No abstract

In this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, several key issues must be addressed to ensure safe treatment and prevent rapid spread of the virus and a consequential medical crisis. Careful evaluation of a patient's condition is crucial for deciding the triage plan, based on the status of the disease and comorbidities. As functionality of the medical care system is greatly affected by the environmental situation, the treatment may differ according to the medical and infectious disease circumstances of the institution. Importantly, all medical staff must prevent nosocomial COVID-19 by minimizing the effects of aerosol spread and developing diagnostic and surgical procedures. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening for COVID-19 infection, particularly in asymptomatic patients, should be encouraged as these patients are prone to postoperative respiratory failure. In this article, the Japan Surgical Society addresses the general principles of surgical treatment in relation to COVID-19 infection and advocates preventive measures against viral transmission during this unimaginable COVID-19 pandemic.

Identifying BRCAness can help predict the response to taxane, and changing regimens for BRCAness TNBC might improve patient survival. A larger prospective study is needed to further clarify this issue.

No abstract

Abstract. Decorin, a small leucine-rich proteoglycan and important component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), is a natural anticancer agent that modulates several receptors involved in cell growth and survival. Reductions in decorin expression may weaken the ECM and enhance the effectiveness of these receptors and may, consequently, lead to tumor spreading. To determine the contribution of stromal decorin regulation in the development of breast cancer and in tumor invasiveness, immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of stromal decorin in 120 breast cancer tissue samples. In patients with invasive breast carcinoma (IBC), stromal decorin expression was highest in normal gland tissue, lower in in situ components and the lowest in invasive components. Stromal decorin expression adjacent to malignant cells in IBC tumors was also significantly weaker compared to that in pure ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). These findings indicate that there is a striking difference in the stromal decorin expression around normal glands and around DCIS or IBC tumors. Reduced levels of decorin were associated with more aggressive disease; this finding was consistent with the view that reduced decorin expression may facilitate tumorigenesis, tumor invasion and/or tumor growth. Given these and other reported findings, evaluating stromal decorin expression may be useful in assessing prognosis and malignant potential; therefore, a large-scale study of decorin expression is warranted. IntroductionThe extracellular matrix (ECM), which provides structural support to cells, is the extracellular material in tissue that generally has a role in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and wound healing. Components of the ECM are now being recognized as key signaling molecules that affect the invasion and metastasis of cancer. It has become evident that the ECM modulates cellular proliferation and differentiation by affecting not only growth factors, but also various receptors involved in controlling morphogenesis and cell growth (1). Decorin is a component of the ECM that is synthesized primarily by fibroblasts and myofibroblasts (2) and that regulates collagen fibrillogenesis (3,4). Based on in vitro assays, decorin is a potent inhibitor of tumor cell proliferation as it interacts with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) (5) and affects several receptors, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-IR) and lowdensity lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) (2). Evidence from in vitro experiments indicates that decorin is a potent inhibitor of tumor cell proliferation, therefore, the antitumor effects of decorin have been tested in vivo. A cytomegaloviral vector containing the decorin transgene has been shown to inhibit tumorigenesis and metastatic spreading of breast carcinoma (6). A recombinant protein that comprises only the core of the human decorin protein inhibits metastatic spreading to the lung in xenograft models of breast carcinoma (7).The natural history of breas...