A Case-Matched Gender Comparison Transcriptomic Screen Identifies eIF4E and eIF5 as Potential Prognostic Markers in Male Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer affects both genders, but is understudied in men. Although still rare, male breast cancer (MBC) is being diagnosed more frequently. Treatments are wholly informed by clinical studies conducted in women, based on assumptions that underlying biology is similar.

Observer agreement comparing the use of virtual slides with glass slides in the pathology review component of the POSH breast cancer cohort study.

Aims: (1) To compare the use of scanned virtual slide images (virtual microscopy) with glass slides (conventional microscopy) in the assessment of morphological characteristics of breast cancers within the setting of the Prospective study of Outcomes in Sporadic versus Hereditary breast cancer (POSH), involving a cohort of women under 40 years of age, presenting with breast cancer. (2) To assess the acceptability to histopathologists of the use of virtual slide images.

Methods: 13 histopathologists from the UK and Australia participated in the POSH pathology review.

A comparative biomarker study of 514 matched cases of male and female breast cancer reveals gender-specific biological differences.

Male breast cancer remains understudied despite evidence of rising incidence. Using a co-ordinated multi-centre approach, we present the first large scale biomarker study to define and compare hormone receptor profiles and survival between male and female invasive breast cancer. We defined and compared hormone receptor profiles and survival between 251 male and 263 female breast cancers matched for grade, age, and lymph node status.

Tiling path genomic profiling of grade 3 invasive ductal breast cancers.

Purpose: To characterize the molecular genetic profiles of grade 3 invasive ductal carcinomas of no special type using high-resolution microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) and to identify recurrent amplicons harboring putative therapeutic targets associated with luminal, HER-2, and basal-like tumor phenotypes.

Experimental Design: Ninety-five grade 3 invasive ductal carcinomas of no special type were classified into luminal, HER-2, and basal-like subgroups using a previously validated immunohistochemical panel. Tumor samples were microdissected and subjected to aCGH using a tiling path 32K BAC array platform.

Basal-like grade III invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast: patterns of metastasis and long-term survival.

Introduction: Cytokeratin (CK) 14, one of several markers expressed in normal myoepithelial/basal cells, is also expressed in a proportion of breast carcinomas. Previous studies have suggested that expression of such 'basal' markers predicts different biological behaviour, with more frequent lung and brain metastases and poorer prognosis than other carcinomas.

Methods: We performed CK14 immunohistochemistry on 443 grade III invasive ductal carcinomas with extended clinical follow-up (mean 116 months), and we correlated CK14 immunopositivity (basal-like phenotype) with clinicopathological criteria.

The effect of the stromal component of breast tumours on prediction of clinical outcome using gene expression microarray analysis.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the cellular composition of biopsies on the error rates of multigene predictors of response of breast tumours to neoadjuvant adriamycin and cyclophosphamide (AC) chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Core biopsies were taken from primary breast tumours of 43 patients prior to AC, and subsequent clinical response was recorded. Post-chemotherapy (day 21) samples were available for 16 of these samples.

Prediction of BRCA1 status in patients with breast cancer using estrogen receptor and basal phenotype.

Purpose: To investigate the proportion of breast cancers arising in patients with germ line BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations expressing basal markers and developing predictive tests for identification of high-risk patients.

Experimental Design: Histopathologic material from 182 tumors in BRCA1 mutation carriers, 63 BRCA2 carriers, and 109 controls, collected as part of the international Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium were immunohistochemically stained for CK14, CK5/6, CK17, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and osteonectin.

Results: All five basal markers were commoner in BRCA1 tumors than in control tumors (CK14: 61% versus 12%; CK5/6: 58% versus 7%; CK17: 53% versus 10%; osteonectin: 43% versus 19%; EGFR: 67% versus 21%; P < 0.

Molecular cytogenetic identification of subgroups of grade III invasive ductal breast carcinomas with different clinical outcomes.

Tumor grade is an established indicator of breast cancer outcome, although considerable heterogeneity exists even within-grade. Around 25% of grade III invasive ductal breast carcinomas are associated with a "basal" phenotype, and these tumors are reported to be a distinct subgroup. We have investigated whether this group of breast cancers has a distinguishing pattern of genetic alterations and which of these may relate to the different clinical outcome of these patients.

Expression profiling of purified normal human luminal and myoepithelial breast cells: identification of novel prognostic markers for breast cancer.

The normal duct-lobular system of the breast is lined by two epithelial cell types, inner luminal secretory cells and outer contractile myoepithelial cells. We have generated comprehensive expression profiles of the two normal cell types, using immunomagnetic cell separation and gene expression microarray analysis. The cell-type specificity was confirmed at the protein level by immunohistochemistry in normal breast tissue.

P63-driven nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin is not a frequent event in human neoplasms.

deltaN-p63 isoforms may act as oncogenes owing to their ability to bind to p53-reporter genes without inciting their transcription, thus blocking the p53-driven cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. A novel mechanism linking p63 and Wnt pathways has recently been proposed. Briefly, in vitro studies using squamous cell carcinoma cell lines have suggested that deltaN-p63 may block the phosphorylation of beta-catenin, leading to its nuclear accumulation and triggering beta-catenin-responsive transcription of genes related to proliferation and oncogenic biological behavior.

The diagnosis and management of pre-invasive breast disease: pathology of atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ.

The term lobular neoplasia refers to a spectrum of lesions featuring atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). The histopathological characteristics of these lesions are well documented. What is less well understood is the management implications of a patient diagnosed with LCIS; treatment regimes vary and are somewhat controversial.

The relationship between individual histologic features and disease progression in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

We have retrospectively studied 53 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and a histologic diagnosis of usual interstitial pneumonia and evaluated the prognostic significance of four individual histologic features (fibroblastic foci [FF], interstitial mononuclear cell infiltrate, established fibrosis, and intra-alveolar macrophages) using a semiquantitative scale of 0-6. An objective count of FF was also undertaken. Using weighted kappa coefficients, interobserver agreement between pathologists was moderate to good (0.