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1.
Cureus ; 14(5): e24731, 2022 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35686262

ABSTRACT

Myeloid sarcoma is a solid extramedullary mass of immature myeloid cells, often in patients with myeloid leukemia. Myeloid sarcoma of the breast is extremely uncommon, and bilateral involvement is even rarer. Myeloid sarcoma of the breast can mimic primary breast cancer, lymphoma, and other neoplasms. Differentiation between myeloid sarcoma and primary breast malignancy is imperative, as management and treatment are drastically different. We present a case of myeloid sarcoma of both breasts in a 63-year-old female with relapsed acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a personal history of ovarian cancer, and a family history of both leukemia and breast cancer. This report highlights the need for high clinical, radiological, and pathological suspicion to diagnose myeloid sarcoma of the breast.

2.
J Clin Med ; 11(12)2022 Jun 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35743613

ABSTRACT

As survival in breast cancer patients from newer therapies increases, concerns for chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity (CIC) have offset some of these benefits, manifesting as a decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy followed by trastuzumab are at risk for CIC. Previous research evaluating whether clinical biomarkers predict cardiotoxicity has been inconsistent. Recently, angiotensin II type 1 receptor (ATR1) and endothelin 1 (ET1) have been shown to play a role in breast tumor growth. We evaluated ATR1 and ET1 expression in breast cancer tissue and its association with CIC. A total of 33 paraffin-embedded breast tissue specimens from women with breast cancer treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy and trastuzumab were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and qRT-PCR. We found that ET1 expression was increased in patients with an LVEF ≤ 50% (p = 0.032) with a lower LVEF correlating with higher ET1 expression (r = 0.377, p = 0.031). In patients with a change in LVEF of greater than 10%, greater ET1 expression was noted compared to those without a change in LVEF (p = 0.017). Increased ET1 expression in breast tumor tissue is associated with reduced LVEF. Future studies need to examine whether ET1 may be a tissue biomarker that helps predict the risk of developing CIC in women with breast cancer.

3.
Am J Clin Pathol ; 157(5): 742-747, 2022 05 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34724532

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To present the pathologic analysis of female urethral strictures obtained during reconstructive urethroplasty. METHODS: Nine separate female urethral tissue specimens were obtained during dorsal vaginal graft urethroplasty by a single surgeon (S.P.P.). Samples were serially sectioned and fixed in 10% formalin 6 to 12 hours before routine processing in paraffin blocks. Serial 5-µm sections were subjected to H&E, Masson trichrome, and elastin staining. End point analysis included evaluation for epithelial hyperplasia and cell type, mucosal edema, degree of fibroblast/inflammatory cell infiltrate, and elastin fiber density and distribution. RESULTS: Nine specimens were examined. Six specimens had epithelial linings of stratified squamous epithelium overlying fibrosis (67%), 1 had mixed squamous and urothelial epithelium, and 2 had only urothelial epithelium. Two specimens (29%) showed acute injury with prominent squamous papillary hyperplasia, focal erosion, and patchy mucosal hemorrhage. Areas of urethral stricture were variably thickened, with increased, densely packed collagen fibers and associated mucosal lymphocytic inflammation ranging from mild and patchy to focally dense with lymphoid aggregates. The highest elastin fiber density appeared to be associated with vessels and overlying muscle bundles in the submucosa. CONCLUSIONS: Further elucidation of histopathologic characteristics may illuminate more appropriate therapeutic pathways for female urethral stricture disease management.


Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell , Urethral Stricture , Elastin , Female , Humans , Hyperplasia , Male , Mouth Mucosa , Treatment Outcome , Urethral Stricture/surgery , Urothelium
4.
Clin Transplant ; 35(12): e14456, 2021 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34717009

