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At least 1,099 records · Page 61Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Lumpectomy and breast irradiation for breast cancer after radiotherapy for lymphoma.

Six women received irradiation for lymphoma (Hodgkin's disease, n = 5; non-Hodgkin's disease, n = 1) to at least a mediastinal field (n = 2) or to a mantle field (n = 4), and subsequently developed breast cancer 10-27 years later. Three patients also received chemotherapy as a component of therapy for lymphoma. For breast cancer, all were treated with lumpectomy and breast irradiation to 5,000 cGy in 25 fractions plus a 1,000 cGy/5 fraction boost to the operative area using electrons. Two patients received adjuvant chemotherapy and three others tamoxifen for breast cancer. All women are alive and free of disease 15-118 months (median, 60 months) following breast irradiation. There have been no cases of significant acute reactions and no late sequelae such as skin pigmentation changes subcutaneous fibrosis, rib fractures, cardiac disease, or pulmonary fibrosis. The cosmetic result is considered good or excellent in all. Lumpectomy and breast irradiation is not contraindicated in the woman who develops breast cancer many years after irradiation of lymph node regions above the diaphragm for lymphoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Risk of contralateral breast cancer among women with carcinoma in situ of the breast.

BACKGROUND: Information is limited on the risk of contralateral breast cancer after a diagnosis of breast carcinoma in situ (BCIS). METHODS: In western Washington, between 1974 and 1993, 1929 women with a first primary ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and 282 women with a first primary lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) were followed for contralateral breast cancer. Rates of contralateral invasive breast cancer and BCIS were compared with population rates of first primary breast cancer using Poisson regression to adjust for age and calendar year. RESULTS: The rate of contralateral invasive disease after BCIS was approximately twice the population rate for women with DCIS and three times the population rate for women with LCIS; relative rates decreased somewhat with increasing time since diagnosis of LCIS, but were fairly stable after DCIS. The relative rate of contralateral DCIS after BCIS was substantially higher than for contralateral invasive disease, but dropped dramatically after the first year after the initial BCIS, especially among women with LCIS. Contralateral BCIS usually was of the same histologic type as the initial BCIS; histologic concordance of BCIS was 71% for women with an initial LCIS and 78% for women with DCIS. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that the rate of contralateral invasive breast cancer is elevated for at least 5 years after a diagnosis of BCIS compared with the rate of first primary breast cancer in the population, and that the rate is only slightly higher for women with LCIS than for women with DCIS. The markedly elevated rate of contralateral DCIS may result in large part from increased medical surveillance of women diagnosed with BCIS, especially during the first year after the initial diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

A comparison of 500 prefilled textured saline breast implants versus 500 standard textured saline breast implants: is there a difference in deflation rates?

BACKGROUND: This study provides the first large-volume (1000 implant) comparison of the deflation rates of Poly Implant Prosthesis prefilled textured saline breast implants versus a control group of Mentor Siltex textured saline implants. METHODS: A consecutive series of 500 Poly Implant Prosthesis prefilled textured saline breast implants was compared with a consecutive series of 500 Mentor Siltex breast implants. Each breast implant was evaluated for a 4-year period, and the annual deflation rate (number of deflations during a given year divided by the total number of implants) and cumulative deflation rate (cumulative total of deflations through a given year divided by the total number of implants) were recorded. Statistical significance was calculated using the Fisher's exact test at year 1 and the chi-square analysis at years 2 through 4. RESULTS: The cumulative deflation rates of the Poly Implant Prosthesis implants was as follows: year 1, 1.2 percent; year 2, 5.6 percent; year 3, 11.4 percent; and year 4, 15.4 percent. The cumulative deflation rates of the Mentor implants was: year 1, 0.2 percent; year 2, 0.6 percent; year 3, 1.6 percent; and year 4, 4.4 percent. At year 1, the difference between deflation rates was not statistically significant (Fisher's exact test, p > 0.05). However, at year 2 (chi-square, 13.29; p < 0.001), year 3 (chi-square, 37.91; p < 0.001), and year 4 (chi-square, 32.69; p < 0.001), the difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: There was a statistically significant difference between the overall deflation rates of Poly Implant Prosthesis prefilled textured saline breast implants and Mentor Siltex breast implants at year 2, year 3, and year 4. After 4 years, the 15.56 percent cumulative deflation rate of Poly Implant Prosthesis implants was over 3.5 times higher than the 4.31 percent deflation rate of the Mentor Siltex implants. There may be several factors contributing to the higher deflation rate seen in Poly Implant Prosthesis implants, including possible in vitro deflation before implantation and silicone shell curing technique. Nevertheless, this statistically significant deflation difference must be taken into account when balancing the risks and benefits of Poly Implant Prosthesis breast implants.

