Identification of a chemoprevention cohort from a population of women at high risk for breast cancer.
In a prospective pilot study, we performed breast fine needle aspirations (FNAs) on 213 high-risk and 30 low-risk women and analyzed these aspirates for cytologic changes and biomarker abnormalities of aneuploidy and overexpressed estrogen receptor (ER), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), p53 and HER-2/neu. High-risk women were those with a first degree relative with breast cancer (73%), prior biopsy indicating premalignant breast disease (26%), a history of breast cancer (13%), or some multiple of these risk factors (11%). Median ages of the high-risk and low-risk groups were 44 and 42, respectively. Sixty-three percent of the high-risk and 73% of the low-risk group were premenopausal. Sixty-eight percent of the high-risk and 17% of low-risk women had cytologic evidence of hyperplasia with or without atypia (P < .0001). Aneuploidy and overexpression of EGFR and p53 occurred in 25%, 36%, and 28% of high-risk subjects but in less than 4% of low-risk subjects (P < .0002). Overexpression of ER and HER-2/neu occurred in 8% and 19%, respectively of high-risk women; nc low-risk women had these abnormalities. Sixty-eight percent of high-risk women and 7% of low-risk women had abnormalities of one or more of these biomarkers exclusive of cytology. Thirty-one percent of high-risk women, but no low-risk women had abnormalities of two or more biomarkers (P = .0004). Biomarker abnormalities were more frequent with increasing cytologic abnormality. Eighteen percent of women with normal cytology, 29% of women with epithelial hyperplasia and 60% of women with hyperplasia with atypia had abnormalities of two or more biomarkers (P = .048 and < .0001, respectively). Restricting the analysis to those three biomarkers most frequently overexpressed in the high-risk group (ploidy, EGFR, p53), 13% of high-risk women with normal cytology, 20% of high-risk women with epithelial hyperplasia and 51% of high-risk women with atypical hyperplasia had abnormalities of 2 or more of these 3 biomarkers. At a median follow up of two years, 8 of 213 women have been diagnosed with in situ (n = 5) or invasive (n = 3) cancer. Later detection of neoplasia was associated with prior FNA evidence of atypical hyperplasia (P < .0001) and multiple biomarker abnormalities in the 5 test battery (P = .006) by univariate analysis. By multivariate analysis, development and/or detection of cancer was primarily predicted by atypical hyperplasia (P = .0047) and secondarily by multiple biomarker abnormalities (P = 0.021). Atypical hyperplasia, EGFR, and p53 in breast FNAs have promise as risk markers and as surrogate endpoint biomarkers for breast cancer chemoprevention trials.
Fabian
C J
CJ
Division of Clinical Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7820, USA.
Kamel
S
S
Zalles
C
C
Kimler
B F
BF
D000328:Adult; D000782:Aneuploidy; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D001940:Breast / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018890:Chemoprevention; D015331:Cohort Studies; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53