• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1269-1274
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• 2014

Breast tubular adenomas are rare benign breast tumors and detailed descriptions of their sonographic appearance are necessary for differential diagnosis from fibroadenomas or breast cancers. This study investigated twenty-one histology-proved tubular adenomas in 17 patients and also included 48 fibroadenomas in 35 patients as a control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups with clinical presentation, which was age, tumor location, tumor number (p>0.05). Statistic analysis showed three significant factors in the differential diagnosis of tubular adenomas and fibroadenomas, including macro-lobulation (p=0.01), "tiny branch like" patterns (p=0.001) and vascularity (p=0.02). Other ultrasonographic features such as echogenicity, border, uniformity of echotexture, posterior acoustic enhancement, lateral wall shadowing were of no clinical significance (p>0.05). Calcifications were seen in three tubular adenomas which were different from those of carcinomas. Although tubular adenomas have some typical characteristics on sonography, surgery and core needle biopsy are still needed for complex cases to exclude progress to malignancy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.1
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• pp.246-251
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• 2022

Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is an inherited autosomal-dominant tumor-predisposition disorder caused by germline mutations in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene. Since patients with LFS are likely to develop therapy-related cancers, radiation therapy should be avoided if breast cancer is found in these individuals. Herein, we present a case of secondary breast cancer in an LFS patient after radiation and chemotherapy for the first diagnosed breast sarcoma.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4603-4608
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• 2015

Background: To determine the potential value of serum tumor markers in predicting pCR (pathological complete response) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively monitored the pro-, mid-, and post-neoadjuvant treatment serum tumor marker concentrations in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (stage II-III) who accepted pre-surgical chemotherapy or chemotherapy in combination with targeted therapy at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center between September 2011 and January 2014 and investigated the association of serum tumor marker levels with therapeutic effect. Core needle biopsy samples were assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC) prior to neoadjuvant treatment to determine hormone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2), and proliferation index Ki67 values. In our study, therapeutic response was evaluated by pCR, defined as the disappearance of all invasive cancer cells from excised tissue (including primary lesion and axillary lymph nodes) after completion of chemotherapy. Analysis of variance of repeated measures and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed for statistical analysis of the data. Results: A total of 348 patients were recruited in our study after excluding patients with incomplete clinical information. Of these, 106 patients were observed to have acquired pCR status after treatment completion, accounting for approximately 30.5% of study individuals. In addition, 147patients were determined to be Her-2 positive, among whom the pCR rate was 45.6% (69 patients). General linear model analysis (repeated measures analysis of variance) showed that the concentration of cancer antigen (CA) 15-3 increased after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in both pCR and non-pCR groups, and that there were significant differences between the two groups (P=0.008). The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of pre-, mid-, and post-treatment CA15-3 concentrations demonstrated low-level predictive value (AUC=0.594, 0.644, 0.621, respectively). No significant differences in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) or CA12-5 serum levels were observed between the pCR and non-pCR groups (P=0.196 and 0.693, respectively). No efficient AUC of CEA or CA12-5 concentrations were observed to predict patient response toward neoadjuvant treatment (both less than 0.7), nor were differences between the two groups observed at different time points. We then analyzed the Her-2 positive subset of our cohort. Significant differences in CEA concentrations were identified between the pCR and non-pCR groups (P=0.039), but not in CA15-3 or CA12-5 levels (p=0.092 and 0.89, respectively). None of the ROC curves showed underlying prognostic value, as the AUCs of these three markers were less than 0.7. The ROC-AUCs for the CA12-5 concentrations of inter-and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the estrogen receptor negative HER2 positive subgroup were 0.735 and 0.767, respectively. However, the specificity and sensitivity values were at odds with each other which meant that improving either the sensitivity or specificity would impair the efficiency of the other. Conclusions: Serum tumor markers CA15-3, CA12-5, and CEA might have little clinical significance in predicting neoadjuvant treatment response in locally advanced breast cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2213-2218
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• 2012

