Distinct ER and PR expression patterns significantly affect the clinical outcomes of early HER2-positive breast cancer: A real-world analysis of 871 patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of distinct estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression patterns on tumor behavior and treatment outcomes within HER2-positive breast cancer is not fully explored. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the clinical differences among patients with HER2-positive breast cancer harboring distinct ER and PR expression patterns in the neoadjuvant setting. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 871 HER2-positive breast patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy at our hospital between 2011 and 2022. Comparisons were performed across the three hormone receptor (HR)-specific subtypes, namely the ER-negative/PR-negative/HER2-positive (ER-/PR-/HER2+), the single HR-positive (HR+)/HER2+, and the triple-positive breast cancer (TPBC) subtypes. RESULTS: Of 871 patients, 21.0% had ER-/PR-/HER2+ tumors, 33.6% had single HR+/HER2+ disease, and 45.4% had TPBC. Individuals with single HR+/HER2+ tumors and TPBC cases demonstrated significantly lower pathological complete response (pCR) rates compared to those with ER-/PR-/HER2+ tumors (36.9% vs. 24.3% vs. 49.2%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis confirmed TPBC as significantly associated with decreased pCR likelihood (OR = 0.42, 95%CI 0.28-0.63, p < 0.001). Survival outcomes, including disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), showed no significant differences across HR-specific subtypes in the overall patient population. However, within patients without anti-HER2 therapy, TPBC was linked to improved DFS and a trend towards better OS. CONCLUSIONS: HER2-positive breast cancer exhibited three distinct HR-specific subtypes with varying clinical manifestations and treatment responses. These findings suggest personalized treatment strategies considering ER and PR expression patterns, emphasizing the need for further investigations to unravel molecular traits underlying HER2-positive breast cancer with distinct HR expression patterns.

Sequential neoadjuvant chemotherapy using pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by taxanes with complete trastuzumab and pertuzumab treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer: A phase II single-arm study.

Objective: Despite cardiotoxicity overlap, the trastuzumab/pertuzumab and anthracycline combination remains crucial due to significant benefits. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), a less cardiotoxic anthracycline, was evaluated for efficacy and cardiac safety when combined with cyclophosphamide and followed by taxanes with trastuzumab/pertuzumab in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive early breast cancer (BC). Methods: In this multicenter, phase II study, patients with confirmed HER2-positive early BC received four cycles of PLD (30-35 mg/m2) and cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m2), followed by four cycles of taxanes (docetaxel, 90-100 mg/m2 or nab-paclitaxel, 260 mg/m2), concomitant with eight cycles of trastuzumab (8 mg/kg loading dose, then 6 mg/kg) and pertuzumab (840 mg loading dose, then 420 mg) every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was total pathological complete response (tpCR, ypT0/is ypN0). Secondary endpoints included breast pCR (bpCR), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate, rate of breast-conserving surgery (BCS), and safety (with a focus on cardiotoxicity). Results: Between May 27, 2020 and May 11, 2022, 78 patients were treated with surgery, 42 (53.8%) of whom had BCS. After neoadjuvant therapy, 47 [60.3%, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 48.5%-71.2%] patients achieved tpCR, and 49 (62.8%) achieved bpCR. ORRs were 76.9% (95% CI, 66.0%-85.7%) and 93.6% (95% CI, 85.7%-97.9%) after 4-cycle and 8-cycle neoadjuvant therapy, respectively. Nine (11.5%) patients experienced asymptomatic left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) reductions of ≥10% from baseline, all with a minimum value of >55%. No treatment-related abnormal cardiac function changes were observed in mean N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP), troponin I, or high-sensitivity troponin. Conclusions: This dual HER2-blockade with sequential polychemotherapy showed promising activity with rapid tumor regression in HER2-positive BC. Importantly, this regimen showed an acceptable safety profile, especially a low risk of cardiac events, suggesting it as an attractive treatment approach with a favorable risk-benefit balance.

