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Stathmin expression in breast cancer patients treated with anti‐tubulin drugs
Author(s) -
Lu TingWei,
Beedupalli Kavitha,
Johnson Wendy,
Luduena Richard,
Yeh ITien
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.566.10
Subject(s) - stathmin , breast cancer , immunohistochemistry , medicine , docetaxel , paclitaxel , chemotherapy , invasive lobular carcinoma , cancer , tissue microarray , staining , pathology , doxorubicin , cancer research , oncology , breast carcinoma , biology , microtubule , invasive ductal carcinoma , microbiology and biotechnology
Objective Stathmin is a protein that inhibits microtubule assembly and is over expressed in highly aggressive and tubulin‐drug resistant breast cancers. This study examines stathmin expression in breast cancers from patients treated with anti‐tubulin chemotherapy. Methods We reviewed breast cancers from 44 women enrolled in a randomized trial of neoadjuvant doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide +/− docetaxel, including 39 with invasive ductal carcinoma and 5 with invasive lobular carcinoma. Microarray blocks were constructed from pre‐ and post‐treatment tissues and assayed for stathmin by IHC. Analyses of the stained slides were performed using Aperio Scanscope CS/GL® and TMALab® software. Tissues were evaluated for % staining of strong positive cells, with 4% used as a cut‐off value for high vs. low expression. Results The percentage of strong positive staining of stathmin in invasive ductal carcinomas ranged from 0.5% to 62% with mean 14.4%. Invasive lobular carcinomas had significantly less strong positive stathmin staining, from 0.07% to 3.3% (p = 0.00016, Student's t‐test, two‐tailed). Comparison of the recurrences in high vs. low stathmin was 47% to 21%. There was no correlation with survival or response to chemotherapy. Conclusion Invasive lobular carcinomas had lower intensity stathmin expression than ductal carcinomas. Stathmin expression tended to be higher in tumors that recurred.