5' Region Large Genomic Rearrangements in the Gene in French Families: Identification of a Tandem Triplication and Nine Distinct Deletions with Five Recurrent Breakpoints.

Background: Large genomic rearrangements (LGR) in consisting of deletions/duplications of one or several exons have been found throughout the gene with a large proportion occurring in the 5' region from the promoter to exon 2. The aim of this study was to better characterize those LGR in French high-risk breast/ovarian cancer families.

Methods: DNA from 20 families with one apparent duplication and nine deletions was analyzed with a dedicated comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) array, high-resolution BRCA1 Genomic Morse Codes analysis and Sanger sequencing.

Three Rounds of External Quality Assessment in France to Evaluate the Performance of 28 Platforms for Multiparametric Molecular Testing in Metastatic Colorectal and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Personalized medicine has gained increasing importance in clinical oncology, and several clinically important biomarkers are implemented in routine practice. In an effort to guarantee high quality of molecular testing in France, three subsequent external quality assessment rounds were organized at the initiative of the National Cancer Institute between 2012 and 2014. The schemes included clinically relevant biomarkers for metastatic colorectal (KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, microsatellite instability) and non-small cell lung cancer (EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, ERBB2), and they represent the first multigene/multicancer studies throughout Europe.

PIK3CA mutation impact on survival in breast cancer patients and in ERα, PR and ERBB2-based subgroups.

Introduction: PIK3CA is the oncogene showing the highest frequency of gain-of-function mutations in breast cancer, but the prognostic value of PIK3CA mutation status is controversial.

Methods: We investigated the prognostic significance of PIK3CA mutation status in a series of 452 patients with unilateral invasive primary breast cancer and known long-term outcome (median follow-up 10 years).

Results: PIK3CA mutations were identified in 151 tumors (33.

Gene expression profiling reveals new aspects of PIK3CA mutation in ERalpha-positive breast cancer: major implication of the Wnt signaling pathway.

Background: The PI3K/AKT pathway plays a pivotal role in breast cancer development and maintenance. PIK3CA, encoding the PI3K catalytic subunit, is the oncogene exhibiting a high frequency of gain-of-function mutations leading to PI3K/AKT pathway activation in breast cancer. PIK3CA mutations have been observed in 30% to 40% of ERα-positive breast tumors.

NF-kappa B genes have a major role in inflammatory breast cancer.

Background: IBC (Inflammatory Breast cancer) is a rare form of breast cancer with a particular phenotype. New molecular targets are needed to improve the treatment of this rapidly fatal disease. Given the role of NF-kappaB-related genes in cell proliferation, invasiveness, angiogenesis and inflammation, we postulated that they might be deregulated in IBC.

CXC chemokines located in the 4q21 region are up-regulated in breast cancer.

Recent data suggest that chemokines could be essential players in breast carcinogenesis. We previously showed that the CXC chemokine CXCL8 (interleukin-8) was overexpressed in estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha)-negative breast cell lines. Analysis of CXCL8 chromosomal location showed that several CXC chemokines (CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, CXCL4, CXCL4V1, CXCL5, CXCL6, CXCL7, and CXCL8) were localized in the same narrow region (360 kb in size) of chromosome 4.

Altered expression pattern of alternatively spliced estrogen receptor beta transcripts in breast carcinoma.

Dysregulation of total estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) expression has been implicated in breast tumorigenesis. The ERbeta gene yields five exon 8 alternatively spliced transcripts (ERbeta1-5), which encode proteins with different C-terminal amino acids. Individual expression analysis of these transcripts may provide new insights into estrogen signaling in breast cancer.