Prediction of the response to chemotherapy in ovarian cancers

Ovarian cancer represents the fifth most frequent cause of death as a result of malignant processes after cancers of the breast, large intestine, lung and stomach. Owing to the localisation of ovarian cancer, approximately 75% of cases are diagnosed at the III and IV stages of advancement according to FIGO. Because of the advanced stage of the disease surgery has to be followed by chemotherapy in most cases of ovarian cancer and therefore resistance to cytostatic drugs represents a major clinical problem. The potential to predict the response to therapy with the use of cytostatic drugs would enable the most effective drugs to be applied in individual cases, thus improving the efficiency of the treatment and restricting the development of resistance to cytostatic drugs. In the present paper the progress made so far in the prediction of the clinical course of ovarian cancer is reviewed. The significance of the expression of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters is described, including P-glycoprotein and MRP2, the principal representatives of the protein group. The importance of disturbed control of apoptosis and the overexpression of HER-2 and topoisomerase 1A are also discussed. Two sections are devoted to the most recent studies in the biology of ovarian cancer, pangenomic studies on gene expression using DNA microarrays and aberrations of DNA methylation

Nuclear maspin expression as a good prognostic factor in human epithelial ovarian carcinoma

Maspin, a protein belonging to the serpin superfamily, seems to exert tumour-suppressive activity. Its significance in ovarian cancer prognosis is currently under investigation. In the present work, immunocytochemical maspin expression in 132 invasive epithelial ovarian carcinomas was assessed independently in the nucleus and cytoplasm, in correlation with histopathological and clinical data. Positive maspin expression was found in 117 cases: nuclear/cytoplasmatic in 71, exclusive nuclear in 29, and only cytoplasmatic in 17 cases. Cytoplasmatic maspin expression was positively correlated with tumour grade (p = 0.000), FIGO stage (p = 0.002), and distant metastases (p = 0.000) but exhibited no significant correlation with tumour type (p = 0.078). Nuclear maspin expression showed negative correlation with tumour grade (p = 0.025), FIGO stage (p = 0.05), distant metastases (p = 0.001), and cancer remission (p = 0.000) but showed no significant relationship with the patients’ age (p = 0.948) or cancer subtype (p = 0.261). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that strong cytoplasmatic maspin expression was correlated with shorter disease-free survival (p = 0.000) whereas strong nuclear expression was correlated with longer survival (p = 0.000). In Cox regression analysis, low nuclear maspin expression (score 2 and 3) remained a significant independent prognostic factor (p = 0.001) with a relative death risk of 5.337. The obtained results suggest that maspin expression may be a significant marker in epithelial ovarian carcinoma prognosis with its nuclear expression being a good prognostic factor. (Folia Morphol 2010; 69, 4: 20-4212

Multivariate analysis of oestrogen receptor alpha, pS2, metallothionein and CD24 expression in invasive breast cancers

Determination of oestrogen receptor alpha (ER) represents at present the most important predictive factor in breast cancers. Data of ours and of other authors suggest that promising predictive/prognostic factors may also include pS2, metallothionein (MT) and CD24. Present study aimed at determining prognostic and predictive value of immunohistochemical determination of ER, pS2, MT, and CD24 expression in sections originating from 104 patients with breast cancer. An univariate and multivariate analysis was performed. Both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated that cytoplasmic-membranous expression of CD24 (CD24c-m) represents a strong unfavourable prognostic factor in the entire group and in most of the subgroups of patients. In several subgroups of the patients also a prognostic value was demonstrated of elevated expression of pS2 and of membranous expression of CD24. Our studies demonstrated that all patients with good prognostic factors (higher ER and pS2 expressions, lower MT expression, CD24c-m negativity) survived total period of observation (103 months). The study documented that cytoplasmic-membranous expression of CD24 represented an extremely strong unfavourable prognostic factor in breast cancer. Examination of the entire panel of the studied proteins permitted to select a group of patients of an exceptionally good prognosis

Electro-acoustic transducers on the basis of thin PZT-films

In the present work PZT-type thin films have been obtained by RF sputtering and electroacoustic transducers characterized by high sensitivity (t), wide range of measured relative deformations (q) and high working frequencies (w) were built. Polycrystalline ferroelectric thin films with the perovskite type structure and chemical composition Pb(Zro.33Tio.4sWo.oiCdo.oi)03 have been fabricated by RF sputtering. The films exhibited slightly lower values of dielectric constant, residual polarization and piezoelectric coefficient </33 = 80 x 10“12 C/N, as compared with the ceramics of the same chemical composition. The thin films keep such a value of du up to the Curie point. On the basis of the PZT-type thin films the isotropic and anisotropic piezoelectric sensors were built and investigated. The electrical signal of the isotropic sensors is proportional to the sum of the main components of the relative deformation tensor whereas the signal of the anisotropic sensors depends on the angle between the sensor axis and the main axis of the deformation tensor of the sample under investigation. The sensors are characterized by high stability of the generated signal

Differences in oestrogen and progesterone receptors, HER-2, p53 expression and proliferation in ductal breast cancers in relation to histopathological grade

In case of breast cancer the grade of differentiation and expression of oestrogen and progesterone receptors falls within the first category of prognostic factors according to the College of American Pathologists. HER-2, p53 and Ki67 belong to the second category and their significance still awaits confirmation. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between the intensity of expression of oestrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PgR), HER-2, p53 and Ki67 in cells of ductal breast cancer of G1, G2 or G3 differentiation grade. In paraffin sections of 60 ductal breast cancers (20 cases in G1, 20 in G2 and 20 in G3), immunocytochemical reactions were performed to detect the expression of ER, PgR, HER-2, p53 and Ki67. Following a semi-quantitative appraisal of the preparations under examination, appropriate statistical tests were used to document significant relationships. We noted significant positive correlations between ER and PgR (the entire group studied, G1&#8211;3, and the G1 group), HER-2 and p53 (G2) and between p53 and Ki67 expression (G2). Significant negative correlations were found between ER and p53 (G1&#8211;3), PgR and p53 (G1&#8211;3, G1, G3) and between PgR and Ki67 (G1&#8211;3, G2). The studies performed demonstrated distinct relationships between the expression intensity of various proteins in tumour cells in relation to the grade of differentiation of the tumour. We also showed that a parallel determination of ER, PgR and p53 expression may carry high predictive value as to response to tamoxifen treatment

PSMB7 is associated with anthracycline resistance and is a prognostic biomarker in breast cancer

BACKGROUND: To date individual markers have failed to correctly predict resistance against anticancer agents in breast cancer. We used gene expression patterns attributable to chemotherapy-resistant cells to detect potential new biomarkers related to anthracycline resistance. One of the genes, PSMB7, was selected for further functional studies and clinical validation. METHODS: We contrasted the expression profiles of four pairs of different human tumour cell lines and of their counterparts resistant to doxorubicin. Observed overexpression of PSMB7 in resistant cell lines was validated by immunohistochemistry. To examine its function in chemoresistance, we silenced the gene by RNA interference (RNAi) in doxorubicin-resistant MCF-7 breast cancer cells, then cell vitality was measured after doxorubicin treatment. Microarray gene expression from GEO raw microarray samples with available progression-free survival data was downloaded, and expression of PSMB7 was used for grouping samples. RESULTS: After doxorubicin treatment, 79.8+/-13.3% of resistant cells survived. Silencing of PSMB7 in resistant cells decreased survival to 31.8+/-6.4% (P>0.001). A similar effect was observed after paclitaxel treatment. In 1592 microarray samples, the patients with high PSMB7 expression had a significantly shorter survival than the patients with low expression (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that high PSMB7 expression is an unfavourable prognostic marker in breast cancer

Loss of estrogen receptor beta expression correlates with shorter overall survival and lack of clinical response to chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients

Background: Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) belongs to a large family of nuclear receptors. Recent studies have suggested that ERβ in contrast to ERα might act as a tumour suppressor in ovarian cancer (OVCA). Materials and Methods: Expression of ERβ was detected by immunocytochemistry in 11 OVCA cell lines and by immunohistochemistry in 43 (41 FIGO stage III) OVCA specimens prepared before chemotherapy and 30 specimens from the same group after chemotherapy. Cisplatin sensitivity in the 11 cell lines was also analysed. Results: No significant correlations between cisplatin-sensitivity and expression of ERβ was found in the cell lines. In the cases which responded well to chemotherapy (complete response) ERβ expression at preliminary laparotomy (PL) was significantly higher (p=0.0004) than in those with progressive disease. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the patients with higher ERβ expression (>30% of cells) at PL had an increased overall survival time and progression-free time (p=0.00161 and p=0.03255, respectively) than the patients with lower ERβ espression. Significantly shorter overall survival time characterized the cases with lower immunoreactivity score of ERβ expression at secondary cytoreduction (SCR) (p=0.00346). Conclusion: The loss of ERβ expression in ovarian tumours may be a feature of malignant transformation

Estrogen Receptor Alpha Expression in Ovarian Cancer Predicts Longer Overall Survival

Estrogen as a potential factor of ovarian carcinogenesis, acts via two nuclear receptors, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), but the cellular signal pathways involved are not completely clear so far. In this study we have described the expression of ERα, detected by immunocytochemistry in 11 ovarian carcinoma cell lines and by immunohistochemistry in 43 Federation Internationale des Gyneacologistes et Obstetristes stage III ovarian carcinoma specimens prepared before and after treatment with cisplatin-based schemes. For cisplatin resistance is a major obstacle in the treatment of ovarian carcinoma, analysis of cisplatin sensitivity in 11 ovarian carcinoma cell line was also performed. The strong nuclear ERα expression was only shown in the single A2780P cell line. Expression of ERα in tissue specimens did not reveal any correlations between histopathological parameters (histologic type and grading). We demonstrated a significant association with ERα expression in specimens from primary laparotomies (PL) and cause–specific survival. In the cases terminated by death of the patient, overall immunoreactivity score of ERα expression at PL was significantly lower than in surviving patients. In addition, Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed significantly shorter overall survival time and progression-free time in cases with lower immunoreactivity score of ERα expression at PL. Our findings support the hypothesis that aberrant hormone activity, by way of altered receptor expression, might be an important factor in the malignant transformation of ovarian cancer

Stromal myofibroblasts in breast cancer: relations between their occurrence, tumor grade and expression of some tumour markers

It is suggested that tumour stromal myofibroblasts exert an unfavourable effect on the biology of breast cancer. We are aware of only a single study which examined relationships between manifestation of myofibroblasts in the stroma of breast cancer and clinicopathological data of the patients. The present study was aimed at estimation of the effect exerted by myofibroblasts present in the tumour stroma on principal pathological parameters and on expression of Ki67, P53 and HER-2 proteins in the group of the most frequent breast cancers, the ductal cancers. In paraffin sections of 60 ductal breast cancers (20 cases in G1, 20 in G2 and 20 in G3), immunohistochemical reactions were performed to detect expression of smooth muscle actin (SMA) in order to visualize myofibroblasts, Ki67, P53 and HER-2. The studies demonstrated that the most numerous myofibroblasts were present in G3 cases and they were the least frequent in G1 cases (P = 0.02). Positive correlations were observed between the presence of myofibroblasts in tumour stroma and expression of Ki67 and HER-2 in breast cancer cells in the entire group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively), in G2 cases (P = 0.003 and P = 0.03) and in G3 cases (P = 0.01 and P = 0.03). Considering that the higher grade, Ki67 and HER-2 are thought to represent unfavourable prognostic factors, the elevated content of myofibroblasts in tumour stroma is probably typical for cases with worse prognosis