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The Predictive Value of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Expression for Sensitivity to Vinorelbine in Breast Cancer
Author(s) -
Ning YongLing,
Qi ChunJian,
Lu XuZhang,
Zhu YuLan,
Qian KeQing,
Zhao JianZhong
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
basic and clinical pharmacology and toxicology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.805
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1742-7843
pISSN - 1742-7835
DOI - 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2011.00759.x
Subject(s) - vinorelbine , breast cancer , epidermal growth factor receptor , oncology , medicine , cancer , cancer research , epidermal growth factor , predictive marker , chemotherapy , receptor , cisplatin
Breast cancer patients with positive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression have significantly worse post‐relapse prognosis than patients with negative EGFR expression. Vinorelbine (NVB) is usually reserved as a salvage therapy after anthracyclines and taxanes in patients with breast cancer. To see whether EGFR expression has a predictive value in NVB‐mediated effect on human breast cancer cells, we examined 50 primary breast cancer samples. Of these, 42% were found to be NVB sensitive by ATP‐tumour chemosensitivity assay. Sensitivity was correlated with EGFR expression level ( p = 0.001). To dynamically examine EGFR’s effect on NVB sensitivity in breast cancer cells, we used the real‐time cell electronic sensing system with EGFR‐positive and EGFR‐negative breast cancer cell lines, MCF‐7 and MDA‐MB‐435s, respectively. MCF‐7 is NVB sensitive, while MDA‐MB‐435 is NVB resistant. NVB‐induced cytotoxicity to MCF‐7 can be partly reversed with inhibitory anti‐EGFR antibody. NVB up‐regulated EGFR expression in MCF‐7 cells, which affects ERK1/2 phosphorylation. This cellular response mechanism may cause greater input to non‐lethally damaged cells. These data suggest that EGFR expression can be used as a prognostic factor for breast cancer sensitivity to NVB, which could help identify appropriate treatments for breast cancer.