A 76-year-old woman was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer with bilateral multiple lung and pleural metastases in March 2003. Her CEA and CA15-3 level were 7.6 ng/ml and 98.3 U/l, respectively. However, she refused intensive chemotherapy and chose a hormonal monotherapy with exemestane instead. The patient then did not return to our department for about one year, during which time she continued to take the same medications. When she visited again, CEA and CA15-3 level were reduced to within the normal range, and her multiple lung and pleural metastases were found to have almost completely disappeared upon computed tomography. Exemestane is expected to be an effective agent for the treatment of hormonal receptor-positive postmenopausal woman with life-threatening advanced breast cancer.
Aim: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. The role of neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in conjunction with surgical intervention is becoming increasingly prominent in the field of oncology. NAT enhance the probability of breast-conserving surgery in cases of locally advanced breast cancer and in patients with metastatic or inoperable disease.
Background: Driver mutations in tyrosine kinases, such as the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutation, are known to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but are rarely observed in large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC). Multiple primary malignancies (MPMs) refer to the occurrence of two or more distinct primary malignancies within the same or different organs and tissues in a single patient, either simultaneously or sequentially.
Case Presentation: We reported a case of advanced LCNEC as a heterochronous double primary malignancy, following a prior breast cancer diagnosis in a 55-year-old woman.
Substantial therapeutic advancement has been made in the field of immunotherapy in breast cancer. The immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab in combination with chemotherapy received FDA approval for both PD-L1 positive metastatic and early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, while ongoing clinical trials seek to expand the current treatment landscape for immune checkpoint inhibitors in hormone receptor positive and HER2 positive breast cancer. Antibody drug conjugates are FDA approved for triple negative and HER2+ disease, and are being studied in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Sichuan Province Engineering Technology Research Center of Molecular Diagnosis of Clinical Diseases, Molecular Diagnosis of Clinical Diseases Key Laboratory of Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
Breast cancer (BC) is a prevalent malignant tumor that poses a significant health risk to women. The complexity of basic BC research and clinical treatment is influenced by multiple factors, including age, fertility, hormone metabolism, molecular subtypes, and tumor grading and staging. Traditional in vitro models often fall short of meeting modern research demands, whereas organoids-an emerging 3D primary culture technology-offer a unique platform that better replicates the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) stands as the most complex and daunting subtype of breast cancer affecting women globally. Regrettably, treatment options for TNBC remain limited due to its clinical complexity. However, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising avenue, showing success in developing effective therapies for advanced cases and improving patient outcomes.
