Are local recurrences after breast conserving therapy more frequent in patients with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations?
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BACKGROUND: Bilateral pheochromocytomas are common in patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2) and von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL). In an effort to avoid long-term steroid dependence and Addisonian crisis, we have performed cortical-sparing adrenalectomy in this patient population. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was completed for patients with MEN 2- or VHL-related pheochromocytomas who underwent laparotomy at our institution for intended cortical-sparing adrenalectomy between June 1965 and March 1995. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (MEN 2A [10], MEN 2B [2], VHL [3]) underwent laparotomy for cortical-sparing adrenalectomy. None of the tumors were malignant. Cortical-sparing adrenalectomy was possible in 14 (93%). Thirteen of these 14 patients (93%) had normal postoperative plasma cortisol measurements and did not require steroid hormone supplementation. At a median follow-up of 138 months, two patients had died of metastatic medullary thyroid cancer, no patient had suffered Addisonian crisis, and three patients (21%) had recurrent pheochromocytomas (at 118, 176, and 324 months after operation). The remaining nine patients were alive without pheochromocytomas. CONCLUSIONS: Cortical-sparing adrenalectomy can be performed successfully in MEN 2 or VHL patients with bilateral pheochromocytomas, avoiding chronic steroid hormone replacement and the risk of Addisonian crisis in most patients. Long-term follow-up is necessary because recurrence may develop many years after operation.
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide and is increasingly recognized as a biologically diverse disease shaped by both molecular and ancestral context. Women from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) populations, including Saudi Arabia, often present at a younger age and with more aggressive subtypes such as HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) compared with Western cohorts. These clinical patterns reflect a distinctive genomic background marked by high consanguinity, founder mutations in key susceptibility genes, and population-specific somatic alterations that are not fully captured in global reference datasets. This review brings together current evidence on somatic, germline, transcriptomic, and epigenomic diversity in breast cancer across Western and MENA populations, with a focus on Saudi cohorts. Drawing on a previously published systematic review of more than 2,500 MENA breast cancer cases, TP53 accounted for approximately 24% and PIK3CA for roughly 10% of curated somatic mutation records pooled across 44 studies (proportions of mutation calls, not per-patient prevalence); in a separate single-center Saudi cohort, only 3.7% of patients underwent BRCA testing, and 37.5% of this clinically selected, testing-referred subgroup carried a pathogenic variant, a figure that should not be read as general-population BRCA prevalence. Variants of uncertain significance exceeded 20% across several regional genomic studies. We summarize conserved driver events, such as recurrent TP53 and PIK3CA mutations, while highlighting regional features, including unique stop-gain and loss-of-function variants, a high copy-number burden, and early-onset disease linked to ancestral architecture. We also discuss emerging data on MENA-specific regulatory signatures, including immune-enriched and basal-myo transcriptomic clusters, CIMP-like methylation patterns, and non-coding RNA networks; these associations are numerically suggestive in available cohorts but have not reached statistical significance in existing studies and warrant validation in larger, dedicated MENA/Saudi cohorts before being considered established determinants of treatment response and resistance. Finally, we examine the clinical implications of this diversity for biomarker development, pharmacogenomics, and access to targeted therapies, and outline practical steps toward ancestry-aware precision oncology in the region.
BACKGROUND: The recurrence of chronic hepatitis B after liver transplantation results in increased risk for graft failure and death of patients. Lamivudine has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, but resistance to this agent is common after prolonged administration. METHODS: One patient with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection developed resistance to lamivudine after 15 months of treatment. The resistance was confirmed by mutation in the HBV DNA polymerase gene. The patient was treated subsequently with adefovir dipivoxil for 7 months. RESULT: HBV DNA and HBsAg were tested negative, but HBeAb and HBsAb were positive. CONCLUSION: This study provides an evidence that adefovir dipivoxil can be effective in the treatment of lamivudine-resistant HBV mutants.