ABSTRACT

Histologic findings on 1-year biopsies such as inflammation with fibrosis and transplant glomerulopathy predict renal allograft loss by 5 years. However, almost half of the patients with graft loss have a 1-year biopsy that is either normal or has only interstitial fibrosis. The goal of this study was to determine if there was a gene expression profile in these relatively normal 1-year biopsies that predicted subsequent decline in renal function. Using transcriptome microarrays we measured intragraft mRNA levels in a retrospective Discovery cohort (170 patients with a normal/minimal fibrosis 1-year biopsy, 54 with progressive decline in function/graft loss and 116 with stable function) and developed a nested 10-fold cross-validated gene classifier that predicted progressive decline in renal function (positive predictive value = 38 ± 34%%; negative predictive value = 73 ± 30%, c-statistic = .59). In a prospective, multicenter Validation cohort (270 patients with Normal/Interstitial Fibrosis [IF]), the classifier had a 20% positive predictive value, 85% negative predictive value and .58 c-statistic. Importantly, the majority of patients with graft loss in the prospective study had 1-year biopsies scored as Normal or IF. We conclude predicting graft loss in many renal allograft recipients (i.e., those with a relatively normal 1-year biopsy and eGFR > 40) remains difficult.


Subject(s)
Kidney Transplantation , Allografts , Biopsy , Fibrosis , Gene Expression , Glomerular Filtration Rate , Graft Rejection/etiology , Graft Rejection/genetics , Humans , Kidney/pathology , Kidney/physiology , Kidney Transplantation/adverse effects , Prospective Studies , Retrospective Studies
5.
Case Rep Nephrol Dial ; 11(3): 334-339, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35083288

ABSTRACT

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is currently classified as either primary - often associated with positive anti-phospholipase-A2 receptor (PLA2R) autoantibodies - or as secondary - associated with malignancy, infection, medications, or autoimmune disease. We present a case of biopsy-proven MN with very high serum titer of anti-PLA2R autoantibodies in a patient with a synchronous diagnosis of poorly differentiated esophageal adenocarcinoma and renal cell carcinoma who presented with nephrotic syndrome. Based on the current classification, MN in the presence of active malignancy is diagnosed as secondary and unlikely to have positive anti-PLA2R autoantibodies. This raises several questions: whether this patient has secondary MN associated with malignancy and coincidentally discovered anti-PLA2R autoantibodies, primary MN due to anti-PLA2R autoantibodies with coincidentally discovered malignancy, or whether malignancy can induce the formation of anti-PLA2R autoantibodies that result in MN. This case report highlights the importance of age-appropriate cancer screening, even in patients with presumed primary MN and positive anti-PLA2R autoantibodies.

6.
NPJ Breast Cancer ; 6: 4, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32047850

ABSTRACT

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) comprises 15-20% of all invasive breast cancer and is associated with a poor prognosis. As therapy options are limited for this subtype, there is a significant need to identify new targeted approaches for TNBC patient management. The expression of the folate receptor alpha (FRα) is significantly increased in patients with TNBC and is therefore a potential biomarker and therapeutic target. We optimized and validated a FRα immunohistochemistry method, specific to TNBC, to measure FRα expression in a centrally confirmed cohort of 384 patients with TNBC in order to determine if expression of the protein is associated with invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) and overall survival (OS). The FRα IHC demonstrated exceptional performance characteristics with low intra- and interassay variability as well as minimal lot-to-lot variation. FRα expression, which varied widely from sample to sample, was detected in 274 (71%) of the TNBC lesions. In a multivariable model adjusted for baseline characteristics, FRα expression was associated with improved IDFS (HR = 0.63, p = 0.01) but not with OS. The results demonstrate the potential of targeting the FRα in the majority of TNBC patients and suggest that variable expression may point to a need to stratify on FRα expression in clinical studies.

