International Journal of Breast Cancer最新文献

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a rare but most aggressive breast cancer subtype. The impact of locoregional therapy on survival in IBC is controversial.

Methods: Patients with nonmetastatic IBC between 1988 and 2013 were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry.

Results: We identified 7,304 female patients with nonmetastatic inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) who underwent primary tumor surgery. Most patients underwent total mastectomy with only 409 (5.6%) undergoing a partial mastectomy. In addition, 4,559 (62.4%) were also treated with radiation therapy. The patients who underwent mastectomy had better survival compared to partial mastectomy (49% versus 43%, p = 0.003). The addition of radiation therapy was also associated with improved 5-year survival (55% versus 40%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that black race HR (1.22, 95% CI 1.18-1.35), ER negative status (HR 1.22, 95% CI 1.16-1.28), and higher grade (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.07-1.20) were associated with poor outcome. Cox proportional hazards model showed that total mastectomy (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.65-0.85) and radiation (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.61-0.69) were associated with improved survival.

Conclusions: Optimal locoregional therapy for women with nonmetastatic IBC continues to be mastectomy and radiation therapy. These data reinforce the prevailing treatment algorithm for nonmetastatic IBC.

Introduction: Accurate evaluation of estrogen and progesterone receptors and HER2 is critical when diagnosing invasive breast cancer for optimal treatment. The current evaluation method is via immunohistochemistry (IHC). In this paper, we compared results of ER, PR, and HER2 from microarray gene expression to IHC in 81 fresh breast cancer specimens.

Methods: Gene expression profiling was performed using the GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 arrays (Affymetrix Inc). Immunohistochemical staining for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2 status was performed using standard methods at a CAP-accredited pathology laboratory. Concordance rates, agreement measures, and kappa scores were calculated for both methods.

Results: For ER, Kappa score was 0.918 (95% CI, 0.77.3-1.000) and concordance rate was 97.5% (95% CI, 91.4%-99.7%). For PR, Kappa score was 0.652 (95% CI, 0.405-0.849) and concordance rate was 86.4% (95% CI, 77%-93%). For HER2, Kappa score was 0.709 (95% CI, 0.428-0.916) and concordance rate was 97.5% (95% CI, 91.4%-99.7%).

Conclusion: Our results are in line with the available evidence with the concordance rate being the lowest for the progesterone receptor. In general, microarray gene expression and IHC proved to have high concordance rates. Several factors can increase the discordance rate such as differences in sample processing.

Radiation therapy is a mainstay of treatment in early and locally advanced breast cancer but is typically reserved for palliation of symptomatic lesions in patients with metastatic breast cancer. With new advances in the field of tumor biology and immunology, the role of radiation in the metastatic setting is evolving to harness its immune-enhancing properties. Through the release of tumor antigens, tumor DNA, and cytokines into the tumor microenvironment, radiation augments the antitumoral immune response to affect both the targeted lesion and distant sites of metastatic disease. The use of immunotherapeutics to promote antitumoral immunity has resulted in improved treatment responses in patients with metastatic disease and the combination of radiation therapy and immunotherapy has become an area of intense investigation. In this article, we will review the emerging role of radiation in the treatment of metastatic disease and discuss the current state of the science and clinical trials investigating the combination of radiation and immunotherapy.

Precision medicine in oncology seeks to individualize each patient's treatment regimen based on an accurate assessment of the risk of recurrence or progression of that person's cancer. Precision will be achieved at each phase of care, from detection to diagnosis to surgery, systemic therapy, and radiation therapy, to survivorship and follow-up care. The precision arises from detailed knowledge of the inherent biological propensities of each tumor, rather than generalizing treatment approaches based on phenotypic, or even genotypic, categories. Extensive research is being conducted in multiple disciplines, including radiology, pathology, molecular biology, and surgical, medical, and radiation oncology. Clinical trial design is adapting to the new paradigms and moving away from grouping heterogeneous patient populations into limited treatment comparison arms. This review touches on several areas invested in clinical research. This special issue highlights the specific work of a number of groups working on precision medicine for breast cancer.

Aim: To evaluate the safety issues and adverse effects of using TCHP regimen (docetaxel, carboplatin, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab) versus TCP regimen (docetaxel, carboplatin, and trastuzumab) in older postmenopausal women with nonmetastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. HER2 overexpressed in 20-25% of breast cancer signals an aggressive form of breast cancer and is treated with trastuzumab and pertuzumab.

Methods: The patient record database was accessed to identify all postmenopausal women in the Punjab Care hospital who were above 65 years old, with stages 1-3 HER2-positive breast cancer and treated with neoadjuvant TCHP and neoadjuvant TCP from 2013 till 2016.

Results: In TCH-P group and TCH group, mild fatigue (34% versus 36%) and diarrhea (48% versus 49%) were most common toxicities. Fever in TCH-P group and TCH group (12% versus 13%) was common. Anorexia affected 21% and 16% of patients receiving TCH and TCHP regimen, respectively. Febrile neutropenia was higher in TCH-P group 13% (3/23) versus 4.5% (1/22) in TCH group. Also 27.2% (6/22) of TCH-P group was hospitalized for treatment related toxicities versus 21.7% (5/23) of TCH group.

