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Fontes-Sousa M, Lobo J, Lobo S, Salta S, Amorim M, Lopes P, Antunes L, de Sousa SP, Henrique R, Jerónimo C. Digital imaging-assisted quantification of H3K27me3 immunoexpression in luminal A/B-like, HER2-negative, invasive breast cancer predicts patient survival and risk of recurrence. Mol Med 2020; 26:22. [PMID: 32050892 PMCID: PMC7017542 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-020-0147-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Breast cancer (BC) is a major health concern and better understanding of its biology might improve treatment decisions and patient outcomes. Histone3 Lysine27 tri-methylation (H3K27me3) is a post-translational histone modification frequently associated with altered gene expression. In BC patients, lower H3K27me3 expression has been associated with worse prognosis. We assessed H3K27me3 immunoexpression with digital imaging software assistance, in a cohort of luminal-like BC patients with long-term follow-up time and evaluated its association with clinically relevant endpoints and its clinical usefulness. Methods H3K27me3 immunoexpression was assessed, by means of digital-imaging system, in archival tissue samples of 160 luminal A/B-like HER2-negative invasive BC, stages I-III. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. Cases were categorized as ‘low’ or ‘high’ expression based on cut-off defined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results The patient cohort showed a median age of 61-years, with a median follow-up time of 11.7 years. Low H3K27me3 expression (below 85% cut-off) was significantly associated with recurrence, both in univariable (HR = 1.99, 95%CI 1.066–3.724) and multivariable analysis when adjusting for grade and age (HR = 1.89, 95%CI 1.004–3.559). A trend for higher risk of death in low H3K27me3 expression BC was observed (p = 0.069), reaching statistical significance in younger patients (p = 0.021). Conclusions H3K27me3 immunoexpression assessed by digital imaging scoring software is an independent prognosis biomarker in luminal-like BC patients and may assist in more individualized adjuvant treatment decisions, thus potentially reducing recurrences after curative-intent treatment, while sparing unnecessary toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mário Fontes-Sousa
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO Porto), Research Center-LAB 3, F Bdg., 1st floor, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Medical Oncology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - João Lobo
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO Porto), Research Center-LAB 3, F Bdg., 1st floor, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Pathology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar - University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Silvana Lobo
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO Porto), Research Center-LAB 3, F Bdg., 1st floor, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sofia Salta
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO Porto), Research Center-LAB 3, F Bdg., 1st floor, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria Amorim
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO Porto), Research Center-LAB 3, F Bdg., 1st floor, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Lopes
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO Porto), Research Center-LAB 3, F Bdg., 1st floor, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Pathology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Luís Antunes
- Department of Epidemiology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Susana Palma de Sousa
- Department of Medical Oncology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Rui Henrique
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO Porto), Research Center-LAB 3, F Bdg., 1st floor, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Pathology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar - University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Carmen Jerónimo
- Cancer Biology and Epigenetics Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto (IPO Porto), Research Center-LAB 3, F Bdg., 1st floor, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal. .,Department of Pathology and Molecular Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar - University of Porto (ICBAS-UP), Porto, Portugal.
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