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Purpose: Although several combination treatments with docetaxel and other antitumor agents have been tested in experimental and clinical studies, their synergistic effects are still ill-defined. The degree of synergism between docetaxel and two oral fluoropyrimidines, tegafur and 5'-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5'-dFUrd), was investigated in the KPL-4 human breast cancer xenograft model.Methods: Because this KPL-4 cell line secretes interleukin-6 (IL-6) and induces cachexia, the effects of the combined treatment on serum IL-6 levels and cachectic markers were investigated. In addition, the expression levels of thymidine phosphorylase (dThdPase), a key enzyme for converting 5'-dFUrd to 5-fluorouracil, were determined. Female nude mice bearing KPL-4 tumors were treated orally with 5'-dFUrd (60 mg/kg, five times a week) or tegafur (100 mg/ kg, five times a week) and by intraperitoneal injection of docetaxel (5 or 10 mg/kg, once a week).Results: Although docetaxel (5 mg/kg) alone did not decrease either tumor growth or serum IL-6 levels, docetaxel (5 mg/kg) plus 5'-dFUrd or tegafur enhanced tumor growth inhibition and decreased serum IL-6 levels more than 5'-dFUrd or tegafur alone. Docetaxel (5 mg/kg) alone slightly increased the percentage of dThdPase-positive tumor cells, but the combined treatment with docetaxel plus 5'-dFUrd or tegafur significantly decreased the percentage of dThdPase-positive cells in the KPL-4 tumors.Conclusion: These findings indicate that docetaxel may stimulate dThdPase expression in tumor tissues and may enhance the antitumor activity of oral fluoropyrimidines. In addition, combined treatment with docetaxel and oral fluoropyrimidines may decrease serum IL-6 levels and may ameliorate IL-6-induced cancer cachexia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Recent studies have suggested that the Src inhibitor dasatinib preferentially inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells of the basal-like subtype. To clarify this finding and further investigate combined antitumor effects of dasatinib with cytotoxic agents, a panel of breast cancer cell lines of various subtypes was treated with dasatinib and/or chemotherapeutic agents. Methods Seven human breast cancer cell lines were treated with dasatinib and/or seven chemotherapeutic agents. Effects of the treatments on c-Src activation, cell growth, cell cycle, apoptosis and the proportion of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 1-positive cells were examined. Results The 50%-growth inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) of dasatinib were much lower in two basal B cell lines than those in the other cell lines. The IC50s of chemotherapeutic agents were not substantially different among the cell lines. Dasatinib enhanced antitumor activity of etoposide in the basal B cell lines. Dasatinib induced a G1-S blockade with a slight apoptosis, and a combined treatment of dasatinib with etoposide also induced a G1-S blockade in the basal B cell lines. Dasatinib decreased the expression levels of phosphorylated Src in all cell lines. Interestingly, dasatinib significantly decreased the proportion of ALDH1-positive cells in the basal B cell lines but not in the other cell lines. Conclusions The present study indicates that dasatinib preferentially inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells of the basal B subtype associated with a significant loss of putative cancer stem cell population. A combined use of dasatinib with etoposide additively inhibits their growth. Further studies targeting breast cancers of the basal B subtype using dasatinib with cytotoxic agents are warranted.

