Phagocytosis-Regulators-Based Signature to Predict the Prognosis and Chemotherapy Resistance for Breast Cancer Patients.

Phagocytosis is crucial in tumor surveillance and immune function. The association between phagocytosis and the outcomes of breast cancer patients has not been well-determined. In this study, data were downloaded from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and gene expression omnibus (GEO) databases to investigate the role of phagocytosis in breast cancer. Data from the TCGA and GEO databases were used to investigate the prognostic role of phagocytosis in breast cancer. Then, we performed pathway enrichment analysis, copy number variation (CNV) and single-nucleotide variant (SNV) analyses, immune infiltration analysis, calculation of tumor purity, stromal score, and immune score, and consistent clustering. We also constructed a phagocytosis-regulators-based signature system to examine its association in survival and drug response. The genomic and expression differences in the phagocytosis regulators in breast cancer were systematically analyzed, explaining the widespread dysregulation of phagocytosis regulators. Using the investigated association of phagocytosis regulators with the prognosis and tumor immune environment, we constructed a prognostic model based on phagocytosis regulators. We discovered that patients with high risk scores had a poor prognosis and were negatively associated with immune functions. The model had preferential predictive performance and significantly consistent drug-resistance prediction results. Our findings suggest that the phagocytosis-factors-based scoring system can be used as a novel prognostic factor, serving as a powerful reference tool for predicting prognosis and developing methods against drug resistance.

Metabolic gene signature for predicting breast cancer recurrence using transcriptome analysis.

Background: The study aimed at identifying a metabolic gene signature for stratifying the risk of recurrence in breast cancer. Materials & methods: The data of patients were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The limma package was used to identify differentially expressed metabolic genes, and a metabolic gene signature was constructed. Results: A five-gene metabolic signature was established that demonstrated satisfactory accuracy and predictive power in both training and validation cohorts. Also, a nomogram for predicting recurrence-free survival was established using a combination of the metabolism gene risk score and the clinicopathological features. Conclusions: The proposed metabolic gene signature and nomogram have a significant prognostic value and may improve the recurrence risk stratification for breast cancer patients.

Repair of Breast Defect by Transfer of a Contralateral Internal Mammary Artery Perforator Flap.

This is a case report of a patient with a borderline phyllodes tumor in the left breast. Seventeen months after the resection of the phyllodes tumor from the patient's left breast, the tumor occurred again 5 months ago in the surgical region. A large defect was generated after the extended resection of the left breast mass, and it was repaired with a contralateral internal mammary artery perforator flap. After the operation, bilateral breast symmetry was good, and the patient was satisfied with the shape of the breast. Postoperative follow-up was performed for 15 months, and no local recurrence was observed.

A novel web-enabled healthcare solution on health vault system.

Complicated Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems have created problems in systems regarding an easy implementation and interoperability for a Web-enabled Healthcare Solution, which is normally provided by an independent healthcare giver with limited IT knowledge and interests. An EMR system with well-designed and user-friendly interface, such as Microsoft HealthVault System used as the back-end platform of a Web-enabled healthcare application will be an approach to deal with these problems. This paper analyzes the patient oriented Web-enabled healthcare service application as the new trend to delivery healthcare from hospital/clinic-centric to patient-centric, the current e-healthcare applications, and the main backend EMR systems. Then, we present a novel web-enabled healthcare solution based on Microsoft HealthVault EMR system to meet customers' needs, such as, low total cost, easily development and maintenance, and good interoperability. A sample system is given to show how the solution can be fulfilled, evaluated, and validated. We expect that this paper will provide a deep understanding of the available EMR systems, leading to insights for new solutions and approaches driven to next generation EMR systems.

A primary experience of conventional fractionated three-dimensional conformal partial breast irradiation for early-stage breast cancer.

Recently, a number of clinical trials assessing partial breast irradiation (PBI), in particular accelerated partial breast irradiation, have been conducted in patients with early-stage breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in Europe and the US. By contrast, PBI is rarely performed in Eastern countries. In general, there are many physiological differences between Eastern and Western populations, and whether PBI is suitable for Eastern populations remains uncertain. Moreover, PBI is still in the stage of clinical research, and numerous questions have yet to be resolved. Thus, we designed a PBI trial to explore its feasibility and effectiveness for Eastern patients. According to the study criteria, 12 patients were enrolled between June 2003 and March 2007. Using three-dimensional conformal partial breast irradiation, they received a conventional fraction of 2 Gy/fraction/day, 5 fractions/week, DT60 Gy. According to follow-up data collected in August 2010, the rates of local recurrence and distant metastasis were 0%. The most common adverse reactions included grade 2 radioactive erythema in 2 (17%) cases and pigment deposition in 10 (83%). The results revealed that the patients exhibited good local tumor control, with minor adverse reactions and satisfactory cosmetic results. More samples and long-term observations are required to further assess the validity and feasibility of PBI.