Poor prognosis of constitutive gamma-H2AX expressing triple-negative breast cancers is associated with telomere length

Abstract

AIM: Here, we set out to establish whether endogenous gamma-H2AX is a biomarker in triple-negative breast cancer. METHODS: We explored the association of gamma-H2AX with mutation status and sensitivity to 139 different anticancer drugs in up to 41 breast cancer cell lines. Further, we correlated gamma-H2AX expression in breast cancer tumor tissues with telomere length. RESULTS: gamma-H2AX positive breast cancer cells exhibit more mutations, and - when p53 mutated - have shorter telomeres. In breast cancer patients gamma-H2AX is also related to shorter telomeres, which was in turn associated with poorer prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer patients. CONCLUSION: Thus, endogenous gamma-H2AX is associated with short telomeres, which might offer a specific target for therapy for triple-negative breast cancer patients.