A gangliocytoma/ganglioglioma with no atypical or malignant features was subtotally resected from the right temporal lobe of a 16-year-old woman. A second resection was performed 8 years later to treat a locally recurrent lesion with increased cellularity that was diagnosed as a World Health Organization Grade II ganglioglioma on the basis of neuropathological examination. Molecular analysis of the recurrent tumor revealed a TP53 gene mutation, but no amplification of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene. Radiotherapy (60 Gy) was administered after the second resection. The patient returned 1 year later with a second focal recurrence. The specimen obtained during the third resection of tumor exhibited exclusively astrocytic differentiation, cellular pleomorphism with multinucleated cells, high mitotic activity, and endothelial proliferation. Therefore, the tumor was diagnosed to be a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Molecular analysis of tumor DNA from the second recurrent tumor demonstrated the presence of the TP53 mutation, which previously had been observed in the first recurrent tumor, but again no evidence of EGFR amplification. Findings demonstrate that the presence of TP53 mutation in progressed gangliogliomas should be interpreted as a progression-associated mutation rather than a consequence of treatment. This is the first report to indicate that the molecular pathways of gangliocytomas/gangliogliomas progressing to become GBMs may parallel those of diffuse astrocytomas progressing to become GBMs.
AIM: To study prevalence of mutation C677T in gene 5.10-MTHFR in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) as well as in persons free of symptoms of systemic diseases of the connective tissue. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 85 patients participating in the study were divided into three groups: those with SLE (n = 17), with SLE + APS (n = 42), with primary APS (n = 26). The control group consisted of 30 persons without SLE or APS. 55% of the examinees had thrombotic complications of different location. The diagnosis of the mutation was made using DNA isolated from the peripheral blood with standard methods and polymerase chain reaction. Allele (homozygous or heterozygous) condition of the mutation was confirmed by means of allele-specific primers. RESULTS: Mutation C677T in MTHFR gene was found in 40 of 85 patients (47%); 11(27.5%) had a homozygous variant, 29(72.5%)--heterozygous. C677T mutation occurred in 5 of 17 SLE patients (29%), it was in all the cases heterozygous. In primary and secondary APS mutation was detected in 51.5% (35 of 68 patients). Recurrent thrombosis occurred more frequently in patients with mutation MTHFR. Three and more episodes of thrombosis were registered in 17 of 40 patients with mutation C677T against 9 of 44 patients without the mutations (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: Relationship between elevated blood levels of APL and MTHFR mutation points to the fact that this genetic marker is an additional thrombogenic factor in APS. Mutation C677T in MTHFR gene in APS patients correlates with recurrent thrombosis.
BACKGROUND: Desmoplastic variants of melanoma rarely affect the mucosa. METHOD: The clinicopathologic features and p53 status of seven primary mucosal desmoplastic melanomas of the oral and nasal cavity were studied. RESULTS: The patients included six men and one woman (median age, 61 years; range, 23-74 years). Desmoplastic melanoma involved the lip in two, alveolus in three, buccal mucosa in one, and nasal vestibule in one patient. Four tumors infiltrated up to lamina propria, and three infiltrated bone and/or cartilage. All were amelanotic spindle cell tumors, five were neurotropic, and two were vasoinvasive. Aberrant p53 expression was seen in six tumors. All tumors recurred locally, and distant metastasis developed in three. Six patients died with disease (survival, 1-41 years; median, 8 years), and one patient was free of disease (survival 20 years). CONCLUSIONS: Primary mucosal desmoplastic melanomas are clinically characterized by local recurrence and may lead to distant metastasis and death even after several years. Alterations in p53 expression are frequently associated with desmoplastic melanoma.
