Immunomarker studies of fine-needle cytopuncture cell blocks for tumor response prediction after preoperative chemotherapy and prognosis in operable nonmetastatic primary breast carcinoma.

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer provides an opportunity to evaluate predictive factors at initial tumor biopsy. We evaluated these factors on cell blocks obtained by diagnostic fine-needle cytopuncture (FNC), with respect to tumor regression and outcome. A prospective study (1996-2003, median follow-up 82 months) involved 163 patients with breast carcinoma (T2 ≥ 3 cm, T3, T4 noninflammatory) diagnosed by means of FNC.

European French-speaking study from the GEMO group on bone metastases management: a special focus on external beam radiotherapy practice survey.

Background And Purpose: This study seeks to perform a survey of patterns of practice among the different physicians involved in the bone metastases management, with special focus on external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

Methods And Materials: A questionnaire about bone metastases based on clinical cases and supplemented with general questions, including medical therapies, EBRT and metabolic radiotherapy strategies, surgery, and supportive care approaches, was sent to 4,706 French-speaking physicians in Belgium, France, Luxemburg, and Switzerland.

Results: Overall, 644 questionnaires were analyzed.

Identification of biological factors predictive of response to imatinib mesylate in aggressive fibromatosis.

Background: Imatinib induces responses and disease stabilisations in non-resectable patients with aggressive fibromatosis (AF). The precise target of imatinib in AF and predictive factors for response to treatment are unknown.

Methods: We investigated factors potentially predictive of response to imatinib in a series of 40 patients with progressive AF included in a phase II trial of imatinib: we tested the presence of KIT exon 10 variant (M541L), the expression of imatinib-sensitive kinases and cell cycle proteins by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and other clinical and biological factors.

Effect of a switch of aromatase inhibitors on musculoskeletal symptoms in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer: the ATOLL (articular tolerance of letrozole) study.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the switch of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) on musculoskeletal symptoms in postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. This was a 6-month, prospective, non-randomized, multicenter study. Patients who had discontinued anastrozole due to musculoskeletal symptoms were eligible to participate in this study, and received letrozole, which was initiated 1 month after anastrozole discontinuation.