7.
Liver Transpl ; 25(12): 1756-1767, 2019 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31597218

ABSTRACT

Renal dysfunction is common in liver transplantation (LT) candidates, but differentiating between reversible and irreversible renal injury can be difficult. Kidney biopsy might be helpful in differentiating reversible from irreversible renal injury, but it is associated with significant complications. We aimed to identify pre-LT predictors of potentially reversible renal injury using histological information obtained on pre-LT renal biopsy. Data on 128 LT candidates who underwent pre-LT kidney biopsy were retrospectively collected and correlated with renal histological findings. Indications for kidney biopsy were iothalamate glomerular filtration rate (iGFR) ≤40 mL/minute, proteinuria >500 mg/day, and/or hematuria. According to the biopsy diagnosis, patients were grouped into the following categories: normal (n = 13); acute tubular necrosis (ATN; n = 25); membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (n = 19); minimal histological changes (n = 24); and advanced interstitial fibrosis (IF) and glomerulosclerosis (GS) (n = 47). Compared with patients having advanced IF/GS, patients with normal biopsies and those with ATN had lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and higher international normalized ratio and total bilirubin levels (<0.05 for all). Both SBP and DBP directly correlated with the degree of IF and GS (R = 0.3, P ≤ 0.02 for all). SBP ≤90 mm Hg was 100% sensitive and 98% specific in correlating with normal biopsies or ATN, whereas SBP ≥140 mm Hg was 22% sensitive and 90% specific in correlating with advanced IF/GS. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, serum creatinine, iGFR, urinary sodium excretion, and renal size did not correlate with biopsy diagnosis or degree of IF or GS. In conclusion, SBP at the time of LT evaluation correlates with renal histology, and it should be included along with other clinical and laboratory markers in the decision-making process to list patients with renal dysfunction for LT alone versus simultaneous liver-kidney transplantation.


Subject(s)
Arterial Pressure/physiology , End Stage Liver Disease/surgery , Kidney Diseases/diagnosis , Liver Transplantation/adverse effects , Postoperative Complications/epidemiology , Aged , Biopsy/statistics & numerical data , Blood Pressure Determination/statistics & numerical data , Clinical Decision-Making/methods , Creatinine/blood , Diagnosis, Differential , End Stage Liver Disease/complications , End Stage Liver Disease/diagnosis , End Stage Liver Disease/physiopathology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Glomerular Filtration Rate/physiology , Humans , Kidney/pathology , Kidney/physiopathology , Kidney Diseases/etiology , Kidney Diseases/physiopathology , Kidney Diseases/therapy , Liver Transplantation/standards , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Selection , Postoperative Care/statistics & numerical data , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Postoperative Complications/physiopathology , Postoperative Complications/therapy , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Preoperative Period , Renal Replacement Therapy/statistics & numerical data , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment/methods , Risk Assessment/standards , Severity of Illness Index
8.
Transpl Int ; 32(2): 173-183, 2019 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30179275

ABSTRACT

Poor reproducibility in scoring antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) using the Banff criteria might limit the use of histology in clinical trials. We evaluated the reproducibility of Banff scoring of 67 biopsies by six renal pathologists at three institutions. Agreement by any two pathologists was poor: 44.8-65.7% for glomerulitis, 44.8-67.2% for peritubular capillaritis, and 53.7-80.6% for chronic glomerulopathy (cg). All pathologists agreed on cg0 (n = 20) and cg3 (n = 9) cases, however, many disagreed on scores of cg1 or cg2. The range for the incidence of composite diagnoses by individual pathologists was: 16.4-22.4% for no ABMR; 17.9-47.8% for active ABMR; and 35.8-59.7% for chronic, active antibody-mediated rejection (cABMR). A "majority rules" approach was then tested in which the scores of three pathologists were used to reach an agreement. This increased consensus both for individual scores (ex. 67.2-77.6% for cg) and for composite diagnoses (ex. 74.6-86.6% cABMR). Modeling using these results showed that differences in individual scoring could affect the outcome assessment in a mock study of cABMR. We conclude that the Banff schema has high variability and a majority rules approach could be used to adjudicate differences between pathologists and reduce variability in scoring in clinical trials.


Subject(s)
Graft Rejection/diagnosis , Graft Rejection/immunology , Kidney Diseases/surgery , Kidney Transplantation , Kidney Tubules/immunology , Adult , Biopsy , Clinical Trials as Topic , Female , Glomerulonephritis/diagnosis , Humans , Isoantibodies , Kidney/pathology , Kidney Diseases/immunology , Kidney Tubules/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , Models, Theoretical , Observer Variation , Reproducibility of Results , Research Design , Retrospective Studies , Severity of Illness Index , Transplantation, Homologous
9.
Oncotarget ; 9(91): 36358-36370, 2018 Nov 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30555634

ABSTRACT

Phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase type-1C (PIP5K1C) is a lipid kinase that regulates focal adhesion dynamics and cell attachment through site-specific formation of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PI4,5P2). By comparing normal breast tissue to carcinoma in situ and invasive ductal carcinoma subtypes, we here show that the phosphorylation status of PIP5K1C at serine residue 448 (S448) can be predictive for breast cancer progression to an aggressive phenotype, while PIP5K1C expression levels are not indicative for this event. PIP5K1C phosphorylation at S448 is downregulated in invasive ductal carcinoma, and similarly, the expression levels of PKD1, the kinase that phosphorylates PIP5K1C at this site, are decreased. Overall, since PKD1 is a negative regulator of cell migration and invasion in breast cancer, the phosphorylation status of this residue may serve as an indicator of aggressiveness of breast tumors.

