Correlations between serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels, clinical prognostic factors, and HER-2/neu vaccine-related immunity in breast cancer patients

Zia A. Dehqanzada, Catherine E. Storrer, Matthew T. Hueman, Rebecca J. Foley, Katie A. Harris, Yusuf H. Jama, Tzu Cheg Kao, Craig D. Shriver, Sathibalan Ponniah, George E. Peoples*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: We studied serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) levels in breast cancer patients in relationship to their clinicopathologic variables and immune response to a HER-2/neu E75 vaccine. Experimental Design: We measured MCP-1 levels in 32 HER-2/neu+ breast cancer patients before and after vaccination with a HER-2/neu E75 peptide + granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor vaccine. Clinical prognostic variables were collected. Vaccine-specific immunologic responses were monitored. Results: Serum MCP-1 levels >250 pg/mL (MCP-high) correlated with favorable prognostic variables. MCP-high patients compared with MCP-low (<250 pg/mL) patients showed statistically significant later onset of disease, earlier stage of disease, fewer nodal metastasis, and less chemotherapy. MCP-high patients had increased levels of preexisting HER-2 immunity when compared with MCP-low patients (69% versus 21%; P = 0.02). However, MCP-low patients showed higher inducible levels of MCP-1 compared with MCP-high patients (median increase, 41% versus 0%; P = 0.001) after vaccination. Moreover, MCP-low patients with >50% increase in MCP-1 levels (response-high) had worse clinical prognostic variables compared with patients with <50% increase (response-low). Response-high patients had statistically significant more poorly differentiated tumors, later stage of disease, and higher percentage of large tumors. Patients with >30% postvaccination MCP-1 increase also showed significant increases in E75-specific CD8+ T-cells (0.05% versus 0.38%; P = 0.03) in response to vaccination. Conclusions: High serum MCP-1 levels in breast cancer patients correlate with favorable prognostic variables and increased preexisting HER-2/neu immunity. E75 vaccination induces the largest MCP-1 response in patients with unfavorable clinicopathologic variables. Therefore, low serum MCP-1 levels may identify patients with worse prognosis and those most likely to benefit from this vaccination.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)478-486
Number of pages9
JournalClinical Cancer Research
Volume12
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Jan 2006
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Correlations between serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels, clinical prognostic factors, and HER-2/neu vaccine-related immunity in breast cancer patients'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this