Study Links F12 and STC2 Genes to Breast Cancer Survival
Testing for the activity of two genes could help identify women who are at increased risk of dying from breast cancer, according to a new study of almost 2,000 patients. Women whose tumors had a specific pattern of activity in the F12 and STC2 genes were three times as likely to die within 10 years as others with a different pattern of activity in these genes, reported Todd et al in Oncotarget.
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, spotted the pattern of gene activity among breast cancer cells with a particular ability to escape from the extracellular matrix that normally holds them in place. They believe the genes could play a key role in releasing cells from the extracellular matrix so they can circulate around the body.
The research, funded by The Institute of Cancer Research and Breast Cancer Now, could be used to develop tests for aggressive breast cancers, or even to identify new targets for cancer treatment.
Key Data
The study looked at breast cancer cells that were positive for the protein HER2, which is found in approximately 20% of tumors.
The researchers developed a new image-based screening technique in order to identify cancer cells that didn’t stick to the protein laminin, which helps build scaffolding around cells to glue them together. They found that these cells tended to have high activity in the F12 gene and low activity in another gene called STC2.
When the researchers analyzed the same genes among 1,964 breast cancers, they found that this pattern of activity was strongly linked to survival. Women whose tumours had high F12 activity and low STC2 activity had a 32% chance of dying within 10 years, whereas those with low F12 activity and high STC2 activity had only a 10% chance of dying.
More research is now needed to establish how these genes could interfere with the extracellular matrix and help cancer cells grow and spread.
Study Implications
Paul Huang, PhD, Leader of the Protein Networks Team at The Institute of Cancer Research, said, “Survival rates for breast cancer are now much higher than they were a few decades ago, but the disease remains deadly once it has spread [a]round the body. Our study sheds light on how cancer cells unstick themselves from healthy tissue, and it could help pick out women at high risk of their cancer spreading and becoming fatal.”
He continued, “We found that the activity of two genes which may help control how tightly cells are glued together is linked to breast cancer survival. If the results are confirmed in larger studies, it could give us a new way of assessing women’s survival chances in the clinic and adjusting treatment accordingly.”
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®.