Breast Implantation↗
PubMed2003

Significant increase in breast conservation in 16 years of trials conducted by the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group.

OBJECTIVE: To confirm evidence that breast-conserving treatment (BCT) does not impair the prognosis in breast cancer patients as compared to mastectomy and to argue that it be regarded as the treatment of choice in stage I and II disease. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Scientifically, survival rates in breast cancer have been shown to be stage-dependent, but independent of the extent of surgical breast tissue removal, as long as the resection margins are free of tumor infiltration. METHODS: Between 1984 and 1997, six different trials conducted by the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group accrued a total of 4,259 women with hormone-responsive disease. The authors selected and compared three patient groups (n = 3,316) according to pathologic stage, age, and the surgical procedure applied. RESULTS: Over this interval, the BCT rate in the premenopausal node-positive subgroup experienced a highly significant increase from 27.2% to 73.2% overall. In the group of postmenopausal node-negative patients, the BCT rate grew significantly by 37.3% to 77.3% in total. With an overall BCT rate growing from 22.5% to 56.8% in postmenopausal node-positive women, those presenting with T1 tumors saw a significant increase from 35.1% to 65.9%. Mortality and local recurrence rates proved stable or even decreased considerably over time and in all subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: The presented outcome of BCT rates, significantly improved over this 16-year period and in no way counterbalanced by higher local recurrence or death rates, reflects an excellent example of surgical quality control. BCT can safely be regarded as the standard of therapy for T1 and increasingly for T2 disease. Especially in multi-institutional adjuvant breast cancer trials, the highest priority should be given to breast-conserving procedures.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Physiologic changes in breast magnetic resonance imaging during the menstrual cycle: perfusion imaging, signal enhancement, and influence of the T1 relaxation time of breast tissue.

This study was undertaken to determine the best time during the menstrual cycle to perform dynamic breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The contralateral "normal" breast of 50 premenopausal women (mean age 40.4 +/- 6.4 years, range 30--52 years) were enrolled in a protocol designed to correlate an ipsilateral suspicious breast lesion with pathology. The contralateral breast in each patient was examined with palpation and mammography prior to MRI on a 1.5 T scanner using gradient echo and dynamic contrast-enhanced echo-planar without and following gadolinium diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) injection. Pre-contrast T1 relaxation times were measured before calculating extraction flow product (EFP) maps using a multicompartmental model. T1, EFP, and enhancement were measured in the control breast on four slices centered around the nipple and recorded as a function of the phases of the menstrual cycle. Lesions or areas with focal enhancement were excluded. Analysis of variance and Fisher's tests were performed. The cyclic changes in T1 relaxation time were not significant (p>0.2). EFP and enhancement varied significantly during the cycle (p<0.003 and p<0.004, respectively), with low values during the first half of the cycle and high values during the second half. The lowest values of EFP and enhancement (5.5+/-2.9 ml/100 g/min and 26+/-17%) were observed during the proliferative phase (days 3--7), and the highest values (17+/-10.2 ml/100 g/min and 104+/-28%) were observed during the secretory phase (days 21-27) (p<0.0006 and p<0.0008, respectively). Dynamic breast MRI should be performed during first half of the menstrual cycle (days 3--14) in order to minimize interpretative difficulties related to the uptake of gadolinium in normal breast tissue due to hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Risk factors for benign breast disease according to histopathological type: comparisons with risk factors for breast cancer.

