High fat diet- induced obesity decreases ErbB receptors expression in liver and adipose tissue in C57BL/6 mice

Neuregulins (NRGs) are a family of signaling proteins that bind to receptor tyrosine kinases of the ErbB family (ErbB2 to ErbB4), which can homo- or heterodimerize depending on their structural features and cell type. Many studies have proposed that decreased NRG levels are a common characteristic of obesity. In liver and adipose tissue, the increase in NRG expression has protective effects against obesity. However, it is still unknown whether ErbBs expression is altered in this pathology. We hypothesized that high fat diet-induced obesity downregulates ErbB receptors expression in obese mice compared to normal weight mice. Males C57BL/6 mice (n=6-7 for each group) were fed for 12 weeks and divided into: (i) control diet (CD; 10%-kcal fat, 20%-kcal protein, 70%-kcal carbohydrates), and (ii) high fat diet (HFD; 60%-kcal fat, 20%-kcal protein, 20%-kcal carbohydrates). General parameters and ErbBs expression (qPCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot) were evaluated. We observed a significant increase in final body weight (47%), adipose tissue to body weight ratio (244%) and HOMA-IR (69%), among other parameters, in obese mice. In HFD group significantly decreased ErbB2 (48%) and ErbB3 (66%) mRNA levels in liver (no change in ErbB4), and ErbB2 (43%), ErbB3 (76%) and ErbB4 (35%) in adipose tissue, compared to CD. Furthermore, ErbB2 and ErbB3 protein levels decreased significantly in HFD group compared to the CD in liver. Therefore, our results suggest that HFD-induced obesity significantly decreases ErbBs expression in liver and adipose tissue in this murine model, that may be associated with alterations in the NRG pathway in obese mice.

Las neuregulinas (NRGs) son una familia de proteínas de señalización que se unen a receptores tirosina quinasas de la familia ErbB (ErbB2 a ErbB4), que pueden homo- o heterodimerizar dependiendo de sus características estructurales y del tipo celular. Estudios han propuesto que la disminución de los niveles de NRG es una característica común de la obesidad. En el hígado y el tejido adiposo (TA), el aumento de la expresión de NRG tiene efectos protectores contra la obesidad. Sin embargo, aún se desconoce si la expresión de ErbBs está alterada en esta patología. Nuestra hipótesis es que la obesidad inducida por una dieta alta en grasas (DAG) disminuye la expresión de los ErbB en ratones obesos. Ratones machos C57BL/6 (n=6-7 para c/grupo) fueron alimentados durante 12 semanas y divididos en: (i) dieta control (DC; 10%-kcal grasa, 20%-kcal proteína, 70%-kcal carbohidratos), y (ii) DAG (60%-kcal grasa, 20%-kcal proteína, 20%-kcal carbohidratos). Se evaluaron los parámetros generales y la expresión de ErbBs (qPCR, inmunohistoquímica y Western blot). Observamos un aumento significativo del peso corporal final (47%), de la relación tejido adiposo/peso corporal (244%) y del HOMA-IR (69%), entre otros parámetros, en ratones obesos. En este grupo disminuyó significativamente los niveles de ARNm de ErbB2 (48%) y ErbB3 (66%) en el hígado (sin cambios en ErbB4), y de ErbB2 (43%), ErbB3 (76%) y ErbB4 (35%) en el TA. Además, los niveles de proteína ErbB2 y ErbB3 disminuyeron significativamente, en comparación con el grupo DC en el hígado. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la obesidad inducida por DAG disminuye significativamente la expresión de ErbBs en el hígado y el TA, que puede estar asociado con alteraciones en la vía NRG en ratones obesos.

Research progress on targeted therapy of breast cancer with low expression of HER2 / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Breast cancer has become the malignant tumor with the highest incidence rate among women, of which human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive breast cancer accounts for about 15%-20%. With the development of anti HER2 targeted drugs, the survival and prognosis of HER2 positive breast cancer has significantly benefited. About 45%-55% of breast cancer patients have low HER2 expression, and these patients usually do not receive anti HER2 treatment. However, there is a significant difference between the biological behavior and prognosis of breast cancer with low HER2 expression and breast cancer with zero HER2 expression. It is helpful to differentiate and adopt corresponding treatment strategies to improve the prognosis of patients. At present, there have been many advances in targeted therapy of breast cancer with low HER2 expression, which provides a useful reference for precision treatment of breast cancer with low HER2 expression.

