High thioredoxin expression is associated with resistance to docetaxel in primary breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Thioredoxin overexpression is suggested to be associated with resistance to several chemotherapeutic agents in vitro. In the present study, it has been studied whether or not high thioredoxin expression is associated with resistance to docetaxel therapy in breast cancer patients.Patients and Methods: Sixty-three primary breast cancer patients were treated with docetaxel (60 mg/m(2), q3w) for four cycles in the neoadjuvant setting. Expression of thioredoxin, estrogen receptor (ER), p53, BRCA-1, and Bcl-2 in tumor tissues obtained before docetaxel therapy was studied by immunohistochemistry (thioredoxin, p53, BRCA-1, and Bcl-2) and enzyme immunoassay (ER), and relationship of expression of these biomarkers with a pathologic response was investigated.RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between the expression of p53, BRCA-1, or Bcl-2 and a response to docetaxel. However, tumors with high thioredoxin expression showed a significantly lower response rate (0%) than those with low thioredoxin expression (30.6%; P = 0.018) and ER-negative tumors showed a significantly higher response rate (32.4%) than ER-positive tumors (10.7%; P = 0.043). Thioredoxin expression significantly increased after docetaxel therapy (mean, 56.1%) as compared with that before docetaxel therapy (mean, 28.6%; P < 0.0001) but there was no significant association between the extent of increase in thioredoxin expression and response.CONCLUSION: High thioredoxin expression in prechemotherapy tumor samples, but not the increase in thioredoxin expression induced by docetaxel, is associated with resistance to docetaxel in breast cancer. Thioredoxin and ER might be clinically useful in the prediction of a response to docetaxel.     

CX3CL1 expression is associated with poor outcome in breast cancer patients

The significance of chemokines in cancer biology has been widely recognized in recent years. CX3CL1 is a unique subclass of chemokine with complex functions, including recruitment of anti-tumor leukocytes and promoting cancer survival, thus affecting cancer progression in both the directions. It is not clear how these different functions interact in breast cancers. This is further complicated by the heterogeneity of breast cancer, and differential association of CX3CL1 with different subgroups could be present. There is only limited knowledge of CX3CL1 expression profile, its relationship with different biological features, subtypes, and outcomes in breast cancers. In this study, CX3CL1 expression was examined in a large cohort of breast cancers by immunohistochemistry and its association with clinicopathological factors, biomarker expression, and impact on patients’ survival was assessed. High CX3CL1 expression was detected in 33.3 % (252/757) of primary invasive cancers. In line with its chemo-attractant function, CX3CL1 expression correlated positively with increased tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) (p = 0.005). In addition, CX3CL1 also correlated positively with adverse features in breast cancers, including lymph node involvement (p = 0.007), high Ki67 (p = 0.002), α-B crystallin expression (p = 0.008), and luminal B (worse prognosis luminal cancers) subtype (p = 0.024). Consistently, breast cancers with high expression of CX3CL1 were found to have a poorer overall survival (χ² = 4.797, p = 0.029). Interestingly, the adverse effect of CX3CL1 on outcome appeared to be more prominent in cancers with low TIL. These findings indicated that CX3CL1 could also have a pro-tumor role in breast cancer, despite its previously suggested role in enhancing anti-tumor immunity. The results highlighted the complicated functions of CX3CL1 in breast carcinogenesis. Further studies are needed to clarify the relative contribution of these anti- and pro-tumor functions in order to understand the true prognostic and potential therapeutic values of CX3CL1.     

SGK3 is associated with estrogen receptor expression in breast cancer

While breast cancer mortality rate has seen a steady decline in the last few decades, advances in better treatment and diagnostic tools remain important as we come into the age of personalized therapy. In this report, we describe our studies of SGK3's role in breast cancer. SGK3 (also known as CISK) is a member of the AGC family of kinases. Our previous work indicates that SGK3 functions downstream of the PI 3-kinase cascade and shares molecular and biochemical similarities with Akt. Here, we show that SGK3 expression is linked to estrogen receptor (ER) both in breast caner cell lines and in primary tumor samples. Our analysis also indicated a positive correlation between SGK3 expression and tumor prognosis. Importantly, our immunochemistry analysis of human tumor samples established a clinical link between SGK3 expression and ER+ tumors. These findings implicate SGK3 as an additional component to a complex and heterogeneous disease, and point to the potential benefits of incorporating SGK3 into the process of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.     

