METHODS: This Swedish population-based study included 8338 breast cancer patients diagnosed from 2001 to 2008 in the Stockholm-Gotland region with complete follow-up until 2012. Their incidence of VTE was compared with the incidence among 39,013 age-matched reference individuals from the general population. Cox and flexible parametric models were used to examine associations with patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics, accounting for time-dependent effects.
RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 7.2 years, 426 breast cancer patients experienced a VTE event (cumulative incidence, 5.1%). The VTE incidence was 3-fold increased (hazard ratio [HR], 3.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.87-3.74) in comparison with the incidence in the general population and was highest 6 months after diagnosis (HR, 8.62; 95% CI, 6.56-11.33) with a sustained increase in risk thereafter (HR at 5 years, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.80-2.67). Independent predictors of VTE included the following: older age, being overweight, preexisting VTE, comorbid disease, tumor size > 40 mm, progesterone receptor (PR)-negative status, more than 4 affected lymph nodes, and receipt of chemo- and endocrine therapy. The impact of chemotherapy was limited to early-onset VTE, whereas comorbid disease and PR-negative status were more strongly associated with late-onset events.
CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the long-term risk of VTE in breast cancer patients and identifies a comprehensive set of clinical risk predictors. Temporal associations with patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics provide insight into the time-dependent etiology of VTE. Cancer 2017;123:468-475. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
METHODS: Initially, MTT proliferation assay was used to test the cell viability with various doses of MNQ (5-100 µM). As the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was obtained, glucose uptake and lactate assays of the cells were tested with IC50 dose of MNQ. The treated cells were also subjected to gene and protein analysis of glycolysis-related molecules (GLUT1 and Akt).
RESULTS: The results showed that MNQ decreased the percentage of MDA-MB-231 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner with the IC50 value of 29 µM. The percentage of glucose uptake into the cells and lactate production decreased significantly after treatment with MNQ as compared to untreated cells. Remarkably, the expressions of GLUT1 and Akt molecules decreased in MNQ-treated cells, suggesting that the inhibition of glycolysis by MNQ is GLUT1-dependent and possibly mediated by the Akt signaling pathway.
CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate the ability of MNQ to inhibit the glycolytic activities as well as glycolysis-related molecules in MDA-MB-231 cells, suggesting the potential of MNQ to be further developed as an effective anticancer agent against TNBC cells.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sought to determine the prognostic role of the examined lymph node (LN), negative LN (NLN), and positive LN counts and the LN ratio (LNR), defined as (positive LNs/ENLs), on the survival rate among MBC patients. We performed a large population-based study using the data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program.
RESULTS: Older age, black race, stage IV disease, ≤ 1 NLN, and a > 31.3% LNR were significantly associated with worse survival across all prediction models. Moreover, we demonstrated a decreased risk of mortality in MBC patients across the MBC-specific survival model (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-0.998; P = .03) and 10-year MBC-specific survival model (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-0.999; P = .04).
CONCLUSION: MBC has had an augmented incidence over the years. We found several independent predictors of MBC survival, including age, race, stage, NLNs, and the LNR. We strongly suggest adding the NLN count and/or LNR into the current staging system. Further studies are needed to provide information on the mechanisms underlying the association between the NLN count and MBC survival and the LNR and MBC survival.
METHODS: In this study, plasma miRNA profiles from eight early-stage breast cancer patients and nine age-matched (± 2 years) healthy controls were characterized by miRNA array-based approach, followed by differential gene expression analysis, Independent T-test and construction of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve to determine the capability of the assays to discriminate between breast cancer and the healthy control.
RESULTS: Based on the 372-miRNAs microarray profiling, a set of 40 differential miRNAs was extracted regarding to the fold change value at 2 and above. We further sub grouped 40 miRNAs of breast cancer patients that were significantly expressed at 2-fold change and higher. In this set, we discovered that 24 miRNAs were significantly upregulated and 16 miRNAs were significantly downregulated in breast cancer patients, as compared to the miRNA expression of healthy subjects. ROC curve analysis revealed that seven miRNAs (miR-125b-5p, miR-142-3p, miR-145-5p, miR-193a-5p, miR-27b-3p, miR-22-5p and miR-423-5p) had area under curve (AUC) value > 0.7 (AUC p-value < 0.05). Overlapping findings from differential gene expression analysis, ROC analysis, and Independent T-Test resulted in three miRNAs (miR-27b-3p, miR-22-5p, miR-145-5p). Cohen's effect size for these three miRNAs was large with d value are more than 0.95.
CONCLUSION: miR-27b-3p, miR-22-5p, miR-145-5p could be potential biomarkers to distinguish breast cancer patients from healthy controls. A validation study for these three miRNAs in an external set of samples is ongoing.
.
METHODS: We used data from 3,184 BRCA1 and 2,157 BRCA2 families in the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 to estimate age-specific relative (RR) and absolute risks for 22 first primary cancer types adjusting for family ascertainment.
RESULTS: BRCA1 PVs were associated with risks of male breast (RR = 4.30; 95% CI, 1.09 to 16.96), pancreatic (RR = 2.36; 95% CI, 1.51 to 3.68), and stomach (RR = 2.17; 95% CI, 1.25 to 3.77) cancers. Associations with colorectal and gallbladder cancers were also suggested. BRCA2 PVs were associated with risks of male breast (RR = 44.0; 95% CI, 21.3 to 90.9), stomach (RR = 3.69; 95% CI, 2.40 to 5.67), pancreatic (RR = 3.34; 95% CI, 2.21 to 5.06), and prostate (RR = 2.22; 95% CI, 1.63 to 3.03) cancers. The stomach cancer RR was higher for females than males (6.89 v 2.76; P = .04). The absolute risks to age 80 years ranged from 0.4% for male breast cancer to approximately 2.5% for pancreatic cancer for BRCA1 carriers and from approximately 2.5% for pancreatic cancer to 27% for prostate cancer for BRCA2 carriers.
CONCLUSION: In addition to female breast and ovarian cancers, BRCA1 and BRCA2 PVs are associated with increased risks of male breast, pancreatic, stomach, and prostate (only BRCA2 PVs) cancers, but not with the risks of other previously suggested cancers. The estimated age-specific risks will refine cancer risk management in men and women with BRCA1/2 PVs.
METHODS: All 4930 women diagnosed with breast cancer in University Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia from 1993 to 2011 were included. Factors associated with very early presentation (stage I) at diagnosis were identified. Tumour characteristics, management patterns, and survival of very early breast cancer were described, and where appropriate, compared with other settings.
RESULTS: Proportion of women presenting with stage I breast cancer significantly increased from 15.2% to 25.2% over two decades. Factors associated with very early presentation were Chinese ethnicity, positive family history of breast cancer, and recent period of diagnosis. Within stage I breast cancers, median tumour size at presentation was 1.5 cm. A majority of stage I breast cancer patients received mastectomy, which was associated with older age, Chinese ethnicity, postmenopausal status, and larger tumours. Chemotherapy was administered in 36% of patients. Five-year age-adjusted relative survival for women with stage I breast cancer was 99.1% (95% CI: 97.6-99.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of women presenting with very early breast cancer in this setting without organised screening is increasing. These women seem to survive just as well as their counterparts from affluent settings.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed at two chemotherapy providers. Patients were questioned about use of three categories of CAM, mind-body practices (MBPs), natural products (NPs) and traditional medicine (TM). PFH was also examined separately from CAM to better characterise the patterns of CAM and PFH used during chemotherapy.
RESULTS: A total of 546 eligible patients participated in the study; 70.7% (n = 386) reported using some form of CAM, and 29.3% (n = 160) were non-CAM users. When PFH was excluded as a CAM, fewer patients reported the use of CAM (66.1%; n = 361). The total number of patients who used MBPs decreased from 342 to 183. The most common CAM use category was NPs (82.8%), followed by MBPs (50.7%), and TM (35.7%). CAM users were more likely to have a tertiary education (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.15-3.89 vs. primary/lower), have household incomes > RM 3,000 (≈944 USD) per month (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.40-3.84 vs. ≤RM 3,000 (≈944 USD)), and have advanced cancer (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.18-2.59 vs. early stage cancer), compared with non-CAM users. The CAM users were less likely to have their chemotherapy on schedule (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.10-0.58 vs. chemotherapy postponed) than non-CAM users. Most MBPs were perceived to be more helpful by their users, compared with the users of NPs and TM.
CONCLUSION: CAM use was prevalent among breast cancer patients. Excluding PFH from the definition of CAM reduced the prevalence of overall CAM use. Overall, CAM use was associated with higher education levels and household incomes, advanced cancer and lower chemotherapy schedule compliance. Many patients perceived MBP to be beneficial for improving overall well-being during chemotherapy. These findings, while preliminary, clearly indicate the differences in CAM use when PFH is included in, and excluded from, the definition of CAM.