Clinical application of the one-step nucleic acid amplification method to detect sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer.

Background: The one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) method can assess the expression level of cytokeratin 19 mRNA in sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer. We compared the time required for diagnosis and concordance of results between the OSNA method and conventional intraoperative pathological examination. We then examined the relationship between the frequency of non-sentinel lymph node metastasis and (1) the expression level of CK19 mRNA in the sentinel lymph nodes and (2) clinico-pathological features of the primary tumor.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 expression predicts poor prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer.

Aims: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) has been identified as a reliable marker of breast cancer stem cells, and its clinical significance as a prognostic indicator of breast cancer has been reported by several investigators. However, the clinical significance of ALDH1 expression in triple-negative (TN) breast cancer, a high-risk breast cancer lacking the benefit of specific therapy, remains to be solved.

Methods And Results: We performed immunohistochemical analyses of 106 TN breast cancers, using paraffin-embedded sections.

[A patient with of metastatic breast cancer with a well-controlled quality of life using S-1 therapy as first-line chemotherapy].

We experienced a case of endocrine therapy-resistant recurrent breast cancer with liver and bone metastases, treated with S-1 as first-line chemotherapy and maintaining a good quality of life. The patient was a 31-year-old premenopausal woman. She was diagnosed with cancer of the left breast(T1(18mm), N0, M(-))and underwent breast-conserving surgery, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and radiation therapy in August 2002.

Mucocele-like lesions of the breast: a long-term follow-up study.

Background: Mucocele-like lesions (MLL) of the breast were originally described as benign lesions composed of multiple cysts lined by uniform flat to cuboidal epithelium with extravasated mucin, but subsequent reports described the coexistence of columnar cell lesions (CCL), atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Several reports have investigated whether core biopsy can diagnose MLL reliably; however, there is only one report with a long-term follow-up after excision of MLL. We report here 15 surgically excised MLL with a long-term follow-up.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 expression is a predictor of poor prognosis in node-positive breast cancers: a long-term follow-up study.

Aims: Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) has been identified as a reliable marker of breast cancer stem cells. The aim was to determine the prognostic significance of ALDH1 expression in a long-term follow-up study.

Methods And Results: Immunohistochemical analyses were performed on 257 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs), 109 matched lymph node metastases and 190 ductal carcinomas in situ (DCISs), using paraffin-embedded sections.

The relevance of intrinsic subtype to clinicopathological features and prognosis in 4,266 Japanese women with breast cancer.

Background: Estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), and HER2 expression status in breast cancer function as prognostic and predictive factors that enable individualized treatment. Intrinsic subtype classification has also been performed based on these and other biological and prognostic characteristics. However, clinical analysis of such subtypes in a large number of Japanese breast cancer patients has not yet been reported.

Adverse events and bone health during anastrozole therapy in postmenopausal Japanese breast cancer patients.

Background: Although anastrozole (ANA), an aromatase inhibitor (AI), has been widely used for breast cancer patients; adverse events during ANA therapy in Japanese patients have not been reported.

Methods: The study included 656 postmenopausal breast cancer patients receiving ANA as postoperative adjuvant therapy in our hospital. Adverse events during ANA therapy, such as musculoskeletal effects and cerebro- and cardiovascular accidents, were investigated over a 5-year period.

[Preoperative therapy using trastuzumab and weekly paclitaxel in a stage IIIB inoperable locally advanced HER2- positive breast cancer with complete pathologic response].

A 63-year-old woman had a 12 cm tumor on her right breast with broad skin redness, satellite lesions and 8 cm ipsilateral lymph nodes swelling(T4bN2aM0, Stage IIIB). Core needle biopsy and immunohistochemistry of breast tumor showed invasive ductal carcinoma with negative hormone receptor(ER-, PgR-)and overexpression of HER2 (HercepTest 3+). She was treated with weekly paclitaxel(80 mg/m(2), 4 administrations with a week rest)and a com- bination with weekly trastuzumab(initially 4 mg/kg followed by 2 mg/kg every week, totally 11 administrations).

