Expression of phosphorylated eIF4E-binding protein 1, but not of eIF4E itself, predicts survival in male breast cancer

• Published in: British journal of cancer Vol. 115; no. 3; pp. 339 - 345
• Main Authors: Millican-Slater, Rebecca A, Sayers, Craig D, Hanby, Andrew M, Hughes, Thomas A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 26.07.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/45/612/1246; 692/53/2423; 692/699/67/1347; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms, Male - metabolism; Breast Neoplasms, Male - pathology; Cancer Research; Cohort Studies; Disease; Drug Resistance; Epidemiology; Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-4E - metabolism; Females; Humans; Kinases; Male; Medical prognosis; Medical research; Molecular Diagnostics; Molecular Medicine; Oncology; Phosphorylation; Proteins; Survival Analysis; Tissue Array Analysis; United Kingdom > UK; male breast cancer; predictive markers; translational regulation
• ISSN: 0007-0920; 1532-1827
• DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2016.178

Background: Male breast cancer is rare and treatment is based on data from females. High expression/activity of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) denotes a poor prognosis in female breast cancer, and the eIF4E pathway has been targeted therapeutically. Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E activity in female breast cancer is deregulated by eIF4E overexpression and by phosphorylation of its binding protein, 4E-BP1, which relieves inhibitory association between eIF4E and 4E-BP1. The relevance of the eIF4E pathway in male breast cancer is unknown. Methods: We have assessed expression levels of eIF4E, 4E-BP1, 4E-BP2 and phosphorylated 4E-BP1 (p4E-BP1) using immunohistochemistry in a large cohort of male breast cancers ( n =337) and have examined correlations with prognostic factors and survival. Results: Neither eIF4E expression nor estimated eIF4E activity were associated with prognosis. However, a highly significant correlation was found between p4E-BP1 expression and disease-free survival (DFS), linking any detectable p4E-BP1 with poor survival (univariate log rank P =0.001; multivariate HR 8.8, P =0.0001). Conclusions: Our data provide no support for direct therapeutic targeting of eIF4E in male breast cancer, unlike in females. However, as p4E-BP1 gives powerful prognostic insights that are unrelated to eIF4E function, p4E-BP1 may identify male breast cancers potentially suitable for therapies directed at the upstream kinase, mTOR.