In-situ cryo-immune engineering of tumor microenvironment with cold-responsive nanotechnology for cancer immunotherapy.

Cancer immunotherapy that deploys the host's immune system to recognize and attack tumors, is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, its efficacy is greatly restricted by the immunosuppressive (i.e.

Circulating Biomarkers in Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer management has progressed immensely over the decades, but the disease is still a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Even with enhanced imaging detection and tissue biopsy capabilities, disease can progress on an ineffective treatment before additional information is obtained through standard methods of response evaluation, including the RECIST 1.1 criteria, widely used for assessment of treatment response and benefit from therapy.

Patterns of Failure in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients in an Urban, Predominately Black Population.

Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) behave more aggressively than hormone-receptor positive breast cancers. They are also known preferentially to affect young black women, often leading to poorer outcomes compared with those for white women. We sought to evaluate the comprehensive patterns of failure associated with treatment for TNBC at an urban institution with a predominantly black population and to assess the impact of social determinants of health on treatment failure.

Targeted Heating of Mitochondria Greatly Augments Nanoparticle-Mediated Cancer Chemotherapy.

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality globally. Various nanoparticles have been developed to improve the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy, photothermal therapy, and their combination for treating cancer. However, most of the existing nanoparticles are low in both subcellular precision and drug loading content (<≈5%), and the effect of targeted heating of subcellular organelles on the enhancement of chemotherapy has not been well explored.

Bioinspired One Cell Culture Isolates Highly Tumorigenic and Metastatic Cancer Stem Cells Capable of Multilineage Differentiation.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are rare cancer cells that are postulated to be responsible for cancer relapse and metastasis. However, CSCs are difficult to isolate and poorly understood. Here, a bioinspired approach for label-free isolation and culture of CSCs, by microencapsulating one cancer cell in the nanoliter-scale hydrogel core of each prehatching embryo-like core-shell microcapsule, is reported.

Association of Serum Progranulin Levels With Disease Progression, Therapy Response and Survival in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: Progranulin (GP88) is a critical player in breast tumorigenesis. GP88 tumor expression is associated with increased recurrence and mortality, whereas GP88 circulating levels are elevated in patients with breast cancer compared with healthy individuals. We examined here the correlation between serum GP88 levels in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with overall survival and disease status determined as response to therapy or progression of disease.

Trends in utilization of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (HF-WBI) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC): a national cancer database (NCDB) analysis.

Purpose: We sought to identify trends over time with respect to the use of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (HF-WBI) in women with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in the national cancer database (NCDB).

Methods: Trends in utilization of HF-WBI in women diagnosed with T1-2N0 TNBC in the NCDB between 2008 and 2013 were analyzed. Case-matched luminal A women were used for comparison.

Neratinib in Combination With Trastuzumab for the Treatment of Patients With Advanced HER2-positive Breast Cancer: A Phase I/II Study.

Background: Despite the availability of several human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-directed treatments, many HER2-positive (HER2) breast cancers eventually progress because of primary or acquired resistance.

Patients And Methods: A 2-part, open-label, multicenter phase I/II study was conducted to determine the recommended dose of neratinib when administered with trastuzumab (part I), and to assess the antitumor activity of this combination in women with locally advanced or metastatic HER2 breast cancer previously treated with at least 1 prior trastuzumab-based regimen (part II). Patients received oral neratinib (160 or 240 mg/d) once daily plus intravenous trastuzumab 4 mg/kg (loading dose) then 2 mg/kg weekly.

Enhanced cancer therapy with cold-controlled drug release and photothermal warming enabled by one nanoplatform.

Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles hold great promise for drug delivery to improve the safety and efficacy of cancer therapy. One of the most investigated stimuli-responsive strategies is to induce drug release by heating with laser, ultrasound, or electromagnetic field. More recently, cryosurgery (also called cryotherapy and cryoablation), destruction of diseased tissues by first cooling/freezing and then warming back, has been used to treat various diseases including cancer in the clinic.

Prevalence and risk of skeletal complications and use of radiation therapy in elderly women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

Objective: Real-world data regarding patient factors associated with the occurrence of spinal cord compression (SCC) or pathological fracture (PF), or need for bone surgery (BS), or use of radiation therapy (RAD) (i.e. skeletal complications and radiation therapy; SCRT) are limited for women with metastatic breast cancer (BCa).

Factors Influencing Management and Outcome in Patients with Occult Breast Cancer with Axillary Lymph Node Involvement: Analysis of the National Cancer Database.

Background: Occult breast cancer (OBC) is rare and optimal local-regional (LR) management has not been defined. Using a patient registry database, we examine factors associated with treatment and outcomes in OBC.

Methods: Female patients with cT0 N1/2 M0 BC were selected from the National Cancer Database (2004-2013) and categorized into four treatment groups: MAST = mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) ± radiation (RT); RT + ALND = RT with ALND, no breast surgery; ALND = ALND alone; OBS = no breast surgery, RT, or ALND.

Weight loss with mindful eating in African American women following treatment for breast cancer: a longitudinal study.

Purpose: Women with higher body mass index (BMI) following breast cancer (BC) treatment are at higher risk of BC recurrence and death than women of normal weight. African American (AA) BC patients have the highest risk of BC recurrence and gain more weight after diagnosis than their white counterparts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between a mindful eating intervention and weight loss in AA women following chemotherapy for BC.

Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) surveillance in breast cancer survivors.

Purpose: As the breast cancer survivor population increases, the topic of screening these women for recurrences is increasingly relevant. In our institution, we use both breast MRI and mammography in the surveillance of breast cancer survivors, although little data exists on the use of MRI in this setting. We present a retrospective analysis of our experience and compare the sensitivity and specificity of MRI vs.

Trastuzumab-induced cardiomyopathy: incidence and associated risk factors in an inner-city population.

Background: Although it is known that trastuzumab causes cardiotoxicity, its extent and reversibility are still in question. Earlier studies have not evaluated consecutive patients with reproducible nuclear ventriculography.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the baseline characteristics which predispose patients to increased risk of trastuzumab cardiotoxicity and to determine the natural history of the cardiotoxicity.

Update on taxane development: new analogs and new formulations.

The taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) represent an important class of antineoplastic agents that interfere with microtubule function leading to altered mitosis and cellular death. Paclitaxel (Taxol(®)) was originally extracted from a yew tree (Taxus spp., Taxaceae) a small slow-growing evergreen, coniferous tree.

A culturally specific dietary plan to manage weight gain among African American breast cancer survivors: a feasibility study.

Breast cancer survival rates are lower in African Americans (AAs) than in Caucasians, owing in part to a higher prevalence of obesity in the former, which increases the risk of recurrence and mortality. The Women's Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS) found that Caucasian women who followed a low-fat eating plan experienced a lower rate of cancer recurrence than women who maintained their usual diets. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a WINS plan tailored to the cultural needs of AA breast cancer survivors.

Computer assisted quantitative immunofluorescence of tumor tissue marker expression and clinical outcome to chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer patients.

Chemotherapy is frequently used in the treatment of advanced breast cancer. The identification of patient-specific tumor characteristics that can improve the ability to predict response to chemotherapy would help optimize advanced breast cancer treatment approaches. Quantitative immunofluorescence (QIF) may be applied to the standardization of protein analysis, resulting in increased sensitivity and reproducibility.

Review of the contemporary cytotoxic and biologic combinations available for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Background: Treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with > or =2 chemotherapeutic agents concurrently has been shown to increase response rates, often at the cost of a substantial increase in toxicity, and with minimal impact on the overall survival. However, some combinations of the newer cytotoxic agents, as well as combinations of chemotherapeutic agents and targeted biologic anticancer agents, can produce synergistic efficacy with a manageable toxicity profile.

Objectives: The aims of this work were to provide an overview of the currently approved combination regimens available for the treatment of MBC and to consider the clinical data supporting other drug combinations that may supplement the current therapeutic choices in the near future.

Evidence-based care for breast cancer survivors: communicating the Institute of Medicine Guidelines in medical practice.

Objective: To investigate patient reports of physician communication about the 2006 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Guidelines for Survivorship Care, and patient follow-up care behaviors in a sample of African American and Caucasian breast cancer survivors.

Methods: Fifteen-minute telephone interviews were conducted in a cross-sectional study with a sample of African American (n=30) and Caucasian (n=69) breast cancer patients, who were within 5 years of their diagnosis and primary treatment for breast cancer at two Baltimore, Maryland medical centers, during the summer of 2006. Multiple items assessed patient reports of physician discussions about IOM Guidelines, their recurrence concerns, and their follow-up treatment, screening, diet and exercise practices.

The significance of circulating epithelial cells in Breast Cancer patients by a novel negative selection method.

Purpose: A negative selection method for the enumeration and characterization of circulating epithelial/cancer cells (CCC) in Breast Cancer (BC) patients is described. This manual procedure yields reproducible results of high sensitivity and selectivity suitable for research laboratories.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a prospective blood sampling study in 105 women with stage 1-4 BC attending clinics at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center to define the prevalence of CCC utilizing our sensitive double gradient centrifugation and magnetic cell sorting CCC detection and enumeration method.