Age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index as a prognostic factor for radical prostatectomy outcomes of very high-risk prostate cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Prostate cancer (PC) is a devastating and heterogeneous condition with diverse treatment options. When selecting treatments for patients with very high-risk PC, clinicians must consider patient comorbidities. We investigated the efficacy of the age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI) as a prognostic factor for patient outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of PC patients at our institution who underwent RP from 1992 to 2010. Very high-risk PC was defined according to National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. Patients with incomplete medical records or who had received neoadjuvant therapy were excluded. Preoperative comorbidity was evaluated by the ACCI, and the prognostic efficacy of the ACCI was analyzed using univariable and multivariable Cox regression, competing risk regression model and Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: Our final analysis included 228 men with a median age of 66 years (interquartile range 62-71) and median prostate specific antigen of 10.7 ng/mL. There were 41 (18%) patients with an ACCI score >3 and 88 (38.6%) patients with a biopsy Gleason score >8. Preoperative evaluation revealed that 159 patients (69.7%) had a non-organ confined tumor (≥T3). Following RP, 8-year prostate cancer-specific survival (PCSS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 91.6% and 83.4%, respectively. Competing risk regression analysis revealed that ACCI was significantly associated with other-cause survival and OS (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The ACCI is an effective prognostic factor for other-cause survival and OS in very high-risk PC patients. RP should be considered carefully for patients with an ACCI score >3.

Comparison of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes of breast cancer in core needle biopsies and resected specimens: a retrospective analysis.

PURPOSE: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is being increasingly used to treat locally advanced breast cancer and to conserve the breast. In triple-negative breast cancer and HER2-positive breast cancer, a high density of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is an important predictor of NAC response. Thus far, it remains unclear whether the TIL scores in core needle biopsies (CNBs) are closely representative of those in the whole tumor section in resected specimens. This study aimed to evaluate the concordance between the TIL scores of CNBs and resected specimens of breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 220 matched pairs of CNBs and resected specimens of breast cancer were included. Stromal TILs were scored on slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Clinicopathologic parameters and the agreement of the TIL scores between CNBs and resected specimens were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The average TIL score was approximately 4.4% higher for the resected specimens than for the CNBs. When the tumors were divided into two groups according to a 60% TIL score cut-off (low and intermediate TIL vs. high TIL), 8.2% showed discordance between the CNB and resected specimen. The overall intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) value of the TIL score was 0.895 (95% confidence interval, 0.864-0.920, P < 0.001), and all molecular subtypes showed ICC values over 0.8 (P < 0.001). The ICC values were > 0.9 when ≥ 5 cores were included in the CNBs. Tumors with discordant TILs were characterized by histologic grade III, ER negativity, high proliferative index, and HER2 and triple-negative subtypes. A high proliferative index was an independent risk factor for TIL discordance. CONCLUSIONS: The TIL score in CNB specimens is a reliable value that reflects the TIL status of the entire tumor in resected specimens of breast cancer. More than five CNB cores may accurately predict the TIL score of the entire tumor.

Site-specific expression of amine oxidases in breast cancer metastases.

