Effects on lymph node size, staging and primary tumor histology on diagnostic accuracy of axillary lymph node aspirate of breast cancers.

Introduction: Fine-needle aspiration cytology is preferred for axillary lymph node metastasis with low costs and minimal risks. To improve diagnostic performance by incorporating clinical-radiological-pathological parameters, a large cohort pre-operative aspirates in were reviewed for parameters affecting adequacy rate and accuracy.

Methods: Axillary nodal aspirates from three institutions with histologic correlation were retrieved.

Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio reflects tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes and tumour-associated macrophages and independently predicts poor outcome in breast cancers with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Aims: The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a systemic reflection of cancer-associated inflammation and a prognostic marker for breast cancer. For the local tumour microenvironment, tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) are also highly correlated with breast cancer survival. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the circulating and local immune microenvironment, and to further delineate the prognostic role of NLR in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Predictors of an informative or actionable cytological diagnosis on repeat breast aspiration after an insufficient aspirate: a multicentre retrospective review.

Unlabelled: An insufficient/inadequate diagnosis on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the breast is not an uncommon diagnostic dilemma. This study aims to review the rate and clinical features predicting an informative or actionable diagnosis on repeating breast aspiration after an insufficient aspirate.

Methods: Unsatisfactory/insufficient/inadequate or equivalent breast aspirates were retrieved from the involved institutions, and those with a repeat aspiration performed within 365 days were included.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis and cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis: two sides of the same coin or distinct entities?

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a benign mimic of breast carcinomas. It is defined histologically by the presence of granulomas and inflammation. The closely related cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis (CNGM) shows lipogranulomas, with a reported association with corynebacteria.

SALL4 promotes tumor progression in breast cancer by targeting EMT.

Sal-like protein 4 (SALL4) is overexpressed in breast cancer and might contribute to breast cancer progression, but the molecular mechanism remains unknown. Here, we found that within a group of 371 ethnic Chinese breast cancer patients, SALL4 was associated with lower grade (P = .002) and progesterone receptor positivity (P = .

Molecular Classification of Breast Cancer.

Cancer classification aims to provide an accurate diagnosis of the disease and prediction of tumor behavior to facilitate oncologic decision making. Traditional breast cancer classification, mainly based on clinicopathologic features and assessment of routine biomarkers, may not capture the varied clinical courses of individual breast cancers. The underlying biology in cancer development and progression is complicated.

Diagnostic upgrade of atypical ductal hyperplasia of the breast based on evaluation of histopathological features and calcification on core needle biopsy.

Aims: Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) of breast is increasingly diagnosed in core needle biopsy (CNB). As higher-grade lesions were found in the excision in a substantial proportion of ADH on CNB, factors predicting risk of subsequent upgrade are clinically significant. This study aims to investigate relevant histopathological factors in CNB that could predict diagnostic upgrade at excision.

Expression of biomarkers in the AKT pathway correlates with malignancy and recurrence in phyllodes tumours of the breast.

Aims: Phyllodes tumours (PTs) of the breast are uncommon fibroepithelial neoplasms with the potential to recur and metastasise. Apart from histological grading, the expression of biological markers and its relationship with tumour behaviour have been topics of interest. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT pathway regulates diverse biological functions, and is one of the most frequently deregulated pathways in cancers.

Core needle biopsy as an alternative to whole section in IHC4 score assessment for breast cancer prognostication.

Aims: IHC4 score, based on expression of four routine markers (oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and proliferation marker, Ki67), is a recently developed, cost-effective prognostic tool in breast cancer. Possibly, the score may be useful also in advanced diseases where only core needle biopsy (CNB) is available and neoadjuvant therapy. However, its studies on CNB are scant.

The Clinical Value of PELP1 for Breast Cancer: A Comparison with Multiple Cancers and Analysis in Breast Cancer Subtypes.

Purpose: Proline, glutamic acid, and leucine-rich protein 1 (PELP1), a novel nuclear receptor (NR) co-regulator, is highly expressed in breast cancer. We investigated its expression in breast cancer subtypes, in comparison with other breast markers as well as cancers from different sites. Its prognostic relevance with different subtypes and other NR expression was also examined in breast cancers.

Amyloid Precursor Protein Is Associated with Aggressive Behavior in Nonluminal Breast Cancers.

Background: β-amyloid precursor protein (APP), a potential target for Alzheimer's disease treatment, has recently been shown to take part in carcinogenesis. Increased APP promotes migration, survival, and proliferation in breast cancer cell lines. We examined the clinical value of APP in breast cancers.

CD147 expression is associated with poor overall survival in chemotherapy treated triple-negative breast cancer.

Aims: In breast cancer models, the functional roles of CD147 in proliferation, invasion and treatment resistance have been widely reported. However, there are only a few studies examining the clinicopathological correlation and prognostic relevance of CD147 in breast cancer, especially in relation to breast cancer molecular subtypes.

Methods: In this study, we analysed CD147 expression in a large cohort of breast cancers, correlating with clinicopathological features and the expression of a comprehensive panel of biomarkers in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and non-TNBC subsets.

Association of clinicopathological features and prognosis of TERT alterations in phyllodes tumor of breast.

Phyllodes tumor (PT) of the breast is a rare but clinically important fibroepithelial tumor with potential risks of recurrence and metastasis. Recent studies identified recurrent TERT promoter mutations in PTs. However, the clinical significance of this alteration has not been fully examined.

