| 1. |
- Aguilar, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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VAV3 mediates resistance to breast cancer endocrine therapy
- 2014
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Ingår i: Breast Cancer Research. - : BioMed Central. - 1465-5411 .- 1465-542X. ; 16:3, s. R53-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: Endocrine therapies targeting cell proliferation and survival mediated by estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) are among the most effective systemic treatments for ERalpha-positive breast cancer. However, most tumors initially responsive to these therapies acquire resistance through mechanisms that involve ERalpha transcriptional regulatory plasticity. Here, we identify VAV3 as a critical component in this process.METHODS: A cell-based chemical compound screen was carried out to identify therapeutic strategies against resistance to endocrine therapy. Binding to ERalpha was evaluated by molecular docking analyses, an agonist fluoligand assay, and short-hairpin (sh) RNA-mediated protein depletion. Microarray analyses were performed to identify altered gene expression. Western blot of signaling and proliferation markers and shRNA-mediated protein depletion in viability and clonogenic assays were performed to delineate the role of VAV3. Genetic variation in VAV3 was assessed for association with the response to tamoxifen. Immunohistochemical analyses of VAV3 were carried out to determine the association with therapy response and different tumor markers. An analysis of gene expression association with drug sensitivity was carried out to identify a potential therapeutic approach based on differential VAV3 expression.RESULTS: The compound YC-1 was found to comparatively reduce the viability of cell models of acquired resistance. This effect was probably not due to activation of its canonical target (soluble guanylyl cyclase) but instead a result of binding to ERalpha. VAV3 was selectively reduced upon exposure to YC-1 or ERalpha depletion and, accordingly, VAV3 depletion comparatively reduced the viability of cell models of acquired resistance. In the clinical scenario, germline variation in VAV3 was associated with response to tamoxifen in Japanese breast cancer patients (rs10494071 combined P value = 8.4 x 10-4). The allele association combined with gene expression analyses indicated that low VAV3 expression predicts better clinical outcome. Conversely, high nuclear VAV3 expression in tumor cells was associated with poorer endocrine therapy response. Based on VAV3 expression levels and the response to erlotinib in cancer cell lines, targeting EGFR signaling may be a promising therapeutic strategy.CONCLUSIONS: This study proposes VAV3 as a biomarker and rationale signaling target to prevent and/or overcome resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer.
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| 2. |
- Ahnström, Marie, et al.
(författare)
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Altered expression of cyclin E and the retinoblastoma protein influences the effect of adjuvant therapy in breast cancer
- 2009
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Ingår i: International Journal of Oncology. - : Spandidos Publications. - 1019-6439 .- 1791-2423. ; 34:2, s. 441-448
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cyclin E and the retinoblastoma protein (Rb) are both important regulators of the G(1) phase in the cell cycle. Overexpression of cyclin E and lost expression of Rb has previously been observed in breast tumours at frequencies of 10-50% and 20-30%, respectively. We explored the prognostic role of cyclin E and Rb in breast cancer patients randomised for tamoxifen (TAM), CMF (cyclophosphamide, metotrexate, 5-fluorouracil) chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) and how their expression affects the patients response to treatment. Protein expression was assessed with immunohistochemistry. We found overexpression of cyclin E in 32.1% (71/221) of the tumours and loss of Rb expression in 25.0% (59/236). Increased expression of cyclin E correlated to dysfunctional p53 (P=0.003) while loss of Rb correlated to normal p53 status (P=0.001). Our results suggest that patients with high cyclin E tumours have less benefit from tamoxifen (ER+, TAM vs. no TAM; RR=0.97; 95% CI, 0.36-2.60) than patients whose tumours show low expression (ER+, TAM vs. no TAM; RR =0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.72). Cyclin E also tended to predict the benefit from radiotherapy with a local recurrence rate of 0.31 (RT vs. CMF; 95% CI, 0.12-0.93) for patients with low expression and 0.68 (RT vs. CMF; 95% CI, 0.2-2.32) for patients with high expression of cyclin E. When the p53 status was taken in consideration the results showed that patients with both normal p53 and normal Rb expression had considerably lower locoregional recurrence rate when treated with radiotherapy instead of CMF (RR=0.17; 95% CI, 0.052-0.58) as compared to patients with either altered Rb or p53 or both (RR=0.70; 95% CI, 0.28-1.73).
