TP53 mutation status and gene expression profiles are powerful prognostic markers of breast cancer
2007

TP53 Mutation Status and Gene Expression Profiles in Breast Cancer

Sample size: 200 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Langerød Anita, Zhao Hongjuan, Borgan Ørnulf, Nesland Jahn M, Bukholm Ida RK, Ikdahl Tone, Kåresen Rolf, Børresen-Dale Anne-Lise, Jeffrey Stefanie S

Primary Institution: Rikshospitalet-Radiumhospitalet Medical Center, Oslo, Norway

Hypothesis

Does gene expression profiling provide better prognostic information in breast cancer patients with long-term follow-up?

Conclusion

TP53 mutation status and gene-expression based groups are important survival markers of breast cancer.

Supporting Evidence

  • TP53 mutation status was found to be a strong predictor of breast cancer survival.
  • Patients with TP53 mutations had a breast cancer death rate four to five times higher than those without mutations.
  • Gene expression profiles identified five distinct subgroups of breast cancer with varying prognoses.
  • Breast cancer cases in the 'basal-like' and 'ERBB2+' subgroups had very high mortality rates in the first two years.
  • The study included a long-term follow-up of 12 to 16 years for the patients.

Takeaway

This study found that certain gene changes in breast cancer can help predict how well patients will do over time.

Methodology

The study analyzed clinical and histopathological parameters of 200 breast cancer patients using univariate/multivariate Cox regression and gene expression profiling with cDNA microarrays.

Potential Biases

The study may be subject to biases related to sample selection and the retrospective nature of data collection.

Limitations

The study may have limitations due to the relatively small sample size for certain analyses and the potential for accidental significant findings in microarray analysis.

Participant Demographics

The average age of patients was 65 years, with a range from 28 to 87 years.

Statistical Information

P-Value

<0.0001

Confidence Interval

95% CI for relative risk ranged from 1.66 to 9.07 for TP53 mutation status.

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/bcr1675

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