Researchers Identify Marker for Basal-Like Breast Cancer
A new way to detect—and perhaps treat—one of the deadliest types of breast cancer may have been found. Led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), the study was published by Papageorgis et al in Breast Cancer Research.
A subset of the triple-negative breast cancers, basal-like breast cancer is more likely to metastasize more quickly and earlier than other forms of the disease, and is associated with a poor prognosis. Women younger than 40 and African American women are more likely to have this type of breast cancer. So far there has been limited success in treating it, especially once it has metastasized.
One of the challenges has been to identify specific markers for metastatic basal-like breast cancer, which would allow development of drugs and prediction of survival. Researchers from BUSM and the University of Cyprus in Greece compared the markers on the surface of the cancer cells to gene-expression profiles of breast tumors deposited by researchers in international public databases.
Study Findings
The investigators found that a molecule named IL13R alpha2 (IL13RA2) was abundant in metastatic or late-stage basal-like breast cancer. When they looked at publically available data on patients, they were able to predict the likelihood of progression-free survival based on whether the cancer cells had high levels of IL13RA2. The group also discovered that a subtype of basal-like breast cancer that tended to spread to the lungs quickly had high IL13RA2 levels.
When the researchers reduced the amount of IL13RA2 expression in the cancer cells, they found that the tumor growth was significantly slower in models. Furthermore, models that received the altered cancer cells had very small or no metastasis to the lungs, which suggested that IL13RA2 was involved in cancer growth and spread.
“This discovery offers a glimmer of hope for patients with basal-like breast cancer. Personalized cancer therapies could be developed by targeting breast cancer cells that express copious levels of IL13RA2,” explained Sam Thiagalingam, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics & Genomics, Medicine, and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at BUSM.
According to the researchers, the possibilities of IL13RA2 do not end with breast cancer. Other cancers, including those of the brain, pancreas, ovaries, and colon, can also show high levels of IL13RA2. “Studies directed at this biomarker will be of high significance to improve the quality of life of all cancer patients harboring this alteration,” said Dr. Thiagalingam.
While this is hopeful news for some patients, more research is needed to further understand not only IL13RA2, but also other molecules in breast cancers that may guide diagnosis, prognosis, and ultimately, drug development and therapy.
Dr. Thiagalingam; Panagiotis Papageorgis, PhD, and Andreas Constantinou, PhD, are the corresponding authors for the Breast Cancer Research article.
This research was supported by a Fellowship from the Research Promotion Foundation of Cyprus (cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus), The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health.
The content in this post has not been reviewed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) and does not necessarily reflect the ideas and opinions of ASCO®.
