TOP2A expression in pheochromocytoma and abdominal paraganglioma: a novel marker of poor clinical outcome?

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2214588/v1

Download PDF

Research Article

TOP2A expression in pheochromocytoma and abdominal paraganglioma: a novel marker of poor clinical outcome?

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2214588/v1

This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License

Journal Publication

published 19 Jan, 2023

Read the published version in Endocrine Pathology →

You are reading this latest preprint version

Introduction:Pheochromocytoma and abdominal paraganglioma (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors originating from chromaffin cells. Even though only 10-15% of the tumors metastasize, all PPGL are considered potentially malignant. Topoisomerase 2A (TOP2A) is a protein involved in cell proliferation and was recently found to be over-expressed in metastatic PPGL.

Aims: To provide support whether TOP2A could serve as a prognostic marker to distinguish metastatic tumors from non-metastatic ones.

Material and Methods: A retrospective study including histologically verified PPGL with adequate tissue content to allow molecular studies. The cohort included 88 PPGL and 10 normal adrenal gland samples. The expression of TOP2A was measured using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry and compared to clinical parameters connected to metastatic behavior. The Cancer Genome Atlas was used for validation of the results.

Results: A significant association between high TOP2A mRNA expression in primary PPGL and subsequent metastatic events (p = 0.009) was found, as well as to specific histological features and clinical parameters connected to metastatic behavior. TOP2A immunoreactivity was calculated as an index of positive nuclei divided by the total amount of nuclei, and this index associated to TOP2A mRNA levels (p = 0.023).

Conclusions:TOP2A is a potential prognostic marker as it is frequently elevated in PPGL displaying subsequent metastatic disease, and future studies in larger cohorts are warranted to determine if a TOP2A index as assessed by immunohistochemistry could be a marker of poor outcome. Additionally, elevated levels of TOP2A could indicate a potential actionable event, and future studies with topoisomerase inhibitors would be of interest.

Pheochromocytoma

paraganglioma

TOP2A

prognostic marker

metastasis

Pheochromocytoma (PCC) and abdominal paraganglioma (aPGL), mutually referred to as “PPGL”, are rare, neuroendocrine tumors affecting 6.6 persons per million [1]. Metastases to non-chromaffin sites, such as to the liver, bone, lungs, or regional lymph nodes occur in 10–15% of PCC and 30–50% of aPGL [2, 3]. The first-hand treatment for all PPGL is surgery, which is curative for most patients [4]. Though, patients with spread disease often exhibit limited responses to chemotherapy and thereby have a poor prognosis [5]. Additionally, there is no fail-proof way to predict which patients that will have a metastasizing tumor, neither pre- nor post-operatively, and therefore it is stated that all PPGL are considered potentially malignant [2]. This has resulted in recommendations for life-long follow-up of all patients [6], regardless of the relatively small risk of metastatic disease.

However, an indication of the malignant potential can be obtained from the genetic background, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics, as well as certain clinical parameters [7]. PPGL is one of the most hereditable tumor types, with 40% of the patients exhibiting a constitutional mutation in a PPGL susceptibility gene [8, 9], where mutations in a pseudo-hypoxia related gene such as succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit B (SDHB) indicate a higher risk of metastases (“Cluster 1” PPGL) compared to PPGL with kinase-associated mutations (“Cluster 2” PPGL) [2]. Additionally, several histological grading systems such as The Pheochromocytoma of the Adrenal gland Scaled Score (PASS) and The Grading System for Adrenal Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma (GAPP) have been put forward in attempts to distinguish metastatic tumors [2], even though both PASS and GAPP have low positive predictive values and are currently not endorsed by the 2022 WHO classification [3, 10]. Furthermore, several clinical parameters such as low age at diagnosis, male sex, norepinephrine production, larger tumor size, Cluster 1 (pseudo-hypoxic) phenotype and extra-adrenal origin (aPGL) have been associated with an increased risk of metastases in other studies [11, 12].

