Evaluation of the anti-Thomsen-Friedenreich antibodies Nemod-TF1 and Nemod-TF2 as prognostic markers in breast cancer.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

The TF (Thomsen-Friedenreich, CD176, Galβ1-3GalNAc) carbohydrate moiety is known as a specific oncofetal carbohydrate epitope present in fetal and neoplastic tissue as well as in stem cells. TF was demonstrated to mediate tumor-promoting features and to be highly immunogenic. The current study aimed to evaluate whether presence of the TF antigen is associated with clinico-pathological parameters and prognosis of early breast cancer (BC).

METHODS:

Primary BC tissue (n = 226) was stained for TF using two monoclonal anti-TF antibodies (Nemod-TF1, Nemod-TF2). Staining results were correlated to clinical data including survival.

RESULTS:

Nemod-TF1 staining was positively correlated to lymph node metastasis (p = 0.03) and the presence of tumor-associated MUC1 (TA-MUC1; p = 0.003). Further, the presence of the Nemod-TF1 epitope predicted worse prognosis in TA-MUC1 positive (overall survival: p = 0.026) as well as in triple negative (overall survival: p = 0.002; distant metastasis-free survival: p = 0.012) BC.

CONCLUSIONS:

The data presented here further support a role of TF in BC tumor biology. Whether anti-TF directed treatment approaches may gain clinical relevance in those cases determined as triple negative or TA-MUC1 positive remains to be determined.

• Authors: Sabine Heublein, Markus Egger, Junyan Zhu, Luisa Berger, Doris Mayr, Christian Schindlbeck, Christina Kuhn, Simone S Hofmann, Florian Schuetz, Udo Jeschke, Nina Ditsch
• Journal: Breast cancer research and treatment (Breast Cancer Res Treat) Vol. 179 Issue 3 Pg. 643-652 (Feb 2020) ISSN: 1573-7217 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 31828591 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antibodies
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
• Antigens, Neoplasm
• Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate
• Biomarkers, Tumor
• MUC1 protein, human
• Mucin-1
• PankoMab-GEX
• Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen
• Thomsen-Friedenreich antibodies

Topics

• Antibodies (immunology)
• Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized (metabolism)
• Antigens, Neoplasm (immunology)
• Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate (immunology)
• Biomarkers, Tumor (immunology)
• Female
• Humans
• Immunohistochemistry
• Lymphatic Metastasis (diagnosis, pathology)
• Middle Aged
• Mucin-1 (metabolism)
• Prognosis
• Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms (diagnosis, mortality, pathology)