The oncogene BRAF(V600E) is the most frequent genetic event in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) but its prognostic impact still remains to be elucidated. We evaluated a representative series of 67 individuals with PTC who underwent total thyroidectomy. BRAF-positive tumours correlated with early recurrences (32% vs 7.6%; P=0.02) during a median postoperative follow-up period of 3 years. Interestingly, within the recurrences, a significant majority had negative radioiodine ((131)I) total body scans, predicting a poorer outcome as treatment with (131)I is not effective. This last observation led us to investigate the role of BRAF(V600E) and the MEK-ERK pathway in thyroid dedifferentiation, particularly in Na(+)/I(-) symporter (NIS) impairment, as this thyroid-specific plasma membrane glycoprotein mediates active transport of I(-) into the thyroid follicular cells. A subset of 60 PTC samples was evaluated for NIS immunoreactivity and, accordingly, we confirmed a significant low NIS expression and impaired targeting to membranes in BRAF-positive samples (3.5% vs 30%; P=0.005). Furthermore, experiments with differentiated PCCl3 thyroid cells demonstrated that transient expression of BRAF(V600E) sharply impaired both NIS expression and targeting to membrane and, surprisingly, this impairment was not totally dependent on the MEK-ERK pathway. We have concluded that BRAF(V600E) is a new prognostic factor in PTC that correlates with a high risk of recurrences and less differentiated tumours due to the loss of NIS-mediated (131)I uptake.
PURPOSE: To report on the occurrence of frequent episodes of spontaneous subconjunctival hemorrhage (SCH) in patients with the Leu 34 allele of the coagulation factor XIII (FXIII), known to be associated with high hemorrhagic risk. DESIGN: Observational case series. METHODS: Five young adults who had suffered from recurrent idiopathic SCH not associated with any recognized ocular and systemic hemorrhagic risk factor were investigated. Accurate anamnestic, ophthalmologic, hematologic, and serologic examinations were performed, together with blood pressure measurements, electrocardiogram (ECG), and 24-hour Holter ECG recordings. FXIII Val34Leu polymorphism was studied by DNA chain polymerase reaction. RESULTS: DNA analyses showed that the hemorrhagic mutated Leu34 allele was present in four of our selected patients: two mutated homozygotes (Leu/Leu) and two heterozygotes (Val/Leu). In the last subject this polymorphism was not detected. All the other clinical evaluations did not disclose any significant abnormality. CONCLUSIONS: The FXIII Val34Leu mutation may be associated with an increased risk for spontaneous episodes of SCH.
Autosomal recessive muscular dystrophies called "sarcoglycanopathies" result from mutations in the genes encoding alpha-, beta-, gamma-, or delta-sarcoglycan complex components. The present study involved six unrelated families from Northern Italy showing mutations in the beta- or gamma-sarcoglycan genes. An 8 bp duplication in the beta-sarcoglycan gene and 1 bp insertion in the gamma-sarcoglycan gene occur with high frequency in our population. These mutations have never been reported thus far in other countries. Many patients are homozygotes for a single mutation, although they derived from non-consanguineous marriages. We suggest that these alleles are "private" mutations of this geographical region. A panel of highly informative microsatellite markers that map in the beta- and gamma-sarcoglycan gene locus was used to assess the haplotypes among affected patients and control population, in order to test the presence of linkage disequilibrium. We found that the 8 bp duplication in the beta-sarcoglycan gene and the 1 bp insertion in the gamma-sarcoglycan gene are in linkage disequilibrium with neighbouring polymorphisms. The recurrence of specific sarcoglycan mutations in Northern Italy is probably due to a founder effect, combined with a relative genetic isolation.
We report an unusual presentation of a primary beta-sarcoglycanopathy (LGMD type 2E). A 12- year-old boy came to our attention after six episodes of exercise-induced myoglobinuria. Electromyogram showed mild myopathic features of the proximal lower limb muscles. Electrocardiogram was normal. Neurological examination revealed normal muscle strength and reduced deep tendon reflexes. A muscle biopsy showed rare regenerating fibers; the immunohistochemistry was normal for dystrophin, while all the sarcoglycans were diffusely decreased. Western blot analysis showed a relevant decrease of all sarcoglycan proteins and a mild dystrophin reduction. beta-Sarcoglycan gene analysis demonstrated a compound heterozygous status for these mutations: a novel A-T base pair substitution at nucleotide 85 in exon 2, changing the codon Arg to a stop codon; a C-T base pair substitution at nucleotide 272 in exon 3 changing a Arg to a Cys residue. We consider that exercise-induced myoglobinuria may be the presenting sign of primary beta-sarcoglycanopathy.
