International Journal of Breast Cancer

The aim of this study is to investigate the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with breast cancer in our population of Arab patients. We investigated 26 breast cancer patients and an equal number of healthy age- and sex-matched control volunteers. We examined the exome wide microarray-based biomarkers and screened 243,345 SNPs for their possible significant association with our breast cancer patients. Successfully, we identified the most significant ( value ) four associated SNPs [SNRK and SNRK-AS1-rs202018563G; BRCA2-rs2227943C; ZNF484-rs199826847C; and DCPS-rs1695739G] among persons with breast cancer versus the healthy controls even after Bonferroni corrections ( value ). Although our patients’ numbers were limited, the identified SNPs might shed some light on certain breast cancer-associated functional multigenic variations in Arab patients. We assert on the importance of more extensive large-scale analysis to confirm the candidate biomarkers and possible target genes of breast cancer among Arab ancestries.

Background. Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women worldwide. This causes an increase in free radicals, resulting in oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of breast cancer on oxidative stress and its relationship with hematological indices. Methods. This case-control study included 43 women with breast cancer and 37 age-matched healthy controls. Oxidative stress and its correlation with hematological profiles over seven months were evaluated. Finally, the data were compared between the two groups using the -test and Pearson’s test, and the results were analyzed using the SPSS 24 software. Results. The results revealed that patients with breast cancer had significantly increased hemoglobin (HB), hematocrit (HCT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) levels compared with healthy subjects (). In addition, oxidative stress parameters, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), total oxidant status (TOS), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), were significantly elevated. Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly lower in patients with breast cancer than in the control group (). Statistical significance in hematological indices showed a positive or negative correlation with oxidative stress parameters. Conclusion. Women with breast cancer showed a deranged complete blood count (CBC) pattern compared to healthy individuals.

Objectives. Patients with early-stage HR+/HER2- N0 breast cancer may receive adjuvant chemotherapy in combination with surgery. However, chemotherapy does not always lead to improved survival and incurs high healthcare costs and increased adverse events. To support decision-making regarding adjuvant chemotherapy, genomic profile testing performed with tests such as the Oncotype DX® test can help healthcare practitioners decide whether chemotherapy provides any benefit to these patients. As such, a cost-consequence model was developed with the aim to estimate the economic impact of using different gene expression tests or no testing, in patients with node-negative early-stage breast cancer. Methods. A cost-consequence model was developed to estimate the economic impact of three different scenarios in the Dutch setting: (1) Oncotype DX® test, (2) MammaPrint®, and (3) and no genomic profile testing. The model included chemotherapy costs, administration costs, short- and long-term adverse event costs, productivity loss, genomic profiling testing costs, cost of cancer recurrence, and hospitalization costs. Results. A treatment paradigm with Oncotype DX resulted in average savings per patient of €6,768 vs. a paradigm with MammaPrint and €13,125 vs. a paradigm with no genomic testing. Furthermore, due to less patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy through better targeting by the Oncotype DX test, fewer adverse events, sick days, practice visits, and hospitalizations were required compared to MammaPrint and no genomic profiling. Conclusions. Testing with Oncotype DX test in Dutch clinical practice in patients with early-stage breast cancer proved to be cost-saving versus MammaPrint and no genomic profiling tests. Introducing the Oncotype DX test to the Dutch setting will likely reduce the economic resources that are required.

Background. Breast cancer (BC) is globally the main cause of cancer-related deaths in women. Tumor biomarkers have significant role in diagnosis and predicting the prognosis and decide the specific therapy to each patient. Aim. In this study, we investigated whether omentin and NGAL levels were altered in patients with breast cancer and the relationship between these markers and their clinicopathological parameters. Subjects and Methods. This study included 120 patients with breast cancer and 30 healthy individuals served as controls. We measured the serum level of omentin and NGAL by ELISA technique. Results. Our results showed that there were statistically significant differences in serum omentin and NGAL levels between two groups. Also, in breast cancer patients, there was significant difference between omentin level, the same results with NGAL level and patient’s age, tumor size, lymph node, and metastasis. No significant relationship was found between omentin level and tumor grade, ER, PR, and HER2. The cutoff value for the prediction of breast cancer was determined at >113.2 ng/ml for omentin and >145.3 ng/ml for NGAL with a sensitivity of 91.7% and 100%, specificity of 100% and 80%, positive predictive value of 100% and 90.9%, negative predictive value of 85.7% and 100%, and accuracy of 94.4% and 93.3%, respectively. In conclusion, serum omentin and NGAL can be used as strong diagnostic markers for breast cancer.

To avoid unnecessary neoadjuvant chemotherapy in case anticipating a poor therapy response, it is essential to find the pathological parameters that would predict pathological complete response or at least a decrease in tumor burden following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the hypothesis that tumor infiltrating lymphocytes can predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and to find the Ki67 cutoff value that best predicts the benefit of chemotherapy. 153 cases of breast cancer were chosen, based on their molecular subtype: triple negative subtype (77) and luminal, HER2-ve subtype (76). Histopathological assessment of pretherapy core biopsies was conducted to assess variable pathological parameters including TILs rates with the aid of immunohistochemical staining for CD20 and CD3. Moreover, core biopsies were stained for Ki67, and the findings were compared to the residual cancer burden following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. On analyzing and contrasting the two groups, a significant association between molecular subtype and pathological complete response was confirmed, while tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in either group had no effect on therapy response. We used receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to determine that a cutoff of 36% for Ki67 is the most accurate value to predict complete therapy response.

Background. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common adverse effect of chemotherapeutic treatment and is associated with decreased quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the neurotoxicity subscale of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity (FACT/GOG-Ntx) for the Chilean population. Methods. A cross-sectional study in which 101 participants with haematologic, colorectal, breast, gastric, gynaecological, and other types of cancer completed the FACT/GOG-Ntx. Content validity ( health professionals evaluated the subscale in four categories: test-retest reliability ( patients), dimensionality, internal consistency, and concurrent validity and discriminant validity. In all analyses, was considered significant. Results. There was an agreement among the evaluators for all categories of the subscale (Kendall’s coefficient, , ) and moderate to high intrarater reliability (). Of the 11 original items that make up the subscale, none was eliminated. The factor analysis generated four factors that represented 72.2% of the total variance. Cronbach’s was 0.8 for the 11 items. Women showed greater compromise in emotional well-being and neurotoxicity symptoms compared with men, and age was directly correlated with the questions ‘I have difficulty hearing’ (, ) and ‘I feel a noise or buzzing in my ears’ (, ). Conclusion. The Chilean version of the FACT/GOG-Ntx neurotoxicity subscale is a valid and reliable scale for evaluating neurotoxicity symptoms in adult cancer survivors in Latin America. The scales also adequately distinguish between sex-based well-being among the afflicted population.