A comparison of hormonal profiles between breast cancer and benign breast disease: a case-control study

Associations of circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 with the expression of stem cell markers in benign breast tissue

BACKGROUND

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway is implicated in a naturally occurring process of tissue remodeling during which cells acquire stem cell-like characteristics. We examined associations of circulating IGF-1 and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) with expression of CD44, CD24, and ALDH1A1 stem cell markers in benign breast biopsies.

METHODS

This study included 151 cancer-free women with incident biopsy-confirmed benign breast disease and blood samples within the Nurses' Health Study II. The data on reproductive and other BCa risk factors were obtained from biennial questionnaires. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was done on tissue microarrays. For each core, the IHC expression was assessed using QuPath, and expressed as % of cells that stain positively for a specific marker out of the total cell count. Generalized linear regression was used to examine the associations of plasma IGF-I and IGFBP-3 (continuous log-transformed and quartiles) with log-transformed expression of each marker (in epithelium and stroma), adjusted for BCa risk factors.

RESULTS

In multivariate analysis, continuous circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 measures were not associated with the continuous expression of any of the markers in the epithelium or stroma. Women whose IGFBP-3 levels were in the top quartile appeared to have lower expression of stromal CD24 compared to those in the lowest quartile (β = - 0.38, 95% CI - 0.69, - 0.08, p-trend = 0.06).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher circulating IGFBP-3 levels were associated with lower stromal CD24 expression in benign breast tissue. Our findings provide indirect evidence of the inducing effect of IGF pathway on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions and stem cell activity in the breast.

Hematological and biochemical markers influencing breast cancer risk and mortality: Prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank by multi-state models

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women. However, evidence concerning hematological and biochemical markers influencing the natural history of breast cancer from in situ breast cancer to mortality is limited.

METHODS

In the UK Biobank cohort, 260,079 women were enrolled during 2006-2010 and were followed up until 2019 to test the 59 hematological and biochemical markers associated with breast cancer risk and mortality. The strengths of these associations were evaluated using the multivariable Cox regression models. To understand the natural history of breast cancer, multi-state survival models were further applied to examine the effects of biomarkers on transitions between different states of breast cancer.

RESULTS

Eleven biomarkers were found to be significantly associated with the risk of invasive breast cancer, including mainly inflammatory-related biomarkers and endogenous hormones, while serum testosterone was also associated with the risk of in-situ breast cancer. Among them, C-reactive protein (CRP) was more likely to be associated with invasive breast cancer and its transition to death from breast cancer (HR for the highest quartile = 1.46, 95 % CI = 1.07-1.97), while testosterone and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) were more likely to impact the early state of breast cancer development (Testosterone: HR for the highest quartile = 1.31, 95 % CI = 1.12-1.53; IGF-1: HR for the highest quartile = 1.17, 95 % CI = 1.00-1.38).

CONCLUSION

Serum CRP, testosterone, and IGF-1 have different impacts on the transitions of different breast cancer states, confirming the role of chronic inflammation and endogenous hormones in breast cancer progression. This study further highlights the need of closer surveillance for these biomarkers during the breast cancer development course.

A pseudo-targeted metabolomics study based on serum bile acids profiling for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast lesions

INTRODUCTION

Breast cancer (BC) has become the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. It is very critical for the differential diagnosis between BC and benign breast diseases (BBD). The characteristics of serum bile acids (BAs) profiling in patients with BBD and BC was elucidated so that potential biomarkers could be find out for the differential diagnosis of BC and BBD.

METHODS

A pseudo-targeted approach was used to perform BAs metabolomics analysis in serum of 29 patients with BBD and 47 patients with BC by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS). Partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to establish a differential diagnostic model for BC, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression analysis were used to screen out bile acids as biomarkers for the differential diagnosis of BC and BBD.

RESULTS

The serum BAs profile in BC group was quite different from that in BBD group. Compared with the BBD group, BC group had higher level of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), while they had lower levels of dihydroxy tauro-conjugated BA (Tdi-1) and sulfated dihydroxy glyco-conjugated BA (Gdi-S-1). The sensitivity and specificity of PLS-DA model for patients classification were 100% and 92.3%, respectively. The combined biomarker, CDCA and Tdi-1, had high efficacy for the differential diagnosis (area under the curve was 0.954, 95% CI: 0.880-1.000) of BC. Besides, the performance was superior to traditional biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of BC with or without comorbidities.

CONCLUSION

The profile of serum BAs in women with BC was quite different from that in patients with BBD. Serum BAs profiling analysis could be used as an effective tool for the differential diagnosis of BC and BBD.

