Results and lessons from dual extraction of DNA and RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded breast tumor tissues for a large Cancer epidemiologic study.

Background: The use of archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor tissues has become a common practice in clinical and epidemiologic genetic research. Simultaneous extraction of DNA and RNA from FFPE tissues is appealing but can be practically challenging. Here we report our results and lessons learned from processing FFPE breast tumor tissues for a large epidemiologic study.

Body fatness and breast cancer risk in relation to phosphorylated mTOR expression in a sample of predominately Black women.

Background: The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway promoted by positive energy imbalance and insulin-like growth factors can be a mechanism by which obesity influences breast cancer risk. We evaluated the associations of body fatness with the risk of breast cancer varied with phosphorylated (p)-mTOR protein expression, an indication of the pathway activation.

Methods: Women with newly diagnosed breast cancer (n = 715; 574 [80%] Black and 141 [20%] White) and non-cancer controls (n = 1983; 1280 [64%] Black and 713 [36%] White) were selected from the Women's Circle of Health Study.

Body fatness and mTOR pathway activation of breast cancer in the Women's Circle of Health Study.

Energy imbalance has an important role in breast cancer prognosis. Hyperactive mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is associated with breast tumor growth, but the extent to which body fatness is associated with mTOR pathway activities in breast cancer is unclear. We performed immunostaining for mTOR, phosphorylated (p)-mTOR, p-AKT, and p-p70S6K in tumor tissue from 590 women (464 African Americans/Blacks and 126 Whites) with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer in the Women's Circle of Health Study.

Racial differences in CD8 T cell infiltration in breast tumors from Black and White women.

Background: African American/Black women with breast cancer have poorer survival than White women, and this disparity persists even after adjusting for non-biological factors. Differences in tumor immune biology have been reported between Black and White women, and the tumor immune milieu could potentially drive racial differences in breast cancer etiology and outcome.

Methods: We examined the association of CD8 cytotoxic T cells with clinical-pathological variables in the Women's Circle of Health Study (WCHS) population of predominantly Black breast cancer patients.

Frequency of breast cancer subtypes among African American women in the AMBER consortium.

Background: Breast cancer subtype can be classified using standard clinical markers (estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)), supplemented with additional markers. However, automated biomarker scoring and classification schemes have not been standardized. The aim of this study was to optimize tumor classification using automated methods in order to describe subtype frequency in the African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk (AMBER) consortium.

Tobacco use and outcome in radical prostatectomy patients.

Cigarette smoking has been consistently associated with increased risk of overall mortality, but the importance of smoking for patients with prostate cancer (CaP) who are candidates for curative radical prostatectomy (RP) has received less attention. This retrospectively designed cohort study investigated the association of smoking history at RP with subsequent CaP treatment outcomes and overall mortality. A total of 1981 patients who underwent RP at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) between 1993 and 2014 were studied.

Validation of the Kattan Nomogram for Prostate Cancer Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy.

Background: The Kattan postoperative radical prostatectomy (RP) nomogram is used to predict biochemical recurrence-free progression (BCRFP) after RP. However, external validation among contemporary patients using modern outcome definitions is limited.

Methods: A total of 1,931 patients who underwent RP at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) between 1993 and 2014 (median follow-up, 47 months; range, 0-244 months) were assessed for NCCN-defined biochemical failure (BF) and RPCI-defined treatment failure (TF).

Standardization of nuclear morphometry-based biomarkers.

Nuclear morphometry is used to address subtleties of carcinogenesis; it has been proposed for evaluating chemoprevention. An important issue for morphometry concerns control for extraneous sources of variation: fixation, slide cutting and staining. A common strategy has been to standardize the morphometric measures.