Increased expression of estrogen-receptor exon-5-deletion variant in relapse tissues of human breast cancer.

A substantial percentage (30-70%) of human breast carcinomas that initially respond to endocrine therapy acquire resistance during the treatment. Many patients with tumor progression despite treatment with anti-estrogen tamoxifen show continued expression of estrogen receptors (ER) and/or progesterone receptors (PgR) in the relapse tissue. This indicates that, in these tumors, mechanisms other than loss of ER expression are responsible for treatment failure. We have investigated the occurrence and frequency of the exon-5-deletion variant (d5) of ER in human breast-cancer biopsies and in normal tissues. In all normal and tumor tissues tested, both wild-type (wt) and d5 were detected, indicating that expression of the d5 variant is a naturally occurring polymorphism. However, the primary tumors of patients who relapse within 15 months (n = 13) express higher ratios of d5 than do those of patients with no relapse during the same period (p = 0.4, n = 19), though this difference is statistically not significant. A significant increase in the expression level of d5 was determined in relapse as compared with the respective primary tumor (p = 0.02). These data indicate that increased expression of the ER exon-5-deletion variant in relapse tissues might be due to clonal selection of cells resistant to anti-estrogen treatment.

[Molecular factors determine primary and secondary therapy of breast carcinoma]. / Molekulare Faktoren bestimmen die primäre und sekundäre Therapie des Mammakarzinoms.

The clinical oncology realizes that the classical approach with systemic adjuvant chemo- and hormonal therapies is not sufficient and will be challenged by cellular and molecular structures which reflect the targets for new therapeutic approaches. These targets are key proteins involved in the signal transduction cascade. In human tumors these proteins have either lost their biological functionality by oncogenic mutations or are constitutively activated. The molecular classification of primary breast cancer was performed by assessing the following factors: estrogen- and progesterone receptors, ERbB-2 mutated p53, uPA, PAI-I, VEGF, DNA-Index and S-Phase. These factors are of prognostic and predictive value.

[Contrast media in MR mammography]. / Kontrastmittel in der MR-Mammographie.

A standardized relationship between concentration of contrast media and normalized signal intensity should be the basis of a diagnostic evaluation of MR-mammography at different sites and with different sequences. In this work we compared the dynamic range of the MR-compatible contrast medium Magnevist at different sequences and machines. For this purpose we made measurements with a phantom, consisting of MR-compatible glass tubes filled with contrast medium of different concentrations. The glass tubes were placed in a water bath. All measurements were made with breast coils. The signal intensity of the glass tubes was normalized to the signal intensity of the native probe (water = 1). These normalized dynamic curves were compared with each other in order to find, for the different machines, the sequence which is nearest to a defined "Standard-Curve". As this task proved not possible for all machines, we measured how the dynamic curves of the different machines related to the "Standard-Curve". For all sequences we made also measurements with a female student to assure the quality of the pictures. Thus the participating radiologists can now compare their dynamic measurements of breast lesions with each other.