We evaluated risk factors for benign breast disease by using a case-control study method. The series was taken from participants in breast cancer screening programs during 1978-1986 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. All benign breast lesions diagnosed during this period were reviewed and reclassified into proliferative and non-proliferative types based on the Dupont and Page classification. Data on 382 benign breast disease cases (130 proliferative-type cases and 252 non-proliferative-type cases) and 1,489 screening year-, age- and screening area-matched normal controls were used for analysis. Nulliparity or low parity and family history of breast cancer in mother or sisters were significantly associated with an increased risk of proliferative type. Premenopausal status was significantly associated with an increased risk of non-proliferative type. No significant association with history of lactation for the last child was observed in either type, but the risk of proliferative type increased with increasing duration of lactation (P=0.08). A comparison between the present findings and the risk factors for breast cancer indicated epidemiologic similarities between proliferative benign and malignant breast lesions in general. The associations of these two lesions with lactation patterns were, however, dissimilar.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Effect of naloxone on neurohypophyseal peptide responses to breast feeding and breast stimulation in man.

We have investigated the role of endogenous opioid peptides in the release of oxytocin (OT) in response to breast feeding and breast stimulation in humans. Five breast feeding women were studied on two separate occasions within 4 weeks of delivery. Saline or naloxone, 4 mg bolus and 6 mg/h, was administered intravenously, in random order. Blood samples were taken at regular intervals. In the saline-infused group OT rose from a baseline of 1.1 +/- 0.1 pmol/l (mean +/- SEM) to a peak of 7.0 +/- 0.9 after 6 min, and in the naloxone-infused group from 1.0 +/- 0.1 pmol/l to 5.8 +/- 1.3 (P less than 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups at any time point. Plasma vasopressin (AVP) did not change. In the second study six women in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle were investigated on two occasions at least 48 h apart. They were similarly infused with either naloxone or saline in random sequence. A mechanical breast pump provided breast stimulation. In saline-infused women OT levels rose from a baseline of 1.0 +/- 0.1 pmol/l (mean +/- SEM) to a peak of 3.0 +/- 1.1 (P less than 0.05) after 6 min, and in naloxone infused women from 1.1 +/- 0.1 pmol/l to 3.0 +/- 1.4 (NS). There were no differences in OT between the groups. AVP did not change. We conclude that endogenous opioid peptides do not modulate OT release during breast feeding or breast stimulation in women.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

In search of a stem cell hierarchy in the human breast and its relevance to breast cancer evolution.