We aimed to evaluate the expression of amine oxidase-related proteins in metastatic breast cancer tissue and determine its clinical implication. A tissue microarray was constructed from a total of 126 metastatic breast tumors (31 bone metastases (24.6%), 36 brain metastases (28.6%), 11 liver metastases (8.7%), and 48 lung metastases (38.1%)). Immunohistochemical staining for amine oxidase-related proteins (lysyl oxidase, diamine oxidase, and monoamine oxidase A and B) was performed. In metastatic breast cancer tissue, lysyl oxidase ( p = 0.001), tumoral diamine oxidase ( p = 0.003), stromal diamine oxidase ( p = 0.047), and stromal monoamine oxidase B ( p = 0.002) were differentially expressed in different metastatic sites. Bone metastases showed low expression of lysyl oxidase, tumoral diamine oxidase, and stromal diamine oxidase. We observed high expression of lysyl oxidase in brain metastases, tumoral diamine oxidase in liver metastases, stromal diamine oxidase in lung metastases, and stromal monoamine oxidase B in bone metastases. Lysyl oxidase positivity was associated with progesterone receptor negativity ( p = 0.001), and monoamine oxidase A positivity was associated with human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negativity ( p = 0.003) and the luminal A subtype ( p = 0.003). On univariate analysis shorter overall survival was associated with stromal diamine oxidase negativity ( p = 0.008), especially in lung metastases ( p = 0.025), and stromal monoamine oxidase B positivity ( p < 0.001). Stromal monoamine oxidase B positivity was an independent prognostic factor for shorter overall survival in multivariate Cox analysis (hazard ratio, 4.069; 95% confidence interval, 1.649-10.04; p = 0.002). Finally, in metastatic breast cancer, amine oxidase-related proteins were differentially expressed in a manner specific to metastatic site, and stromal monoamine oxidase B expression was correlated with prognosis.

The value of phosphohistone H3 as a proliferation marker for evaluating invasive breast cancers: A comparative study with Ki67.

BACKGROUND: Established measurements of proliferation in breast cancer are Ki67 and mitotic-activity-index (MAI), with problems in reproducibility and prognostic accuracy. Phosphohistone H3 (PHH3), a relatively novel IHC marker is specific for mitosis with good reproducibility. We hypothesized that PHH3 would be more reproducible and better represent proliferation than Ki67. RESULTS: PHH3 identified easily-missed mitosis by MAI, as demonstrated by upgrading M grade at diagnosis (n = 29/218, evenly distributed). PHH3 accurately found hot-spots, supported by mitotic count agreement between low-power and 10HPFs (R2 = 0.999; P = 0.001). PHH3 was more reproducible than Ki67, measured by five-rater inter-class correlation coefficient (0.904 > 0.712; P = 0.008). Finally, despite a relatively short follow-up (median 46 months; 7 recurrences) PHH3 was the only variable correlated with disease-free survival (P = 0.043), while all other conventional clinicopathologic variables, including Ki67 (P = 0.356), did not. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared Ki67 and PHH3 for 218 breast cancer surgical cases diagnosed from 2012 to 2013 at Severance hospital. The most representative invasive breast cancer surgical slides were immunohistochemically stained for Ki67 and PHH3. CONCLUSIONS: Poor reproducibility and inadequate representation of proliferation of Ki67 and MAI may be improved by PHH3, allowing better accuracy in breast cancer diagnostics.

Differential Site-Based Expression of Pentose Phosphate Pathway-Related Proteins among Breast Cancer Metastases.

Purpose. We aimed to investigate the expression of pentose phosphate pathway- (PPP-) related proteins in metastatic breast cancer and its relationship with clinicopathologic factors. Methods. Tissue samples from 126 metastatic breast cancers were included in a tissue microarray. Expression of PPP-related proteins [glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), 6-phosphogluconolactonase (6PGL), 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH), and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (NRF2)] was determined by immunohistochemistry. Results. G6PDH (p = 0.011) and cytoplasmic NRF2 (p = 0.001) showed the highest expression in brain metastases. Human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER-2) positivity was associated with G6PDH (p < 0.001) and cytoplasmic NRF2 (p = 0.015) positivity. A high Ki-67 labeling index (LI) was correlated with nuclear NRF2 positivity (p = 0.037), and HER-2-positive luminal B type was associated with G6PDH positivity (p = 0.001). On multivariate Cox analysis, independent risk factors of short overall survival were 6PGL positivity in bone metastasis (HR 4.180, 95% CI 1.160-15.06, p = 0.029) and low Ki-67 LI in lung metastasis (HR 11.853, 95% CI 1.841-76.30, p = 0.009). Conclusion. Differential expression of PPP-related proteins correlated with different prognoses and metastatic sites, with the highest expression in brain metastases, and could be a potential therapeutic target.

