The importance of margins status after breast conservative surgery and radiotherapy in node positive patients: a follow-up of 10-15 years.

Background: Margin status is the main factor determining local recurrence (LR) after wide excision and radiotherapy for breast cancer. The aim of the study is to evaluate if positive margins are as great a risk factor for LR in node-positive as in node-negative patients, since the major risk in the former group is dissemination and whether there is a correlation between nodal status and margins in relation to prognosis.

Methods: 773 patients underwent WLE and radiotherapy between 1988 and 1992 and were followed-up (> 10 years) to determine LR rates according to margin and nodal status.

High serum YKL-40 levels in patients with primary breast cancer is related to short recurrence free survival.

YKL-40 is a growth factor for connective tissue cells and stimulates migration of endothelial cells. YKL-40 is secreted by cancer cells, and elevated serum YKL-40 in patients with metastatic breast cancer and colorectal cancer is associated with a poorer prognosis as compared to patients with normal serum YKL-40. In the present study we evaluated the associations of preoperative serum YKL-40 in 271 patients with primary breast cancer in relation to relapse-free survival and overall survival.

Prognostic significance of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor in serum and cytosol of tumor tissue from patients with primary breast cancer.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the prognostic value of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) in preoperatively obtained sera samples (s-suPAR) from breast cancer patients.

Experimental Design: suPAR levels were determined by the use of a kinetic ELISA in sera from 274 breast cancer patients and in tumor cytosols (c-suPAR) from 188 of these patients. In addition, s-suPAR levels were analyzed in 174 female blood donors.