pathology of breast disease

BACKGROUND: In recent years, novel therapies targeting specific molecular pathways and immunotherapies have exhibited promising outcomes for treating human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer. Our work aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of these emerging treatment regimens for this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We systematically searched databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials their inception to August 2023 to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs)...

INTRODUCTION: Ovarian Sertoli cell tumors represent a subset of sex cord-stromal tumors and are exceedingly rare in prepubertal children. Here we report a girl with vaginal bleeding due to a Sertoli cell tumor who was originally thought to have McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS). CASE PRESENTATION: A previously healthy girl presented at age two years six months with breast development and vaginal bleeding. On exam, she had Tanner 4 breasts, Tanner 1 pubic hair, estrogenized vaginal mucosa, and a café-au-lait macule...

Cancer originates from a single ancestral cell that acquires a driver mutation, which confers a growth or survival advantage, followed by the acquisition of additional driver mutations by descendant cells. Recently, it has become evident that somatic cell mutations accumulate in normal tissues with aging and exposure to environmental factors, such as alcohol, smoking, and UV rays, increases the mutation rate. Clones harboring driver mutations expand with age, leading to tissue remodeling. Lineage analysis of myeloproliferative neoplasms and der(1;16)-positive breast cancer revealed that driver mutations were acquired early in our lives and that the development of cancer takes decades, unveiling the previously unknown early process of cancer development...

AIMS: Abnormalities in HER2 are well-established oncogenic drivers and are approved therapeutic targets in various malignancies. Prior studies evaluating HER2 expression in prostate cancer (PCa) have yielded variable results. Most of these studies used immunohistochemistry scoring systems based on breast cancer data. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical significance of HER2 expression using a scoring system that better reflects the HER2 staining pattern observed in PCa...

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women, and its diagnosis requires the accurate identification and classification of histological features for effective patient management. Artificial intelligence, particularly through deep learning, represents the next frontier in cancer diagnosis and management. Notably, the use of convolutional neural networks and emerging Vision Transformers (ViT) has been reported to automate pathologists' tasks, including tumor detection and classification, in addition to improving the efficiency of pathology services...

Objective Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents an aggressive and prognostically poor variant of breast cancer. Over the years, detailed research has been conducted and published in Western literature. However, there lacks a detailed account of TNBC cases from the perspective of a low-volume institution. This study aims to assess the clinical features of TNBC, as well as their prognostic implications in a tertiary care centre. Methods and materials This prospective observational study took place at a tertiary health centre for two years, spanning from 2021 to 2023...

BACKGROUND: Patients with breast cancer have a higher risk of developing lung cancer than the general population. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of ground glass nodule (GGN) and risk factors for GGN growth in patients with breast cancer and to evaluate the prevalence and pathologic features of lung cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data and chest computed tomography (CT) of 1,384 patients diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent chest CT between January 2008 and December 2022...

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifest differently depending on patients' background and pre-existing conditions. It remains unclear how African Americans with cancer have been affected in comparison to those without. In this study, we aim to identify demographic, clinical, and laboratory markers associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients with cancer. METHODS: We reviewed all COVID-19 hospitalized patients' records from Dec. 2019 to Oct. 2021 at Howard University Hospital...

BACKGROUND: Metastatic cardiac tumors are known to occur more frequently than primary cardiac tumors, however, they often remain asymptomatic and are commonly discovered on autopsy. Malignant tumors with a relatively high frequency of cardiac metastasis include mesothelioma, melanoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer, whereas reports of esophageal cancer with cardiac metastasis are rare. CASE SUMMARY: The case of a 60-year-old man who complained of dysphagia is presented...

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common neurodegenerative disorders. Pathologically, AD and PD are characterized by the accumulation of misfolded proteins. Hence, they are also called as proteinopathy diseases. Gender is considered as one of the risk factors in both diseases. Estrogens are widely accepted to be neuroprotective in several neurodegenerative disorders. Estrogens can be produced in the central nervous system, where they are called as neurosteroids. Estrogens mediate their neuroprotective action mainly through their actions on estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ)...

INTRODUCTION: The impact of distinct estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression patterns on tumor behavior and treatment outcomes within HER2-positive breast cancer is not fully explored. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the clinical differences among patients with HER2-positive breast cancer harboring distinct ER and PR expression patterns in the neoadjuvant setting. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 871 HER2-positive breast patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy at our hospital between 2011 and 2022...

Neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) is the standard treatment for HER2+, triple-negative (TN), and highly proliferative luminal HER2- early breast cancer. Pathologic complete response (pCR) after NST is associated with improved outcomes. We evaluated the predictive factors for axillary-pCR (AXpCR) and its impact on the extent of axillary node surgery. This retrospective study included 92 patients (median age of 50.4 years) with an initially node-positive disease. Patients were treated with molecular subtype-specific NST (4...

The ovary is one of the first organs to show overt signs of aging in the human body, and ovarian aging is associated with a loss of gamete quality and quantity. The age-dependent decline in ovarian function contributes to infertility and an altered endocrine milieu, which has ramifications for overall health. The aging ovarian microenvironment becomes fibro-inflammatory and stiff with age, and this has implications for ovarian physiology and pathology, including follicle growth, gamete quality, ovulation dynamics, and ovarian cancer...

In breast conservative surgery, it is sometimes difficult to decide whether the cauterised tissue at the inked margin represents normal / hyperplastic or neoplastic tissue. We retrospectively assessed the value of ER, PR, CK5 and CK14 IHC in clarifying the nature of cauterised tissues at the margins concerning 34 lesions of 23 patients. 27 cases belonged to lesions that could not be adequately classified on the basis of the HE stains. Two thirds of them could be classified as non-neoplastic or neoplastic and two thirds of the remaining could be favourised as neoplastic or non-neoplastic, with 3/27 cases remaining uncertain...

Purpose To develop a custom deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for noninvasive prediction of breast cancer nodal metastasis. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included patients with newly diagnosed primary invasive breast cancer with known pathologic (pN) and clinical nodal (cN) status who underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) breast MRI at the authors' institution between July 2013 and July 2016. Clinicopathologic data (age, estrogen receptor and human epidermal growth factor 2 status, Ki-67 index, and tumor grade) and cN and pN status were collected...

BACKGROUND: BRCA2 plays a key role in homologous recombination. However, information regarding its mutations in Chinese patients with breast cancer remains limited. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the clinicopathological characteristics of BRCA2 mutation breast cancer and explore the mutation's effect on hormone receptor (HR)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer survival in China. DESIGN: This hospital-based cohort study prospectively included 629 women with breast cancer diagnosed from 2008 to 2023 at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital in China...

BACKGROUND: The risk of locoregional recurrence (LRR) and the long-term prognosis of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) are still controversial. This study aimed to evaluate oncological outcomes for patients undergoing BCS after NAC and determine LRR and survival predictors. METHODS: This study was a retrospective cohort study of patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) who received NAC and underwent BCS or mastectomy from June 2011 to November 2020...

Locally advanced breast cancer poses significant challenges to the multidisciplinary team, in particular with hormone receptor (HR) positive, HER2-negative tumors that classically yield lower pathological complete responses with chemotherapy. The increasingly significant use of CDK 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) plus endocrine therapy (ET) in different breast cancer settings has led to clinical trials focusing on this strategy as a primary treatment, with promising results. The impact of the microbiota on cancer, and vice-versa, is an emerging topic in oncology...

Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH) is a benign interstitial hyperplasia of the breast that usually occurs in premenopausal or perimenopausal women. It is usually characterized by localized lesions or clear boundary masses, and diffuse double breast enlargement is rare. PASH is considered a hormone-dependent disease that is commonly progesterone related. There are no imaging characteristics, and both benign and suspicious malignant signs can be seen. The definitive diagnosis of PASH depends on a pathological diagnosis, and it is necessary to be vigilant in distinguishing between benign and malignant tumors with similar breast histopathology...

INTRODUCTION: Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare subgroup of breast neoplasms associated with adverse outcomes because of its aggressive nature. Typically, MBCs show triple-negative hormone receptor (HR) status. Determining the HR status of breast cancer is an integral part because it is an important prognostic factor and helps in the treatment course of the disease. This study aimed to determine the HR status of MBC, its significance, and its association with various clinicopathological parameters...