Given the general absence of clinical, histological and molecular markers that can identify and separate all potentially metastatic PPGL from non-metastatic ones, researchers are focusing their efforts into a clinically useful predictor of disseminated disease. In a recent study, comparing mRNA transcriptional profiles between metastatic and non-metastatic PPGL several differently expressed genes were identified [13]. Topoisomerase type II alpha (TOP2A) was found over-expressed in the metastatic cases and could therefore in theory constitute a possible prognostic marker to identify patients with a potentially metastatic tumor.

TOP2A is part of the topoisomerase protein family that facilitate replication and the ability of malignant tumors cells to undergo infinite proliferation [14], and topoisomerase inhibitors are used in the clinic for treating several other types of cancer by inhibiting this mechanism [15]. Topoisomerases reversibly relax/unwind DNA strands enabling DNA replication, recombination, and transcription, thereby contributing to cell proliferation [16]. Topoisomerase type II is active in several metabolic mechanisms, such as chromosome segregation in mitosis. It consists of TOP2A and topoisomerase type II beta (TOP2B), in which TOP2A regulates cell proliferation and TOP2B regulates gene transcription. TOP2A is over-expressed in several tumors, including carcinomas of adrenocortical, nasopharyngeal and gallbladder origin, as well as breast-, ovary- and lung cancer [17, 18]. Additionally, an over-expression of TOP2A has been associated to an aggressive tumor type, recurrence of the tumor and poorer survival [19, 20], thereby indicating the potential of TOP2A as a prognostic marker of malignant outcome. The role of TOP2A in PPGL is not yet known.

Study Cohort

The study cohort consisted of PPGL primary tumor samples (classified according to the 2017 WHO Classification of Endocrine Tumors [21]) and non-tumoral adrenal tissue samples surgically removed at the Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. Tissues were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen and kept in -80°C until further analysis. The tumors were stored and collected at the endocrine biobank at the Karolinska University Hospital - Solna. The inclusion criteria consisted of histologically verified PPGL with adequate tissue content to allow molecular studies. Cases that did not fulfil these criteria were excluded from the study. For extraction of RNA, fresh frozen tissue was used. Representativity testing showed that the tissue samples were homogenous including mostly tumor cells, in addition to sustentacular cells and endothelial cells. The proportion of tumor cells in the tissue samples had a median value between 70–80% (data not shown). Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples were used for immunohistochemistry. All tissue samples were collected with informed consent and the study of the tissue material was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority.

The final study cohort included 88 PPGL (78 PCC and 10 PGL, Supplementary Table 1) and 10 normal, de-identified adrenal samples taken adjacent to tumors. The PPGL cohort included 47 females and 41 males, with a median age at diagnosis of 53.4 years with a range from 14–83 years (Supplementary Table 1). The tumors have been previously screened for mutations in PPGL disease genes such as EGLN1, EPAS1, KIF1Bβ, MAX, MEN1, NF1, RET, SDHA, SDHB, SDHC, SDHD, SDHAF2, TMEM127, and VHL [13]. The clinical parameters sex, age, tumor size, metastasis or relapse, follow-up time, absolute and disease-related outcome, PASS score and individual parameters, biochemistry and Cluster 1 or 2 genotype were also known for these study samples [8, 13] The division into Cluster 1 or 2 was based on previous studies and available data for mRNA expression profiles and mutations [22]. Metastasis or relapse occurred in 9 patients (∼10%), and 4 died due to their disease. (Supplementary Table 1).

Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) for quantification of TOP2A mRNA expression

Complementary DNA (cDNA) was converted from RNA, using High-Capacity cDNA Reverse Transcription Kit (Thermo Fisher, MA, USA). The protocol recommended by the manufacturer was followed and TaqMan 2x universal PCR master mix was used together with 20 ng of cDNA for each sample. Assay ID Hs03063307_m1 was used for TOP2A and Hs00187842_m1 was used for B2M which served as an endogenous control. Quant Studio 7 (Thermo Fischer, MA, USA) was used for the analyses with each sample in three technical replicates. A mean value was calculated, and the relative expression was determined after normalization to B2M and calculations according to the 2^−ΔCt method. TOP2A mRNA expression was quantified for 83 PPGL (Supplementary Table 1) and 10 normal adrenal samples.

