Detection and genotyping of human papillomavirus in breast cancer tissues from Iraqi patients

Studies have suggested a possible link between breast cancer pathogenesis and human papillomavirus [HPV] infection. This study in Iraq used in situ hybridization to detect the frequency and genotyping of HPV in tissue specimens from 129 patients diagnosed with malignant breast cancer, 24 with benign breast tumours and 20 healthy controls. In the breast cancer group, cocktail HPV genotypes were detected in 60 [46.5%] archived tissue blocks. Of these, genotypes 16 [55.5%], 18 [58.4%], 31 [65.0%] and 33 [26.6%] were detected. Mixed HPV genotypes 16 + 18, 16 + 18 + 31, 16 + 18 + 33, 18 + 33, 16 + 31 and 18 + 31 were found in 5.0%, 25.0%, 8.3%, 7.7%, 10.0% and 13.3% of cancer cases respectively. Only 3 benign breast tumour tissues [12.5%] and none of the healthy breast tissue specimens were HPV-DNA-positive. The detection of high-oncogenic HPV genotypes in patients with breast cancer supports the hypothesis of an etiologic role for the virus in breast cancer development

Assessment of response to tamoxifen among Iraqi patients with advanced breast cancer

Eighty-eight women presenting with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer were treated with tamoxifen alone. Estrogen and progesterone receptors [ER and PR] were immunocytochemically analysed in mammary tumour cells obtained by fine needle sampling from 73 patients. Of the breast carcinomas, 34.2% were ER+/PR+ and 43.8% were ER-/PR-. The ER+ content increased with age in postmenopausal women. After tamoxifen treatment objective remission occurred in 39.7% of the women. The overall response rate was 53.3% in the ER+/PR- group and 73.1% in the ER+/PR+ group. However, the response elicited in a case of the ER-/PR- phenotype justified the randomized use of tamoxifen among patients in Iraq where the necessary requirements for hormone receptor assessment are almost unavailable

DNA proliferative index as a marker in Iraqi aneuploid mammary carcinoma

This study estimated nuclear DNA ploidy and DNA proliferative indices [PI] in mammary ductal carcinomas from 120 Iraqi female patients. Of the examined specimens, 82.7% were aneuploid. DNA ploidy correlated significantly with histological grade and estrogen receptor content of the primary neoplasm. In aneuploid carcinomas, high PI showed a clearer association than aneuploidy with menopausal status and progesterone receptor content of the tumour. PI and percentage aneuploidy were higher in larger tumours; nodal status showed no association with these cytometric findings. Using PI, patients classified as having Auer aneuploid carcinomas can be divided into subsets with different tumour characteristics, thus improving the selection of those whose high risk, node-negative presentation makes them candidates for adjuvant systemic therapy