Confounding effects in “A six-gene signature predicting breast cancer lung metastasis”
AC Culhane, J Quackenbush - Cancer research, 2009 - AACR
Cancer research, 2009•AACR
The majority of breast cancer deaths result from metastases rather than from direct effects of
the primary tumor itself. Recently, Landemaine and colleagues described a six-gene
signature purported to predict lung metastasis risk. They analyzed gene expression in 23
metastases from breast cancer patients (5 lung, 18 non-lung) identifying a 21-gene
signature. Expression of 16 of these was analyzed in primary breast tumors from 72 patients
with known outcome, and six were selected that were predictive of lung metastases: DSC2 …
the primary tumor itself. Recently, Landemaine and colleagues described a six-gene
signature purported to predict lung metastasis risk. They analyzed gene expression in 23
metastases from breast cancer patients (5 lung, 18 non-lung) identifying a 21-gene
signature. Expression of 16 of these was analyzed in primary breast tumors from 72 patients
with known outcome, and six were selected that were predictive of lung metastases: DSC2 …
Abstract
The majority of breast cancer deaths result from metastases rather than from direct effects of the primary tumor itself. Recently, Landemaine and colleagues described a six-gene signature purported to predict lung metastasis risk. They analyzed gene expression in 23 metastases from breast cancer patients (5 lung, 18 non-lung) identifying a 21-gene signature. Expression of 16 of these was analyzed in primary breast tumors from 72 patients with known outcome, and six were selected that were predictive of lung metastases: DSC2, TFCP2L1, UGT8, ITGB8, ANP32E, and FERMT1. Despite the value of such a signature, our analysis indicates that this analysis ignored potentially important confounding factors and that their signature is instead a surrogate for molecular subtype. [Cancer Res 2009;69(18):7480–5]
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