Expression of Soluble Form of Aurora A as a Predictive Factor for Neoadjuvant Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients: A Single-Center Pilot Study

Purpose: To search for new predictive breast cancer biomarkers. We analyzed the serum concentrations of biomarkers involved in carcinogenesis, which can also be targeted by therapy. Methods: In a single-center prospective study, the serum levels of Aurora A, thymidine kinase 1, and human epidermal g...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pawel Winter, Malgorzata Fuksiewicz, Agnieszka Jagiello-Gruszfeld, Zbigniew Nowecki, Beata Kotowicz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-11-01
Series:Cancers
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/15/22/5446
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Summary:Purpose: To search for new predictive breast cancer biomarkers. We analyzed the serum concentrations of biomarkers involved in carcinogenesis, which can also be targeted by therapy. Methods: In a single-center prospective study, the serum levels of Aurora A, thymidine kinase 1, and human epidermal growth factor receptor type 3 (HER3) were determined in 119 women with BC before neoadjuvant treatment using ELISA kits. Results: The following clinical data were analyzed: age; TNM; the expression of ER, PGR, HER2, and Ki67; histological grade (G); and the response to neoadjuvant treatment (NAT) in the residual tumor burden classification (RCB). A complete pathological response (pCR) was achieved after NAT in 41 patients (34%). The highest proportion of the patients with a confirmed pCR was found for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) (62.5%); non-luminal HER2-positive (52.6%) cancer subtypes (<i>p</i> = 0.0003); and in the G3 group (50%; <i>p</i> = 0.0078). The patients with higher levels of Aurora A were more likely to achieve pCR (<i>p</i> = 0.039). In the multivariate analysis, the serum Aurora A levels ≥ 4.75 ng/mL correlated with a higher rate of pCR (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.2–10.1; <i>p</i> = 0.023). Conclusions: We showed that in a biologically heterogeneous group of BC patients, the pretreatment serum Aurora A levels were of significant value in predicting the response to NAT.
ISSN:2072-6694