PREDICTION OF THE EFFECT OF 5'-DEOXY-5-FLUOROURIDINE BY THE STATUS OFANGIOGENIC ENZYME THYMIDINE PHOSPHORYLASE EXPRESSION IN RECURRENT BREAST-CANCER PATIENTS

The anti-cancer drug, 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'DFUR) is known to ha ve antitumor activity through the conversion to 5FU by thymidine phosp horylase (TP). Recently, TP was demonstrated to be identical to angiog enic molecule platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF ) by cDNA cloning and subsequent biochemical analyses. We have examine d the relationship between the clinical response of 5'DFUR and TP/PD-E CGF expression determined by immunocytochemical analysis in 24 recurre nt breast cancer patients. Of 24, 13 were TP/PD-ECGF positive and 11 w ere TP/PD-ECGF negative. In 13 TP/PD-ECGF positive patients, 4 showed objective response (OR) and 3 showed stable disease (SD) with 5'DFUR t reatment, however only one case showed OR and no case showed SD in 11 TP/PD-ECGF negative patients, suggesting that 5'DFUR was likely to be effective for TP/PD-ECGF positive patients. In another group of recurr ent breast cancer patients treated by adriamycin containing regimen, n o significant correlation was observed between the response of 5'DFUR and the status of TP/PD-ECGF expression. It was indicated that an angi ogenic enzyme TP/PD-ECGF expression might be a predictor of the effect of 5'DFUR treatment in human breast cancer.