Breast cancer as a systemic disease: a view of metastasis
TL;DR: Results from studies in animal models suggest that specific subtypes of breast cancer may direct metastasis through recruitment and activation of haematopoietic cells, and data implicating breast cancer as a systemic disease is focused on.
Abstract: Breast cancer is now the most frequently diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Strategies targeting the primary tumour have markedly improved, but systemic treatments to prevent metastasis are less effective; metastatic disease remains the underlying cause of death in the majority of patients with breast cancer who succumb to their disease. The long latency period between initial treatment and eventual recurrence in some patients suggests that a tumour may both alter and respond to the host systemic environment to facilitate and sustain disease progression. Results from studies in animal models suggest that specific subtypes of breast cancer may direct metastasis through recruitment and activation of haematopoietic cells. In this review, we focus on data implicating breast cancer as a systemic disease.
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TL;DR: How a clearer understanding of systemic regulation of cancer progression could guide development of new therapeutic modalities and efforts to prevent disease relapse following initial diagnosis and treatment is discussed.
Abstract: Recent pre-clinical and clinical research has provided evidence that cancer progression is driven not only by a tumour's underlying genetic alterations and paracrine interactions within the tumour microenvironment, but also by complex systemic processes. We review these emerging paradigms of cancer pathophysiology and discuss how a clearer understanding of systemic regulation of cancer progression could guide development of new therapeutic modalities and efforts to prevent disease relapse following initial diagnosis and treatment.
713 citations
TL;DR: The dedicated EPMA working group provides a deep analysis in the issue followed by the expert recommendations considering the multifaceted aspects of both “disease care” and “health care’ practices including ethics and economy, life quality of individuals and patients, interests of professional groups involved, benefits of subpopulations, health care system(s) and society as a whole.
Abstract: Background Challenges of “standardisation” and “individualisation” have always been characteristic for medical services. In terms of individualisation, the best possible individual care is the ethical imperative of medicine, and it is a good right of any patient to receive it. However, in terms of standardisation, all the available treatments are based on guideline recommendations derived from large multicentre trials with many thousands of patients involved. In the most optimal way, the standardisation and individualisation should go hand-in-hand, in order to identify the right patient treating him/her with the right medication and the right dose at the right time point! Further, in paradigm and anticipation, there is a big discrepancy between “disease care” and “health care” which dramatically impacts ethical and economical aspects of medical services. Several approaches have been suggested in ancient and modern medicine to conduct medical services in a possibly optimal way. What is the difference amongst all of them and how big is the potential beyond corresponding approach to satisfy the needs of the individual, the patient, professional groups involved and society at large? On behalf of the “European Association for Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine,” the dedicated EPMA working group provides a deep analysis in the issue followed by the expert recommendations considering the multifaceted aspects of both “disease care” and “health care” practices including ethics and economy, life quality of individuals and patients, interests of professional groups involved, benefits of subpopulations, health care system(s) and society as a whole.
271 citations
Cites background from "Breast cancer as a systemic disease..."
...Furthermore, there is a phenomenon of the so-called metastatic inefficiency, due to less than 1 % of all disseminated and circulated tumour cells which have a potential to form secondary and distanced tumours (metastatic disease) [25]....
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TL;DR: The pathological subtypes of breast cancer are clearly different in metastatic behavior with regard to the sites of distant metastasis, emphasizing that this knowledge may help to determine the appropriate strategy for follow-up and guide personalized medicine.
Abstract: // Qi Wu 1, * , Juanjuan Li 1, * , Shan Zhu 1 , Juan Wu 2 , Chuang Chen 1 , Qian Liu 1 , Wen Wei 1 , Yimin Zhang 1 , Shengrong Sun 1 1 Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China 2 Department of Pathology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, P. R. China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Shengrong Sun, email: sun137@sina.com Yimin Zhang, email: dryiminzhang@163.com Keywords: breast cancer subtypes, distant metastases, SEER Received: November 01, 2016 Accepted: February 20, 2017 Published: March 02, 2017 ABSTRACT Background and Aims: This study aimed to access possible relationships between breast cancer subtypes and sites of distant metastasis in breast cancer. Results: A total of 243,896 patients, including 226,451 cases in control groups were identified. Bone metastasis was found in 8848 cases, compared with 1,000 brain metastasis cases, 3434 liver metastasis cases and 4167 lung metastasis cases. Patients with all subtypes were most prone to bone metastases, the incidence of bone metastasis in HR+/HER2+ subtype was up to 5.1 %. Further, HR−/HER2+ subtype patients had a higher probability of brain (OR = 1.978) metastasis compared to HR+/HER2− subtype patients. In addition, liver metastasis was more frequently observed in the HER2 positive subtypes compared with HER2 negative subtypes. Patients with TN primarily presented lung metastasis, but it made no difference in the probability of lung metastases of all subtypes. Materials and Methods: Using the 2010–2013 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program(SEER) data, a retrospective, population-based cohort study to investigate tumor subtypes-specific differences in the sites of distant metastasis. Metastatic patterns information was provided for bone, brain, liver and lung. The breast cancer was classified into four subtypes: hormone receptor (HR) +/ human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) −, HR+/HER2+, HR−/HER2+ and triple negative (TN). Conclusions: The pathological subtypes of breast cancer are clearly different in metastatic behavior with regard to the sites of distant metastasis, emphasizing that this knowledge may help to determine the appropriate strategy for follow-up and guide personalized medicine.
