Personalized neoadjuvant strategy using 70-gene assay to increase breast-conserving surgery in ER+/HER2- breast cancer.

We investigated whether tailored neoadjuvant therapy (chemotherapy [NCT] or endocrine therapy [NET]) guided by a 70-gene assay could improve breast-conserving surgery (BCS) rates among patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer initially deemed ineligible for BCS. Of 130 prospectively enrolled patients (stage II-IIIA, across four Korean centers), 92 were analyzed. Patients classified as high genomic risk received NCT, while low-risk patients underwent NET (letrozole ± leuprolide for premenopausal women) for 16-24 weeks.

Trends and Perspectives in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery: Findings From a Web-Based Survey With the Korean Breast Cancer Society.

Purpose: Oncoplastic breast surgery (OPS) is a crucial component of breast cancer surgery that combines oncological safety with improved cosmetic outcomes. OPS is increasingly being adopted worldwide, although the techniques and concepts vary based on patient demographics and surgeons' expertise. This study aimed to evaluate the evolving OPS concept among Korean breast surgeons and assess the current trends in OPS techniques.

Bemcentinib enhances sensitivity to estrogen receptor inhibitors in breast cancer cells.

Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer accounts for a substantial proportion of breast cancer cases and is typically managed using ER inhibitors, such as tamoxifen and fulvestrant. However, the development of resistance to these therapies is a significant clinical challenge, and the improvement of therapeutic strategies is crucial. This study aimed to investigate the potential of bemcentinib, a well-known AXL inhibitor, to enhance the sensitivity of MCF7 breast cancer cells to 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) and fulvestrant.

Proapoptotic role of CDK1 in overcoming paclitaxel resistance in ovarian cancer cells in response to combined treatment with paclitaxel and duloxetine.

Background: Paclitaxel resistance and recurrence are major obstacles in ovarian cancer, which is the leading cause of death among gynecologic cancers. During cancer cell progression, cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) drives cells through the G2 phase and into mitosis. In this study, we demonstrated that CDK1 played a crucial role in switching paclitaxel-resistant ovarian cancer cells from mitotic arrest to apoptosis following combined treatment with paclitaxel and duloxetine, an antidepressant known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI).

Can chemotherapy be omitted for patients with N0 or N1 endocrine-sensitive breast cancer treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and tamoxifen?

Purpose: Whether administering chemotherapy followed by tamoxifen plus a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist to treat patients with lower-risk hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer provides a greater benefit than administering tamoxifen plus GnRH agonist alone remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of propensity score-matched (PSM) patients who underwent these 2 types of treatment plans.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients treated at our institution between 2009 and 2019.

Survival analysis of breast cancer patients after diagnosis of second primary malignancies, focusing on the second primary hematologic malignancy.

Purpose: Although the overall survival (OS) of breast cancer patients is increasing with improved detection and therapies, so is the risk of breast cancer patients developing subsequent malignancies. We investigated the OS of breast cancer survivors according to sites of second primary malignancies (SPM). The OS of the second primary hematologic malignancy (SPHM) was then compared with that of metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Nebivolol Sensitizes BT-474 Breast Cancer Cells to FGFR Inhibitors.

Background/aim: The fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling pathway is abnormally activated in human cancers, including breast cancer. Therefore, targeting the FGFR signaling pathway is a potent strategy to treat breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to find drugs that could increase sensitivity to FGFR inhibitor effects in BT-474 breast cancer cells, and to investigate the combined effects and underlying mechanisms of these combinations for BT-474 breast cancer cell survival.

The Significance of p-AKT1 as a Prognostic Marker and Therapeutic Target in Patients With Hormone Receptor-Positive and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2-Positive Early Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Phosphorylated AKT1 (p-AKT1) at Ser473 is a functional isoform of AKT and a key component of the PI3K/mTOR/AKT pathway. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of p-AKT1 (Ser473) based on the molecular subtypes of breast cancer.

Methods: To investigate the prognostic value of p-AKT1 (Ser473), we performed a retrospective chart review of patients with breast cancer.

Survival benefit from axillary surgery in patients aged 70 years or older with clinically node-negative breast cancer: A population-based propensity-score matched analysis.

Background: Older patients with breast cancer have good prognosis and most die from diseases other than breast cancer. Previous studies suggested that the surgical extent in older patients could be reduced. We aimed to compare survival outcomes in patients aged ≥70 years with clinically node-negative breast cancer, based on whether axillary surgery was performed.

Knockdown of YAP/TAZ sensitizes tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 breast cancer cells.

Although endocrine therapy with tamoxifen has improved survival in breast cancer patients, resistance to this therapy remains one of the major causes of breast cancer mortality. In the present study, we found that the expression level of YAP/TAZ in tamoxifen-resistant MCF7 (MCF7-TR) breast cancer cells was significantly increased compared with that in MCF7 cells. Knockdown of YAP/TAZ with siRNA sensitized MCF7-TR cells to tamoxifen.

The Prediction of HER2-Targeted Treatment Response Using Cu-Tetra-Azacyclododecanetetra-Acetic Acid (DOTA)-Trastuzumab PET/CT in Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Case Report.

