scholarly journals Breast cancer stem-like cells: Clinical implications and therapeutic strategies

2016 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana Mihaela Tudoran ◽  
Ovidiu Balacescu ◽  
Ioana Berindan-Neagoe
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Stem Cells ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Treatment Decision ◽  
Tumor Formation ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Female Population ◽  
Molecular Features

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed can­cer in women, being also the leading cause of cancer death among female population, including in Romania. Resistance to therapy represents a major problem for cancer treatment. Current cancer treatments are both expensive and induce serious side effects; therefore ineffective therapies are both traumatic and pricy. Characterizing predictive markers that can identify high-risk patients could contribute to dedicated/personalized therapy to improve the life quality and expectancy of cancer patients. Moreover, there are some markers that govern specific tumor molecular features that can be targeted with specific therapies for those patients who are most likely to benefit. The identification of stem cells in both normal and malignant breast tissue have lead to the hypothesis that breast tumors arise from breast cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), and that these cells influence tumor’s response to therapy. CSCs have similar self-renewal properties to normal stem cells, however the balance between the signaling pathways is altered towards tumor formation In this review, we discuss the molecular aspects of breast CSCs and the controversies regarding their use in the diagnosis and treatment decision of breast cancer patients.

Is There a Bias Against Obese Patients in the Treatment of Breast Cancer?

2020 ◽  
pp. 000313482098487
Author(s):  
Melinda Wang ◽  
Julian Huang ◽  
Anees B. Chagpar
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Prophylactic Mastectomy ◽  
Implicit Bias ◽  
Treatment Decision ◽  
Obese Patients ◽  
Breast Cancers ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Immediate Reconstruction

Background Patient and tumor characteristics often coincide with obesity, potentially affecting treatment decision-making in obese breast cancer patients. Independent of all of these factors, however, it is unclear whether obesity itself impacts the decision to offer patients undergoing mastectomy breast reconstruction, postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT), or neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We sought to determine whether implicit bias against obese breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy plays a role in their treatment. Methods Medical records of breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy from January 2010 to April 2018 from a single institution were retrospectively reviewed, separated into obese (BMI ≥30) and nonobese (BMI <30) categories, and compared using nonparametric statistical analyses. Results Of 972 patients, 291 (31.2%) were obese. Obese patients were more likely to have node-positive, triple-negative breast cancers ( P = .026) and were also more likely to have other comorbidities such as a history of smoking ( P = .026), hypertension ( P < .001), and diabetes ( P < .001). Receipt of immediate reconstruction and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy did not vary between obese and nonobese patients. While obese patients were more likely to undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy (26.5% vs. 18.1%, P = .004) and PMRT (33.0% vs. 23.4%, P = .003), this did not remain significant when controlling for comorbidities and clinicopathologic confounders. Conclusion Obese patients present with more aggressive tumors and often have concomitant comorbidities. Independent of these factors, however, differences in the treatment of patients undergoing mastectomy do not seem to be affected by an implicit bias against obese patients.

scholarly journals Treatment Choices Based on OncotypeDx in the Breast Oncology Care Setting

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teri L. Malo ◽  
Isaac Lipkus ◽  
Tobi Wilson ◽  
Hyo S. Han ◽  
Geza Acs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Adjuvant Chemotherapy ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
Recurrence Score ◽  
Treatment Decision ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Multivariable Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Treatment Decision Making ◽  
Inform Treatment Decision

Introduction. This study aimed to evaluate whether OncotypeDx test results predict receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients who received an OncotypeDx recurrence score (RS).Materials and Methods. Pathology records were used to identify breast cancer patients who had OncotypeDx testing between December 2004 and January 2009 (n=118). Patient sociodemographic information, tumor characteristics, RS, and treatment-specific data were collected via chart review. RS was classified as follows: low (RS≤17), intermediate (RS = 18–30), or high (RS≥31). Bivariate analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between adjuvant chemotherapy receipt and each sociodemographic and clinical characteristic; significant sociodemographic and clinical variables were included in a multivariable logistic regression model.Results. In multivariable analysis controlling for tumor size, histologic grade, and nuclear grade, only RS remained significantly associated with chemotherapy uptake. Relative to low RS, an intermediate (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 21.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.62–237.52) or high (AOR, 15.07; 95% CI, 1.28–288.21) RS was associated with a greater odds of chemotherapy uptake.Discussion. Results indicate that RS was significantly associated with adjuvant chemotherapy uptake, suggesting that OncotypeDx results were used to inform treatment decision making, although it is unclear if and how the information was conveyed to patients.

Mobilization of Peripheral Blood Stem Cells with Paclitaxel and rhG-CSF in High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients

2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth R. Meehan ◽  
Rebecca Slack ◽  
Edmund Gehan ◽  
Herbert B. Herscowitz ◽  
Ellen M. Areman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Stem Cells ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Peripheral Blood Stem Cells ◽  
Blood Stem Cells ◽  
High Risk Breast Cancer ◽  
High Risk Breast ◽  
Risk Breast Cancer

Breast cancer patients' personality style, age, and treatment decision making

1996 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie D. Johnson ◽  
Cleora S. Roberts ◽  
Charles E. Cox ◽  
Douglas S. Reintgen ◽  
Judi S. Levine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Treatment Decision ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Personality Style ◽  
Treatment Decision Making

Circulating Ca 15.3 Levels in Breast Cancer. Our Present Experience

1986 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramon Colomer ◽  
Alvaro Ruibal ◽  
Matilde Navarro ◽  
Gloria Encabo ◽  
Luis Alfonso Sole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Objective Response ◽  
Stage Iv ◽  
Distant Metastases ◽  
Response To Therapy ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Benign Diseases ◽  
Ca 15.3 ◽  
Stage Iv Breast Cancer

CA 15.3 is an antigen expressed by human breast carcinoma cells, and defined by two monoclonal antibodies, 115D8 and DF3. We used IRMA to determine the circulating serum levels of CA 15.3 in 1178 subjects with breast cancer, non-breast malignancies, benign diseases and controls. A threshold level of 40 U/ml was established with 140 healthy controls and 650 patients with benign diseases (respectively 0% subjects and 1.5% patients had abnormal antigen levels). Elevated CA 15.3 was found in 12 of 184 patients with malignancies different from breast cancer (6.5%), either epithelial carcinomas with distant metastases, mainly in the liver, or primary liver tumors. Breast cancer patients (n=204) were analysed by prior therapy, UICC stage and WHO response to therapy. Eight of 134 (5.9%) patients with stage II or III breast cancer at presentation and no evidence of disease (NED) had elevated CA 15.3. All of 22 patients with stage IV breast cancer not responding to therapy (SD and PD) had antigen levels > 40 U/ml, as did 10 of 34 (29.4%) stage IV patients in objective response (CR+PR). Three of 14 pretreatment patients had abnormal marker levels, and they later proved to have distant metastases. Serum CA 15.3 values were statistically different (p < 0.01) in NED (20.6 ± 11.2 U/ml), CR+PR (33.5 ± 24.0 U/ml), stable disease (98.8 ± 50.4 U/ml) and progressive disease (> 200 U/ml) breast cancer patients. Our results suggest that circulating CA 15.3 antigen levels agree with the stage of breast cancer and with the response to therapy.

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