The learning curve of the MS-TRAM/DIEP breast reconstruction by dual-trained breast surgeons.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer surgeries involving MS-TRAM/DIEP breast reconstruction has traditionally been collaborative efforts between breast surgeons and plastic surgeons. However, in our institution, this procedure is performed by dual-trained breast surgeons who are proficient in both breast surgery and MS-TRAM/DIEP breast reconstruction. This study aims to provide insights into the learning curve associated with this surgical approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included eligible breast cancer patients who underwent MS-TRAM/DIEP breast reconstruction by dual-trained breast surgeons between 2015 and 2020 at our institution. We present the learning curve of this surgical approach, with a focus on determining factors affecting flap harvesting time, surgery time, and ischemic time. Additionally, we assessed the surgical complication rates. RESULTS: A total of 147 eligible patients were enrolled in this study. Notably, after 30 cases, a statistically significant reduction of 1.7 h in surgery time and 21 min in ischemic time was achieved, signifying the attainment of a plateau in the learning curve. And the major and minor complications were comparable between the early and after 30 cases. CONCLUSION: This study explores the learning curve and feasibility experienced by dual-trained breast surgeons in performing MS-TRAM/DIEP breast reconstruction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05560633.

MRI-based radiomic models to predict surgical margin status and infer tumor immune microenvironment in breast cancer patients with breast-conserving surgery: a multicenter validation study.

OBJECTIVES: Accurate preoperative estimation of the risk of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) resection margin positivity would be beneficial to surgical planning. In this multicenter validation study, we developed an MRI-based radiomic model to predict the surgical margin status. METHODS: We retrospectively collected preoperative breast MRI of patients undergoing BCS from three hospitals (SYMH, n = 296; SYSUCC, n = 131; TSPH, n = 143). Radiomic-based model for risk prediction of the margin positivity was trained on the SYMH patients (7:3 ratio split for the training and testing cohorts), and externally validated in the SYSUCC and TSPH cohorts. The model was able to stratify patients into different subgroups with varied risk of margin positivity. Moreover, we used the immune-radiomic models and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signature to infer the distribution patterns of immune cells and tumor cell EMT status under different marginal status. RESULTS: The AUCs of the radiomic-based model were 0.78 (0.66-0.90), 0.88 (0.79-0.96), and 0.76 (0.68-0.84) in the testing cohort and two external validation cohorts, respectively. The actual margin positivity rates ranged between 0-10% and 27.3-87.2% in low-risk and high-risk subgroups, respectively. Positive surgical margin was associated with higher levels of EMT and B cell infiltration in the tumor area, as well as the enrichment of B cells, immature dendritic cells, and neutrophil infiltration in the peritumoral area. CONCLUSIONS: This MRI-based predictive model can be used as a reliable tool to predict the risk of margin positivity of BCS. Tumor immune-microenvironment alteration was associated with surgical margin status. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: This study can assist the pre-operative planning of BCS. Further research on the tumor immune microenvironment of different resection margin states is expected to develop new margin evaluation indicators and decipher the internal mechanism. KEY POINTS: • The MRI-based radiomic prediction model (CSS model) incorporating features extracted from multiple sequences and segments could estimate the margin positivity risk of breast-conserving surgery. • The radiomic score of the CSS model allows risk stratification of patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery, which could assist in surgical planning. • With the help of MRI-based radiomics to estimate the components of the immune microenvironment, for the first time, it is found that the margin status of breast-conserving surgery is associated with the infiltration of immune cells in the microenvironment and the EMT status of breast tumor cells.

CCL18 signaling from tumor-associated macrophages activates fibroblasts to adopt a chemoresistance-inducing phenotype.