Expression of cancer-associated fibroblast-related proteins differs between invasive lobular carcinoma and invasive ductal carcinoma.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are classified into various functional subtypes such as fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP-α), fibroblast specific protein-1 (FSP-1), platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α (PDGFR-α), and PDGFR-ß. In this study, we compared the expression of CAF-related proteins in invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) with those in invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST) and assessed the implications of the differences observed. Using tissue microarrays of 104 ILC and 524 invasive carcinoma (NST) cases, immunohistochemistry for CAF-related proteins [podoplanin, prolyl 4-hydroxylase, FAP-α, FSP-1/S100A4, PDGFR-α, PDGFR-ß, and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (NG2)] was conducted. In invasive carcinoma (NST), tumor cells expressed a high level of PDGFR-α, whereas ILC tumor cells expressed high levels of podoplanin, prolyl 4-hydroxylase, FAP-α, and FSP-1/S100A4. In stromal cells of invasive carcinoma (NST), high expression levels of prolyl 4-hydroxylase, PDGFR-α, and NG2 were observed, whereas ILC stromal cells expressed high levels of FAP-α, FSP-1/S100A4, and PDGFR-ß. In ILC, tumoral FSP-1/S100A4 positivity was associated with higher Ki-67 labeling index (p = 0.010) and non-luminal A type cancer (p = 0.014). Stromal PDGFR-α positivity was associated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.011). On survival analysis of entire cases, tumoral FSP-1/S100A4 positivity (p = 0.002), stromal podoplanin positivity (p = 0.041), and stromal FSP-1/S100A4 negativity (p = 0.041) were associated with shorter disease-free survival; only tumoral FSP-1/S100A4 positivity (p = 0.044) was associated with shorter overall survival. In ILC, the expression of FAP-α and FSP-1/S100A4 was higher in both tumor and stromal cells than that observed in invasive carcinoma (NST). These results indicate that CAFs are a potential target in ILC treatment.

Expression of serine/glycine metabolism-related proteins is different according to the thyroid cancer subtype.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical implications of proteins related to serine/glycine metabolism in different subtypes of thyroid cancer. METHODS: Tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed with tissues from 557 thyroid cancers, consisting of 244 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC), 112 follicular carcinomas (FC), 70 medullary carcinomas (MC), 23 poorly differentiated carcinomas (PDC), and 8 anaplastic carcinomas (AC). Immunohistochemical staining of the serine/glycine metabolism-related molecules phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), phosphoserine aminotransferase, (PSAT), phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH), serine hydromethyl transferase (SHMT), and glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) was performed with the TMA blocks and the results were analyzed together with clinicopathologic parameters. RESULTS: The expression of serine/glycine metabolism-related proteins differed among thyroid cancer subtypes. The expression rate of PHGDH (p < 0.001), PSAT1 (p = 0.001), PSPH (p = 0.008), and tumoral SHMT1 (p < 0.001) was higher in PDC and PTC (78.3, 21.7, 21.7, 30.4 and 63.4, 18.6, 12.8, 31.4 %, respectively), and lowest in MC (15.7, 1.4, 0.0, 10.0 %). Stromal SHMT1 expression was highest in AC (62.5 %) and absent in all FC (p < 0.001). In PTC, positivity for PSPH (p = 0.041), tumoral SHMT1 (p = 0.018), and stromal SHMT1 (p < 0.001) expression was higher in the conventional type compared to follicular type (14.1 versus 2.5 %, 33.6 versus 15.0 %, 42.1 versus 10.0 %, respectively). BRAF V600E mutation was associated with a higher rate of PHGDH (p < 0.001), PSAT1 (p = 0.001), PSPH (p < 0.001), tumoral SHMT1 (p = 0.001), stromal SHMT1 (p < 0.001), and GLDC (p < 0.001) expression compared to non-mutant cases (73.5 versus 40.6 %, 23.1 versus 8.5 %, 17.6 versus 1.9 %, 37.0 versus 18.9 %, 45.8 versus 21.7 %, 21.8 versus 6.6 %, respectively). In univariate analysis, stromal SHMT1 expression was associated with shorter disease-free survival (p = 0.015) in follicular variant PTC, and GLDC positivity was associated with shorter overall survival (OS) in sclerotic stromal type (p = 0.002). In FC, minimally invasive type, PSPH positivity correlated with shorter OS (p = 0.045) and in MC, PHGDH positivity correlated with shorter OS (p = 0.034). CONCLUSION: The expression of serine/glycine metabolism-related proteins differs among different thyroid cancer types, with a higher rate of expression in PDC and PTC, and lower rate of expression in MC. In PTC, the rate of expression is lower in the follicular variant and higher in cases with BRAF V600E mutation.