GATA-3 is superior to GCDFP-15 and mammaglobin to identify primary and metastatic breast cancer.

Purpose: Despite numerous studies on the utility of GATA-3 as breast cancer marker, its comparison with other breast markers, its concordance between primary and metastatic tumors and its expression in primary cancers from sites with frequent breast metastases remains unclear.

Methods: To address these questions, totally 993 invasive breast cancers (IBC), 254 paired nodal metastases, 23 distant metastases, and 208 lung carcinomas were included. GATA-3 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and compared to other breast markers [gross cystic disease fluid protein 15 (GCDFP-15) and mammaglobin (MGB)].

Robust and accurate digital measurement for HER2 amplification in HER2 equivocal breast cancer diagnosis.

Currently, there are no recommended alternative assays for HER2 cases deemed equivocal by immunohistochemistry and fluorescent in situ hybridization. Digital PCR (ddPCR), a highly accurate method to determine DNA copy number, could be a robust alternative for clinical HER2 diagnostics. HER2 and CEP17 copy numbers were quantified using two ddPCR platforms (QX200 and RainDrop) in 102 samples of invasive breast cancers.

Distinct Tertiary Lymphoid Structure Associations and Their Prognostic Relevance in HER2 Positive and Negative Breast Cancers.

Background: The presence of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) is associated with favorable prognosis. Recent evidence suggested that not only their density, but also the spatial organization as tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), play a key role in determining patient survival.

Materials And Methods: In a cohort of 248 breast cancers, the clinicopathologic association and prognostic role of TLS was examined.

Expression and Clinical Significance of Herpes Virus Entry Mediator (HVEM) in Breast Cancer.

Background: Immune checkpoint blockades are currently actively investigated in invasive breast cancers. Given the complexity of immune regulation, multiple inhibitory molecules within the immune checkpoint framework would be involved in tumor immune escape. Evaluation of the components within the framework is a prerequisite for not only identification of additional treatment targets and optimization of immunotherapeutic strategies but also understanding the prognostic value of these molecules.

Atypical aspirates of the breast: a dilemma in current cytology practice.

Aims: The probabilistic approach is widely adopted for breast fine needle aspiration cytology. However, a definite cytological diagnosis is not always possible for C3 (atypia) cases, which poses a management dilemma as this represents a mixed category of benign and malignant cases. It would be beneficial to be able to predict malignancy based on specific cytological features in C3 aspirates.

Intratumoral Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer: A Comparison of Primary and Metastatic Breast Cancers.

Intratumoral heterogeneity presents challenges in the management of cancer. To gain deeper insight in intratumoral heterogeneity at different levels and tumor sites for common biomarkers in breast cancers, this report examines seven cases of invasive breast cancer with multiple axillary nodal metastases and/or recurrences for immunohistochemical expression of estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, human epidermal growth receptor 2, and Ki67 on all tissue blocks in both primary and metastatic tumors. 2017;22:487-490.

PD-L1 expression and tumor infiltrating PD-1+ lymphocytes associated with outcome in HER2+ breast cancer patients.

Purpose: Clinical trials showing programmed death (PD)-1-PD-ligand 1 (L1) axis as a promising therapeutic target in melanoma and non-small cell lung cancers have made the pathway a focus of recent attention. However, the data regarding PD-L1/PD-1 in breast cancer are inconsistent. Given the heterogeneity of breast cancers, the clinical relevance of PD-L1 and PD-1 tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) may vary according to subtypes of breast cancer.

Hyaluronan synthase 2 is an adverse prognostic marker in androgen receptor-negative breast cancer.

Aims: The important role of hyaluronan synthase 2 (HAS2), an isozyme responsible for hyaluronan synthesis, in cancer has been increasingly recognised. However, only a few studies with inconsistent results have been reported in breast cancers. With a large cohort, we aim to determine the clinical significance of HAS2 in breast cancers.

FGFR1 is an adverse outcome indicator for luminal A breast cancers.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) has been suggested to be the candidate gene for 8p11-12 amplification in breast cancer and its therapeutic/ prognostic value is explored. Most previous studies focused on FGFR1 gene amplification, which may not necessarily lead to protein expression. Therefore, analysis of protein level may have more clinical relevance.

Doublecortin-like kinase 1 expression associates with breast cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation.

Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (DCLK1), a microtubule associated kinase, has recently been proposed to be a putative marker for stemness and adverse prognosis in gastrointestinal cancers. However, it is not clear whether the protein also plays similar roles in breast cancer. Here, the expression of DCLK1 was analyzed in a large cohort of invasive breast cancers (IBC) by immunohistochemistry.

Lymphocyte subsets contribute to the degree of lobulitis and ductitis in sclerosing lymphocytic lobulitis of the breast.

Aims: Sclerosing lymphocytic lobulitis (SLL) of the breast is characterised by lymphocytic lobulitis, ductitis, vasculitis and dense keloidal fibrosis with epithelioid fibroblasts. However, the subsets of the infiltrating lymphocytes and their contribution to disease progression have not been fully explored.

Methods: CD20, CD3, CD4, CD8 and regulatory T (Treg) lymphocytes were evaluated in the epithelial and vascular areas in SLL.