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database

Data from the TCGA database was downloaded from https://www.cbioportal.org in October 2021. The PanCancer Atlas set was used and primary tumors of PCC and aPGL were selected. Head- and neck tumors were excluded, as well as tumors with missing values of clinical data. In total, 159 cases were selected (134 PCC and 25 PGL), including 72 males and 87 females with a median age of 47 years. TOP2A mRNA levels were compared to clinical parameters such as sex, age at diagnosis, progression of disease, absolute outcome, and disease-related outcome. Additionally, data of potential mutations and copy numbers of the TOP2A gene were collected. Methylation density values for TOP2A were collected from UCSC Xena Functions Genomics Explorer (https://xenabrowser.net/) in October 2021.

TOP2A immunohistochemistry

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks from 37 tumors with representative tissue were cut at 4 micrometers and deparaffinized in xylene, followed by rehydration in ethanol. Antigen retrieval was performed using a Decloaking Chamber (Biocare Medical, CA, USA) set for 5 minutes at 110 ºC in citrate buffer pH 6 (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA, catalogue no. C-9999). Peroxidase blocking was performed by incubation in hydrogen peroxide, followed by BSA blocking (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA, catalogue no. A-4503). The TOP2A polyclonal antibody (PA5-110707) was diluted 1:800 in Redior Red diluent (Biocare Medical, CA, USA, catalogue no. #PD9004M) overnight. For detection the Biocare Medical Mach-1 Universal HRP-Polymer Kit was used (catalogue no. MIU539L10) according to protocol. Furthermore, counterstaining with hematoxylin as well as rehydration in ethanol and xylene were performed. Control tissues included de-identified cases of a normal adrenal gland as a negative control and normal testicular tissue as a positive control. A total amount of 37 PPGL (of which 33 were informative for TOP2A mRNA status) were immunostained for TOP2A. Since TOP2A is a predominantly nuclear antigen associated to tumor cell proliferative activity, we incorporated an approach similar to the established Ki-67 labeling index, counting the number of positive nuclei in hotspot areas and dividing by the total number of tumor nuclei, counting at least 2,000 cells using an ocular grid. This resulted in a TOP2A index for each case.

Statistics

SPSS 27 (IBM SPSS, Armonk, NY, USA) was used for statistical analyses. Variables were divided into two groups: Categorical (tissue type, sex, individual PASS parameters, metastasis or relapse, absolute outcome, disease-related outcome, Cluster 1 or 2 genotype, noradrenaline and adrenaline production); and Numerical (age, tumor size, follow-up time, PASS score and TOP2A mRNA levels). Mann Whitney U-test was used to compare groups. Spearman’s Rank-Order Correlation was used for correlation analysis. Log rank test was used to compare survival between two groups and illustrated with Kaplan-Meier plots. PPGL patients were divided according to TOP2A mRNA levels (above or below mean). The data was visualized using a cumulative scale, which means that every event was treated independently. Fisher’s exact test were used to compare associations between two categorical variables. Multivariate analysis with linear regression was used to test different clinical parameters as independent variables in the perspective of predicting metastasis. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Associations between increased TOP2A mRNA expression and clinical parameters linked to metastatic behavior

Quantification of TOP2A mRNA in a cohort of primary PPGL and adrenal samples revealed a generally increased expression in PPGL as compared to normal adrenal (Fig. 1a). Additionally, higher relative expression of TOP2A mRNA was found in aPGL compared to PCC, while the lowest levels of TOP2A mRNA were observed in normal adrenal gland tissues (Fig. 1b).

Table 1 and Fig. 1 presents data and statistical significance of several clinical parameters compared to expression of TOP2A, investigating PPGL as a group as well as aPGL and PCC separately. For PPGL, high expression of TOP2A mRNA was associated to the aPGL tumor type (as opposed to PCC), male sex (as opposed to female sex), metastasis or local recurrence (as opposed to no metastasis or local recurrence), Cluster 1 genotype (as opposed to Cluster 2 tumors), and high levels of noradrenaline (as opposed to normal levels). In addition, TOP2A mRNA was inversely correlated to patient age at diagnosis. These parameters have been connected to metastatic behavior in other studies [11, 23]. When analyzing aPGL and PCC separately, an association was only found between high expression of TOP2A mRNA and high noradrenaline levels in PCC (Table 1).

