Abstract LB-354: Investigating potential molecular biomarkers for cetuximab response in metastatic colorectal cancer tissue using reverse phase protein array
Authors: Monsefi Naser , O’Byrne Robert , Carberry Steven , Zanella Eugenia R. , Barat Ana , Cremona Mattia , Morgan Clare , Hennessy Bryan T. , Bertotti Andrea , Trusolino Livio , Prehn Jochen H.M. 
Published: July 2016

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third and second most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and females, and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the developed world. Identifying the importance of epidermal growth factor (EGF) signalling pathways for the survival of CRC cells (Van Cutsem, Kohne et al. 2011) resulted in development of therapies that target EGF-receptors (EGFR). Late stage CRC patients are mainly treated with monoclonal anti-EGFR antibodies such as cetuximab. Although anti-EGFR therapies have significantly improved survival in CRC patients (Van Cutsem, Kohne et al. 2009), they are not effective in patients with activating KRAS, BRAF, NRAS and PI3KCA mutations (De Roock, Claes et al. 2010). Nevertheless, between 50-60% of patients will not benefit from the additional anti-EGFR treatment, even when these have a quadruple wild-type status (De Roock, De Vriendt et al. 2011), suggesting that novel biomarkers and targeted therapies are required.

In this study, we investigate potential biomarkers for cetuximab response in a panel of 93 quadruple wild-type, liver metastatic CRC samples from patient derived xenografts (PDX) with known responses to cetuximab. Matching PDXs were used to measure changes in tumour volumes post cetuximab treatment (Bertotti, Papp et al. 2015) and were later categorised as regressing, progressing or stabilised. Protein expression levels were measured in matched PDXs, using a reverse phase protein array (RPPA) with a panel of 72 antibodies targeting key cancer related proteins as previously described).

Statistical analysis of measured values showed significant correlation between high protein expression levels, such as Chk-1, PARP, HIAP-2 (cIAP-1), and PDX progression post cetuximab treatment. These proteins were significantly expressed lower in both regressing and stable PDXs. Interestingly, we found a high cross correlation between expression levels of these proteins across all the samples, giving them a great potential to act as predictive biomarkers for cetuximab response. Bioinformatics pathway enrichment of these proteins showed a significant enrichment of intrinsic apoptotic and cell cycle signalling pathways. These results have also been investigated in publically available patient data with cetuximab response and together will be used to construct a deterministic mathematical cell cycle model that will help to predict the outcome of cetuximab therapy in future.

Citation Format: Naser Monsefi, Robert O’Byrne, Steven Carberry, Eugenia R. Zanella, Ana Barat, Mattia Cremona, Clare Morgan, Bryan T. Hennessy, Andrea Bertotti, Livio Trusolino, Jochen H.M. Prehn. Investigating potential molecular biomarkers for cetuximab response in metastatic colorectal cancer tissue using reverse phase protein array. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-354.