Men and women show similar survival outcome in stage IV breast cancer

PurposeTo evaluate the clinicopathological features, patterns of distant metastases, and survival outcome between stage IV male breast cancer (MBC) and female breast cancer (FBC).MethodsPatients diagnosed with stage IV MBC and FBC between 2010 and 2013 were included using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to analyze risk factors for overall survival (OS).ResultsA total of 4997 patients were identified, including 60 MBC and 4937 FBC. Compared with FBC, patients with MBC were associated with a significantly higher rate of estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-positive, unmarried, lung metastases, and a lower frequency of liver metastases. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed no significant difference in OS between MBC and FBC. In the propensity score-matched population, there was also no difference in survival between MBC and FBC. Multivariate analysis of MBC showed that OS was longer for patients aged 50–69 years and with estrogen receptor–positive disease.ConclusionsThere was no significant difference in survival outcome between stage IV MBC and FBC, but significant differences in clinicopathological features and patterns of metastases between the genders.     

Molecular breast cancer subtypes in premenopausal and postmenopausal African-American women: age-specific prevalence and survival

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is currently regarded as a heterogeneous disease classified into various molecular subtypes using gene expression analysis. These molecular subtypes include: basal cell-like, Her-2/neu, luminal A, and luminal B. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the prevalence and clinicopathologic associations for molecular breast cancer subtypes in premenopausal and postmenopausal African-American women. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of all African-American women diagnosed with breast cancer from 1998 to 2005, who had assessable data for ER, PR, and Her-2/neu status. Molecular subtype classification was done based on immunohistochemical surrogates for ER, PR, and Her-2/neu status obtained from Howard University tumor registry for each patient. The molecular subtypes were defined as: luminal A (ER+ and/or PR+, HER2-), luminal B (ER+ and/or PR+, HER2+), basal-like (ER-, PR-, HER2-), and Her-2/neu (ER-, PR-, and HER2+). OUTCOME MEASURES: We analyzed the prevalence of molecular breast cancer subtypes in a population of African-American women and determined their associations with patient demographics and clinicopathologic variables: node status, tumor size, histological grade, p53 mutation status, and breast cancer-specific survival. RESULTS: The luminal A subtype was the most prevalent in our study sample (55.4%) compared with (11.8%) luminal B, (21.2%) basal cell-like, and (11.6%) Her-2/neu subtypes. The molecular subtypes did not differ by menopausal status. However, when stratified into age-specific groups, the basal cell-like subtype (57.1%) was the most prevalent in the age group <35 y compared with luminal A, luminal B, and Her-2/neu subtypes at 25.0%, 14.3%, and 3.6%, respectively. The basal cell-like subtype also showed an age-specific bimodal distribution with a peak in the <35 y and 51 to 65 y age groups. The basal cell-like and the Her-2/neu subtypes showed an increased association with clinicopathologic variables portending a more aggressive clinical course when compared with luminal A subtype. A paradoxical inverse relationship between the expression of p53 and Bcl-2 protooncoprotein was noted in the molecular subtypes. Breast cancer-specific survival differed significantly among the molecular subtypes (P < 0.04), with the basal cell-like and Her-2/neu subtypes having the poorest outcome. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of the basal cell-like subtype in the young premenopausal African-American women aged <35 y could be a contributory factor to the poorer prognosis of breast cancer observed in this cohort of patients.     