By deliberate analogy with the well-established concept of hematopoiesis, the term "mammopoiesis" is occasionally used to describe the development of the different cellular lineages and functional units in the mammary gland. The use of this term signifies a strong bias towards the idea that tissue homeostasis during mammary development, pregnancy, lactation and involution is brought about by the action of somatic stem cells characterized by longevity and multipotency. The progenies hereof eventually differentiate into structurally and functionally well-defined ductal-lobular units. During the past two decades evidence of such a notion in the mouse has developed from being largely circumstantial based on non-clonal in vivo experiments to a quite elaborate characterization of individual candidate stem cells by a number of different properties. Within tumor biology this has led to a renaissance of the concept of tumors as caricatures of tissue renewal. Thus, recent molecular classification of breast cancer based on genome wide expression analysis operates with different subtypes with specific reference to the normal luminal epithelial and myoepithelial/basal lineages in the breast. Apparently some tumors are lineage restricted and others differentiate more broadly as if they have preserved some stem-like properties. This holds promise for the existence of a stem cell hierarchy, the understanding of which may prove to be instrumental in further dissecting the histogenesis of breast cancer evolution. Most attention has been devoted to the question of different cellular origins of cancer subtypes and different susceptibilities of possible stem cells to gain or loss of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, respectively. Invaluable progress has been made over the past two decades in culture technology not only in terms of population doubling and clonal growth, but also the availability of lineage specific markers, cell sorting, and three-dimensional functional assays for tissue specific morphogenesis. Transcriptional profiling of stem cell zones has unraveled a hitherto unknown preservation of signaling pathways for maintenance of stem cell properties across tissue boundaries and species. Somatic stem cells have therefore been narrowed down to specific anatomic locations not only in rapidly renewing tissues such as skin and skin derivatives, but also in tissues with slower turnover times, such as lung, kidney and prostate. It is therefore now possible to integrate this information in a search for similar cells within the breast. Even if cell turnover after birth is provided exclusively by dividing lineage-restricted cells, more information about the robustness of breast differentiation programs during tumor progression is still very much required. Complete knowledge of the primary cell of origin of breast cancer and the mechanisms that influence differentiation programs during tumor initiation, promotion and progression may be crucial for the development of novel non-toxic therapies that influence tumor cell behaviour. The scope of this review is to discuss reports that have begun to elucidate the topographic location, key cellular type and lineage fidelity in culture and xenograft models of candidate human breast stem cells and their differentiated progenies with particular emphasis on comparison with the differentiation programs of tumor subtypes.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Immunohistochemical study of the expression of MUC5AC and MUC6 in breast carcinomas and adjacent breast tissues.

AIM: To study the protein expression patterns of MUC5AC and MUC6 in normal and diseased breast tissues and to compare their expression with that of a mucin (MUC1) normally expressed in mammary tissues. METHODS: Formalin fixed, paraffin wax embedded tissue from 69 cases of invasive breast carcinoma and surrounding breast tissue was studied immunohistochemically with monoclonal antibodies against MUC1 (SM3), MUCSAC (CLH2), and MUC6 (CLH6), using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase method. RESULTS: MUC5AC was detected in five of 68 cases of invasive carcinoma including one of three cases of pure colloid carcinoma. MUCSAC expression in the adjacent normal breast epithelium was present in one of 29 cases and in one of two cases of ductal carcinoma in situ. None of 15 cases of ductal hyperplasia without atypia was positive for MUCSAC. MUC6 was present in 15 of 65 cases of invasive carcinoma, in four of 29 cases of normal adjacent epithelium, two of 15 cases of ductal hyperplasia without atypia, and one of two cases of ductal carcinoma in situ. MUC1 immunoreactivity detected by the SM3 antibody was present in 50 of the 67 cases of invasive carcinoma, but expression was also detected in benign epithelium. All invasive carcinomas expressing MUCSAC were positive for MUC1 and four were positive for MUC6. No significant association was found between the expression of these mucins and tumour size, histological grade, node status, oestrogen receptor status, p53 positivity, or c-ErbB-2 overexpression. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents the expression of two different mucins (MUCSAC and MUC6) not described as being expressed by normal breast tissues in a minority of breast carcinomas, as well as in normal and hyperplastic epithelium. Although the role of mucins in malignant transformation and the progression of breast cancer is not well understood, in some cases, there is probably an upregulation of several genes that encode distinct mucin proteins.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

A correlation study of organochlorine levels in serum, breast adipose tissue, and gluteal adipose tissue among breast cancer cases in India.

