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Breast Cancer Research
Published in: Breast Cancer Research 6/2006

Open Access 01-12-2006 | Research article

Molecular subtypes of breast cancer in relation to paclitaxel response and outcomes in women with metastatic disease: results from CALGB 9342

Authors: Lyndsay N Harris, Gloria Broadwater, Nancy U Lin, Alexander Miron, Stuart J Schnitt, David Cowan, Jonathan Lara, Ira Bleiweiss, Donald Berry, Matthew Ellis, Daniel F Hayes, Eric P Winer, Lynn Dressler

Published in: Breast Cancer Research | Issue 6/2006

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Abstract

Introduction

The response to paclitaxel varies widely in metastatic breast cancer. We analyzed data from CALGB 9342, which tested three doses of paclitaxel in women with advanced disease, to determine whether response and outcomes differed according to HER2, hormone receptor, and p53 status.

Methods

Among 474 women randomly assigned to paclitaxel at a dose of 175, 210, or 250 mg/m2, adequate primary tumor tissue was available from 175. Immunohistochemistry with two antibodies and fluorescence in situ hybridization were performed to evaluate HER2 status; p53 status was determined by immunohistochemistry and sequencing. Hormone receptor status was obtained from pathology reports.

Results

Objective response rate was not associated with HER2 or p53 status. There was a trend toward a shorter median time to treatment failure among women with HER2-positive tumors (2.3 versus 4.2 months; P = 0.067). HER2 status was not related to overall survival (OS). Hormone receptor expression was not associated with differences in response but was associated with longer OS (P = 0.003). In contrast, women with p53 over-expression had significantly shorter OS than those without p53 over-expression (11.5 versus 14.4 months; P = 0.002). In addition, triple negative tumors were more frequent in African-American than in Caucasian patients, and were associated with a significant reduction in OS (8.7 versus 12.9 months; P = 0.008).

Conclusion

None of the biomarkers was predictive of treatment response in women with metastatic breast cancer; however, survival differed according to hormone receptor and p53 status. Triple negative tumors were more frequent in African-American patients and were associated with a shorter survival.
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Metadata
Title
Molecular subtypes of breast cancer in relation to paclitaxel response and outcomes in women with metastatic disease: results from CALGB 9342
Authors
Lyndsay N Harris
Gloria Broadwater
Nancy U Lin
Alexander Miron
Stuart J Schnitt
David Cowan
Jonathan Lara
Ira Bleiweiss
Donald Berry
Matthew Ellis
Daniel F Hayes
Eric P Winer
Lynn Dressler
Publication date
01-12-2006
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Breast Cancer Research / Issue 6/2006
Electronic ISSN: 1465-542X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/bcr1622

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