Association of molecular subtype concordance and survival outcome in synchronous and metachronous bilateral breast cancer

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to analyze the association of molecular subtype concordance and disease outcome in patients with synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) and metachronous breast cancer (MBBC).Patients and methodsPatients diagnosed with SBBC or MBBC in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database or Comprehensive Breast Health Center (CBHC) Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai were retrospectively reviewed and included. Clinicopathologic features, molecular subtype status concordance, and prognosis were compared in patients with SBBC and MBBC. Other prognostic factors for breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) were also identified for bilateral breast cancer patients.ResultsTotally, 3395 and 115 patients were included from the SEER and Ruijin CBHC cohorts. Molecular subtype concordance rate was higher in the SBBC group compared to MBBC in both SEER cohort (75.8% vs 57.7%, p < 0.001) and Ruijin CBHC cohort (76.2% vs 45.2%, p = 0.002). Survival analyses indicated that SBBC was related to worse BCSS than MBBC (p = 0.015). Molecular subtype discordance was related to worse BCSS (hazard ratio (HR), 1.64, 95% confidential interval (CI), 1.18–2.27, p = 0.003) and OS (HR, 1.59, 95% CI, 1.24–2.04, p < 0.001) in the SBBC group, but not for the MBBC group (p = 0.650 for BCSS, p = 0.669 for OS).ConclusionsMolecular subtype concordance rate was higher in the SBBC group than MBBC group. Patients with discordant molecular subtype was associated with worse disease outcome in the SBBC patients, but not in MBBC, which deserves further clinical evaluation.     

Improved survival in young women with breast cancer

Background: Young age has been hypothesized to be an adverse prognostic factor for women with breast cancer. This association, based on historical data, may not reflect recent advances in breast cancer management. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of all women age 30 or younger who underwent definitive operation at our institution for primary operable breast carcinoma during one of two consecutive 20-year periods (1950–1969 or 1970–1989). All cancers were restaged according to current staging criteria. Actuarial survival and recurrence-free survival rates from the two patient eras were compared with each other and with published statistics for older breast cancer patients. Results: Eligibility criteria were met by 81 women from the 1950–1969 era and 146 women from the 1970–1989 era. Histologic diagnoses, tumor sizes, incidence of axillary nodal metastases, number of positive nodes, and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage at presentation were similarly distributed in the two eras. Despite these similarities, improved survival (p=0.009) was observed in the later era. Local recurrences were also more common (p<0.05) in the later era in association with less extensive resections. These local recurrences had an adverse impact on recurrence-free survival in the later era, but no concomitant decrease in overall survival was observed. Node-positive patients who received chemotherapy demonstrated a trend toward improved survival (p=0.06) compared with node-positive patients who did not. Survival for patients in the later era was similar to that for older women as reported in other published series. Conclusions: The stage of presentation of breast cancer in women 30 years or younger appears unchanged from prior decades, but survival has improved in association with the use of less extensive surgical resections and the introduction of cytotoxic chemotherapy. With current treatment, primary operable breast cancer in young women appears to have a similar prognosis to breast cancer in older women.Results of this study were presented at the 47th Annual Cancer Symposium of The Society of Surgical Oncology, Houston, Texas, March 17–20, 1994, and was judged Best Clinical Paper in the Resident/Fellow Essay Contest.     

乳腺癌分子亚型与MRI表现的相关性

目的探讨不同分子亚型乳腺癌与MRI表现的相关性。方法回顾性分析121例经手术病理证实的乳腺癌患者,根据雌激素受体(ER)、孕激素受体(PR)、人表皮生长因子受体(HER-2)表达状态,将乳腺癌分为HER-2过表达型、Luminal A型、Luminal B型和三阴性型,观察不同亚型乳腺癌MRI表现及其与分子亚型的相关性。结果 4种分子亚型乳腺癌T1WI多呈稍低信号[HER-2过表达型:68.00%(17/25),Luminal A型:66.67%(38/57),Luminal B型:76.19%(16/21),三阴性型55.56%(10/18)];HER-2过表达型多呈非肿块样强化[84.00%(21/25)],Luminal A型多呈不均匀强化[75.44%(43/57)],Luminal B型和三阴性型多呈环形强化[52.38%(11/21)、83.33%(15/18)];HER-2过表达型、Luminal B型和三阴性型时间-信号强度曲线多为廓清型[76.00%(19/25)、80.95%(17/21)和77.78%(14/18)],LuminalA型多为平台型[82.46%(47/57)];HER-2过表达型、Luminal B型和三阴性型多有伴随征象[80.00%(20/25)、76.19%(16/21)、66.67%(12/18)],Luminal A型49.12%(28/57)有伴随征象。乳腺癌增强MRI强化方式与分子亚型呈高度相关(C=0.737,P0.001),时间-信号强度曲线类型与分子亚型呈中度相关(C=0.567,P0.001)。结论乳腺癌分子亚型与MRI表现具有一定相关性,可通过MRI特征初步判断乳腺癌分子亚型。     