We used data from a breast cancer pilot study carried out in Kerala, India in 1997, for which organochlorine levels were measured in three biological media, blood serum, breast adipose tissue, and gluteal adipose tissue, of 37 fasting breast cancer cases (pretreatment). Our objective was to investigate the relationships between organochlorine concentrations in different biological media. Gas-liquid chromatography determined serum, breast adipose, and gluteal adipose tissue levels of dichlorodiphenyltricholorethane, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane, beta-benzene hexachloride, and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, PCB-153 and PCB-180. Correlation plots were made and Spearman correlation coefficients (r) calculated for breast adipose tissue versus serum, gluteal adipose tissue versus serum, and breast adipose versus gluteal adipose tissue. We also examined paired ratios of all summary statistics. There were strong correlations among serum, breast adipose tissue, and gluteal adipose tissue concentrations for most organochlorines analyzed, one exception being gluteal versus serum for PCB-153. The correlations for all other comparisons ranged from r = 0.65 to 0.94. Serum (ng/g) versus adipose ratios approached 1:1 for most of the organochlorine pesticide comparisons and did not vary by summary statistic. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use three different media from fasting subjects and to comprehensively investigate the relationship between organochlorines measured across the three media for both organochlorine pesticides and PCBs. These data indicate that blood serum reflects the present body burden of a range of organochlorines to the same extent as adipose tissue, and they support the view that serum may be collected in lieu of adipose tissue to obtain similar information. However, such measurements are a combination of both recent exposures and past exposures, which have metabolized slowly and may still persist. Therefore, investigators should use caution when assigning a level as lifetime body burden.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2006

Relationship between established breast cancer risk factors and risk of seven different histologic types of invasive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Important differences in the contributions of certain exposures to the risks of ductal versus lobular breast carcinomas have been observed, but few studies have evaluated the relationships between established breast cancer risk factors and other histologic types. METHODS: Information on family history of cancer and reproductive, hormonal, anthropometric, and lifestyle characteristics were collected in a multicenter population-based case-control study consisting of 3,463 ductal, 274 lobular, 261 ductal-lobular, 91 medullary, 77 tubular, 70 comedo, and 61 mucinous invasive breast carcinoma cases (ages 35-64 years, newly diagnosed 1994-1998) and 4,682 controls. Associations between each of these histologic types and various exposures were evaluated using polytomous regression. RESULTS: Heterogeneity in the risks of different histologic types of breast cancer was observed for three exposures: menopausal hormone use, body mass index (BMI), and alcohol consumption. Specifically, current use of unopposed estrogen was associated with a reduced risk of ductal carcinoma and increased risk of comedocarcinoma, and current use of estrogen and progestin was associated with elevated risks of ductal-lobular and tubular carcinomas. Among postmenopausal women, BMI was only inversely related to risk of ductal-lobular carcinoma, and alcohol use was only positively related to risk of lobular carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Variations in the associations between known breast cancer risk factors and risk of different breast cancer histologies were observed. Although these findings require confirmation, and the analyses of some histologic groups were limited by small sample sizes, they provide some insight into the different etiologies of various histologic subtypes of breast cancer.

Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous↗
PubMed2006

Molecular profiling of laser-microdissected matched tumor and normal breast tissue identifies karyopherin alpha2 as a potential novel prognostic marker in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to identify human genes that might prove useful in the diagnosis and therapy of primary breast cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Twenty-four matched pairs of invasive ductal breast cancer and corresponding benign breast tissue were investigated by a combination of laser microdissection and gene expression profiling. Differential expression of candidate genes was validated by dot blot analysis of cDNA in 50 pairs of matching benign and malignant breast tissue. Cellular expression of candidate genes was further validated by RNA in situ hybridization, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, and immunohistochemistry using tissue microarray analysis of 272 nonselected breast cancers. Multivariate analysis of factors on overall survival and recurrence-free survival was done. RESULTS: Fifty-four genes were found to be up-regulated and 78 genes were found to be down-regulated. Dot blot analysis reduced the number of up-regulated genes to 15 candidate genes that showed at least a 2-fold overexpression in >15 of 50 (30%) tumor/normal pairs. We selected phosphatidic acid phosphatase type 2 domain containing 1A (PPAPDC1A) and karyopherin alpha2 (KPNA2) for further validation. PPAPDC1A and KPNA2 RNA was up-regulated (fold change >2) in 84% and 32% of analyzed tumor/normal pairs, respectively. Nuclear protein expression of KPNA2 was significantly associated with shorter overall survival and recurrence-free survival. Testing various multivariate Cox regression models, KPNA2 expression remained a highly significant, independent and adverse risk factor for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Gene expression profiling of laser-microdissected breast cancer tissue revealed novel genes that may represent potential molecular targets for breast cancer therapy and prediction of outcome.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed2003

