The crosstalk between benign thyroid disease and breast cancer: A single center study.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between benign thyroid disease and breast cancer. The clinical study includes a total of 600 participants, divided into 2 groups: the control group (N = 300), which consists of individuals from the checkup population during the same periods, and the experimental group (N = 300), which consists of patients with breast cancer. General data of the participants, including age, tumor diameter, tumor staging, pathological classification, lymph node metastasis, and classification of benign thyroid disease, were collected and analyzed. The levels of TT3, TT4, FT3, FT4, TSH, TPOAb, and TgAb in blood samples from the experimental and control groups were determined using a radioimmune method. The levels of TPOAb, TgAb, and TSH in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the levels of TT3, TT4, FT3, and FT4 in the experimental group were significantly lower. The general data of the participants contributed to the appropriate sample size and allocation. Furthermore, benign thyroid disease contributes to the development of breast cancer by regulating the levels of TT3, TT4, FT3, FT4, TSH, TPOAb, and TgAb.

A real-world clinicopathological model for predicting pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate a clinicopathological model to predict pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer patients and identify key prognostic factors. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 279 breast cancer patients who received NAC at Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from 2011 to 2021. Additionally, an external validation dataset, comprising 50 patients from Lanxi People's Hospital and Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from 2022 to 2023 was utilized for model verification. A multivariate logistic regression model was established incorporating clinical, ultrasound features, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and pathology variables at baseline and post-NAC. Model performance for predicting pCR was evaluated. Prognostic factors were identified using survival analysis. Results: In the 279 patients enrolled, a pathologic complete response (pCR) rate of 27.96% (78 out of 279) was achieved. The predictive model incorporated independent predictors such as stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (sTIL) levels, Ki-67 expression, molecular subtype, and ultrasound echo features. The model demonstrated strong predictive accuracy for pCR (C-statistics/AUC 0.874), especially in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-enriched (C-statistics/AUC 0.878) and triple-negative (C-statistics/AUC 0.870) subtypes, and the model performed well in external validation data set (C-statistics/AUC 0.836). Incorporating circulating tumor cell (CTC) changes post-NAC and tumor size changes further improved predictive performance (C-statistics/AUC 0.945) in the CTC detection subgroup. Key prognostic factors included tumor size >5cm, lymph node metastasis, sTIL levels, estrogen receptor (ER) status and pCR. Despite varied pCR rates, overall prognosis after standard systemic therapy was consistent across molecular subtypes. Conclusion: The developed predictive model showcases robust performance in forecasting pCR in NAC-treated breast cancer patients, marking a step toward more personalized therapeutic strategies in breast cancer.

Long Non-Coding RNA (lncRNA) 91H Confers Tamoxifen Resistance in ER+ Breast Cancer Cells through Inhibiting mTOR Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers are the most often diagnosed subtype of breast tumors, in which the development of tamoxifen resistance remains a major impediment. The effect of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) on therapy resistance is beginning to emerge. The lncRNA 91H, a recently identified lncRNA involved in tumorigenesis, is also overexpressed in breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of 91H in the biological function and tamoxifen resistance of ER+ breast cancer cells. METHODS: MCF-7 and T47D cells were transfected for 91H silence. CCK-8 assay was performed to examine cell viability and drug sensitivity. Cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry. Cell migration capacity was determined by wound healing assay. The protein level was analyzed by Western blotting. RESULTS: MCF-7 and T47D cells with 91H knockdown exhibited lower capacities of cell proliferation and migration. In addition, knockdown of 91H resulted in significantly increased sensitivity to tamoxifen and a higher ratio of apoptosis induced by tamoxifen. Furthermore, the protein level of p-mTOR was notably inhibited through downregulating 91H expression. And the mTOR inhibitor together with tamoxifen presented synergistic effect on the inhibition of cell viability. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights that 91H might serve as a potential target for ER+ breast cancer patients who have acquired tamoxifen resistance.

Immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after removal of the polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope.

BACKGROUND: To identify the feasibility, safety, cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction of immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after removal of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel (PAAG) through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope. METHODS: This was a retrospective study. Medical records of 87 patients who underwent PAAG removal were reviewed retrospectively from February 2010 to December 2019. These patients were dichotomized based on whether they accepted immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal or not. A comprehensive analysis on the data was conducted to observe the surgical results, cosmetic outcomes, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients underwent PAAG removal through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope, while another 25 patients underwent further immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal. All the patients recovered smoothly after operation. In the immediate breast reconstructed group, most of the breasts were natural in appearance, but one patient had mild nipple and breast asymmetry, and another had mild breast asymmetry. Three patients had PAAG residual, and one of them accepted fine needle aspiration. The cosmetic satisfaction rate was 88% and 92% by surgeons and patients, respectively. In the other group, seven patients suffered from PAAG residual, one patient suffered from postoperative bleeding, and five patients suffered from skin laxity. The BREAST-Q scores revealed that patients who accepted immediate breast reconstruction had significant better outcomes in psychosocial well-being (p = 0.030), satisfaction with breasts (p = 0.021), when compared to patients who only accepted PAAG removal, while similar in sexual well-being (p = 0.081), physical well-being chest (p = 0.124), and satisfaction with outcomes (p = 0.068), and satisfaction with care (p = 0.077). CONCLUSION: Immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal through a small areolar incision aided with an endoscope might be a viable and safe technique, with better psychosocial well-being and satisfaction with breasts.

Effect of postoperative radiotherapy in women with localized pure mucinous breast cancer after lumpectomy: a population-based study.

PURPOSE: Pure mucinous breast cancer is a rare subtype of invasive breast cancer with favorable prognosis, in which the effect of postoperative radiotherapy remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of postoperative radiotherapy in women with localized pure mucinous breast cancer after lumpectomy. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to compare the effectiveness of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) and omitting postoperative radiotherapy (non-RT) in patients with first primary T1-2N0M0 (T ≤ 3 cm) pure mucinous breast cancer who underwent lumpectomy between 1998 and 2015 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) was compared between RT and non-RT groups using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression model. Propensity score matching (PSM) was carried out to balance cohort baselines. In addition, an exploratory analysis was performed to verify the effectiveness of RT in subgroup patients. RESULTS: Of 7832 eligible patients, 5352 (68.3%) underwent lumpectomy with postoperative RT, 2480 (31.7%) received lumpectomy without postoperative RT. The median follow-up duration was 92 months. The median age was 66 years in the RT group and 76 years in the non-RT group.The 15-year BCSS was 94.39% (95% CI, 93.08% to 95.35%) in the RT group versus 91.45%(95% CI, 88.93% to 93.42%) in the non-RT group (P < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratio for BCSS was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.49 to 0.83; P = 0.001) for RT group versus non-RT group. After propensity score matching, similar results were yielded. Adjuvant RT reduced the 15-year risk of breast cancer death from 7.92% to 6.15% (P = 0.039). The adjusted hazard ratio for BCSS were 0.66 (95%CI, 0.47 to 0.92; P = 0.014) for RT group versus non-RT group. The benefit of RT was well consistent across subgroup patients. CONCLUSION: Among women with T1-2N0M0 (tumor size ≤ 3 cm) pure mucinous breast cancer, the addition of RT after lumpectomy was significantly associated with a reduced incidence of breast cancer death compared with non-RT, and the magnitude of benefit may be modest. This suggests that postoperative RT is recommended in the treatment of localized pure mucinous breast cancer.