Pathologic Evaluation of Breast Cancer after Neoadjuvant Therapy.

Breast cancer, one of the most common cancers in women, has various treatment modalities. Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) has been used in many clinical trials because it is easy to evaluate the treatment response to therapeutic agents in a short time period; consequently, NAT is currently a standard treatment modality for large-sized and locally advanced breast cancers, and its use in early-stage breast cancer is becoming more common. Thus, chances to encounter breast tissue from patients treated with NAT is increasing. However, systems for handling and evaluating such specimens have not been established. Several evaluation systems emphasize a multidisciplinary approach to increase the accuracy of breast cancer assessment. Thus, detailed and systematic evaluation of clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings is important. In this review, we compare the major problems of each evaluation system and discuss important points for handling and evaluating NAT-treated breast specimens.

The Prognostic Impact of Early Change in 18F-FDG PET SUV After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Locally Advanced Breast Cancer.

UNLABELLED: SUV, which is an indicator of the degree of glucose uptake in (18)F-FDG PET, can be applied as a prognostic factor in various malignant tumors. We investigated the prognostic impact of early changes in (18)F-FDG PET uptake in patients with locally advanced breast cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 87 patients who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery for locally advanced breast cancer. All patients underwent (18)F-FDG PET at baseline and after 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and the SUVmax of the primary tumor was assessed in each scan. Pathologic slides were retrospectively reviewed, and the residual cancer burden (RCB) index was calculated to estimate pathologic response. RCB-0 indicates no residual disease; patients with residual disease were categorized as RCB-1 (minimal residual disease), RCB-2 (moderate residual disease), or RCB-3 (extensive residual disease). RESULTS: There was a negative correlation between reduction in SUVmax and RCB index (r = -0.408; P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, ΔSUVmax was a significant independent prognostic factor for recurrence-free and overall survival, and the respective adjusted hazard ratios were 0.97 (95% confidence interval, 0.95-0.99; P = 0.001) and 0.97 (95% confidence interval, 0.95-0.99; P = 0.015). When patients were categorized into groups according to pathologic response (RCB index ≤ 1 vs. ≥ 2) and metabolic response (ΔSUVmax ≤ 66.4% vs. > 66.4%), metabolic responders had significantly better recurrence-free and overall survival than metabolic nonresponders among poor-pathologic-response patients. In contrast, among metabolic responders, there was no survival difference according to pathologic response. CONCLUSION: The early change in (18)F-FDG PET SUVmax after third-cycle neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an independent and good prognostic marker beyond pathologic response in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. We suggest that in these patients, the use of ΔSUVmax should be considered not only for the assessment of tumor response but for the prediction of posttreatment outcome.

Lymphangiogenesis in Breast Cancer Correlates with Matrix Stiffness on Shear-Wave Elastography.

PURPOSE: To correlate tumor stiffness and lymphangiogenesis in breast cancer and to find its clinical implications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 140 breast cancer patients were evaluated. Tumor stiffness was quantitatively measured by shear-wave elastography in preoperative ultrasound examination, calculated as mean elasticity value (kPa). Slides of resected breast cancer specimens were reviewed for most fibrotic area associated with tumor. D2-40 immunohistochemical staining was applied for fibrotic areas to detect the lymphatic spaces. Microlymphatic density, tumor stiffness, and clinicopathologic data were analyzed. RESULTS: Higher elasticity value was associated with invasive size of tumor, microlymphatic density, histologic grade 3, absence of extensive intraductal component, presence of axillary lymph node metastasis, and Ki-67 labeling index (LI) in univariate regression analysis, and associated with Ki-67 LI and axillary lymph node metastasis in multivariate regression analysis. Microlymphatic density was associated histologic grade 3, mean elasticity value, and Ki-67 LI in univariate regression analysis. In multivariate regression analysis, microlymphatic density was correlated with mean elasticity value. CONCLUSION: In breast cancer, tumor stiffness correlates with lymphangiogenesis and poor prognostic factors.

