Kátia Piton Serra

Aluminum concentrations in central and peripheral areas of malignant breast lesions do not differ from those in normal breast tissues

BackgroundAluminum is used in a wide range of applications and is a potential environmental hazard. The known genotoxic effects of aluminum might play a role in the development of breast cancer. However, the data currently available on the subject are not sufficient to establish a causal relationship between aluminum exposure and the augmented risk of developing breast cancer. To achieve maximum sensitivity and specificity in the determination of aluminum levels, we have developed a detection protocol using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The objective of the present study was to compare the aluminum levels in the central and peripheral areas of breast carcinomas with those in the adjacent normal breast tissues, and to identify patient and/or tumor characteristics associated with these aluminum levels.MethodsA total of 176 patients with breast cancer were included in the study. Samples from the central and peripheral areas of their tumors were obtained, as well as from the surrounding normal breast tissue. Aluminum quantification was performed using GFAAS.ResultsThe average (mean ± SD) aluminum concentrations were as follows: central area, 1.88 ± 3.60 mg/kg; peripheral area, 2.10 ± 5.67 mg/kg; and normal area, 1.68 ± 11.1 mg/kg. Overall and two-by-two comparisons of the aluminum concentrations in these areas indicated no significant differences. We detected a positive relationship between aluminum levels in the peripheral areas of the tumors, age and menopausal status of the patients (P = .02).ConclusionsUsing a sensitive quantification technique we detected similar aluminum concentrations in the central and peripheral regions of breast tumors, and in normal tissues. In addition, we did not detect significant differences in aluminum concentrations as related to the location of the breast tumor within the breast, or to other relevant tumor features such as stage, size and steroid receptor status. The next logical step is the assessment of whether the aluminum concentration is related to the key genomic abnormalities associated with breast carcinogenesis.

Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and p53 in neighboring invasive and in situ components of breast tumors.

The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the expression of COX-2 and p53, hormone receptors and HER-2 in the in situ (DCIS) and invasive components of ductal carcinomas (IDC) of the same breast. The expression of COX-2, p53, and hormone receptors was assessed in 87 cases of IDC with contiguous areas of DCIS. Results showed that there was no difference in COX-2 expression comparing the in situ and invasive components of the tumors. In the in situ component, there was a statistically borderline increase in p53 expression in tumors that also expressed COX-2. ER-positive specimens were more common in the group of tumors that expressed COX-2 in the invasive component. From this study we conclude that the expression of COX-2 was similar in the in situ and invasive components of the breast carcinomas. COX-2 positivity was marginally related with the expression of p53 in the in situ components, and with the ER expression in the invasive components.

HER2 expression in Brazilian patients with estrogen and progesterone receptor-negative breast carcinoma

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between clinical and pathological factors and survival in patients with double negative HER2-overexpressing carcinoma and triple negative carcinoma. One hundred and sixty-one (161) patients diagnosed with breast cancer negative for estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) were included. Of the total, 58 patients had double negative HER2-overexpressing (ER/PR-negative and HER2-positive) and 103 had triple negative (ER-negative, PR-negative and HER2-negative). ER and PR expression was assessed through immunohistochemistry (IHC) and HER2 expression was measured by immunohistochemistry and Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) analysis in tissue microarray. More than 80% had stages II and III disease and histologic grade III and nuclear grade 3. Patients with triple negative breast carcinoma had undifferentiated histologic types in 11% of cases and vascular invasion in 14.5%. Both groups had more than 50% visceral metastases. HER2 expression (p=0.42) and vascular invasion (p=0.05) did not interfere with survival. Survival of patients with Stages I-II disease was significantly longer than in those with Stage III disease both for double negative HER2-overexpressing carcinomas (p<0.0001) and triple negative carcinomas (p=0.03). The study shows that hormone receptor-negative breast carcinomas were undifferentiated and diagnosed at advanced stages and that HER2 expression was not associated with overall survival.