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| 3. |
- Ahnström Waltersson, Marie, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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miR-206 expression is downregulated in cyclin D1 amplified breast tumours
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Amplification in the 11q13 region has been found in around 15% of all breast cancers and is strongly correlated with oestrogen receptor (ER) positive tumours. We have previously found that amplification of at least one of the genes PAK1 or CCND1 is associated with decreased recurrencefree survival among ER+ patients. Other genes in the amplicon might also contribute to this effect and situated close to CCND1 are the FGF-3, -4 and - 19 genes. The FGF-4 protein has been shown to inhibit the expression of the ERα regulator miR-206 in chicken embryo. In this study we analysed 23 tumours with and 27 tumours without previously detected 11q13 amplification to explore if 11q13 amplification is associated with decreased levels of miR-206 and if miR-206 is associated with ER expression. Using real-time PCR, we found that miR-206 expression was inversely correlated to CCND1 and 11q13 amplification (P=0.016 and P=0.022 respectively). Tumours with low miR-206 expression had higher levels of ERα than tumours with intermediate and high expression (P=0.043). We conclude that miR-206 might be an important regulator of the ERα. Our finding that low mir-206 is associated with CCND1 amplification and thereby also FGF-4 amplification points towards the possibility of a miR-206 regulator, FGF-4 or another FGF, present in the amplicon.
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| 4. |
- Berglund, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Impact of comorbidity on management and mortality in women diagnosed with breast cancer
- 2012
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Ingår i: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-6806 .- 1573-7217. ; 135:1, s. 281-289
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To investigate associations between comorbidity burden, management, and mortality in women with breast cancer. A total of 42,646 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1992 and 2008 were identified in two Clinical Quality Registers in Central Sweden. Breast cancer-specific, conditional breast cancer, competing-cause and all-cause mortality were estimated in relation to comorbidity burden assessed by the Charlson comorbidity index. All analyses were stratified by stage at diagnosis using competing risk analyses, and all-cause mortality was estimated as a function of follow-up time. Following adjustment for age and calendar period, breast conserving surgery was significantly less likely to be offered to women with severe comorbidity (OR 0.63; 95 % CI 0.58-0.69). Similarly, the proportion treated with radiotherapy, tamoxifen, or chemotherapy was lower in women with severe compared to those with no comorbidity. In women with early stage disease, breast cancer-specific mortality was higher among patients with severe comorbidity (sHR 1.47; 95 % CI 1.11-1.94). In all stages of breast cancer, conditional breast cancer and competing-cause mortality were elevated in women with severe comorbidity. For all stages, the relative risk of all-cause mortality between women with severe versus no comorbidity varied by time since diagnosis, and was most pronounced at early follow-up. Comorbidity affects treatment decisions and mortality. In women with early stage breast cancer, severe comorbidity was associated not only with conditional breast cancer, competing-cause and all-cause mortality, but also breast cancer-specific mortality. The observed differences in breast cancer-specific mortality may be due to less extensive treatment, impaired tumor defense and differences in general health status and lifestyle factors.
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| 5. |
- Bostner, Josefine, et al.
(författare)
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Activation of Akt, mTOR, and the estrogen receptor as a signature to predict tamoxifen treatment benefit
- 2013
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Ingår i: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. - : Springer Verlag (Germany). - 0167-6806 .- 1573-7217. ; 137:2, s. 397-406
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The frequent alterations of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR-growth signaling pathway are proposed mechanisms for resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer, partly through regulation of estrogen receptor alpha (ER) activity. Reliable biomarkers for treatment prediction are required for improved individualized treatment. We performed a retrospective immunohistochemical analysis of primary tumors from 912 postmenopausal patients with node-negative breast cancer, randomized to either tamoxifen or no adjuvant treatment. Phosphorylated (p) Akt-serine (s) 473, p-mTOR-s2448, and ER phosphorylations-s167 and -s305 were evaluated as potential biomarkers of prognosis and tamoxifen treatment efficacy. High expression of p-mTOR indicated a reduced response to tamoxifen, most pronounced in the ER+/progesterone receptor (PgR) + subgroup (tamoxifen vs. no tamoxifen: hazard ratio (HR), 0.86; 95 % confidence interval (CI), 0.31-2.38; P = 0.78), whereas low p-mTOR expression predicted tamoxifen benefit (HR, 0.29; 95 % CI, 0.18-0.49; P = 0.000002). In addition, nuclear p-Akt-s473 as well as p-ER at -s167 and/or -s305 showed interaction with tamoxifen efficacy with borderline statistical significance. A combination score of positive pathway markers including p-Akt, p-mTOR, and p-ER showed significant association with tamoxifen benefit (test for interaction; P = 0.029). Cross-talk between growth signaling pathways and ER-signaling has been proposed to affect tamoxifen response in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The results support this hypothesis, as an overactive pathway was significantly associated with reduced response to tamoxifen. A clinical pre-treatment test for cross-talk markers would be a step toward individualized adjuvant endocrine treatment with or without the addition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway inhibitors.
