Reproductive hormones in breast cancer bone metastasis: The role of inhibins

IL-8 -251A/T and +781C/T polymorphisms were associated with risk of breast cancer in a Chinese population

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death of women in worldwide. The real mechanism of breast cancer is still unclear. IL-8 is a member of the chemokine superfamily, which plays an important role in regulating both inflammatory and immune processes. We performed a hospital-based case-control study to estimate the association between IL-8 -251A/T, -353A/T and +781C/T polymorphisms and risk of breast cancer in a Chinese population, and interaction between IL-8 polymorphism and environmental factors. During January 2014 and July 2016, a total of 442 patients with breast cancer and 447 normal control subjects were enrolled into our study. The IL-8 -251A/T, -353A/T and +781C/T polymorphisms were analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). The TT genotype of IL-8 -251A/T was associated with higher risk of breast cancer as compared with the AA genotype (adjusted OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.26-3.05). Individuals carrying TT genotype of IL-8 -251A/T was correlated with an elevated risk of breast cancer in recessive model, when compared with the AA+AT genotype (adjusted OR=1.91, 95% CI=1.26-2.90). For the IL-8 +781C/T, the TT genotype showed lower association with risk of breast cancer in comparison to the CC genotype (adjusted OR=0.49, 95% CI=0.26-0.91); the TT genotype was also correlated with a decreased risk of breast cancer in recessive model (adjusted OR=0.46, 95% CI=0.25-0.84), as compared with the CC+CT genotype. In conclusion, our study suggests that IL-8 -251A/T and +781C/T could potentially be a biomarker for susceptibility to breast cancer risk.

Should bone-targeted agents be standard of care in postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer?

The role of bone-targeted agents in the adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer has been debated for decades. A recent meta-analysis of individual patient data from 18,766 women provides compelling evidence supporting the use of these agents in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. Postmenopausal women who received a bisphosphonate had a significant reduction in breast cancer mortality (14.7 vs 18%; p = 0.002) and in overall survival (21.1 vs 23.5%; p = 0.005). Some questions remain such as; what bone-targeted agent is the best? What are the optimum doses, durations and schedules? Which patients benefit the most? The decision to include a bone-targeted agent should consider the absolute risk of distant recurrence and breast cancer mortality.