Mechanism of Honghua Oral Liquid in Alleviating Neuropathic Pain / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the pharmacodynamic characteristics and explore the molecular mechanism of Honghua oral liquid （HOL） in relieving neuropathic pain （NP）. MethodHealthy male SD rats were randomly assigned into sham group， model group， low-， medium-， high-dose （0.5， 1.0， 2.0 mL·kg-1·d-1， respectively） HOL groups， and a positive drug （pregabalin， 25 mg·kg-1·d-1） group， with 6 rats in each group. Spinal nerve ligation （SNL） of L5 was conducted in other groups except the sham group. Drug administration was performed 3 days after the SNL surgery for 2 consecutive weeks， and samples were collected after the end of the administration. During the treatment period， the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold were determined to measure the pain-relieving effect of HOL. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on hippocampal tissue samples from the sham， model， and high-dose HOL groups， and differentially expressed genes between the sham group and the model group as well as the model group and HOL high-dose group were obtained. After pathway enrichment analysis， we selected the targets which were closely related to neuroinflammation for validation， and predicted the specific binding sites of the major active components in HOL with the targets through molecular docking. In addition， the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-10 （IL-10） were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） to evaluate the effect of HOL on neuroinflammation in NP rats. ResultCompared with the sham group， SNL decreased the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， HOL recovered the mechanical pain threshold and cold pain threshold （P<0.05）. The transcriptome data showed that 376 differentially expressed genes （DEGs） were identified between the model group and the sham group， including 124 upregulated genes and 252 downregulated genes， and 194 DEGs between the model group and the high-dose HOL group， including 33 upregulated genes and 161 downregulated genes. Among them， insulin-like growth factor 1（IGF1）， matrix metallopeptidase-2 （MMP-2）， matrix metallopeptidase-14 （MMP-14）， erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 （ERBB2）， and integrin subunit alpha 5 （ITGA5） associated with NP were selected for further validation. The Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR） results showed that compared with the sham group， the modeling up-gurelated the mRNA levels of the above five molecules in the hippocampus （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， HOL down-regulated the mRNA levels of these molecules （P<0.01）. The molecular docking results showed that the main active components of safflower， hydroxysafflor yellow A， kaempferol， and quercetin， formed stable hydrogen bonds with the amino acid residues of IGF1， MMP-2， MMP-14， ERBB2， and ITGA5. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） results showed that compared with those in the sham group， the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-10 were out of balance in the model rats （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， HOL lowered the level of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α （P<0.01） and elevated that of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 （P<0.05）. ConclusionHOL exerts analgesic effect on SNL rats by inhibiting neuroinflammation.

A small-molecule pan-HER inhibitor alone or in combination with cisplatin exerts efficacy against nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 医学前沿

The abnormal activation of HER family kinase activity is closely related to the development of human malignancies. In this study, we used HER kinases as targets for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and explored the anti-tumor effects of the novel pan-HER inhibitor HM781-36B, alone or in combination with cisplatin. We found that HER family proteins were positively expressed in tumor tissues of some NPC patients, and the high levels of those proteins were significantly related to poor prognosis. HM781-36B inhibited NPC in vitro and in vivo. HM781-36B exerted synergistic effects with cisplatin on inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis of NPC cells. In NPC xenograft models in nude mice, HM781-36B and cisplatin synergistically inhibited tumor growth. Downregulating the activity of HER family proteins and their downstream signaling pathways and regulating tumor microenvironment may explain the synergistic anti-tumor effects of HM781-36B and cisplatin. In conclusion, our study provides evidence for HER family proteins as prognostic biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for NPC. The pan-HER inhibitor HM781-36B alone or in combination with cisplatin represents promising therapeutic effects for the treatment of NPC patients, which provides a new idea for the comprehensive treatment of NPC.

Tratamiento sistémico para el cáncer de mama HER2 positivo avanzado. Revisión de la evidencia y abordaje terapéutico en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología - Colombia / Systemic treatment for advanced HER2 positive breast cancer. Review of the evidence and therapeutic approach at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología - Colombia

El cáncer de mama es la neoplasia más frecuente y de mayor mortalidad en las mujeres en todo el mundo. El receptor 2 del factor de crecimiento epidérmico humano (HER2) se sobreexpresa en aproximadamente el 20% de las pacientes con cáncer de mama y se asocia a mayor riesgo de recidiva tumoral y mortalidad. Antes del desarrollo de los anticuerpos monoclonales dirigidos contra HER2, el cáncer de mama HER2 positivo estaba asociado con un pronóstico desfavorable. El uso de las terapias dirigidas anti HER2 ha mejorado significativamente las tasas de supervivencia global tanto en el escenario adyuvante como en la enfermedad metastásica. En los últimos años han surgido nuevos medicamentos que bloquean esta vía de señalización, lo cual ha permitido establecer varias líneas de tratamiento con terapia anti HER2 en las pacientes con enfermedad metastásica. Por esta razón, las unidades funcionales de Oncología Clínica/Seno y Tejidos Blandos tomaron la decisión de realizar una revisión de la evidencia científica disponible a octubre de 2021, para establecer las recomendaciones en el abordaje terapéutico de las pacientes con cáncer de mama metastásico HER2 positivo en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INC).

Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm and the one with the highest mortality in women worldwide. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is overexpressed in approximately 20% of breast cancer patients and is associated with an increased risk of tumor recurrence and mortality. Before the development of monoclonal antibodies directed against HER2, HER2-positive breast cancer was associated with a poor prognosis. The use of anti-HER2 targeted therapies has significantly improved overall survival rates both in the adjuvant setting and in metastatic disease. In recent years, new drugs have emerged that block this signaling pathway, which has made it possible to establish several lines of treatment with anti-HER2 therapy in patients with metastatic disease. For this reason, the clinical oncology/breast and soft tissue functional units made the decision to conduct a review of the available scientific evidence as of October 2021 to establish recommendations for the therapeutic approach to patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in the National Cancer Institute (INC).

Indicaciones para el uso de pertuzumab en cáncer de mama HER2 positivono metastásico en los escenarios neoadyuvante y adyuvante. Revisión de la evidencia y abordaje terapéutico en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología - Colombia / Indications for the use of pertuzumab in non-metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant. Review of the literature and therapeutic approach at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología - Colombia

La adición de la terapia dirigida a la quimioterapia citotóxica en pacientes con cáncer de mama ha mejorado significativamente los desenlaces oncológicos en las pacientes con tumores HER2 positivo. El uso de pertuzumab durante el manejo neoadyuvante incrementa significativamente la respuesta patológica completa y en la actualidad permite emplear regímenes libres de antraciclinas con una eficacia similar y menores efectos cardiovasculares (en especial sobre la fracción de eyección). El beneficio en supervivencia libre de enfermedad invasiva, de adicionar pertuzumab en el escenario adyuvante en las pacientes sin tratamiento anti HER2 previo, está limitado a aquellas con ganglios positivos. La implementación de esquemas con bloqueo dual anti HER2, durante el tratamiento inicial del cáncer de mama HER2 positivo, mejora significativamente el pronóstico oncológico en este grupo de pacientes.

The addition of targeted therapy to cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer has significantly improved oncologic outcomes in patients with HER2-positive tumors. The use of pertuzumab during neoadjuvant management significantly increases the complete pathological response and currently allows the use of anthracycline-free regimens with similar efficacy and fewer cardiovascular effects (especially on ejection fraction). The benefit of pertuzumab in disease-free survival in the adjuvant setting for patients without prior anti-HER2 treatment is limited to those with positive nodes. The implementation of schemes with dual anti-HER2 blockade during the initial treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer significantly improves the oncological outcomes in this group of patients.

Análisis de la coexpresión de HER2/GRB7 y su asociación con variables clinicopatológicas en un grupo de mujeres colombianas con diagnóstico de cáncer de mama invasivo / Analysis of HER2/GRB7 co-expression and its association with clinicopathological variables in a group of Colombian women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer

Objetivo. Analizar las diferencias en la presentación de variables clínico-patológicas, de acuerdo con la expresión proteica de GRB7, en tumores HER2 positivos en mujeres colombianas con cáncer de mama invasivo, diagnosticado entre los años 2013 y 2015 en el Instituto Nacional de Cancerología E.S.E (INC). Métodos. Se incluyeron 158 pacientes con diagnóstico confirmado de cáncer de mama ductal invasivo. Se evaluó la expresión de los receptores hormonales (receptor de estrógeno (RE) y de progesterona (RP)), HER2, Ki67 y GRB7, mediante inmunohistoquímica (IHQ), y a partir de estos, se clasificaron los tumores en subtipos intrínsecos. Los análisis estadísticos incluyeron las pruebas de Chi-cuadrado/test exacto de Fisher para las variables categóricas, y la prueba U Mann Whitney/ Kruskal Wallis para las variables cuantitativas. Se evaluó la supervivencia global (SG) y libre de enfermedad (SLR) según la coexpresión de HER2/GRB7 usando el método de Kaplan-Meier y el test de log-rank. Resultados. La expresión de GRB7 se observó exclusivamente en tumores HER2-positivos (luminal B/HER2+ y HER2-enriquecidos: p<0,001). Los casos HER2+/GRB7+ mostraron una mayor expresión de Ki67 (40% vs. 27,5%, p=0,029), pero una tendencia a presentar un menor tamaño tumoral (30 mm vs. 51 mm, p=0,097), comparado con los tumores HER2+/GRB7-. No obstante, no se observaron diferencias en la supervivencia según la coexpresión de HER2/GRB7 (SG: p=0,6; SLR: p=0,07). Conclusiones. En nuestra muestra de estudio, la expresión de GRB7 en tumores HER2+ no se asoció con características clínico-patológicas de pronóstico desfavorable.

Objective: To analyze differences in the presentation of clinicopathological variables according to GRB7 protein expression in HER2-positive tumors in Colombian patients with invasive ductal breast carcinomas diagnosed between 2013 and 2015 at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (Bogotá, Colombia).Methods: A total of 158 breast cancer patients were included with a confirmed diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma. A single pathologist evaluated the protein expression of hormone receptors (estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR)), HER2, Ki67, and GRB7 by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to assess differences between categorical variables, as well as the Mann-Whitney/Kruskal-Wallis U test for numerical variables. Overall (OS) and disease-free (DFS) survival were evaluated according to HER2/GRB7 co-expression using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test.Results:GRB7 expression was observed exclusively in HER2-positive tumors (luminal B/HER2+ and HER2-enriched: p<0.001). HER2+/GRB7+ cases showed higher Ki67 expression (40% vs. 27.5%, p=0.029) and a tendency to present a smaller tumor (30 mm vs. 51 mm, p=0.097) compared to HER2+/GRB7- tumors. However, no differences in OS or DFS were observed by HER2/GRB7 co-expression (OS: p=0.6; DFS: p=0.07).Conclusions:Our results in Colombian patients indicate that GRB7 expression in HER2-positive breast tumors is not associated with unfavorable clinicopathological features.

Value of normalized apparent diffusion coefficient in predicting HER2 expression in bladder cancer / 现代泌尿外科杂志

【Objective】 To predict the expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in urothelial bladder carcinoma based on normalized apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). 【Methods】 The preoperative pelvic 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of 127 patients with urothelial bladder carcinoma were retrospectively studied, the ADC was measured, and the HER2 expression in postoperative tissue specimens was determined with immunohistochemistry (IHC). The differences in normalized ADC were analyzed among different HER2 expressions and among different expression divisions. Correlation between normalized ADC and HER2 expression was analyzed. The optimal diagnostic threshold for distinguishing different expression divisions were determined with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. 【Results】 Normalized ADC was negatively correlated with HER2 expression (tau-b=-0.180, P=0.008). Normalized ADC of HER2 overexpression group (IHC 2+, 3+) was lower than that of HER2 negative group (IHC 0, 1+) (P=0.081). Normalized ADC of HER2 expression group (IHC 1+, 2+, 3+) was significantly lower than that of HER2 zero-expression group (IHC 0) (P=0.020). Normalized ADC of HER2 strong positive group (IHC 3+) was significantly lower than that of HER2 non-strong positive group (IHC 0, 1+, 2+) (P=0.024). The optimal diagnostic threshold of HER2 strong positive group was 0.849; the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.621, 0.909 and 0.765, respectively. The optimal diagnostic threshold of HER2 overexpression group was 0.909; the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.547, 0.667 and 0.607, respectively. 【Conclusion】 Normalized ADC is negatively correlated with HER2 expression. ADC may be a potential marker for predicting HER2 expression.

Study on the efficacy and influencing factors of pyrotinib in treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive metastatic breast cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of oral pyrotinib in treatment of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer in the real world, and to explore its influencing factors.Methods:The clinical data of 148 patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer treated with oral pyrrolitinib in Shanxi Cancer Hospital from September 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The efficacy was evaluated according to the efficacy evaluation criteria for solid tumors, version 1.1, and the adverse effects were graded according to the National Cancer Institute common terminology criteria of adverse effects, version 4.0. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw progression-free survival (PFS) curves, the patients were stratified by different clinical characteristics, and log-rank test was used for univariate analysis of PFS; the multivariate analysis of PFS was performed using Cox proportional hazards model.Results:The objective response rate (ORR) of 148 patients was 71.6% (106/148), and the disease control rate (DCR) was 89.2% (132/148). The overall median PFS time was 11.0 months (95% CI 10.1-11.9 months), and the median PFS of 19 patients with brain metastases was 10.0 months (95% CI 7.4-12.6 months). The differences in PFS between patients stratified by disease-free interval (DFI), the number of metastatic site and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score were statistically significant (all P < 0.05), but the difference in PFS between patients with negative and positive hormone receptor was not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that DFI (>1 year vs. ≤1 year: HR = 5.254, 95% CI 0.728-37.933, P = 0.046) and ECOG score (≥2 points vs. 0-1 point: HR = 2.454, 95% CI 1.261-4.788, P = 0.008) were independent influencing factors of PFS. The most common ≥grade 3 adverse effects were diarrhea (31 cases, 20.9%) and hand-foot syndrome (38 cases, 25.8%). Conclusions:The pyrotinib has definite efficacy and good safety in the treatment of HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer in the real world, especially for patients with DFI > 1 year and ECOG score 0-1 point, the efficacy and safety are particularly good.

Prediction of epidermal growth factor receptor mutation subtypes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer by 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of pre-therapy 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomic models in differentiating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletion from exon 21 L858R missense in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods:A total of 172 patients with EGFR mutant NSCLC (54 males, 118 females, age: (56.2±12.5) years) in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University between January 2015 and November 2019 were retrospectively included. Exon 19 mutation was found in 75 patients and exon 21 mutation was identified in 97 patients. The patients were divided into training set ( n=121) and validation set ( n=51) in a 7∶3 ratio by using random number table. The LIFEx 4.00 package was used to extract texture features of PET/CT images of lesions. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm was used for feature screening. Three machine learning models, namely logistic regression (LR), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) models, were constructed based on the selected optimal feature subsets. The ROC curve analysis was performed to assess the predictive performance of those models. Finally, decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the clinical value of the models. Results:Nine radiomics features, including 6 PET features (histogram (HISTO)_Kurtosis, SHAPE_Sphericity, gray level run length matrix (GLRLM)_ low gray-level run emphasis (LGRE), GLRLM_ run length non-uniformity (RLNU), neighborhood grey level different matrix (NGLDM)_Contrast, gray level zone length matrix (GLZLM)_ short-zone low gray-level emphasis (SZLGE)), and 3 CT features (gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM)_Correlation, GLRLM_ run percentage (RP), NGLDM_Contrast), were screened by LASSO algorithm. Three machine learning models had similar predictive performance in the training and validation sets: AUCs for the RF model were 0.79, 0.77, and those for the SVM model were 0.76, 0.75, for the LR model were 0.77, 0.75. The DCA showed that the 3 machine learning models had good net benefits and clinical values in predicting EGFR mutation subtypes.Conclusion:18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics provide a non-invasive method for the identification of EGFR exon 19 deletion and exon 21 L858R missense mutations in patients with NSCLC, which may help the clinical decision-making and the formulation of individualized treatment plan.

Application of PET/CT in the treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

The morbidity and mortality of lung cancer rank first in the world. Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) can significantly prolong survival of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). 18F-FDG PET/CT can evaluate EGFR mutation status and EGFR-TKI efficacy. This article reviews the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in predicting EFGR mutation, the efficacy and survival prognosis evaluation of EGFR-TKI therapy, as well as the development of latest EGFR-TKI PET imaging agents.

Research progress of precise targeted therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 in biliary tract cancers / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are highly heterogeneous tumours. Currently, the global demand for advanced BTC treatment is far from being met, and the survival benefit from advanced chemotherapy is limited. In recent years, with the rise of precision treatment, there are more and more treatment options available for advanced BTC. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) inhibitors, including monoclonal antibodies, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, antibody drug conjugates, and bispecific antibodies, have been explored in BTC. This article reviews the research progress and prospects of HER2 inhibitors in BTC in recent years, so as to provide a better clinical guidance.

The role played by human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 amplification/overexpression in gallbladder cancer and its association with clinico-pathology and prognosis / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the amplification / overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in patients with gallbladder cancer, and to analyze the correlation between amplification/overexpression of HER2 with clinicopathological features and survival in patients after R 0 resection. Methods:There were 14 males and 26 females, aged (60.3±8.7) years old and treated at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2011 to December 2016 who met the inclusion criteria of the study. Immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization were used to detect amplification / expression of HER2 in resected tumor tissues. Patients were divided into two groups according to the HER2 gene expression: the HER2-negative group ( n=40) and the HER2-positive group ( n=10). The Chi-square test was used to analyze the relationship between amplification/expression of HER2 and clinicopathological parameters. Patients were followed up by telephone for prognosis. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to explore factors affecting prognosis of gallbladder cancer patients. Results:HER2 amplification/overexpression was found in 10 patients with gallbladder cancer, with a positive rate of HER2 being 20.0% (10/50). There was a significant difference in the proportion of patients with vascular tumor thrombus between the HER2 negative group and the HER2 positive group [7.5%(3/40) vs. 30.0%(3/10), P<0.05]. On follow-up, data of 46 patients was available. There were 36 patients in the HER2-negative group and 10 patients in the HER2-positive group. Compared with the HER2-negative group, the median recurrence-free survival (10.10 vs. 75.07 months) and the median overall survival (16.77 vs. 83.07 months) of the HER2-positive group were both significantly lower (both P<0.05) than the HER2-negative group. Univariate analysis showed HER2 positivity to be a risk factor for recurrence-free and overall survival in patients with gallbladder cancer after radical resection. Cox multivariable analysis revealed that lymph node metastasis was an independent risk factor for both recurrence-free ( HR=4.31, 95% CI: 1.92-9.68, P<0.001) and overall survival ( HR=3.44, 95% CI: 1.08-11.00, P=0.037). Conclusion:Amplification / overexpression of HER2 was associated with venous invasion and worse prognosis in patients with gallbladder cancer.

Research progress in HER2-low breast cancer / 中国医师杂志

The latest statistics show that breast cancer (BC) has become the cancer with the highest incidence in the world, seriously affecting women′s physical and mental health, and has become a hot research topic in the medical field. Accordingly, its treatment has also entered the molecular era. According to its molecular classification, BC is mainly divided into Luminal A, Luminal B, simple human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and triple negetive breast cancer (TNBC). Obviously, correct judgment of HER2 expression status is very important for cancer typing and treatment of breast cancer. With the further development of research, some scholars have recently put forward new viewpoints and views on the interpretation of HER2 expression and cancer typing in breast cancer. This review will introduce the HER2-low breast cancer combined with the current frontier viewpoint and research findings, hoping to provide a reference for the precision treatment of breast cancer in the later stage and related further research.

Carcinoma mamario RH negativo en el Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Docente Celestino Hernández Robau / Rh negative breast carcinoma at the Teaching Clinic Surgical Hospital Celestino Hernandez Robau

RESUMEN Introducción: El carcinoma mamario negativo a la expresión de receptores hormonales (RH negativo) incluye los subtipos moleculares Her-2/neu y triple negativo, asociados ambos a una mayor actividad biológica del tumor y un pronóstico desfavorable. Objetivo: Determinar la incidenciade los carcinomas triples negativos y Her-2/neu en carcinomas mamarios y su relación con variables clínico-patológicas de valor pronóstico. Métodos: Se realizó unestudio descriptivo, de corte transversal, en el Hospital Celestino Hernández, Villa Clara, entre enero de 2017 a junio de 2019. Se incluyeron 293 mujeres con diagnóstico de carcinoma de mama infiltrante, a cuyas biopsias se les realizó estudio inmunohistoquímico determinando la incidencia de los subtipos moleculares triple negativo y Her2/neu y su relación con otras variables de valor pronóstico. Resultados: En la serie se determinó la incidencia de los subtipos moleculares triples negativo y Her2/neu. En ambos subtipos moleculares, más de las dos terceras partes de las pacientes fueron mayores de 50 años, presentaron tallas tumorales mayor de 2 cm en el momento del diagnóstico y tuvieron histología ductal. Destaca además la relación de ambos subtipos moleculares con formas histológicas moderada y pobremente diferenciadas del carcinoma mamario. De igual forma, en ambos subtipos, el índice de proliferación determinado por Ki67 fue alto en más de las dos terceras partes de las pacientes estudiadas. Conclusiones: La edad posmenopáusica, el tipo histológico ductal, el grado histológico alto, el alto índice de Ki67 y la talla tumoral mayor de 2 cm se asocian con frecuencia a subtipos moleculares del carcinoma mamario negativos a receptores hormonales.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The breast carcinoma which is negative to the expression of hormonal receptors (negative RH) includes the molecular subtypes Her2/neu and triple negative, that are both associated to higher biological activity and a worse forecast. Objective: To determine the real incidence of the subtypes triple negative and Her2/neu in breast carcinoma and its correlation with prognostic value clinic-pathological variables. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was done in the Hospital Celestino Hernández, Villa Clara, from January 2017 to June 2019. It was included 293 women with diagnosis of infiltrating breast carcinoma, whose biopsies were studied by immunohistochemistry, determining the incidence of the molecular subtypes triple negative and overexpression of Her-2 and its correlation with others prognostic value variables. Results: In the series it was determined the incidence of the molecular subtypes triple negative and Her2/neu. In both molecular subtypes more two third of patients were older than 50 years old, had tumor size larger than 2 cm at the moment of diagnosis and had ductal histology. The correlation of the both molecular subtypes with moderately and poorly histological types of breast carcinoma stands out. In the same way the proliferation index determined by Ki67 was high in more two third of the studied patients. Conclusions: The post-menopausal age, the ductal histologic type, high histologic grade, high index of Ki67 and tumor size larger than 2 cm are often associated to molecular subtypes of breast carcinomas which are negative to the expression of hormonal receptors.

IPO7 promotes pancreatic cancer progression via regulating ERBB pathway

Abstract Background Importin 7 (IPO7) belongs to the Importin β family and is implicated in the progression of diverse human malignancies. This work is performed to probe the role of IPO7 in pancreatic cancer development and its potential downstream mechanisms. Methods IPO7 expression in PC and paracancerous tissues were measured using Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and qRT-PCR. Western blotting was utilized to detect the expression level of IPO7 in PC cells and immortalize the pancreatic ductal epithelial cell line. After constructing the IPO7 overexpression and knockdown models, the effect of IPO7 on the proliferation of PC cells was analyzed by the CCK-8 and EdU assay. The migration and invasion of PC cells were examined by wound healing assay and Transwell experiment. The apoptosis rate of PC cells was analyzed by flow cytometry and TUNEL assay. The Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to determine the enrichment pathways of IPO7. The effect of IPO7 on the ERBB2 expression was determined using Western blotting. A xenograft mouse model was applied to investigate the carcinogenic effect of IPO7 in vivo. Results IPO7 expression was remarkably elevated in the cancer tissues of PC patients. IPO7 overexpression remarkably enhanced PC cell proliferation, migration and invasion and suppressed apoptosis, while knockdown of IPO7 exerted the opposite effect. Mechanistically, IPO7 facilitated the malignant phenotype of PC cells by up-regulating ERBB2 expression. In addition, knockdown of IPO7 inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo. Conclusion IPO7 can act as an oncogenic factor and accelerate PC progression by modulating the ERBB pathway.

Progress of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression in breast cancer and its detection methods / 肿瘤研究与临床

Positively expressed human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) occurs in 20%-30% of breast cancer patients, and the prognosis of them is generally poor. Fortunately, the application of HER2-targeted drugs has bright hopes for these patients. The comprehensive detection strategy of immunohistochemistry (IHC) for detecting HER2 protein overexpression combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for detecting HER2 gene amplification is widely used in HER2 breast cancer. However, this strategy applied in some patients with specially expressed HER2 in clinic is still controversial. RNAscope technique can make in situ analysis of HER2 mRNA expression and can be used as a complementary method. This paper summarizes the detection methods of HER2 on protein, DNA and RNA levels in order to provide references for accurate HER2 detection methods in breast cancer.

Cardiotoxicity of anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 monoclonal antibody in breast cancer treatment / 肿瘤研究与临床

Targeted therapy characterized with high specificity and low toxicity, is an important treatment method for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer, which can prolong the disease-free survival and the overall survival time of HER2-positive early breast cancer patients, and prolong the progression-free survival and the overall survival time of HER2-positive advanced patients with breast cancer. However, targeted drugs blocked the normal signaling pathway outside the target organs, and some patients experienced treatment-related adverse reactions, resulting in dose reduction, treatment delay and interruption, or even life-threatening consequences. Cardiotoxicity is one of the potentially serious side effects of targeted-HER2 drugs. Currently the targeted drugs for treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer patients include macromolecular monoclonal antibody drugs such as trastuzumab and pertuzumab, antibody-drug conjugates such as T-DM1 and T-DXd, and small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This paper reviews the cardiotoxicity of HER2 targeted drugs including antibody-drug conjugates monoclonal antibody drugs in targeted therapy for breast cancer in order to provide references for clinical treatment.

