Yafen Li

Overexpression of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) predicts better response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer

BackgroundTriple negative breast cancer (TNBC) occurs in approximately 10% to 25% of all patients with breast cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy has been reported to produce a higher pathologic complete response (pCR) rate in TNBC. If pCR is achieved, patients with TNBC had a similar survival with non-TNBC patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the protein expression of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) and response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and clinical outcome in patients with TNBC compared with non-TNBC.MethodsA total of 198 locally advanced breast cancer patients who received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy were studied. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was carried out to detect the protein expression of EGFR in tumor samples. Clinical and pathological parameters, pCR rate and survival data were compared between 40 TNBCs and 158 non-TNBCs.ResultsIn 198 cases who received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, significant differences exist in surgical therapy (P=0.005) and pCR rate (P=0.012) between patients with TNBCs and non-TNBCs. Overexpression of EGFR was significantly associated with pCR rate in patients with TNBCs (P < 0.001). Survival analysis revealed that patients with TNBCs had worse DFS and OS than those with non-TNBCs (P = 0.001, P < 0.001 respectively). Furthermore, for patients with non-TNBCs, those who acheived pCR had better DFS and OS than those who acheived RD (both P < 0.001).ConclusionsOur results suggested that patients with TNBCs had increased pCR rates compared with non-TNBC. Overexpression of EGFR predicted better response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with TNBCs.

Preoperative core needle biopsy is accurate in determining molecular subtypes in invasive breast cancer

BackgroundEstrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR), HER2, and Ki67 have been increasingly evaluated by core needle biopsy (CNB) and are recommended for classifying breast cancer into molecular subtypes. However, the concordance rate between CNB and open excision biopsy (OEB) has not been well documented.MethodsPatients with paired CNB and OEB samples from Oct. 2009 to Feb. 2012 in Ruijin Hospital were included. ER, PgR, HER2, and Ki67 were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Patients with HER2 IHC 2+ were further examined by FISH. Cutoff value for Ki67 high expression was 14%. Molecular subtypes were constructed as follows: Luminal A, Luminal B, Triple Negative, and HER2 positive.ResultsThere were 298 invasive breast cancer patients analyzed. Concordance rates for ER, PgR, and HER2 were 93.6%, 85.9%, and 96.3%, respectively. Ki67 expression was slightly higher in OEB than in CNB samples (29.3% vs. 26.8%, P = 0.046). Good agreement (κ = 0.658) was demonstrated in evaluating molecular subtypes between CNB and OEB, with a concordance rate of 77.2%. We also used a different Ki67 cutoff value (20%) for determining Luminal A and B subtypes in HR (hormone receptor) +/HER2- diseases and the overall concordance rate was 79.2%. However, using a cut-point of Ki67 either 14% or 20% for both specimens, there will be about 14% of HR+/HER2- specimens that are called Luminal A on CNB and Luminal B on OEB.ConclusionCNB was accurate in determining ER, PgR, and HER2 status as well as non-Luminal molecular subtypes in invasive breast cancer. Ki67 should be retested on OEB samples in HR+/HER2- patients to accurately distinguish Luminal A from B tumors.

Knocking down cyclin D1b inhibits breast cancer cell growth and suppresses tumor development in a breast cancer model

Cyclin D1 is aberrantly expressed in many types of cancers, including breast cancer. High levels of cyclin D1b, the truncated isoform of cyclin D1, have been reported to be associated with a poor prognosis for breast cancer patients. In the present study, we used siRNA to target cyclin D1b overexpression and assessed its ability to suppress breast cancer growth in nude mice. Cyclin D1b siRNA effectively inhibited overexpression of cyclin D1b. Depletion of cyclin D1b promoted apoptosis of cyclin D1b‐overexpressing cells and blocked their proliferation and transformation phenotypes. Notably, cyclin D1b overexpression is correlated with triple‐negative basal‐like breast cancers, which lack specific therapeutic targets. Administration of cyclin D1b siRNA inhibited breast tumor growth in nude mice and cyclin D1b siRNA synergistically enhanced the cell killing effects of doxorubicin in cell culture, with this combination significantly suppressing tumor growth in the mouse model. In conclusion, the results indicate that cyclin D1b, which is overexpressed in breast cancer, may serve as a novel and effective therapeutic target. More importantly, the present study clearly demonstrated a very promising therapeutic potential for cyclin D1b siRNA in the treatment of cyclin D1b‐overexpressing breast cancers, including the very malignant triple‐negative breast cancers. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 1537–1544)

