Retrospective analysis of trastuzumab treatment in 141 patients with Her-2 positive breast cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the clinical experience of trastuzumab treatment in neoadjuvant, adjuvant, metastatic setting of Chinese patients with Her-2 positive breast cancer and evaluate the efficacy of trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From January 2004 to December 2008, 141 outpatients with breast cancer treated with trastuzumab were investigated retrospectively. The follow-up time ranged from 3 to 319 months. The disease free survival time (DFS) of metastatic setting was calculated. The overall survival time (OS), time to treatment failure (TTF) and clinical response rate (CRR, including complete response, partial response and stable disease) of adjuvant, first-line, second-line therapy were analyzed statistically.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the neoadjuvant regimen, paclitaxel plus carboplatin in combination with trastuzumab accounted for 66.7%, which achieved pathological complete response in 10 of 16 patients. In the adjuvant regimen, anthracycline or anthracycline followed by taxane accounted for 53.9%. The median DFS of 57 cases with metastatic diseases was 17 months. The CRR of first-line trastuzumab use in metastatic setting was 84.5%, compared with 44.4% of second-line use. The median TTF of first-line treatment was 24 months compared with 5 months of second-line treatment. Statistically significant differences were observed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The regimen of paclitaxel plus carboplatin in combination with trastuzumab deserves wide clinical use. In metastatic setting, first-line treatment of trastuzumab plus chemotherapy can achieve a higher response rate than second-line treatment. Continued trastuzumab therapy combined with different chemotherapy treatment after disease progression may obtain additive clinical advantage.</p>

Study on predictors of long term results for neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify predictive markers of the long-term outcome for neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NC) in locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) treated with intravenous vinorelbine (V) and epirubicin (E) combination regimen.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and nineteen patients with LABC were treated from September 2001 to May 2006. All patients were diagnosed as invasive breast cancer by 14G core needle biopsy and treated with three cycles of VE regimen before the operation. The patients were subjected to surgery and subsequently were given other three cycles of VE or cyclophosphamide+epirubicin+fluorouracil (CEF) regimen according to the clinical responses. Local-regional radiotherapy was applied to all patients after the chemotherapy and followed by hormone-therapy according to hormone receptor status. The impact of clinical, pathological, and immunohistochemical features on disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) was evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients were evaluable for responses: clinical complete response was documented in 27 patients (22.7%), 78 patients (65.5%) obtained partial clinical response. The pathological complete response was found in 22 cases (18.5%). Of the patients, 115 cases (96.6%) were followed-up for a median time of 63.4 months (range, 9-76 months), the 5-year DFS rate and OS rate was 58.7% and 71.3%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, high pre-Ki-67 (P=0.012) and post-Ki-67 expression (P=0.045), no pathological complete response after NC (P=0.034) were associated with the higher risk of disease relapse; high pre-Ki-67 (P=0.017) and post-Ki-67 expression (P=0.001), negative pre-ER (P=0.002) and no pathological complete response after NC (P=0.034) were associated with a shorter survival.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Pathological response in primary tumor, pre-Ki-67 and post-Ki-67 expression, pre-ER expression are important predictors of long-term outcome for LABC patients with three cycles of VE regimen before operation.</p>

A retrospective study of 129 cases with immediate breast reconstruction after skin-sparing mastectomy for breast cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the oncologic safety, indications and aesthetic results for skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) and immediate breast reconstruction (IBR).</p><p><b>METHOD</b>One hundred and twenty-nine breast cancer patients treated by SSM + IBR from October 1999 to May 2007 were reviewed. Reconstructive techniques included latissimus dorsi flaps (38 patients), implants only (2 patients), latissimus dorsi flaps plus implants (61 patients), pedicled transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flaps (25 patients) and deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flaps (3 patients). Aesthetic results were judged by patients' self-evaluation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Mean duration of hospitalization was 18.6 days. Time of first chemotherapy was 5.2 days after operation. Eleven patients (11/63, 17.5%) developed capsular contracture and 24 patients (24/99, 24.2%) developed seroma in the donor site. Nine patients (9/28, 32.1%) developed partial fat necrosis in TRAM and DIEP flaps. The satisfaction with the aesthetic results of the reconstructive breast was significantly lower in irradiated patients than non-irradiated ones. Median follow-up time was 11 months. Five patients developed local recurrence and 7 patients with metastasis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>SSM with IBR can be used for the 0 to II a stage breast cancer patients, with surgical oncologic and aesthetic satisfaction. Radiotherapy has an adverse effect on the reconstructive breast. Delayed or delayed-immediate reconstructions are recommended for patients indicated to postoperative radiotherapy.</p>