Psychological distress and breast self-examination frequency in women at increased risk for hereditary or familial breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The Magnetic Resonance Imaging Screening study evaluates the efficacy and psychological impact of a surveillance program for women at increased risk for hereditary or familial breast cancer in the Netherlands. Surveillance consists of biannual physical examination, annual mammography, annual MRI and monthly breast self-examination (BSE). OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between psychological distress and reported BSE frequency. METHODS: Two months prior to surveillance demographics, BSE frequency, general distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the somatic scale of the Symptom Checklist-90) and breast cancer-specific distress (Impact of Event Scale) were assessed in 316 women (mean age 40.5 years, range 21-63 years). RESULTS: The majority (57%) reported performing monthly BSE. Ten percent reported never performing BSE, 20% less frequently than once a month and 13% at least once a week. Women below the age of 40 who examined their breasts more frequently than recommended (i.e. at least once a week) were shown to be significantly more distressed than the other women in the sample (p = 0.03). These women represented 15% of all the women below the age of 40 years in our study sample. CONCLUSION: Higher breast cancer-specific distress scores were observed among younger women who examined their breasts at least once a week. It is important for physicians to be aware of this hypervigilant behaviour, especially since it is correlated with breast cancer-specific distress.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Long-chain n-3-to-n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios in breast adipose tissue from women with and without breast cancer.

Animal studies suggest that dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) of the n-6 class, found in corn and safflower oils, may be precursors of intermediates involved in the development of mammary tumors, whereas long-chain (LC) n-3 PUFAs, found in fish oil, can inhibit these effects. This case-control study was designed to examine the relationship between the PUFA composition of breast adipose tissue and the risk of breast cancer. Using fatty acid levels in breast adipose tissue as a biomarker of past qualitative dietary intake of fatty acids, we examined the hypothesis that breast cancer risk is negatively associated with specific LC n-3 PUFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) and positively associated with n-6 PUFAs (linoleic acid and arachidonic acid). Breast adipose tissue was collected from 73 breast cancer patients and 74 controls with macromastia. The fatty acid levels were determined by gas-liquid chromatography. A logistic regression model was used to obtain odds ratio estimates while adjusting for age. The age-adjusted n-6 PUFA (linoleic acid and arachidonic acid) content was significantly higher in cases than in controls (P = 0.02). There was a trend in the age-adjusted data suggesting that, at a given level of n-6 PUFA, LC n-3 PUFAs (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) may have a protective effect (P = 0.06). A similar inverse relationship was observed with LC n-3-to-n-6 ratio when the data were adjusted for age (P = 0.09). We conclude that total n-6 PUFAs may be contributing to the high risk of breast cancer in the United States and that LC n-3 PUFAs, derived from fish oils, may have a protective effect.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1995

Cellular growth and survival are mediated by beta 1 integrins in normal human breast epithelium but not in breast carcinoma.