Data collected from the TCGA database was used to compare levels of TOP2A mRNA to clinical parameters in another cohort, to validate the results obtained in this study. The mRNA levels ranged from 14.3 to 1916.8 with a median value of 121.4 and a mean value of 187. TOP2A mRNA correlated inversely with the age at diagnosis, however no significant associations were found when comparing tissue types or patient sex (Table 2).

Furthermore, associations between the individual histological PASS parameters and TOP2A mRNA expression in this study were examined (Table 3). For each PASS variable, the term “positive” indicates that the specific tumor scored positive for that variable, in contrast to the term “negative” indicating that the specific characteristic was not visualized in the histological examination. Cases were divided into two groups to distinguish between high and low expression of TOP2A with expression above or below the mean. The analyses revealed that high TOP2A expression was associated with the presence of tumor cell spindling (Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.013), mitotic figures (p = 0.042) and capsular invasion (p = 0.001) (Table 3).

High TOP2A mRNA is associated with metastasis and shorter survival

PPGL cases with metastatic disease (or exhibiting local recurrence) displayed a significantly higher expression of TOP2A mRNA as compared to non-disseminated PPGL (Fig. 2a, Table 1). Similarly, in the TCGA dataset, an association was found between high levels of TOP2A and progression (recurrence or metastasis) of disease (Fig. 2b, Table 2).

In the survival analyses we observed an association between high TOP2A expression and shorter disease-related survival (time to death of disease) and a trend for shorter absolute outcome (time to death of any cause) (Fig. 2c and d; Table 1). In these analyses, cases where split into two groups, using values above (n = 14) and below (n = 69) the mean value of TOP2A mRNA expression. However, in the TCGA dataset, no significant associations were found for absolute outcome, disease- related outcome or measuring progression of disease using Log rank test (Table 2, Fig. 2e).

To determine if TOP2A mRNA could be an independent predictor of metastatic disease, multivariate analysis was performed incorporating TOP2A together with the parameters tumor size, total PASS, age at diagnosis and TOP2A mRNA relative expression. The analyses revealed that the TOP2A mRNA expression, as well as the parameters age at diagnosis and total PASS score were independent variables when predicting future metastasis (Supplementary Table 2).

Immunohistochemical detection and localization of TOP2A protein

Normal testicular tissue served as positive control, and was visualized as distinct nuclear signals (Fig. 3a). Normal testicular tissue with omission of the primary anti-TOP2A antibody and normal adrenal medulla served as negative controls, with no immunohistochemical expression of TOP2A (Fig. 3b and c). In the 37 PPGL cases analyzed for TOP2A expression by immunohistochemistry TOP2A index ranged from < 1–3.0%, averaging 1%, when measuring the proportion of tumor cells with nuclear staining (exemplified in Fig. 3d-f). Twenty-three cases exhibited a TOP2A index < 1%, two cases scored 1.0% and 12 tumors exhibited scores > 1% (classified as “high” index cases). The TOP2A index for each immunostained case is available in Supplementary Table 1. Statistical comparisons between TOP2A mRNA levels and the immunohistochemical TOP2A index identified an association using Mann Whitney U-test (Fig. 3g).