Conclusion: Comparing neoadjuvant TCP and neoadjuvant TCH-P showed TCH-P regimen had an acceptable toxicity profile. Severe cardiac dysfunction was not observed. Using TCH-P regimen can be considered as relatively safe therapeutic option for elderly postmenopausal women with nonmetastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Background: What cheaper alternative breast screening procedures are available to younger women in addition to clinical breast examination (CBE) in Sub-Saharan countries? In 2009, we first described BreastLight for screening and reported high sensitivity at detecting breast cancer. Due to limitations of BreastLight, we have since 2014 been using the more technologically advanced Breast-i to screen 2204 women to find cheaper screening alternatives.

Methodology: First, the participant lies down for CBE and then, in a darkened room, Breast-i was placed underneath each breast and trained personnel confirm vein pattern and look out for dark spot(s) to ascertain the presence of suspicious angiogenic lesion(s).

Results: CBE detected 153 palpable breast masses and Breast-i, which detects angiogenesis, confirmed 136. However, Breast-i detected 22 more cases of which 7 had angiogenesis but were not palpable and 15 were missed by CBE due to large breast size. Overall confirmed cases were 26, with Breast-i detecting 7 cases missed by CBE. Breast-i and CBE gave sensitivities of 92.3% and 73%, respectively.

Conclusion: Breast-i with its high sensitivity to angiogenesis, reliability, and affordability will be an effective adjunct detection device that can be used effectively to increase early detection in younger women, thereby increasing treatment success.

Contemporary recommendations for postmastectomy radiation have undergone a shift in thinking away from simple stage based recommendations (one size fits all) to a system that considers both tumor biology and host factors. While surgical staging has traditionally dictated indications for postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT), our current understanding of tumor biology, host, immunoprofiles, and tumor microenvironment may direct a more personalized approach to radiation. Understanding the interaction of these variables may permit individualization of adjuvant therapy aimed at appropriate escalation and deescalation, including recommendations for PMRT. This article summarizes the current data regarding tumor and host molecular biomarkers in vitro and in vivo that support the individualization of PMRT and discusses open questions that may alter the future of breast cancer treatment.

Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) has a role as definitive therapy in many tumor sites; however, its role in the treatment of breast cancer is less well explored. Currently, SABR has been investigated in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting with a number of ongoing feasibility studies. However, its use comes with a number of radiobiological and technical challenges that require further evaluation. We have learned much from other extracranial disease sites such as lung, brain, and spine, where definitive treatment with SABR has shown encouraging outcomes. In women with breast cancer, SABR may eliminate the need for invasive surgery, reducing healthcare costs and hospital stays and providing an additional curative option for early-stage disease. This poses the following question: is there a role for SABR as a definitive therapy in breast cancer?

Introduction: No effective treatment has been developed for bone-metastatic breast cancer. We found 3 cases with clinical complete response (cCR) of the bone metastasis and longer overall survival of the retrospectively examined cohort treated comprehensively including autologous formalin-fixed tumor vaccine (AFTV).

Patients and methods: AFTV was prepared individually for each patient from their own formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissues.

Results: Three patients maintained cCR status of the bone metastasis for 17 months or more. Rate of cCR for 1 year or more appeared to be 15% (3/20) after comprehensive treatments including AFTV. The median overall survival time (60.0 months) and the 3- to 8-year survival rates after diagnosis of bone metastasis were greater than those of historical control cohorts in Japan (1988-2002) and in the nationwide population-based cohort study of Denmark (1999-2007).

Conclusion: Bone-metastatic breast cancer may be curable after comprehensive treatments including AFTV, although larger scale clinical trial is required.

Introduction: Sentinel lymph node biopsy in prophylactic mastectomy is controversial. It avoids lymphadenectomy in occult carcinoma but is associated with increased morbidity. Women with BRCA mutations have a higher incidence of occult carcinoma and our objective was to assess the clinical utility of sentinel lymph node biopsy when these women undergo prophylactic mastectomy.

Materials and methods: Seven-year retrospective consecutive case-series study of women, with a BRCA deleterious mutation, admitted to prophylactic mastectomy, at our center. Breast MRI < 6 months before surgery was routine, unless contraindicated.

Results: Fifty-seven patients (43% BRCA1; 57% BRCA2) underwent 80 prophylactic mastectomies. 72% of patients had had breast cancer treated before prophylactic mastectomy or synchronously to it. The occult carcinoma incidence was 5%, and half of the cases were invasive. SLNB was performed in 19% of the prophylactic mastectomies; none of these had tumor invasion. Women with invasive carcinoma who had not undergone sentinel lymph node biopsy were followed closely with axillary ultrasound. The median follow-up was 37 months, with no local recurrence; 1 patient died of primary tumor systemic relapse.

Conclusions: Our data do not support this procedure for routine (in agreement with previous literature), in this high risk for occult carcinoma population.