Background: We have previously reported on the Cell Cycle Profiling (C2P) assay for determining the specific activity (SA, activity/expression) of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). The C2P-risk score (C2P-RS) based on CDK1 and CDK2 SAs was significantly associated with "tumor growth speed" in xenograft models and relapse in early breast cancer. This study was conducted to confirm the prognostic performance of C2P-RS classification in nodenegative and hormone receptor (HR)-positive (ER- and/or PR-positive) breast cancers. Methods: This multicenter and blinded retrospective study included patients with nodenegative, HR-positive tumors treated with endocrine therapy alone. Patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy or trastuzumab or any kind of neoadjuvant treatments were excluded. C2P-RS was determined via the C2P assay (Sysmex Corporation, Kobe, Japan) using frozen samples obtained during surgery. C2P-RS classification based on C2P-RS and CDK1 SA classified patients into three groups (low, intermediate, and high C2P-RS groups) using the same cut-off values as previously reported. ER, PR, HER2, and Ki-67 expressions were centrally evaluated with immunohistochemistry. The primary endpoint was the 5y-relapse-free survival (RFS) rate. Results: Of 317 patients enrolled in this study, 266 (24-85 y) were eligible: menopausal status: pre- 44%, post- 56%; histologic grade: I 24%, II 58%, III16%; ER: positive 93%; PR: positive 82%; HER2: negative 96%. 22 (8.3%) patients relapsed within 5 y after surgery (median follow-up period, 73 mo). The distribution of each C2P-RS group was 71.8% in the low group, 12.0% in the intermediate group, and 16.2% in the high group. The Kaplan-Meier method showed that the 5y-RFS rate in the high C2P-RS group (74.4%) was significantly lower than that in the intermediate (84.3%) or the low C2P-RS groups (97.3%) (P < 0.001). In addition, the time to relapse (TTR) in the high C2P-RS group was shorter than that in the intermediate or low C2P-RS group (the mean TTR: 22.5±6.7, 36.0±12.6, and 44.5±14.9 months, respectively). The Kruskal-Wallis test showed a significantly difference in TTR among these three groups (p = 0.007). The univariate analysis demonstrated that age, tumor size, histologic grade, lymphovascular invasion, ER, PR, and HER2 status had no significant correlations with relapse but C2P-RS classification (the low C2P-RS group vs. the high C2PRS group: P < 0.001 and the low C2P-RS group vs. the intermediate C2P-RS group: p = 0.006) and Ki-67 expression (p = 0.009) were significantly associated with relapse. However, multivariate Cox analysis showed that only C2P-RS classification was a significantly independent prognostic factor (the low C2P-RS group vs. the high C2P-RS group: P < 0.001 and the low C2P-RS group vs. the intermediate C2P-RS group: p = 0.038). C2P-RS classification was significantly but weakly associated with Ki-67 expression (R = 0.343, P < 0.001). Conclusion: C2P-RS is unique in that it reflects the tumor growth speed, and C2P-RS classification was able to select patients with favourable or unfavourable prognosis from among those with node-negative, HR-positive tumors treated with endocrine therapy alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical studies have confirmed that nab-paclitaxel(nab-PTX)therapy is effective and safe in patients with metastatic breast cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC) with nab-PTX has resulted in a pathological complete response (pCR) rate of 29% in all cases and 58% in HER2-positive cases. However, these data were obtained from an overseas study, and the effectiveness and safety of NAC with nab-PTX remain unclear in Japan. Thus, the present study was conducted to investigate these aspects. In patients with T1-3, N0-2, M0 breast cancer, 4 cycles of 260 mg/m2 nab-PTX were administered every 3 weeks after 4 cycles of EC therapy(100 mg/m2 of epirubicin and 600 mg/m2 of cyclophosphamide)as NAC. In HER2- positive patients, trastuzumab was used in combination with nab-PTX. Overall, 14 patients were registered between October 2014 and October 2018. One patient who had requested for another drug after providing informed consent was excluded, and the remaining 13 patients were analyzed. The primary endpoint was pCR rate. The median age of the subjects was 57 years, and the median tumor diameter was 35 mm. There were 7 cases of Stage Ⅱ disease and 6 cases of Stage Ⅲ disease. As for tumor subtype, there were 7 cases of Luminal-type, 2 cases of Luminal- HER2-type, 4 cases of HER2-type, and no triple negative-type tumors(the cut-off values for estrogen receptor [ER] and progesterone receptor were both 1%). The objective response rate to NAC was 77%(10/13 cases), and no PD was observed. The pCR rate was 54%(7/13 cases): 2 patients had Luminal-type tumors, 1 had a Luminal-HER2-type tumor, and 4 had HER2-type tumors. Predictive factors for pCR were ER negativity and HER2 positivity. Common adverse events of chemotherapy were hair loss, pain, malaise, anemia, dysgeusia, constipation, itchiness, and numbness, but their severity was modest, and they were manageable. This study suggests the efficacy and safety of nab-PTX after EC therapy in Japanese patients with operable breast cancer.