Copy number alterations and methylation density of the TOP2A gene

To reveal a potential mechanism of TOP2A regulation, we investigated the TCGA dataset of 159 PPGL for genetic alterations such as mutations and copy numbers of the TOP2A gene. While no mutations were observed, a subset of cases had copy number alterations. Altogether 5 cases exhibited gain of TOP2A, 119 cases had no aberration and 33 cases showed a loss of TOP2A (Table 2). Comparison of TOP2A mRNA levels in relation to copy number status showed no significant correlation (p > 0.1, Mann Whitney U). Furthermore, data for methylation density at the eighteen available CpG sites of the TOP2A gene were investigated. Initially, potential correlations between levels of TOP2A and methylation in different CpG-sites were analyzed using Spearman’s test (Supplementary Fig. 1a). With regard to the mean methylation density at individual CpG sites, high methylation density was observed in the first and the second CpG site (Supplementary Fig. 1b), of which the first site showed a weak correlation to TOP2A mRNA levels. The other 16 CpG sites showed low mean levels of methylation, seven of which showed a weak inverse correlation to TOP2A mRNA levels.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether TOP2A could be used as a marker of poor clinical outcome in PPGL and distinguish metastatic tumors from non-metastatic ones. Indeed, TOP2A was found to be a potential marker of clinical importance since a significant association between elevated TOP2A mRNA expression and metastatic behavior was seen, which was also verified via analyses of non-institutional cases from the TCGA database. Additionally, associations of TOP2A mRNA expression to other clinical parameters, including death due to the tumor, were found. An association between TOP2A mRNA expression and TOP2A protein levels were also observed, suggesting that immunohistochemistry could be used to highlight cases with increased TOP2A levels – which is suitable for clinical purposes.

TOP2A has been suggested as a marker of poor prognosis and a potential therapeutic marker in several other cancer types, which make a similar mechanism in PPGL plausible. Similarly to the results presented in this study, Gong et al [24] showed the potential role of TOP2A as a prognostic and therapeutic marker in papillary thyroid cancer as well as Chen et al [25] did in renal cell carcinoma. Like Cluster 1 mutations in PPGL, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) alterations due to VHL gene mutations are found in renal cell carcinoma, suggesting a potential similar molecular mechanism in PPGL. This is further discussed in another study where Jain et al [17] suggested TOP2A as a therapeutic marker in metastatic and aggressive adrenocortical carcinoma. Indeed, high expression of TOP2A has been seen and associated to more aggressive behavior in various types of tumors [19, 20], indicating that high TOP2A expression may be a contributing factor to carcinogenesis.

In terms of association to histological parameters, there were no correlates between the total PASS score and high TOP2A expression in PPGL, even though an association between several, specific PASS parameters were found. The PASS algorithm was created for evaluating PCC and not aPGL/PPGL, and in this study high expression was found in mostly aPGL, which could have an impact on our results. However, the associations between TOP2A expression and the specific histological variables, mitotic figures, and capsular invasion indicate the potential of TOP2A as a marker of malignant outcome since these specific histological markers have been shown to be associated to malignant behavior by Kim et al [23]. Potentially, these variables together with TOP2A expression could distinguish tumors with metastatic potential if reproduced in larger studies. Moreover, an association between TOP2A mRNA levels and immunohistochemical expression was noted, suggesting that the latter method could be of value in the clinical setting. As immunohistochemistry is currently the gold-standard technique for prognostic markers in most pathology laboratories, the findings obtained in this study could open up for a predictive marker used in the routine screening of PPGL.

We also wanted to investigate why TOP2A was elevated in tumors that later metastasized. Using the TCGA database, no TOP2A mutation in the coding sequence was observed, whereas copy number gain was noted in a few cases only without association to the TOP2A mRNA levels and methylation densities were only weakly correlated with TOP2A expression. This would imply that TOP2A mRNA is elevated due to other reasons, for example through regulation via transcription factors. Gupta et al showed that there was a higher expression of TOP2A in malignant PPGL and could also see an association with loss of Retinoblastoma protein (pRB) expression [26]. Since TOP2A transcription is inhibited by pRB and p53, the observed association makes sense [27]. Similarly, an association between high TOP2A levels in cervical cancer and missense mutations in TP53 and RB1 was found by Yu et al [28], implying the same type of mechanism. On the other hand, TP53 mutations are very rare in PPGL which would contradict this idea. Overall, P53 and RB are well-known tumor suppressors in other cancer types, though their roles in PPGL is not completely known and need to be further investigated.