Association between common risk factors and molecular subtypes in breast cancer patients

BackgroundBreast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women worldwide and characterized its by molecular and clinical heterogeneity. Gene expression profiling studies have classified breast cancers into five subtypes: luminal A, luminal B, HER-2 overexpressing, basal-like, and normal breast-like. Although clinical differences between subtypes have been well described in the literature, etiologic heterogeneity have not been fully studied. The aim of this study was to assess the associations between several hormonal and nonhormonal risk factors and molecular subtypes of breast cancer.MethodsThis cross-sectional study consisted of 1884 invasive breast cancer cases. Variables studied included family history, age at first full-term pregnancy, number of children, duration of lactation, menstruation history, menopausal status, blood type, smoking, obesity, oral contraceptive use, hormone replacement therapy and in vitro fertilization. The odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsThousand two-hundred and forty nine patients had luminal A, 234 had luminal B, 169 had HER-2 overexpressing and 232 had triple negative breast cancer. The age of ≥40 years was found to be a risk factor for luminal A (OR 1.41 95% CI 1.15–1.74; p = 0.001) and HER-2 overexpressing subtype (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.01–2.25; p = 0.04). Women who were nulliparous (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.03–2.13; p = 0.03) or who had their first full-term pregnancy at age 30 years or older (OR 1.25 95% CI 0.83–1.88; p = 0.04) were at increased risk of luminal breast cancer, whereas women with more than two children had a decreased risk (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.47–0.97; p = 0.03). Breast-feeding was also a protective factor for luminal subtype (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.53–1.04; p = 0.04) when compared to non-luminal breast cancer. We found increased risks for postmenopausal women with HER-2 overexpressing (OR 2.20, 95% CI 0.93–5.17; p = 0.04) and luminal A (OR 1.87, 95% CI 0.93–3.90, p = 0.02) breast cancers, who used hormone replacement therapy for 5 years or more. Overweight and obesity significantly increased the risk of triple negative subtype (OR 1.89 95% CI 1.06–3.37; p = 0.04 and OR 1.90 95% CI 1.00–3.61; p = 0.03), on the contrary, decreased the risk of luminal breast cancer (OR 0.63 95% CI 0.43–0.95; p = 0.02 and OR 0.50 95% CI 0.32–0.76; p = 0.002, respectively) in premenopausal women. There were no significant differences between risk of breast cancer subtypes and early menarche, late menopause, family history, postmenopausal obesity, oral contraseptive use, smoking, in vitro fertilization, blood groups and use of hands.ConclusionsReproductive and hormonal characteristics (breastfeeding, parity, age at first full-term birth, hormone replacement therapy) were associated with luminal subtype, compared to non-luminal breast cancer, as consistent with previous studies. Obesity and overweight increased the risk of triple negative subtype, particularly in premenopausal women. Older age and use of hormone replacement therapy were related to the risk of HER-2 overexpressing breast cancer. Our data suggest a significant heterogeneity in association of traditional breast cancer risk factors and tumor subtypes.     

乳腺癌分子亚型与体质指数的关系

目的:根据月经状态进行分层,探讨体质量指数与不同分子亚型乳腺癌患病风险的关系。方法:采用病例对照研究,序贯收集2012年3月至2019年10月入住山西白求恩医院乳腺外科病理证实为乳腺癌患者855例,并选取同期山西白求恩医院体检中心1 663例健康体检者为对照组。以正常体质量指数范围(18.5～22.9)为参照组,采用L...     