Interobserver Variability of Ki-67 Measurement in Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: As measurement of Ki-67 proliferation index is an important part of breast cancer diagnostics, we conducted a multicenter study to examine the degree of concordance in Ki-67 counting and to find factors that lead to its variability. METHODS: Thirty observers from thirty different institutions reviewed Ki-67-stained slides of 20 different breast cancers on whole sections and tissue microarray (TMA) by online system. Ten of the 20 breast cancers had hot spots of Ki-67 expression. Each observer scored Ki-67 in two different ways: direct counting (average vs. hot spot method) and categorical estimation. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of Ki-67 index was calculated for comparative analysis. RESULTS: For direct counting, ICC of TMA was slightly higher than that of whole sections using average method (0.895 vs 0.858). The ICC of tumors with hot spots was lower than that of tumors without (0.736 vs 0.874). In tumors with hot spots, observers took an additional counting from the hot spot; the ICC of whole sections using hot spot method was still lower than that of TMA (0.737 vs 0.895). In categorical estimation, Ki-67 index showed a wide distribution in some cases. Nevertheless, in tumors with hot spots, the range of distribution in Ki-67 categories was decreased with hot spot method and in TMA platform. CONCLUSIONS: Interobserver variability of Ki-67 index for direct counting and categorical estimation was relatively high. Tumors with hot spots showed greater interobserver variability as opposed to those without, and restricting the measurement area yielded lower interobserver variability.

Expression of cancer-associated fibroblast-related proteins in thyroid papillary carcinoma.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between expression of cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)-related proteins in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and clinicopathologic factors. Using tissue microarray (TMA) constructed from 339 cases of PTC (303 classic type, 36 follicular variant), we performed immunohistochemical staining for podoplanin, prolyl 4-hydroxylase, FAPα, S100A4, PDGFRα, PDGFRß, NG2, 5-meC, and BRAF V600E and evaluated the association with clinicopathologic parameters. We classified the stroma of PTC as desmoplastic type, sclerotic type, pauci type, or inflammatory type. The expression of prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p = 0.042), FAPα (p = 0.044), PDGFRα (p < 0.001), and 5-meC (p = 0.030) in cancer cells differed according to the histologic subtype, higher in classic type than follicular type. The expression of FAPα (p = 0.034) and 5-meC (p = 0.021) in stromal cells was higher in the classic type than follicular type. PTC with BRAF mutation showed higher expression of podoplanin (p < 0.001), prolyl 4-hydroxylase (p = 0.013), FAPα (p < 0.001), S100A4 (p < 0.001), PDGFRα (p < 0.001), and 5-meC (p < 0.001) in the tumor cell compartment and of FAPα (p = 0.004), S100A4 (p < 0.001), PDGFRα (p = 0.002), PDGFRß (p < 0.001), and 5-meC (p < 0.001) in the stromal cell compartment. There was also a difference in the expression of CAF-related proteins according to stromal phenotype; the expression of FAPα, S100A4, and PDGFRα was higher in desmoplastic type than in other subtypes, whereas NG2 expression was higher in inflammatory type (p < 0.001). Tumoral podoplanin negativity (p = 0.043) was associated with shorter DFS, and tumoral S100A4 positivity (p = 0.044) and stromal PDGFRß positivity (p = 0.035) were associated with shorter OS. In conclusion, the expression of CAF-related proteins in cancer cells and stromal cells of PTC was different according to histologic subtype, BRAF V600E mutation, and subtype of stroma, and was related to prognosis.