5589del8: the recurrent mutation of BRCA1 gene in Chinese breast cancer patients / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the "hot spot" of BRCA1/2 gene mutations in Chinese mainland breast cancer population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The known BRCA1/2 gene mutations in author's previous studies were reanalyzed by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography and DNA sequencing method in 177 patients with early onset breast cancer or affected relatives and 426 sporadic breast cancer patients from four breast cancer centers in China.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Three cases were found with BRCA1 5589del8 mutation out of 247 hereditary-predisposing breast cancer patients (70 patients in previous study and 177 patients in current study) and 2 cases with BRCA1 5589del8 mutation out of 426 sporadic breast cancer patients. They had similar even same haplotype.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>BRCA1 5589del8 mutation is likely to be the "founder mutation" in Chinese population, but it should be confirmed by further studies.</p>

Surgical management of early breast cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the available surgical treatment modalities so as to explore the optimal strategy of managing early breast cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 2173 consecutive early-stage breast cancer patients treated by surgery treatments were retrospectively reviewed in order to clarify the indications and contraindications of different modalities. Therapeutic outcome of different surgical treatment modes were compared in terms of recurrence-free survival ( RFS) , disease-free survival ( DFS) , overall survival (OS). The cosmetic results of breast conservation and reconstruction were also evaluated .</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median age of these patients was 51 years ranging from 18 to 91. Of 2173 patients, 547 had stage 0- I lesions and 1626 stage II , and 1155 (53. 2% ) premenopausal. The proportion of patients who received radical surgery, breast conservation and reconstruction after mastectomy was 83. 6% (1817/2173), 10. 5% (229/2173) and 2. 5% (55/2173) , respectively. Younger and premenopausal patients prefer conservative and reconstructive surgeries, which are reasonable for stage 0-I and non-invasive breast cancer patients. Conservative surgery was not suitable for Paget's disease of breast (P = 0. 004) , mastectomy followed by reconstruction in this type of cancer was up to 38. 5%. The recurrence and metastasis rate of conservation or mastectomy were similar with a comparable 3-year RFS of 97. 4% and 95. 4% , respectively; there were also no significant differences in RFS(P =0. 2435) , DFS( P =0. 1395) and OS(P =0. 9406) after having been followed for 3 to 64 months. Similarly, immediate reconstruction did not show any negative effects with only 1 recurrence and 1 metastasis. Aesthetic outcomes were assessed as excellent or good in 90. 0% of breast conservation surgery, and the acceptability of reconstruction was 94. 5%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Breast conserving surgery not only has comparable survival as mastectomy, but also has better cosmetic outcomes. Immediate breast reconstruction can be a suitable option without compromising survival. It is very important in the management for early breast cancer by selecting the most suitable surgery mode for every individual patient not only to cure her disease but also to satisfy the patient psychologically. Conservation should be preferred prior to reconstruction whenever possible.</p>

Prevalence of Val158Met polymorphism in COMT gene on non-BRCA1/2 hereditary breast cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the prevalence of Val158Met polymorphism in Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene and its effect on genetic susceptibility for breast cancer in Shanghai population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 114 patients with BRCA1/BRCA 2 negative hereditary breast cancer from independent families and 121 age-matched healthy controls were analyzed. Genotype analysis was conducted by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then DNA direct sequencing. The odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by unconditional logistic regression model.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequency of Val158Met polymorphism GG, GA and AA genotype in case group and control was 0.58 (65), 0.32 (36), 0.10 (11) and 0.60 (66), 0.35 (41), 0.03 (3), respectively. The frequency of allele-containing genotypes is significantly higher in early-onset breast cancer patients (0.57) than in familial ones (0.35). Compared with GG (Val/Val) genotype, AA (Met/Met) genotype confers a significantly increased risk for breast cancer (adjusted OR = 3.15; 95% CI, 0.70 - 14.19), especially among premenopausal women (adjusted OR = 9.98; 95% CI, 1.00 - 99.64). Borderline significantly association was found between AA genotype (adjusted OR = 7.57; 95% CI, 0.57 - 101.28) and susceptibility for breast cancer in BMI < or = 23 kg/m(2) group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Val158Met polymorphism in COMT gene could be a candidate for low penetrance breast cancer susceptibility in Shanghai population, especially among premenopausal women and early-onset breast cancer patients.</p>

