Expression of HLA class I antigen, aspirin use, and survival after a diagnosis of colon cancer

Marlies S Reimers, Esther Bastiaannet, Ruth E Langley, Ronald van Eijk, Ronald L P van Vlierberghe, Valery E P Lemmens, Myrthe P P van Herk-Sukel, Tom van Wezel, Riccardo Fodde, Peter J K Kuppen, Hans Morreau, Cornelis J H van de Velde, Gerrit Jan Liefers

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Use of aspirin (which inhibits platelet function) after a colon cancer diagnosis is associated with improved overall survival. Identifying predictive biomarkers of this effect could individualize therapy and decrease toxic effects.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that survival benefit associated with low-dose aspirin use after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer might depend on HLA class I antigen expression.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A cohort study with tumor blocks from 999 patients with colon cancer (surgically resected between 2002 and 2008), analyzed for HLA class I antigen and prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) expression using a tissue microarray. Mutation analysis of PIK3CA was also performed. Data on aspirin use after diagnosis were obtained from a prescription database. Parametric survival models with exponential (Poisson) distribution were used to model the survival.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Overall survival.

RESULTS: The overall survival benefit associated with aspirin use after a diagnosis of colon cancer had an adjusted rate ratio (RR) of 0.53 (95% CI, 0.38-0.74; P < .001) when tumors expressed HLA class I antigen compared with an RR of 1.03 (0.66-1.61; P = .91) when HLA antigen expression was lost. The benefit of aspirin was similar for tumors with strong PTGS2 expression (0.68; 0.48-0.97; P = .03), weak PTGS2 expression (0.59; 0.38-0.97; P = .02), and wild-type PIK3CA tumors (0.55; 0.40-0.75; P < .001). No association was observed with mutated PIK3CA tumors (0.73; 0.33-1.63; P = .44).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Contrary to the original hypothesis, aspirin use after colon cancer diagnosis was associated with improved survival if tumors expressed HLA class I antigen. Increased PTGS2 expression or the presence of mutated PIK3CA did not predict benefit from aspirin. HLA class I antigen might serve as a predictive biomarker for adjuvant aspirin therapy in colon cancer.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)732-9
Number of pages8
JournalJAMA Internal Medicine
Volume174
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Aspirin
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Cohort Studies
  • Colonic Neoplasms
  • Cyclooxygenase 2
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Female
  • Gene Expression
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Male
  • Mutation
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Registries
  • Tissue Array Analysis
  • Journal Article

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