| Institution: | 1. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Catharina Cancer Institute, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, the Netherlands;2. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Catharina Cancer Institute, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands;3. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, Amsterdam, the Netherlands;4. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands;5. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Amphia Hospital, Breda, the Netherlands;6. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Elisabeth-Tweesteden Ziekenhuis, Tilburg, the Netherlands;7. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Jeroen Bosch Ziekenhuis, 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands;8. Department of Pathology, GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands;9. Department of Pathology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands;10. Department of Pathology, Jeroen Bosch Ziekenhuis, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands;11. Department of Pathology, Eurofins PAMM, Eindhoven, the Netherlands;12. Philips Molecular Pathway Dx, Philips Research, Eindhoven, the Netherlands;13. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands |
| Abstract: | Background Advanced low-grade ovarian carcinoma (LGOC) is difficult to treat. In several studies, high estrogen receptor (ER) protein expression was observed in patients with LGOC, which suggests that antihormonal therapy (AHT) is a treatment option. However, only a subgroup of patients respond to AHT, and this response cannot be adequately predicted by currently used immunohistochemistry (IHC). A possible explanation is that IHC only takes the ligand, but not the activity, of the whole signal transduction pathway (STP) into account. Therefore, in this study, the authors assessed whether functional STP activity can be an alternative tool to predict response to AHT in LGOC. Methods Tumor tissue samples were obtained from patients with primary or recurrent LGOC who subsequently received AHT. Histoscores of ER and progesterone receptor (PR) were determined. In addition, STP activity of the ER STP and of six other STPs known to play a role in ovarian cancer was assessed and compared with the STP activity of healthy postmenopausal fallopian tube epithelium. Results Patients who had normal ER STP activity had a progression-free survival (PFS) of 16.1 months. This was significantly shorter in patients who had low and very high ER STP activity, with a median PFS of 6.0 and 2.1 months, respectively (p < .001). Unlike ER histoscores, PR histoscores were strongly correlated to the ER STP activity and thus to PFS. Conclusions Aberrant low and very high functional ER STP activity and low PR histoscores in patients with LGOC indicate decreased response to AHT. ER IHC is not representative of functional ER STP activity and is not related to PFS. |
