Journal
CANCER RESEARCH
Volume 71, Issue 11, Pages 4002-4014Publisher
AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-10-3738
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia
- The Cancer Institute NSW [08/ECF/1-12, 07/CRF/1-06, 07-CDF-1/28]
- National Breast Cancer Foundation
- National Health and Medical Research Council [481378, 427601, 535947]
- St Vincent's Clinic Foundation
- Australian Cancer Research Foundation
- RT Hall Trust
- Petre Foundation
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays an important role in several malignancies but its clinical significance in breast cancer is unclear. In a cohort of 279 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, expression of Hh ligand was significantly associated with increased risk of metastasis, breast cancer-specific death, and a basal-like phenotype. A paracrine signature, encompassing high epithelial Hh ligand and high stromal Gli1, was an independent predictor for overall survival in multivariate analysis. In 2 independent histological progression series (n - 301), Hh expression increased with atypia. Hh ligand overexpression in a mouse model of basal breast cancer increased growth, induced a poorly differentiated phenotype, accelerated metastasis, and reduced survival. A stromal requirement for these effects was supported by the lack of similar Hh-mediated changes in vitro, and by stromal-specific expression of Hh target genes in vivo. Furthermore, inhibition of Hh ligand with a monoclonal antibody (5E1) inhibited tumor growth and metastasis. These data suggest that epithelial-stromal Hh signaling, driven by ligand expression in carcinoma cells, promotes breast cancer growth and metastasis. Blockade of Hh signaling to peritumoral stromal cells may represent a novel therapeutic approach in some basal-like breast cancers. Cancer Res; 71(11); 4002-14. (C)2011 AACR.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available