Progesterone receptor status and Ki-67 index may predict early relapse in luminal B/HER2 negative breast cancer patients: a retrospective study.

Purpose Few studies has documented early relapse in luminal B/HER2-negative breast cancer. We examined prognostic factors for early relapse among these patients to improve treatment decision-making. Patients and Methods A total 398 patients with luminal B/HER2-negative breast cancer were included. Kaplan-Meier curves were applied to estimate disease-free survival and Cox regression to identify prognostic factors. Results Progesterone receptor (PR) negative expression was associated with higher tumor grade (p<.001) and higher Ki-67 index (p = .010). PR-negative patients received more chemotherapy than the PR-positive group (p = .009). After a median follow-up of 28 months, 17 patients (4.3%) had early relapses and 8 patients (2.0%) died of breast cancer. The 2-year disease-free survival was 97.7% in the PR-positive and 90.4% in the PR-negative groups (Log-rank p = .002). Also, patients with a high Ki-67 index (defined as >30%) had a reduced disease-free survival (DFS) when compared with low Ki-67 index group (≤30%) (98.0% vs 92.4%, respectively, Log-rank p = .013). In multivariate analysis, PR negativity was significantly associated with a reduced DFS (HR = 3.91, 95% CI 1.29–11.88, p = .016). Conclusion In this study, PR negativity was a prognostic factor for early relapse in luminal B/HER2-negative breast cancer, while a high Ki-67 index suggested a higher risk of early relapse.

A prospective, randomized study on hepatotoxicity of anastrozole compared with tamoxifen in women with breast cancer

Tamoxifen and anastrozole are widely used as adjuvant treatment for early stage breast cancer, but their hepatotoxicity is not fully defined. We aimed to compare hepatotoxicity of anastrozole with tamoxifen in the adjuvant setting in postmenopausal breast cancer patients. Three hundred and fifty‐three Chinese postmenopausal women with hormone receptor‐positive early breast cancer were randomized to anastrozole or tamoxifen after optimal primary therapy. The primary end‐point was fatty liver disease, defined as a liver–spleen ratio <0.9 as determined using a computed tomography scan. The secondary end‐points included abnormal liver function and treatment failure during the 3‐year follow up. The cumulative incidence of fatty liver disease after 3 years was lower in the anastrozole arm than that of tamoxifen (14.6% vs 41.1%, P < 0.0001; relative risk, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.21–0.45). However, there was no difference in the cumulative incidence of abnormal liver function (24.6% vs 24.7%, P = 0.61). Interestingly, a higher treatment failure rate was observed in the tamoxifen arm compared with anastrozole and median times to treatment failure were 15.1 months and 37.1 months, respectively (P < 0.0001; HR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.20–0.37). The most commonly reported adverse events were ‘reproductive system disorders’ in the tamoxifen group (17.1%), and ‘musculoskeletal disorders’ in the anastrozole group (14.6%). Postmenopausal women with hormone receptor‐positive breast cancer receiving adjuvant anastrozole displayed less fatty liver disease, suggesting that this drug had a more favorable hepatic safety profile than tamoxifen and may be preferred for patients with potential hepatic dysfunction.

