title: Elevated plasma endoglin (CD105) predicts decreased response and survival in a metastatic breast cancer trial of hormone therapy.
abstract: Background Endoglin (CD105) is a co-receptor for TGF-beta, is expressed by human vascular endothelial cells, and plays a major role in angiogenesis. Materials and methods Pretreatment EDTA plasma from 224 metastatic breast cancer patients enrolled in a phase III 2nd-line hormone therapy trial and 50 control subjects were assayed for endoglin using an ELISA. Results The female control group (n = 50) plasma endoglin upper limit of normal was defined as the mean + 2 SD (8.7 ng/ml). The breast cancer patient plasma endoglin was 6.40 +/- 2.23 ng/ml (range 3.00-19.79 ng/ml). Elevated plasma endoglin levels were detected in 26 of 224 patients (11.6%). Patients with elevated plasma endoglin had a reduced clinical benefit rate (CR + PR + Stable) (15 vs. 42%) (P = 0.01) to hormone therapy. TTP was shorter for patients with elevated plasma endoglin, but did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.2). Patients with elevated plasma endoglin had decreased overall survival (median 645 vs. 947 days) (P = 0.005). Conclusion Elevated pretreatment plasma endoglin levels predicted for decreased clinical benefit and a shorter overall survival in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with 2nd-line hormone therapy.
authors.affiliation: Hershey Medical Center, Penn State University, Hershey, PA, USA.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Vo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leitzel
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Demers
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lipton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood*; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000502:physiology; D000071063:Endoglin; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D017316:Fadrozole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D019290:Megestrol Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C064206:ENG protein, human; D000071063:Endoglin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D017316:Fadrozole; D019290:Megestrol Acetate