Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0027627 (metastases)
 103,950 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Squamous cell carcinoma is a rare histological type of breast cancer classified as metaplastic carcinoma. Metaplastic carcinoma involves differentiation of the breast glandular duct cells into mesenchymal tissues. While the chemotherapy regimen for metaplastic carcinoma is often similar to that for invasive ductal carcinoma, recurrence is associated with a poor prognosis due to the inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the regimen. We herein present the case of a 42-year-old female patient who underwent mastectomy of the right breast and right axillary node lymphadenectomy for T4N3aM0 breast cancer stage. The cancer was histopathologically diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma of the breast. Adjuvant cyclophosphamide-epirubicin-fluorouracil (CEF) postoperative chemotherapy was administered, and lymphadenectomy of right-sided parasternal lymphatic metastases with pleural drainage was subsequently performed. Radiotherapy was administered to the thoracic wall and supraclavicular lymph nodes at 60 Gy. Positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) examination 3 months after the radiotherapy identified accumulation of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in a supraclavicular lymph node and the thoracic wall; hence, a chemotherapeutic regimen with eribulin was initiated. At 11 months after initiation of eribulin, complete response was achieved, indicated by the absence of FDG accumulation in both the supraclavicular lymph node and the thoracic wall on PET-CT. The treatment efficacy of eribulin is considered to be a result of the mixed morphology of squamous cell carcinoma, including the presence of an epithelial component, such as adenocarcinoma cells, and a mesenchymal component, in the form of sarcomatoid cells. Eribulin displayed an effect similar to that of adriamycin against malignant soft tissue tumors and was shown to effectively target mesenchymal components. In cases of reduced expression of the DNA repair pathway components, such as in metaplastic carcinomas, eribulin may be more effective compared with adriamycin, the mechanism of action of which involves inhibition of DNA synthesis. A superior therapeutic effect was obtained with eribulin in squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, eribulin appears to be a promising, effective therapeutic choice for the management of metaplastic carcinomas, including squamous cell carcinomas.
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PMID:Higher efficacy and complete response with administration of eribulin for recurrent squamous cell breast carcinoma: A case report. 3015 55

The care of patients with breast cancer in the modern era involves a multimodal approach to treating locoregional and distant disease. Recent studies have demonstrated that the extent of surgical intervention in both the breast and axilla can be minimized through a personalized approach based on breast cancer stage, subtype, and planned adjuvant therapies. The older approach focused on complete removal of the axillary contents for appropriate staging and to determine the need for adjuvant systemic therapy and radiation. This approach has been replaced by sentinel lymph node biopsy, which allows for axillary staging with the removal of only the nodes most likely to contain metastatic disease. Sentinel lymph node biopsy obviates the need for complete axillary lymph node dissection in patients with node-negative disease. Clinical trials have also shown that axillary dissection can be avoided in those patients with low axillary disease burden in the sentinel nodes who are undergoing breast-conserving therapy. Radiation can also be used as an alternative to axillary dissection in patients with positive sentinel nodes, without increasing the risk for regional recurrence. Further studies are needed in patients undergoing mastectomy to determine the optimal strategy for axillary management in the setting of limited disease in the sentinel nodes. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy allows the ability to evaluate an individual tumor's response to therapy, thereby increasing the possibility of breast-conserving surgery and reduction in the extent of axillary surgery. This review will explore the evolution of management of the axilla in patients with clinically node-negative and node-positive disease, and will provide insights into future directions in breast cancer care.
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PMID:Contemporary management of the axilla in breast cancer. 3084 91


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