Abstract 4247
Background
Despite ER positive IHC staining, some patients do not respond to neoadjuvant endocrine therapy, suggesting that ER staining lacks specificity to predict response. We developed a method to infer a quantitative signal transduction pathway activity score (PAS) from mRNA levels (microarray, qPCR) of pathway-associated transcription factor target genes. Initial studies suggest that ER PAS may have higher specificity than ER IHC in predicting endocrine therapy response. In this study, we correlated pre-treatment ER PAS and changes in ER PAS during neoadjuvant letrozole treatment to therapy response and DFS.
Methods
We collected fresh frozen RNA from tumor samples of 30 ER IHC positive post-menopausal patients with primary localized breast cancer, treated with neoadjuvant letrozole at Edinburgh Western General. In total, 30 pre, 25 mid (median 27 days), and 29 post-treatment (median 136 days) samples were analysed. Clinical outcome was assessed (RECIST, n = 29) at circa 3 months treatment by 3D ultrasound, with 1 complete (CR), 21 partial responses (PR), 2 stable (SD), and 5 progressive diseases (PD). Using RT-qPCR, target gene expression was measured for ER, androgen receptor, PI3K, Hedgehog, TGFβ and Wnt pathways. PAS were expressed on a normalized scale (0 to 100).
Results
Pre-treatment ER PAS was significantly higher in responders (CR/PR) than non-responders (SD/PD), PAS=45 vs 24, respectively, T-test p = 0.01. Pre-treatment ER PAS correlated with decrease in ER PAS during treatment (cor=0.87 and 0.7, mid and-post treatment, respectively). At mid-treatment, ER PAS of responders had decreased to PAS of non-responders (20 vs 19, respectively), remaining low during further treatment. Decrease in ER PAS was significantly higher in responders (-30) than non-responders (-6), p = 0.01. Higher ER PAS after treatment correlated to shorter DFS (COX proportional hazards p = 0.02). Baseline PAS of other pathways did not correlate with response, but changed significantly during treatment.
Conclusions
This study confirms that ER PAS in ER-positive patients, measured before and after neoadjuvant endocrine therapy, has potential to predict and assess therapy response, and predict DFS.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
Philips Electronics Nederland B.V., acting through its HealthWorks Molecular Pathway Dx.
Funding
Has not received any funding.
Disclosure
M. A. Inda: Full / Part-time employment: Philips Reseach. A. van de Stolpe: Full / Part-time employment, has Philips stocks: Philips Research. D. Keizer: Full / Part-time employment: Philips. D. Clout: Full / Part-time employment: Philips Reasearch. H. van Zon: Full / Part-time employment: Philips Reasearch. M. Akse: Full / Part-time employment: Philips. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Resources from the same session
2860 - Prognostic value of metabolic response assessed by 18FDG-PET after induction chemotherapy and after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in localized esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients (pts) receiving definite CRT (dCRT)
Presenter: Yeonghak Bang
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
3881 - Comprehensive genomic profiling of early-stage esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Presenter: Jing Zuo
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
3944 - A novel nomogram and risk classification system predicting radiation pneumonitis in patients with esophageal cancer receiving radiotherapy
Presenter: Lu Wang
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
1956 - Drinking alcohol, smoking, multiple dysplastic lesions and the risk of field cancerization of squamous cell carcinoma in the esophagus and head and neck region
Presenter: Chikatoshi Katada
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
2144 - Neoadjuvant chemotherapy can eliminate the negative impact of postoperative infectious complications on recurrence in patients with esophageal cancer
Presenter: Kazuki Kano
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
2403 - Comparison of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by consolidation with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (CF) versus definitive CRT with carboplatin and paclitaxel (CP) in esophageal cancer
Presenter: Marcelle Cesca
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
3247 - Paclitaxel in Combination with Cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil(TPF) Induction Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Borderline-resectable Esophageal Squamous cell Carcinoma: A Phase II Clinical Trial
Presenter: Yuhong Li
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
4293 - Prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma based on local immunity evaluation
Presenter: Elena Zlatnik
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
5419 - Impact of Sarcopenia and adiposity in survival of metastatic esophageal cancer (MEC)
Presenter: Aline Fares
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract
2083 - PALAESTRA - A phase II trial with short-course radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy as palliative treatment in esophageal adenocarcinoma
Presenter: David Borg
Session: Poster Display session 2
Resources:
Abstract