不同分子亚型双侧原发性乳腺癌临床分析

目的 探讨双侧原发性乳腺癌(bilateral primary breast cancer,BPBC)各分子亚型的临床病理特征及第一癌与第二癌分子亚型的一致性.方法 回顾性分析145例BPBC患者的临床病理资料,分析各分子亚型的临床病理特征,第一癌与第二癌间各分子亚型的一致性情况.结果 第一癌Luminal A型91例(62.8％),Luminal B型13例(9.0％),人表皮生长因子受体2(humanepidermal growth factor receptor 2,HER-2)型14例(9.7％),三阴性乳腺癌(triple negative breast cancer,TNBC)27例(18.6％);第二癌Luminal A型93例(64.1％),Luminal B型10例(6.9％),HER-2型14例(9.7％),TNBC 28例(19.3％).BPBC第一癌中,TNBC≤50岁及组织学Ⅲ级患者明显多于其他亚型(P＜0.05),各分子亚型在肿瘤大小、临床分期、淋巴结转移及病理类型上差异无统计学意义(均P＞0.05).第一癌与第二癌间Lumina A型和TNBC具有较好的一致性(K＞0.40),而Luminal B型和HER-2型的一致性较差(K＜0.40).两癌间隔时间短的BPBC分子亚型一致性较高.结论 BPBC各分子亚型的构成比及临床特征与单侧乳腺癌相似,LuminaA型、TNBC及两癌间隔时间短的BPBC其两侧分子亚型具有较好的一致性.     

Impact of subtypes and comorbidities on breast cancer relapse and survival in population-based studies

ObjectiveTo study the impact of subtypes and comorbidities on breast cancer (BC) relapse and survival in the heterogeneous patients of the real world.MethodsWe identified patients diagnosed with BC between January 2003 and December 2005 from six population-based Swiss cancer registries. Clinicopathologic data was completed with information on locoregional and distant relapse and date and cause of death for over 10-years. We approximated BC subtypes using grade and the immunohistochemical panel for oestrogen, progesterone and human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) receptor status. We studied factors affecting relapse and survival.ResultsLuminal A-like subtype represented 46% of all newly diagnosed BC (N = 1831), followed by luminal B-like (N = 1504, 38%), triple negative (N = 436, 11%) and HER2 enriched (N = 204, 5%). We observed regional disparities in subtype prevalence that contribute to explain regional differences in survival formerly described. Disease relapse and BC specific mortality differed by subtype and were lower for luminal A like tumours than for other subtypes for any stage at diagnosis. After a median follow-up of 10.9 years, 1311 (33%) had died, half of them 647 (16%) due to another disease, showing the importance of comorbidities. Omission of systemic therapies in selected patients was not associated with poorer BC specific survival, BC subtype and life expectancy playing a role.ConclusionsInformation on tumour subtype is necessary for an adequate interpretation of population-based BC studies. Measures of comorbidity or frailty help in the evaluation of quality of care in the highly heterogeneous patients of the real world.     

多模态超声预测乳腺癌分子亚型研究进展

乳腺癌为高度异质性恶性肿瘤,其分子亚型通常分为Luminal A型、Luminal B型、人表皮生长因子受体2（HER2）过表达型和三阴型（TN型）4种,生物学特征、治疗方案及预后均有所差异。常规超声联合超声造影、超声弹性成像及三维超声等多模态超声有助于预测乳腺癌分子亚型,为指导临床治疗、评估预后等提供参考。本文就多模态超声诊断技术预测乳腺癌分子亚型研究进展进行综述。     

Treatment and survival outcomes in older women with primary breast cancer: A retrospective propensity score-matched analysis