221 citations
TL;DR: This review discusses methods utilized for the fabrication and engineering of MNPs, and challenges in the field and potential opportunities for the use ofMNPs toward improving their properties are discussed.
Abstract: There is urgency for the development of nanomaterials that can meet emerging biomedical needs. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) offer high magnetic moments and surface-area-to-volume ratios that make them attractive for hyperthermia therapy of cancer and targeted drug delivery. Additionally, they can function as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and can improve the sensitivity of biosensors and diagnostic tools. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have resulted in the realization of the next generation of MNPs suitable for these and other biomedical applications. This review discusses methods utilized for the fabrication and engineering of MNPs. Recent progress in the use of MNPs for hyperthermia therapy, controlling drug release, MRI, and biosensing is also critically reviewed. Finally, challenges in the field and potential opportunities for the use of MNPs toward improving their properties are discussed.
188 citations
TL;DR: Receptor conversion for ERα, PR, and HER2 occurs frequently in the course of disease progression in breast cancer, and large prospective studies assessing the impact of receptor conversion on treatment efficacy and survival are needed.
Abstract: Background: In metastatic breast cancer, hormone and/or human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted therapy decision-making is still largely based on tissue characteristics of the primary tumor. However, a change of estrogen receptor alpha (ERa), progesterone receptor (PR), and HER2 status in distant metastases has frequently been reported. The actual incidence of this phenomenon has been debated. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis including 39 studies assessing receptor conversion from primary breast tumors to paired distant breast cancer metastases. We noted the direction of change (positive to negative or vice versa) and performed subgroup analyses for different thresholds for positivity, the type of test used to assess HER2 receptor status, and metastasis location-specific differences (two-sided tests). Results: Overall, the incidence of receptor conversion varied largely between studies. For ERa, PR, and HER2, we found that random effects pooled positive to negative conversion percentages of 22.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] ¼ 16.4% to 30.0%), 49.4% (95% CI ¼ 40.5% to 58.2%), and 21.3% (95% CI ¼ 14.3% to 30.5%), respectively. Negative to positive conversion percentages were 21.5% (95% CI ¼ 18.1% to 25.5%), 15.9% (95% CI ¼ 11.3% to 22.0%), and 9.5% (95% CI ¼ 7.4% to 12.1%). Furthermore, ERa discordance was statistically significantly higher in the central nervous system and bone compared with liver metastases (20.8%, 95% CI ¼ 15.0% to 28.0%, and 29.3%, 95% CI ¼ 13.0% to 53.5%, vs 14.3%, 95% CI ¼ 11.3% to 18.1, P ¼ .008 and P < .001, respectively), and PR discordance was higher in bone (42.7%, 95% CI ¼ 35.1% to 50.6%, P < .001) and liver metastases (47.0%, 95% CI ¼ 41.0% to 53.0%, P < .001) compared with central nervous system metastases (23.3%, 95% CI ¼ 16.0% to 32.6%). Conclusions: Receptor conversion for ERa, PR, and HER2 occurs frequently in the course of disease progression in breast cancer. Large prospective studies assessing the impact of receptor conversion on treatment efficacy and survival are needed. Meanwhile, reassessing receptor status in metastases is strongly encouraged.
175 citations
Cites background from "Breast cancer as a systemic disease..."
...In this study, we focus on distant metastases because they are the major cause of breast cancer–related mortality (14)....
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References
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TL;DR: A substantial proportion of the worldwide burden of cancer could be prevented through the application of existing cancer control knowledge and by implementing programs for tobacco control, vaccination, and early detection and treatment, as well as public health campaigns promoting physical activity and a healthier dietary intake.