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| 6. |
- Bostner, Josefine, et al.
(författare)
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Estrogen Receptor-alpha Phosphorylation at Serine 305, Nuclear p21-Activated Kinase 1 Expression, and Response to Tamoxifen in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer
- 2010
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Ingår i: Clinical Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research, Inc.. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 16:5, s. 1624-1633
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: In vitro, p21-activated kinase 1 (Pak1) phosphorylates the serine 305 residue of the estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) and influences the response of breast cancer cells to tamoxifen. We investigated the influence of Pak1 and pER alpha(ser305) on breast cancer prognosis and results of tamoxifen therapy. Experimental Design: We examined Pak1 and pER alpha(ser305) protein by immunohistochemistry in a series of 912 tumors from node-negative breast cancer patients randomized to tamoxifen or no adjuvant endocrine treatment. Results: Cytoplasmic Pak1 correlated to large tumors and ER negativity, whereas nuclear Pak1 and pER alpha(ser305) correlated to small tumors and ER positivity. Nuclear expression of Pak1 and pER alpha(ser305) predicted reduced response to tamoxifen in patients with ER alpha-positive tumors (tamoxifen versus no tamoxifen: hazard ratio (HR), 1.33; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.42-4.2; P = 0.63), whereas patients lacking this combination benefitted significantly from tamoxifen (HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.30-0.62; P less than 0.0001). Similar nonsignificant trends were detected in analyses of the proteins separately. Pak1 in the cytoplasm was an independent prognostic marker, indicating increased recurrence rate (HR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.17-2.74; P = 0.0068) and breast cancer mortality (HR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.14-3.46; P = 0.016) for patients randomized to no adjuvant treatment. Conclusion: Our results suggest that patients with tumors expressing Pak1 and pER alpha(ser305) in combination are a group in which tamoxifen treatment is insufficient. In addition, the pathway may be of interest as a drug target in breast cancer. Furthermore, the findings support previous studies showing that Pak1 has differential roles in the cytoplasm and the nucleus.
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| 7. |
- Bostner, Josefine, et al.
(författare)
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Raptor localization predicts prognosis and tamoxifen response in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer
- 2018
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Ingår i: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. - : SPRINGER. - 0167-6806 .- 1573-7217. ; 168:1, s. 17-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deregulated PI3K/mTOR signals can promote the growth of breast cancer and contribute to endocrine treatment resistance. This report aims to investigate raptor and its intracellular localization to further understand its role in ER-positive breast cancer. Raptor protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 756 primary breast tumors from postmenopausal patients randomized to tamoxifen or no tamoxifen. In vitro, the MCF7 breast cancer cell line and tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 cells were studied to track the raptor signaling changes upon resistance, and raptor localization in ER alpha-positive cell lines was compared with that in ER alpha-negative cell lines. Raptor protein expression in the nucleus was high in ER/PgR-positive and HER2-negative tumors with low grade, features associated with the luminal A subtype. Presence of raptor in the nucleus was connected with ER alpha signaling, here shown by a coupled increase of ER alpha phosphorylation at S167 and S305 with accumulation of nuclear raptor. In addition, the expression of ER alpha-activated gene products correlated with nuclear raptor. Similarly, in vitro we observed raptor in the nucleus of ER alpha-positive, but not of ER-negative cells. Interestingly, raptor localized to the nucleus could still be seen in tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 cells. The clinical benefit from tamoxifen was inversely associated with an increase of nuclear raptor. High cytoplasmic raptor expression indicated worse prognosis on long-term follow-up. We present a connection between raptor localization to the nucleus and ER alpha-positive breast cancer, suggesting raptor as a player in stimulating the growth of the luminal A subtype and a possible target along with endocrine treatment.
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| 8. |
- Bostner, Josefine, et al.