PurposeChanges in biological features and functional status make management decisions in older women with primary breast cancer complicated. We aimed to provide an overview of the clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes of older breast cancer patients based on the current treatment strategies.MethodsFemale patients diagnosed with primary invasive breast cancer at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Centre from 2008 to 2016 were included. Patients were divided into a younger group (<65 years) and older group (≥65 years). Propensity score matching was utilised to generate balanced cohorts.ResultsA total of 13,707 patients met the study criteria. Compared with younger patients, older patients had a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (p < 0.001), less lymph node metastasis (p = 0.009), more advanced tumour stage (p = 0.038), and a larger proportion of estrogen receptor-positive (p < 0.001) and epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (p < 0.001) tumours. Older patients were likely to receive mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection in addition to a lower proportion of adjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy (HR [hazard ratio] 0.69, p = 0.039) was independently correlated with better overall survival in the older patients. This survival benefit (HR 0.58, p = 0.041) was confirmed in matched cohorts. Among the older patients with larger tumours (HR 0.48, p = 0.038) and more lymph node involvement (HR 0.44, p = 0.040), adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a significant survival benefit.ConclusionOlder breast cancer patients showed less aggressive biological characteristics, intensive surgical and moderate medical preferences. The addition of adjuvant chemotherapy should be considered for older patients, especially for patients with large tumours and more lymph node involvement.     

Effects of race and socioeconomic status on survival of 1,332 black, hispanic, and white women with breast cancer

Background: A survival disadvantage for black women with brest cancer, which persists after controlling for stage of the disease, has been reported. This study investigates the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on breast cancer survival after controlling for age, stage, histology, and type of treatment. Methods: Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the interaction between race and SES in predicting survival in a sample of 163 black, 205 Hispanic, and 964 white women with breast cancer treated at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (1987–1991). Results: The results of univariate and multivariate analyses indicate that race was not a significant predictor of survival after adjusting for SES and other confounding factors such as demographic and disease characteristics. SES remained a significant predictor of survival after all adjustments were made. There was no evidence of differences in type of treatment by race or SES if adjustments were made for stage. Conclusions: These results suggest that institutional factors, such as access to treatment, do not explain survival differences by race or SES. Other factors associated with low SES, such as life-style and behavior, may affect survival.     

维吾尔族女性乳腺癌分子分型的临床特征及预后特点

目的：分析维吾尔族可手术女性乳腺癌患者不同分子分型的临床特征及其预后特点。 方法：收集2007年1月—2009年4月新疆医科大学附属肿瘤医院首诊且完成手术治疗,有完整病历资料的的维吾尔族女性乳腺癌患者资料528例,分析各亚型乳腺癌的临床特征、复发转移及生存情况。 结果：528例患者中,luminal A型95例（18.0%）、luminal B型224例（42.4%）、HER-2过表达型56例（10.6%）、三阴乳腺癌（TNBC）153例（29.0%）;TNBC患者中,临床分期III期、发病年龄≤35岁、腋窝淋巴结转移数≥4个的构成比高于其他亚型,激素受体阴性患者肿瘤直径>2 cm的构成比大于激素受体阳性患者;发病年龄36~65岁组中,HER-2过表达型构成比高于其他亚型;luminal B型患者中,有恶性肿瘤家族病史的构成比明显高于其他亚型;复发转移患者中,内脏转移以HER-2过表达型（16/27,59.3%）及TNBC（55/94,58.5%）多见、骨转移以luminal A型（11/19,60.0%）多见、TNBC局部复发率（6/94,6.4%）较其他亚型低;luminal A型、luminal B型、 HER-2过表达型、TNBC型患者5年总生存率分别为91.6%、85.6%、75.0%、65.3%,5年无病生存率分别为83.1%、75.9%、55.4%、44.4%;以上差异均有统计学意义（均P<0.05）。 结论：维吾尔族女性乳腺癌患者中,luminal B型是最常见的分子亚型,Luminal A型预后最好,HER-2过表达型及TNBC预后最差。     

