Cytosolic levels of TFF1/pS2 in breast cancer: their relationship with clinical–pathological parameters and their prognostic significance

• DOI: 10.1007/s10549-005-9041-7
• Publication Date: 2005-11-02T08:38:52Z
• Authors: Maria D. Corte; Francisco Tamargo; Ana Alvarez; J.C. Rodríguez; J. Vázquez; Rosario Sánchez; Maria L. Lamelas; L.O. González; Maria T. Allende; J.L. García-Muñiz; A. Fueyo; F. Vizoso
• Keywords: Adult; Aged, 80 and over; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast; Breast Neoplasms; Middle Aged; Flow Cytometry; Prognosis; Combined Modality Therapy; 3. Good health; Survival Rate; Carcinoma, Lobular; 03 medical and health sciences; Cytosol; 0302 clinical medicine; Premenopause; Receptors, Estrogen; Humans; Female; Immunoradiometric Assay; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Receptors, Progesterone; Aged; Follow-Up Studies

The Trefoil Factor 1 (TFF1/pS2), a peptide consisting of 60 amino acids, is the most abundant estrogen-induced messenger RNA present in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. The objective of this work was to evaluate the cytosolic TFF1 content in breast carcinomas, its possible relationship with different clinical-pathological parameters, and its potential prognostic significance and predictive value.Cytosolic TFF1 levels were examined by immunoradiometric assay in 1031 patients with invasive breast cancer. The median follow-up period was of 50 months.There was a wide variability of cytosolic TFF1 levels in tumors (0.9-743.2 ng/mg protein). Statistical analysis showed that TFF1 levels were significantly higher in premenopausal patients (p = 0.001), as well as in tumors showing any of the following characteristics: good differentiation (p = 0.0001), ER and PgR positivity (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.001, respectively), diploidy (p = 0.045) and a high S-phase fraction (p = 0.001). In addition, the presence of high intratumoral TFF1 levels (cut-off: 2 ng/mg protein) was independently associated with a shorter overall survival in the group of patients as a whole (p = 0.001) as well as in the subgroup with node-negative breast cancer (p = 0.0004). Likewise, high intratumoral TFF1 levels were associated with a more prolonged overall survival in patients who received adjuvant tamoxifen (p = 0.004).In breast cancer patients, intratumoral TFF1 levels are associated with a better clinical outcome, especially in those with node-negative tumors. In addition, TFF1 levels have a low but significant predictive value in regards to response to adjuvant therapy with tamoxifen.