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Endogenous NIS Expression in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers

  • Breast Oncology
  • Published:
Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The sodium iodide symporter (NIS) mediates iodide transport into cells and has been identified in approximately 70% of breast cancers. Functional NIS expression raises the possibility of using 131I for therapeutic targeting of tumor cells. Treatment of triple-negative breast cancers [estrogen/progesterone receptor-negative and HER2-negative (ER−/PR−/HER2−)] is primarily limited to chemotherapy. Our aim was to characterize NIS expression in this subset of tumors.

Methods

Archival tissue sections from 23 women with triple-negative breast cancer were analyzed for NIS expression using immunohistochemical methods and an anti-human NIS antibody. Tumors were evaluated for the presence of plasma membrane immunoreactivity. One patient with a NIS-expressing positive tumor underwent 123I scintigraphic imaging with dosimetric analysis.

Results

Fifteen cases (65.2%) demonstrated NIS-positivity with 11 tumors (47.8%) exhibiting strong expression. Plasma membrane immunoreactivity was observed in four breast cancers and was equivocal in another four tumors. Tumor-specific radioiodide uptake was demonstrated by 123I scintigraphy in a patient with a large primary breast cancer unresponsive to neoadjuvant therapy. The tumor concentrated 2.05, 1.53, and 1.96 times more isotope than normal breast tissue at 1, 5, and 21 h. The relative increased uptake is consistent with positive NIS expression in the tumor on definitive surgery; however, the cumulative concentration in the tumor was not sufficient to achieve a therapeutic effect, had the isotope been 131I.

Conclusions

NIS is strongly expressed in a significant proportion of triple-negative breast cancer cells, suggesting a potential role for NIS-directed 131I-radioablative strategies in this patient population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Corinne Renier PhD, Chen Yao MD, Malavika Ghosh PhD & Irene Wapnir MD

  2. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Michael Goris & Sanjiv S. Gambhir MD, PhD

  3. Department of Medicine and Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Laurence Katznelson MD

  4. Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Kent Nowles MD

  5. Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

    Sanjiv S. Gambhir MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Corinne Renier PhD
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  2. Chen Yao MD
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  3. Michael Goris
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  4. Malavika Ghosh PhD
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  5. Laurence Katznelson MD
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  6. Kent Nowles MD
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  7. Sanjiv S. Gambhir MD, PhD
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  8. Irene Wapnir MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Irene Wapnir MD.

Additional information

Kent Nowles—Posthumous.

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Renier, C., Yao, C., Goris, M. et al. Endogenous NIS Expression in Triple-Negative Breast Cancers. Ann Surg Oncol 16, 962–968 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-008-0280-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-008-0280-9

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