High turnover of extracellular matrix reflected by specific protein fragments measured in serum is associated with poor outcomes in two metastatic breast cancer cohorts.

Increased extracellular matrix (ECM) formation and matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-mediated ECM degradation are parts of tumorgenesis and generates collagen fragments that are released into circulation. We evaluated the association of specific collagen fragments measured in serum with outcomes in two independent metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cohorts. ELISAs were used to measure C1M (MMP-generated type I collagen fragment), C3M (MMP-generated type III collagen fragment), C4M (MMP-generated type IV collagen fragment), and PRO-C3 (pro-peptide of type III collagen) in pretreatment serum from a phase 3 randomized clinical trial of second-line hormone therapy (HR+, n = 148), and a first-line trastuzumab-treated cohort (HER2+, n = 55).

Synaptojanin 2 is a druggable mediator of metastasis and the gene is overexpressed and amplified in breast cancer.

Amplified HER2, which encodes a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, is a target of effective therapies against breast cancer. In search for similarly targetable genomic aberrations, we identified copy number gains in SYNJ2, which encodes the 5'-inositol lipid phosphatase synaptojanin 2, as well as overexpression in a small fraction of human breast tumors. Copy gain and overexpression correlated with shorter patient survival and a low abundance of the tumor suppressor microRNA miR-31.

Pulmonary metastasectomy for soft tissue sarcoma--report from a dual institution experience at the Medical University of Vienna.

Background: Pulmonary metastasectomy when possible has become therapeutic standard in soft tissue sarcoma patients. However, published reports frequently describe mixed series of patients with bone or soft tissue sarcoma. We report the outcome of 46 soft tissue sarcoma (STS) patients who underwent pulmonary metastasectomy (PM).

Alignment does not influence cartilage T2 in asymptomatic knee joints.

Purpose: To investigate whether the static knee alignment affects articular cartilage ultrastructures when measured using T2 relaxation among asymptomatic subjects.

Methods: Both knee joints (n = 96) of 48 asymptomatic volunteers (26 females, 22 males; 25.4 ± 1.

[Problems and complications of surgical techniques for treatment of full-thickness cartilage defects].

Aim: There has been great progress concerning the surgical treatment of full-thickness cartilage defects within recent years. Surgical techniques such as arthroscopic microfracturing (MF), autologous osteochondral transplantation (OCT) and autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) have been introduced and, by using these techniques, reliable and satisfying clinical results can be achieved. Nevertheless, there are also technique-related problems and characteristic complications of all surgical techniques in the field of cartilage repair.