Identification and evaluation of a risk model predicting the prognosis of breast cancer based on characteristic signatures.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common fatal cancers in women. Identifying new biomarkers is thus of great significance for the diagnosis and prognosis of BC. Methods: In this study, 1,030 BC cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were obtained for differential expression analysis and Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) analysis to identify characteristic BC development genes, which were further divided into upregulated and downregulated genes. Two predictive prognosis models were both defined by Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO). Survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were used to determine the diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of the two gene set model scores, respectively. Results: Our findings from this study suggested that both the unfavorable (BC1) and favorable (BC2) gene sets are reliable biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of BC, although the BC1 model presents better diagnostic and prognostic value. Associations between the models and M2 macrophages and sensitivity to Bortezomib were also found, indicating that unfavorable BC genes are significantly involved in the tumor immune microenvironment. Conclusions: We successfully established one predictive prognosis model (BC1) based on characteristic gene sets of BC to diagnose and predict the survival time of BC patients using a cluster of 12 differentially expressed genes (DEGs).

Effects of the Chinese herbal medicine Hong Huang decoction, on myocardial injury in breast cancer patients who underwent anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

Objective: To assess the effects of Hong Huang Decoction (HHD), a Chinese herbal medicine, on myocardial injury in breast cancer patients who underwent anthracycline (ANT)-based chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 51 patients with breast cancer who underwent an ANT-based chemotherapy program and met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were allocated to the treatment or placebo groups using a random number generation process. Patients in the treatment group received liquid HHD twice a day. Treatment was given from 1 day prior to chemotherapy up to the end of chemotherapy (after 6 months). Participants in the placebo group received a placebo over the same schedule. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), global longitudinal strain (GLS), diagnostic markers of acute myocardial infarction [e.g., lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)], nitric oxide (NO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines [e.g., tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and human C-reactive protein (CRP)], and anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10), were outcome measures assessed before chemotherapy, 3 and 6 months after chemotherapy. Results: Compared to the placebo group, the GLS value was significantly higher in the treatment group (19.95 ± 1.16 vs. 19.06 ± 1.64, P ≤ 0.001). Significant differences were also noted for levels of SOD (689.71 ± 203.60 vs. 807.88 ± 182.10, P < 0.05), IL-6 (58.04 ± 22.06 vs. 194.20 ± 40.14, P ≤ 0.001), IL-10 (237.90 ± 94.98 vs. 68.81 ± 32.92, P ≤ 0.001), NO (75.05 ± 26.39 vs. 55.83 ± 19.37, P ≤ 0.005), and TNF-α (301.80 ± 134.20 vs. 680.30 ± 199.60, P ≤ 0.001) in the patients before chemotherapy compared to 6 months after initiating chemotherapy. Conclusion: HHD regulated the levels of IL-6, IL-10, SOD, NO, and TNF-α. The results demonstrated that GLS is a better indicator of early myocardial injury compared to LVEF, and HHD could modulate oxidative stress to protect against ANT cardio toxicity. Clinical trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, identifier ChiCTR1900022394. Date of registration: 2019-04-09.

Sanhuang Decoction Controls Tumor Microenvironment by Ameliorating Chronic Stress in Breast Cancer: A Report of Ninety Cases.

Long-term endocrine treatment which results in estrogen deprivation causes chronic stress associated with a series of uncomfortable symptoms leading not only to a decrease in quality of life but also to cancer recurrence, which may be mediated primarily through the enhanced expression of angiogenic factors, as well as a series of inflammatory microenvironmental changes that favor tumor progression. In this study, we designed a clinical trial and aimed to explore the effects of Sanhuang Decoction (SHD) treatment on chronic stress, inflammatory factors, and breast cancer recovery. A total of 90 patients with breast cancer who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were randomly allocated to a treatment or control group. The treatment group received the standard endocrine treatment and the traditional Chinese medicine decoction known as SHD. The control group received the standard endocrine treatment only. The treatment period was 6 months. The modified Kupperman Menopausal Index, the self-rating anxiety scale, and the self-rating depression scale were evaluated once per month. The body microenvironment plasma indices related to chronic stress, such as oxidative and antioxidative stress markers, inflammatory factors, hemorheology, coagulation, lipid and D-dimer, immunologic functions, tumor biomarkers, and angiogenic factors of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were measured before and after 6 months of treatment. After treatment for 5 months, the scores in the treatment group decreased to nearly normal levels and the control group showed no significant improvement. After treatment for 6 months, all indices related to the body microenvironment, as well as the tumor biomarkers and carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 153, and angiogenic factor VEGF levels improved significantly to normal levels in the treatment group. Our primary research showed that treatment with SHD effectively improved the quality of life of breast cancer patients by facilitating a change in the body microenvironment that controlled tumor growth and prevented drug resistance. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, identifier ChiCTR-IIR-2000041413. Date of registration: 2017-06-07 (retrospective registration).

Treatment Efficacy of Chuang Ling Ye, a Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Compound, on Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether Chuang Ling Ye (CLY), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine compound, could improve the treatment of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) via decreasing inflammatory response. METHODS: Herein, 40 patients with IGM who had wounds requiring dressing change were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups: the CLY group and the control group. The size of the neoplasm and pain score of patients were followed-up for 4 weeks. Local tissues were taken during dressing change and examined by commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The levels of inflammatory markers, including interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-2, IL-6, interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. RESULTS: After treatment, the size of the neoplasm in the CLY group was significantly smaller than that in the control group (14.28 cm ± 8.96 cm vs. 21.14 cm ± 0.12 cm, P=0.038), and the pain scores were markedly reduced (P=0.004). Besides, CLY downregulated the expression levels of IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. CONCLUSION: External use of CLY could reduce the neoplasm of IGM by inhibiting local inflammation. This trial is registered with ChiCTR1800017744.