Nova classificação dos carcinomas da mama: procurando o luminal A

PURPOSE:To compare the distributions of patients with clinical-pathological subtypes of luminal B-like breast cancer according to the 2011 and 2013 St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference Expert Panel.METHODS:We studied 142 women with breast cancer who were positive to estrogen receptor and had been treated in Sao Paulo state, southeast Brazil. The expression of the following receptors was assessed by immunohistochemistry: estrogen, progesterone (PR) and Ki-67. The expression of HER-2 was measured by fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis in tissue microarray.RESULTS:There were 29 cases of luminal A breast cancers according to the 2011 St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference Expert Panel that were classified as luminal B-like in the 2013 version. Among the 65 luminal B-like breast cancer cases, 29 (45%) were previous luminal A tumors, 15 cases (20%) had a Ki-67 >14% and were at least 20% PR positive and 21 cases (35%) had Ki-67 >14% and more than 20% were PR positive.CONCLUSIONS:The 2013 St. Gallen consensus updated the definition of intrinsic molecular subtypes and increased the number of patients classified as having luminal B-like breast cancer in our series, for whom the use of cytotoxic drugs will probably be proposed with additional treatment cost.

Nova classificação dos carcinomas da mama

PURPOSE:To compare the distributions of patients with clinical-pathological subtypes of luminal B-like breast cancer according to the 2011 and 2013 St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference Expert Panel.METHODS:We studied 142 women with breast cancer who were positive to estrogen receptor and had been treated in Sao Paulo state, southeast Brazil. The expression of the following receptors was assessed by immunohistochemistry: estrogen, progesterone (PR) and Ki-67. The expression of HER-2 was measured by fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis in tissue microarray.RESULTS:There were 29 cases of luminal A breast cancers according to the 2011 St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference Expert Panel that were classified as luminal B-like in the 2013 version. Among the 65 luminal B-like breast cancer cases, 29 (45%) were previous luminal A tumors, 15 cases (20%) had a Ki-67 >14% and were at least 20% PR positive and 21 cases (35%) had Ki-67 >14% and more than 20% were PR positive.CONCLUSIONS:The 2013 St. Gallen consensus updated the definition of intrinsic molecular subtypes and increased the number of patients classified as having luminal B-like breast cancer in our series, for whom the use of cytotoxic drugs will probably be proposed with additional treatment cost.

Expressão da proteína erbB-2 e dos receptores de hormônios na transição das regiões in situ para invasora de tumores da mama

PURPOSE to evaluate the expression of erbB-2 and of the estrogen and progesterone (ER/P) hormonal receptors in the transition regions between the in situ and the invasive fractions of ductal breast neoplasia (ISDC and IDC, respectively). METHODS Eighty-five cases of breast neoplasia, containing contiguous ISDC and IDC areas, were selected. Histological specimens from the ISDC and the IDC areas were obtained through the tissue microarray (TMA) technique. The erbB-2 and the ER/PR expressions were evaluated through conventional immunohistochemistry. The McNemars test was used for the comparative analysis of the expressions of erbB-2 protein and the ER/PR in the in situ and invasive regions of the tumors. The confidence intervals were set to 5% (p=0.05). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to assess the cross-tabulation agreement of the erbB-2 and the ER/PR expression in the ISDC and the IDC areas. RESULTS the erbB-2 expression has not differed between the ISDC and the IDC areas (p=0.38). Comparing the two areas in each case, there was agreement in the expression of erbB-2 (ICC=0.64), PR (ICC=0.71) and ER (ICC=0.64). Restricting the analysis to tumors with the in situ component harboring necrosis (comedo), the ICC for erbB-2 was 0.4, compared to 0.6 for the whole sample. In this select group, the ICC for PR/ER did not differ substantially from those obtained with the complete dataset: as for the ER, ICC=0.7 (versus 0.7 for the entire sample) and for PR, ICC=0.7 (versus 0.6 for the entire sample). CONCLUSIONS our findings suggest that the erbB-2 and the ER/PR expressions do not differ in the contiguous in situ and invasive components of breast ductal tumors.