The heterogeneity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) might be ascribed to differences in origin. CD10 and GPR77 have been reported to identify a chemoresistance-inducing CAF subset in breast cancer. However, the precise mechanism for the formation of the CD10+GPR77+ CAFs remains unknown. In this study, we found that CCL18 expression was positively correlated with the density of CD10+GPR77+ CAFs in breast cancer and associated with a poor response to chemotherapy. Moreover, CCL18 secreted by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) activated a CD10+GPR77+ CAF phenotype in normal breast-resident fibroblasts (NBFs), which could then enrich cancer stem cells (CSCs) and induce chemoresistance in breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, CCL18 activated NF-κB signaling via PITPNM3 and thus enhanced the production of IL-6 and IL-8. Furthermore, intratumoral CCL18 injection significantly induced the activation of NBFs and the chemoresistance of xenografts in vivo. In addition, targeting CCL18 by anti-CCL18 antibody could inhibit the formation of CD10+GPR77+ CAFs and recover the chemosensitivity in vivo, leading to effective tumor control. Collectively, these findings reveal that inflammatory signaling crosstalk between TAMs and fibroblasts is responsible for the formation of the CD10+GPR77+ CAFs, suggesting CCL18-PITPNM3 signaling is a potential therapeutic target to block the activation of this specific CAF subtype and tumor chemoresistance.

CD16+ fibroblasts foster a trastuzumab-refractory microenvironment that is reversed by VAV2 inhibition.

The leukocyte Fcγ receptor (FcγR)-mediated response is important for the efficacy of therapeutic antibodies; however, little is known about the role of FcγRs in other cell types. Here we identify a subset of fibroblasts in human breast cancer that express CD16 (FcγRIII). An abundance of these cells in HER2+ breast cancer patients is associated with poor prognosis and response to trastuzumab. Functionally, upon trastuzumab stimulation, CD16+ fibroblasts reduce drug delivery by enhancing extracellular matrix stiffness. Interaction between trastuzumab and CD16 activates the intracellular SYK-VAV2-RhoA-ROCK-MLC2-MRTF-A pathway, leading to elevated contractile force and matrix production. Targeting of a Rho family guanine nucleotide exchange factor, VAV2, which is indispensable for the function of CD16 in fibroblasts rather than leukocytes, reverses desmoplasia provoked by CD16+ fibroblasts. Collectively, our study reveals a role for the fibroblast FcγR in drug resistance, and suggests that VAV2 is an attractive target to augment the effects of antibody treatments.

Risk factors associated with loss to follow-up of breast cancer patients: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Loss to follow-up (LTFU) during post-operative surveillance of breast cancer patients is detrimental. The pattern of LTFU and its risk factors in Chinese breast cancer patients remains unknown. METHOD: Eligible non-metastatic breast cancer patients who underwent surgery at our institution between 2009 and 2012 were included. The clinicopathological features, as well as the LTFU status, were retrieved from the REDCap database. LTFU was defined as the absence of patients for at least 12 months since her last contact. 5-year LTFU was defined as the LTFU status of each patients at 5 years after surgery. The incidence and potential risk factors of LTFU were analyzed. A LTFU-risk score was developed to quantify the risk of LTFU. RESULTS: A total of 1536 patients with breast cancer were included, and 411(26.8%) patients were 5-year LTFU. 198 patients were LTFU in the first year. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that age (younger and older), a lack of medical insurance, longer distance from residence to the hospital, pathology (DCIS/Paget's/Phyllodes), lymph node metastasis, the absence of endocrine therapy and fewer than five contact numbers were significantly and independently associated with the risk of LTFU. A LTFU-risk score was developed and was predictive of LTFU. CONCLUSIONS: A series of risk factors were significantly associated with post-operative LTFU of breast cancer patients. Patients with different risks of LTFU could possibly be identified, and surveillance plans could be individualized for different patients, so as to effectively reduce the overall LTFU rate, and optimize the allocation of medical resources.

