The Significance of the Stromal Response in Breast Cancer: An Immunohistochemical Study of Myofibroblasts in Primary and Metastatic Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gene expression profiling of breast cancer has demonstrated the importance of stromal response in determining the prognosis of invasive breast cancer. The host response to breast cancer is of increasing interest to pathologists and may be a future focus for novel pharmacological treatments. METHODS: This study describes the pattern of distribution of stromal myofibroblasts using immunostains for CD10 and smooth muscle actin (SMA) in 50 primary breast cancers and their matched nodal metastases (68.6% nodes positive and 31.4% nodes negative). The stroma within the tumor (intratumoral) and at the advancing tumor edge (peri-tumoral) was studied in both primary and nodal sites. A simple quantitative scoring system was employed for both immunostains. The correlation between expression of these markers by stromal cells and standard pathological prognostic factors of stage, grade, hormone receptor and Her-2 status was analysed. RESULTS: SMA-positive stromal cells were more abundant in peri-tumoral stroma compared with intratumoral stroma in both primary and metastatic lesions. SMA expression in the lymph node metastases showed a significant correlation with tumor stage. SMA expression in peri-tumoral stroma correlated with Her-2 status. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that myofibroblasts, particularly those expressing SMA, might potentiate the progression of the carcinomatous process especially in nodal metastases. Thus these cells may be a potential therapeutic target.

Prognostic Significance of Reduction in Ki67 Index After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Breast Cancer in Kerman Between 2009 And 2014.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women. The Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for non-operable tumors. The Ki67 is a proliferation marker that can be used to predict the therapeutic response to chemotherapy and the patients' prognosis. METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out on 55 consecutive patients with breast cancer referred to a Training Tertiary Healthcare Center in Kerman, Iran since 2009 to 2014. After diagnostic approval, the tissue samples of patients were examined for estrogen and progesterone receptors, ki67 and HER2-neu markers by using immunohistochemical staining. Then the patients were treated with 6 cycles of Neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens by Doxorubicin and Taxans or 4 chemotherapy cycles, containing Anthracycline and Cyclophosphamide and 4 cycles of Paclitaxel. After mastectomy, their samples were reexamined for ki67 again and classified into three groups (low: ki67<15%), medium (Ki67 = 16-30%) and high (Ki67> 30%). RESULTS: Before chemotherapy, 54.5% of the patients had high expression of Ki67. But after chemotherapy, 52.7 of the patients had complete therapeutic response showing that the Ki67 level was reduced significantly (P=0.003). CONCLUSION: Before and after Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, Ki67 measurements may be used as a predictive marker of therapeutic response.

How to break bad news: physicians' and nurses' attitudes.

OBJECTIVE: Bad news disclosure is one of the most complex tasks of physicians. Recent evidences indicate that patients' and physicians' attitude toward breaking bad news has been changed since few years ago. The evidence of breaking bad news is different across cultures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the attitude of medical staff toward breaking bad news to provide a clinical guideline in Iran. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted during 2008-2009 on a sample of 100 medical staff (50 physicians and 50 nurses) at Cancer Institute of Imam Khomeini hospital. The subjects' demographic characteristics and their attitudes toward the manner of revealing the diagnosis were registered in a questionnaire. RESULTS: The majority of the physicians (86%, n=43) and nurses (74%, n=37), mostly the older and more experienced, tended to reveal the diagnosis to patients. Only a few physicians (8%, n=4) had been trained how to disclose bad news, which discloused diagnosis more than non trained ones. Physicians and nurses preferred to inform the patients about the diagnosis when either the patients were alone or in the presence of their spouse respectively. Only a few physicians (14%) and nurses (24%) agreed to explain life expectancy to patients. CONCLUSION: Compared to past, physicians and nurses are more willing to share cancer diagnosis with patients. However, lack of adequate communication skills in caregivers, and their concerns about managing patients' emotional reactions reduce their tendency to disclose bad news to the patients. Therefore, training physicians and nurses to expose bad news to the patients seems to be necessary.