Age-related Differences in Spatially Resolved Transcriptomic Profiles of Patients With Hormone Receptor-positive...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genomics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Patient age is a significant factor influencing breast carcinoma treatment response and clinical outcomes.
• Hormone receptor-positive breast carcinoma exhibits varying characteristics based on patient age.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare spatial transcriptomic profiles between younger (≤50 years) and older (>50 years) patients with hormone receptor-positive breast carcinoma.
• To identify age-related differences in gene expression within the tumor microenvironment.

Main Methods:

• Digital spatial profiling was employed to analyze seven breast carcinoma cases.
• Bioinformatic analysis was conducted to investigate spatial transcriptomes in epithelial and stromal compartments.

Main Results:

• In younger patients, 21 genes were up-regulated and 7 down-regulated in the epithelial compartment.
• Up-regulated genes included serpin peptidase inhibitor clade A member 1 and serine protease.
• Gene ontology and set enrichment analyses revealed significant up-regulation of ribosomal structures, estrogen response, and inflammatory signaling pathways in younger patients.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first description of age-related differences in spatially resolved transcriptomic profiles of hormone receptor-positive breast carcinoma.
• Significant age-related variations in transcriptional pathways were identified.
• The findings underscore the necessity for age-specific treatment strategies in breast carcinoma management.