RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Calcification-associated molecular traits and therapeutic strategies in hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative breast cancer
JF Cancer Biology & Medicine
JO Cancer Biology & Medicine
FD China Anti-Cancer Association
SP 400
OP 415
DO 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2023.0492
VO 21
IS 5
A1 Li, Yuwei
A1 Xu, Yuzheng
A1 Lin, Caijin
A1 Jin, Xi
A1 Ma, Ding
A1 Shao, Zhiming
YR 2024
UL http://www.cancerbiomed.org/content/21/5/400.abstract
AB Objective: Mammographic calcifications are a common feature of breast cancer, but their molecular characteristics and treatment implications in hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2−) breast cancer remain unclear.Methods: We retrospectively collected mammography records of an HR+/HER2− breast cancer cohort (n = 316) with matched clinicopathological, genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic data. On the basis of mammographic images, we grouped tumors by calcification status into calcification-negative tumors, tumors with probably benign calcifications, tumors with calcification of low-moderate suspicion for maligancy and tumors with calcification of high suspicion for maligancy. We then explored the molecular characteristics associated with each calcification status across multiple dimensions.Results: Among the different statuses, tumors with probably benign calcifications exhibited elevated hormone receptor immunohistochemical staining scores, estrogen receptor (ER) pathway activation, lipid metabolism, and sensitivity to endocrine therapy. Tumors with calcifications of high suspicion for malignancy had relatively larger tumor sizes, elevated lymph node metastasis incidence, Ki-67 staining scores, genomic instability, cell cycle pathway activation, and may benefit from cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors.Conclusions: Our research established links between tumor calcifications and molecular features, thus proposing potential precision treatment strategies for HR+/HER2− breast cancer.The data generated in this study are publicly available in the Genome Sequence Archive (GSA) database under accession code PRJCA017539 (https://ngdc.cncb.ac.cn/bioproject/browse/PRJCA017539).