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Immunotherapy represents a promising strategy for cancer treatment that utilizes immune cells or drugs to activate the patient's own immune system and eliminate cancer cells. One of the most exciting advances within this field is the targeting of neoantigens, which are peptides derived from non-synonymous somatic mutations that are found exclusively within cancer cells and absent in normal cells. Although neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines have not received approval for standard cancer treatment, early clinical trials have yielded encouraging outcomes as standalone monotherapy or when combined with checkpoint inhibitors. Progress made in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics have greatly facilitated the precise and efficient identification of neoantigens. Consequently, personalized neoantigen-based vaccines tailored to each patient have been developed that are capable of eliciting a robust and long-lasting immune response which effectively eliminates tumors and prevents recurrences. This review provides a concise overview consolidating the latest clinical advances in neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines, and also discusses challenges and future perspectives for this innovative approach, particularly emphasizing the potential of neoantigen-based therapeutic vaccines to enhance clinical efficacy against advanced solid tumors., Competing Interests: No potential conflicts of interest are disclosed., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors.)

Objective: Approximately 5%-10% of breast cancer (BC) patients display familial traits that are genetically inherited among the members of a family. The purpose of this study was to profile the germline mutations in 43 genes with different penetration rates and their correlations with phenotypic traits in Chinese familial BC families., Methods: Ion Torrent S5™-based next generation sequencing was conducted on 116 subjects from 27 Chinese familial BC families., Results: Eighty-one germline mutations in 27 BC predisposition genes were identified in 82.8% (96/116) of the cases. Among these, 80.8% of the mutated genes were related to DNA damage repair. Fourteen possible disease-causing variants were identified in 13 of 27 BC families. Only 25.9% (7/27) of the BC families exhibited hereditary deficiency in BRCA1/2 genes, while 22.2% of the BC families exhibited defects in non-BRCA genes. In all, 41.7% (40/96) of the mutation carriers had BRCA mutations, 88.5% (85/96) had non-BRCA mutations, and 30.2% (29/96) had both BRCA and non-BRCA mutations. The BC patients with BRCA mutations had a higher risk of axillary lymph node metastases than those without mutations ( P < 0.05). However, the BC patients with non-BRCA mutations frequently had a higher occurrence of benign breast diseases than those without mutations ( P < 0.05)., Conclusions: In addition to BRCA1/2 , genetic variants in non-BRCA DNA repair genes might play significant roles in the development of familial/hereditary BC. Therefore, profiling of multiple BC predisposition genes should be more valuable for screening potential pathogenic germline mutations in Chinese familial/hereditary BC., Competing Interests: No potential conflicts of interest are disclosed., (Copyright © 2021 Cancer Biology & Medicine.)

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in Chinese women. Early screening is the best way to improve the rates of early diagnosis and survival of breast cancer patients. The peak onset age for breast cancer in Chinese women is considerably younger than those in European and American women. It is imperative to develop breast cancer screening guideline that is suitable for Chinese women. By summarizing the current evidence on breast cancer screening in Chinese women, and referring to the latest guidelines and consensus on breast cancer screening in Europe, the United States, and East Asia, the China Anti-Cancer Association and National Clinical Research Center for Cancer (Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital) have formulated population-based guideline for breast cancer screening in Chinese women. The guideline provides recommendations on breast cancer screening for Chinese women at average or high risk of breast cancer according to the following three aspects: age of screening, screening methods, and screening interval. This article provides more detailed information to support the recommendations in this guideline and to provide more direction for current breast cancer screening practices in China., (Copyright 2019 Cancer Biology & Medicine.)