Introduction: Worldwide, breast cancer is the commonest cause of cancer death in women. However, the survival rate varies across regions at averages of 73%and 57% in the developed and developing countries, respectively. Objective: This study aimed to determine the survival rate of breast cancer among the women of Malaysia and characteristics of the survivors. Method: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on secondary data obtained from the Breast Cancer Registry and medical records of breast cancer patients admitted to Hospital Kuala Lumpur from 2005 to 2009. Survival data were validated with National Birth and Death Registry. Statistical analysis applied logistic regression, the Cox proportional hazard model, the Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test. Results: A total of 868 women were diagnosed with breast cancer between January 2005 and December 2009, comprising 58%, 25% and 17% Malays, Chinese and Indians, respectively. The overall survival rate was 43.5% (CI 0.573-0.597), with Chinese, Indians and Malays having 5 year survival rates of 48.2% (CI 0.444-0.520), 47.2% (CI 0.432-0.512) and 39.7% (CI 0.373-0.421), respectively (p<0.05). The survival rate was lower as the stages increased, with the late stages were mostly seen among the Malays (46%), followed by Chinese (36%) and Indians (34%). Size of tumor>3.0cm; lymph node involvement, ERPR, and HER 2 status, delayed presentation and involvement of both breasts were among other factors that were associated with poor survival. Conclusions: The overall survival rate of Malaysian women with breast cancer was lower than the western figures with Malays having the lowest because they presented at late stage, after a long duration of symptoms, had larger tumor size, and had more lymph nodes affected. There is an urgent need to conduct studies on why there is delay in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer women in Malaysia.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.167-176
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• 2023

Background: A breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide and among different types of breast cancers, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a poor prognosis. Methods: We investigated the potential of ginsenoside compound K (CK), an active ingredient in the bio-transformed ginsenoside, to be used as a therapeutic ingredient by examining the effects of CK on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cancer-related gene expressions in breast cancer cells. Results: From the results of treating MCF-7, an ER and PR-positive breast cancer cells, and MDA-MB-231 (TNBC) with CK at a concentration of 0-100 µM, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) values for each cell were 52.17 µM and 29.88 µM, respectively. And also, it was confirmed that cell migration was inhibited above the IC50 concentration. In addition, fluorescence analysis of Apoptosis/Necrosis showed that CK induced apoptosis rather than necrosis of breast cancer cells. Through qPCR, it was confirmed that the expression of genes related to apoptosis and cell cycle arrest was increased in CK-treated breast cancer cells, and it acted more effectively on TNBC. However, the expression of genes related to tumor invasion and metastasis is also increased, so it is necessary to consider the timing of application of CK as a potential therapeutic anticancer compound. Conclusions: CK showed a stronger inhibitory effect in TNBC with poor prognosis but considering the high tumor invasion and metastasis-related gene expression, the timing of application of CK should be considered.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1047-1049
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• 2015

Background: This systematic analysis was conducted to investigate pathological diagnosis of vertebral tumor metastasis with unknown primaries. Methods: Clinical studies conducted to pathologically investigate vertebral tumor metastasis were identified using a predefined search strategy. Pooled diagnosis (PD) of each pathological confirmation was calculated. Results: For vertebral tumor metastasis, 5 clinical studies which included 762 patients were considered eligible for inclusion. Systematic analysis suggested that, for all patients with vertebral tumor metastasis, dominant PD was pathologically confirmed with lung cancer in 21.7% (165/762), with breast cancer in 26.6% (203/762) and with prostate cancer in 19.2% (146/762). Other diagnosis that could be confirmed included lymphoma, multiple myeloma, renal cancer, for example, in this cohort of patients. Conclusions: This systemic analysis suggested that breast, lung and prostate lesions could be the most common pathological types of cancer for vertebral tumor metastasis formunknown primaries, and other common diagnoses could include lymphoma, multiple myeloma, renal cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3917-3922
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• 2015

Curcumin, a lipid-soluble compound extracted from the plant Curcuma Longa, has been found to exert immunomodulatory effects via macrophages. However, most studies focus on the low bioavailability issue of curcumin by nano and microparticles, and thus the role of macrophages in the anticancer mechanism of curcumin has received little attention so far. We have previously shown the potential biocompatibility, biodegradability and anti-cancer effects of dendrosomal curcumin (DNC). In this study, twenty-seven BALB/c mice were equally divided into control as well as 40 and 80 mg/kg groups of DNC to investigate the involvement of macrophages in the antitumor effects of curcumin in a typical animal model of metastatic breast cancer. At the end of intervention, the tumor volume and weight were significantly reduced in DNC groups compared to control (P<0.05). Histopathological data showed the presence of macrophages in tumor and spleen tissues. Real-time PCR results showed that DNC increased the expression of STAT4 and IL-12 genes in tumor and spleen tissues in comparison with control (P<0.05), referring to the high levels of M1 macrophages. Furthermore treatment with DNC decreased STAT3, IL-10 and arginase I gene expression (P<0.05), indicating low levels of M2 macrophage. The results confirm the role of macrophages in the protective effects of dendrosomal curcumin against metastatic breast cancer in mice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.1111-1113
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• 2012

