Famitinib with Camrelizumab and Nab-Paclitaxel for Advanced Immunomodulatory Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (FUTURE-C-Plus): An Open-Label, Single-Arm, Phase II Trial.

Purpose: Camrelizumab, an mAb against programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), plus nab-paclitaxel exhibited promising antitumor activity in refractory metastatic immunomodulatory triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Famitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting VEGFR2, PDGFR, and c-kit. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of a novel combination of famitinib, camrelizumab, and nab-paclitaxel in advanced immunomodulatory TNBC.

Effect of Adjuvant Paclitaxel and Carboplatin on Survival in Women With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The value of platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains controversial, as does whether BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) germline variants are associated with platinum treatment sensitivity.

Objective: To compare 6 cycles of paclitaxel plus carboplatin (PCb) with a standard-dose regimen of 3 cycles of cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil followed by 3 cycles of docetaxel (CEF-T).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This phase 3 randomized clinical trial was conducted at 9 cancer centers and hospitals in China.

Concurrent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and estrogen deprivation in patients with estrogen receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer (CBCSG-036): A randomized, controlled, multicenter trial.

Background: The current randomized, controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted to investigate the efficacy of concurrent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) and estrogen deprivation in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer.

Methods: Eligible patients with AJCC stage IIB to stage IIIC, ER-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive NCT with or without estrogen deprivation. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate (ORR).

Correction to: Identification of the functional role of peroxiredoxin 6 in the progression of breast cancer.

After the publication of this work [1] an error in Fig. 1c was brought to our attention: the Western blots for PRDX6 and β-actin were similar to those shown in lanes 5-6 of Fig. 4g.

Pim-3 Regulates Stemness of Pancreatic Cancer Cells via Activating STAT3 Signaling Pathway.

Due to its aggressiveness and unusual resistance to conventional therapies, pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal gastrointestinal malignancy with poor prognosis. According to the cancer stem cell hypothesis, there exists a fraction of cancer cells, that is, cancer stem cells, responsible for tumor maintenance and therapeutic failure. Herein we investigated the involvement of proto-oncogene Pim-3 in driving the stemness properties in pancreatic cancer.

Positive expression of miR-361-5p indicates better prognosis for breast cancer patients.

Background: MicroRNA-361-5p (miR-361-5p) has been reported to be tumor suppressor in colorectal, gastric and prostate cancer, but as an oncogene in cervical cancer. No previous research has focused on the expression of miR-361-5p and its exact prognostic role in breast cancer (BC).

Methods: In this study, a tissue microarray (TMA)-based miRNA detection in situ hybridization (ISH) with LNA probe was used to detect miR-361-5p expression in 375 BC tissue.

ER-poor and HER2-positive: a potential subtype of breast cancer to avoid axillary dissection in node positive patients after neoadjuvant chemo-trastuzumab therapy.

Purpose: The study was to estimate the likelihood of axillary downstaging and to identify the factors predicting a pathologically node negative status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) with or without trastuzumab in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Methods: Patients with HER2-positive, stage IIa-IIIc breast cancer were enrolled. Axillary status was evaluated by palpation and fine needle aspiration (FNA) before NAC.

Inhibition of autophagy enhances the cytotoxic effect of PA-MSHA in breast cancer.

Background: PA-MSHA, a genetically engineered Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) strain, is currently under investigation as a new anti-cancer drug. It can induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in different human cancer cells, including hormone receptor negative breast cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanism of tumor lethality mediated by PA-MSHA remains to be fully investigated.

Tau proteins expressions in advanced breast cancer and its significance in taxane-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Tau is a microtubule-associated protein and expressed in normal breast epithelial cells and breast cancer. Tau expression in breast cancer may be important for chemotherapy optimization. This study is to investigate the expression of Tau in advanced breast cancer and its significance in taxane-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

MicroRNA-200a promotes anoikis resistance and metastasis by targeting YAP1 in human breast cancer.

Purpose: The process of metastases involves the dissociation of cells from the primary tumor, penetration into the basement membrane, invasion, and exiting from the vasculature to seed and colonize distant tissues. miR-200a is involved in this multistep metastatic cascade. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that miR-200a promotes metastasis through increased anoikis resistance in breast cancer.

Predicting breast cancer recurrence following breast-conserving therapy: a single-institution analysis consisting of 764 Chinese breast cancer cases.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify prognostic factors related to recurrence in women treated with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and to predict the recurrence following breast-conserving therapy (BCT) by constructing a prediction model.

Methods: The retrospective analysis included 764 consecutive invasive breast cancer patients treated with BCT in Shanghai Cancer Center between 1995 and 2008. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to identify independent risk factors for locoregional recurrence (LRR) and all the recurrence events.

[Effect of postoperative pregnancy upon prognosis of young breast cancer patients].

Objective: To examine the effect of postoperative pregnancy upon the prognosis of young Chinese breast cancer patients.

Methods: Four hundred and thirty-two female unilateral breast cancer patients aged 35 or younger were retrospectively reviewed. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Log Rank test were used for univariate analysis of factors predictive of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

[Study on predictors of long term results for neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer].

Objective: To identify predictive markers of the long-term outcome for neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NC) in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) treated with intravenous vinorelbine (V) and epirubicin (E) combination regimen.

Methods: One hundred and nineteen patients with LABC were treated from September 2001 to May 2006. All patients were diagnosed as invasive breast cancer by 14G core needle biopsy and treated with three cycles of VE regimen before the operation.

