Increased BRCA1 protein in mammary tumours of rats fed marine omega-3 fatty acids.

Any factor affecting BRCA gene regulation may be of interest in the prevention of breast tumourigenesis. We studied the influence of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a major omega-3 fatty acid present in marine products, on rat autochthonous mammary tumourigenesis. DHA-supplementation significantly reduced the incidence of tumours (30%, P=0.

[Modification of glycoconjugates during the carcinogenesis: the case of mammary carcinomas].

Tumour growth is associated with modifications to the structure of glycan residues belonging to the glycoproteins and glycolipids present at the cell surface. These aberrant glycosylations, arising from dysfunction of glycosyltransferases and (or) glycosidases, most often result in a shortening of the glycan chains or an over-expression of structures on the cells that are normally absent or discrete. Some of these changes, such as the expression of antigen Tn in cancers of the breast or colon, appear very early in the evolution of the disease, and can indeed be found in pathologies that are generally considered benign.

Induction chemotherapy for breast carcinoma: predictive markers and relation with outcome.

Induction chemotherapy provides an excellent model for evaluation of potential predictive factors. We studied expression of SBR grade, estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors, HER2, Ki67 and P53 on core biopsies before and after chemotherapy in a series of 115 patients, who received anthracycline-based induction chemotherapy for primary breast cancer. HER2 overexpression independently predicted response to neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

Expression of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in male breast cancers and gynecomastias.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancer susceptibility genes are responsible for most of the hereditary breast cancers. Mutations in BRCA1 account for up to 40-50% of families with hereditary breast cancer only. Mutations in BRCA2 are linked to the other half of inherited breast cancer families and also to male breast cancer.

Efficacy of a primary chemotherapy regimen combining vinorelbine, epirubicin, and methotrexate (VEM) as neoadjuvant treatment in 89 patients with operable breast cancer.

Purpose: In order to improve the breast conservation rate for noninflammatory operable breast cancer stage II and IIIa, neoadjuvant chemotherapy containing vinorelbine, 25 mg/m(2), epirubicin, 35 mg/m(2), and methotrexate, 20 mg/m(2), VEM, was administered days 1 and 8 every 28 days for six cycles.

Methods: From October, 1991 to April, 1996, 89 patients (median age 52 years, range 31-72; 68 stage II and 19 stage IIIa) received 519 cycles (median six) of VEM chemotherapy.

Results: Hematotoxicity was mild (World Health Organization grade 3-4 neutropenia in 28% of cycles for 22 patients, and anemia or thrombocytopenia >grade 2) when it occurred, and there were no toxic deaths.

O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyl transferase gene expression and prognosis in breast carcinoma.

O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyl transferase (MGMT) in human carcinomas has been associated with tumor resistance to alkylating agents. The aims of this study were: i) to correlate tumor MGMT expression and patient and tumor characteristics in malignant breast carcinomas treated with induction chemotherapy including cyclophosphamide (CPM) and ii) to study the predictive and prognostic values of tumor MGMT gene expression. We used RT-PCR to measure the levels of tumor MGMT expression in 107 patients with breast carcinomas prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Melanoma tumors acquire a new phospholipid metabolism phenotype under cystemustine as revealed by high-resolution magic angle spinning proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of intact tumor samples.

N'-[2-chloroethyl]-N[2-(methylsulfonyl) ethyl]-N'-nitrosourea (cystemustine),a chloroethylnitrosourea antineoplastic drug, provokes cellular proliferation inhibition and redifferentiation, but there was no cell death in B16 melanoma tumors. Because the phospholipid (Plp) metabolism is tightly involved in tumor growth regulation and tumor cell survival, we tested the hypothesis that melanoma tumors undergo adaptive Plp metabolism changes to survive treatment. Measurements of Plp derivatives were performed using a novel proton nuclear magnetic resonance Spectroscopy application using magic angle spinning on intact tumor tissue samples.