Multicentre, randomised, open-label, non-inferiority trial comparing the effectiveness and safety of ductal lavage versus oral corticosteroids for idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: a study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The ideal treatment for idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) remains unclear. In a prospective, single-centre, pilot study, we reported that ductal lavage treatment for non-lactational mastitis patients had a 1-year clinical complete response (cCR) rate of >90%, without any significant adverse events. Thus, in this multicentre, randomised, open-label, non-inferiority trial, we will aim to compare the effectiveness and safety of ductal lavage vs oral corticosteroids as the first-line treatment for patients with IGM. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The trial will be conducted at the Breast Tumor Center of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital in China and at least at one participating regional centre. We plan to recruit 140 eligible IGM patients who will be randomised into the ductal lavage group or oral corticosteroid group with a 1:1 ratio. The patients in the oral corticosteroid group will receive meprednisone or prednisone for 6 months. The patients in the ductal lavage group will receive ductal lavage and breast massage, as previously reported. All the participants will be followed up at the clinic for 1 year post randomisation. The primary endpoint of this trial will be the 1-year cCR rate, and the secondary endpoints will include the time to cCR, treatment failure rate, relapse rate and protocol compliance rate. The trial was designed to determine whether ductal lavage is non-inferior to oral corticosteroids (1-year cCR rate assumed to be 90%), with a non-inferiority margin of 15%. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The ethics committee of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital at Sun Yat-sen University approved the study (2018-Lun-Shen-Yan-No. 30). The results of the trial will be communicated to the participating primary care practices, published in international journals and presented at international clinical and scientific conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT03724903); Pre-results.

lncRNA CISAL Inhibits BRCA1 Transcription by Forming a Tertiary Structure at Its Promoter.

Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been shown to improve survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), but clinical biomarkers to predict chemosensitivity remain elusive. Here, we show the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) LINC01011, which we termed cisplatin-sensitivity-associated lncRNA (CISAL), controls mitochondrial fission and cisplatin sensitivity by inhibiting BRCA1 transcription in tongue SCC (TSCC) models. Mechanistically, we found CISAL directly binds the BRCA1 promoter and forms an RNA-DNA triplex structure, sequestering BRCA1 transcription factor-GABPA away from the downstream regulatory binding region. Importantly, the clinical relevance of these findings is suggested by the significant association of CISAL and BRCA1 expression levels in TSCC tumors with neoadjuvant chemosensitivity and overall survival. We propose a new model where lncRNAs are tethered at gene promoter by RNA-DNA triplex formation, spatially sequestering transcription factors away from DNA-binding sites. Our study uncovers the potential of CISAL-BRCA1 signaling as a potential target to predict or improve chemosensitivity.

Incidence and survival outcomes of early male breast cancer: a population-based comparison with early female breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare malignancy. We aimed to analyze the incidence trends, clinicopathological characteristics, and survival outcomes in early MBC comparison with early female breast cancer (FBC). METHODS: We included eligible MBC and FBC patients with stage I-II disease in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2000-2015. Joinpoint regression was used to evaluate the trends in age-adjusted incidence. A one-to-four propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to reduce bias in a retrospective study. Survival outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analyses with the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. RESULTS: Trends in the age-adjusted incidence rates of early MBC were stable [2000-2015, annual percentage change (APC) =0.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.1 to 1.1, P=0.102]; however, the incidence of early FBC changed significantly over the time period (2000-2015, APC = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.0 to 0.6, P=0.045). In the matched cohort, unmarried status, higher grade, larger tumor size, and advanced lymph node (LN) status were associated with a higher risk of breast cancer death and death of any causes both in early MBC and FBC patients. The hormone receptor (HR) status was as a prognostic factor in FBC patients, but not in MBC. Early MBC had worse breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS) than early FBC in stage I, stage II and HR-positive subgroup of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The biological behavior, clinicopathological features, and clinical outcomes of early MBC are different from that of FBC. Further studies on individualized treatment approaches in MBC are needed.