(författare)
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S6 kinase signaling and tamoxifen response in breast cancer cells and in two randomized breast cancer cohorts
- 2013
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Detecting signals in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and the estrogen receptor (ER) pathways for prediction of treatment response may be a future clinical tool in primary breast cancer. Here, we investigated the validity and value of the mTOR targets p70-S6 kinase (S6K) 1 and 2 as biomarkers for tamoxifen sensitivity in vitro and in two independent tamoxifen randomized postmenopausal breast cancer cohorts. In addition, the prognostic value of the S6Ks was evaluated. A simultaneous knockdown of the S6Ks in ER-positive breast cancer cells resulted in G1 arrest, and tamoxifen-induced G1 arrest was in part S6K1+S6K2 dependent, suggesting separate roles in proliferation and in tamoxifen response. We found S6K1 to correlate with HER2 and cytoplasmic Akt activity, whereas S6K2 and phosphorylated S6K were closer connected with ER positivity, low proliferation and nucleic p-Akt. Treatment prediction and prognosis were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining. Nuclear accumulation of S6K1 was indicative of a reduced tamoxifen treatment effect, compared with a significant benefit from tamoxifen treatment in patients without tumor S6K1 nuclear accumulation. Patients with a combination of S6K1 nuclear accumulation and S6K2 cytoplasmic accumulation in the tumor cells had no tamoxifen benefit. Also, S6K1 and S6K2 activation, indicated by p-S6K-t389 expression, was associated with low benefit from tamoxifen compared with untreated patients. In addition, high protein expression of S6K1, independent of localization, predicted worse prognosis. This was not evident for variations in S6K2 or p-S6K-t389 expression.In conclusion, the mTOR targeted kinases S6K1 and S6K2 interfere with proliferation and response to tamoxifen. Monitoring their activity andintracellular localization may provide biomarkers for breast cancer treatment, allowing for identification of a group of patients less likely tobenefit from tamoxifen and thus in need of an alternative or additional treatment.
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| 9. |
- Bostner, Josefine, et al.
(författare)
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S6 kinase signaling: tamoxifen response and prognostic indication in two breast cancer cohorts
- 2015
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Ingår i: Endocrine-Related Cancer. - : BioScientifica. - 1351-0088 .- 1479-6821. ; 22:3, s. 331-343
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Detection of signals in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and the estrogen receptor (ER) pathways may be a future clinical tool for the prediction of adjuvant treatment response in primary breast cancer. Using immunohistological staining, we investigated the value of the mTOR targets p70-S6 kinase (S6K) 1 and 2 as biomarkers for tamoxifen benefit in two independent clinical trials comparing adjuvant tamoxifen with no tamoxifen or 5 years versus 2 years of tamoxifen treatment. In addition, the prognostic value of the S6Ks was evaluated. We found that S6K1 correlated with proliferation, HER2 status, and cytoplasmic AKT activity, whereas high protein expression levels of S6K2 and phosphorylated (p) S6K were more common in ER-positive, and low-proliferative tumors with pAKT-s473 localized to the nucelus. Nuclear accumulation of S6K1 was indicative of a reduced tamoxifen effect (hazard ratio (HR): 1.07, 95% CI: 0.53-2.81, P=0.84), compared with a significant benefit from tamoxifen treatment in patients without tumor S6K1 nuclear accumulation (HR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.29-0.62, Pless than0.00001). Also S6K1 and S6K2 activation, indicated by pS6K-t389 expression, was associated with low benefit from tamoxifen (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.50-1.87, P=0.92). In addition, high protein expression of S6K1, independent of localization, predicted worse prognosis in a multivariate analysis, P=0.00041 (cytoplasm), P=0.016 (nucleus). In conclusion, the mTOR-activated kinases S6K1 and S6K2 interfere with proliferation and response to tamoxifen. Monitoring their activity and intracellular localization may provide biomarkers for breast cancer treatment, allowing the identification of a group of patients less likely to benefit from tamoxifen and thus in need of an alternative or additional targeted treatment.
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| 10. |
- Colzani, Edoardo, et al.
(författare)
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Risk of hospitalization and death due to bone fractures after breast cancer: a registry-based cohort study
- 2016
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Ingår i: British Journal of Cancer. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 0007-0920 .- 1532-1827.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Bone fractures may have an impact on prognosis of breast cancer. The long-term risks of bone fracture in breast cancer patients have not been thoroughly studied. METHODS: Poisson regression was used to investigate the incidence of hospitalisation due to bone fracture comparing women with and without breast cancer based on Swedish National registers. Cox regression was used to investigate the risk of being hospitalised with bone fracture, and subsequent risk of death, in a regional cohort of breast cancer patients. RESULTS: For breast cancer patients, the 5-year risk of bone fracture hospitalisation was 4.8% and the 30-day risk of death following a bone fracture hospitalisation was 2.0%. Compared with the general population, breast cancer patients had incidence rate ratios of 1.25 (95% CI: 1.23-1.28) and 1.18 (95% CI: 1.14-1.22) for hospitalisation due to any bone fracture and hip fracture, respectively. These ratios remained significantly increased for 10 years. Comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index 1) were associated with the risk of being hospitalised with bone fracture. Women taking aromatase inhibitors were at an increased risk as compared with women taking tamoxifen (HR=1.48; 95% CI: 0.98-2.22). Breast cancer patients hospitalised for a bone fracture showed a higher risk of death (HR=1.83; 95% CI: 1.50-2.22) compared with those without bone fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Women with a previous breast cancer diagnosis are at an increased risk of hospitalisation due to a bone fracture, particularly if they have other comorbidities.
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