Prognostic and predictive value of Ki-67 in triple-negative breast cancer

This study was to investigate the prognostic role of Ki-67 in further classification of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), and to test whether high expression level of Ki67 can predict benefit from carboplatin. From January 2004 to December 2012, 363 patients operated for TNBC were identified through the institutional clinical database. After a median follow-up time of 34 months (5.2–120.0 months), 62 patients (17.1%) had relapses and 33 patients (9.1%) died of breast cancer. In univariate analysis, high Ki-67 index as well as larger tumor size and lymph node involvement was associated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). In multivariate analysis, high Ki-67 is an independent risk factor for DFS (Risk Ratio, RR: 2.835, 95% confidence interval, 95% CI: 1.586–5.068, P < 0.001) and OS (RR: 3.180, 95% CI: 1.488–6.793, P = 0.003). When analyzing the 3-year DFS by Ki-67 distribution, Subpopulation Treatment Effect Pattern Plot analysis showed a beneficial effect of carboplatin in patients with high Ki-67 index. In conclusion, TNBC is probably a heterogeneous disease with different characteristics and prognosis, and may be further subdivided according to the Ki-67 expression levels. Patients in the high Ki- 67 group seem to benefit more from treatment with carboplatin, but this needs to be further verified.

Concurrent adjuvant radiochemotherapy versus standard chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy in operable breast cancer after breast conserving therapy: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND To compare the efficacy of concurrent and sequential administration of radiotherapy and chemotherapy on patients with operable breast cancer after breast.conserving surgery. (BCS). MATERIALS AND METHODS We searched MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland) and EMBASE (Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands) databases for eligible studies. Clinical outcomes (such as overall and locoregional recurrence-free survival, toxicity related complications) used as evaluation indexes of efficacy. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of each index was calculated and analyzed with the RevMan Version 5.2 software. RESULTS Three articles (two trials), which compared the clinical efficacy of concurrent and sequential administration of radiotherapy and chemotherapy for operable breast cancer patients, were eligible in this meta-analysis. There were significant differences between concurrent and sequential treatments in 5-year loco-regional recurrence free survival (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.20-0.75, P = 0.005) and late skin toxicity of telangiectasia (OR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.39-2.87, P = 0.0002). However, no significant difference was discovered in five-year overall survival (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.35-1.11, P > 0.05), acute skin toxicity (OR: 1.73, 95% CI: 0.98-3.04, P > 0.05) and late skin toxicity of lymphedema (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 0.88-1.83, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that the concurrent administration of chemotherapy (anthracycline-based) and radiotherapy was superior to the sequential administration in locoregional recurrence-free survival for the operable node positive breast cancer patients. However, choose of treatment for operable breast cancer patients must be cautious due to high risk of lymphedema.

Distribution patterns of 21-gene recurrence score in 980 Chinese estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer patients

Aim The current study aimed to explore the distribution patterns of 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay in Chinese early breast cancer patients. Methods Nine hundred and eighty consecutive estrogen receptor(ER)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative early breast cancer patients treated at Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, School of Medicine from 2009 to 2016 were retrospectively recruited. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay of 21 genes were conducted in paraffin-embedded tumor tissue to calculate the RS. Co-relations of RS and clinico-pathologic factors were evaluated. Concordances of RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) tests were measured. Logistic regression were applied to determine independent variables associated with RS. Results The median RS of 980 patients was 23(0~90), and the proportions of patients categorized as having a low, intermediate, or high risk were 26.1%, 49.3% and 24.6%. The distribution of RS varied significantly according to different tumor grade, T stage, progesterone receptor(PR) status, Ki67 index and molecular subtypes (p<0.05). Grade, PR status and Ki67 index were identified as independent variables associated with RS. The concordance rates between RT-PCR and IHC test were 98.8% and 88.3% for ER and PR status, and there were weak to moderate correlation between IHC and RT-PCR tests for ER, PR expression and Ki67 index. Conclusions RS correlated significantly with grade, T stage, PR status, Ki67 index and molecular subtypes in Chinese early breast cancer patients. Grade, PR status and Ki67 index could independently predict RS. ER, PR status and Ki67 index between RT-PCR and IHC test had remarkable concordance.

