Circulating transforming growth factor-beta-1 and breast cancer prognosis: results from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study.
BACKGROUND
Studies investigating the prognostic effect of circulating TGF-beta-1 in breast cancer have given inconsistent findings. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether circulating transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta-1) is associated with overall and disease-free survival in a cohort of recently diagnosed breast cancer patients.


METHODS
We measured TGF-beta-1 levels in plasma samples of breast cancer patients in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study, a population-based case-control study. We evaluated the relationship between TGF-beta-1 levels and overall and disease-free survival. The median follow up time was 7.2 years.


RESULTS
We observed that, compared with the patients with the lowest quartile of plasma TGF-beta-1, patients with the highest quartile of plasma TGF-beta-1 had significantly worse overall survival with hazards ratio (HR) = 2.78, with 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.34-5.79 and disease-free survival with HR = 2.49, 95% CI: 1.15-5.41, while the patients with the second and third quartiles of plasma TGF-beta-1 did not have significantly different overall and disease-free breast cancer survival. The shape of association between plasma TGF-beta-1 levels and breast cancer survival appears to be non-linear. Stratified analysis by stage of disease did not appreciably change the association pattern.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that the relationship between circulating levels of TGF-beta-1 and prognosis in breast cancer is complex and non-linear. High levels of TGF-beta-1 are associated with worse survival independent of stage of disease.
Grau
Ana M
AM
Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-6860, USA. ana.grau@vanderbilt.edu
Wen
Wanqing
W
Ramroopsingh
Denise S
DS
Gao
Yu-Tang
YT
Zi
Jinghuan
J
Cai
Qiuyin
Q
Shu
Xiao-Ou
XO
Zheng
Wei
W
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D020033:Protein Isoforms; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1