title: Phosphorylated mTOR is associated to androgen receptor expression in early triple-negative breast cancer.
abstract: The significance of phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR) expression is unknown in triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC). The aims of the present study were to assess the expression of p-mTOR in early TNBC and to evaluate possible correlations between androgen receptor (AR) expression, clinicopathological parameters and disease outcome. Between January 2009 and December 2013, all consecutive patients who were diagnosed and completed the treatment of invasive TNBC at our institution were eligible for this analysis. Patients with stage IV disease were excluded. The evaluation of p-mTOR immunohistochemical staining was semi-quantitatively considering both the percentage of positive tumor cells (range, 0-100%) and staining intensity (range, 0-3+). Ninety-eight TNBC patients were included. Approximately 33% of cases were p-mTOR positive and there was no association between positive immunostaining for p-mTOR and DFS (p=0.74) and OS (p=0.81). p-mTOR positivity was associated with small tumor size (p=0.03) and AR expression (p=0.04). High expression of p-mTOR may drive tumor proliferation in almost one third of TNBC. The biological association between mTOR activation and AR pathway suggests that there may exist a subgroup of TNBC in which the combination of both AR antagonism and mTOR inhibition should have a synergistic effect on cell growth and tumor progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pistelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ballatore
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santinelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Biscotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Specialistic Clinical and Odontostomatological Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piva
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Occhipinti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Della Mora
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pagliacci
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Battelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bastianelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Lisa
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bracci
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maccaroni
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, AOU Ospedali Riuniti, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cascinu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059002:Androgen Receptor Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D064726:Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C410798:AR protein, human; D059002:Androgen Receptor Antagonists; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases