Similar response profile to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, but different survival, in inflammatory locally advanced breast cancers.

Unlabelled: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a very aggressive form of breast cancer, as compared to locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery is the standard treatment in both cases. Whether IBC is less chemosensitive than LABC remains unclear.

MARCKS protein overexpression in inflammatory breast cancer.

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive form of locally-advanced breast cancer. Identification of new therapeutic targets is crucial. We previously reported MARCKS mRNA overexpression in IBC in the largest transcriptomics study reported to date.

A whole-genome sequence and transcriptome perspective on HER2-positive breast cancers.

HER2-positive breast cancer has long proven to be a clinically distinct class of breast cancers for which several targeted therapies are now available. However, resistance to the treatment associated with specific gene expressions or mutations has been observed, revealing the underlying diversity of these cancers. Therefore, understanding the full extent of the HER2-positive disease heterogeneity still remains challenging.

Candidate luminal B breast cancer genes identified by genome, gene expression and DNA methylation profiling.

Breast cancers (BCs) of the luminal B subtype are estrogen receptor-positive (ER+), highly proliferative, resistant to standard therapies and have a poor prognosis. To better understand this subtype we compared DNA copy number aberrations (CNAs), DNA promoter methylation, gene expression profiles, and somatic mutations in nine selected genes, in 32 luminal B tumors with those observed in 156 BCs of the other molecular subtypes. Frequent CNAs included 8p11-p12 and 11q13.

Cytokeratin 7 as a predictive factor for response to concommitant radiochemotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer: a preliminary study.

Background: The role of completion surgery after concurrent radiochemotherapy (CCRC) for advanced cervical cancer remains controversial. Individual predictive factors of CCRC response and survival are mandatory for treatment adaptation and to determine a population who would take interest in completion surgery after CCRC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of biomarkers to predict the response to CCRC.

ALDH1-positive cancer stem cells predict engraftment of primary breast tumors and are governed by a common stem cell program.

Cancer stem-like cells (CSC) have been widely studied, but their clinical relevance has yet to be established in breast cancer. Here, we report the establishment of primary breast tumor-derived xenografts (PDX) that encompass the main diversity of human breast cancer and retain the major clinicopathologic features of primary tumors. Successful engraftment was correlated with the presence of ALDH1-positive CSCs, which predicted prognosis in patients.

Instant-quality fluorescence in-situ hybridization as a new tool for HER2 testing in breast cancer: a comparative study.

Aims: HER2 instant-quality fluorescence in-situ hybridization (IQFISH) is a new fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) assay developed with a non-toxic buffer that reduces the hybridization time to 1-2 h, enabling a turnaround time of 3 h 30 min from dewax to counting. The aim of this study was to compare assessment of HER2 status using IQFISH and assessment using standard FISH.

Methods And Results: We selected 160 breast cancer samples according to their HER2 status as determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in a retrospective multicentre cohort (40 cases in each scoring category, i.

SISH/CISH or qPCR as alternative techniques to FISH for determination of HER2 amplification status on breast tumors core needle biopsies: a multicenter experience based on 840 cases.

Background: Until now, FISH has been the gold standard technique to identify HER2 amplification status in ambiguous cases of breast cancer. Alternative techniques have been developed to increase the capacities of investigating HER2 amplification status. The aims of this multicenter study in a large series of breast cancer patients were to prospectively compare the level of performance of CISH, SISH, and qPCR alternative techniques on paraffin-embedded core biopsies with "gold standard FISH" for evaluation of HER2 amplification status.

Prediction of BRCA1 germ-line mutation status in patients with breast cancer using histoprognosis grade, MS110, Lys27H3, vimentin, and KI67.

Family structure, lack of reliable information, cost, and delay are usual concerns when deciding to perform BRCA analyses. Testing breast cancer tissues with four antibodies (MS110, lys27H3, vimentin, and KI67) in addition to grade evaluation enabled us to rapidly select patients for genetic testing identification. We constituted an initial breast cancer tissue microarray, considered as a learning set, comprising 27 BRCA1 and 81 sporadic tumors.

Peripheral blood NK cells from breast cancer patients are tumor-induced composite subsets.

Human NK lymphocytes are involved in antitumor immunity. The therapeutic potential of this population against cancers has stimulated their study and led to the discovery of several NK cell subsets, each of which is endowed with different immunoregulatory functions. We have previously reported that NK cell functions are profoundly altered in advanced breast cancer patients.

Breast metastasis of a squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix mimicking inflammatory breast cancer.

Breast metastases from distant carcinoma are infrequent, and cervix carcinoma is rarely the primary lesion. We describe the first case of a cervical squamous cell carcinoma with breast metastasis mimicking an inflammatory breast cancer in a 74-year-old woman. Seventeen months after the treatment of a primary tumor, the patient developed breast lesions looking like an inflammatory breast tumor.

Ki-67: level of evidence and methodological considerations for its role in the clinical management of breast cancer: analytical and critical review.

Clinicians can use biomarkers to guide therapeutic decisions in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. One such biomarker is cellular proliferation as evaluated by Ki-67. This biomarker has been extensively studied and is easily assayed by histopathologists but it is not currently accepted as a standard.

Protein expression, survival and docetaxel benefit in node-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy in the FNCLCC-PACS 01 randomized trial.

Introduction: The PACS01 trial has demonstrated that a docetaxel addition to adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy improves disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival of node-positive early breast cancer (EBC). We searched for prognostic and predictive markers for docetaxel's benefit.

Methods: Tumor samples from 1,099 recruited women were analyzed for the expression of 34 selected proteins using immunohistochemistry.

Non sentinel node involvement prediction for sentinel node micrometastases in breast cancer: nomogram validation and comparison with other models.

Purpose: The risk of non sentinel node (NSN) involvement varies in function of the characteristics of sentinel nodes (SN) and primary tumor. Our aim was to determine and validate a statistical tool (a nomogram) able to predict the risk of NSN involvement in case of SN micro or sub-micrometastasis of breast cancer. We have compared this monogram with other models described in the literature.

Human breast cancer cells enhance self tolerance by promoting evasion from NK cell antitumor immunity.

NK cells are a major component of the antitumor immune response and are involved in controlling tumor progression and metastases in animal models. Here, we show that dysfunction of these cells accompanies human breast tumor progression. We characterized human peripheral blood NK (p-NK) cells and malignant mammary tumor-infiltrating NK (Ti-NK) cells from patients with noninvasive and invasive breast cancers.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the seminal vesicle: case report and review of the literature.

Background: Primary leiomyosarcoma of the seminal vesicle is exceedingly rare.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 59-year-old man with tumour detected by rectal symptoms and ultrasonography. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging suggested an origin in the right seminal vesicle.

Diagnostic performance of one-step nucleic acid amplification for intraoperative sentinel node metastasis detection in breast cancer patients.

The purpose of this prospective multicenter study was to assess one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) for intraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis detection in breast cancer patients, using final histology as the reference standard. OSNA results were also compared to intraoperative histology SLN evaluation and to standard clinicopathological risk markers. For this study, fresh SLNs were cut in four blocks, and alternate blocks were used for OSNA and histology.

Kinome expression profiling and prognosis of basal breast cancers.

Background: Basal breast cancers (BCs) represent ~15% of BCs. Although overall poor, prognosis is heterogeneous. Identification of good- versus poor-prognosis patients is difficult or impossible using the standard histoclinical features and the recently defined prognostic gene expression signatures (GES).

Gene expression profiling and its utility in prediction of local relapse after breast-conserving therapy in early breast cancer.

Background: Local relapse (LR) after breast-conserving therapy (BCT) is not accurately predicted by histological/clinical factors. Gene expression profiling was used here to discover LR-associated transcriptional alterations.

Materials And Methods: Gene expression profiling was carried out of 81 early breast carcinomas obtained from 30 patients who developed a LR (LR(+)) after BCT and 51 who did not (LR(-)).

Capecitabine after anthracycline and taxane exposure in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer patients: response, survival and prognostic factors.

Background: Capecitabine is a widely accepted option in pre-treated metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. However, little is known about specific activity in molecularly defined subgroups of patients. Here, response, survival and prognostic factors were examined in a prospectively characterized cohort of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative MBC patients receiving capecitabine following anthracycline and taxane failure.

Peritumoural vascular invasion: a major determinant of triple-negative breast cancer outcome.

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) have the worst outcome of all breast cancer subtypes. Nevertheless TNBC are heterogeneous in terms of pathological, biological and prognostic behaviours. We explored clinical and pathological factors correlated with outcome in this phenotype.

High-resolution comparative genomic hybridization of inflammatory breast cancer and identification of candidate genes.

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an aggressive form of BC poorly defined at the molecular level. We compared the molecular portraits of 63 IBC and 134 non-IBC (nIBC) clinical samples.

Methodology/findings: Genomic imbalances of 49 IBCs and 124 nIBCs were determined using high-resolution array-comparative genomic hybridization, and mRNA expression profiles of 197 samples using whole-genome microarrays.

ZNF703 gene amplification at 8p12 specifies luminal B breast cancer.

Luminal B breast cancers represent a fraction of oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumours associated with poor recurrence-free and disease-specific survival in all adjuvant systemic treatment categories including hormone therapy alone. Identification of specific signalling pathways driving luminal B biology is paramount to improve treatment. We have studied 100 luminal breast tumours by combined analysis of genome copy number aberrations and gene expression.

High expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in the tumour is associated with medullary features and favourable outcome in basal-like breast carcinoma.

Medullary breast cancer (MBC) is a basal-like breast carcinoma (BLBC) with a favourable outcome, whereas nonmedullary BLBC has a poor prognosis. Tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are present in both MBC and BLBC. We hypothesized that the immunosuppressive enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) could modulate the TILs effects among these tumours and explain their different outcomes.

Distinction of isolated tumour cells and micrometastasis in lymph nodes of breast cancer patients according to the new Tumour Node Metastasis (TNM) definitions.

Isolated tumour cells and micrometastases represent two different staging categories and are often dealt with differently when identified in sentinel lymph nodes of breast cancer patients. The reproducibility of these categories was found to be suboptimal in several studies. The new edition of the TNM (Tumour Node Metastasis) is expected to improve the reproducibility of these categories.