Expression Patterns of TOP2A and SIRT1 Are Predictive of Survival in Patients with High-Risk Soft Tissue Sarcomas Treated with a Neoadjuvant Anthracycline-Based Chemotherapy

SIMPLE SUMMARY: High-risk soft tissue sarcomas (HR-STS) account for less than 1% of all malignancies in adults. Despite optimal local treatment, almost half of patients will die within five years of their diagnosis. Chemoresistance is a major responsible mechanism for treatment failure in advanced tumor stages. In contrast to other cancer types, molecular predictors of response to chemotherapy and survival have not been identified and put into clinical practice by now. We analyzed the predictive value of two molecules involved in the working and resistance mechanisms to doxorubicin, TOP2A and SIRT1, in a large cohort of locally advanced HR-STS who underwent a neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy with a long-term follow-up. Our results show sarcoma subtype-specific patterns of TOP2A and SIRT1 expression. We demonstrate significant differences in overall survival according to the TOP2A and SIRT1 expression status. Both markers can be used as clinically significant predictive indicators for HR-STS patients scheduled for neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy. ABSTRACT: Molecular predictors of response to chemotherapy and survival have not been put into clinical practice in high-risk soft tissue sarcomas (HR-STS) by now. The expression of TOP2A and SIRT1 has implications for the mechanism of action of doxorubicin, which is the backbone of chemotherapy in HR-STS. Pre-treatment samples of 167 patients with HR-STS were collected. Protein expression levels of TOP2A and SIRT1 were evaluated with tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological parameters, including overall survival (OS). The expression of TOP2A and SIRT1 was seen in 47% and 60% of patients with HR-STS, respectively. TOP2A expression was associated with higher tumor grading and shorter 5-year OS. The expression of SIRT1 was correlated with a better 5- and 10-year OS. The combination of high SIRT1 and low TOP2A (“Top survivors”) significantly predicted a better OS compared to other biomarker combinations. A multivariate analysis confirmed the expression of SIRT1 and the “Top survivor” biomarker combination as independent predictive factors of OS. This is the first study to associate SIRT1 overexpression with a statistically significant prolongation of OS in HR-STS. Both individual markers and their combination can be used as predictive indicators for HR-STS patients scheduled for neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy.