Aurora-A expression, hormone receptor status and clinical outcome in hormone related cancers.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the correlation between protein expression of Aurora-A with hormone receptor expression and clinicopathological parameters in ovarian, breast and prostate cancer.


METHODS
Subcellular expression of Aurora-A, and androgen receptor (AR), oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression, were examined by immunohistochemistry in human tissue microarrays of the three cancer types and by Western blot in cancer cell lines and selected patient tissues.


RESULTS
Subgroups of all three cancer types exhibited both nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of Aurora-A. Nuclear presence of Aurora-A was observed in ER positive and negative breast cancer cell lines and tissues. Eighteen of the 126 (14%) tumour tissues that showed nuclear expression of Aurora-A were strongly associated with ER and PR positive breast tumours (p = 0.001). Cytoplasmic expression of AR and Aurora-A was strongly associated in prostate cancer tissues (45% versus 0, p = 0.015). Ovarian tumours (n = 45) with Aurora-A nuclear expression had decreased patient survival (mean survival, 29.5 versus 106.7 months; p < 0.0005) and showed a significant association with recurrence-free survival (mean survival 19.7 versus 95.9 months; p = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
Association between nuclear Aurora-A with hormone receptors in breast cancer and with poor clinical outcome in ovarian cancer suggests the significance of active Aurora-A in disease initiation and progression.
Das
Kakoli
K
Cancer Science Institute, National University of Singapore. kaks23@yahoo.com
Lorena
Pia Donna Nitullano
PD
Ng
Lai Kuan
LK
Shen
Liang
L
Lim
Diana
D
Siow
Woei Yun
WY
Narasimhan
Kothandaraman
K
Teh
Ming
M
Choolani
Mahesh
M
Putti
Thomas C
TC
Salto-Tellez
Manuel
M
D064127:Aurora Kinases; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases