Granzyme B Expression in the Tumor Microenvironment as a Prognostic Biomarker for Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment are important in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Cytotoxic T cells produce cytokines and cytotoxic factors, such as perforin and granzyme, which induce apoptosis by damaging target cells. To identify biomarkers of these cells, we investigated granzyme B (GZMB) in the tumor microenvironment as a biomarker of treatment response and prognosis in 230 patients with primary TNBC who underwent surgery without preoperative chemotherapy between January 2004 and December 2014.

A novel germline mutation of TP53 with breast cancer diagnosed as Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

TP53 is a tumor suppressor gene and, when dysfunctional, it is known to be involved in the development of cancers. Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a hereditary tumor with autosomal dominant inheritance that develops in people with germline pathogenic variants of TP53. LFS frequently develops in parallel to tumors, including breast cancer.

CCND1 Copy Number Variation in Circulating Tumor DNA from Luminal B Breast Cancer Patients.

Background/aim: Abnormalities in the cyclin D1-CDK4/6 complex have been implicated in breast cancer proliferation and resistance to treatment. Recently, new drugs have been developed to target CDK4/6. Meanwhile, liquid biopsy has received great interest in oncology.

Significance of the Multi-gene Panel myRisk in Japan.

Background/aim: Hereditary tumors are estimated to account for approximately 5-10% of all tumors. In Europe and the United States, multi-gene panel testing (MGPT) is the standard method used for identifying potential causative genes. However, MGPT it is still not widely used in Japan.

Genetic medicine is accelerating in Japan.

Background: In 2018, BRACAnalysis® was covered by medical insurance in Japan as a companion diagnostic test for the poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor olaparib. In April 2020, eligibility for BRCA1/2 genetic testing was expanded to the diagnosis of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome, and medical management including prophylactic surgery and surveillance were covered by public insurance for BRCA1/2 mutation carriers who developed breast or ovarian cancer. The amount of BRCA1/2 genetic testing has been increasing recently, but the number of subjects and the impact of testing for patients' outcomes remain unclear.

Effect of the 2013 ASCO-CAP HER2 Testing Guideline on the Management of IHC/HER2 2+ Invasive Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: With advances in anti-HER2 treatment and improved prognoses of HER2-positive breast cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Pathologists (ASCO/CAP) have revised the HER2 diagnostic guidelines several times. We examined how to respond clinically to the revisions of the interpretation of the immunohistochemistry (IHC) method.

Patients And Methods: We re-evaluated 254 patients diagnosed as HER2 IHC equivocal, who underwent fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) before and after the IHC diagnostic criteria update in 2013.

Validity of the prognostication tool PREDICT version 2.2 in Japanese breast cancer patients.

Introduction: PREDICT is a prognostication tool that calculates the potential benefit of various postsurgical treatments on the overall survival (OS) of patients with nonmetastatic invasive breast cancer. Once patient, tumor, and treatment details have been entered, the tool will show the estimated 5-, 10-, and 15-year OS outcomes, both with and without adjuvant therapies. This study aimed to conduct an external validation of the prognostication tool PREDICT version 2.

Surgical treatment for breast cancer in a patient with erythropoietic protoporphyria and photosensitivity: a case report.

Background: Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare disorder of heme synthesis. Patients with EPP mainly show symptoms of photosensitivity, but approximately 20% of EPPs are associated with the liver-related complications. We report a case of breast cancer in a 48-year-old female patient with EPP in whom meticulous perioperative management was required in order to avoid complications resulting from this disease.

Comprehensive molecular profiling broadens treatment options for breast cancer patients.

Precision oncology with next generation sequencing (NGS) using tumor tissue with or without blood has begun in Japan. Tumor molecular profiling tests are available, including the OncoGuide™ NCC Oncopanel System and FoundationOne CDx (F1CDx). Our purpose was to identify potentially actionable genetic alterations in breast cancer with this comprehensive tumor profiling test.