Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

About: Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation is a nonprofit organization based out in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Social environment & CISH. The organization has 6 authors who have published 6 publications receiving 395 citations.

Molecular characterization of mucinous ovarian tumours supports a stratified treatment approach with HER2 targeting in 19% of carcinomas

Abstract: Mucinous ovarian carcinomas (MCs) typically do not respond to current conventional therapy. We have previously demonstrated amplification of HER2 in 6 of 33 (18.2%) mucinous ovarian carcinomas (MCs) and presented anecdotal evidence of response with HER2-targeted treatment in a small series of women with recurrent HER2-amplified (HER2+) MC. Here, we explore HER2 amplification and KRAS mutation status in an independent cohort of 189 MCs and 199 mucinous borderline ovarian tumours (MBOTs) and their association to clinicopathological features. HER2 status was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), FISH, and CISH, and interpreted per ASCO/CAP guidelines, with intratumoural heterogeneity assessment on full sections, where available. KRAS mutation testing was performed with Sanger sequencing. Stage and grade were associated with recurrence on both univariate and multivariate analysis (p < 0.001). Assessment of HER2 status revealed overexpression/amplification of HER2 in 29/154 (18.8%) MCs and 11/176 (6.2%) MBOTs. There was excellent agreement between IHC, FISH, and CISH assessment of HER2 status (perfect concordance of HER2 0 or 1+ IHC with non-amplified status, and 3+ IHC with amplified status). KRAS mutations were seen in 31/71 (43.6%) MCs and 26/33 (78.8%) MBOTs, and were near mutually exclusive of HER2 amplification. In the 189 MC cases, a total of 54 recurrences and 59 deaths (53 of progressive disease) were observed. Within MCs, either HER2 amplification/overexpression or KRAS mutation was associated with decreased likelihood of disease recurrence (p = 0.019) or death (p = 0.0041) when compared to cases with neither feature. Intratumoural heterogeneity was noted in 26% of HER2-overexpressing cases. These data support the stratification of MCs for the testing of new treatments, with HER2-targeted therapy as a viable option for HER2+ advanced or recurrent disease. Further research is required to delineate the molecular and clinical features of the ∼34% of MC cases with neither HER2 amplification nor KRAS mutations.

Active Consideration: Conceptualizing Patient-Provided Support for Spouse Caregivers in the Context of Prostate Cancer

Abstract: In this study, the authors examine the under-investigated topic of patient-provided support for spouse caregivers. Thirty-four men with prostate cancer and their female partners were interviewed separately three times: before the man’s radical prostatectomy, 8 to 10 weeks postsurgery, and 1 year postsurgery. The core category of active consideration encompassed 4 dimensions: easing spousal burden, keeping us up, maintaining connection, and considering spouse. Patient-provided support entails two overlapping tasks: minimizing the practical and emotional impact of the illness and tending to the caregiver’s social-emotional needs. A theory expounding on the double bind of being both a patient and an agent in light of masculine socialization practices is articulated and brought to bear on the phenomenon of patient-provided support.

Staging Breast Cancer, Rehearsing Metastatic Disease

Abstract: Social science researchers have fruitfully used a range of conceptualizations of "performance": as a metaphor for social life, a way of vivifying research findings, and a form of scholarly representation. In this article, the researchers consider performance in its hermeneutic sense, as a way of generating meaning. The drama Handle With Care? Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer was created by a research team, a theater troupe, and women with breast cancer. The researchers employ an interpretive phenomenologicalframework to explore interviews with women with breast cancer involved in creating Handle With Care? The performative context in which the drama developed allowed certain illness meanings to emerge, intensify, and shift. The article also considers ethical dilemmas surfaced by this project.

Are audio recordings the answer? - a pilot study of a communication intervention for non-English speaking patients with cancer.

Abstract: Ruby Lipson-Smith, Amelia Hyatt, Phyllis Butow, Thomas F. Hack, Michael Jefford, Sandra Hale, Alison Hocking, Michela Sirianni, Uldis Ozolins, Dorothy Yiu and Penelope Schofield* Cancer Experiences Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Centre of Medical Psychology and Evidence-Based Decision-Making, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia College of Nursing, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, Prairies/NWT, Canada Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia Humanities and Languages, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia Social Work, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia Chinese Cancer Society of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia