131. Social isolation and gene expression tumor profiles in breast cancer patients

Abstract

Psychosocial stress has long been hypothesized to play a role in breast cancer growth and progression. However, the association between stress and disease-relevant biological processes, particularly tumor characteristics, has not been examined in breast cancer patients. The current study examined the association between social isolation and gene expression tumor profiles in women with early-stage breast cancer. Ninety women were recruited from the UCLA tumor registry who had their tumors resected within the past 5 years and showed no current evidence of disease. Participants completed measures of stress and social isolation (Social Provisions Scale – Attachment Subscale) and consented to gene expression profiling of their banked tumors. Gene expression analyses comparing women reporting high vs. low social attachment identified >250 genes showing differential transcription between these groups (228 genes up-regulated in low social attachment group and 46 down-regulated). GOstat analyses of gene ontology annotations indicated upregulation of genes associated with translation/gene expression, metabolism, cell proliferation, stress response, cell differentiation, extracellular matrix, and wound response. Further, transcript origin analyses indicated up-regulation of gene expression profiles associated with M2 macrophages and mesenchymal cells in the low social attachment group (all ps