10.
Clin Cancer Res ; 23(15): 4203-4211, 2017 Aug 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28533226

ABSTRACT

Background: Preclinical evidence indicates that increased insulin-like growth factor receptor-1 (IGF1R) signaling interferes with the action of trastuzumab suggesting a possible mechanism of trastuzumab resistance. Thus, we evaluated IGF1R prevalence, relationship with demographic data, and association with disease-free survival (DFS) of patients randomized to chemotherapy alone (Arm A) or chemotherapy with sequential (Arm B) or concurrent trastuzumab (Arm C) in the prospective phase III HER2+ adjuvant N9831 trial.Experimental Design: IGF1R protein expression was determined in tissue microarray sections (three cores per block; N = 1,197) or in whole tissue sections (WS; N = 537) using IHC (rabbit polyclonal antibody against IGF1R ß-subunit). A tumor was considered positive (IGF1R+) if any core or WS had ≥1+ membrane staining in >0% invasive cells. Median follow-up was 8.5 years.Results: Of 1,734 patients, 708 (41%) had IGF1R+ breast tumors. IGF1R+ was associated with younger age (median 48 vs. 51, P = 0.007), estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor positivity (78% vs. 35%, P < 0.001), nodal positivity (89% vs. 83%, P < 0.001), well/intermediate grade (34% vs. 24%, P < 0.001), tumors ≥2 cm (72% vs. 67%, P = 0.02) but not associated with race or tumor histology. IGF1R did not affect DFS within arms. Between Arms A and C, patients with IGF1R+ and IGF1R- tumors had DFS HRs of 0.48 (P ≤ 0.001) and 0.68 (P = 0.009), respectively (Pinteraction = 0.17). Between Arms A and B, patients with IGF1R+ and IGF1R- tumors had DFS HRs of 0.83 (P = 0.25) and 0.69 (P = 0.01), respectively (Pinteraction = 0.42).Conclusions: In contrast to preclinical studies that suggest a decrease in trastuzumab sensitivity in IGF1R+ tumors, our adjuvant data show benefit of adding trastuzumab for patients with either IGF1R+ and IGF1R- breast tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4203-11. ©2016 AACR.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics , Receptors, Somatomedin/genetics , Trastuzumab/administration & dosage , Adult , Aged , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Disease-Free Survival , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects , Humans , Middle Aged , Neoplasm Staging , Receptor, ErbB-2/genetics , Receptor, IGF Type 1 , Receptors, Estrogen/genetics , Receptors, Progesterone/genetics , Trastuzumab/adverse effects
11.
BMJ Case Rep ; 20172017 Feb 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28242801

ABSTRACT

Collapsing glomerulopathy (CG) is a rare disease that can be associated with multiple other disorders. It usually leads to poor prognosis with a high percentage of patients progressing to end-stage renal disease. In this article, we illustrate a clinical case of CG associated with systemic lupus erythematosus that had a prompt response to mycophenolate and prednisone. The condition started after sudden cessation of the already established mycophenolate treatment regimen. The patient then presented with acute kidney injury due to kidney biopsy-proven CG. In that circumstance, we hypothesised that mycophenolate may play a role in prevention and development of CG.


Subject(s)
Immunosuppressive Agents/therapeutic use , Kidney Glomerulus , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/complications , Lupus Nephritis/drug therapy , Mycophenolic Acid/therapeutic use , Acute Kidney Injury/etiology , Adult , Female , Humans , Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/drug therapy , Lupus Nephritis/etiology , Lupus Nephritis/pathology , Medication Adherence
13.
PLoS One ; 11(4): e0153411, 2016.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27078887

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) comprises approximately ~10-20% of breast cancers. In general, multifocal/multicentric (MF/MC) breast cancer has been associated with an increased rate of regional lymph node metastases. Tumor heterogeneity between foci represents a largely unstudied source of genomic variation in those rare patients with MF/MC ILC. METHODS: We characterized gene expression and copy number in 2 or more foci from 11 patients with MF/MC ILC (all ER+, HER2-) and adjacent normal tissue. RNA and DNA were extracted from 3x1.5 mm cores from all foci. Gene expression (730 genes) and copy number (80 genes) were measured using Nanostring PanCancer and Cancer CNV panels. Linear mixed models were employed to compare expression in tumor versus normal samples from the same patient, and to assess heterogeneity (variability) in expression among multiple ILC within an individual. RESULTS: 35 and 34 genes were upregulated (FC>2) and down-regulated (FC<0.5) respectively in ILC tumor relative to adjacent normal tissue, q<0.05. 9/34 down-regulated genes (FIGF, RELN, PROM1, SFRP1, MMP7, NTRK2, LAMB3, SPRY2, KIT) had changes larger than CDH1, a hallmark of ILC. Copy number changes in these patients were relatively few but consistent across foci within each patient. Amplification of three genes (CCND1, FADD, ORAOV1) at 11q13.3 was present in 2/11 patients in both foci. We observed significant evidence of within-patient between-foci variability (heterogeneity) in gene expression for 466 genes (p<0.05 with FDR 8%), including CDH1, FIGF, RELN, SFRP1, MMP7, NTRK2, LAMB3, SPRY2 and KIT. CONCLUSIONS: There was substantial variation in gene expression between ILC foci within patients, including known markers of ILC, suggesting an additional level of complexity that should be addressed.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Carcinoma, Lobular/pathology , Transcriptome , Adult , Breast/metabolism , Breast/pathology , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Carcinoma, Lobular/genetics , Carcinoma, Lobular/metabolism , Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 , Cyclin D1/genetics , Cyclin D1/metabolism , DNA, Neoplasm/isolation & purification , DNA, Neoplasm/metabolism , Female , Gene Dosage , Genetic Loci , Humans , Lymphatic Metastasis , RNA, Neoplasm/isolation & purification , RNA, Neoplasm/metabolism , Reelin Protein
14.
Oncotarget ; 6(30): 29740-52, 2015 Oct 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26336132

ABSTRACT

Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) signaling is critical for dynamic actin reorganization processes that define the motile phenotype of cells. Here we show that VASP is generally highly expressed in normal breast tissue and breast cancer. We also show that the phosphorylation status of VASP at S322 can be predictive for breast cancer progression to an aggressive phenotype. Our data indicate that phosphorylation at S322 is gradually decreased from normal breast to DCIS, luminal/ER+, HER2+ and basal-like/TN phenotypes. Similarly, the expression levels of PKD2, the kinase that phosphorylates VASP at this site, are decreased in invasive ductal carcinoma samples of all three groups. Overall, the phosphorylation status of this residue may serve as an indicator of aggressiveness of breast tumors.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Carcinoma, Ductal/metabolism , Cell Adhesion Molecules/metabolism , Microfilament Proteins/metabolism , Phosphoproteins/metabolism , Serine/metabolism , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Carcinoma, Ductal/genetics , Carcinoma, Ductal/pathology , Cell Adhesion Molecules/genetics , Cell Line , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement/genetics , Disease Progression , HeLa Cells , Humans , Immunoblotting , Immunohistochemistry , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Microfilament Proteins/genetics , Microscopy, Confocal , Mutation , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Phosphoproteins/genetics , Phosphorylation , Prognosis , Protein Kinase D2 , Protein Kinases/genetics , Protein Kinases/metabolism , Serine/genetics , Tissue Array Analysis
16.
Mol Cancer Ther ; 14(6): 1306-16, 2015 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25852060

