Expression of MAGE-A3/6 in primary breast cancer is associated with hormone receptor negative status, high histologic grade, and poor survival

J Immunother. 2014 Feb-Mar;37(2):73-6. doi: 10.1097/CJI.0000000000000013.

Abstract

The cancer testis antigen (CTA), melanoma-associated antigen A3/6 (MAGE-A3/6), is expressed in human cancers of different histologic types, to variable extents, and is an important target for immunotherapy. In this study, to address the potential of MAGE-A3/6 as an immunotherapeutic target in breast cancer (BC), we assessed MAGE-A3/6 expression by PCR in a cohort of 362 primary BC tumors and analyzed the correlation between MAGE-A3/6 expression, tumors hormone receptor (HR) status, and other clinicopathologic features. We found expression of MAGE-A3/6 in 10% of primary BC tumors. MAGE-A3/6 expression was significantly correlated with estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) negative status and was frequent in ER (29%) and in PR (24%) tumors. MAGE-A3/6 expression was also significantly associated with high histologic grade but not with patients age, tumor size, tumor type, lymph-node invasion, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression. Consistent with the associated poor clinicopathologic features, patients with MAGE-A3/6-expressing tumors had a worse disease-specific survival as compared with patients with MAGE-A3/6 tumors. The frequent expression of MAGE-A3/6 in tumors of patients with primary HR BC, who have, for a large part, limited therapeutic options, encourages the selection of BC patients bearing MAGE-A3/6-expressing tumors for targeted immunotherapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antigens, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / metabolism*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism*
  • Breast Neoplasms / immunology
  • Breast Neoplasms / mortality
  • Breast Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Carcinoma / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma / immunology
  • Carcinoma / mortality
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy
  • Neoplasm Proteins / genetics
  • Neoplasm Proteins / metabolism*
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Prognosis
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism
  • Receptors, Estrogen / metabolism
  • Receptors, Progesterone / metabolism
  • Survival Analysis

Substances

  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • MAGEA3 protein, human
  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • Receptors, Estrogen
  • Receptors, Progesterone
  • ERBB2 protein, human
  • Receptor, ErbB-2