Preoperational diagnosis and management of breast ductal carcinoma in situ arising within fibroadenoma: Two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) arising within fibroadenoma is a type of tumor that is rarely encountered in clinic, with only about 100 cases of carcinoma arising within a fibroadenoma reported in the literature. Here, we present two cases of breast DCIS arising within a fibroadenoma and discuss their clinical and imaging findings as well as treatment. CASE SUMMARY: The patients did not have cancer-related personal and family histories. Case 1 (a 49-year-old woman) was diagnosed with a bilateral breast nodule in May 2018 and was followed (preoperative imaging data including ultrasound and mammography) for 3 years; she underwent an excisional biopsy to address an enlargement in nodule size. Case 2 (a 37-year-old woman) was diagnosed with a left breast nodule in June 2021 and consequently received vacuum-assisted biopsy of the tumor which appeared as "irregularly shaped" and "unevenly textured" tissue on ultrasound. The pathological diagnosis was clear in both cases. Both patients underwent breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy. The two cases received or planned to receive radiotherapy as well as endocrine therapy (tamoxifen). CONCLUSION: Breast DCIS arising within a fibroadenoma is rare, but patients treated with radiotherapy and endocrine therapy can have good prognosis.

Ribonucleotide reductase M2 subunit silencing suppresses tumorigenesis in pancreatic cancer via inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Ribonucleotide Reductase M2 subunit (RRM2) is elevated in pancreatic cancer and involved in DNA synthesis and cell proliferation. But its specific mechanism including genetic differences and upstream regulatory pathways remains unclear. METHODS: We analyzed RRM2 expression of 178 pancreatic cancer patients in Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database. Besides, more pancreatic cancer specimens were collected and detected RRM2 expression by immunohistochemistry. RRM2 knockdown by shRNA was applied for functional and mechanism analysis in vitro. Xenograft tumor growth was significantly slower by RRM2 silencing in vivo. RESULTS: It showed that high RRM2 expression had a poorer overall survival and disease free survival. RRM2 expression was higher in tumor grade 2 and 3 than grade 1. Immunohistochemistry data validated that high RRM2 expression predicted worse survival. RRM2 knockdown significantly reduced cell proliferation, inhibited colony formation and suppressed cell cycle progress. Further mechanism assay showed silencing RRM2 lead to inactivation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and inhibition of mutant p53, which induce S phase arrest and/or apoptosis. In panc-1 cells, S-phase arrest mediated by mutant p53 inhibition, p21 increase and cell cycle related proteins change. While in miapaca-2 cells, induction of apoptosis and S-phase arrest mediated by CDK1 played a coordinated role. CONCLUSION: Taken together, high RRM2 expression was associated with worse prognosis. Importantly, RRM2 knockdown deactivated PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, resulting in cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis. This study shed light on the molecular mechanism of RRM2 in pancreatic tumor progression and is expected to provide a new theoretical basis for pancreatic cancer treatment.

Serum GDF-15 Predicts In-Hospital Mortality and Arrhythmic Risks in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction.

This study aims to evaluate the association of serum growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) with in-hospital mortality and arrhythmic risks in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). A total of 296 consecutive patients with AMI were enrolled in our hospital from Jan. 2018 to Dec. 2020. Serum GDF-15 levels were measured at baseline. The primary endpoint was in-hospital all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) during hospitalization, defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, heart failure, sustained ventricular arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation), and bleeding. During hospitalization, patients with a higher GDF-15 level had significantly higher incidences of in-hospital mortality (7.4% vs 1.4%; P = .02) and MACEs (9.5% vs 20.9%, P < .01) than those with a lower GDF-15 level. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a higher GDF-15 level was significantly associated with increased risks of in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.44-2.50; P < .01) and MACEs (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.56-2.77; P < .01). In conclusion, GDF-15 was associated with the risks of in-hospital mortality and MACEs, indicating that it should be a prognostic biomarker for patients with AMI.

Oncological role of HMGA2 (Review).

The high mobility group A2 (HMGA2) protein is a non­histone architectural transcription factor that modulates the transcription of several genes by binding to AT­rich sequences in the minor groove of B­form DNA and alters the chromatin structure. As a result, HMGA2 influences a variety of biological processes, including the cell cycle process, DNA damage repair process, apoptosis, senescence, epithelial­mesenchymal transition and telomere restoration. In addition, the overexpression of HMGA2 is a feature of malignancy, and its elevated expression in human cancer predicts the efficacy of certain chemotherapeutic agents. Accumulating evidence has suggested that the detection of HMGA2 can be used as a routine procedure in clinical tumour analysis.