Serum and urine survivin levels in breast cancer

This study was conducted to investigate the serum and urine levels of survivin in patients with breast cancer and the relationships with known prognostic parameters and therapy. Forty-three patients with breast cancer and 21 healthy control subjects were investigated. Serum samples were obtained on the first admission before adjuvant and metastatic treatment were given and after two cycles of chemotherapy. Serum and urine survivin levels were determined using enzyme immunometric assay (EIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. There was no significant difference in the baseline serum and urine levels between patients with breast carcinoma and healthy controls (p=0.19 and p=0.84, respectively). None of the prognostic parameters analyzed were significantly correlated with the urine survivin concentrations. This was also true for serum survivin values, except for nodal involvement. Serum survivin levels were significantly higher in the patients with nodal involvement compared with node negatives (p=0.043). However, serum survivin levels were not influenced by the number of involved nodes (p=0.77). No significant correlation was found between the serum and urine levels of survivin (r=0.15, p=0.27). Serum and urine levels did not change significantly after chemotherapy (p=0.59 and p=0.50, respectively). In conclusion, the result of this study suggested that serum survivin level could be a sensitive marker for detecting metastases in lymph nodes from breast cancer patients. However, much research continues in this field, and exciting new knowledge will ultimately emerge.     

晚期乳腺癌患者生存素的表达与放疗敏感性之间的关系

目的探讨晚期乳腺癌患者生存素(survivin)的表达与放疗敏感性的关系。方法选取2012年1月至2014年1月南京医科大学附属淮安第一医院首诊并确诊的66例晚期乳腺癌(局部T4期)女性患者作为研究对象,入组患者均采用放射治疗,根据放疗敏感性分为放疗敏感组(37例)和放疗不敏感组(29例)。取患者放疗前活检组织标本,采用免疫组化技术法检测survivin蛋白的表达情况,采用逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)检测survivin的mRNA表达情况,采用原位末端转移酶标记技术(TUNEL)检测标本中细胞凋亡指数。结果 survivin蛋白在放疗敏感组和放疗不敏感组的高表达率分别为21.6%(8/37)和75.9%(22/29),两组比较差异有统计学意义。RT-PCR发现,与放疗敏感组相比,放疗不敏感组survivin mRNA的表达明显上升,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。TUNEL检测细胞凋亡显示,放疗敏感组细胞凋亡指数显著高于放疗不敏感组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。survivin高表达细胞凋亡指数显著低于低表达,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论survivin的表达与晚期乳腺癌的放疗敏感性呈显著负相关,表明survivinde的表达可以作为预测晚期乳腺癌患者放疗敏感性的分子指标,可以作为指导患者制定合理治疗方案的新指标,从而实现患者个体化治疗。     

Prognostic and predictive effects of immunohistochemical factors in high-risk primary breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To analyze prognostic and predictive effects of immunohistochemical factors within a randomized study of high-dose versus standard-dose chemotherapy in high-risk breast cancer with >10 involved lymph nodes. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Histopathologic specimens in 188 of 302 patients were analyzed for Ki-67, p16, maspin, Bcl-2, Her2/neu, and p53. RESULTS: In a univariate analysis after adjustment for therapy, tumor size, and estrogen receptor, Her2/neu positivity (P = 0.001) was a negative and Bcl2 positivity (P = 0.003) was a positive prognostic factor for event-free survival. In a multivariate analysis, Her2/neu positivity (hazard ratio, 3.68; 95% confidence interval, 2.01-6.73; P = 0.0001) had a negative influence on event-free survival, whereas p53 positivity (hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.95; P = 0.03) and Bcl2 positivity (hazard ratio, 0.35; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.64; P = 0.0006) were associated with a better event-free survival. Analyzing the predictive effect of the immunohistochemical factors, an interaction between p53 and treatment could be shown (P = 0.005). The hazard ratio for high-dose chemotherapy versus standard chemotherapy is estimated as 2.3 (95% confidence interval, 0.67-7.92) in p53-negative patients and as 0.46 (95% confidence interval, 0.2-1.07) in p53-positive patients, which indicates a superiority of high-dose chemotherapy in p53-positive patients and an inferiority in p53-negative patients. No interactive effect could be shown for the other factors. CONCLUSIONS: Her2/neu and Bcl-2 are prognostic but not predictive factors in patients with high-risk primary breast cancer; p53-positive patients might benefit more from high-dose chemotherapy than from standard chemotherapy, and p53-negative patients might benefit more from standard chemotherapy than from high-dose therapy.     

Collagen IV levels are elevated in the serum of patients with primary breast cancer compared to healthy volunteers

Collagen IV is a major component of the vascular basement membrane and may be a marker of angiogenesis. Serum levels of this protein are elevated in some human cancers. Our objectives were to compare collagen IV levels in the serum of breast cancer patients and healthy women and to examine changes during preoperative chemotherapy. Sera from 51 patients with stage II-III breast cancer and 55 healthy controls were analysed. Collagen IV level was measured by a commercially available sandwich enzyme link immunoassay. Baseline serum levels were compared between cancer patients and healthy women and paired pre- and post-chemotherapy measurements were also performed in 39 patients who received preoperative chemotherapy and were correlated with response to therapy. The median serum collagen IV concentration was significantly higher in cancer patients (166 microg l(-1)) than in healthy women (115 microg l(-1)), P<0.001. Chemotherapy induced a significant further increase in serum collagen IV (167 microg l(-1) prechemo vs 206 microg l(-1) postchemo, P=0.001). There were no correlations between baseline collagen IV levels and response to therapy, age, clinical stage or HER2 status. In conclusion, patients with breast cancer have elevated levels of collagen IV compared to healthy women and collagen IV levels increase further during chemotherapy.     

