Predictive and prognostic values of tau and ERCC1 in advanced breast cancer patients treated with paclitaxel and cisplatin.
OBJECTIVE
We studied tau and excision repair cross-complementing 1 expression to evaluate their predictive values in advanced breast carcinoma patients.


METHODS
Patients treated with paclitaxel and cisplatin as the first-line chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer were enrolled. The expression levels of tau and excision repair cross-complementing 1 were assessed by immunohistochemistry and examined for their associations with treatment response and survival.


RESULTS
Fifty-four patients were included in this study. Despite the strong association between tau expression and lower histological grade and estrogen receptor expression, tau expression remained an independent predictor for a lower response rate in multivariate analysis (odd ratio = 0.24, P = 0.02). However, tau expression was a predictor for longer overall survival in both univariate analysis (median, 57.5 vs. 30.4 months, P = 0.02) and multivariate analysis (hazard ratio = 0.36, P = 0.008). Excision repair cross-complementing 1 was not associated with treatment response or overall survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Tau expression but not excision repair cross-complementing 1 in advanced breast cancer predicts poor response to combination chemotherapy of paclitaxel and cisplatin. However, tau expression is significantly associated with longer overall survival.
Shao
Yu-Yun
YY
Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Kuo
Kuan-Ting
KT
Hu
Fu-Chang
FC
Lu
Yen-Shen
YS
Huang
Chiun-Sheng
CS
Liau
Jau-Yu
JY
Lee
Wei-Chung
WC
Hsu
Chiun
C
Kuo
Wun-Hon
WH
Chang
King-Jeng
KJ
Lin
Ching-Hung
CH
Cheng
Ann-Lii
AL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017322:Clinical Trials, Phase II as Topic; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016875:tau Proteins; C071447:ERCC1 protein, human; D004720:Endonucleases; D017239:Paclitaxel; D002945:Cisplatin