Topoisomerase II-alpha gene deletion is not frequent as its amplification in breast cancer

Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2006 Aug;98(3):337-42. doi: 10.1007/s10549-006-9170-7. Epub 2006 Feb 24.

Abstract

Topoisomerase II-alpha (TOP2A) has been investigated as a potential predictor for the response to doxorubicin-based chemotherapy which is a representative TOP2A inhibitor and one of the most effective chemotherapeutics for the breast cancer treatment. We performed the assay for the TOP2A gene amplification and deletion on a tissue microarray (TMA) of 284 breast tumor samples from the patients treated by doxorubicin-based adjuvant chemotherapy. TOP2A gene was deleted in six patients (2.1%), whereas TOP2A gene was amplified in 20 (7.1%) of 284 tumors. Twenty-four of 26 TOP2A amplifications and deletions were associated with HER2 co-amplification. TOP2A amplification or deletion was not associated with poor clinical outcome. Nine (34.6%) of 26 patients with TOP2A amplification or deletion had recurrent disease. Thirty percent of the patients with TOP2A amplification had systemic recurrence whereas 50% of the patients with TOP2A deletion had systemic recurrence. On multivariate analysis, histologic grade and tumor size were the significant predictors for the disease-free survival and histologic grade was an only significant predictor for the overall survival. Our study indicates that response to the doxorubicin-based chemotherapy might be stratified by TOP2A amplification and deletion. However, relative low frequency of TOP2A genetic changes seems to hamper its clinical utility.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / biosynthesis*
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / genetics*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • DNA Topoisomerases, Type II / biosynthesis*
  • DNA Topoisomerases, Type II / genetics*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / biosynthesis*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Doxorubicin / pharmacology
  • Female
  • Gene Deletion*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*
  • Humans
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Poly-ADP-Ribose Binding Proteins
  • Doxorubicin
  • DNA Topoisomerases, Type II
  • TOP2A protein, human