Estrogen-related receptor alpha copy number variation is associated with ovarian cancer histological grade

Copy number variations (CNVs) are related to the genetic and phenotypic diversity of cancers and identifying genetic alterations could improve treatment strategies. Here, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to explore associations between estrogen-related receptor alpha (ESRRA) CNVs and histological grade in patients with ovarian cancer (OC).

Gene expression data and clinical information of 620 OC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas）TCGA and associations between ESRRA CNVs and clinical characteristics were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analyses to obtain odds ratios (ORs) using a 95% confidence interval (CI) were performed, adjusting for race, age, histological grade, and tumor size.

ESRRA CNVs were associated with histological grade (OR 0.6235 [95% CI, 0.3593-0.8877]; p < 0.05) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PPARGC1A) CNVs (OR -0.6298 [95% CI, -0.9011 to -0.3585]; p < 0.05). In multivariate analyses, ESRRA CNVs remained significantly associated with histological grade (OR 0.6492 [95% CI, 0.3549-0.9435]; p < 0.05) and PPARGC1A CNVs (OR -0.6236 [95% CI, -0.9269 to 0.3203]; p < 0.05).

There was a significant association between ESRRA CNVs in patients with OC and histological grade of the cancer.