Triple-negative breast cancer: from classical clinicopathological features to androgen receptor profile.

Triple-negative breast cancer (BC) represents an extensively analyzed entity to establish the overall framework of clinicopathological characteristics, with an impact on defining prognostic and predictive factors. The relationship between triple-negative BC and androgen receptor (AR) is far from being clarified. We aimed to evaluate the classical clinicopathological spectrum that characterized a triple-negative BC, focusing on AR expression. The study group comprised 124 cases of triple-negative BC. The main clinicopathological parameters were extracted from medical records. The immunohistochemical (IHC) exam was run using the following antibodies: anti-estrogen receptor (ER), anti-progesterone receptor (PR), anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2∕neu), anti-Ki67 and anti-AR. AR immunoexpression was assessed as absent (completely negative) or present (unrelated to percentages and intensity). Data were statistically analyzed. AR expression was positive in 78 (63%) cases and negative in 46 (37%) cases. Among the study group, 28 cases exhibited an AR percentage ranging from 1% to 10%, 15 cases showed a percentage between 11% and 50%, while 12 cases had AR values between 51% and 75% and 23 cases fell within the AR range of 76% to 100%. No significant differences between AR immunoexpression (negative versus positive), clinicopathological characteristics and survival parameters were found. Statistically significant differences were registered between histological type, tumor stage, distant metastasis, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), treatment and residual cancer burden (RCB), and survival parameters. Thus, our results sustain that AR does not affect the biological behavior of triple-negative BC.

Clinical, Pathological and Molecular Insights on KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA and TP53 Mutations in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients from Northeastern Romania.

Mutations in RAS, BRAF, PIK3CA, and TP53 are well-established genetic abnormalities in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, limited information is available for patients from Eastern Europe, including Romania. In this retrospective analysis, we investigated 104 mCRC patients from the Northeastern region of Romania to determine the frequency, distribution, coexistence, and clinicopathological and molecular correlations of these mutations. TP53 was the most frequently mutated gene (73.1%), followed by KRAS (45.2%) and PIK3CA (6.7%). Patients with KRAS mutant tumors and wild-type TP53 genotype were found to have no personal history of gastrointestinal cancer (p = 0.02, p = 0.007). KRAS mutations in exon 3 were associated with the female gender (p = 0.02) and the absence of lymph node invasion (p = 0.02). PIK3CA mutations were linked to the absence of lymph node invasion (p = 0.006). TP53 mutations were associated with KRAS mutations in exon 2 (p = 0.006), ulcerated histopathologic type (p = 0.04), and G2 differentiation (p = 0.01). It provides novel insights into genetic variations specific to the population from Northeastern Romania, which has been underrepresented in previous studies within Eastern Europe. Furthermore, our findings enable the development of genetic profiles in a developing country with limited access to specialized genetic tests and facilitate comparisons with other populations.

The Impact of Bevacizumab and Chemotherapy on Quality of Life in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Health-related quality is of life of great importance in cancer care. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy and bevacizumab on the activities of daily living, cancer symptoms, and general well-being in 59 metastatic colorectal cancer patients. We gathered information using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-CR29 questionnaires. The paired sample t-test, MANOVA test, and Pearson's correlation test were used to analyze the presence of significant differences in mean scores before and after 6 months of treatment. The results revealed significant differences in the functioning and symptoms that influence patients' quality of life after 6 months of treatment: increased pain (p = 0.003), nausea and vomiting (p = 0.003), diarrhea (p = 0.021) and decreased appetite (p = 0.003). At the same time, there were several aspects that improved the quality of life. Increases in emotional function (p = 0.009), cognitive function (p = 0.033), and perception of body image (p = 0.026) were observed after 6 months of treatment. Elderly patients reported a higher frequency of stools (p = 0.028), and young patients had increased concerns about body perception (p = 0.047). Assessing the quality of life of metastatic colorectal cancer patients is an important way to identify and treat symptoms related to both cancer and therapy by establishing a holistic care plan and implementing measures to increase the quality of life.