Clinicopathological significance of aromatase expression in breast cancers / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of aromatase on breast cancer proliferation and invasive ability, so as to detect the relationship between in situ estrogen levels and molecular biological characteristics of breast cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>By immunohistochemistry staining, the expression of aromatase, matrix metalloproteinases 2 (MMP2) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP 9) in the primary breast cancers were detected, the associations between aromatase and MMPs as well as clinical-pathological factors were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive rates of aromatase were 25.0% (+) and 29.9% (++). Aromatase status was associated with MMP2, MMP9 and co-expression of MMP2 and MMP9 (P < 0.05), but not associated with tumor size, ER/PR status, menopausal status and tumor grade (P > 0.05). In the postmenopausal patients there was a relationship between aromatase and tumor size (P < 0.05), but not in the premenopausal patients (P > 0.05); there was a relationship between aromatase and co-expression of MMP2/MMP9 in the patients with ER and/or PR positive (P < 0.05), but not in the patients with ER and PR negative (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In the breast cancer in situ estrogen produced by tumor aromatase may promote the cancer cells proliferation and invasiveness and maybe through ER pathway especially in the postmenopausal patients.</p>

CHEK2 c.1100delC may not contribute to genetic background of hereditary breast cancer from Shanghai of China / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of CHEK2 c.1100delC mutation among non-BRCA1/BRCA2 familial/early-onset breast cancer patients in Shanghai.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and fourteen non-BRCA1/BRCA2 hereditary breast cancer patients were analyzed, among whom 76 cases had at least one first-degree relative affected with breast cancer and 38 cases were diagnosed as breast cancer below the age of 40 years without family history. The mutation genotyping of CHEK2 c.1100delC were carried out through long-range PCR amplifying of exons 10-14, and followed by amplification of exon 10 and then DNA direct sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No c.1100delC frame-shift mutation was identified in our studied population. One novel missense mutation 1111C>T (p.His371Tyr), located in kinase catalytic domain, was found in 3 familial breast cancer cases but no one in control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CHEK2 c.1100delC is rare variant for Chinese population and may not contribute to predisposition for hereditary breast cancer in Shanghai. Novel variant -1111C>T could be in association with genetic susceptibility to breast cancer. A further study is needed to confirm the results.</p>

BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations of familial breast cancer from Shanghai in China / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prevalence of BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations among breast cancer patients with affected relatives in Shanghai of China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-five breast cancer patients who had at least one first-degree relative affected were analyzed, among whom 13 patients suffered from breast cancer at age of less than 40 years. A comprehensive BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation analysis was performed through denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) and subsequent DNA direct sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Four mutations in BRCA1 gene, including 2 novel splice-site mutations (IVS17-1G>T, IVS21+1G>C) and 2 frameshift mutations (1100delAT; 5640delA) were identified. One frameshift mutation (5802delAATT) was detected in exon 11 of BRCA2. Additional 12 novel single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) were detected, including a novel unclassified variant and 7 novel intronic variants in BRCA1, and 4 novel intronic variants in BRCA2, with which all caused no alteration of amino acid coding. The mutation frequency of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in patients with family history was 11.4% and 2.9%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Two novel mutations in BRCA1 may be mutations characterized to familial breast cancer of Chinese Shanghai population. The BRCA2 may contribute to mutation less than BRCA1 in familial breast cancer. Our data contribute to information on mutation spectrum of BRCA gene in Chinese population and also offer a recommended screening mode for clinical genetic testing policy in China.</p>