Gut microbiome, body weight, and mammographic breast density in healthy postmenopausal women

PURPOSE

We examined gut microbiome (GM) profiles in relation to mammographic breast density (BD) and body mass index (BMI) in healthy postmenopausal women.

METHODS

Eligible women were postmenopausal, had a BMI ≤ 35 kg/m², and had not recently taken oral/IV antibiotics. All women provided a fecal sample and information on breast cancer risk factors. Mammographic BD was classified with the American College of Radiology's BI-RADS BD classification system. Bacterial DNA was isolated from fecal samples and the V1-V2 hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA were sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. We examined associations of GM with indices of within-sample (alpha) diversity and the ratio of the two main phyla (Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes; F/B ratio) with BD and BMI.

RESULTS

Among 69 women with BD data, 39 had low BD (BI-RADS I/II) and 30 had high BD (BI-RADS III/IV). BMI was inversely associated with BD (mean BMI = 23.8 and 28.0 in women with high and low BD, respectively, p = 1.07 × 10^-5). Similar levels of GM diversity were found across weight groups according to Shannon (p = 0.83); Inverse Simpson (p = 0.97); and Chao1 (p = 0.31) indices. F/B ratio and microbiota diversity were suggestively greater in women with high vs. low BD (p = 0.35, 0.14, 0.15, and 0.17 for F/B ratio, Shannon, Inverse Simpson and Chao1, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Suggestive differences observed in women with high and low BD with respect to GM alpha diversity and prevalence of specific GM taxa need to be confirmed in larger studies.

The effects of Berberis vulgaris consumption on plasma levels of IGF-1, IGFBPs, PPAR-γ and the expression of angiogenic genes in women with benign breast disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of Berberis vulgaris (BV) juice consumption on plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs), and the expression of PPAR-γ, VEGF and HIF in women with benign breast disease.

METHODS

This parallel design randomized, double-blind controlled clinical trial was conducted on 85 eligible patients diagnosed with benign breast disease. They were assigned randomly into either BV juice group (n = 44, BV juice: 480 ml/day) or placebo group (n = 41, BV placebo juice: 480 ml/day) for 8 weeks intervention. Participants, caregivers and those who assessed laboratory analyses were blinded to the assignments. Plasma levels of biomarkers were measured at baseline and after 8 weeks by ELISA. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the fold change in the expression of each interested gene.

RESULTS

The compliance of participants was 95.2% and 40 available subjects analyzed in each group at last. Relative treatment (RT) effects for BV juice caused 16% fall in IGF-1 concentration and 37% reduction in the ratio of IGF-1/1GFBP1. Absolute treatment effect expressed 111 ng/ml increased mean differences of IGFBP-3 between BV group and placebo. Plasma level of PPAR-γ increased in both groups but it was not significant. Fold changes in the expressions of PPAR-γ, VEGF and HIF showed down-regulation in the intervention group compared to placebos (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The BV juice intervention over 8 weeks was accompanied by acceptable efficacy and decreased plasma IGF-1, and IGF-1/IGFBP-1 ratio partly could be assigned to enhanced IGFBP-1 level in women with BBD. The intervention caused reductions in the expression levels of PPAR, VEGF, and HIF which are remarkable genomic changes to potentially prevent breast tumorigenesis.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

IRCT2012110511335N2. Registered 10 July 2013 (retrospectively registered).

High prevalence of benign mammary tumors in a rat model of polycystic ovary syndrome during postmenopausal period

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders in reproductive-age women. Significant associations between PCOS and benign breast diseases (BBD) and a possibly potential association between PCOS and breast cancer have been reported. The etiology of these events of mammary glands in PCOS remains unclear. Animal models that show BBD and breast cancer may contribute to further understanding about these diseases. We aimed to examine the spontaneous occurrence of mammary tumors, their prevalence, and type in our rat model of PCOS. Prenatal androgen-induced PCOS rats and controls were examined in later life. Benign mammary tumors were observed in 75% and 33.33% of PCOS rats and controls during the postmenopausal period, respectively (p = .0158). Mammary tumors were non-invasive, margins of excision were normal and tumors were freely movable, in both groups. After microscopic evaluations of tumors, proliferative breast lesions and adenomas with a tubular growth pattern were observed in both groups. However, in PCOS rats, of benign tumors two had a mixed pattern of fibroadenoma/fibroma and cysts. High prevalence of benign mammary tumors was observed in our rat model of PCOS during the postmenopausal period, possibly due to hormonal imbalances during their reproductive lifespan; this model may contribute to current data available regarding the events of mammary glands in PCOS.

Expression of estrogen receptors in non-malignant mammary tissue modifies the association between insulin-like growth factor 1 and breast cancer risk

BACKGROUND

Several studies have reported that the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is positively associated with estrogen receptor-positive [ER(+)] breast cancer risk, whereas there is little or no association with respect to ER(-) breast cancer. All comparisons of ER(+) breast cancer cases, however, have been made versus healthy controls, for whom there is no information about the ER expression in their mammary gland.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In the context of a case-control investigation conducted in Athens, Greece, we studied 102 women with incident ERα(+) breast cancer and compared their IGF-1 blood levels with those of 178 ERα(+) and 83 ERα(-) women with benign breast disease (BBD) who underwent biopsies in the context of their standard medical care. Data were analysed using multiple logistic regression and controlling for potential confounding variables.

RESULTS

ERα(+) breast cancer patients had higher IGF-1 levels compared with women with BBD [odds ratio (OR) 1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.95-1.94, per 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in IGF-1 levels]. When ERα status of women with BBD was taken into account, the difference in IGF-1 levels between ERα(+) breast cancer patients and women with BBD was clearly driven by the comparison with BBD women who were ERα(+) (OR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.31-2.89 per 1 SD increase in IGF-1 levels), whereas there was essentially no association with IGF-1 levels when ERα(+) breast cancer patients were compared with ERα(-) BBD women. These contrasts were particularly evident among post/peri-menopausal women.

CONCLUSIONS

We found evidence in support of an interaction of IGF-1 with the expression of ERα in the non-malignant mammary tissue in the context of breast cancer pathogenesis. This is in line with previous evidence suggesting that IGF-1 increases the risk of ER(+) breast cancer.

Tongshu capsule down-regulates the expression of estrogen receptor α and suppresses human breast cancer cell proliferation

The Tongshu Capsule (TSC) is a prevalent form of traditional Chinese medicine widely used for its purported effects in treating mammary gland hyperplasia and inflammation. Though successful in several clinical studies, there is no clear evidence as to why TSC has a positive treatment effect, and little known about underlying mechanism that may account for it. In this study, we examined the effects of TSC and found that it has a comparatively strong growth inhibition on ERα positive breast cancer cells. TSC seems to cause G1 cell cycle arrest instead of apoptosis. Interestingly, TSC also down-regulated the expression of ERα and Cyclin D1. Consistently, TSC suppressed E2 mediated ERα downstream gene expression and cell proliferation in ERα positive breast cancer cell lines MCF7 and T47D. Depletion of ERα partially abolished the effects of TSC on the decrease of Cyclin D1 and cell viability. Our findings suggest that TSC may have therapeutic effects on ERα positive breast cancers and moreover that TSC may suppress breast epithelial cell proliferation by inhibiting the estrogen pathway.

Insulin-like growth factor I and risk of breast cancer by age and hormone receptor status-A prospective study within the EPIC cohort

Experimental evidence shows cross-talk in mammary cells between estrogen, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and their respective receptors and possible synergistic effects of estrogen receptor (ER) activation and increased IGF-I signaling with regard to breast tumor development, and epidemiological evidence suggests that circulating IGF-I levels may be related more to the risk of ER-positive than ER-negative breast cancer. Using a case-control study nested within the prospective European EPIC cohort (938 breast cancer cases and 1,394 matched control subjects), we analyzed the relationships of prediagnostic serum IGF-I levels with the risk of estrogen and progesterone receptor-positive and -negative breast tumors. IGF-I levels were positively associated with the risk of ER+ breast tumors overall (pre- and postmenopausal women combined, odds ratio (OR)Q4-Q1 = 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.98] for the highest vs. lowest quartile; OR = 1.17 [95% CI 1.04-1.33] per 1-standard deviation (SD) increase in IGF-I, ptrend = 0.01) and among women who were diagnosed with breast cancer at 50 years or older (ORQ3-Q1 = 1.38 [95% CI 1.01-1.89]; OR = 1.19 [95% CI 1.04-1.36] per 1-SD increase in IGF-I, ptrend = 0.01) but not with receptor-positive disease diagnosed at an earlier age. No statistically significant associations were observed for ER- breast tumors overall and by age at diagnosis. Tests for heterogeneity by receptor status of the tumor were not statistically significant, except for women diagnosed with breast cancer at 50 years or older (phet = 0.03 for ER+/PR+ vs. ER-/PR- disease). Our data add to a global body of evidence indicating that higher circulating IGF-I levels may increase risk specifically of receptor-positive, but not receptor-negative, breast cancer diagnosed at 50 years or older.