to tailor anti-TNBC targeted therapy to each PaSSS to prevent diverse evolutions of TNBC tumors and drug resistance development.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 293-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijayakrishna K. Gadi ◽  
Nancy E. Davidson

Triple negative is a term applied to breast cancers that do not meaningfully express the estrogen or progesterone hormone receptors or overexpress the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 tyrosine kinase. At present, the only proven method for systemic management of triple-negative breast cancer for both early-stage and metastatic settings is cytotoxic chemotherapy. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of management strategies that are best supported by available data. We also review recent advances most likely to affect treatment of triple-negative breast cancer in the coming years with particular emphasis on targeted agents, biologics, and immunotherapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Karima Oualla ◽  
Loay Kassem ◽  
Lamiae Nouiakh ◽  
Lamiae Amaadour ◽  
Zineb Benbrahim ◽  
...  

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by the absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). It accounts for 15%–20% of all breast cancers and is associated with an aggressive evolution and poor outcomes with the majority of recurrences and deaths occurring in the first 5 years. Chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment in the absence of effective targets, but the good understanding of immune tumor microenvironment, the identification of immune-related targets, and the role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in TNBC has allowed to develop promising immunotherapeutic strategies for this unique subset of breast cancer. Recently, immunotherapy is being extensively explored in TNBC and clinical trials have shown promising results. In this article, we tried to explain the rationale and mechanisms of targeting the immune system in TNBC, to report the results from recent clinical trials that put immunotherapy as a new standard of care in TNBC in addition to ongoing trials and future directions in the next decade.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 610-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaëlle Judes ◽  
Aslihan Dagdemir ◽  
Seher Karsli-Ceppioglu ◽  
André Lebert ◽  
Marie-Mélanie Dauplat ◽  
...  

Lupus ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Chan ◽  
A E Clarke ◽  
R Ramsey-Goldman ◽  
W Foulkes ◽  
B Tessier Cloutier ◽  
...  

Objective There is a decreased risk of breast cancer in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) versus the general population; little is known regarding the receptor status of breast cancers in SLE, or treatment. Methods Breast cancer cases occurring after SLE diagnosis were ascertained through linkage with tumor registries. We determined breast cancer positivity for estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), and/or Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2), as well as cancer treatment. Results We obtained information on ER, PR, and/or HER2 status for 63 SLE patients with breast cancer. Fifty-three had information on ER and/or PR status; 36 of these (69%) were ER positive. Thirty-six of the 63 had information on HER2 status; of these, 26 had complete information on all three receptors. Twenty-one of these 26 (81%) were HER2 negative; seven of 26(27%) were triple negative. All but one patient underwent surgery; 11.5% received both non-tamoxifen chemotherapy and radiotherapy, 16.4% radiotherapy without non-tamoxifen chemotherapy, and 14.7% received non-tamoxifen chemotherapy without radiotherapy. Conclusion ER positivity was similar to historical general population figures, with a trend toward a higher proportion of triple-negative breast cancers in SLE (possibly reflecting the relatively young age of our SLE patients).


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