Carbonic anhydrase-9 expression levels and prognosis in human breast cancer: association with treatment outcome

• Published in: British journal of cancer Vol. 89; no. 2; pp. 271 - 276
• Main Authors: SPAN, P. N, BUSSINK, J, MANDERS, P, BEEX, Lvam, SWEEP, C. G. J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing Group 21.07.2003
• Subjects: Antigens, Neoplasm - analysis; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Breast Neoplasms - therapy; Cancer research; Cancer therapies; Carbonic Anhydrase IX; Carbonic Anhydrases - analysis; Chemotherapy; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Clinical outcomes; Disease-Free Survival; DNA, Neoplasm; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Endocrine therapy; Endocrinology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; Hypoxia; Immunohistochemistry; Isoenzymes; Mammary gland diseases; Mastectomy, Modified Radical; Medical prognosis; Medical research; Medical sciences; Metastasis; Molecular and Cellular Pathology; Neoplasm Proteins - analysis; Oncology; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; Receptors, Steroid - analysis; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Surgery; Survival Analysis; Tumors; Netherlands; Human; hypoxia; Relapse; Prognosis; Enzyme; Isozyme; breast neoplasms; quantitative real-time RT-PCR; Lyases; Malignant tumor; Real time; Polymerase chain reaction; Mammary gland diseases; survival analysis; Carbonate dehydratase; Mammary gland; Molecular biology; Carbon-oxygen lyases; Hydro-lyases; Quantitative analysis
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6601122
• ISSN: 0007-0920

Here, we set out to assess CA9 expression levels by real-time quantitative RT-PCR in breast cancer tissue samples obtained from 253 patients, and correlated those with relapse-free (RFS) survival. The median follow-up time was 75 months (range 2-168 months). CA9 expression was mainly found in high-grade, steroid receptor negative cancer tissues. CA9 levels were not significantly associated with RFS (P=0.926, hazard ratio (HR)=0.99, 95% CI=0.80-1.22) in the total cohort of 253 patients. In multivariate analysis with other clinicopathological factors, CA9 (P=0.018, HR=0.77, 95% CI=0.62-0.96), the interaction of adjuvant chemotherapy with CA9 (P=0.009, HR=1.31, 95% CI=1.07-1.61) and the interaction of adjuvant endocrine therapy with CA9 (P<0.001, HR=1.41, 95% CI=1.20-1.66) all contributed significantly to the final model. These results indicate that patients with low CA9 levels benefit more from adjuvant treatment than do patients with high levels. Thus, the determination of CA9 levels could aid in the selection of patients who will not benefit from adjuvant therapy, and whose prognosis will more likely improve with other treatment modalities.