Background: Matrix-producing breast carcinoma (MPBC) is a very rare and usually aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. We successfully established a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) model from a patient with MPBC and used it to study tumor sensitivity to various agents., Case Report: A 40-year-old woman was diagnosed with MPBC with a triple-negative phenotype. Due to axillary lymph-node metastases found during radical mastectomy, the patient was subsequently treated with epirubicin, cyclophosphamide and paclitaxel. In addition, radiotherapy was directed to the chest wall and subclavicular fossa. A portion of the cancer tissue from the mastectomy was used to establish a PDOX nude-mouse model. The PDOX model was resistant to paclitaxel, bevacizumab, vinorelbine, cisplatinum and olaparib, and sensitive to eribulin. Metastases in mediastinal lymph nodes and the right ovary were observed in the patient 14 months after mastectomy. Thoracoscopic mediastinal lymph-node biopsy and laparoscopic oophorectomy were performed, and both confirmed breast-cancer metastasis. The patient was then treated with paclitaxel and bevacizumab but no response was observed, which correlated with the inability of these drugs to arrest tumor growth in the PDOX models of the patient's tumor. The patient was then given eribulin based on the PDOX-model result, but treatment had to be stopped because of rapid progression of metastasis into the cervical lymph nodes and thyroid gland. The patient was subsequently treated with atezolizumab and nab-paclitaxel. Unfortunately, the patient died of her cancer 8 months after recurrence., Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that the PDOX model of a patient's triple-negative MPBC accurately predicted that paclitaxel and bevacizumab would not arrest the patient's tumor growth. Eribulin may have been effective if administered at an earlier stage of the patient's cancer course. Drug-screening results from PDOX models should be used as early as possible in order to improve patient outcome., (Copyright © 2021 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

A 92-year-old Japanese woman presented with a mass in the left breast, and sparganosis was suspected by biopsy of the mass. The mass disappeared once, but it reappeared at the same site one year later. For a definitive diagnosis, the mass was surgically removed, and a sparganum-like worm was detected. The causative agent was confirmed as Spirometra Type I (most probably Spirometra mansoni) by mitochondrial DNA analysis. The serological examination also proved the case as sparganosis. Considering the presence of two Spirometra species (Type I and II) in Asia, particularly Japan, molecular analysis of the causative agents is highly recommended to understand the epidemiology, infection sources, and pathogenicity in humans in both species, if the parasite specimens are available., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Previously, we conducted the 5-year open-label, randomized controlled trial (RCT) of leuprorelin adjuvant therapy in post-operative premenopausal patients with endocrine-responsive breast cancer, which was a pilot study to investigate the optimal duration of leuprorelin treatment. Since, however, long-term outcomes became required for the adjuvant endocrine therapy, we performed this follow-up observation study., Methods: Follow-up observation study was performed up to 10th year after randomization, continuing RCT to evaluate the efficacy and safety of leuprorelin every 3 months for ≥ 3 versus 2 years, with daily tamoxifen for 5 years. Primary endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS) and 2-year landmark DFS., Results: Eligible patients (N = 222) were randomly assigned to receive leuprorelin for either 2 years (N = 112) or ≥ 3 years (N = 110) with tamoxifen. Leuprorelin treatment for ≥ 3 years versus 2 years provided no significant difference in DFS (HR 0.944, 95% CI 0.486-1.8392) or 2-year landmark DFS (N = 99 and 102 in 2-year and ≥ 3-year groups, HR 0.834, 0.397-1.753). In small, higher-risk subgroup (n = 17); however, 2-year landmark DFS in ≥ 3-year group was significantly longer (HR 0.095, 0.011-0.850) than that in 2-year group. The incidence of bone-related adverse events was around 5% in both groups., Conclusions: Adjuvant leuprorelin treatment for ≥ 3 years with tamoxifen only showed similar efficacy and safety profiles to those for 2 years in analyses among all patients but suggested greater benefit in higher-risk patients. No new safety signal was identified for long-term leuprorelin treatment., Trial Registration Number: Not applicable. This was an observational study.

