Genome Instability Profiles Predict Disease Outcome in a Cohort of 4,003 Patients with Breast Cancer

The choice of therapy for patients with breast cancer is often based on clinicopathologic parameters, hormone receptor status, and HER2 amplification. To improve individual prognostication and tailored treatment decisions, we combined clinicopathologic prognostic data with genome instabilty profiles established by quantitative measurements of the DNA content.

We retrospectively assessed clinical data of 4,003 patients with breast cancer with a minimum postoperative follow-up period of 10 years. For the entire cohort, we established genome instability profiles. We applied statistical methods, including correlation matrices, Kaplan-Meier curves, and multivariable Cox proportional hazard models, to ascertain the potential of standard clinicopathologic data and genome instability profiles as independent predictors of disease-specific survival in distinct subgroups, defined clinically or with respect to treatment.

In Cox regression analyses, two parameters of the genome instability profiles, the S-phase fraction and the stemline scatter index, emerged as independent predictors in premenopausal women, outperforming all clinicopathologic parameters. In postmenopausal women, age and hormone receptor status were the predominant prognostic factors. However, by including S-phase fraction and 2.5c exceeding rate, we could improve disease outcome prediction in pT1 tumors irrespective of the lymph node status. In pT3-pT4 tumors, a higher S-phase fraction led to poorer prognosis. In patients who received adjuvant endocrine therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or a combination, the ploidy profiles improved prognostication.

Genome instability profiles predict disease outcome in patients with breast cancer independent of clinicopathologic parameters. This applies especially to premenopausal patients. In patients receiving adjuvant therapy, the profiles improve identification of high-risk patients.