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

The presence of metastases in lymph nodes is the most powerful prognostic factor in breast cancer patients. Routine histological examination of lymph nodes has limited sensitivity for the detection of breast cancer metastases. The aim of the present study was to develop a multimarker reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for the detection of minimal residual disease in sentinel nodes of breast cancer patients. RNA was extracted from 30 sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) obtained from 28 patients, three primary breast cancers (positive controls), three lymph nodes from patients with benign diseases, and peripheral blood lymphocytes of 10 healthy volunteers (negative controls). RT-PCR was performed using the following markers; cytokeratin (CK)-19, NY-BR-1 and mammaglobin B. RT-PCR results were compared to enhanced histopathologic examination and immunohistochemistry (IHC). All three positive controls showed strong PCR amplification for all three markers. None of the 13 negative controls was amplified by any of the three markers. Among the 30 SLN analysed, breast cancer metastases were detected in six SLNs by routine histology, in eight by IHC and in 15 by RT-PCR. We conclude that a multimarker RT-PCR assay probing for NY-BR-1, mammaglobin-B, and CK-19 is more sensitive compared to enhanced pathologic examination. This method may prove to be of value in breast cancer staging and prognosis evaluation.
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PMID:Multimarker RT-PCR assay for the detection of minimal residual disease in sentinel lymph nodes of breast cancer patients. 1667 Jul 23

NY-BR-1 is a recently identified differentiation antigen of the mammary gland. To use NY-BR-1 for T-cell-based immunotherapy, analysis of its co-expression with HLA class I antigens is required. In the present tissue microarray study, primary breast cancers (n = 1,444), recurrences (n = 88), lymph node (n = 525) and distant metastases (n = 91) were studied for NY-BR-1 expression using a novel monoclonal antibody. NY-BR-1 expression was compared with prognosis, estrogen receptor, HER2-status, EGFR and HLA class I antigen expression. NY-BR-1 was more frequently expressed in grade 1 (82%) than in grade 2 (69%) and grade 3 (46%) carcinomas (P < 0.0001). Moreover, NY-BR-1 expression correlated directly with estrogen receptor expression (P < 0.0001) and inversely correlated with HER2-status and EGFR expression (P < 0.0001 for both). Considering high expression level of co-expression, 198/1,321 (15%) primary breast carcinomas and 4/65 (6%) distant metastases expressed NY-BR-1 and HLA class I, suggesting that active immunotherapy can be applied to about 10% of breast cancer patients. Survival analysis showed an association of NY-BR-1 expression with better patient outcome (P = 0.015). No difference between NY-BR-1 expression of primary tumors and metastases could be found, indicating that the presence of NY-BR-1 in metastases can be deduced from their corresponding primary. Forty-three paired biopsies taken from patients before and after chemotherapy suggest that NY-BR-1 expression is not influenced by preceding chemotherapy (kappa = 0.89, P < 0.0001). In summary, the co-expression of NY-BR-1 with HLA class I antigens and its expression in metastases without modification by chemotherapy suggest that NY-BR-1 targeted immunotherapy represents a viable strategy in addition to other targeted cancer drug therapies of breast cancer.
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PMID:NY-BR-1 protein expression in breast carcinoma: a mammary gland differentiation antigen as target for cancer immunotherapy. 1741 Mar 59