A significant association between high expression of TOP2A mRNA and Cluster 1 PPGL was also observed, indicating a possible connection between TOP2A and pseudo-hypoxia related pathways. Since Cluster 1 tumors are considered most likely to metastasize, this further indicated the potential of TOP2A as a prognostic marker. The value of immunohistochemical markers pinpointing Cluster 1 disease cannot be emphasized enough for tumors with such a heterogenous genetic background, possibly allowing the pathologist to identify cases at risk of adverse clinical events in a timely fashion. Although CAIX and SHDB immunohistochemistry may triage subsets of cases, wider markers such as Alpha-inhibin (identifying Cluster 1 disease irrespectively of genetic background) have been recognized [29]. While TOP2A may be an additional marker in this context, it could also have implications from a therapeutic perspective, since Toh et al showed that the topoisomerase II inhibitor Mitoxantrone inhibits the expression of HIF and hypothesized that it was due to an altered translation of HIF [15]. If the expression of HIF is dependent of the levels of TOP2A, PPGL tumors with Cluster 1 mutations could potentially be treated with topoisomerase inhibitors. HIF (and TOP2A) is elevated in several types of malignant tumors, which make this possible connection relevant in many other types of tumors as well. A recent study have shown an inhibitory effect on tumor growth with topoisomerase 1 inhibitors in, for instance, mouse PCC cell lines [30]. In that study, a decrease in HIF protein levels was also found, which is usually elevated in metastatic tumors, implying a positive effect of the drug. Additionally, Arivazhagan et al [31] measured TOP2A mRNA levels in glioblastoma cells and observed that tumors with higher expression exhibited improved response from temozolomide treatment, a drug that is also sometimes used for metastatic Cluster 1 associated PPGL [32]. Today, there is no effective treatment for PPGL patients with a metastatic disease, and further studies could be performed to evaluate topoisomerase inhibitors as an effective alternative. Topoisomerase 2 inhibitors, such as Mitoxantrone, could potentially be an effective alternative in disseminated PPGL, like it is used in breast cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia today [15].

TOP2A mRNA expression is elevated in metastatic PPGL and is a potential prognostic marker of poor clinical outcome. Additionally, the results from this study suggest that it may possibly constitute a therapeutic target using topoisomerase 2 inhibitors for a subset of metastatic cases, if reproduced in future functional and clinical studies.

Funding: This study was financially supported by grants provided by the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Society for Medical Research, Karolinska Institutet and the Stockholm City Council.

Conflicts of interest/Competing interests: None declared.

Availability of data and material: The datasets generated during the current study will be available upon reasonable request.

Ethics approval: Ethical approval was granted by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (approval number Dnr 2020–04226).

Consent to participate: All patients gave their written informed consent to participate.

