Alteration of HER2 Status During Breast Cancer Progression: A Clinicopathological Analysis Focusing on HER2-Low Status.

Recent studies have shown that novel antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) can improve clinical outcomes in patients with HER2-low breast cancers. This study aimed to investigate alteration of HER2 status during breast cancer progression with an emphasis on HER2-low status. Using 386 paired samples of primary and recurrent breast cancers, HER2 discordance rate between primary and matched recurrent samples, the relationships between HER2 discordance and clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes of the patients were analyzed.

Emergency Medical Services Protocols for Assessment and Treatment of Patients with Ventricular Assist Devices.

Background: Patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs) represent a growing population presenting to Emergency Medical Services (EMS), but little is known about their prehospital care. This study aimed to characterize current EMS protocols in the United States for patients with VADs.

Methods: States with state-wide EMS protocols were included.

PD-L1 (SP142) Expression in Primary and Recurrent/Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancers and Its Clinicopathological Significance.

Purpose: The programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) SP142 assay identifies patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who are most likely to respond to the anti-PD-L1 agent atezolizumab. We aimed to compare PD-L1 (SP142) expression between primary and recurrent/metastatic TNBCs and elucidate the clinicopathological features associated with its expression.

Materials And Methods: Primary and recurrent/metastatic TNBCs tested with PD-L1 (SP142) were collected, and clinicopathological information of these cases was obtained through a review of slides and medical records.

Helminth egg derivatives as proregenerative immunotherapies.

The immune system is increasingly recognized as an important regulator of tissue repair. We developed a regenerative immunotherapy from the helminth soluble egg antigen (SEA) to stimulate production of interleukin (IL)-4 and other type 2-associated cytokines without negative infection-related sequelae. The regenerative SEA (rSEA) applied to a murine muscle injury induced accumulation of IL-4-expressing T helper cells, eosinophils, and regulatory T cells and decreased expression of IL-17A in gamma delta (γδ) T cells, resulting in improved repair and decreased fibrosis.

Expression of HLA class I is associated with immune cell infiltration and patient outcome in breast cancer.

Downregulation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I is one mechanism of escaping anti-tumor immunity by tumor cells. This study was conducted to compare HLA class I expression in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive breast carcinoma (IBC) and to evaluate its association with immune cell infiltration of the tumors and clinical outcome of the patients. A total of 830 cases comprising 288 DCIS and 542 IBC were included in this study.

Clinical Application of Next-Generation Sequencing in Patients With Breast Cancer: Real-World Data.

Purpose: Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based tumor panel testing has been reimbursed by the Korean government since 2017. We evaluated the use of NGS-based tumor panel testing in real-world clinical practice, focusing on molecular profiling (MP)-guided breast cancer treatment.

Methods: A total of 137 breast cancer patients underwent NGS panel testing between December 2017 and July 2020 at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH).

miR-145, miR-205 and miR-451: potential tumor suppressors involved in the progression of in situ to invasive carcinoma of the breast.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) control diverse biologic processes during tumor progression. This study was conducted to identify miRNAs that are implicated in progression of in situ to invasive breast cancer (IBC) and to evaluate their association with clinicopathological features of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

Methods: We performed miRNA microarray analyses to find differentially expressed miRNAs between DCIS and IBC in a test set, and validated expression levels of selected miRNAs using a different set of tumors.

Role of CXCL10 in the progression of in situ to invasive carcinoma of the breast.

Tumor immune microenvironment plays a crucial role in tumor progression. We performed immune profiling to compare immune-related gene expression between ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive carcinoma of the breast using nCounter PanCancer immune Profiling Panel and found that CXCL10 was the most significant gene that had the highest difference in expression between them. Effect of CXCL10 on breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion was examined in vitro, and expression of CXCL10 and its relationship with immune cell infiltration was assessed in breast cancer samples.

Programmed Death Ligand 1 Immunohistochemistry in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Evaluation of Inter-Pathologist Concordance and Inter-Assay Variability.

Purpose: The programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) SP142 assay with a 1% immune cell (IC) cutoff is approved for the selection of advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients for atezolizumab treatment. We aimed to evaluate the interobserver concordance of PD-L1 scoring and inter-assay variability of various PD-L1 assays in TNBC.

Methods: Thirty patients with primary TNBC were selected, and SP142, SP263, 22C3, and E1L3N assays were performed.

Prognostic implications of regression of metastatic axillary lymph nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer.