[Comparison of the pharmacokinetics and safety of a paclitaxel injection NK and Taxol injection in breast cancer patients].

A paclitaxel injection NK (NK) is a generic product containing the same amount of ingredient as a Taxol Injection. We examined the pharmacokinetics and safety of NK compared to the original product in breast cancer patients. As a result, the transition of plasma paclitaxel concentration and pharmacokinetic parameter in NK and the original drug were almost equal, which suggested that these products were bioequivalent.

Aromatase inhibitor-induced bone mineral loss and its prevention by bisphosphonate administration in postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Aim: To investigate aromatase inhibitor-induced bone mineral loss and its prevention by bisphosphonate administration in postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Methods: Subjects were 17 postmenopausal breast cancer patients (mean age, 63.3 +/- 9.

Expression of estrogen receptor alpha and progesterone receptor in normal human breast epithelium.

Background: Recently, the immunohistochemical detection of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) expression in breast cancer has become a prerequisite for therapeutic decision-making, however, it remains unknown whether ERalpha or progesterone receptor (PgR) expression in histologically normal breast epithelium (NBE) adjacent to carcinoma can be a reliable internal positive control.

Patients And Methods: Tissues from a total of 220 breast cancer patients were investigated by immunohistochemistry of ERalpha and PgR expression in NBE adjacent to carcinoma, as well as in carcinoma. The expression pattern was divided into three groups: singular, one or two positive cells; scattered, scattered positive cells surrounded by negative cells; contiguous, ten or more positive cells in contact with each other.

Bone mineral density in breast cancer patients with positive estrogen receptor tumor status.

Aim: The aim was to investigate bone mineral density (BMD) in breast cancer patients with positive estrogen receptor (ER) tumor status.

Methods: The participants were 110 postmenopausal breast cancer patients with positive estrogen receptor (ER+) tumor status. Two hundred and sixty-one age-matched, healthy postmenopausal women, all of whom were selected from our pooled data, served as controls.

[A case of inflammatory breast cancer achieving pathological complete response by primary systemic therapy with CEF (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, 5-fluorouracil) followed by docetaxel].

A 48-year-old woman noticed her right breast swelling since a few weeks earlier. Rigidity in the AC area, hotness, swelling and peau d'orange appearance of the right whole breast were recognized. She was diagnosed as inflammatory breast cancer clinically and invasive ductal carcinoma with lymphatic invasion pathologically.

[Preoperative therapy with trastuzumab and paclitaxel in a stage IV advanced breast cancer with complete pathologic response].

A 53-year-old woman had a 105x100 mm tumor on her right breast with a 55x36 mm-sized bleeding ulcer of the skin and ipsilateral axillary and cervical lymph nodes swelling (T4bN3cM1, Stage IV). Core needle biopsy and immunohistochemistry of breast tumor showed invasive ductal carcinoma with negative hormone receptor (ER-, PgR-) and overexpression of HER 2 (Hercep Test score 3+). She was treated with weekly trastuzumab (initially 4 mg/kg followed by 2 mg/kg every week), and a combination of tri-weekly paclitaxel (175 mg/m(2), 6 courses).

[Markedly effective regimen using bi-weekly trastuzumab and paclitaxel in an advanced breast cancer with multiple liver metastases].

A 69-year-old woman had a 7 x 6 cm tumor on her left breast with ipsilateral axillary lymph node swelling and multiple liver metastases as detected on CT scan (T 3 N 2 M 1 b, Stage IV). Core needle biopsy and immunohistochemistry of breast tumor showed invasive ductal carcinoma with negative hormone receptor and overexpression of HER 2. After a treatment failure of 3 months weekly trastuzumab monotherapy, a combination of bi-weekly trastuzumab and paclitaxel (weekly 6, bi-weekly 9 courses), was given.