Ebbehoj, A., Stochholm, K., Jacobsen, S. F., Trolle, C., Jepsen, P., Robaczyk, M. G., Rasmussen, Å. K., Feldt-Rasmussen, U., Thomsen, R. W., Søndergaard, E., & Poulsen, P. L. (2021) Incidence and Clinical Presentation of Pheochromocytoma and Sympathetic Paraganglioma: A Population-based Study. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 106(5), e2251–e2261. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa965
Juhlin CC. (2021) Challenges in Paragangliomas and Pheochromocytomas: from Histology to Molecular Immunohistochemistry. Endocrine pathology, 32(2), 228–244. doi: 10.1007/s12022-021-09675-0
Mete, O., Asa, S. L., Gill, A. J., Kimura, N., de Krijger, R. R., & Tischler, A. (2022) Overview of the 2022 WHO Classification of Paragangliomas and Pheochromocytomas. Endocrine pathology, 33(1), 90–114. doi: 10.1007/s12022-022-09704-6
Fishbein L. (2016) Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma: Genetics, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Hematology/oncology clinics of North America. 30(1):135-50. doi: 10.1016/j.hoc.2015.09.006.
Powers JF, Korgaonkar PG, Fliedner S, Giubellino A, Pacak K, Sahagian GG, et al. (2014) Cytocidal activities of topoisomerase 1 inhibitors and 5-azacytidine against pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma cells in primary human tumor cultures and mouse cell lines. PloS one. 9(2):e87807. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0087807.
Lenders JWM, Duh Q-Y, Eisenhofer G, Gimenez-Roqueplo A-P, Grebe SKG, Murad MH, et al. (2014) Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma: an endocrine society clinical practice guideline. The journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism. 99(6):1915-42. doi: 10.1210/jc.2014-1498.
Juhlin CC, Mete O. (2022) Advances in Adrenal and Extra-adrenal Paraganglioma: Practical Synopsis for Pathologists. Advances in anatomic pathology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1097/PAP.0000000000000365.
Welander J, Andreasson A, Juhlin CC, Wiseman RW, Bäckdahl M, Höög A, et al. (2014) Rare germline mutations identified by targeted next-generation sequencing of susceptibility genes in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. The journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism. 99(7):E1352-E60. doi: 10.1210/jc.2013-4375.
Buffet A, Burnichon N, Favier J, Gimenez-Roqueplo A-P. (2020) An overview of 20 years of genetic studies in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 34(2):101416. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2020.101416.
Stenman A, Zedenius J, Juhlin CC. (2019) The Value of Histological Algorithms to Predict the Malignancy Potential of Pheochromocytomas and Abdominal Paragangliomas-A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Literature. Cancers. 11(2), 225. doi: 10.3390/cancers11020225.
Cho YY, Kwak MK, Lee S-E, Ahn SH, Kim H, Suh S, et al. (2018) A clinical prediction model to estimate the metastatic potential of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma: ASES score. Surgery. 164(3):511-7. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2018.05.001.
Feng F, Zhu Y, Wang X, Wu Y, Zhou W, Jin X, et al. (2011) Predictive factors for malignant pheochromocytoma: analysis of 136 patients. The journal of urology. 185(5):1583-90. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2010.12.050.
Stenman A, Svahn F, Hojjat-Farsangi M, Zedenius J, Söderkvist P, Gimm O, et al. (2019) Molecular Profiling of Pheochromocytoma and Abdominal Paraganglioma Stratified by the PASS Algorithm Reveals Chromogranin B as Associated With Histologic Prediction of Malignant Behavior. The American journal of surgical pathology. 43(3):409-21. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0000000000001190.
Hanahan D, Weinberg RA. Hallmarks of cancer: the next generation. (2011) Cell. 144(5):646-74. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2011.02.013.
Toh Y-M, Li T-K. (2011) Mitoxantrone inhibits HIF-1α expression in a topoisomerase II-independent pathway. Clinical cancer research. 17(15):5026-37. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-11-0235.
Romero A, Caldés T, Díaz-Rubio E, Martín M. (2012) Topoisomerase 2 alpha: a real predictor of anthracycline efficacy? Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico. 14(3):163-8. doi: 10.1007/s12094-012-0779-1.
Jain M, Zhang L, He M, Zhang Y-Q, Shen M, Kebebew E. (2013) TOP2A is overexpressed and is a therapeutic target for adrenocortical carcinoma. Endocrine-related cancer. 20(3):361-70. doi: 10.1530/ERC-12-0403.
Liu T, Zhang H, Yi S, Gu L, Zhou M. (2019) Mutual regulation of MDM4 and TOP2A in cancer cell proliferation. Molecular oncology. 13(5):1047-58. doi: 10.1002/1878-0261.12457.
Lan J, Huang H-Y, Lee S-W, Chen T-J, Tai H-C, Hsu H-P, et al. (2014) TOP2A overexpression as a poor prognostic factor in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Tumor biology. 35(1):179-87. doi: 10.1007/s13277-013-1022-6.
Faggad A, Darb-Esfahani S, Wirtz R, Sinn B, Sehouli J, Könsgen D, et al. (2009) Topoisomerase IIalpha mRNA and protein expression in ovarian carcinoma: correlation with clinicopathological factors and prognosis. Modern pathology. 22(4):579-88. doi: 10.1038/modpathol.2009.14.
Lloyd RO, RY. Klöppel, G. Rosai, J. (2022) WHO Classification of Tumours of Endocrine Organs. WHO Classification of Tumours, 4th Edition. 10.
Stenman A, Welander J, Gustavsson I, Brunaud L, Bäckdahl M, Söderkvist P, et al. HRAS mutation prevalence and associated expression patterns in pheochromocytoma. Genes, chromosomes & cancer. 2016;55(5):452-9. doi: 10.1002/gcc.22347.
Kim KY, Kim JH, Hong AR, Seong M-W, Lee KE, Kim S-J, et al. (2016) Disentangling of Malignancy from Benign Pheochromocytomas/Paragangliomas. PloS one. 11(12):e0168413. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168413.
Gong M-C, Chen W-Q, Jin Z-Q, Lyu J, Meng L-H, Wu H-Y, et al. (2021) Prognostic Value and Significant Pathway Exploration Associated with TOP2A Involved in Papillary Thyroid Cancer. International journal of general medicine. 14:3485-96. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S316145.
Chen D, Maruschke M, Hakenberg O, Zimmermann W, Stief CG, Buchner A. (2016) TOP2A, HELLS, ATAD2, and TET3 Are Novel Prognostic Markers in Renal Cell Carcinoma. Urology. 102:265.e1-.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2016.12.050.
Gupta D, Shidham V, Holden J, Layfield L. (2000) Prognostic value of immunohistochemical expression of topoisomerase alpha II, MIB-1, p53, E-cadherin, retinoblastoma gene protein product, and HER-2/neu in adrenal and extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas. Applied immunohistochemistry & molecular morphology : AIMM /. 8(4):267-74.
Chen T, Sun Y, Ji P, Kopetz S, Zhang W. (2015) Topoisomerase IIα in chromosome instability and personalized cancer therapy. Oncogene. 34(31):4019-31. doi: 10.1038/onc.2014.332.
Yu B, Chen L, Zhang W, Li Y, Zhang Y, Gao Y, et al. (2020) TOP2A and CENPF are synergistic master regulators activated in cervical cancer. BMC medical genomics. 13(1):145. doi: 10.1186/s12920-020-00800-2.
Mete O, Pakbaz S, Lerario AM, Giordano TJ, Asa SL. (2021) Significance of Alpha-inhibin Expression in Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas. The American journal of surgical pathology. 45(9):1264-73. doi: 10.1097/PAS.0000000000001715.
Schovanek J, Bullova P, Tayem Y, Giubellino A, Wesley R, Lendvai N, et al. (2015) Inhibitory Effect of the Noncamptothecin Topoisomerase I Inhibitor LMP-400 on Female Mice Models and Human Pheochromocytoma Cells. Endocrinology. 156(11):4094-104. doi: 10.1210/en.2015-1476.
Arivazhagan A, Kumar DM, Sagar V, Patric IRP, Sridevi S, Thota B, et al. (2012) Higher topoisomerase 2 alpha gene transcript levels predict better prognosis in GBM patients receiving temozolomide chemotherapy: identification of temozolomide as a TOP2A inhibitor. Journal of neuro-oncology. 107(2):289-97. doi: 10.1007/s11060-011-0758-3.
Granberg D, Juhlin CC, Falhammar H. (2021) Metastatic Pheochromocytomas and Abdominal Paragangliomas. The journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism. 106(5):e1937-e52. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa982.