Background: Combined endocrine therapy with a cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor has been indicated to improve not only progression-free survival, but also overall survival in patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. However, resistance to this combination therapy inevitably develops. How to manage this resistant breast cancer is one of the most important clinical issues. To investigate the mechanisms of action responsible for resistance, we developed breast cancer cells resistant to CDK4/6 inhibitors, and analyzed their biological characteristics and sensitivity to different anticancer agents., Methods: HR-positive, HER2-negative MCF-7 and KPL-1 breast cancer cells were cultivated in palbociclib (PAL) or abemaciclib (ABE)-added culture medium for over 5 months, and we successfully developed PAL- or ABE-resistant cells. The effects of PAL or ABE on the cell growth, basal RB expression, RB phosphorylation, cell cycle and cell senescence were compared between resistant and parental cells. Effects of the other CDK4/6 inhibitor, different chemotherapeutic agents and estrogen on the cell growth were also examined. The expression levels of cyclin D1, CDK2, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin E1 and estrogen receptor (ER)-ɑ were measured using RT-PCR., Results: Long-term exposure to up to 200 nM PAL or ABE resulted in the development of PAL- or ABE-resistant MCF-7 or KPL-1 breast cancer cells. Basal expression levels of RB in both resistant cells were down-regulated. Inhibitory effects of either PAL or ABE on RB phosphorylation were reduced in both resistant cells. Accordingly, G1-S cell cycle retardation and cell senescence induced by either inhibitor were also attenuated in both resistant cells. Both resistant cells were cross-resistant to the other CDK4/6 inhibitor but almost as equally sensitive to different chemotherapeutic agents (5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, paclitaxel, docetaxel, doxorubicin and eribulin) as the parental cells. The mRNA expression level of CDK6 significantly increased in the resistant MCF-7 cells and that of Rb1 significantly decreased in the resistant KPL-1 cells. Although both resistant cells were less sensitive to estrogen than the parental cells, the expression levels of ER-ɑ did not significantly change in either., Conclusions: Our study suggests that acquired resistance to PAL or ABE confers cross-resistance to the other CDK4/6 inhibitor but not to chemotherapeutic agents in HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer cells. Down-regulation of basal RB expression and normalized RB phosphorylation reduced by CDK4/6 inhibitors may be responsible for the attenuated anti-cell growth effects of the inhibitors.

Background: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has shown that recurrent/metastatic breast cancer lesions may have additional genetic changes compared with the primary tumor. These additional changes may be related to tumor progression and/or drug resistance. However, breast cancer-targeted NGS is not still widely used in clinical practice to compare the genomic profiles of primary breast cancer and recurrent/metastatic lesions., Methods: Triplet samples of genomic DNA were extracted from each patient's normal breast tissue, primary breast cancer, and recurrent/metastatic lesion(s). A DNA library was constructed using the QIAseq Human Breast Cancer Panel (93 genes, Qiagen) and then sequenced using MiSeq (Illumina). The Qiagen web portal was utilized for data analysis., Results: Successful results for three or four samples (normal breast tissue, primary tumor, and at least one metastatic/recurrent lesion) were obtained for 11 of 35 breast cancer patients with recurrence/metastases (36 samples). We detected shared somatic mutations in all but one patient, who had a germline mutation in TP53. Additional mutations that were detected in recurrent/metastatic lesions compared with primary tumor were in genes including TP53 (three patients) and one case each of ATR, BLM, CBFB, EP300, ERBB2, MUC16, PBRM1, and PIK3CA. Actionable mutations and/or copy number variations (CNVs) were detected in 73% (8/11) of recurrent/metastatic breast cancer lesions., Conclusions: The QIAseq Human Breast Cancer Panel assay showed that recurrent/metastatic breast cancers sometimes acquired additional mutations and CNV. Such additional genomic changes could provide therapeutic target.