Risk factors of catheter-related thrombosis in early-stage breast cancer patients: a single-center retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Totally implantable venous access devices (TIVADs) are widely used in cancer patients. The main purpose of our study is to observe the incidence and identified risk factors of catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) in breast cancer patients with TIVAD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of consecutive breast cancer patients who received the ultrasound-guided TIVAD implantation for the administration of chemotherapy from 2013 to 2016. The primary outcome was CRT (both symptomatic and asymptomatic detected by ultrasound). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors for breast cancer TIVAD-related CRT. RESULTS: A total of 209 breast cancer patients with a newly implanted TIVAD for chemotherapy were included in this study. The average time of port duration was 7 months. Of the enrolled 209 patients, 33 patients (15.8%) had CRT, 2 of the 33 cases were symptomatic (1 pulmonary embolism, 1 deep-venous thrombosis [DVT]), the other 31 cases were asymptomatic detected by routine ultrasound examination of the catheter-associated vein before TIVAD removal with all cycles of chemotherapy completed. In total, 19 (57.6%) of CRT patients underwent directly TIVAD removal without any further treatments, 14 patients received anticoagulation treatments for 3-30 days followed by TIVAD removal. No DVT event was observed within at least 1.5 years of follow-up. In the multiple-variable analysis, tumor size >2 cm (OR 2.735, 95% CI 1.042-7.177; P=0.032), positive HbsAg (OR 2.803 95% CI 1.027-7.856; P=0.047) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) >3.6 mmol/L (OR 2.360, 95% CI 1.059-5.351; P=0.040) were the significant independent risk factors of breast cancer TIVAD-related CRT. CONCLUSION: CRT is a common complication in breast cancer patients with TIVAD for chemotherapy. Tumor size, HbsAg status and LDL level were independent predictors of breast cancer for TIVAD-related CRT. Removal of the port without anticoagulation treatments might be a feasible choice for asymptomatic TIVAD-related CRT.

Circumferential Shaving of the Cavity in Breast-Conserving Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effects of circumferential shaving on reducing the intraoperative margin positivity rate (MPR) during breast-conserving surgery (BCS). METHODS: Eligible breast cancer patients were randomly assigned into no-shave and shave groups. In the no-shave group, the cavity margins were collected for assessment after the tumor resection, whereas in the shave group, a circumferential shaving was performed before collecting the cavity margins. The primary outcome was the intraoperative MPR by frozen section analysis. RESULTS: A total of 181 patients, with a median age of 49 years, were randomized. Patient characteristics at baseline were well-balanced between the two groups. The intraoperative MPRs (12.1% vs. 7.8%, p = 0.38), postoperative MPRs (16.5% vs. 7.8%, p = 0.073), intraoperative re-excision rates (26.4% vs. 23.3%, p = 0.64), second operation rates (4.4% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.34), and successful BCS rate (93.4% vs. 94.4%, p = 0.94) were all similar between the no-shave and the shave groups. The volume of the shaved tissues was significantly increased in patients with larger breast volume (p < 0.01). In patients with C-E cup breasts, the no-shave and shave groups had 16.7% and 0% (p = 0.03) intraoperative MPRs, and 22.0% and 0% (p = 0.01) postoperative MPRs, respectively. In patients with A-B cup breasts, the MPRs were similar between the two groups. The presence of the ductal carcinoma in situ component is the only determinant of margin positivity. CONCLUSIONS: Circumferential shaving did not significantly reduce the MPR in BCS. Its benefit depends on the volume of the shaved tissues and the breast. Trial registration This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02648802).

Ductal Lavage for Patients With Nonlactational Mastitis: A Single-Arm, Proof-of-Concept Trial.

BACKGROUND: Surgery, steroids, and/or observations alone have been proposed for patients with nonlactational mastitis (NLM), but most of these studies were retrospective. The optimal treatment for these patients remains unclear. This prospective, single-arm, proof-of-concept trial aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of ductal lavage as a novel treatment for patients with NLM. METHODS: Eligible patients with NLM received an intraductal infusion of corticosteroids and antimicrobial agents and returned the next day for a breast massage. This cycle was repeated for 2 wk, and we followed up these patients for 1 y. Patients did not receive surgery or steroids after ductal lavage. The primary endpoint was the time to complete response (CR). RESULTS: This trial included 32 patients with a median (range) age of 32 (20-53). Skin erythema and tenderness were the major symptoms. The median (range) visual analog score was 5 (0-9). There were 21 (65.6%), 4 (12.5%), and 7 (21.9%) patients diagnosed as idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, periductal mastitis, and unspecific NLM, respectively. During the ductal lavage, the median (range) number of cannulated ducts at first attempt was 5 (3-8). Ductal lavage significantly reduced the visual analog score and mastitis score (M-score) (P < 0.01). Within a median follow-up of 15.6 mo, 93.8% (30/32) of patients achieved CR. The median (range) time to CR was 6 (0.5-21) mo. Three patients (10.0%) relapsed. No adverse events associated with ductal lavage were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Ductal lavage for patients with NLM is feasible and safe, and a definitive randomized controlled trial for further investigation is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02794688.

