scholarly journals Decrease in Depression Symptoms Is Associated With Longer Survival in Patients With Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Secondary Analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janine Giese-Davis ◽  
Kate Collie ◽  
Kate M.S. Rancourt ◽  
Eric Neri ◽  
Helena C. Kraemer ◽  
...  

Purpose Numerous studies have examined the comorbidity of depression with cancer, and some have indicated that depression may be associated with cancer progression or survival. However, few studies have assessed whether changes in depression symptoms are associated with survival. Methods In a secondary analysis of a randomized trial of supportive-expressive group therapy, 125 women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) completed a depression symptom measure (Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale [CES-D]) at baseline and were randomly assigned to a treatment group or to a control group that received educational materials. At baseline and three follow-up points, 101 of 125 women completed a depression symptom measure. We used these data in a Cox proportional hazards analysis to examine whether decreasing depression symptoms over the first year of the study (the length of the intervention) would be associated with longer survival. Results Median survival time was 53.6 months for women with decreasing CES-D scores over 1 year and 25.1 months for women with increasing CES-D scores. There was a significant effect of change in CES-D over the first year on survival out to 14 years (P = .007) but no significant interaction between treatment condition and CES-D change on survival. Neither demographic nor medical variables explained this association. Conclusion Decreasing depression symptoms over the first year were associated with longer subsequent survival for women with MBC in this sample. Further research is necessary to confirm this hypothesis in other samples, and causation cannot be assumed based on this analysis.

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. BCBCR.S14920
Author(s):  
Victor C. Kok ◽  
Sheng-Chung Wu ◽  
Chien-Kuang Lee

Sequential palliative chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer incorporating weekly gemcitabine administered as three-weeks-on, one-week-off schedule is widely adopted throughout the East Asia region. Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) associated with weekly gemcitabine for a breast cancer patient is extremely rare. We report here a case of 43-year-old woman with metastatic breast cancer who received weekly gemcitabine as a third-line palliative chemotherapy for her disease. She developed HUS after a cumulative dose of 11,000 mg/m2 gemcitabine, evidenced by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia (MAHA) with schistocytes seen in peripheral blood smear, decreased haptoglobin level (<0.29 mmol/L), thrombocytopenia, negative direct Coombs test, and acute kidney injury. Owing to the ease of administration of weekly gemcitabine, gemcitabine-induced thrombocytopenia, multifactorial anemia in metastatic breast cancer, and possibility of cancer progression, HUS could have gone unnoticed. Breast cancer oncologist should be cognizant of this rare HUS even during weekly gemcitabine treatment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 619-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Clark ◽  
Manu P. Kumar ◽  
Sarah E. Wheeler ◽  
Carissa L. Young ◽  
Raman Venkataramanan ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 227
Author(s):  
Maria Ida Amabile ◽  
Federico Frusone ◽  
Alessandro De Luca ◽  
Domenico Tripodi ◽  
Giovanni Imbimbo ◽  
...  

Although they cannot be considered curative, the new therapeutic integrated advances in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) have substantially improved patient outcomes. Traditionally, surgery was confined to palliation of symptomatic or ulcerating lumps. Data suggest, in some cases, a possible additive role for more aggressive locoregional surgical therapy in combination with systemic treatments in the metastatic setting, although a low level of evidence has been shown in terms of improvement in overall survival in MBC patients treated with surgery and medical treatment compared to medical treatment alone. In this light, tumor heterogeneity remains a challenge. To effectively reshape the therapeutic approach to MBC, careful consideration of who is a good candidate for locoregional resection is paramount. The patient’s global health condition, impacting on cancer progression and morbidity and their associated molecular targets, have to be considered in treatment decision-making. In particular, more recently, research has been focused on the role of metabolic derangements, including the presence of metabolic syndrome, which represent well-known conditions related to breast cancer recurrence and distant metastasis and are, therefore, involved in the prognosis. In the present article, we focus on locoregional surgical strategies in MBC and whether concomitant metabolic derangements may have a role in prognosis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e21029-e21029
Author(s):  
Christopher Neal ◽  
Sujita Sukumaran ◽  
Vishal Gupta ◽  
Insiya Jafferji ◽  
Dave Hasegawa ◽  
...  