Two additional pedigrees with familial recurrence of achondroplasia are described. Genetic risk for children of sibs of affected individuals or premutation carriers seems to be low, but it is advisable to monitor at risk pregnancies by midtrimester ultrasonography to diagnose fetal achondroplasia.
Two forms of post-transplant thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) may be recognized: recurrent TMA and de novo TMA. Recurrent TMA may occur in patients who developed a nondiarrhoeal form of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) being particularly frequent in patients with autosomal recessive or dominant HUS. The recurrence is almost the rule in patients with mutation in complement factor H gene. Most patients eventually lose the graft. Treatment with plasma infusions or plasmapheresis is often disappointing, but few cases may be rescued. Intravenous immunoglobulins and rituximab have also been successful in anedoctic cases. De novo TMA is rarer. A number of factors including viral infection may be responsible of de novo TMA, but in most cases TMA is triggered by calcineurin inhibitors or mTOR inhibitors. The clinical presentation of de novo TMA may be variable with some patients showing clinical and laboratory features of HUS while others showing only a progressive renal failure. The prognosis is less severe than with recurrent TMA. Complete withdrawal of the offending drug may lead to improvement in many cases. The addition of plasma exchange may result in graft salvage in about 80% of cases.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The results of hepatic surgery for colorectal metastases are distorted by the high incidence of recurrence, despite an apparently radical resection. Selection of high-risk patients is a mandatory step towards effective application of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. In this study, expression of the tumor suppresser gene p53 in colorectal liver metastases was correlated with recurrence after resection. METHODOLOGY: In a retrospective case-series p53 expression was assessed using standard immunohistochemical methods in the paraffin-embedded specimens of 45 liver resections for colorectal metastases, performed in 43 patients in a single institution between '86 and '96. Hospital and office charts were reviewed and follow-up was completed with a General Physicians' questionnaire in October '97. Relapse-free and cancer-specific survival from diagnosis of hepatic metastases were assessed and compared for p53+ and p53- groups. RESULTS: Median survival was 36 months with an estimated 5-year cancer-specific survival of 43% (95% confidence interval 35%-51%). Relapse-free and cancer-specific survival were not significantly different between p53+ (n = 24, 53%) and p53- (n = 21) groups (P = 0.86 and P = 0.91 respectively). P53 expression was not associated with other potential predictors, which were not of predictive value either. CONCLUSIONS: Patients at risk for recurrent disease following partial hepatectomy for colorectal metastases cannot be identified by p53 expression.
Although hereditary hearing loss is a very heterogeneous disorder, variants in one gene, GJB2 (connexin 26), account for up to 50% of autosomal recessive nonsyndromal sensorineural hearing loss in most populations. This study investigates the contribution of GJB2 to autosomal recessive nonsyndromal hearing loss in the Indonesian population. We performed DNA sequence analysis in 120 patients with profound early childhood nonsyndromal hearing loss and in 100 control individuals and identified three novel variations resulting in amino acid substitutions (p.Gly4Asp, p.Thr5Ala, and p.Gly160Arg). Although we proved that p.Gly4Asp was not disease-causing, the pathological nature of p.Thr5Ala and p.Gly160Arg could not be determined. No recurrent disease-causing mutation could be detected in this Indonesian population. These findings are in contrast with the results obtained in other populations where GJB2 is a major cause of congenital recessive hearing loss.
