Association of lipid profile biomarkers with breast cancer by molecular subtype: analysis of the MEND study

Analysis of the Effects of Different Chemotherapy Methods on Blood Lipid Levels in Breast Cancer Patients

Purpose

To analyze the impacts of distinct chemotherapy methods on blood lipid levels in breast cancer patients.

Methods

Three hundred breast cancer patients were selected as the research subjects. The inclusion time limit was from January 2021 to January 2023, and all received treatment in our hospital. Based on the therapy plan, the patients were divided into group A (epirubicin + cyclophosphamide followed by paclitaxel regimen, 103 premenopausal cases + 61 postmenopausal cases), group B (docetaxel + cyclophosphamide regimen, 41 premenopausal instances + 37 postmenopausal instances), group C (docetaxel + carboplatin regimen, 61 premenopausal instances + 24 postmenopausal instances), comparing the changes in blood lipid levels of patients in each group at pre-therapy and post-therapy, and the abnormality frequency of blood lipids in every group of patients after therapy.

Results

After treatment, the triglyceride (TG) levels of the three groups of patients were clearly greater than those at pre-therapy, and the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were clearly less than before therapy. The levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in group B and C patients were clearly greater than those before therapy in the same one, while the LDL-C levels in group A were clearly less than those before therapy in the same one; after therapy, the TG levels of patients in group A were clearly less than those in group B, and LDL-C, total Cholesterol (TC) levels were clearly less than that in group B and C (P < 0.05). The proportion of dyslipidemia in patients in the group A after therapy was clearly less than in group B (P < 0.05). After treatment, the HDL-C levels of premenopausal patients in the three groups were clearly less than those at pre-therapy. The TG, TC, and LDL-C levels of premenopausal patients in groups B and C were clearly greater than those at pre-therapy. The TG levels of premenopausal patients in group A were clearly less than those before therapy. After treatment, the TG and TC levels of premenopausal patients in group A were clearly less than those in group C, and the LDL-C levels were clearly less than those in group B and C (P < 0.05). The proportion of dyslipidemia in premenopausal patients in the group A and C after therapy was clearly less than the group B (P < 0.05). After therapy, the TG levels of postmenopausal patients in the three groups were clearly greater than those at pre-therapy, and the HDL-C levels were clearly less than those at pre-therapy. The LDL-C levels of postmenopausal patients in group B and C were clearly greater than those at pre-therapy. The TC and LDL-C levels of postmenopausal patients in group A were clearly less than those at pre-therapy; after therapy, the LDL-C and TC levels of postmenopausal patients in group A were clearly less than those in group B and C (P < 0.05). It had no statistically clear distinction in dyslipidemia among the three groups of postmenopausal patients after therapy (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Chemotherapy has adverse effects on the blood lipid levels of premenopausal and postmenopausal breast carcinoma patients and increases the incidence of dyslipidemia. Compared with other regimens, epirubicin+cyclophosphamide sequential paclitaxel regimen has little impact on blood lipid level of breast carcinoma.

Next-generation biomarkers for prognostic and potential therapeutic enhancement in Triple negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) is one of the most challenging subtypes of breast carcinoma and it has very limited therapeutic options as it is highly aggressive. The prognostic biomarkers are crucial for early diagnosis of the tumor, it also helps in anticipating the trajectory of the illness and optimizing the therapy options. Several therapeutic biomarkers are being used. Among them, the next-generation biomarkers that include Circulating tumor (ct) DNA, glycogen, lipid, and exosome biomarkers provide intriguing opportunities for enhancing the prognosis of TNBC. Lipid and glycogen biomarkers serve as essential details on the development of the tumor along with the efficacy of the treatment, as it exhibits metabolic alteration linked to TNBC. Several types of biomarkers have predictive abilities in TNBC. Elevated levels are associated with worse outcomes. ctDNA being a noninvasive biomarker reveals the genetic composition of the tumor, as well as helps to monitor the progression of the disease. Traditional therapies are ineffective in TNBC due to a lack of receptors, targeted drug delivery provides a tailored approach to overcome drug resistance and site-specific action by minimizing the side effects in TNBC treatment. This enhances therapeutic outcomes against the aggressive nature of breast cancer. This paper includes all the recent biomarkers which has been researched so far in TNBC and the state of art for TNBC which is explored.