Effect of R264C polymorphism in CYP19A1 gene on BRCA1/2-negative hereditary breast cancer from Shanghai population of China / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Aromatase, encoded by CYP19A1, play an important role in estrogens biosynthesis from androgens. The present study is to investigate effect of R264C single nucleotide polymorphism in CYP19A1 gene on genetic susceptibility for hereditary breast cancer without BRCA1/2 mutant.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and fourteen BRCA1/2 -negative hereditary breast cancer patients from independent families and 121 age-matched healthy control subjects were analyzed. Genotype analysis was performed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then DNA direct sequencing. The odd-ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by unconditional Logistic regression model.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The frequency of R264C single nucleotide polymorphism CC, CT and TT genotype in case group and controls was 84(77.8%), 22(20.4%), 2(1.8%) and 87(77.7%), 24(21.4%), 1(0.9%), respectively. CT genotype (OR=1.16, 95%CI: 0.53-2.55) and TT genotype (OR=1.44, 95%CI: 0.12-17.15) did not confer a significantly increased risk for breast cancer. No significant association was found between T allele and susceptibility for breast cancer under analysis according to menopausal status and body mass index.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>R264C polymorphism in CYP19A1 gene is not a candidate locus for low penetrance breast cancer susceptibility in Shanghai group of Chinese population and not recommended in clinical genetic test. Homozygous T allele of R264C is not common in Shanghai group of Chinese population.</p>

Expression of ER alpha in chemically induced MDA-MB-435 cells and its responsiveness to endocrine / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression of ER alpha in chemically induced, ER alpha-negative human breast cancer MDA-MB-435 cells and its restoration of the responsiveness to endocrine therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MDA-MB-435 cells were treated with HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A(TSA)and DNMT1 inhibitor 5-AZA-CdR (AZA). The mRNA level of ER alpha, PR and PS2 in treated MDA-MB-435 cells was detected by RT-PCR. The WST-8 (water-soluble tetrazolium salt-8) method was used to analyze the proliferation rate of the cells. Xenograft in female nude mice was used to further explore the change of proliferation rate of treated MDA-MB-435 cells in vivo.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment with AZA and TSA, mRNA expression of ER alpha, PR and pS2 was up-regulated in MDA-MB-435 cells. The mRNA level of ER alpha was the hightest when MDA-MB-435 cells were treated with 2.5 micromol/L AZA and 100 ng/ml TSA. The treated MDA-MB-435 cells showed different proliferation rate in various media containing different concentration of estrodial. The MDA-MB-435 cells showed down-regulated proliferation rate after treatment with the combination of 2.5 micromol/L AZA and 100 ng/ml TSA, and 4-OH tamoxifen could suppress the growth rate of the induced MD-MBA-435 cells but not the untreated cells. The treated MDA-MB-435 cells showed slower proliferation rate than that of untreated cells in vivo (P <0. 01), and the proliferation rate of the treated MDA-MB-435 cells became lower when the nude mice were deprived of estrogen by castration (P <0. 01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>After treatment with TSA and AZA, ER alpha-negative MDA-MB-435 cells can express functional ER alpha and regain responsiveness to estrogen both in vitro and in vivo. HDAC inhibitor and DNMT1 inhibitor may play an important role in restoration of sensitivity of ER alpha-negative breast cancers to endocrine therapy.</p>

Peripheral blood mutated p53 DNA and its clinical value in human breast cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical value of mutated p53 in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Plasma DNA of 126 breast cancer patients and 92 healthy women was examined. DNA extraction from the tumor and tissue samples was performed by a nonorganic method. Plasma DNA was purified on Qiagen columns. PCR-SSCP analysis was performed to examine the point mutations in the conserved exons 5, 6, 7 and 8 of TP53.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean concentration of plasma DNA was 21 ng/ml in healthy women and 211 ng/ml in patients with breast cancer (P < 0.01). p53 mutations in the primary tumor were detected in 46 of 126 (36.5%) breast cancer patients. Of these 46 patients, 30 (65.1%) were also found to have p53 mutations in their plasma DNA. p53 mutation in plasma DNA was closely correlated with clinical stage, tumor size, lymph node (LN) metastasis and estrogen receptor status (P < 0.05). Survival of the patients with both primary tumor and plasma p53 mutations was the worst. Thirteen of the 22 (59.0%) patients with recurrence and/or metastasis had detectable p53 mutations in their plasma DNA.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>p53 mutations in plasma DNA may be a useful prognostic factor and an early marker of recurrence or distant metastasis in breast cancer.</p>