Aims: Precise evaluation of proliferative activity is essential for the stratified treatment of luminal-type breast cancer (BC). Immunohistochemical staining of Ki-67 has been widely used to determine proliferative activity and is recognised to be a useful prognostic marker. However, there remains discussion concerning the methodology. We aimed to develop an automated and reliable Ki-67 assessment approach for invasive BC., Materials and Results: A retrospective study was designed to include two cohorts consisting of 152 and 261 consecutive patients with luminal-type BC. Representative tissue blocks following surgery were collected, and three serial sections were stained automatically with Ki-67, pan-cytokeratin and p63. The whole slides were scanned digitally and aligned using VirtualTripleStaining - an extension to the VirtualDoubleStaining™ technique provided by Visiopharm software. The aligned files underwent automated invasive cancer detection, hot-spot identification and Ki-67 counting. The automated scores showed a significant positive correlation with the pathologists' scores (r = 0.82, P < 0.0001). Among selected patients with curative surgery and standard adjuvant therapies (n = 130), the digitally assessed low Ki-67 group (<20%) demonstrated a significantly better prognosis (breast cancer-specific survival, P = 0.030; hazard ratio = 0.038) than the high Ki-67 group., Conclusions: Digital image analysis yielded similar results to the scores determined by experienced pathologists. The prognostic utility was verified in our cohort, and an automated process is expected to have high reproducibility. Although some pitfalls were confirmed and thus need to be monitored by laboratory staff, the application could be utilised for the assessment of BC., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: A cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor, palbociclib, has been used to treat patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (+) and human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 2-negative (-) advanced breast cancer. To investigate the mechanisms underlying the antitumor activity of palbociclib, we conducted a preclinical study on the anti-cell growth and anti-cancer stem cell (CSC) activity of palbociclib in breast cancer cells., Methods: The effects of palbociclib on Rb phosphorylation, cell growth, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, cell senescence and the proportion of CSCs were investigated in five human breast cancer cell lines of different subtypes. To investigate the mechanisms of the anti-CSC activity of palbociclib, small-interfering RNAs for CDK4 and/or CDK6 were used. Palbociclib dose-dependently reduced Rb phosphorylation and cell growth in association with G1-S cell cycle blockade and the induction of cell senescence, but without increased apoptosis, in all breast cancer cell lines., Results: The anti-cell growth activity of palbociclib widely differed among the cell lines. Palbociclib also dose-dependently reduced the CSC proportion measured by three different assays in four of five cell lines. The inhibition of CDK4 expression, but not CDK6 expression, reduced the increased proportion of putative CSCs induced by estradiol in ER (+)/HER2 (-) cell lines., Conclusions: These results suggest that palbociclib exhibits significant anti-cell growth and anti-CSC activity in not only ER (+) breast cancer cell lines but also ER (-) cell lines. CDK4 inhibition induced by palbociclib may be responsible for its anti-CSC activity.

