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Androgen Pathway Dysregulation in BRCA1-Mutated Breast Tumors

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Abstract

Background. Using array analysis for screening RNA from BRCA1-mutated and sporadic breast tumors, we observed that AIGF/FGF-8 expression was lost in BRCA1-mutated breast tumors. Since this growth factor is induced by androgens, we studied the androgen receptor (AR) expression in BRCA-mutated tumors and in matched sporadic breast tumors.

Methods. Paraffin embedded breast tumors of carriers of a BRCA1 mutation (n = 41, median age of patients at time of surgery was 41 years [range 28–59 years]) or a BRCA2 mutation (n = 14, median age 41 years [range 31–85 years]) were analyzed for the presence of ER-alpha, PR, P53 and AR using standard immunohistochemical techniques. All statistical tests used, Pearson χ2 and Fisher exact, were two-sided.

Results. The AR was only present in 12% of BRCA1-mutated tumors, with mutations located at the C-terminal half of the BRCA1-gene. The AR expression was significantly more prevalent, however, in a series of 61 sporadic breast tumors (80%) and in BRCA2-mutated tumors (50%). In contrast to an increased percentage of p53 positive cells, in 66% of the BRCA1-mutated tumors, the ER-alpha expression was observed only in 25% and the PR in 13% of these specimens. The three steroid hormone receptors were expressed in about half of the BRCA2-mutated specimens studied.

Conclusions. Our data add to the emerging evidence that the biological phenotype of BRCA1-associated tumors may be different from BRCA2 and non-hereditary cases. The loss of the AR expression, as shown by immunohistochemistry, together with the observed loss of other steroid hormone receptors in BRCA1-mutated tumors may lead to a hormone-independent growth or to anti-hormone resistant growth of these tumors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC

    Els M.J.J. Berns, Maaike J.M. Dirkzwager-Kiel, Mieke Timmermans, Leon C. Verhoog, Hanne Meijer-Heijboer & Jan G.M. Klijn

  2. Department of Pathology, Erasmus MC

    Vibeke Kuenen-Boumeester, Leon C. Verhoog & Theo H. van der Kwast

  3. Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC

    Ans M.W. van den Ouweland & Hanne Meijer-Heijboer

  4. Family Cancer Clinic, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Jan G.M. Klijn

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  1. Els M.J.J. Berns
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Berns, E.M., Dirkzwager-Kiel, M.J., Kuenen-Boumeester, V. et al. Androgen Pathway Dysregulation in BRCA1-Mutated Breast Tumors. Breast Cancer Res Treat 79, 121–127 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023347409599

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