Association of serum lipid levels and clinical outcomes in early breast cancer patients

Background

The association between dyslipidaemia and breast cancer remains controversial, especially regarding the dynamic changes in lipid levels.

Objectives

This study aimed to elucidate the role of serum lipid levels and the changes in disease outcomes in patients with breast cancer.

Methods

The lipid profiles of patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery between 2013 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The lipid profiles comprised triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein. Serum lipid levels were categorized into three groups based on the tertiles. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare changes in serum lipid levels during follow-up. Hazard ratios (HRs) for survival outcomes were estimated using a multivariate Cox regression analysis.

Results

A total of 3499 women diagnosed with nonmetastatic invasive breast cancer were included in this study, with a median follow-up of 60.4 months. We confirmed that each 1-tertile increased TG at baseline [HR = 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.39] and 1-year follow-up (HR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.07-1.98) led to worse relapse-free survival (RFS). A lower risk of disease relapse was observed with each 1-tertile upregulation in HDL at 1-year follow-up (HR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.56-0.92). Receiving systemic therapies tends to induce an elevation in plasma lipid levels 1 year after surgery, especially in terms of TG. Regarding the prognostic value of dynamic changes in lipid levels, patients with sustained high levels of TG had poorer RFS (HR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.16-3.11), whereas maintaining high levels of HDL led to better survival (HR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.37-0.97).

Conclusion

High TG at baseline and during follow-up was associated with worse disease outcome in early breast cancer patients. Systemic treatment would lead to an elevation of serum lipid levels. Patients with sustained high HDL level at 1-year follow-up after surgery had a superior prognosis, warranting further clinical evaluation.

Classic and New Markers in Diagnostics and Classification of Breast Cancer

Simple Summary

With ever-increasing incidence, breast cancer is considered a most diagnosed type of cancer among women worldwide. Breast cancer arises through malignant transformation of ductal or lobular cells in female (or male) breast and the genetic, phenotypic and morphological heterogeneity has an effect on tumour’s behaviour, thereby instigating a need for individual personalized therapy. A traditional assessment of tumour’s characteristics involves a biopsy and histological analysis of a tumour tissue, and in recent years has been accompanied by analysis of molecular biomarkers to enhance the results. In this work we aimed to thoroughly investigate the latest data in this field of study and give a comprehensive review of novel molecular biomarkers of breast cancer and methodologies used to analyse them.

Abstract

Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed form of female’s cancer, and in recent years it has become the most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Like many other tumours, breast cancer is a histologically and biologically heterogeneous disease. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in diagnosis, subtyping, and complex treatment of breast cancer with the aim of providing best suited tumour-specific personalized therapy. Traditional methods for breast cancer diagnosis include mammography, MRI, biopsy and histological analysis of tumour tissue in order to determine classical markers such as estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR), cytokeratins (CK5/6, CK14, C19), proliferation index (Ki67) and human epidermal growth factor type 2 receptor (HER2). In recent years, these methods have been supplemented by modern molecular methodologies such as next-generation sequencing, microRNA, in situ hybridization, and RT-qPCR to identify novel molecular biomarkers. MicroRNAs (miR-10b, miR-125b, miR145, miR-21, miR-155, mir-30, let-7, miR-25-3p), altered DNA methylation and mutations of specific genes (p16, BRCA1, RASSF1A, APC, GSTP1), circular RNA (hsa_circ_0072309, hsa_circRNA_0001785), circulating DNA and tumour cells, altered levels of specific proteins (apolipoprotein C-I), lipids, gene polymorphisms or nanoparticle enhanced imaging, all these are promising diagnostic and prognostic tools to disclose any specific features from the multifaceted nature of breast cancer to prepare best suited individualized therapy.