ABSTRACT

Invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) of the breast are associated with altered expression of hormone receptors (HR), amplification or overexpression of HER2, or a triple-negative phenotype. The most aggressive cases of IDC are characterized by a high proliferation rate, a great propensity to metastasize, and their ability to resist to standard chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or HER2-targeted therapy. Using progression tissue microarrays, we here demonstrate that the serine/threonine kinase protein kinase D3 (PKD3) is highly upregulated in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (ER(-)) tumors. We identify direct binding of the ER to the PRKD3 gene promoter as a mechanism of inhibition of PKD3 expression. Loss of ER results in upregulation of PKD3, leading to all hallmarks of aggressive IDC, including increased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. This identifies ER(-) breast cancers as ideal for treatment with the PKD inhibitor CRT0066101. We show that similar to a knockdown of PKD3, treatment with this inhibitor targets all tumorigenic processes in vitro and decreases growth of primary tumors and metastasis in vivo. Our data strongly support the development of PKD inhibitors for clinical use for ER(-) breast cancers, including the triple-negative phenotype.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Protein Kinase C/antagonists & inhibitors , Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Pyrimidines/pharmacology , Animals , Blotting, Western , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Movement/drug effects , Cell Movement/genetics , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/genetics , Female , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Lung Neoplasms/metabolism , Lung Neoplasms/prevention & control , Lung Neoplasms/secondary , Lymphatic Metastasis , MCF-7 Cells , Mice, Inbred NOD , Mice, SCID , Microscopy, Confocal , Neoplasm Invasiveness , Protein Kinase C/genetics , Protein Kinase C/metabolism , RNA Interference , Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism , Tumor Burden/drug effects , Tumor Burden/genetics , Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
17.
PLoS One ; 10(3): e0122209, 2015.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25816016

ABSTRACT

Folate receptor alpha (FOLR1) has been identified as a potential prognostic and therapeutic target in a number of cancers. A correlation has been shown between intense overexpression of FOLR1 in breast tumors and poor prognosis, yet there is limited examination of the distribution of FOLR1 across clinically relevant breast cancer subtypes. To explore this further, we used RNA-seq data from multiple patient cohorts to analyze the distribution of FOLR1 mRNA across breast cancer subtypes comprised of estrogen receptor positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor receptor positive (HER2+), and triple negative (TNBC) tumors. FOLR1 expression varied within breast tumor subtypes; triple negative/basal tumors were significantly associated with increased expression of FOLR1 mRNA, compared to ER+ and HER2+ tumors. However, subsets of high level FOLR1 expressing tumors were observed in all clinical subtypes. These observations were supported by immunohistochemical analysis of tissue microarrays, with the largest number of 3+ positive tumors and highest H-scores of any subtype represented by triple negatives, and lowest by ER+ tumors. FOLR1 expression did not correlate to common clinicopathological parameters such as tumor stage and nodal status. To delineate the importance of FOLR1 overexpression in triple negative cancers, RNA-interference was used to deplete FOLR1 in overexpressing triple negative cell breast lines. Loss of FOLR1 resulted in growth inhibition, whereas FOLR1 overexpression promoted folate uptake and growth advantage in low folate conditions. Taken together, our data suggests patients with triple negative cancers expressing high FOLR1 expression represent an important population of patients that may benefit from targeted anti-FOLR1 therapy. This may prove particularly helpful for a large number of patients who would typically be classified as triple negative and who to this point have been left without any targeted treatment options.


Subject(s)
Folate Receptor 1/metabolism , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Cell Line, Tumor , Female , Folate Receptor 1/genetics , Humans , RNA, Messenger/genetics , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/metabolism , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Up-Regulation
18.
Hered Cancer Clin Pract ; 13(1): 6, 2015.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25649062

ABSTRACT

A 46-year-old female presents with a pelvic mass and is diagnosed as having a high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma. During surgery, she is noted to have areas of intussusception of the small bowel secondary to large hamartomatous polyps. The patient had a previous history of small bowel obstruction secondary to what had been thought to be hyperplastic polyps but represented hamartomatous polyps on further review. Additional examination revealed the presence of subtle hyperpigmented macules on the fingers leading to a diagnosis of Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome (PJS). The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of a germ-line STK11 mutation. Immunohistochemistry analysis of the tumor showed decreased expression of STK-11 as compared to one of the patient's hamartomatous polyps. Next generation sequencing of the tumor specimen failed to demonstrate a "second hit" somatic mutation in STK-11. This case represents the first case of endometrial stromal sarcoma associated with PJS and illustrates the importance of increased awareness of this condition among oncologists. PJS is associated with dysregulation of the mTOR pathway; treatment with an mTOR inhibitor was not effective in this case.