Background/aim: Matrix-producing breast carcinoma (MPBC) is a rare and usually aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In the present report, we determined the drug sensitivity for a triple-negative MPBC using a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) model., Materials and Methods: The PDOX model was established in the left 2 nd mammary by surgical orthotopic implantation (SOI). MPBC PDOX models were randomized into 4 groups (6 mice per group) when the tumor volume became 80 mm 3 : G1, control group; G2, cisplatinum group [intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection, weekly, for 2 weeks]; G3, paclitaxel group (i.p., weekly, for 2 weeks); G4, eribulin group [intravenous (i.v.) injection, weekly, for 2 weeks]. All mice were sacrificed on day 15. Tumor volume and body weight were measured one time per week., Results: The MPBC PDOX model was resistant to cisplatinum (p=0.800). Paclitaxel suppressed tumor growth compared to the control group (p=0.009). However, only eribulin regressed the tumor (p=0.001)., Conclusion: Eribulin has clinical potential for triple-negative MPBC patients., (Copyright© 2020, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Pathological diagnosis of intraductal apocrine lesions can be challenging, because even benign apocrine lesions often show atypical cytology, and immunohistochemistry is of little assistance. A new diagnostic method for apocrine lesions is desirable. The mutations present in apocrine lesions have not been well studied. We performed a MassARRAY multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) study of benign and malignant apocrine lesions, which included 152 mutations of 18 genes. We found that four of 11 benign lesions showed AKT1 or PIK3CA mutations, one of four noninvasive apocrine carcinomas showed a FBX4 mutation, two of 15 invasive apocrine carcinomas showed a PIK3CA mutation, and one invasive apocrine carcinoma showed both PIK3CA and TP53 mutations. The mutation frequency did not differ significantly between benign and malignant lesions (p = 0.683). We demonstrated that both benign and malignant apocrine lesions may contain mutations of genes in the PI3K-AKT pathway, this pathway could be a good therapeutic target of these diseases.

The development of trastuzumab has significantly improved the prognosis of HER2-positive breast cancer. However, disease recurs in some patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. A new strategy for treating HER2-positive breast cancer is necessary. Although several studies have reported that HER3 is a prognostic factor for HER2-positive breast cancers, phosphorylated HER3 (pHER3) has not been well studied. There has been no survival analysis including immunohistochemistry with trastuzumab as the primary antibody. We analyzed immunohistochemistry using anti-pHER3 antibody and FITC-labeled trastuzumab (FITC-tra). Of 78 patients enrolled in the study, we could evaluate the immunohistochemistry for pHER3 in 71 cases and that for FITC-tra in 72 cases. Sixteen cases were positive for pHER3 (16/71, 22.5%), and 19 positive for FITC-tra (19/72, 26.4%). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a significant association of pHER3 positivity (p = 0.011) but not HER3 positivity or FITC-tra positivity with disease-free survival. Therefore, immunohistochemical evaluation of pHER3 in HER2-positive breast cancer may provide a useful biomarker. An expanded study of pHER3 involving standardization of the pHER3 test to be encouraged.

Background: Invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) of the breast is characterized by its unique morphology and frequent nodal metastasis. However, the mechanism for development of this unique subtype has not been clearly elucidated. The aim of this study was to obtain a better understanding of IMPC., Methods: Using representative cases of mixed IMPC, mRNA expression in the micropapillary area and usual invasive area was compared. Then, immunohistochemical analyses for 294 cases (76 invasive carcinomas with a micropapillary feature [ICMF] and 218 invasive carcinomas without a micropapillary feature [ICNMF]) were conducted. Clinicopathological analyses were also studied., Results: DNA microarray analyses for mixed IMPC showed that BC-1514 (C21orf118) was commonly upregulated in the micropapillary area. CAMK2N1, CD1d, PJA2, RPL5, SAMD13, TCF4, and TXNIP were commonly downregulated in the micropapillary area. Immunohistochemically, we confirmed that BC-1514 was more upregulated in ICMF than in ICNMF. CD1d and PJA2 were more downregulated in ICMF than ICNMF. All patients with cases of PJA2 overexpression survived without cancer recurrence during the follow-up period, although the differences for disease-free (p = 0.153) or overall survival (p = 0.272) were not significant., Conclusions: The CD1d- and PJA2-related tumour microenvironment might be crucial for IMPC. Further study of the immune microenvironment and micropapillary features is warranted.

