title: Cancer testis antigens and NY-BR-1 expression in primary breast cancer: prognostic and therapeutic implications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer-testis antigens (CTA) comprise a family of proteins, which are physiologically expressed in adult human tissues solely in testicular germ cells and occasionally placenta. However, CTA expression has been reported in various malignancies. CTAs have been identified by their ability to elicit autologous cellular and or serological immune responses, and are considered potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. The breast differentiation antigen NY-BR-1, expressed specifically in normal and malignant breast tissue, has also immunogenic properties. Here we evaluated the expression patterns of CTAs and NY-BR-1 in breast cancer in correlation to clinico-pathological parameters in order to determine their possible impact as prognostic factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  The reactivity pattern of various mAbs (6C1, MA454, M3H67, 57B, E978, GAGE #26 and NY-BR-1 #5) were assessed by immunohistochemistry in a tissue micro array series of 210 randomly selected primary invasive breast cancers in order to study the diversity of different CTAs (e.g. MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, GAGE) and NY-BR-1. These expression data were correlated to clinico-pathological parameters and outcome data including disease-free and overall survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expression of at least one CTA was detectable in the cytoplasm of tumor cells in 37.2% of the cases. NY-BR-1 expression was found in 46.6% of tumors, respectively. Overall, CTA expression seemed to be linked to adverse prognosis and M3H67 immunoreactivity specifically was significantly correlated to shorter overall and disease-free survival (p=0.000 and 0.024, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that M3H67 immunoreactivity could serve as potential prognostic marker in primary breast cancer patients. The exclusive expression of CTAs in tumor tissues as well as the frequent expression of NY-BR-1 could define new targets for specific breast cancer therapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg 79106, Germany.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Balafoutas
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: zur Hausen
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirschfeld
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Denschlag
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gitsch
authors.forename: Achim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jungbluth
authors.forename: Elmar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stickeler
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
chemical_list: C509866:ANKRD30A protein, human; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor