ABSTRACT
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that seriously endangers women's lives. The prognosis of breast cancer patients differs among molecular types. Compared with other subtypes, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has been a research hotspot in recent years because of its high degree of malignancy, strong invasiveness, rapid progression, easy of recurrence, distant metastasis, poor prognosis, and high mortality. Many studies have found that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) plays an important role in the occurrence, proliferation, migration, recurrence, chemotherapy resistance, and other characteristics of TNBC. Some lncRNAs are expected to become biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of TNBC, and even new targets for its treatment. Based on a PubMed literature search, this review summarizes the progress in research on lncRNAs in TNBC and discusses their roles in TNBC diagnosis, prognosis, and chemotherapy with the hope of providing help for future research.
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms/genetics , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Biomarkers, Tumor/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticABSTRACT
Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) are the first station of lymph nodes that extend from the breast tumor to the axillary lymphatic drainage. The pathological status of these LNs can predict that of the entire axillary lymph node. Therefore, the accurate identification of SLNs is necessary for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) to replace axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). The quality of life and prognosis of breast cancer patients are related to proper surgical treatment after the precise identification of SLNs. Some of the SLN tracers that have been identified include radioisotope, nano-carbon, indocyanine green (ICG), and methylene blue (MB). However, these tracers have certain limitations, such as pigmentation, radiation dangers, and the requirement for costly detection equipment. Ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) have good specificity and sensitivity, and thus can compensate for some shortcomings of the mentioned tracers. This technique is also being applied to SLNB in patients with breast cancer, and can even provide an initial judgment on SLN status. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has the advantages of high distinguishability, simple operation, no radiation harm, low cost, and accurate localization; therefore, it is expected to replace the traditional biopsy methods. In addition, it can significantly enhance the accuracy of SLN localization and shorten the operation time.