Introduction Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a high molecular weight glycoprotein overexpressed on adenocarcinoma cells and is a target for immunotherapy protocols. To date, clinical trials against MUC1 have included advanced cancer patients. Herein, we report a trial using early stage breast cancer patients and injection of oxidized mannan-MUC1.

The preliminary evidence indicates that M-FP is beneficial in the overall survival of early-stage breast cancer patients. This long-term clinical follow-up of patients strongly supports the necessity for a large Phase III study of direct M-FP injection in early-stage breast cancer patients, to evaluate immunotherapy as an adjuvant treatment for breast cancer.

The incidence of thyroid disease was examined prospectively in 97 consecutive patients with breast cancer (Group I) and was compared with that of 61 women with cystic breast disease (Group II) and that of 60 control women (Group III) with no breast problems. Thyroid enlargement was found in 47%, 49%, and 22% of those in Groups I, II, and III, respectively, and treatment with thyroid hormones was taken by 9.3% (I), 8.2% (II), and 5.0% (III) of the cases. The mean thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration in those in Group I (5.4 +/- 2.2 microU/ml) was significantly higher than in Groups II (3.9 +/- 1.9, P less than 0.01) and III (4.0 +/- 1.8, P less than 0.001), whereas thyroid microsomal antibodies were detected in 13.4% (I), 9.1% (II), and 1.7% (III); mean triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxin (T4) concentrations were similar in the three groups. When both TSH and T3 concentrations were taken into account, 24% and 17% of the patients, respectively, from Group I were no longer in the Group III range; the corresponding figures for Group II were 13% and 23%, respectively. These results indicate that breast cancer and thyroid disease are probably related, but not in a specific way, since benign mastopathy also seems to be associated with thyroid disturbances.

Background: Integrins are transmembrane adhesion receptors that provide the physical link between the actin cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. It has been well established that integrins play a major role in various cancer stages, such as tumor growth, progression, invasion and metastasis. In breast cancer, integrin alphavbeta3 has been associated with high malignant potential in cancer cells, signaling the onset of widespread metastasis. Many preclinical breast cancer studies are based on established cell lines, which may not represent the cell behavior and phenotype of the primary tumor of origin, due to undergone genotypic and phenotypic changes. In the present study, short-term primary breast cancer cell cultures were developed. Integrin alphavbeta3 localization was studied in correlation with F-actin cytoskeleton by means of immunofluorescence and immunogold ultrastructural localization. Integrin fluorescence intensities were semi-quantitatively assessed by means of computerized image analysis, while integrin and actin expression was evaluated by Western immunoblotting.

High nERbeta2 is an independent marker of early relapse in ERalpha-negative breast carcinoma, and in particular, in the nERbeta1-negative, the post-menopausal patient and the triple-negative subgroups. These findings suggest that inhibition of expression and/or function of ERbeta2 could improve disease outcome.