HER2, TOP2A, and TIMP-1 and responsiveness to adjuvant anthracycline-containing chemotherapy in high-risk breast cancer patients

J Clin Oncol. 2010 Feb 20;28(6):984-90. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2009.24.1166. Epub 2009 Dec 28.

Abstract

PURPOSE To evaluate whether the combination of HER2 with TIMP-1 (HT) or TOP2A with TIMP-1 (2T) more accurately identifies patients who benefit from cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil (CEF) compared with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF) than these markers do when analyzed individually. PATIENTS AND METHODS The Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group (DBCG) 89D trial randomly assigned 980 high-risk Danish breast cancer patients to CMF or CEF. Archival tumor tissue was analyzed TIMP-1, and HER2-negative and TIMP-1 immunoreactive tumors were classified as HT nonresponsive and otherwise HT responsive. Similarly, the 2T panel was constructed by combining TOP2A and TIMP-1; tumors with normal TOP2A status and TIMP-1 immunoreactivity were classified as 2T-nonresponsive and otherwise 2T-responsive. Results In total, 623 tumors were available for analysis, of which 154 lacked TIMP-1 immunoreactivity, 188 were HER2 positive, and 139 had a TOP2A aberration. HT status was a statistically significant predictor of benefit from CEF compared with CMF (P(interaction) = .036 for invasive disease-free survival [IDFS] and .047 for overall survival [OS]). The 269 (43%) patients with a 2T-responsive profile had a significant reduction in IDFS events (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.69; P < .001) and OS events (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.77; P < .001). 2T status was a highly significant predictor of benefit from CEF compared with CMF (P(interaction) < .0001 for IDFS and .004 for OS). CONCLUSION The 2T profile is a more accurate predictor of incremental benefit from anthracycline-containing chemotherapy than HER2, TIMP-1, or TOP2A individually, and compared with these, 2T classifies a larger proportion of patients as sensitive to anthracyclines.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial, Phase III
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antigens, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / metabolism*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Cyclophosphamide / therapeutic use
  • DNA Topoisomerases, Type II / genetics
  • DNA Topoisomerases, Type II / metabolism*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Epirubicin / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Fluorouracil / therapeutic use
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Methotrexate / therapeutic use
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins
  • Prognosis
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / genetics
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Survival Rate
  • Tissue Array Analysis
  • Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / metabolism*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins
  • Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1
  • Epirubicin
  • Cyclophosphamide
  • ERBB2 protein, human
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • DNA Topoisomerases, Type II
  • TOP2A protein, human
  • Fluorouracil
  • Methotrexate

Supplementary concepts

  • CMF regimen
  • FEC protocol