Biological effects of fulvestrant on estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer: short, medium and long-term effects based on sequential biopsies

Agrawal, Amit, Robertson, John F.R., Cheung, Kwok L., Gutteridge, Eleanor, Ellis, Ian O., Nicholson, Robert I. and Gee, Julia M.W. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6483-2015 2016. Biological effects of fulvestrant on estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer: short, medium and long-term effects based on sequential biopsies. International Journal of Cancer 138 (1) , pp. 146-159. 10.1002/ijc.29682

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Abstract

We report the first study of the biological effect of fulvestrant on ER positive clinical breast cancer using sequential biopsies through to progression. Thirty-two locally/systemically advanced breast cancers treated with first-line fulvestrant (250 mg/month) were biopsied at therapy initiation, 6 weeks, 6 months and progression and immunohistochemically-analyzed for Ki67, ER, EGFR and HER2 expression/signaling activity. This series showed good fulvestrant responses (duration of response [DoR] = 25.8 months; clinical benefit = 81%). Ki67 fell (p < 0.001) in 79% of tumours by 6 months and lower Ki67 at all preprogression time-points predicted for longer DoR. ER and PR significantly decreased in all tumours by 6 months (p < 0.001), with some declines in ER (serine 118) phosphorylation and Bcl-2 (p = 0.007). There were modest HER2 increases (p = 0.034, 29% tumours) and loss of any detectable EGFR phosphorylation (p = 0.024, 50% tumours) and MAP kinase (ERK1/2) phosphorylation (p = 0.019, 65% tumours) by 6 months. While ER remained low, there was some recovery of Ki67, Bcl-2 and (weakly) EGFR/MAPK activity in 45–67% patients at progression. Fulvestrant's anti-proliferative impact is related to DoR, but while commonly downregulating ER and indicators of its signaling and depleting EGFR/MAPK signaling in some patients, additional elements must determine response duration. Residual ER at fulvestrant relapse explains reported sensitivity to further endocrine therapies. Occasional modest treatment-induced HER2 and weakly detectable EGFR/HER2/MAPK signaling at relapse suggests targeting of such activity might have value alongside fulvestrant in some patients. However, unknown pathways must drive relapse in most. Ki67 has biomarker potential to predict fulvestrant outcome and as a quantitative measure of response.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Pharmacy
Subjects:	R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0254 Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology (including Cancer) R Medicine > RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	breast cancer; fulvestrant; biology; endocrine resistance
Additional Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0020-7136
Funders:	Tenovus; Breast Cancer Now; AstraZeneca, Breast Cancer Campaign
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Date of Acceptance:	17 June 2015
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 00:05
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/75266

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