Expression of Yes-associated protein (YAP) in metastatic breast cancer.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of Yes-associated protein (YAP) in different metastatic sites in metastatic breast cancer and to determine the clinical implications of these patterns. Immunohistochemical staining was used to investigate the expression of YAP and phospho-YAP in tissue microarrays from 122 cases of metastatic breast cancer (bone metastasis = 29, brain metastasis = 38, liver metastasis = 12, and lung metastasis = 43). The expression levels of YAP and phospho-YAP differed according to the metastatic site in metastatic breast cancer. Specifically, nuclear expression of phospho-YAP was high in brain metastasis but low in lung metastasis (P = 0.010). The effects of YAP and phospho-YAP expression on clinical outcomes were investigated by univariate analysis. This analysis showed that nuclear YAP positivity (P = 0.008) and nuclear phospho-YAP positivity (P = 0.003) were both associated with shorter overall survival. In conclusion, the level of YAP expression varies according to the metastatic site in metastatic breast cancer. Moreover, high YAP expression was correlated with poor prognosis.

Expression of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins in estrogen receptor negative breast cancer according to the androgen receptor and HER-2 status.

The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of sarcosine metabolism related proteins according to androgen receptor (AR) and HER-2 status in estrogen receptor (ER) negative breast cancer and to analyze its clinical implications. Tissue microarray was constructed for a total of 334 cases of ER negative breast cancer. Immunohistochemical stain was conducted for sarcosine metabolism related proteins such as glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), sarcosine dehydrogenase (SARDH), and l-pipecolic acid oxidase (PIPOX). There were 131 AR positive, 205 AR negative cases and 143 HER-2 positive, 193 HER-2 negative cases. When subdividing into four groups according to AR and HER-2 status, there were 55 AR(+)/HER-2(-) cases, 76 AR(+)/HER-2(+) cases, 67 AR(-)/HER-2(+) cases and 138 AR(-)/HER-2(-) cases. GNMT and PIPOX expression was highest in the AR(+)/HER-2(-) group while expressed lowest in the AR(-)/HER-2(-) group (P<0.001). Stromal PIPOX expression was highest in the AR(-)/HER-2(+) group and lowest in the AR(-)/HER-2(-) group (P=0.010). GNMT and PIPOX expression was higher in the AR positive group compared with those of AR negative group (P=0.001, and P<0.001, respectively), while tumoral and stromal PIPOX expression showed a significant association with HER-2 positivity (P=0.006, and P=0.005, respectively). AR positive group had the highest ratio of low sarcosine type while the AR negative group had the highest ratio of null type (P<0.001). In conclusion, ER negative breast cancer showed different expression of sarcosine metabolism related proteins according to AR and HER-2 status. GNMT and PIPOX expression was high in the AR positive group while tumoral and stromal PIPOX expression was high in the HER-2 positive group.

Expression of p16 and pRB in invasive breast cancer.

We aimed to assess protein expressions of p16 and pRB in breast cancer and explore the clinicopathologic implications. Tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed with 406 cases of breast cancer. The cases were subgrouped into luminal A, luminal B, HER-2, and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) based on the results of immunohistochemical stains for ER, PR, HER-2, and Ki-67 and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for HER-2. One hundred and sixty-eight cases were allocated to the subgroup luminal A; 87 cases to the luminal B; 32 cases to the HER-2; and 119 cases to the TNBC. The TNBC group showed the highest negative rate for p16, and the luminal B and HER-2 groups showed the highest positive rate for p16 (P < 0.001). Alteration of p16 was the highest in the luminal B and HER-2 groups, and pRB expression rate was the highest in the HER-2 group and lowest in the luminal A group. In addition, p16(+)/pRB(+) type was the most common in the luminal B group, p16(+)/pRB(-) in the luminal A group, and p16(-)/pRB(+) in the TNBC group (P < 0.001). Altered p16/pRB(+) and non-altered p16/pRB(+) type was the most common in the luminal B, and altered p16/pRB(-) and non-altered p16/pRB(+) type was the most common in the luminal A (P < 0.001). Alteration of p16 was correlated with higher Ki67 labeling index (LI) (P = 0.013), and p16 negativity was correlated with ER negativity (P = 0.002), PR negativity (P = 0.004), and higher Ki67 LI (P < 0.001). pRB positivity was correlated with PR negativity (P = 0.009), HER-2 positivity (P = 0.001), and higher Ki-67 LI (P < 0.001). In luminal group A, p16 alteration was correlated with shorter DFS in univariate analysis (P = 0.024). In conclusion, Expression rates of p16 and pRB differ according to the molecular subgroups of breast cancer and they subsequently correlate with clnicopathologic factors.