Adjuvant therapy for breast cancer in Kyushu.

Background: There is lack of information on the present status of adjuvant therapy for breast cancer in Kyushu. Therefore, the Kyushu Breast Cancer Study Group (KBC-SG) started registering newly diagnosed breast cancer patients who were to receive adjuvant therapy.

Methods: During a period from 2001 to 2003, institutions participating in KBC-SG registered new patients who underwent curative surgical treatment for breast cancer to the registration office.

Expression of wild-type estrogen receptor beta protein in human breast cancer: specific correlation with HER2/neu overexpression.

Expression of estrogen receptor beta (ERbeta) protein in human breast cancer and correlation with clinicopathological factors have been reported by many investigators, but many of them used ERbeta antibodies that react with both wild-type ERbeta (ERbetawt) and splicing variant isoform. Therefore, the frequency and correlation with clinicopathological factors of ERbetawt expression remain to be established. In the present study a monoclonal antibody EMR02, specific for ERbetawt, was used in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections from 225 female primary breast cancer patients diagnosed as having invasive ductal carcinoma.

Rim enhancement of breast cancers on contrast-enhanced MR imaging: relationship with prognostic factors.

Background: There is little evidence regarding associations between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and other important histopathological prognostic factors of breast cancer. The purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship between rim enhancement on MRI and common histopathological prognostic factors of breast cancers.

Methods: We reviewed the contrast-enhanced MR images of 106 consecutive women with histopathologically verified invasive breast carcinomas.

[Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy with anastrozole significantly downstaged an elderly breast cancer woman with locally-advanced breast cancer which became operable].

A 73-year-old postmenopausal woman had a 13 cm-sized huge tumor in her left breast with an extensive purple skin color change. She had sternal destruction, axillary and supraclavicular lymph node metastases (T4bN3M1, Stage IV). Core needle biopsy showed invasive ductal carcinoma with positive hormone receptor (ER+++, PgR+++).

[Effective weekly paclitaxel therapy for massive metastatic breast cancer].

A 36-year-old woman with a 12-year disease free interval after radical mastectomy for breast cancer presented with dyspnea and lumbago. Chest CT and bone scintigraphy revealed numerous bilateral pulmonary metastatic nodules, pleural effusion and multiple bone metastases. We treated her with weekly paclitaxel therapy at a dose of 80 mg/m2, which was continued for 3 weeks followed by 1 week rest, and bisphosphonate biweekly.

[Two cases of breast cancer markedly responded to neoadjuvant chemoendocrine therapy (2 cycles of CMF and tamoxifen, pCR and near pCR)].

Case 1 is a 38-year-old woman with a 6 cm tumor in her right breast. After incisional biopsy she received 2 cycles of CMF and tamoxifen in order to effect down staging. The tumor markedly decreased in size.

Expression of maspin predicts poor prognosis in breast-cancer patients.

The tumor suppressor gene maspin has been reported to inhibit the invasiveness and motility of breast cancer cells. It has been reported that maspin is expressed in normal human mammary epithelial cells but is downregulated during cancer progression, and that p53 could induce maspin expression by transcriptional activation. However, to date, the clinical significance of maspin expression and its correlation with p53 protein expression in human breast cancer patients have not been elucidated.

Clinical significance of occult micrometastases in axillary lymph nodes in "node-negative" breast cancer patients.

The most important subgroup of breast cancer patients for whom reliable prognostic indicators are needed is women without axillary lymph node metastases. We evaluated the clinical significance of occult micrometastases in axillary lymph nodes in 148 consecutive "node-negative" breast cancer patients. The median age of the patients at surgery was 52 years and the median follow-up period after surgery was 98.

Overexpression of cyclinD1 predicts for poor prognosis in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer patients.

CyclinD1 plays a critical role in regulating cell cycle progression. CyclinD1 mRNA and protein are overexpressed in approximately 50% of primary breast cancer cases. However, its clinical significance as a predictive factor remains unclear.