Knowledge and willingness of breast cancer patients from Shanghai for genetic counseling and gene testing / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the knowledge and willingness of breast cancers patients from Shanghai for genetic counseling and gene testing.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 428 patients filled out the questionnaire and the data was statistically analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Most of the patients were unaware of genetic counseling and gene testing. But after a brief introduction, a majority of them were willing to accept genetic counseling and recommend their family members to participate. The willingness was education- and age-related. When told that gene testing may benefit themselves, 92.1% of the patients were willing to be tested. However, when told that gene testing may only benefit their family, only 33.9% of the patients were willing to join the testing. The acceptance was also age-, education- and family income-related. The difference was statistically significant. Moreover, the willingness ratio to participate the gene testing was lower than expected. Overall, 74.1% of the patients were willing to accept cheaper preliminary gene screening, whilst only 19.2% were willing to accept genetic testing of higher price. Despite of being told that testing results will be maintained as confidential, still 43.2% worried about adverse effects. Such patients tended to younger, from low-income families, with a family history of associated cancers, or personal history of other cancers. The difference was statistically significant.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The majorities of patients do not know but are willing to accept genetic counseling and gene testing and recommend their family to participate. Lack of genetic knowledge, cost for the testing and concerns about discrimination are the obstacles for patients to participate in genetic counseling and gene testing. To spread the knowledge about breast cancer and establish a follow-up screening system for high-risk population may improve the tertiary prevention for breast cancer.</p>

Survey of quality of life for patients with breast ductal carcinoma in situ and analysis of related factors / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective To study the quality of life (QOL) of patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and to analyze the relevant factors affecting their QOL.Methods A total of 84 patients with DCIS and 125 patients with invasive breast cancer were surveyed.Researchers used SF-36 to assess the QOL of participants at one year after operation.The relationships between some information of patients and SF-36 score were analyzed,such as age,the type of surgery,endocrine therapy,education,marital status,working status and health insurance.Results Compared to normal women,patients with DCIS had lower QOL in physical function (t =2.468,P =0.029),bodily pain (t =2.076,P =0.039),general health (t =2.153,P =0.033) and mental health (t =3.396,P =0.003).Patients with invasive breast cancer also had poorer QOL in physical function (t =5.638,P =0.002),bodily pain (t =5.417,P =0.002),vitality (t =4.438,P =0.002),general health (t =3.960,P =0.002) and mental health (t =6.020,P =0.001).QOL of DCIS patients was similar to that of invasive breast cancer patients,except that scores of physical function (t =2.714,P =0.032) and vitality (t =2.134,P =0.040) were better in DCIS patients.Endocrine therapy significantly affected the score of QOL of DCIS patients.DCIS patients with endocrine therapy had poorer score in physical function (t =2.082,P ＜ 0.05),bodily pain (t =2.003,P ＜ 0.05),general health (t =2.751,P ＜0.05),vitality (t =2.048,P ＜ 0.05) and mental health (t =4.162,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Patients with DCIS have poor QOL at one year after operation.Endocrine therapy significantly reduces their QOL.

Anti-tumor effect of metformin in breast cancer / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Recent preclinical data have demonstrated that antidiabetic drug metformin can act as an anticancer agent for breast cancer.Epidemiologic evidences show that metformin decreases the incidence of breast cancer and cancer-related mortality in diabetic patients.The metformin treatment also increases complete pathological tumor response rates following neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer patients.Metformin also displays significant growth inhibitory effects in most types of breast cancer cell lines and tumor xenogra-fts in mice.Preclinical data also shows metformin combined with chemotherapy drugs or HER2-targeted drugs or new anticancer drugs has synergic anti-cancer effect.Reduction of the insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway in body and activation of LKB1/AMPK and inhibition of downstream mTOR pathway in tumor cells have been found to play the most important role in anti-cancer effect of metformin.Currently,a number of clinical trials are underway in breast cancer patients to evaluate the effective use value of metformin as a cancer therapy