p53 dependent cell-cycle arrest triggered by chemotherapy in xenografted breast tumors

The major long-term prognostic factor for breast cancer patients treated by first-line chemotherapy is response to treatment. We have previously shown that complete responses to high doses epirubicin-cyclophosphamide were observed only in human tumors bearing a TP53 mutation. Three xenografted human breast tumors, 2 of them with a TP53 mutation and one of them without, were studied for their immediate response to this drug association. Cell cycle, cellular senescence and cell death were characterized and quantified on tissue section before and after treatment. The TP53 wild-type tumor showed a strong early induction of senescence-like phenotype with overexpression of SA-beta-gal and p21(CIP1). In contrast both TP53 mutated tumors showed no sign of cell cycle arrest or senescence. Conversely, abnormal mitoses strongly increased, only in TP53 mutated tumors. Thus, in these in vivo models, epirubicin-cyclophosphamide treatment induces senescence-like features in TP53 wild-type tumor, likely accounting for cell cycle arrest and subsequent resistance to treatment. Conversely in TP53 mutated tumors, chemotherapy induces mitotic catastrophe and tumor death, accounting for complete response to this association exclusively in patients with TP53 mutated tumors.