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Updated: Dec 21, 2025
Optimization of a Multiplex RNA-based Expression Assay Using Breast Cancer Archival Material
Published on: August 1, 2018
Quantitative hormone receptor (HR) expression and gene expression analysis in HR+ inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) vs
Toshiaki Iwase1,2, Kenichi Harano1,2, Hiroko Masuda1,2
1Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
Background:
The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic role of hormone receptor (HR) on inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) to elucidate its aggressive biological behavior.
Methods:
We evaluated the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) by immunohistochemical staining and determined the predictive and prognostic role of HR expression on 189 patients with HR+/HER2- IBC and 677 patients with HR+/HER2- stage III non-IBC. Furthermore, we performed gene expression (GE) analyses on 137 patients with HR+/HER2- IBC and 252 patients with HR+/HER2- non-IBC to detect genes that are specifically overexpressed in IBC.
Results:
The expression of ER% was significantly associated with longer distant disease-free survival and overall survival. However, there was no significant relationship between ER% and neoadjuvant chemotherapy outcome. In the GE study, 84 genes were identified as significantly distinguishing HR+ IBC from non-IBC. Among the top 15 canonical pathways expressed in IBC, the ERK/MAPK, PDGF, insulin receptor, and IL-7 signaling pathways were associated with the ER signaling pathway. Upregulation of the MYC gene was observed in three of these four pathways. Furthermore, HR+/HER2- IBC had significantly higher MYC amplification, and the genetic alteration was associated with poor survival outcome.
Conclusions:
Higher ER expression was significantly associated with improved survival in both HR+/HER2- IBC and HR+/HER2- stage III non-IBC patients. HR+/HER2- IBC had several activated pathways with MYC upregulation, and the genetic alteration was associated with poor survival outcome. The results indicate that MYC may be a key gene for understanding the biology of HR+/HER2- IBC.