To identify the influence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype on development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and clinical outcome in chronic HBV infection, 26 consecutive cirrhotic patients infected with HBV subtype adw were investigated prospectively. HBV serology was undertaken using subtype-specific antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigens. The HBV genotype was determined by sequencing directly the polymerase chain reaction products of the HBV S gene. When HCC occurred, patients underwent transcatheter arterial embolization therapy. If tumor necrosis was incomplete, additional embolization therapy was carried out after a 3- to 4-month interval. At a median follow-up of 14.1 years (range 2.2 to 31.7), HCC occurred in 9 (35%) of 26 patients. Nineteen patients were infected with genotype B and 7 with genotype C. Four of the 19 genotype B patients (21%) and 5 of the 7 genotype C patients (71%) developed HCC (P = 0.058). Patient age (<45 years or 45 < or = ) at diagnosis of cirrhosis was the only significant independent factor influencing liver carcinogenesis by multiple logistic regression analysis and Cox's regression analysis (P = 0.0069 and 0.029, respectively). When analysis was limited to the age of 45 years or more at the last visit, genotype was the only contributory factor to HCC development by univariate analysis (P = 0.038). Whereas genotype B patients responded well to embolization therapy and had no recurrence of HCC for a prolonged period of time, genotype C patients showed poor responses and died of hepatic failure due to rapid HCC progression despite embolization therapy. The cumulative incidence of survival was significantly higher in the genotype B group (P = 0.0049). The HBV genotype correlated with the development of HCC, response to embolization therapy, and recurrence of HCC. Determination of HBV genotype may be useful in predicting outcomes in HBV subtype adw-related cirrhosis.
BACKGROUND: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a well defined autosomal dominant disease (Mendelian Inheritance in Man #106100) that results from an inherited deficiency of C1 (the activated first component of complement) inhibitor function. We report an unusual variant of HAE with normal biochemical C1-inhibitor function, occurring only in women. METHODS: We screened 574 patients with recurrent angioedema of the skin for presence of HAE. 283 patients were selected, in whom angioedema was associated with abdominal pain attacks or recurrent life-threatening episodes of upper-airway obstruction, or both, rather than with urticaria. We measured C1-inhibitor concentration and functional activity as well as complement C4 concentration and took pedigrees to characterise patients. FINDINGS: 94 HAE cases with C1-inhibitor deficiency, positive family history, or both were identified. Biochemical testing showed that 84 patients from 49 families had a functional C1-inhibitor deficiency. 11 of these patients had no affected family members (probably representing de-novo mutations). Ten women with HAE, from ten families, had normal C1-inhibitor protein concentrations and function, and normal C4 concentration. A more detailed study of these families identified another 26 affected members, who were also all women. Of those women, 14 could be studied and also had normal C1-inhibitor concentration and function. The disease was seen in successive generations, and in offspring of affected mothers, the sex ratio (M/F) was shifted to 1/1.5. INTERPRETATION: HAE with normal C1-inhibitor concentration and function represents a unique genetic disease arising only in women. The formal genetics of this entity are suggestive of an X-linked dominant mode of inheritance. For this disorder we propose the term hereditary angioedema type 3 (HAE III).
BACKGROUND: Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is caused by a deficiency of peroxisomal alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT). In about one third of patients, enzymatically active AGT is synthesized but is mistargeted to mitochondria. There are more than 50 mutations identified in the gene for AGT. Four mutations, G170R, 33_34insC, F152I and I244T account for more than 50% of PH1 alleles. The question arose whether there are ethnic differences in PH1 genotype. METHODS: The published data on mutations in the AGT gene were examined with respect to recurrences and geographic or ethnic association. The mutations that have been found in at least 2 unrelated individuals were considered. RESULTS: Two common mutations, G170R and 33_34insC showed no obvious ethnic associations and have been found in a variety of populations. A third common PH1 mutation, I244T, has a strong association with people from a Spanish or North African background. A particularly high frequency among Canary Islands PH1 patients suggests a probable founder effect. Between these two extremes are a number of mutations that recur at low frequency within certain ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic associations of PH1 genotypes span a spectrum ranging from limited recurrences confined to a population group, to a probable founder effect.