Presence of CHD1L Over-Expression Is Associated with Aggressive Tumor Biology and Is a Novel Prognostic Biomarker for Patient Survival in Human Breast Cancer

Background The chromodomain helicase/adenosine triphosphatase DNA binding protein 1–like gene (CHD1L) is a recently identified oncogene localized at 1q21. CHD1L protein over-expression in primary hepatocellular carcinoma is correlated with enhanced apoptosis inhibition, reduced chemosensitivity and shortened patient survival. However, CHD1L protein status or mRNA expression in breast cancer and its clinical significance remain obscure. Material and Methods In this study, immunohistochemical staining for CHD1L expression was performed on tissue microarrays containing 179 primary invasive breast cancers and 65 matched normal breast tissue specimens. Clinico-pathological features were collected and compared between different CHD1L statuses. Kaplan-Meier curves were applied to estimate disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Cox regression was used to identify independent prognostic factors. Also, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) was employed to evaluate the mRNA level expression of CHD1L in six breast cancer cell lines. Results Presence of CHD1L over-expression was observed in 87 of the 179 patients (48.6%), which associated with a younger age (P = 0.011), higher grade (P = 0.004), higher Ki-67 index (P = 0.018) and HER2 over-expression/amplification (P = 0.037). After a median follow-up of 55 months, patients with presence of CHD1L over-expression had significantly poorer DFS (82.6% Vs 76.3%, P = 0.035), but not OS (87.0% Vs 94.9%, P = 0.439). In multivariate analysis, CHD1L status (HR = 2.169, [95%CI, 1.029–4.573], P = 0.042), triple negative subtype (HR = 2.809, [95%CI 1.086–7.264], P = 0.033) and HER2 positive subtype (HR = 5.221, [95%CI 1.788–15.240], P = 0.002) were identified as independent prognostic factors for DFS. In vitro study indicated that relative mRNA expression level of CHD1L was higher in breast cancer cell lines, especially in MDA-MB-231 and LM2-4175, when compared to normal breast epithelial cell line. Conclusions Presence of CHD1L over-expression is probably associated with aggressive tumor biology in breast cancer. CHD1L status might be a novel prognostic biomarker for patients with breast cancer.

Distribution and Clinical Utility of the 21-gene Recurrence Score in Pure Mucinous Breast Cancer Patients: a case-control study

The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) is increasingly being used for patients with early stage, hormone receptor-positive, Her-2-negative breast cancer. However, these results are largely from populations with infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC). The clinical value of RS testing in mucinous carcinoma has not been well investigated. Pure mucinous breast cancer (PMBC) and paired pure IDC patients who underwent 21-gene RS were retrospectively reviewed and matched with tumor stage and molecular subtype. Clinic-pathological factors, treatment strategies, and RS distribution were compared between the PMBC and IDC patients. A total of 35 PMBC and 70 IDC patients were included. We found that RS was lower in the PMBC as compared with the IDC group: 21.26 vs. 24.40 (P=0.037). Regarding RS categories, PMBC patients had a relatively lower percentage of high RS patients than the IDC group: 8.57% vs. 22.86% (P = 0.048). Multivariate analysis showed that histologic type was an independent factor predicting RS distribution: IDC patients were associated with a higher RS as compared with PMBC patients (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.03-2.13; P=0.014). Among genes in 21-gene RS testing, HER2, STMY3, STK15, and BAG1 were significantly different between the PMBC and IDC groups (P < 0.05). Two patients (5.71%) in the PMBC group, both with high RS, were recommended to receive adjuvant chemotherapy, much lower than patients with IDC (57.14%, P < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, histologic type of IDC was an independent factor for chemotherapy recommendation (OR = 22.00, 95% CI: 4.89-98.97, P<0.001). With a medium follow-up time of 24 months, one IDC patient had ipsilateral axillary lymph nodes recurrence and one PMBC patient had contralateral breast cancer. In conclusion, PMBC patients, mostly classified with low or intermediate RS category, were associated with lower RS as compared with IDC patients. PMBC and IDC had different genes expression patterns. Patients with high RS in the PMBC group might be recommended to receive adjuvant chemotherapy, which deserves further clinical evaluation.