High-dose chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment for high-risk primary breast cancer patients.

In a study recently published in Annals of Oncology, Coombeset al. [1] reported the results of a prospective randomizedtrial comparing a short course of anthracycline-containing chemotherapyfollowed by high-dose chemotherapy with stem-cell support (HDCT)versus a conventional-dose anthracycline-containing chemotherapy(CDCT) as adjuvant treatment in breast cancer patients withfour or more positive axillary lymph nodes. In their experiencethe authors     

Aberrant BLID expression is associated with breast cancer progression

In our previous study, we have found that BH3-like motif containing, cell death inducer (BLID) was a tumor suppressor in breast cancer, and its downregulation was correlated with both poor disease-free and overall survival. In the present study, we aimed to explore the possible role of BLID in breast cancer progression. We found that BLID was strongly expressed in all normal breast tissues, and it became lower and wreaker gradually in the progression from normal, UDH (usual ductal hyperplasia), ADH (atypical ductal hyperplasia), and DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) to breast cancer. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant different BLID expressions between proliferative and cancerous breast lesions. Our data suggested that loss of BLID may contribute to the progression of intraductal proliferation lesions to breast cancer. Our finding gives a new clue that BLID might be a potential indicator for progression of breast cancer in the future.     

High stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 expression is associated with shorter survival in breast cancer patients

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) is an essential regulator of fatty acid synthesis. We have previously shown that overexpression of SCD1 increases the growth of breast cancer cell lines. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between SCD1 expression level and clinical-pathologic characteristics and survival of patients with breast cancer. Fine-needle aspirates were collected from the primary tumors of 250 patients with stage I–III breast cancer. Demographic and clinical characteristics including patient age, ethnicity, and menopausal status and tumor clinical stage, grade, and subtype were reviewed. SCD1 expression was analyzed using reverse-phase protein arrays. Samples were divided into high or low SCD1 expression levels based on a cut-off determined from martingale residual plots and regression tree analysis. SCD1 levels were significantly higher in tumors from patients >50-years old compared to patients ≤50-years old and were lower in triple-negative (estrogen/progesterone receptor-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-negative) breast cancers than other tumor subtypes. After adjusting for patient age, tumor subtype, tumor grade, and clinical stage, we found that patients with primary breast cancers expressing high SCD1 levels had significantly shorter relapse-free survival (RFS) (P = 0.0140) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.039) in multivariable analysis. We conclude that SCD1 expression varies by breast cancer subtype and that high levels of SCD1 expression are associated with significantly shorter RFS and OS in multivariable analysis. Future studies are needed to define the role of SCD1 in the malignant phenotype of breast cancer and to evaluate the potential for SCD1 as a therapeutic target.     

CD146 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in human breast tumors and with enhanced motility in breast cancer cell lines

Introduction  

Metastasis is a complex process involving loss of adhesion, migration, invasion and proliferation of cancer cells. Cell adhesion molecules play a pivotal role in this phenomenon by regulating cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions. CD146 (MCAM) is associated with an advanced tumor stage in melanoma, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. Studies of CD146 expression and function in breast cancer remain scarce except for a report concluding that CD146 could act as a tumor suppressor in breast carcinogenesis.     

乳腺癌中survivin表达的预后价值

目的：研究凋亡抑制基因survivin在乳腺癌中表达的预后价值。方法：采用免疫组化SP法检测180例乳腺癌石蜡标本中survivin表达情况,并对survivin表达与乳腺癌的临床分期、雌激素受体表达、月经状况、腋淋巴结转移、病理类型、无病生存时间以及总生存时间的关系进行了分析。结果：Survivin在乳腺癌中的阳性表达率为66.1%,survivin的表达与乳腺癌的临床分期、雌激素受体、月经状况、腋淋巴结是否转移及病理类型无关（P〉0.05）;单因素分析结果表明survivin表达与乳腺癌病人的无病生存时间和总生存时间显著相关,survivin表达阳性病人的无病生存时间和总生存时间均显著低于survivin表达阴性的病人;多因素Cox回归分析结果表明survivin的表达状况是决定乳腺癌病人无病生存时间的独立因素,而与总生存时间无关。结论：Survivin是判断乳腺癌预后的一个独立生物学指标,阳性表达病人的预后较阴性表达病人差。