e21029 Background: Up-regulation of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the reduction of epithelial marker expression is associated with invasion, cancer progression, resistance to conventional therapies and poor prognosis. ApoStream, a novel continuous flow dielectrophoresis field-flow fractionation (DEP-FFF) device, was used to enable antibody-independent capture of circulating cancer cells (CCCs,also referred to as circulating tumor cells, CTC) for subsequent phenotyping of EMT markers. Methods: A side-by-side comparison of CellSearch and ApoStream was performed on 10 metastatic breast cancer patients. A multiplexed immunofluorescent assay and laser scanning cytometry analyses were used to unambiguously identify CK+/CD45–/DAPI+ CCCs and quantify their EpCAM and vimentin expression. Results: ApoStream recovered CK+/CD45–/DAPI+ CCCs from each breast cancer patient sample tested (mean=255 CCCs per 7.5 ml blood, see Table). ApoStream consistently recovered significantly higher number of CCCs compared to CellSearch (p=0.024). ApoStream recovered both EpCAM+ and EpCAM– CCCs in 50% and 90% of patients, respectively. Vimentin+ CCCs were isolated from 90% of patients. Conclusions: ApoStream’s higher capture efficiency demonstrated the majority of CCCs from breast cancer patients were EpCAM negative and vimentin-positive. ApoStream technology can be used to monitor CCCs undergoing EMT. [Table: see text]


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 1741-1748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiu Juan Li ◽  
Zhao Jun Ren ◽  
Jin Hai Tang ◽  
Qiao Yu

Background/Aims: Treatment of breast cancer remains a clinical challenge. This study aims to validate exosomal microRNA-1246 (miR-1246) as a serum biomarker for breast cancer and understand the underlying mechanism in breast cancer progression. Methods: The expression levels of endogenous and exosomal miRNAs were examined by real time PCR, and the expression level of the target protein was detected by western blot. Scanning electron and confocal microscopy were used to characterize exosomes and to study their uptake and transfer. Luciferase reporter plasmids and its mutant were used to confirm direct targeting. Furthermore, the functional significance of exosomal miR-1246 was estimated by invasion assay and cell viability assay. Results: In this study, we demonstrate that exosomes carrying microRNA can be transferred among different cell lines through direct uptake. miR-1246 is highly expressed in metastatic breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells compared to non-metastatic breast cancer cells or non-malignant breast cells. Moreover, miR-1246 can suppress the expression level of its target gene, Cyclin-G2 (CCNG2), indicating its functional significance. Finally, treatment with exosomes derived from MDA-MB-231 cells could enhance the viability, migration and chemotherapy resistance of non-malignant HMLE cells. Conclusions: Together, our results support an important role of exosomes and exosomal miRNAs in regulating breast tumor progression, which highlights their potential for applications in miRNA-based therapeutics.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renske Altena ◽  
Sofie A.M. Gernaat ◽  
Ulla Wilking ◽  
Narsis A. Kiani ◽  
Aina Johnsson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Advances in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (mBC) have led to improved life expectancy. Many cancer survivors desire to return to paid work to enhance their sense of well-being. For patients with mBC, little is known about how the diagnosis impacts ability to work or the factors that increase the need for sickness benefits. Patients and methods Data were collected from two Swedish national registers, for females ages 18 to 63 years in the Stockholm-Gotland healthcare region with a new diagnosis of mBC from 1997 through 2011. Type of first-line palliative treatment was identified in medical records of a subset of the study population. Use of sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP) by these patients during the year before and one and two years after mBC diagnosis was determined from a third register. Regression analysis was performed to ascertain which covariate factors were associated with long-term (> 30 days) SA. Results A total of 1,240 patients were evaluated the year before and the first year after mBC diagnosis; only 805 patients were still alive and evaluated the second year after diagnosis. The proportions of patients having SA and DP were 56.0% and 24.8% the year before, 69.9% and 28.9% the first year after, and 64.0% and 34.7% the second year after diagnosis, respectively. Adjusted odds of having long-term SA were significantly higher at 1 and 2 years after diagnosis for patients with age < 45 years (AOR = 3.43 and AOR = 1.70, respectively), early calendar year of diagnosis (AOR = 1.72 and AOR = 1.79, respectively), metachronous mBC (AOR = 4.85 and AOR = 4.52, respectively), and SA ≥ 90 days the year before diagnosis (AOR = 3.44 and AOR = 1.98, respectively). Odds were also significantly higher the second after diagnosis for patients treated with chemotherapy (AOR = 1.81) or radiotherapy (AOR = 2.23), compared to those treated with hormonal therapy, Conclusions Rates of SA and DP increase after a diagnosis of mBC. Women who are younger, develop metachronous mBC, use SA heavily before mBC, and receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy have a greater need for sickness benefits after an mBC diagnosis.


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