Adipocytes can induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cells.

Adipocytes are known to be involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in several cancers. However, the role of adipocytes in the EMT of breast cancer cells is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of adipocytes in the EMT in breast cancer. Breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, MDA-MB-453, MDA-MB-435S, MDA-MB-231, and MDA-MB-468 were co-cultured with adipocytes and analyzed for morphological changes, proliferation activity, EMT markers, migration, and invasion. In addition, 296 human breast cancer specimens were classified according to the presence of the fibrous or adipose stroma and analyzed by immunohistochemistry for the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, antigen Ki-67, N-cadherin, Twist-related protein 1 (TWIST1), high-mobility group AT-hook 2, TGFß, and S100 calcium-binding protein A4 using tissue microarray. After co-culture with adipocytes, MCF-7, MDA-MB-435S, and MDA-MB-231 cells exhibited elongated spindle-like morphology and increased proliferation; MDA-MB-435S and MDA-MB-231 cells also showed increased dispersion. In all tested breast cancer cells, adipocytes induced migration and invasion. The EMT-like phenotypic changes and increased cell migration and invasion were accompanied by the upregulation of matrix metallopeptidase 9 and TWIST1. Consistently, breast cancer tumors with the adipose stroma showed higher TWIST1 expression than those with the adipose stroma; however, no difference was observed in the levels of other EMT-related proteins. Adipocytes stimulate breast cancer cells to acquire aggressive tumor phenotype by inducing EMT-associated traits, and breast cancer with the adipose stroma expresses EMT markers as breast cancer with the fibrous stroma.

Current Issues and Clinical Evidence in Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Breast Cancer.

With the advance in personalized therapeutic strategies in patients with breast cancer, there is an increasing need for biomarker-guided therapy. Although the immunogenicity of breast cancer has not been strongly considered in research or practice, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are emerging as biomarkers mediating tumor response to treatments. Earlier studies have provided evidence that the level of TILs has prognostic value and the potential for predictive value, particularly in triple-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer. Moreover, the level of TILs has been associated with treatment outcome in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. To date, no standardized methodology for measuring TILs has been established. In this article, we review current issues and clinical evidence for the use of TILs in breast cancer.

