Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Unlike estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer, ER-positive breast cancer outcome is less influenced by lymphocyte content, indicating the presence of immune tolerance mechanisms that may be specific to this disease subset.Methods
A supervised analysis of microarray data from the ACOSOG Z1031 (Alliance) neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor (AI) trial identified upregulated genes in Luminal (Lum) B breast cancers that correlated with AI-resistant tumor proliferation (percentage of Ki67-positive cancer nuclei, Pearson r > 0.4) (33 cases Ki67?>?10% on AI) vs LumB breast cancers that were more AI sensitive (33 cases Ki67?ResultsThirty candidate genes positively correlated (r???0.4) with AI-resistant proliferation in LumB and were upregulated greater than twofold. Gene ontologies identified that the targetable immune checkpoint (IC) components IDO1, LAG3, and PD1 were overrepresented resistance candidates (P???.001). High IDO1 mRNA was associated with poor prognosis in LumB disease (Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium, hazard ratio = 1.43, 95% confidence interval = 1.04 to 1.98, P?=?.03). IDO1 also statistically significantly correlated with STAT1 at protein level in LumB disease (Pearson r?=?0.74). As a composite immune tolerance signature, expression of IFN-?/STAT1 pathway components was associated with higher baseline Ki67, lower estrogen, and progesterone receptor mRNA levels and worse disease-specific survival (P?=?.002). In a tissue microarray analysis, IDO1 was observed in stromal cells and tumor-associated macrophages, with a higher incidence in LumB cases. Furthermore, IDO1 expression was associated with a macrophage mRNA signature (M1 by CIBERSORT Pearson r?=?0.62 ) and by tissue microarray analysis.Conclusions
Targetable IC components are upregulated in the majority of endocrine therapy-resistant LumB cases. Our findings provide rationale for IC inhibition in poor-outcome ER-positive breast cancer.
SUBMITTER: Anurag M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7805027 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Journal of the National Cancer Institute 20200701 7
<h4>Background</h4>Unlike estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer, ER-positive breast cancer outcome is less influenced by lymphocyte content, indicating the presence of immune tolerance mechanisms that may be specific to this disease subset.<h4>Methods</h4>A supervised analysis of microarray data from the ACOSOG Z1031 (Alliance) neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitor (AI) trial identified upregulated genes in Luminal (Lum) B breast cancers that correlated with AI-resistant tumor proliferation (p ...[more]