RESUMO
We describe the case of a pregnant woman diagnosed with breast cancer at 26 weeks' gestation. The tumor was positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors and negative for overexpression of c-erbB-2 protein. Neoadjuvant FAC (fluorouracil, adriamycin, cytoxan) chemotherapy was started at 29 weeks' gestation. At 37 weeks, delivery was induced and the patient gave born to a healthy female baby weighing 2350 g, after which she was given a further cycle of chemotherapy and weekly paclitaxel. Clinical and radiological remission was achieved. Resection of the breast tissue showed complete pathological response and negative lymph nodes. This case illustrates how the integrated work of different specialists can obtain excellent oncological and obstetrical results in the care of pregnant women with breast cancer.
Assuntos
Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapêutico , Biomarcadores Tumorais/análise , Neoplasias da Mama/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias da Mama/patologia , Complicações Neoplásicas na Gravidez/tratamento farmacológico , Complicações Neoplásicas na Gravidez/patologia , Adulto , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/administração & dosagem , Neoplasias da Mama/metabolismo , Ciclofosfamida/administração & dosagem , Doxorrubicina/administração & dosagem , Esquema de Medicação , Feminino , Fluoruracila/administração & dosagem , Humanos , Paclitaxel/administração & dosagem , Gravidez , Complicações Neoplásicas na Gravidez/metabolismo , Resultado da Gravidez , Terceiro Trimestre da Gravidez , Receptor ErbB-2/análise , Receptores de Estrogênio/análise , Receptores de Progesterona/análise , Indução de Remissão , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Clinico-pathologic data on microinvasive carcinoma of the breast (MICB) as defined by the 2003 TNM criteria (T1mic=1mm) are scarce. Nowadays, we do not know the percentages of Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) that will progress to invasion and predictive markers are not available. Cyclo-oxygenase type-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in many human malignant tumours and has been linked to the processes of carcinogenesis, cell survival, invasion and metastasis. Despite the data on elevated COX-2 expression in breast neoplasia, the mechanism of upregulation remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate COX-2 expression in DCIS in comparison to MICB in order to establish the importance of this marker as a predictor of microinvasion and the correlation with Van Nuys classification. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study was performed on archival paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed tissue samples of DCIS and MICB from women who had undergone surgery. The COX-2 expression was assayed by immunohistochemistry using a specific polyclonal anti-human COX-2 antibody. Expression was scored in a scale 0 (absent) to 4 (strong) based on the extent and intensity of tumour cell staining. RESULTS: Fifty-two cases of DCIS and 40 of MICB were studied. In all cases, COX-2 was detected in the cytoplasm of tumour cells, and elevated COX-2 expression was observed in Van Nuys high-grade CDIS cases compared with low and intermediate grades (p<0.05). In addition, enhanced COX-2 expression was significantly higher in DCIS component from MICB patients (82% cases) than in DCIS pure patients (40.4%) (p<0.05). In a multivariate model which includes age, tumour size, mammography, histological grade and COX-2 expression, we found COX-2 positivity to be an independent factor for microinvasion (OR 3.90; 95% CI 1.88-14.3). CONCLUSIONS: COX-2 is associated to higher Van Nuys grades of breast CDIS, and could be a molecular marker to identify the cases of DCIS which could progress to MICB. CONDENSATION: COX-2 as a molecular marker in microinvasive carcinoma of the breast.
Assuntos
Biomarcadores Tumorais/metabolismo , Neoplasias da Mama/patologia , Carcinoma Ductal de Mama/patologia , Carcinoma Intraductal não Infiltrante/patologia , Ciclo-Oxigenase 2/metabolismo , Adulto , Idoso , Feminino , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Imuno-Histoquímica , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prognóstico , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
PURPOSE: Cell signaling pathways include a complex myriad of interconnected factors from the membrane to the nucleus, such as erbB family receptors and the phosphoinositide-3-kinase/Akt/mTOR and Ras-Raf-ERK cascades, which drive proliferative signals, promote survival, and regulate protein synthesis. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To find pivotal factors in these pathways, which provide prognostic information in malignancies, we studied 103 human breast tumors with an immunohistochemical profile, including total and phosphorylated (p) proteins: human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), epidermal growth factor receptor, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, Akt, 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1), eukaryotic initiation factor 4E, phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1, phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6, and Ki67. Western blot and reverse lysate protein arrays were also done in a subset of tumors. RESULTS: Significantly, activation of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase/Akt/mTOR cascade was detected in a high proportion of tumors (41.9%). Tumors with HER2 overexpression showed higher p-Akt as compared with negative tumors (P < 0.001). Levels of p-Akt correlated with the downstream molecules, p-4EBP1 (P = 0.001) and p-p70S6K (P = 0.05). Although 81.5% of tumors expressed p-4EBP1, in 16.3% of these tumors, concomitant activation of the upstream factors was not detected. Interestingly, p-4EBP1 was mainly expressed in poorly differentiated tumors (P < 0.001) and correlated with tumor size (P < 0.001), presence of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.002), and locoregional recurrences (P = 0.002). Coexpression of p-4EBP1 and p-eIF4G correlated with a high tumor proliferation rate (P = 0.012). CONCLUSION: In this study, p-4EBP1 was the main factor in signaling pathways that associate with prognosis and grade of malignancy in breast tumors. Moreover, p-4EBP1 was detected in both HER2-positive and HER2-negative tumors. This factor seems to be a channeling point at which different upstream oncogenic alterations converge and transmit their proliferative signal, modulating protein translation.