PTEN is a predictive biomarker of trastuzumab resistance and prognostic factor in HER2-overexpressing gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma

Sci Rep. 2021 Apr 27;11(1):9013. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-88331-3.

Abstract

Poor trastuzumab (Tmab) response of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-overexpressing gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (HER2-GEA) is associated with the inhibition of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression. In this multicenter, retrospective observational study, pathological samples of patients with HER2-GEA receiving Tmab-combined chemotherapy were immunohistochemically analyzed for PTEN expression. The primary endpoints were disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). We assessed the effect of conventional chemotherapy and Tmab alone or combined with PI3K pathway inhibitors in vitro in HER2-GEA cells with or without PTEN expression. Twenty-nine and 116 patients were in the PTEN-loss and PTEN-positive groups, respectively. In patients with the target region, DCR was significantly lower in PTEN-loss patients than in PTEN-positive patients (67% and 87%, respectively, p = 0.049). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that PTEN loss was significantly associated with shorter PFS (HR = 1.63, p = 0.035) and OS (HR = 1.83, p = 0.022). PTEN knockdown did not affect the cytostatic effect of 5-FU and cisplatin, whereas Tmab combined with the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor NPV-BEZ235 suppressed PTEN-knockdown cell proliferation. In patients with HER2-GEA, PTEN loss is a predictive biomarker of Tmab resistance and prognostic factor. Molecular-targeted therapy with a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor would be effective for HER2-GEA with PTEN loss.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnosis
  • Adenocarcinoma / drug therapy
  • Adenocarcinoma / metabolism*
  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological / therapeutic use*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm*
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Esophageal Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Humans
  • Male
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase / metabolism*
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Trastuzumab / therapeutic use*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • ERBB2 protein, human
  • Receptor, ErbB-2
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase
  • PTEN protein, human
  • Trastuzumab

Supplementary concepts

  • Adenocarcinoma Of Esophagus