Abstract: The global burden of cancer continues to increase largely because of the aging and growth of the world population alongside an increasing adoption of cancer-causing behaviors, particularly smoking, in economically developing countries. Based on the GLOBOCAN 2008 estimates, about 12.7 million cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths are estimated to have occurred in 2008; of these, 56% of the cases and 64% of the deaths occurred in the economically developing world. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among females, accounting for 23% of the total cancer cases and 14% of the cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the leading cancer site in males, comprising 17% of the total new cancer cases and 23% of the total cancer deaths. Breast cancer is now also the leading cause of cancer death among females in economically developing countries, a shift from the previous decade during which the most common cause of cancer death was cervical cancer. Further, the mortality burden for lung cancer among females in developing countries is as high as the burden for cervical cancer, with each accounting for 11% of the total female cancer deaths. Although overall cancer incidence rates in the developing world are half those seen in the developed world in both sexes, the overall cancer mortality rates are generally similar. Cancer survival tends to be poorer in developing countries, most likely because of a combination of a late stage at diagnosis and limited access to timely and standard treatment. A substantial proportion of the worldwide burden of cancer could be prevented through the application of existing cancer control knowledge and by implementing programs for tobacco control, vaccination (for liver and cervical cancers), and early detection and treatment, as well as public health campaigns promoting physical activity and a healthier dietary intake. Clinicians, public health professionals, and policy makers can play an active role in accelerating the application of such interventions globally.
52,293 citations
TL;DR: Variation in gene expression patterns in a set of 65 surgical specimens of human breast tumours from 42 different individuals were characterized using complementary DNA microarrays representing 8,102 human genes, providing a distinctive molecular portrait of each tumour.
Abstract: Human breast tumours are diverse in their natural history and in their responsiveness to treatments. Variation in transcriptional programs accounts for much of the biological diversity of human cells and tumours. In each cell, signal transduction and regulatory systems transduce information from the cell's identity to its environmental status, thereby controlling the level of expression of every gene in the genome. Here we have characterized variation in gene expression patterns in a set of 65 surgical specimens of human breast tumours from 42 different individuals, using complementary DNA microarrays representing 8,102 human genes. These patterns provided a distinctive molecular portrait of each tumour. Twenty of the tumours were sampled twice, before and after a 16-week course of doxorubicin chemotherapy, and two tumours were paired with a lymph node metastasis from the same patient. Gene expression patterns in two tumour samples from the same individual were almost always more similar to each other than either was to any other sample. Sets of co-expressed genes were identified for which variation in messenger RNA levels could be related to specific features of physiological variation. The tumours could be classified into subtypes distinguished by pervasive differences in their gene expression patterns.
14,768 citations
TL;DR: Survival analyses on a subcohort of patients with locally advanced breast cancer uniformly treated in a prospective study showed significantly different outcomes for the patients belonging to the various groups, including a poor prognosis for the basal-like subtype and a significant difference in outcome for the two estrogen receptor-positive groups.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to classify breast carcinomas based on variations in gene expression patterns derived from cDNA microarrays and to correlate tumor characteristics to clinical outcome. A total of 85 cDNA microarray experiments representing 78 cancers, three fibroadenomas, and four normal breast tissues were analyzed by hierarchical clustering. As reported previously, the cancers could be classified into a basal epithelial-like group, an ERBB2-overexpressing group and a normal breast-like group based on variations in gene expression. A novel finding was that the previously characterized luminal epithelial/estrogen receptor-positive group could be divided into at least two subgroups, each with a distinctive expression profile. These subtypes proved to be reasonably robust by clustering using two different gene sets: first, a set of 456 cDNA clones previously selected to reflect intrinsic properties of the tumors and, second, a gene set that highly correlated with patient outcome. Survival analyses on a subcohort of patients with locally advanced breast cancer uniformly treated in a prospective study showed significantly different outcomes for the patients belonging to the various groups, including a poor prognosis for the basal-like subtype and a significant difference in outcome for the two estrogen receptor-positive groups.
10,791 citations
TL;DR: Fibroblasts are a key determinant in the malignant progression of cancer and represent an important target for cancer therapies.
Abstract: Tumours are known as wounds that do not heal - this implies that cells that are involved in angiogenesis and the response to injury, such as endothelial cells and fibroblasts, have a prominent role in the progression, growth and spread of cancers. Fibroblasts are associated with cancer cells at all stages of cancer progression, and their structural and functional contributions to this process are beginning to emerge. Their production of growth factors, chemokines and extracellular matrix facilitates the angiogenic recruitment of endothelial cells and pericytes. Fibroblasts are therefore a key determinant in the malignant progression of cancer and represent an important target for cancer therapies.
4,232 citations
TL;DR: Understanding how mesenchymal cells arise from an epithelial default status will also have a strong impact in unravelling the mechanisms that control fibrosis and cancer progression.
Abstract: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is an indispensable mechanism during morphogenesis, as without mesenchymal cells, tissues and organs will never be formed. However, epithelial-cell plasticity, coupled to the transient or permanent formation of mesenchyme, goes far beyond the problem of cell-lineage segregation. Understanding how mesenchymal cells arise from an epithelial default status will also have a strong impact in unravelling the mechanisms that control fibrosis and cancer progression.
3,804 citations