Comparison of breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy in early breast cancer using observational data revisited: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Recent observational studies showed that breast-conserving surgery (BCS) resulted in superior survival compared to mastectomy in breast cancer patients. This study compared the clinical outcomes of BCS and mastectomy using propensity score (PS) matching analysis, which had advantages over conventional methods in reducing bias. Nonmetastatic breast cancer patients who underwent BCS and mastectomy were matched 1:1 based on their PS. We used the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox-regression model to estimate the treatment effects. A total of 2,866 patients with a median follow-up time of 67 months were included in the original study population. Although the mastectomy cohort (N=1,219) had more advanced disease compared to the BCS cohort (N=1,647), LRFS was similar between the two groups (93.8% vs. 92.4%, P>0.05). BCS (vs. mastectomy) was associated with improved DFS (73.8% vs. 58.7%, P<0.01) and CSS (91% vs. 78.2%, P<0.01) in the original population. In the PS-matched population (N=1,668), clinicopathological features were equally distributed between the two cohorts. BCS (vs. mastectomy) was not associated with improved DFS (70.7% vs. 66.9%, P>0.05) or CSS (87.5% vs. 84.9%, P>0.05). We found that PS methods reduce bias when estimating treatment effects using observational data. BCS and mastectomy show equivalent outcomes in nonmetastatic breast cancer patients.

[Effectiveness of endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy combined with immediate breast reconstruction via axillary incision].

Objective: To introduce an surgical technique of endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) combined with immediate breast reconstruction through simple single-port access that placed in axillary incision. Methods: Between January 2017 and February 2018, 15 female patients with breast cancer (stageⅠ in 5 cases and stage Ⅱ in 10 cases) were treated with endoscopic NSM combined with immediate breast reconstruction through simple single-port access that placed in axillary incision. They were 27-45 years old (mean, 37.5 years). The disease duration ranged from 1 to 24 months (mean, 8 months). The tumor located at the left breast in 8 cases and at the right breast in 7 cases. The diameter of tumor ranged from 1.5 to 3.0 cm (mean, 2.6 cm). The distance between tumor and nipple was 1.8-4.0 cm (mean, 2.3 cm). Results: After operation, the nipple epidermal necrosis occurred in 1 case, and subcutaneous effusion in 1 case. No subcutaneous emphysema or skin flap necrosis occurred. Postoperative pathological examination showed that 1 case was nipple involvement and was treated with nipple resection. All patients were followed up 7-17 months (mean, 11 months). According to the Harris assessment criteria for appearance of reconstructed breast, there were 4 cases of excellent, 10 cases of good, and 1 case of poor. No tumor recurrence or metastasis occurred during follow-up. Conclusion: It is a safe and feasible method of endoscopic NSM combined with immediate breast reconstruction through simple single-port access that placed in axillary incision, and can obtain good cosmetic results. It is a new option to breast reconstruction.

Local injection of dexamethasone helping to prevent lower back pain after epidural delivery analgesia.