The ER-/PR+ breast tumor may be the result of a false ER negative result. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a difference in patient and tumor characteristics of the ER-/PR+ phenotype in an Asian setting. A total of 2629 breast cancer patients were categorized on the basis of their age, ethnicity, tumor hormonal receptor phenotype, grade and histological type. There were 1230 (46.8%) ER+/PR+, 306 (11.6%) ER+/PR-, 122 (4.6%) ER-/PR+ and 972 (37%) ER-/PR-. ER-/PR+ tumors were 2.5 times more likely to be younger than 50 years at diagnosis (OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.72-3.67). Compared to ER+/PR+ tumors, the ER-/PR+ phenotype was twice more likely to be associated with grade 3 tumors (OR:2.02; 95%CI: 1.00-4.10). In contrast, compared to ER-/PR- tumors, the ER-/PR+ phenotype was 90% less likely to be associated with a grade 3 tumor (OR: 0.12; 95%CI:0.05-0.26), and more likely to have invasive lobular than invasive ductal histology (OR: 3.66; 95%CI: 1.47-9.11). These results show that the ER-/PR+ phenotype occurs in a younger age group and is associated with intermediate histopathological characteristics compared to ER+/PR+ and ER-/PR- tumors. This may imply that it is a distinct entity and not a technical artifact.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 1999

To make the objective standard of nuclear size ingrading nuclear pleomorphism of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, we measured maximal nuclear diameter of tumor cells on imprint cytology slides and histologic sections from 65 cases by using computer-based image analysis system(Optimas 6.0). The maximal diameter of red blood cells were also measured to evaluate the ratio of maximal nuclear diameter of tumor cells to maximal diameter of red blood cells. The mean values of maximal nuclear diameter of tumor cells on imprint cytology slides and histologic sections were $7.56{\mu}m,\;7.53{\mu}m$ in nuclear grade 1, $8.92{\pm}0.98{\mu}m,\;9.02{\pm}0.74{\mu}m$ in nuclear grade 2, and $12.90{\pm}1.47{\mu}m,\;12.44{\pm}1.41{\mu}m$ in nuclear grade 3, respectively. There were no significant differences between values of imprint cytology and histologic section. The ratio of maximal nuclear diameter of tumor cells to maximal diameter of red blood cells were 1.3-1.4:1 in nuclear grade 1, 1.6-1.7:1 in nuclear grade 2, and 2.2-2.3:1 in nuclear grade 3. These values would be guidelines for grading nuclear pleomorphism of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast on routine surgical pathology work.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.823-829
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• 2015

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of the transcription factor Ki-67, ER, PR, Her2/neu, p21, EGFR, and TOP II-${\alpha}$ in the tumor tissue of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma(IDC); in addition, we examined correlations between these markers. Two hundred and sixteen IDC patients, who were not previously been treated with chemo- or radiotherapy, were included in the study. All tumors were grade I-III. Expression of molecular markers was determined by immunohistochemical analysis on paraffin-embedded tissue sections. Follow-up data were collected for 3 months to 10 years and analyzed for tumor recurrence, survival time, and prognostic risk factors. We determined Ki-67 expression correlates with the expression of ER, PR, HER-2, EGFR, and TOP-${\alpha}$, as well as lymph node involvement, high tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, high tumor stage, and high TNM stage in IDC. Positive Ki-67 expression was a risk factor for rapid tumor recurrence and may help tumor progression, leading to poor prognosis in IDC. Ki-67 was directly correlated with EGFR, TOP II-${\alpha}$, lymph node involvement, high tumor grade, lymphovascular invasion, high tumor stage, and high TNM stage in the hormone receptor subtypes of breast cancer. In triple negative breast cancer, Ki-67 correlated with TOP II-${\alpha}$. Expression of Ki-67 correlated with that of ER, PR, HER-2, EGFR, TOP II-${\alpha}$, and p21. In addition, the biomarker Ki-67 has a role as a prognostic factor and indicates a poor prognosis in IDC.