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. 2017 Dec 11;19(1):131.
doi: 10.1186/s13058-017-0914-6.

Race-associated biological differences among luminal A and basal-like breast cancers in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study

Humberto Parada Jr  1 , Xuezheng Sun  2 , Jodie M Fleming  3 , ClarLynda R Williams-DeVane  3 , Erin L Kirk  2 , Linnea T Olsson  2 , Charles M Perou  4 , Andrew F Olshan  2 , Melissa A Troester  5
Affiliations

Race-associated biological differences among luminal A and basal-like breast cancers in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study

Humberto Parada Jr et al. Breast Cancer Res. .

Abstract

Background: We examined racial differences in the expression of eight genes and their associations with risk of recurrence among 478 white and 495 black women who participated in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study Phase 3.

Methods: Breast tumor samples were analyzed for PAM50 subtype and for eight genes previously found to be differentially expressed by race and associated with breast cancer survival: ACOX2, MUC1, FAM177A1, GSTT2, PSPH, PSPHL, SQLE, and TYMS. The expression of these genes according to race was assessed using linear regression and each gene was evaluated in association with recurrence using Cox regression.

Results: Compared to white women, black women had lower expression of MUC1, a suspected good prognosis gene, and higher expression of GSTT2, PSPHL, SQLE, and TYMS, suspected poor prognosis genes, after adjustment for age and PAM50 subtype. High expression (greater than median versus less than or equal to median) of FAM177A1 and PSPH was associated with a 63% increase (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09-2.46) and 76% increase (HR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.15-2.68), respectively, in risk of recurrence after adjustment for age, race, PAM50 subtype, and ROR-PT score. Log2-transformed SQLE expression was associated with a 20% increase (HR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.03-1.41) in recurrence risk after adjustment. A continuous multi-gene score comprised of eight genes was also associated with increased risk of recurrence among all women (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.04-1.19) and among white (HR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.03-1.27) and black (HR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.02-1.20) women.

Conclusions: Racial differences in gene expression may contribute to the survival disparity observed between black and white women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Disparities; Gene expression; Recurrence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of North Carolina (UNC, Chapel Hill, NC). All participants gave informed consent before they entered the study.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

CMP is an equity stock holder, and Board of Director Member, of BioClassifier LLC and GeneCentric Diagnostics. CMP is also listed as an inventor on a patent application for the PAM50 assay. All other authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Risk of recurrence by dichotomized gene expression (dashed line = expression below median; solid line = expression above median) from CBCS Phase 3, 2008–2013 (n = 938). a Genes previously found to be inversely associated with breast cancer mortality, and b genes previously found to be positively associated with breast cancer mortality
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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