19.
J Clin Oncol ; 33(7): 701-8, 2015 Mar 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25605861

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To develop a genomic signature that predicts benefit from trastuzumab in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: DASL technology was used to quantify mRNA in samples from 1,282 patients enrolled onto the Combination Chemotherapy With or Without Trastuzumab in Treating Women With Breast Cancer (North Central Cancer Treatment Group N9831 [NCCTG-N9831]) adjuvant trastuzumab trial. Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs), adjusted for significant clinicopathologic risk factors, were used to determine the association of each gene with relapse-free survival (RFS) for 433 patients who received chemotherapy alone (arm A) and 849 patients who received chemotherapy plus trastuzumab (arms B and C). Network and pathway analyses were used to identify key biologic processes linked to RFS. The signature was built by using a voting scheme. RESULTS: Network and functional ontology analyses suggested that increased RFS was linked to a subset of immune function genes. A voting scheme model was used to define immune gene enrichment based on the expression of any nine or more of 14 immune function genes at or above the 0.40 quantile for the population. This model was used to identify immune gene-enriched tumors in arm A and arms B and C. Immune gene enrichment was linked to increased RFS in arms B and C (HR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.55; P < .001), whereas arm B and C patients who did not exhibit immune gene enrichment did not benefit from trastuzumab (HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.62 to 1.28; P = .53). Enriched immune function gene expression as defined by our predictive signature was not associated with increased RFS in arm A (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.37; P = .64). CONCLUSION: Increased expression of a subset of immune function genes may provide a means of predicting benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/administration & dosage , Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use , Biomarkers, Tumor/analysis , Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/immunology , Molecular Targeted Therapy , Receptor, ErbB-2/analysis , Adult , Aged , Breast Neoplasms/chemistry , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant , DNA, Neoplasm/analysis , Disease-Free Survival , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Genomics , Humans , Kaplan-Meier Estimate , Middle Aged , Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods , Proportional Hazards Models , Transcriptome , Trastuzumab
20.
PLoS One ; 8(11): e81925, 2013.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24278466

ABSTRACT

Advantages of RNA-Seq over array based platforms are quantitative gene expression and discovery of expressed single nucleotide variants (eSNVs) and fusion transcripts from a single platform, but the sensitivity for each of these characteristics is unknown. We measured gene expression in a set of manually degraded RNAs, nine pairs of matched fresh-frozen, and FFPE RNA isolated from breast tumor with the hybridization based, NanoString nCounter (226 gene panel) and with whole transcriptome RNA-Seq using RiboZeroGold ScriptSeq V2 library preparation kits. We performed correlation analyses of gene expression between samples and across platforms. We then specifically assessed whole transcriptome expression of lincRNA and discovery of eSNVs and fusion transcripts in the FFPE RNA-Seq data. For gene expression in the manually degraded samples, we observed Pearson correlations of >0.94 and >0.80 with NanoString and ScriptSeq protocols, respectively. Gene expression data for matched fresh-frozen and FFPE samples yielded mean Pearson correlations of 0.874 and 0.783 for NanoString (226 genes) and ScriptSeq whole transcriptome protocols respectively, p<2x10(-16). Specifically for lincRNAs, we observed superb Pearson correlation (0.988) between matched fresh-frozen and FFPE pairs. FFPE samples across NanoString and RNA-Seq platforms gave a mean Pearson correlation of 0.838. In FFPE libraries, we detected 53.4% of high confidence SNVs and 24% of high confidence fusion transcripts. Sensitivity of fusion transcript detection was not overcome by an increase in depth of sequencing up to 3-fold (increase from ~56 to ~159 million reads). Both NanoString and ScriptSeq RNA-Seq technologies yield reliable gene expression data for degraded and FFPE material. The high degree of correlation between NanoString and RNA-Seq platforms suggests discovery based whole transcriptome studies from FFPE material will produce reliable expression data. The RiboZeroGold ScriptSeq protocol performed particularly well for lincRNA expression from FFPE libraries, but detection of eSNV and fusion transcripts was less sensitive.


Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Gene Expression , Gene Fusion , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , RNA, Messenger/genetics , Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Female , Humans , RNA, Untranslated/genetics , Sequence Analysis, RNA , Transcriptome
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