Association between Number of Retrieved Sentinel Lymph Nodes and Breast Cancer-related Lymphedema / 한국유방암학회지

Purpose@#Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has become a standard axillary staging surgery for early breast cancer, and the proportion of patients requiring axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is decreasing. We aimed to evaluate the association between the number of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) retrieved and the risk of lymphedema of the ipsilateral arm. @*Methods@#Prospectively collected medical records of 910 patients were reviewed.Lymphedema was defined as a difference in circumference > 2 cm compared to the contralateral arm and/or having clinical records of lymphedema treatment in the rehabilitation clinic. @*Results@#Together with an objective and subjective assessment of lymphedema, 36 patients (6.1%) had lymphedema in the SLNB group and 85 patients (27.0%) had lymphedema in the ALND group (p < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis of the whole cohort, risk factors significantly associated risk with the development of lymphedema were body mass index, mastectomy (vs.breast-conserving surgery), ALND, and radiation therapy. In logistic regression models in the SLNB group only, there was no correlation between the number of retrieved SLNs and the incidence of lymphedema. In addition, in the Pearson correlation analysis, no correlation was observed between the number of retrieved SLNs and the difference in circumference between the ipsilateral and contralateral upper extremities (correlation coefficients = 0.067, p = 0.111). @*Conclusion@#The risk of lymphedema in breast cancer surgery and adjuvant treatments is multifactorial. The number of retrieved lymph nodes during sentinel biopsy was not associated with the incidence of lymphedema.

Association between Number of Retrieved Sentinel Lymph Nodes and Breast Cancer-related Lymphedema / 한국유방암학회지

Purpose@#Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has become a standard axillary staging surgery for early breast cancer, and the proportion of patients requiring axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is decreasing. We aimed to evaluate the association between the number of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) retrieved and the risk of lymphedema of the ipsilateral arm. @*Methods@#Prospectively collected medical records of 910 patients were reviewed.Lymphedema was defined as a difference in circumference > 2 cm compared to the contralateral arm and/or having clinical records of lymphedema treatment in the rehabilitation clinic. @*Results@#Together with an objective and subjective assessment of lymphedema, 36 patients (6.1%) had lymphedema in the SLNB group and 85 patients (27.0%) had lymphedema in the ALND group (p < 0.001). In a multivariate analysis of the whole cohort, risk factors significantly associated risk with the development of lymphedema were body mass index, mastectomy (vs.breast-conserving surgery), ALND, and radiation therapy. In logistic regression models in the SLNB group only, there was no correlation between the number of retrieved SLNs and the incidence of lymphedema. In addition, in the Pearson correlation analysis, no correlation was observed between the number of retrieved SLNs and the difference in circumference between the ipsilateral and contralateral upper extremities (correlation coefficients = 0.067, p = 0.111). @*Conclusion@#The risk of lymphedema in breast cancer surgery and adjuvant treatments is multifactorial. The number of retrieved lymph nodes during sentinel biopsy was not associated with the incidence of lymphedema.

Protein Phosphatase 1H, Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27, and Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2 in Paclitaxel Resistance for Triple Negative Breast Cancers / 한국유방암학회지

Purpose@#Paclitaxel is a cytotoxic chemotherapy commonly used in patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, the resistance to paclitaxel is a cause of poor response in the patients. The aim of this study was to examine the role of protein phosphatase 1H (PPM1H) in paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer patients. @*Methods@#To investigate the function of PPM1H in paclitaxel treatment, we conducted in vitro assays and molecular experiments using a stable cell line (MDA-MB-231) in which PPM1H is overexpressed. We also performed molecular analyses on patient tissue samples. Molecular expression related to PPM1H in breast cancer patients was analyzed using TCGA data. @*Results@#We investigated whether PPM1H was associated with paclitaxel resistance in breast cancer. PPM1H expression was upregulated in breast cancer cells treated with paclitaxel. We also observed that overexpression of PPM1H in breast cancer cells resulted in increased sensitivity to paclitaxel in vitro. Additionally, paclitaxel treatment induced dephosphorylation of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p27 (p27), which was more evident in PPM1H-overexpressing cells. To understand how upregulation of PPM1H increases paclitaxel sensitivity, we determined the levels of p27, phospho-p27, and CDK2, since CDK2 exerts antagonistic effects against PPM1H on p27 phosphorylation. The patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors that did not respond to paclitaxel showed increased levels of CDK2 and phospho-p27 and decreased levels of total p27 compared to the other breast tumor tissues. The use of dinaciclib, a selective CDK inhibitor, significantly inhibited tumor growth in the PDX model. @*Conclusion@#CDK2 kinase activity was significantly upregulated in basal breast cancer tumors and was negatively correlated with p27 protein levels in the TCGA breast cancer dataset, suggesting that targeting CDK2 may be an effective treatment strategy for TNBC patients.

Prognostic influence of Korean public medical insurance system on breast cancer patients

PURPOSE: To investigate the prognostic influence of Korean public medical insurance system on breast cancer patients. METHODS: Data of 1,068 patients with primary invasive breast cancer were analyzed. Korean public medical insurance status was classified into 2 groups: National Health Insurance and Medical Aid. Kaplan-Meier estimator and Cox proportional hazards model were used for survival analysis. RESULTS: The Medical Aid group showed worse prognoses compared to the National Health Insurance group both in overall survival (P = 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (P = 0.006). The Medical Aid group showed higher proportion of patients with tumor size > 2 cm (P = 0.022), more advanced stage (P = 0.039), age > 50 years (P = 0.003), and low education level (P = 0.003). The Medical Aid group showed higher proportion of patients who received mastectomy (P < 0.001) and those who received no radiation therapy (P = 0.013). The Medical Aid group showed a higher rate of distant recurrence (P = 0.014) and worse prognosis for the triple negative subtype (P = 0.006). Medical insurance status was a significant independent prognostic factor in both univariate analysis and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The Medical Aid group had worse prognosis compared to the National Health Insurance group. Medical insurance status was a strong independent prognostic factor in breast cancer. Unfavorable clinicopathologic features could explain the worse prognosis for the Medical Aid group. Careful consideration should be given to medical insurance status as one of important prognostic factors for breast cancer patients.

Clinicopathologic Features in Minimally Invasive Follicular Thyroid Cancer Patients with Distant Metastasis / 대한내분비외과학회지

PURPOSE: Although minimally invasive follicular thyroid carcinoma (MIFTC) is considered a thyroid tumor with low malignant potential, some MIFTC can spread, metastasize, and eventually lead to death. This study investigates the risk factors for distant metastasis in MIFTC patients. METHODS: Between 1981 and 2014, the records of 365 consecutive patients who underwent thyroidectomy for MIFTC at Seoul National University Hospital were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with distant metastasis. RESULTS: Of 351 patients, 10 (2.9%) presented with distant metastasis. Of these, two (0.6%) were found at the time of thyroidectomy, while eight (2.3%) were detected at later exams, over a median of 7.3 years (range, 0.2~30.8). In univariate analysis, lymph node metastasis (P<0.001) was significantly associated with distant metastasis. In multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis (P<0.001) and locoregional recurrence (P=0.008) were significantly associated with distant metastasis. CONCLUSION: Distant metastasis in MIFTC patients were associated with high-risk clinicopathologic features and more aggressive clinical courses. Further study will be needed to ascertain these results with long-term surveillance.