Background: The hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway plays important roles in cell proliferation, malignant progression, invasion and metastasis, and the expansion of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Comprehensive immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses have not yet been conducted on the expression levels of Hh signaling molecules in breast cancer tissues., Methods: A total of 204 patients with invasive breast cancer treated in our institute were study subjects. IHC analyses on the expression levels of the Hh signaling molecules, sonic Hh (SHH), PTCH1, GLI1, GLI2, and GLI3 and the CSC-related factor, SOX2, were investigated., Results: Positive correlations were observed among all of the Hh signaling molecules tested. SOX2 expression correlated with the expression levels of all Hh signaling molecules. SHH expression positively correlated with tumor size, the Ki-67 labeling index, histological grade, estrogen receptor negativity, progesterone receptor negativity, and HER2 positivity. GLI1 expression positively correlated with the histological grade. GLI2 expression positively correlated with the histological grade, Ki-67 labeling index, and HER2 positivity. Univariate analyses revealed that a younger age, larger tumor size, positive lymph node metastasis, higher histological grade, positive lymphatic invasion, and higher Ki-67 labeling index were related to poor relapse-free survival (RFS). The positivity of all Hh signaling molecules and SOX2 did not correlate with poor RFS. A multivariate analysis revealed that positive lymphatic invasion and a younger age were independent worse prognostic factors for RFS., Conclusions: This comprehensive analysis demonstrated for the first time that SHH, GLI1, and GLI2 expression levels positively correlated with the malignant phenotypes of tumor cells.

A 33-year-old woman became aware of a right breast mass at her 28th week of pregnancy. From the biopsy results, we diagnosed her with right breast cancer. At her 33rd week of pregnancy, she underwent modified radical mastectomy (pT2N3aM0, Stage III C, ER-negative, PR-negative, HER2-positive), and she elected to receive adjuvant therapy after the surgery during her pregnancy. She received the first course of EC (epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide) therapy on the 13th postoperative day (35 weeks of gestation) and gave a natural, vaginal delivery at 36 weeks and 5 days of gestation. On the 4th day after birth, the patient noticed a contralateral left breast mass and was diagnosed with left breast cancer, after core needle biopsy. She received 4 courses of EC therapy and is currently undergoing PTX plus HER (paclitaxel plus trastuzumab) therapy. Regarding chemotherapy during pregnancy, we recommend that there is no need to perform artificial preterm birth, because chemotherapy has little influence on children after their second-trimester. After the second-trimester, chemotherapy can be safely performed.

Background: We conducted an open-label, randomized controlled trial evaluating the appropriate treatment duration of leuprorelin acetate 3-month depot, TAP-144-SR (3M), administered postsurgically every 3 months for 2 years versus 3 or more (up to 5) years, in combination with tamoxifen, for 5 years in premenopausal endocrine-responsive breast cancer patients and reported similar survival benefit in the two treatment groups. We hereby present patient-reported quality of life (QOL) data obtained from this trial., Methods: Three self-administered QOL questionnaires (QOL-ACD, QOL-ACD-B, FACT-ES subscale) were used, and the difference in QOL score changes between the two groups was analyzed using a mixed-effects model for repeated measures., Results: Eligible patients (N = 222) were randomly assigned to a 2-year (2YG, N = 112) or 3-or-more-year treatment group (3YG, N = 110). The time courses of the three QOL scores during the trial period were similar in the two groups. The mean changes in the QOL scores from week 96 were largely stable through week 240 in the 3YG, but showed significantly greater improvement in the score changes from week 96 in the 2YG than the 3YG. Symptoms associated with menopause such as hot flashes and sweating contributed to these results. Menstruation recovery was associated with significantly greater improvement of these symptoms in the 2YG than the 3YG., Conclusions: Patient-reported menopause-associated symptoms and QOL improved after discontinuation of the LH-RH agonist administration and menstruation recovery. QOL information should be a consideration in long-term treatment.