The medicinal use of cacao, or chocolate, both as a primary remedy and as a vehicle to deliver other medicines, originated in the New World and diffused to Europe in the mid 1500s. These practices originated among the Olmec, Maya and Mexica (Aztec). The word cacao is derived from Olmec and the subsequent Mayan languages (kakaw); the chocolate-related term cacahuatl is Nahuatl (Aztec language), derived from Olmec/Mayan etymology. Early colonial era documents included instructions for the medicinal use of cacao. The Badianus Codex (1552) noted the use of cacao flowers to treat fatigue, whereas the Florentine Codex (1590) offered a prescription of cacao beans, maize and the herb tlacoxochitl (Calliandra anomala) to alleviate fever and panting of breath and to treat the faint of heart. Subsequent 16th to early 20th century manuscripts produced in Europe and New Spain revealed >100 medicinal uses for cacao/chocolate. Three consistent roles can be identified: 1) to treat emaciated patients to gain weight; 2) to stimulate nervous systems of apathetic, exhausted or feeble patients; and 3) to improve digestion and elimination where cacao/chocolate countered the effects of stagnant or weak stomachs, stimulated kidneys and improved bowel function. Additional medical complaints treated with chocolate/cacao have included anemia, poor appetite, mental fatigue, poor breast milk production, consumption/tuberculosis, fever, gout, kidney stones, reduced longevity and poor sexual appetite/low virility. Chocolate paste was a medium used to administer drugs and to counter the taste of bitter pharmacological additives. In addition to cacao beans, preparations of cacao bark, oil (cacao butter), leaves and flowers have been used to treat burns, bowel dysfunction, cuts and skin irritations.
AIMSTrastuzumab, an antibody binding to epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), has been approved to treat HER2-positive breast cancer in different settings. This study aimed at evaluating the influence of tumour size on trastuzumab pharmacokinetics (PK) in non-metastatic breast cancer patients treated with short term pre-operative trastuzumab. METHODSTrastuzumab PK data were obtained from a multicentre, randomized and comparative study. This antibody was administered pre-operatively to patients with localized HER2-positive breast cancer as a single 4 mg kg À1 loading dose followed by 5 weekly 2 mg kg À1 doses. Trastuzumab concentrations were measured repeatedly using an ELISA technique. Tumour size was evaluated at baseline using breast echography. Trastuzumab pharmacokinetics were studied using a population approach and a two compartment model. The influence of tumour burden on trastuzumab pharmacokinetics was quantified as a covariate. RESULTSA total of 784 trastuzumab concentrations were available from the 79 eligible patients. Estimated parameters (interindiviual standard deviation) were central volume of distribution =2.1 l (23%), peripheral volume of distribution =1.3 l (38%), intercompartment clearance =0.36 l day À1 , with an elimination half-life of 11.8 days. Typical clearance was 0.22 l day À1 (19%) and its value was increased with tumour size. In patients with the highest tumour size, trastuzumab clearance was 50% [18%-92%] higher than in patients with the lowest tumour size. CONCLUSIONSIn non-metastatic breast cancer patients, trastuzumab clearance increases with tumour size. The elimination half-life of trastuzumab was shorter in the present population of patients than in metastatic breast cancer patients previously studied. British Journal of Clinical PharmacologyBr J Clin Pharmacol (2016) 81 941-948 941
Background: to determine the distribution and evolution of mutational processes in metastatic breast cancers (mBC), together with their clinical relevance Methods: Whole exome sequencing (Hi-Seq, Illumina) and determination of copy number alterations (CNA) (CGH array / SNP6.0) were performed in 240 and 692 metastatic breast cancers respectively. Mutational processes were defined according to Alexandrov (Nature, 2013). Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) was determined by genome wide assessment of loss-of-heteroygosity (LOH) on SNP6.0 (n = 210). Finally, genomic instability was assessed by the % of genome altered assessed by CGH / SNP6.0 Results: Whole exome sequencing showed that HR+/Her2- metastatic breast cancer presented an increased contribution of APOBEC-related signatures, as compared to early breast cancer (TCGA) (58% of the mutations vs 31%, p < 0.0001). Twelve percent of the HR+/Her2- mBC acquired an hypermutator genotype ( > 200 non-synonymous mutations). This acquisition of an hypermutator genotype was confirmed in five paired primary-metastatic samples. An operational APOBEC-related signature 13 was associated with a poor outcome in a multivariate analysis (HR: 1.75, 95%CI: 1.1-2.7, p = 0.017). High LOH score (HRD) was observed in 30% of HR+/Her2- mBC as compared to 13% of early HR+/Her2- early BC (p < 0.0001). The opposite was observed in TNBC (43% in mTNBC versus 58% in early TNBC ,p = 0.032). High LOH score was associated with a trend for poor outcome in HR+/Her2- mBC (multivariate 1.67, 95%CI: 0.949-2.951, p = 0.075).The % of genome altered was associated with a poor outcome in multivariate analyses both in the overall and HR+/Her2- mBC (HR / 10 increase:1.144, 95%CI:1.038-1.261, p = 0.007 and HR:1.18, 95%CI:1.037-1.344, p = 0.012 respectively). Copy number analyses identified 143 genes that are more frequently amplified as compared to early breast cancers (FDR < 0.01) Conclusions: metastatic HR+/Her2- metastatic breast cancer present an increased in APOBEC-related mutational burden and in LOH score as compared to early breast cancers. APOBEC-related signature 13 and genome instability are associated with a poor outcome and could be used in the future to better stratify metastatic breast cancer patients. Citation Format: Patsouris A, Filleron T, Jacquet A, Goncalves A, Bonnefoi H, Letourneau C, Bachelot T, Jimenez M, Andre F. Mutational processes, genome evolution and outcome in metastatic breast cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD8-12.
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