Prognostic implications of therapeutic response of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) remain unclear in patients with breast cancer. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of axillary LN regression after NAC in locally-advanced breast cancer patients. Therapeutic response of the LNs was evaluated in 563 breast cancer patients and classified into four grades according to the regression pattern.

Prognostic significance of S100A8-positive immune cells in relation to other immune cell infiltration in pre-invasive and invasive breast cancers.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play an important role in tumor progression through both immunologic and non-immunologic mechanisms. This study was conducted to evaluate the expression of S100A8, a well-known MDSC marker, and the significance of its expression in pre-invasive and invasive breast cancers. S100A8 expression in tumor cells (TCs) and immune cells (ICs) was assessed by immunohistochemistry, and its association with clinicopathologic features and infiltration of other IC subsets including CD4+, CD8+, and FOXP3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and PD-L1+ ICs was evaluated.

Changes and prognostic values of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte subsets after primary systemic therapy in breast cancer.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) levels have prognostic and predictive values in treatment-naïve breast cancers. However, there have been controversies regarding TIL subset changes and their clinical implications in post-treatment breast cancers. This study aimed to explore change and prognostic significance of TIL subset infiltration after primary systemic therapy (PST) in breast cancer.

Immune microenvironment in ductal carcinoma in situ: a comparison with invasive carcinoma of the breast.

Background: The immune microenvironment in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and its significance are not well established. This study was conducted to evaluate the immune microenvironment of DCIS including the composition of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) subsets and PD-L1+ immune cells and to compare it with that of invasive breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: A total of 671 cases including three different disease groups of pure DCIS, DCIS with microinvasion (DCIS-M), and invasive carcinoma were included in this study.

The updated 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists guideline on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 interpretation in breast cancer: comparison with previous guidelines and clinical significance of the proposed in situ hybridization groups.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the updated 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/College of American Pathologists (CAP) guideline on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) interpretation in breast cancer compared with that of the previous guidelines and also the significance of in situ hybridization (ISH) groups proposed by the updated guideline. HER2 ISH reports and immunohistochemistry (IHC) data from 1,348 invasive breast cancers diagnosed at a single institution were included in this study. HER2 IHC was reassessed using the 2018 guideline, and HER2 ISH status was determined by the 2007, 2013, and 2018 guidelines.

HER2 status in breast cancer: changes in guidelines and complicating factors for interpretation.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein overexpression and/or HER2 gene amplification is found in about 20% of invasive breast cancers. It is a sole predictive marker for treatment benefits from HER2 targeted therapy and thus, HER2 testing is a routine practice for newly diagnosed breast cancer in pathology. Currently, HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) is used for a screening test, and in situ hybridization is used as a confirmation test for HER2 IHC equivocal cases.

Preoperative Diagnostic Categories of Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-Like Nuclear Features in Thyroid Core Needle Biopsy and Its Impact on Risk of Malignancy.

This study was designed to evaluate the preoperative diagnostic categories of noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) using thyroid core needle biopsy (CNB) and to analyze its impact on the risk of malignancy (ROM). A total of 2687 consecutive thyroid CNBs were reviewed retrospectively and classified into six diagnostic categories using a standardized reporting system similar to the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology. Diagnostic categories of CNBs were compared with the final surgical diagnoses, and the ROM in each category was calculated both before and after excluding NIFTP from malignancy.

Changes in Biomarker Status in Metastatic Breast Cancer and Their Prognostic Value.

Purpose: There is cumulative evidence that changes in biomarker status occur frequently during the metastatic progression of breast cancer and affect treatment response. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of biomarker changes in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and its impact on prognosis.

Methods: A total of 152 patients diagnosed with MBC at the time of initial diagnosis or during post-surgical follow-up were included.

Identification and expression pattern of a new digestive invertebrate-type lysozyme from the earthworm.

Background: The invertebrate type (i-type) lysozyme not showing a clear homology with the known types of lysozyme was first demonstrated from a marine bivalve, conch and earthworm by N-terminal sequence. An i-type lysozyme isolated from the earthworm found to be up-regulated upon bacterial challenge, suggesting this lysozyme to function as an inducible immune factor. However, information on the i-type lysozyme related with digestive function is very limited in the earthworm.

The usefulness of a mobile device-based system for patient-reported outcomes in a spine outpatient clinic.

Background Context: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are typically collected using a paper form, but this format is cumbersome to incorporate into outpatient clinic visits as well as in research. Therefore, we developed a mobile device-based system (mobile system) for spinal PRO. We hypothesized that this system may improve the quality of care in an outpatient clinic.