Tables 1 to 3 are available in the Supplementary Files section

No competing interests reported.

Download PDF

Journal Publication

published 19 Jan, 2023

Read the published version in Endocrine Pathology →

Editorial decision: Major revision
09 Nov, 2022
Reviews received at journal
06 Nov, 2022
Reviewers agreed at journal
01 Nov, 2022
Reviewers invited by journal
01 Nov, 2022
Editor assigned by journal
31 Oct, 2022
Submission checks completed at journal
31 Oct, 2022
First submitted to journal
28 Oct, 2022

You are reading this latest preprint version

TOP2A expression in pheochromocytoma and abdominal paraganglioma: a novel marker of poor clinical outcome?

Status:

Journal Publication

Version 1

Abstract

Figures

Introduction

Materials And Methods

Study Cohort

Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) for quantification of TOP2A mRNA expression

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database

TOP2A immunohistochemistry

Statistics

Results

Associations between increased TOP2A mRNA expression and clinical parameters linked to metastatic behavior

High TOP2A mRNA is associated with metastasis and shorter survival

Immunohistochemical detection and localization of TOP2A protein

Copy number alterations and methylation density of the TOP2A gene

Discussion

Conclusion

Declarations

References

Tables

Additional Declarations

Supplementary Files

Status:

Journal Publication

Version 1