This report aims to retrospectively analyze the clinical effect of local pretreatment with dexamethasone (DXMS) on lower back pain after epidural labor analgesia. Patients with epidural labor analgesia treated in People's Hospital of Rizhao from January 2014 to December 2016 were studied. All 368 cases involved were pregnant primipara with full-term single birth. Parturient received injection of DXMS and lidocaine mixture around the epidural puncture point was the observation group (n=188), and parturient received injection of 0.9% sodium chloride and lidocaine mixture around the epidural puncture point was the control group (n=180). The incidence and degree of lower back pain postoperatively in the two groups were evaluated by pain visual analogue scale method. The incidence of lower back pain at 48 h, 72 h after operation in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group (p<0.05). Among patients undergoing one puncture and more than one puncture, the incidence of postoperative lower back pain in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (59.26%) (p<0.05). Among the parturient with spontaneous delivery, the incidence of postoperative lower back pain in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p=0.028). Among the cesarean section patients, the incidence of pain in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group (p=0.019). At 48 and 72 h after operation, severe pain in the observation group was significantly less than that in the control group (p<0.05). DXMS local pretreatment can significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative lower back pain and the degree of pain after epidural delivery analgesia. DXMS pretreatment in epidural analgesia deserved to be widely used clinically.

Serum STLT-1 and bilirubin levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome and correlation with prognosis.

The serum triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell (TREM)-like transcription factor-1 [soluble TREM-like transcript-1 (STLT-1)] and bilirubin levels were investigated in patients with acute coronary syndrome and the correlation with prognosis. A total of 125 patients of acute coronary syndrome admitted to the Department of Cardiology in People's Hospital of Rizhao were selected, including 45 cases with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 36 cases with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and 44 cases with unstable angina pectoris (UAP), while 48 subjects were enrolled as the normal control. The serum STLT-1 and bilirubin levels on admission and on the 3rd, 7th and 10th day after admission of patients in each group were respectively determined, the level changes of these two indicators in serum during the initial stage of acute coronary syndrome were analyzed, and their effects on prognosis of patients were analyzed. STLT-1 levels in groups STEMI, NSTEMI and UAP were higher than those in the normal control group, and serum levels of STLT-1 in groups STEMI and NSTEMI were higher than those in group UAP. Bilirubin levels in groups STEMI, NSTEMI and UAP were lower than those in the normal control group, and serum levels of bilirubin in groups STEMI and NSTEMI were lower than those in group UAP. The proportions of complications in patients of groups STEMI and NSTEMI were significantly higher than those in group UAP (P<0.05). The results showed that the timely and effective treatment administered to patients with acute coronary syndrome during the initial stage to reduce the level of STLT-1 in serum and enhance bilirubin to a relatively high level is conducive in ameliorating the prognosis of patients, which is of clinical significance.

miR-184 promotes cell proliferation in tongue squamous cell carcinoma by targeting SOX7.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the miR-184 could regulate the proliferation of the tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) through sex-determining region Y-box 7 (SOX7) gene. miR-184 expression was upregulated in TSCC cell lines and tissues. MTT assay revealed that overexpression of miR-184 significantly promoted the proliferation of the TSCC cells in vitro. SOX7 was the direct target of miR-184 and luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-184 downregulated the expression of SOX7. MTT assay verified that knockdown of SOX7 remarkably promoted the proliferation of TSCC cells in vitro. miR-184 promoted the proliferation of TSCC by targeting SOX7. Taken together, our results provided a new potential therapeutic target for TSCC treatment.

Predicting initial margin status in breast cancer patients during breast-conserving surgery.

BACKGROUND: We sought to develop and validate a model for prediction of initial margin status during breast-conserving surgery (BCS). METHODS: We included eligible breast cancer patients receiving BCS in Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital from January 2003 to December 2014. All patients received intraoperative frozen-section analysis for initial margin assessment. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to screen for predictors. A nomogram was developed in the training cohort (n=1,193) from the south branch of the hospital and externally validated in the validation cohort (n=499) from the north branch. We used the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow tests to assess the discrimination and accuracy of the nomogram. RESULTS: The initial margin-positivity rates were 19.5% and 25.2% in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Preoperative tumor size, preoperative lymph-node status, suspicion of multifocality, hormone-receptor status, and HER2 status were significantly associated with margin status. The model included these five variables. The discrimination and calibration of the model were considered acceptable in both cohorts. CONCLUSION: The nomogram can predict the likelihood of having positive initial margins during BCS and may be useful for clinical decision-making in the surgical treatment of breast cancer patients.