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Background: An oncology trial compared four cycles of doxorubicin/ cyclophosphamide (AC) with four cycles of docetaxel/cyclophosphamide (TC) in operable breast cancer patients (71% were diagnosed with hormone receptor positive and 48% with node-negative breast cancer). The objective of this study was to estimate the lifetime cost effectiveness of AC versus TC, from a Chinese healthcare provider perspective, based on a clinical trial. Methods: A lifetime cost-effectiveness analysis was performed using a Markov model. Events rates and utilities in the Markov model were derived from published papers. Data on cost of breast cancer care were obtained from the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, PR China. One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were undertaken. Cost estimates were valued in Chinese yuan (Y), year 2008 values. All costs and outcomes were discounted at 3% per annum. Results: Patients receiving TC gained 14.45 QALYs, 0.41 QALYs more than patients receiving AC. The lifetime costs of patients receiving TC were Y93511, Y10 116 more than that of AC patients. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were Y26 742 per life-year gained (£2719.8 per year) and Y24305 per QALY gained (£2471.9 per QALY). The most sensitive parameter in the model was the cost of primary cancer treatments in the TC arm. At a threshold willingness to pay of Y86514 per QALY, the probability of TC being cost effective was 90%. Conclusions: Our model suggests that TC may be considered cost effective from a Chinese healthcare provider perspective, according to the threshold defined by the WHO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the psychometric features of the body image after breast cancer questionnaire-Chinese version (BIBCQ-C) in Chinese women with breast cancer., Methods: A total of 545 women with breast cancer received a demographics investigation: BIBCQ-C and hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD). Four weeks later, 31 patients were selected randomly to finish BIBCQ-C again., Results: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total scale was 0.90, and that for the 6 factors ranged from 0.62 to 0.87. The mean inter-item correlation coefficient of the total scale was 0.16, and the mean inter-item correlation coefficient of the subscales ranged from 0.21 to 0.57, and the test-retest reliability of the total scale and 6 factors was over 0.60. The confirmatory factor analyses supported the 6-factor model, and BIBCQ-C were significantly correlated with the symptom scales of anxiety and depression (r=0.20, 0.21, P<0.01)., Conclusion: BIBCQ-C is reliable and valid, which can effectively assess body image of Chinese women with breast cancer.

The Maelstrom (MAEL) gene is a cancer-testis (or cancer-germline) gene, which is predominantly expressed in germline cells under normal conditions, but is aberrantly expressed in a range of human cancer cells. In germline cells, MAEL is found predominantly in the nuage, where it plays an essential role in piRNA biogenesis and piRNA-mediated silencing of transposons. However, the role of MAEL in cancer has not been elucidated. We performed immunoprecipitation and Nano-LC-MS/MS analysis to investigate the interactome of MAEL, and identified 14 components of stress granules (SGs) as potential binding partners of MAEL in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer and SW480 colorectal cancer cells. The interactions between MAEL and 8 of these SG components (PABPC1, YBX1, KHSRP, SYNCRIP, DDX39, ELAV1, EIF4A1 and EIF3F) were confirmed by anti-tag immunoprecipitation. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that MAEL co-localizes with the SG marker PABPC1 in SGs during oxidative stress. Nuages and SGs are the cytoplasmic RNA granules of germline cells and stressed somatic cells, respectively, and both serve as a platform for small RNA-mediated gene silencing. It is, therefore, suggested that MAEL may be involved in miRNA-mediated gene silencing in SGs, as it does in the nuage. This finding should be valuable toward understanding the function of MAEL in carcinogenesis.

Objective: To detect the expression of galectin-3 (gal-3) and Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA) and determine their clinicopathological significance in breast cancers and benign breast lesions., Methods: Envison immunohistochemistry for staining gal-3 expression, and ABC affinity-cytochemistry to detect SNA expression were used in paraffin-embedded slides from specimens of breast cancers (n=60) and benign lesions (n=30)., Results: The positive rates and scoring means of gal-3 and SNA were significantly higher in breast cancer (48.3%, 2.07 +/- 2.25, 2.12 +/- 2.26) than those in benign lesions (26.7%, 1.03 +/- 1.63, 1.07 +/- 1.59, P < 0.05). The scoring means of gal-3 and SNA expression were significantly lower in the positive cases of estrogen receptor (ER) and the negative ones of CA15-3 than those in the negative cases and the positive ones (P < 0.05).The survival analysis of Kaplan-Meier showed the 5-year survival rate and mean survival period were significantly lower in the gal-3 or SNA expression positive cases than those in the negative cases of breast cancer (P<0.01)., Conclusion: The expressive level of gal-3 and SNA lectins might have important effect on the carcinogenesis, progression and biologic behaviors of breast cancer. The positive cases of gal-3 and /or SNA expression might have poor prognosis.