Establishment and validation of a nomogram model for predicting EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinoma / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To construct and validate a nomogram model based on clinical factors and PET/CT metabolic parameters of 18F-FDG for predicting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in lung adenocarcinoma. Methods:From January 2014 to January 2019, 114 patients (59 males, 55 females, age (60.0±10.8) years) with lung adenocarcinoma in the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical data (smoking status, tumor location, clinical stage and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level), 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters (SUV max, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG)) and EGFR mutation status were analyzed. Patients were divided into training group (80 cases) and validation group (34 cases). In the training group, univariate analyses (independent-sample t test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, χ2 test or Fisher′s exact probability method) were used for categorical variables. Variables that showed significant differences between EGFR mutation group and wild type group were selected. Variance inflation factors (VIF) were calculated and the collinearity variables were deleted, and a nomogram model of optimal logistic model was constructed based on Akaike information criterion (AIC). The effect of the model was evaluated by the concordance index (C-index), sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, calibration and decision curve analysis (DCA) in the training group and the validation group. Results:Among 114 patients, 56 were with EGFR mutations and 58 were with EGFR wild type. In the training group, there were significant differences in gender (male/female: 14/26 vs 25/15; χ2=6.05, P=0.014), smoking status (with/without smoking history: 4/36 vs 22/18; χ2=18.46, P<0.001) and SUV max (5.72(3.90, 8.32) vs 8.09(4.56, 12.55); W=1 045.50, P=0.018) between EGFR mutation group and wild type group. However, there were no significant differences in other factors ( t=-0.54, χ2 values: 0.20 and 0.20, W values: 921.50 and 983.00, all P>0.05). The VIF of gender, smoking status and SUV max were all less than 10, and the nomogram model with three factors showed the minimum AIC (90.06). In the training group, C-index value of the model was 0.798 (95% CI: 0.699-0.897), with the sensitivity of 85.0%(34/40), the specificity of 70.0%(28/40) and the accuracy of 77.5%(62/80). In the validation group, C-index value was 0.854(95% CI: 0.725-0.984), with the sensitivity of 13/16, the specificity of 14/18, and the accuracy of 79.4%(27/34). The calibration curve and the goodness of fit test showed good calibration, and DCA showed that the model could benefit patients clinically within a large risk threshold range (training group: 0-0.59, validation group: 0-0.65). Conclusion:The nomogram model based on gender, smoking status and SUV max can be used to easily predict EGFR mutation status in lung adenocarcinoma.

Detección de mutaciones del gen EGFR en ADN circulante por medio de biopsia líquida en pacientes con cáncer pulmonar de células no pequeñas: Revisión rápida / Detection of EGFR gene mutations in circulating DNA by liquid biopsy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: Brief review

RESUMEN El cáncer pulmonar es un problema de salud pública debido a su alta morbimortalidad mundial y en el Perú. En el cáncer pulmonar de células no pequeñas (CPCNP) la detección de mutaciones del receptor del factor de crecimiento epidérmico (EGFR) ha sido útil para elección de la terapéutica de esta enfermedad. El presente artículo tiene como objetivo discutir la información actual y relevante sobre la biopsia liquida como técnica diagnóstica en detección de mutaciones del gen EGFR en pacientes con cáncer pulmonar de células no pequeñas. Las principales guías de cáncer y dos revisiones sistemáticas muestran evidencia a favor de la biopsia líquida en busca de mutaciones del gen EGFR, esto como una alternativa a la biopsia de tejido al inicio de diagnóstico y con una mayor aceptación de uso en el escenario clínico de pacientes con CPCNP con mutaciones sensibles de EGFR. Esta tecnología sanitaria puede ser útil en nuestro país, y proponemos su uso en dos escenarios clínicos.

ABSTRACT Lung cancer is a public health problem due to its high morbidity and mortality worldwide and in Peru. In non-small cell lung cancer, the detection of mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been useful for the choice of therapeutics for this disease. In the present article we aim to discuss current and relevant information on the best diagnostic technique for EGFR in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The main cancer guidelines and two systematic reviews showed evidence in favor of the diagnosis of EGFR gene mutations on liquid biopsy as an alternative to tissue biopsy at the beginning of diagnosis and with a greater acceptance use, in the clinical setting of NSCLC patients with sensitive EGFR mutations. This healthcare technology may be useful in our country, and we propose its use in two clinical scenarios.