We previously established a rapid three-dimensional assay for discrimination of normal and malignant human breast epithelial cells using a laminin-rich reconstituted basement membrane. In this assay, normal epithelial cells differentiate into well-organized acinar structures whereas tumor cells fail to recapitulate this process and produce large, disordered colonies. The data suggest that breast acinar morphogenesis and differentiation is regulated by cell-extra-cellular matrix (ECM) interactions and that these interactions are altered in malignancy. Here, we investigated the role of ECM receptors (integrins) in these processes and report on the expression and function of potential laminin receptors in normal and tumorigenic breast epithelial cells. Immunocytochemical analysis showed that normal and carcinoma cells in a three-dimensional substratum express profiles of integrins similar to normal and malignant breast tissues in situ. Normal cells express alpha 1, alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 6, beta 1 and beta 4 integrin subunits, whereas breast carcinoma cells show variable losses, disordered expression, or downregulation of these subunits. Function-blocking experiments using inhibitory anti-integrin subunit antibodies showed a > 5-fold inhibition of the formation of acinar structures by normal cells in the presence of either anti-beta 1 or anti-alpha 3 antibodies, whereas anti-alpha 2 or -alpha 6 had little or no effect. In experiments where collagen type I gels were used instead of basement membrane, acinar morphogenesis was blocked by anti-beta 1 and -alpha 2 antibodies but not by anti-alpha 3. These data suggest a specificity of integrin utilization dependent on the ECM ligands encountered by the cell. The interruption of normal acinar morphogenesis by anti-integrin antibodies was associated with an inhibition of cell growth and induction of apoptosis. Function-blocking antibodies had no inhibitory effect on the rate of tumor cell growth, survival or capacity to form colonies. Thus under our culture conditions breast acinar formation is at least a two-step process involving beta 1-integrin-dependent cellular growth followed by polarization of the cells into organized structures. The regulation of this pathway appears to be impaired or lost in the tumor cells, suggesting that tumor colony formation occurs by independent mechanisms and that loss of proper integrin-mediated cell-ECM interaction may be critical to breast tumor formation.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1991

Breast cancer screening among relatives of women with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: National surveys indicate that only 15% to 30% of all women in the general population 50 years of age or older have an annual mammogram. METHODS: We studied first-degree female relatives of women with breast cancer, who are at elevated risk of disease, to describe the breast cancer screening practices of these relatives and to improve their practices through a program of intensive education. We report here the screening behaviors of 2471 relatives of women with breast cancer. RESULTS: Self-reported behaviors were as follows: 49% performed monthly breast self-examination and 70% had annual breast examinations by a medical professional. Of 983 women 50 years of age or older, 49% had had a mammogram, but only 14% have a mammogram annually. Of women 50 years of age or older who had never had a mammogram, 92% reported never having had one recommended by a medical professional. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that screening behaviors in relatives of breast cancer patients are not substantially different from those of women in the general population. Enhanced efforts both to educate medical professionals and to encourage women to demand screening mammography are necessary to reduce breast cancer mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Breast cancer incidence subsequent to surgical reduction of the female breast.

The incidence of breast cancer was determined in 1245 women who were treated surgically for breast hypertrophy in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 1943 and 1971. Breast cancer cases were identified by a linkage to the Danish Cancer Registry. The expected number of breast cancers was estimated from age and calendar-time specific incidence rates in the Danish female population. A total of 18 breast cancers developed compared to 30.28 expected, yielding a relative risk (RR) of 0.59 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35-0.94). The greatest risk reduction was observed ten or more years after the plastic surgery operation in women who had 600 g or more of breast tissue removed (RR = 0.27; 95% CI 0.03-0.99). This suggests that the number of potential foci are important for cancer development in the breast.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Circadian breast skin temperature rhythms: overt and occult benign and occult primary malignant breast disease.

Circadian variations of breast surface temperature have been measured in patients with overt or occult benign breast disease, or in those with occult breast cancer. Subjects were studied in a hospital ward environment well-controlled with respect to ambient temperature. Using manual techniques temperatures were recorded half-hourly for 96 hr from replicate sensors placed on quadrants of the left and right breasts inclusive of tumour areas and similar sites on the contralateral breast. Application of time series analysis failed to consistently demonstrate differences in values for the rhythm parameters for the tumour area and contralateral site. It was apparent, however, that the tumour area was generally associated with a reduced initial variance of the series in addition to a reduced percentage variance explained by a time series model with two rhythmic components when compared to the control site. These data suggest that efforts to identify early breast disease from signals of breast temperature should, at least, be directed to studies of temperature variance.

Adult↗