Expanding the PD-L1 Paradigm: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Scoring Systems and Additional Biomarkers Influencing Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Outcomes in Breast Cancer.

Objectives: The study aimed to conduct an in-depth analysis of the influence of PD-L1 status and expression levels and other variables on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in treating breast cancer.

Methods: A total of 19 articles, involving 16 trials and 7899 patients, were included in the analysis. The outcomes of interest were odds-ratio (OR) for pathological complete response (pCR) in early breast cancer, and hazard ratio (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in advanced breast cancer.

Single-cell RNA sequencing elucidated the landscape of breast cancer brain metastases and identified ILF2 as a potential therapeutic target.

Distant metastasis remains the primary cause of morbidity in patients with breast cancer. Hence, the development of more efficacious strategies and the exploration of potential targets for patients with metastatic breast cancer are urgently needed. The data of six patients with breast cancer brain metastases (BCBrM) from two centres were collected, and a comprehensive landscape of the entire tumour ecosystem was generated through the utilisation of single-cell RNA sequencing.

Corrigendum: Identification and validation of immune-related methylation clusters for predicting immune activity and prognosis in breast cancer.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.

Dissecting the role of cancer-associated fibroblast-derived biglycan as a potential therapeutic target in immunotherapy resistance: A tumor bulk and single-cell transcriptomic study.

Introduction: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are correlated with the immunotherapy response. However, the culprits that link CAFs to immunotherapy resistance are still rarely investigated in real-world studies.

Objectives: This study aims to systematically assess the landscape of fibroblasts in cancer patients by combining single-cell and bulk profiling data from pan-cancer cohorts.

Clinicopathologic and Genomic Features in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Between Special and No-Special Morphologic Pattern.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is refractory and heterogeneous, comprising various entities with divergent phenotype, biology, and clinical presentation. As an aggressive subtype, Chinese TNBC patients with special morphologic patterns (STs) were restricted to its incidence of 10-15% in total TNBC population.

Methods: We recruited 89 patients with TNBC at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (GDPH) from October 2014 to May 2021, comprising 72 cases of invasive ductal carcinoma of no-special type (NSTs) and 17 cases of STs.

Heterogenous and Low Expression of HER2 in Breast Cancer Overcome by DS-8201a in a Heavily Treated Patient: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Breast cancer is highly heterogenous with temporal and spatial heterogeneity making it necessary for rebiopsy. DS-8201a, a new potential therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) low expression breast cancer, had been proved that it could overcome heterogenous HER2 expression in a preclinical setting. In January 2014, a 23-year-old woman was presented with a lump in the right breast with bone metastasis, diagnosed as infiltrating ductal carcinoma, estrogen receptor (ER)+, progesterone receptor (PR)+, HER2 immunohistochemistry (IHC) 2+, and fluorescence in situ hybridization negative.

Spectrum of mutations in breast cancer is luminal subtype-predominant and related to prognosis.

MAP3K1 is a MAPK family serine-threonine kinase that is frequently mutated in human cancer. The association between mutations in the gene and the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with breast cancer remain unclear in the Chinese population. Thus, the aim of the present retrospective study was to investigate the possible role and function of in breast cancer.

A risk scoring system based on tumor microenvironment cells to predict prognosis and immune activity in triple-negative breast cancer.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) interacting with the malignant cells plays a vital role in cancer development. Herein, we aim to establish and verify a scoring system based on the characteristics of TME cells for prognosis prediction and personalized treatment guidance in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). 158 TNBC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were included as the training cohort, and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) (N = 297), as well as GSE58812 (N = 107), were included as the validation cohort.

Landscape of cancer-associated fibroblasts identifies the secreted biglycan as a protumor and immunosuppressive factor in triple-negative breast cancer.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are essential for tumor microenvironment remodeling and correlate with tumor progression. However, interactions between CAFs and tumor cells and immune cells in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are still poorly explored. Here, we investigate the role of CAFs in TNBC and potential novel mediators of their functions.

Genetic and immune characteristics of sentinel lymph node metastases and multiple lymph node metastases compared to their matched primary breast tumours.

Background: Patients with breast cancer presenting with single lymph node metastasis (from a sentinel node) experience prolonged survival compared to patients with multiple lymph node metastases (≥3). However, little information is available on the genetic and immunological characteristics of breast cancer metastases within the regional lymph nodes as they progress from the sentinel lymph node (SLN) downstream to multiple regional lymph nodes (MLNs).

Methods: Genomic profiling was performed using a next-generation sequencing panel covering 520 cancer-related genes in the primary tumour and metastatic lymph nodes of 157 female patients with breast cancer.

Identification and Validation of Immune-Related Methylation Clusters for Predicting Immune Activity and Prognosis in Breast Cancer.

The role of DNA methylation of breast cancer-infiltrating immune cells has not been fully explored. We conducted a cohort-based retrospective study analyzing the genome-wide immune-related DNA methylation of 1057 breast cancer patients from the TCGA cohort and GSE72308 cohort. Based on patients' overall survival (OS), a prognostic risk score system using 18 immune-related methylation genes (IRMGs) was established and further validated in an independent cohort.

Mutational Landscape of PI3K-AKT-mTOR Pathway in Breast Cancer: Implications for Targeted Therapeutics.

Comprehensive analysis of PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway gene alterations in breast cancer may be helpful for targeted therapy. We performed targeted sequencing using a panel of 520 cancer-related genes to investigate gene alterations in the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway from 589 consecutive Chinese women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer. Analyses of overall survival (OS) were performed using the publicly available clinical and genomic data from METABRIC.

