Gertraud Maskarinec1, Dan Ju2, Yurii B Shvetsov3, David Horio3, Owen Chan3, Lenora W M Loo3, Brenda Y Hernandez3. 1. University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States. Electronic address: gertraud@cc.hawaii.edu. 2. Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States. 3. University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study investigated the association of breast lobular involution status and three inflammatory markers as predictors of survival among breast cancer patients in the Multiethnic Cohort. METHODS: Lobular involution was evaluated in tissue sections of normal breast tissue and COX-2, TNF-α, and TGF-β proteins were assessed by immunohistochemistry in tumor microarrays. A summary score added the expression levels of the three markers. Cox regression was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) with age as the time metric and adjustment for factors known to affect mortality. RESULTS: Among 254 women (mean age = 61.7 ± 8.7 years) with pathologic blocks and follow-up information, 54 all-cause and 10 breast cancer-specific deaths were identified after a mean follow-up time of 16.0 ± 3.1 years. For 214 participants, an inflammatory score was available and 157 women had information on lobular involution. Lobular involution was not significantly associated with survival. Expression of both COX-2 and TNF-α were significant predictors of lower survival (p = 0.02 and 0.04), while the association for TGF-β was weaker (p = 0.09). When combined into one overall inflammation score, both intermediate (HR = 2.72; 95 % CI 0.90-8.28) and high (HR = 4.21; 95 % CI 1.51-11.8) scores were associated with higher mortality but only the latter was statistically significant. No significant association with breast cancer-specific mortality was detected. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that strong expression of inflammatory markers in breast tissue predicts a poorer prognosis possibly due to a system-wide state of chronic inflammation.
BACKGROUND: This study investigated the association of breast lobular involution status and three inflammatory markers as predictors of survival among breast cancerpatients in the Multiethnic Cohort. METHODS: Lobular involution was evaluated in tissue sections of normal breast tissue and COX-2, TNF-α, and TGF-β proteins were assessed by immunohistochemistry in tumor microarrays. A summary score added the expression levels of the three markers. Cox regression was applied to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) with age as the time metric and adjustment for factors known to affect mortality. RESULTS: Among 254 women (mean age = 61.7 ± 8.7 years) with pathologic blocks and follow-up information, 54 all-cause and 10 breast cancer-specific deaths were identified after a mean follow-up time of 16.0 ± 3.1 years. For 214 participants, an inflammatory score was available and 157 women had information on lobular involution. Lobular involution was not significantly associated with survival. Expression of both COX-2 and TNF-α were significant predictors of lower survival (p = 0.02 and 0.04), while the association for TGF-β was weaker (p = 0.09). When combined into one overall inflammation score, both intermediate (HR = 2.72; 95 % CI 0.90-8.28) and high (HR = 4.21; 95 % CI 1.51-11.8) scores were associated with higher mortality but only the latter was statistically significant. No significant association with breast cancer-specific mortality was detected. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that strong expression of inflammatory markers in breast tissue predicts a poorer prognosis possibly due to a system-wide state of chronic inflammation.
Authors: Gertraud Maskarinec; Ian Pagano; Galina Lurie; Lynne R Wilkens; Laurence N Kolonel Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2005-09-08 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Ari Ristimäki; Anna Sivula; Johan Lundin; Mikael Lundin; Tiina Salminen; Caj Haglund; Heikki Joensuu; Jorma Isola Journal: Cancer Res Date: 2002-02-01 Impact factor: 12.701
Authors: Gertraud Maskarinec; Eva Erber; Martijn Verheus; Brenda Y Hernandez; Jeffrey Killeen; Suzanne Cashin; J Mark Cline Journal: Nutr Cancer Date: 2009 Impact factor: 2.900
Authors: Martijn Verheus; Gertraud Maskarinec; Eva Erber; Jana S Steude; Jeffrey Killeen; Brenda Y Hernandez; J Mark Cline Journal: BMC Cancer Date: 2009-06-13 Impact factor: 4.430
Authors: Marília Silva; Gabriel Amaro Monteiro; Arsenio M Fialho; Nuno Bernardes; Cláudia Lobato da Silva Journal: Front Cell Dev Biol Date: 2020-07-09