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Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is associated with poor clinical prognosis due to a lack of effective therapeutic options. The expression of B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A (BCL11A) has been indicated to correlate with TNBC carcinogenesis, though the precise mechanisms of BCL11A-induced tumorigenesis in TNBC remain unclear. Using data retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, the present study demonstrated that BCL11A expression was upregulated in TNBC, compared with other types of breast cancer. Furthermore, in a tissue microarray of 140 patients with breast cancer, an elevated BCL11A level was correlated with unfavorable overall survival (OS), and exogenous BCL11A-knockdown was subsequently verified to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in TNBC. Notably, the same tissue microarray revealed that a favorable patient outcome was associated with high expression levels of BCL11A and androgen receptor (AR). Moreover, BCL11A-knockdown significantly inhibited the expression level of AR and further had an influence on proliferation, migration and invasion in TNBC cell lines. Collectively, the results of the current study indicate the function of BCL11A in TNBC progression, and provide new insights into the unique mechanism of BCL11A in AR regulation, emphasizing the significance of more research on BCL11A and AR regulation in TNBC molecular treatment.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been wildly explored in various cellular processes and their aberrant expression could lead to tumorigenesis, development and progression. Differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR), a well-known lncRNA that is aberrant expression in various tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and glioma and so on, in which it functions as oncogene mainly, contributing to cancer development and progression. High expressed DANCR is correlated with poor prognosis. In the present review, we summarize recent progression concerning the role, potential clinical utilities and underlying molecular mechanisms of DANCR related to occurrence and development of multiple cancers.

Purpose: The outbreak of novel coronavirus pneumonia occurred worldwide. 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can be transmitted from human to human, cause hospital infection, and seriously threatens surgical staffs and inpatients. The treatment of patients with breast cancer may be affected in this special period. Methods: From 24th January to 8th March 2020, patients diagnosed with breast cancer were enrolled from 16 hospitals in Jiangsu Province, and patients, who were candidates for surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, were also enrolled. Patients from 24th January to 8th March 2019 were included as control with the same criteria. Results: In 2019, 520 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in these 16 hospital; however, only 229 patients (decreased by 56%) were diagnosed with breast cancer in the same period of 2020. The clinical characteristics were similar between the two groups, and core biopsy was performed to more patients in 2020 than that in 2019 (4.1 days ±3.2 vs 3.2 days ±2.6, P < 0.001), and more patients underwent mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection in 2020. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the mean interval between last time of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery in 2020 was significantly longer than that in 2019 (29.2 days ±11.1 vs 17.7 days ±8.2, P < 0.001). After examinations to rule out COVID-19, no COVID-19 was found in any patient. Conclusions: In the special period of novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, the treatment of patients with breast cancer was delayed, but the treatment was safe after strict exclusions of COVID-19.