Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39984660›Full record

ArticleCommunications medicine2025

TFF3 facilitates dormancy of anti-estrogen treated ER+ mammary carcinoma.

Shu Chen, Xi Zhang, Basappa Basappa, Tao Zhu, Vijay Pandey, Peter E Lobie

Abstract read
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Article in Communications medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Shu ChenPrecision Medicine and Healthcare Research Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-0112-7503
Xi ZhangPrecision Medicine and Healthcare Research Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China.
Basappa BasappaLaboratory of Chemical Biology, Department of Studies in Organic Chemistry, University of Mysore, Mysore, Karnataka, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8844-468X
Tao ZhuShenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4130-1144
Vijay PandeyPrecision Medicine and Healthcare Research Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China. vijay.pandey@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8704-0694
Peter E LobiePrecision Medicine and Healthcare Research Center, Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, PR China. pelobie@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8445-184X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTumor dormancy is a substantial clinical obstacle in treatment of estrogen receptor positive mammary carcinoma (ER+MC), contributing to drug resistance, metastatic outgrowth, relapse, and consequent mortality.

methodsPreclinical models mimicking clinical anti-estrogen-induced ER+MC dormancy were generated in vivo. Function and a mechanism-based combination treatment were determined in the generated dormancy-like models in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo.

resultsThe dormancy models display molecular features of dormancy and tumor mass and cellular dormancy with associated clinical dormancy behavior. Both serum and cancer tissue expression of Trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) are identified as prognostic indicators of dormant ER+MC with TFF3 functioning as an epigenetically regulated driver of dormancy-associated behaviors. BCL2-dependent pro-survival functions of TFF3 coupled with enhanced attributes of stemness designates TFF3 as an actionable target. Moreover, combination screening of a TFF3 small-molecule-inhibitor (AMPC) with compounds used clinically to treat anti-estrogen-resistant ER+MC identifies strong synergism between AMPC and CDK4/6 inhibitors in the dormancy-like models. The combination results in concomitant suppression of CCND1 expression and CDK4/6 kinase activity to decrease RB phosphorylation, with reduced BCL2 expression, leading to both ER + MC cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The combined TFF3-CDK4/6 inhibition impedes metastatic outgrowth and ameliorates host animal survival in the dormancy-like models, producing a complete response in a percentage of animals.

conclusionsHence, in vivo models of anti-estrogen induced dormancy of ER+MC generated herein, identify TFF3 as a driver of this process. The combined inhibition of TFF3 and CDK4/6 may potentially alleviate the clinical challenges posed by anti-estrogen-induced dormancy in ER+MC.

Identifiers

PMID39984660
PMCPMC11845601

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.