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Breast cancer risk have been discussed to be associated with polymorphisms in genes as well as abnormal DNA damage repair function. This study aims to assess the relationship between genes single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to DNA damage repair and female breast cancer risk in Chinese population. A case–control study containing 400 patients and 400 healthy controls was conducted. Genotype was identified using the sequence MassARRAY method and expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) in tumor tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry assay. The results revealed that ATR rs13091637 decreased breast cancer risk influenced by ER, PR (CT/TT vs. CC: adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.54, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04–2.27, p = 0.032; CT/TT vs. CC: adjusted OR = 1.63, 95%CI: 1.14–2.35, p = 0.008) expression. Stratified analysis revealed that PALB2 rs16940342 increased breast cancer risk in response to menstrual status (AG/GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 1.72, 95%CI: 1.13–2.62, p = 0.011) and age of menarche (AG/GG vs. AA: adjusted OR = 1.54, 95%CI: 1.03–2.31, p = 0.037), whereas ATM rs611646 and Ku70 rs132793 were associated with reduced breast cancer risk influenced by menarche (GA/AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.30–0.95, p = 0.033). In a summary, PALB2 rs16940342, ATR rs13091637, ATM rs611646, and Ku70 rs132793 were associated with breast cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tumor microenvironment is infiltrated by many immune cells, of which Regulatory T (Treg) cells are usually considered as negative regulators of the immune responses. However, the effect of FOXP3+ (forkhead box transcription factor 3) Treg cells infiltrated into the tumor areas on the prognosis of breast cancer is controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to dissect the potential values of FOXP3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as a prognosis predictor of breast cancer. Methods: After systematic retrieval of all relevant studies, 28 eligible articles were identified for meta-analysis. Odd ratio (OR), hazard ratio (HR), and 95% confidence interval (CI) were obtained for pooled analyses of pathological complete response (pCR), overall survival (OS), and corresponding forest plots and funnel plots were plotted, respectively. Results: Pooled results revealed that patients with higher levels of FOXP3+ TILs experienced better pCR (OR: 1.24, 95% CI 1.09–1.41) and OS (HR: 0.79, 95% CI 0.64–0.97). Subgroup analysis revealed that elevated FOXP3+ TILs were significantly associated with improved pCR (OR: 1.20, 95% CI 1.02–1.40) and OS (HR: 0.22, 95% CI 0.06–0.88) in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancer patients. Furthermore, FOXP3+ TILs in the stromal area were statistically correlated with the favorable pCR (OR: 1.22, 95% CI 1.08–1.38) and OS (HR: 0.68, 95% CI 0.49–0.96). Conclusions: The predictive role of FOXP3+ TILs in the prognosis of breast cancer is influenced by various factors such as molecular subtype of breast cancer and the location of Treg. In HER2+ breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer, FOXP3+ TILs are associated with better pCR and OS. Additionally, FOXP3+ TILs in stromal represent a favourable prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exosomes are non-invasive biomarkers for cancer diagnosis. Herein, we describe an electrochemiluminescent (ECL) aptasensor for the detection of exosomes from breast tumor cells. Mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)-modified Eu3+-doped CdS nanocrystals (MPA-CdS:Eu NCs) and H2O2 were used as ECL emitters and coreactant, respectively. The exosomes are recognized and captured by the CD63 aptamer, and then form a G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme, which efficiently catalyzes the decomposition of H2O2, resulting in the decreased ECL signal of MPA-CdS:Eu NCs. The exosomes from breast tumor cells (MCF-7 cells) can be detected in the range of 3.4 × 105 to 1.7 × 108 particles per mL. The limit of detection (LOD) was estimated to be 7.41 × 104 particles per mL at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3. The aptasensor has been successfully used to detect exosomes in the serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Recently, increasing studies investigated the association between inflammation parameter such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the prognosis of cancers. However, the clinical and prognostic significance of NLR in breast cancer remains controversial.Aim: This meta-analysis was conducted to establish the overall accuracy of the NLR test in the diagnosis of breast cancer.Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted using PubMed and Web of Science. Six studies dating up to July 2014 with 2267 patients were enrolled in the present study. STATA 11.0 software (STATA Corporation, College Station, TX, USA) was selected for data analysis. In order to evaluate the association between NLR and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival or cancer-specific survival, the hazard ratios (HRs), and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted.Results: Subgroup analyses showed that NLR was a strong prognostic factor for OS in multivariate analysis (HR = 2.81, 95% CI = 2.13-3.71, PH = 0.992) and without metastasis (HR = 1.45, 95% CI = 0.37-5.66, PH < 0.001). Elevated NLR was associated with a high risk for DFS in subgroups of multivariate analysis (HR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.67-2.80, PH = 0.977) and mixed metastasis (HR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.38-3.30, PH = 0.84).Conclusion: In summary, NLR may be considered as a predictive factor for patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation is an essential component of pathogenesis and progression of cancer. A high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is considered as a prognostic indicator for breast cancer. This meta-analysis was conducted to establish the overall accuracy of the NLR test in the diagnosis of breast cancer. A comprehensive search of the literature was conducted by using PubMed, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Published studies dating up to July 2014 and 4,293 patients were enrolled in the present study. In order to evaluate the association between NLR and overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence-free survival (RFS) or cancer specific survival (CSS), the hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted. OS was the primary outcome. The results suggested that increased NLR was a strong predictor for OS with HR of 2.28 (95% CI = 1.08–4.80, P heterogeneity < 0.001). Stratified analyses indicated that a high NLR appeared to be a negative prognostic marker in Caucasian populations (HR = 4.53, 95% CI = 3.11–6.60, P heterogeneity = 0.096), multivariate analysis method (HR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.52–2.89, P heterogeneity = 0.591), and mixed metastasis (HR = 4.53, 95% CI = 3.11–6.60, P heterogeneity = 0.096). Elevated NLR was associated with a high risk for DFS (HR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.09–1.74, P heterogeneity = 0.050) and in subgroups of multivariate analysis (HR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.25–2.14, P heterogeneity = 0.545) and mixed metastasis (HR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.28–3.09, P heterogeneity = 0.992). In summary, NLR could be considered as a predictive factor for patients with breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I has been implicated in processes leading to breast cancer initiation and progression. A CA repeat polymorphism in the promoter region of IGF-I may suppress transcriptional activity and be associated with risk of breast cancer. A variety of case–control studies have been published evaluating the association between IGF1 CA repeat polymorphism and breast cancer. However, those published studies yielded contradictory conclusions. Results: This meta-analysis enrolled eleven studies to estimate the overall breast cancer risk of IGF1 CA repeat polymorphism. There was no significantly breast cancer risk found for pooled ORs among all the models. In the sub-stratified analysis by ethnicity, significantly decreased risks were found among Caucasian (19/19 versus non19/non19: OR=0.81, 95% CI: 0.70–0.94, P =0.922; 19/non19 versus non19/non19: OR=0.86, 95% CI: 0.74–0.99, P =0.005; dominant model: OR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.73–0.96, P =0.871). However, no significantly breast cancer risk was found among Asian and other ethnicities for all the genetic models. Furthermore, in the menopausal status stratified analysis, a significant decreased risk for postmenopausal woman was observed in the comparison of genotype 19/19 versus 19/non19+non19/non19: OR=0.89, 95% CI: 0.81–0.99, P =0.603. In addition, in the stratified analysis by case size, significantly decreased risk was observed in studies whose case size was more than 500 (19/19 versus 19/non19+non19/non19: OR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.86–1.00, P =0.457). Conclusions: This study suggested that genotype 19/19 of IGF1 CA repeat polymorphism is a decreased risk for developing breast cancer in Caucasian but not in Asian, indicating that the association might be adjusted by race. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A growing number of studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in the occurrence and development of tumors. In this study, we explored the function and molecular mechanism of lncRNA SPINT1-AS1 in breast cancer progression. A total of 30 patients and 25 healthy controls were enrolled to detect the expression of SPINT1-AS1 in the serum by RT-qPCR. CCK-8 assay, clone formation assay, EdU assay, Transwell assay, Flow cytometry for apoptosis assay and wound healing assays were used to explore the effects of SPINT1-AS1 on the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. Bioinformatics analysis were used to enrich the downstream target genes and related pathways of miRNAs interacting with SPINT1-AS1, construct a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network diagram. SPINT1-AS1 is up-regulated in the serum of breast cancer patients and breast cancer cell lines. The proliferation and migration ability of breast cancer cells were decreased significantly after SPINT1-AS1 knockdown, and it may inhibit its expression by sponging miR-let-7a/b/i-5p, thereby promoting breast cancer progression. SPINT1-AS1 can promote the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells by regulating miR-let-7a/b/i-5p, suggesting that it may be an important regulator of breast cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]