Characterization of Frequently Mutated Cancer Genes and Tumor Mutation Burden in Chinese Breast Cancer.

Objectives: Various genomic alterations and genomic signatures, including amplification, mutations in , , and , and tumor mutational burden (TMB), have become important biomarkers for treatment selection in breast cancer (BC). This study aimed to investigate the mutational features of Chinese early-stage BC patients.

Methods: Tumors and matched blood samples collected from 589 Chinese patients with early-stage BC were sequenced using a commercial gene panel consisting of 520 cancer-related genes to analyze all types of genomic alterations and estimate the TMB status.

Association of Body Mass Index With Somatic Mutations in Breast Cancer.

Background: The relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the prognosis or treatment response in patients with breast cancer has been demonstrated in previous studies, but the somatic mutation profiles in breast cancer patients with different BMIs have not been explored.

Methods: In the present study, the somatic mutation profiles in 421 female breast cancer patients who were stratified into three subgroups based on BMI (normal weight, overweight/obese, and underweight) were investigated. Capture-based targeted sequencing was performed using a panel comprising 520 cancer-related genes.

Characterization of AKT Somatic Mutations in Chinese Breast Cancer Patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate AKT gene mutation status in Chinese breast cancer patients.

Methods: The study included 411 breast cancer patients hospitalized in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (GDPH) from June 1, 2017 to September 27, 2018. Mastectomy or breast conserving surgery was performed, and tissue samples were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS) to determine AKT gene mutation status.

Predictive Nomogram of Subsequent Liver Metastasis After Mastectomy or Breast-Conserving Surgery in Patients With Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: Metastasis accounts for the majority of deaths in patients with breast cancer. Liver metastasis is reported common for breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to construct a nomogram to predict the likelihood of subsequent liver metastasis in patients with nonmetastatic breast cancer, thus high-risk patient populations can be prevented and monitored.

Identification and validation of a combined hypoxia and immune index for triple-negative breast cancer.

The interaction between hypoxia and immune status has been confirmed in various cancer settings, and corresponding treatments have been investigated. However, reliable biomarkers are needed for individual treatment, so we sought to develop a novel scoring system based on hypoxia and immune status. Prognostic hypoxia-immune status-related signatures of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were identified in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) (N = 158), Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) (N = 297), and GSE58812 (N = 107).

SOX2 Promotes Brain Metastasis of Breast Cancer by Upregulating the Expression of FSCN1 and HBEGF.

The prognosis of breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) is extremely poor due to its resistance to conventional therapy. Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of BCBM could contribute to the development of new therapeutic targets. In this study, we isolated RNA samples from primary breast cancer or BCBM, and then performed mRNA profiling.

Prognostic value of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in patients with breast cancer in a hepatitis B virus endemic area.

Background: Except for hepatocellular carcinoma, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has also been reported to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality of other cancers. However, the impact of chronic HBV infection on the prognosis of breast cancer (BC) remains unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of HBV infection for BC in an endemic area of HBV in China.

Analysis of Prognostic Factors Affecting the Brain Metastases Free Survival and Survival After Brain Metastases in Breast Cancer.

This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting brain metastases free survival (BMFS) and the survival after brain metastases (SABM). The data of 215 patients with breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center from January 2000 to August 2017 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinicopathological features of BCBM were analyzed, and their effects on BMFS and SABM were analyzed by univariate and multivariate COX regression.

CircAHNAK1 inhibits proliferation and metastasis of triple-negative breast cancer by modulating miR-421 and RASA1.

Background: There is increasing evidence that circular RNAs (circRNAs) participate in regulating cancer progression. However, the function and potential molecular mechanisms of circRNA in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) are currently largely unclear.

Results: We found that circAHNAK1 was significantly down-regulated in TNBC, and its expression was negatively associated with RFS and OS.

Tumor location of the central and nipple portion is associated with impaired survival for women with breast cancer.

Background: Tumor location in the breast varies, with the highest frequency in the upper outer quadrant and lowest frequency in the lower inner quadrant. Nevertheless, tumors in the central and nipple portion (TCNP) are poorly studied types of breast cancer; therefore, we aimed to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic features of TCNP.

Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, we identifed 105,037 patients diagnosed with tumor in the breast peripheral quadrant (TBPQ) (n=97,046) or TCNP (n=7,991).

circRAD18 sponges miR-208a/3164 to promote triple-negative breast cancer progression through regulating IGF1 and FGF2 expression.

As a new rising star of non-coding RNA, circular RNAs (circRNAs) emerged as vital regulators with biological functions in diverse of cancers. However, the function and precise mechanism of the vast majority of circRNAs in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) occurrence and progression have not been clearly elucidated. In the current study, we identified and further investigated hsa_circ_0002453 (circRAD18) by analyzing our previous microarray profiling.

Prevalence and clinical significance of regional lymphadenectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: A limited amount of literature involves the clinical significance of regional lymphadenectomy during operations on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Our study aims to explore regional lymphadenectomy rate and node-positive rate, as well as their clinicopathological relevance and prognostic values in patients with HCC receiving liver resection (LR) and liver transplantation (LT).

Methods: Patients with HCC who received LR or LT and were diagnosed from 2004 to 2013 were retrieved from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database.

Incidence and Survival Outcomes of Breast Cancer with Synchronous Hepatic Metastases: A Population-Based Study.

Little is known about the clinical features of breast cancer with synchronous hepatic metastases (BCSHM). In this retrospective study, we aimed to feature the incidence and survival outcome of BCSHM. Data from the 2016 SEER*Stat database (version 8.