A 45-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer reported disease progression in the form of metastatic lung and recurrent breast lesions following chemotherapy and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapy. The patient underwent Cu-tetra-azacyclododecanetetra-acetic acid (DOTA)-trastuzumab positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) to evaluate the HER2 expression status. Cu-DOTA-trastuzumab accumulated in the left breast and lymph nodes but not in the lung lesions.

miR-3188 Enhances Sensitivity of Breast Cancer Cells to Ionizing Radiation by Down-regulating Rictor.

Background/aim: Rictor is an adaptor protein essential for mTORC2, which regulates cell growth and survival. The aim of this study was to identify microRNAs (miR) that down-regulate Rictor and investigate their function on breast cancer cell survival.

Materials And Methods: Trypan blue assay, MTT assay, polymerase chain reaction analysis, luciferase reporter assay and western blot analysis were carried out in breast cancer cell lines HCC1954, MDA-MB-231, SK-BR-3, and BT474.

A preliminary clinical trial to evaluate Cu-NOTA-Trastuzumab as a positron emission tomography imaging agent in patients with breast cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate both the biodistribution and safety of Cu-1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (NOTA)-Trastuzumab, a novel Cu-labeled positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: PET images at 1, 24, and 48 h after 296 MBq of Cu-NOTA-Trastuzumab injection were obtained from seven patients with breast cancer. Both the primary tumors' and metastatic lesions' maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) was evaluated.

Early prediction of neoadjuvant chemotherapy response for advanced breast cancer using PET/MRI image deep learning.

This study aimed to investigate the predictive efficacy of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the pathological response of advanced breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). The breast PET/MRI image deep learning model was introduced and compared with the conventional methods. PET/CT and MRI parameters were evaluated before and after the first NAC cycle in patients with advanced breast cancer [n = 56; all women; median age, 49 (range 26-66) years].

Characteristics and prognosis of 17 special histologic subtypes of invasive breast cancers according to World Health Organization classification: comparative analysis to invasive carcinoma of no special type.

Background: Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with various histopathologic subtypes. Except for invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST), other subtypes are rare with limited data. The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics and prognosis of special histopathologic subtypes of breast cancer compared to NST.

Predicting the Benefit of Adjuvant Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Patients with Phosphorylated S6K1 Expression Status.

Purpose: Phosphorylated ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (pS6K1) is a major downstream regulator of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Recent studies have addressed the role of S6K1 in adipogenesis. pS6K1 may affect the outcome of estrogen depletion therapy in patients with hormone-sensitive breast cancer due to its association with adipogenesis and increased local estrogen levels.

Hypoxia Suppresses Cysteine Deprivation-induced Cell Death ATF4 Regulation in MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells.

Background/aim: Cancer cells are frequently exposed to microenvironmental stresses, including amino acid deprivation and hypoxia, which are often targeted for cancer therapy. Here, we examined the effect of hypoxia in cysteine-deprived breast cancer cells and the mechanism to counteract the hypoxia effect.

Materials And Methods: Cell death was determined by annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide staining.

Predicting Radiation Resistance in Breast Cancer with Expression Status of Phosphorylated S6K1.

Emerging evidence suggests that the mammalian target of rapamcyin (mTOR) pathway is associated with radio-resistance in cancer treatment. We hypothesised that phosphorylated ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (p-S6K1), a major downstream regulator of the mTOR pathway, may play a role in predicting radio-resistance. Therefore, we evaluated the association of p-S6K1 expression with radio-resistance in breast cancer cell lines and patients.

pS6K1 as an efficacy marker of GnRH agonist with premenopausal breast cancer.

Estradiol is a key factor for tumorigenesis and prognosis of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Adipocytes are one source of estradiol in patients with breast cancer. Recent studies have shown that phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 kinase-1 plays a critical role in adipogenesis.

Clinical subtypes and prognosis in breast cancer according to parity: a nationwide study in Korean Breast Cancer Society.

Purpose: We explored the association between parity and the risk of developing a specific subtype of breast cancer. We also assessed the association between parity and prognosis according to subtypes.

Methods: A total of 158,189 patients were enrolled in the Korean Breast Cancer Society Registry database between 1996 and 2015 in Korea.

Post-chemotherapy serum anti-Müllerian hormone level predicts ovarian function recovery.

In the era of precision medicine, the prediction of ovarian function recovery from chemotherapy-induced amenorrhoea using feasible biological markers may be helpful to optimise the treatment strategy for young patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of post-chemotherapy biological markers for predicting the recovery of ovarian function in breast cancer patients of the ASTRRA trial, with chemotherapy-induced amenorrhoea. Using data of 82 participants from a single institution in the ASTRRA trial, the post-chemotherapy serum levels of the anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), oestradiol, inhibin B and other clinical factors associated with chemotherapy-induced amenorrhoea were evaluated.

Comparative Study between Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy and Axillary Dissection in Patients with One or Two Lymph Node Metastases.

Purpose: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a standard axillary surgery in early breast cancer. If the SLNB result is positive, subsequent axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) is a routine procedure. In 2011, the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011 trial revealed that ALND may not be necessary in early breast cancer with one or two positive sentinel lymph nodes.

Prediction of tumor differentiation using sequential PET/CT and MRI in patients with breast cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess tumor differentiation using parameters from sequential positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: This retrospective study included 78 patients with breast cancer. All patients underwent sequential PET/CT and MRI.