Androgen Receptor, EGFR, and BRCA1 as Biomarkers in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective. More and more evidences demonstrate that androgen receptor (AR), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) have unique clinical implications for targeted therapy or prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to summarize the possible associations.Methods. We retrieved published articles about AR, EGFR, and BRCA1 in TNBC from PubMed and EMBASE. The analysis was performed with Rev-Man 5.2 software.Results. A total of 38 articles were eligible for the meta-analysis. Our study showed that the expression level of EGFR (OR=6.88,P<0.00001) and the prevalence of BRCA1 mutation (RR=5.26,P<0.00001) were higher in TNBC than non-TNBC. In contrast, the expression level of AR was lower in TNBC than non-TNBC (OR=0.07,P<0.00001). In the subgroup related to EGFR expression, the level of EGFR expression was significantly increased in Asians (OR=9.60) compared with Caucasians (OR=5.53) for TNBC patients. Additionally, the prevalence of BRCA1 mutation in Asians (RR=5.43,P<0.00001) was higher than that in Caucasians (RR=5.16,P<0.00001).Conclusions. The distinct expression of AR and EGFR and the prevalence of BRCA1 mutation indicated that AR, EGFR, and BRCA1 might be unique biomarkers for targeted therapy and prognosis in TNBC.