不同分子亚型乳腺癌中癌干细胞量的研究

目的研究乳腺癌不同分子亚型中癌干细胞量的差别。方法根据分子亚型将乳腺癌组织标本分为A(乳腺腔内A型),B(乳腺腔内B型),C(HER-2过表达型),D(基底样型),E(正常细胞样型)5组,通过集落细胞法计数各组癌干细胞球,分析乳腺癌干细胞量与乳腺癌不同分子亚型的关系。结果 A,B两组的癌干细胞球数分别为(1.1±0.2)/1 000细胞和(1.3±0.1)/1 000细胞,组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);C组的癌干细胞球数为(8.6±1.0)/1 000细胞,明显多于A,B组(均P<0.05);D,E两组的癌干细胞球数分别为(22.4±1.2)/1 000细胞和(17.7±2.0)/1 000细胞,两组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),但均明显多于前3组(均P<0.05)。结论不同分子亚型乳腺癌组织中含有不同量的癌干细胞,对预测乳腺癌预后可能有一定意义。     

Men with breast cancer have better disease-specific survival than women

HYPOTHESIS: Male breast cancer patients have better disease-specific survival than carefully matched female breast cancer patients. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: University hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Each man in the breast cancer database at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (New York, NY) between the years 1980 and 1998 was matched with a woman. Matching was done based on age and date of diagnosis, stage, and primary histologic findings. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The overall survivals and disease-specific survivals of the male breast cancer group and female breast cancer group were compared. RESULTS: Fifty-three male patients were matched with an equal number of female breast cancer patients. The Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that there was no significant difference in overall survival. The 5- and 10-year survivals for women were 0.77 and 0.51, and for men 0.77 and 0.56. When the Kaplan-Meier curves for breast cancer-specific survival were compared, however, there was a significant difference in the 5- and 10-year survivals (P = .05, log-rank test). For women, the 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival was 0.81 and 0.7, respectively, while for men it was 0.9 and 0.9, respectively. In a Cox regression analysis for time to death from breast cancer, stage was the only predictor of death that approached significance (P = .06). CONCLUSIONS: While the overall survivals were equivalent, male breast cancer patients had significantly better disease-specific survivals compared with their female counterparts. Male patients were 4 times more likely to die of other causes than their breast cancer.     

Biopsy of liver metastasis for women with breast cancer: impact on survival

BackgroundBiopsy of metastatic site of disease can influence treatment decisions, but its impact on survival remains uncertain.Patients and methodsOne-hundred patients with first metachronous liver metastases (LM) from breast cancer (BC) who underwent liver biopsy between 1999 and 2009 were identified. One-hundred matched control patients with LM from BC and no biopsy were selected.ResultsLiver biopsy had no statistically significant impact on survival when comparing biopsied patients to controls [HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.58–1.16)]. Patients with early metastasis (within 3 years) undergoing liver biopsy had a better survival [HR 0.60 (95% CI 0.38–0.97)] compared to those who did not. Liver biopsy had no statistically significant impact on survival in patients with late LM (after 3 years) [HR 1.09 (95% CI 0.69–1.74)]. We observed that 18 out of 100 biopsied patients (18.0%) had a conversion of predictive factors which allowed adjusting for therapy, specifically new expression of ER (n = 5), overexpression of HER2 (n = 12) or both (n = 1). Fourteen out of 18 (77.8%) received anti-HER2 treatment for the first time at the time of metastasis and 3 others (16.7%) received hormone therapy. Those 18 patients showed a better survival compared to the other 82 biopsied patients [HR 0.55 (95% CI 0.28–1.10)] and compared to the 13 biopsied patients with disappearance of features which predicted responsiveness to a given treatment [HR 0.19 (95% CI 0.06–0.62)].ConclusionsLiver biopsy can impact survival of patients with early metastases from BC. Discordance between primary and distant lesions can offer the patients new treatment options.