HER2-positive apocrine carcinoma of the breast: a population-based analysis of treatment and outcome.

PURPOSE: Apocrine carcinoma of the breast (APO) expresses HER2 in 30-50% of cases. This study explored the clinicopathological features and outcome of HER2+/APO and matched HER2+/NST cohort. METHODS: We used the SEER database to explore the cohorts. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the survival. Based on ER and PR [steroid receptors/SR/] and HER2 status, we divided the cohorts to match the intrinsic molecular subtypes for comparisons. RESULTS: We retrieved 259 cases of HER2+/APO. Most HER2+/APO were SR negative (65%). HER2+/APO were more prevalent in the 80+ age group (24.7% vs. 15.7%, p < 0.001). HER2+/SR-/APO had a significantly lower histological grade than the HER2+/SR-/NST (p < 0.001). Breast cancer-related deaths were more prevalent in HER2+/NST (7.8% vs. 3.9%, p = 0.019). This was particularly evident between SR- subgroups (10.4% in HER2+/SR-/NST vs. 4.2% in HER2+/SR-/APO, p = 0.008) and was reaffirmed in breast cancer-specific survival in univariate analysis (p = 0.03). Other than race and SR status, HER2+/APO subgroups did not differ in clinicopathological parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the rarity of the APO and reveals that SR status in APO does not affect these patients' prognosis. HER2+/APO tumors tend to have a less aggressive phenotype and a more favorable outcome despite a markedly lower ER/PR positivity.

High-Risk Human Papillomaviruses and Epstein-Barr Virus in Colorectal Cancer and Their Association with Clinicopathological Status.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy with a high mortality rate worldwide. It is a complex, multifactorial disease that is strongly impacted by both hereditary and environmental factors. The role of microbes (e.g., viruses) in the pathogenesis of CRC is poorly understood. In the current study, we explored the status of high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in a well-defined CRC cohort using immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction assays. Our data showed that high-risk HPVs were common (~80%) and EBV had a low presence (14-25%) in the CRC samples. The most common high-risk HPVs are HPV16, 31, 18, 51, 52 and 45 genotypes. The co-presence of high-risk HPV and EBV was observed in ~16% of the sample population without any significant association with the clinicopathological variables. We conclude that high-risk HPVs are very prevalent in CRC samples while EBV positivity is relatively low. The co-expression of the two viruses was observed in a minority of cases and without any correlation with the studied parameters. Further studies are necessary to confirm the clinical relevance and potential therapeutic (preventive) effects of the observations reported herein.

Effect of cell-phone radiofrequency on angiogenesis and cell invasion in human head and neck cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Today, the cell phone is the most widespread technology globally. However, the outcome of cell-phone radiofrequency on head and neck cancer progression has not yet been explored. METHODS: The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and human head and neck cancer cell lines, FaDu and SCC25, were used to explore the outcome of cell-phone radiofrequency on angiogenesis, cell invasion, and colony formation of head and neck cancer cells, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to investigate the impact of the cell phone on the regulation of E-cadherin and Erk1/Erk2 genes. RESULTS: Our data revealed that cell-phone radiofrequency promotes angiogenesis of the CAM. In addition, the cell phone enhances cell invasion and colony formation of human head and neck cancer cells; this is accompanied by a downregulation of E-cadherin expression. More significantly, we found that the cell phone can activate Erk1/Erk2 in our experimental models. CONCLUSION: Our investigation reveals that cell-phone radiofrequency could enhance head and neck cancer by stimulating angiogenesis and cell invasion via Erk1/Erk2 activation.