Triple-negative breast cancer: from classical clinicopathological features to androgen receptor profile.

Triple-negative breast cancer (BC) represents an extensively analyzed entity to establish the overall framework of clinicopathological characteristics, with an impact on defining prognostic and predictive factors. The relationship between triple-negative BC and androgen receptor (AR) is far from being clarified. We aimed to evaluate the classical clinicopathological spectrum that characterized a triple-negative BC, focusing on AR expression. The study group comprised 124 cases of triple-negative BC. The main clinicopathological parameters were extracted from medical records. The immunohistochemical (IHC) exam was run using the following antibodies: anti-estrogen receptor (ER), anti-progesterone receptor (PR), anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2∕neu), anti-Ki67 and anti-AR. AR immunoexpression was assessed as absent (completely negative) or present (unrelated to percentages and intensity). Data were statistically analyzed. AR expression was positive in 78 (63%) cases and negative in 46 (37%) cases. Among the study group, 28 cases exhibited an AR percentage ranging from 1% to 10%, 15 cases showed a percentage between 11% and 50%, while 12 cases had AR values between 51% and 75% and 23 cases fell within the AR range of 76% to 100%. No significant differences between AR immunoexpression (negative versus positive), clinicopathological characteristics and survival parameters were found. Statistically significant differences were registered between histological type, tumor stage, distant metastasis, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), treatment and residual cancer burden (RCB), and survival parameters. Thus, our results sustain that AR does not affect the biological behavior of triple-negative BC.

Renal Function Parameters in Distinctive Molecular Subtypes of Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is a prevalent malignancy in male patients, having diverse clinical outcomes. The follow-up of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer involves the evaluation of renal function, because its impairment reduces patient survival rates and adds complexity to their treatment and clinical care. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between renal function parameters and distinctive molecular subtypes of prostate adenocarcinomas, defined by the immunoexpression of the SPINK1, ERG, HOXB13, and TFF3 markers. The study group comprised 72 patients with prostate cancer and associated chronic kidney disease (CKD) who underwent radical prostatectomy. Histopathological, molecular, and renal parameters were analyzed. Patients were categorized based on ERG/SPINK1 and HOXB13/TFF3 status, and correlations with renal function and prognostic grade groups were assessed. The ERG+/SPINK1+ subgroup exhibited significantly higher postoperative CKD stages and serum creatinine levels compared to the ERG+/SPINK1- subgroup. This suggests an intricate relationship between SPINK1 overexpression and renal function dynamics. The HOXB13-/TFF3+ subgroup displayed higher preoperative serum creatinine levels and CKD stages than the HOXB13-/TFF3- subgroup, aligning with TFF3's potential role in renal function. Furthermore, the study revealed associations between CKD stages and prognostic grade groups in different molecular subtypes, pointing out an intricate interplay between renal function and tumor behavior. Although the molecular classification of prostate acinar ADK is not yet implemented, this research underscores the variability of renal function parameters in different molecular subtypes, offering potential insights into patient prognosis.