Comparative evaluation of the erbB2 and hormone receptor status of neighboring invasive and in situ components of ductal carcinomas of the breast

BACKGROUND It remains unknown whether erbB2 expression and hormone receptor status predict the invasive potential of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast. OBJECTIVES To examine erbB2 and estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) status in the precise areas where DCIS turns into invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). SUBJECTS AND METHODS Eighty-seven cases of breast malignancies harboring contiguous regions of DCIS and IDC were selected. Separate histological samples from the DCIS and the neighboring IDC were obtained using tissue microarrays. The erbB2 and ER/PR statuses were assessed using immunohistochemistry (erbB2 and ER/PR) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH - only erbB2). RESULTS The expression of erbB2 did not differ in the DCIS and IDC components of the breast tumors (p=0.35). There was good agreement in sample-by-sample comparisons of erbB2 (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.78), PR (ICC=0.61) and ER (ICC=0.70) expression in the DCIS and IDC components. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the expressions of erbB2 and ER/PR do not differ in the contiguous regions from DCIS to IDC.

Power Doppler Ultrasonography and Shear Wave Elastography as Complementary Imaging Methods for Suspected Local Breast Cancer Recurrence: Doppler Ultrasonography and Elastography for Suspected Breast Cancer Recurrence

To prospectively investigate the diagnostic accuracy and clinical consequences of power Doppler morphologic criteria and shear wave elastography (SWE) as complementary imaging methods for evaluation of suspected local breast cancer recurrence in the ipsilateral breast or chest wall.

Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer Are Not Associated with the Clinical Under- or Overstaging of Breast Cancer

Purpose to evaluate the agreement between the clinical and pathological stagings of breast cancer based on clinical and molecular features. Methods this was a cross-sectional study, in which clinical, epidemiological and pathological data were collected from 226 patients who underwent surgery at the Prof. Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti Womens Hospital (CAISM/Unicamp) from January 2008 to September 2010. Patients were staged clinically and pathologically, and were classified as: understaged, when the clinical staging was lower than the pathological staging; correctly staged, when the clinical staging was the same as the pathological one; and overstaged, when the clinical staging was greater than the pathological staging. Results understaged patients were younger (52.2 years; p < 0.01) and more symptomatic at diagnosis (p = 0.04) when compared with correctly or overstaged patients. Clinicopathological surrogate subtype, menopausal status, parity, hormone replace therapy and histology were not associated with differences in staging. Women under 57 years of age were clinically understaged mainly due to underestimation of T (tumor staging) (p < 0.001), as were the premenopausal women (p < 0.01). Patients whose diagnosis was made due to clinical complaints, and not by screening, were clinically understaged due to underestimation of N (lymph nodes staging) (p < 0.001). Conclusion the study shows that the clinicopathological surrogate subtype is not associated with differences in staging, while younger women diagnosed because of clinical complaints tend to have their breast tumors understaged during clinical evaluation.

Cysts within Otherwise Probably Benign Solid Breast Masses and the Risk of Malignancy

Objective The objective of this study is to assess whether the largest cyst diameter is useful for BI-RADS ultrasonography classification of predominantly solid breast masses with an oval shape, circumscribed margins, and largest axis parallel to the skin, which, except for the cystic component, would be likely classified as benign. Methods This study received approval from the local institutional review board. From March 2009 to August 2014, we prospectively biopsied 170 breast masses from 164 women. We grouped the largest cyst and mass diameters according to histopathological diagnoses. We used Students t-test, linear regression, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for statistical assessment. Results Histopathological examination revealed 143 (84%) benign and 27 (16%) malignant masses. The mean largest mass diameter was larger among malignant (mean ± standard deviation, 34.1 ± 16.6 mm) than benign masses (24.7 ± 16.7 mm) (P < 0.008). The mean largest cyst diameter was also larger among malignant (9.9 ± 7.1 mm) than benign masses (4.6 ± 3.6 mm) (P < 0.001). Agreement between measurements of the largest mass and cyst diameters was low (R(2) = 0.26). AUC for the largest cyst diameter (0.78) was similar to the AUC for the largest mass diameter (0.69) (p = 0.2). A largest cyst diameter < 3, ≥ 3 to < 11, and ≥ 11 mm had a positive predictive value of 0, 15, and 52%, respectively. Conclusion A largest cystic component < 3 mm identified within breast masses that show favorable characteristics may be considered clinically inconsequential in ultrasonography characterization. Conversely, masses with a largest cystic component ≥ 3 mm should be classified as BI-RADS-US category 4.