Expression of cancer-associated fibroblast related proteins in metastatic breast cancer: an immunohistochemical analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) is the most studied element of the tumor microenvironment, although no relationship has been identified between expression of their related proteins and the metastasis site. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of CAF related proteins and their implications according to the metastasis site in metastatic breast cancer. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate the expression of CAF related proteins (podoplanin, prolyl 4-hydroxylase, FAPα, S100A4, PDGFRα, PDGFRß, and NG2) in tissue microarrays from 132 cases of metastatic breast cancer (bone metastasis: 32 cases, brain metastasis: 38 cases, liver metastasis: 10 cases, and lung metastasis: 52 cases). Breast cancer subtypes were classified as luminal A, luminal B, HER-2, and triple negative breast cancer, according to the immunohistochemical staining results for estrogen and progesterone receptors, HER-2, and Ki-67 and FISH results for HER-2. Tumors were classified as desmoplastic, sclerotic, normal-like, and inflammatory type, according to the histologic findings from the tumor stroma. RESULTS: Various CAF related protein expression profiles were observed, according to the metastasis site. For bone metastasis, the expression of stromal podoplanin, S100A4, and PDGFRα was significantly high. For lung metastasis, the expression of stromal PDGFRß was significantly elevated (p < 0.001). For liver metastasis, significantly reduced expression of stromal S100A4 (p = 0.002) and PDGFRα (p = 0.011) was observed. Expression of CAF related proteins also differed according to the stromal phenotype. Desmoplastic stroma exhibited significantly elevated expression of stromal podoplanin (p < 0.001), S100A4 (p < 0.001), PDGFRα (p = 0.010), and PDGFRß (p = 0.021). Inflammatory stroma exhibited significantly elevated expression of stromal FAPα (p = 0.044) and significantly reduced stromal S100A4 expression (p < 0.001). Sclerotic stroma exhibited significantly elevated tumoral FAPα (p = 0.005) expression. For lung metastasis, shorter overall survival was significantly related to tumoral podoplanin expression (p = 0.006), stromal podoplanin expression (p = 0.018), tumoral prolyl 4-hydroxylase negativity (p = 0.016), and tumoral PDGFRα expression (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: For metastatic breast cancer, significant differences were observed in the expression of CAF related proteins, according to the metastasis site and stromal histologic phenotype.

Expression of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins in invasive lobular carcinoma: comparison to invasive ductal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to compare the expression of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins between invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) and invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and to determine the implications of these results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue microarrays were constructed, containing 30 samples from normal breast tissue, 114 samples from patients with ILC, and 692 samples from patients with IDC. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to examine the expression of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins [glycine N-methyltransferase, sarcosine dehydrogenase, and l-pipecolic acid oxidase (PIPOX)]. RESULTS: The sarcosine metabolic phenotype differed between ILC and IDC (p<0.001). In IDC, sarcosine metabolic phenotype was distributed as null type (61.7%)>low sarcosine type (30.4%)>high sarcosine type (5.0%)>intermediate type (2.9%). However, in ILC, the sarcosine metabolic phenotype was distributed as low sarcosine type (61.4%)>null type (32.5%)>intermediate type (5.3%)>high sarcosine type (0.9%). PIPOX showed higher expression in ILC than in IDC (p<0.001) and correlated with androgen receptor (AR) positivity (p=0.001) in ILC. CONCLUSION: Expression of sarcosine metabolism-related proteins differed between ILC and IDC. Low sarcosine type was the majority sarcosine metabolic phenotype of ILC. PIPOX expression was predominant in ILC and correlated with AR positivity.

Metaplastic carcinoma show different expression pattern of YAP compared to triple-negative breast cancer.

The purpose of this study is to examine the expression of Yes-associated protein (YAP) in metaplastic carcinoma and compare to those of triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) for investigation of its implication. Tissue microarrays containing 34 cases of metaplastic carcinoma and 175 cases of TNBC were constructed and immunohistochemical staining was used to evaluate expression of the following proteins: YAP and phosphorylated YAP (pYAP). According to immunohistochemical staining results of cytokeratin 5/6, EGFR, claudin 3, claudin 4, claudin 7, E-cadherin, STAT-1, androgen receptor, and GGT-1, metaplastic carcinoma and TNBC were sub-classified into six subtypes: basal-like type, molecular apocrine type, claudin-low type, immune-related type, mixed type, and null type. Comparing the expression of YAP and pYAP in metaplastic carcinoma and TNBC, the expression of nuclear YAP (p = 0.025), cytoplasmic pYAP (p = 0.010), and nuclear pYAP (p = 0.014) in tumor cell was higher in metaplastic carcinoma than TNBC. In metaplastic carcinoma, the nuclear YAP expression in tumor cell was associated with loss of E-cadherin (p = 0.020) and claudin type (p = 0.020), and the stromal YAP expression was associated with claudin 7 positivity (p = 0.003). In conclusion, the YAP expression in metaplastic carcinoma is higher than that in TNBC, representing the association of stemness and epithelial-mesenchymal transition features in metaplastic carcinoma.