PA-MSHA inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis through the up-regulation and activation of caspases in the human breast cancer cell lines.

To investigate the effects of PA-MSHA (Pseudomonas aeruginosa-mannose sensitive hemagglutinin) on inhibiting proliferation of breast cancer cell lines and to explore its mechanisms of action in human breast cancer cells. MCF-10A, MCF-7, MDA-MB-468, and MDA-MB-231HM cells were treated with PA-MSHA or PA (Heat-killed P. aeruginosa) at different concentrations and different times.

Dihydrocapsaicin (DHC), a saturated structural analog of capsaicin, induces autophagy in human cancer cells in a catalase-regulated manner.

Although capsaicin, a pungent component of red pepper, is known to induce apoptosis in several types of cancer cells, the mechanisms underlying capsaicin-induced cytotoxicity are unclear. Here, we showed that dihydrocapsaicin (DHC), an analog of capsaicin, is a potential inducer of autophagy. DHC was more cytotoxic than capsaicin in HCT116, MCF-7 and WI38 cell lines.

Estrogen receptor (ER) beta or p53 attenuates ERalpha-mediated transcriptional activation on the BRCA2 promoter.

BRCA2 is closely related to the pathogenesis of breast cancer. In the present study, we found that estrogen can activate BRCA2 transcription, which is estrogen receptor (ER) alpha-dependent. During estrogen treatment, ERalpha interacted with CREB-binding protein/p300, p68/p72, and MyoD and formed an activating transcriptional complex that could bind to many Sp1 sites on the BRCA2 promoter and activate its transcription by inducing histone acetylations.

Identification of the functional role of peroxiredoxin 6 in the progression of breast cancer.

Introduction: The molecular mechanisms involved in breast cancer metastasis still remain unclear to date. In our previous study, differential expression of peroxiredoxin 6 was found between the highly metastatic MDA-MB-435HM cells and their parental counterparts, MDA-MB-435 cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of peroxiredoxin 6 on the proliferation and metastatic potential of human breast cancer cells and their potential mechanism.

Identification of the functional role of AF1Q in the progression of breast cancer.

A novel highly metastatic MDA-MB-231HM cells, derived from MDA-MB-231, was established in our institute. RT-PCR, real-time PCR and Western blot showed that AF1Q gene was differentially expressed between highly metastatic MDA-MB-231HM cells and its parental MDA-MB-231 cells. However, its molecular mechanisms in breast cancer metastasis remain to be characterized.

[Expression of ER alpha in chemically induced MDA-MB-435 cells and its responsiveness to endocrine].

Objective: To investigate the expression of ER alpha in chemically induced, ER alpha-negative human breast cancer MDA-MB-435 cells and its restoration of the responsiveness to endocrine therapy.

Methods: MDA-MB-435 cells were treated with HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A(TSA)and DNMT1 inhibitor 5-AZA-CdR (AZA). The mRNA level of ER alpha, PR and PS2 in treated MDA-MB-435 cells was detected by RT-PCR.

[Relationship between LKB1 gene and invasion-related factors of breast cancer cells].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between LKB1 gene and invasion of breast cancer cells.

Methods: Human breast cancer cells of the line MDA-MB-435 were cultured and transfected with plasmids with or without LKB1 gene. The clone of the transfected MDA-MB-435 cells with high expression of LKB1 was called MDA-MB-435/LKB1 (H), and that with low expression of LKB1 was called MDA-MB-435/LKB1 (L).

[Downregulation of Duffy antigen receptor for chemokine (DARC) is associated with lymph node metastasis in human breast cancer].

Objective: To analyze the relationship between Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) and the metastasis potential in human breast cancer. METHODS Breast cancer tissue sections from 75 patients, grouped according to the local lymph node status were examined immunohistochemically for protein level of DARC. Microvessel density (MVD) was counted by endothelial cells immunostained using anti-CD34 antibody.

Differential effects of endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagy on cell survival.

Autophagy is a cellular response to adverse environment and stress, but its significance in cell survival is not always clear. Here we show that autophagy could be induced in the mammalian cells by chemicals, such as A23187, tunicamycin, thapsigargin, and brefeldin A, that cause endoplasmic reticulum stress. Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagy is important for clearing polyubiquitinated protein aggregates and for reducing cellular vacuolization in HCT116 colon cancer cells and DU145 prostate cancer cells, thus mitigating endoplasmic reticulum stress and protecting against cell death.

Gene expression profile analysis of an isogenic tumour metastasis model reveals a functional role for oncogene AF1Q in breast cancer metastasis.

To study the molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer metastasis, gene expression profile analysis was performed on two well-established breast cancer cell lines with high and low metastatic potentials: MDA-MB-435HM and MDA-MB-435LM. The analysis was conducted using cDNA microarrays containing 8000 genes. Of 60 differentially expressed genes, ALL1-fused gene from chromosome 1q (AF1Q), a putative oncogene not described previously in breast cancer, was identified and found to be over-expressed in MDA-MB-435HM cells compared with MDA-MB-435LM cells.

Dominant-negative E-cadherin inhibits the invasiveness of inflammatory breast cancer cells in vitro.

E-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein which mediates epithelial cell-to-cell adhesion function as a tumor suppressor and frequently loss of expression in a wide spectrum of human cancer. However, recent studies demonstrated that E-cadherin was always over-expressed in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) specimen and cell lines, which is a clinical extreme malignancy of breast cancer. It is hypothesized that the gain and not the loss of the E-cadherin axis contributes to the IBC unique phenotype.