Criteria derived from serum markers can precisely evaluate axillary status in breast cancer patients

The Role and Therapeutic Targeting of CCR5 in Breast Cancer

The G-protein-coupled receptor C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) functions as a co-receptor for the entry of HIV into immune cells. CCR5 binds promiscuously to a diverse array of ligands initiating cell signaling that includes guided migration. Although well known to be expressed on immune cells, recent studies have shown the induction of CCR5 on the surface of breast cancer epithelial cells. The function of CCR5 on breast cancer epithelial cells includes the induction of aberrant cell survival signaling and tropism towards chemo attractants. As CCR5 is not expressed on normal epithelium, the receptor provides a potential useful target for therapy. Inhibitors of CCR5 (CCR5i), either small molecules (maraviroc, vicriviroc) or humanized monoclonal antibodies (leronlimab) have shown anti-tumor and anti-metastatic properties in preclinical studies. In early clinical studies, reviewed herein, CCR5i have shown promising results and evidence for effects on both the tumor and the anti-tumor immune response. Current clinical studies have therefore included combination therapy approaches with checkpoint inhibitors.

Clinical trial-identified inflammatory biomarkers in breast and pancreatic cancers

Breast cancer and pancreatic cancer are two common cancer types characterized by high prevalence and high mortality rates, respectively. However, breast cancer has been more well-studied than pancreatic cancer. This narrative review curated inflammation-associated biomarkers from clinical studies that were systematically selected for both breast and pancreatic cancers and discusses some of the common and unique elements between the two endocrine-regulated malignant diseases. Finding common ground between the two cancer types and specifically analyzing breast cancer study results, we hoped to explore potential feasible methods and biomarkers that may be useful also in diagnosing and treating pancreatic cancer. A PubMed MEDLINE search was used to identify articles that were published between 2015-2022 of different kinds of clinical trials that measured immune-modulatory biomarkers and biomarker changes of inflammation defined in diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and pancreatic cancer patients. A total of 105 papers (pancreatic cancer 23, breast cancer 82) were input into Covidence for the title and abstract screening. The final number of articles included in this review was 73 (pancreatic cancer 19, breast cancer 54). The results showed some of the frequently cited inflammatory biomarkers for breast and pancreatic cancers included IL-6, IL-8, CCL2, CD8+ T cells and VEGF. Regarding unique markers, CA15-3 and TNF-alpha were two of several breast cancer-specific, and CA19 and IL-18 were pancreatic cancer-specific. Moreover, we discussed leptin and MMPs as emerging biomarker targets with potential use for managing pancreatic cancer based on breast cancer studies in the future, based on inflammatory mechanisms. Overall, the similarity in how both types of cancers respond to or result in further disruptive inflammatory signaling, and that point to a list of markers that have been shown useful in diagnosis and/or treatment method response or efficacy in managing breast cancer could potentially provide insights into developing the same or more useful diagnostic and treatment measurement inflammatory biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. More research is needed to investigate the relationship and associated inflammatory markers between the similar immune-associated biological mechanisms that contribute to breast and pancreatic cancer etiology, drive disease progression or that impact treatment response and reflect survival outcomes.

CCL5 mediates breast cancer metastasis and prognosis through CCR5/Treg cells

Background and aims

CCL5 is considered to contribute to the biological function of a variety of cancer types, but its specific mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to reveal the mechanism of CCL5 in the invasion, metastasis, and prognosis of breast cancer.

Methods

The expression of CCL5 in tumor tissue and serum was measured with a Luminex protein detection kit, and the correlation between CCL5 and clinical parameters was evaluated. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to analyze the effect of CCL5 on the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Protein interaction network analysis and gene coexpression were used to determine the receptor that has the strongest interaction with CCL5. Enrichment analysis was used to study the possible pathway by which CCL5 affects breast cancer progression. We used immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry to estimate the fraction of immunity-related components in the tumor microenvironment.

Results

The expression level of CCL5 in breast cancer patients was positively correlated with the degree of axillary lymph node metastasis; CCL5 in tumor tissue was correlated with estrogen receptor status (P = 0.034), progesterone receptor (P = 0.009), nuclear grade (P = 0.013), clinical stage (P < 0.001) and molecular subtype (P = 0.024) in breast cancer patients. Breast cancer patients with high CCL5 expression had worse disease-free survival (P = 0.031) and breast cancer-specific survival (P = 0.043); however, CCL5 had no effect on overall survival (P = 0.077). CCL5 affected tumor progression through CCR5, and the T-cell-related immune pathway may be the main pathway; the CD4+/CD8+, CCR5+/CD4+ and Treg/CCR5+ cell ratios were significantly increased in the lymph node metastasis group.

Conclusion

CCL5 affects the Treg/CD4+CCR5+ cell ratio in breast cancer patients through CCR5, thus affecting breast cancer metastasis and prognosis.

Chemokines and their Receptors: Multifaceted Roles in Cancer Progression and Potential Value as Cancer Prognostic Markers

Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines that mediate immune cell chemotaxis and lymphoid tissue development. Recent advances have indicated that chemokines and their cognate receptors play critical roles in cancer-related inflammation and cancer progression. On the basis of these findings, the chemokine system has become a new potential drug target for cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we summarize the essential roles of the complex network of chemokines and their receptors in cancer progression. Furthermore, we discuss the potential value of the chemokine system as a cancer prognostic marker. The chemokine system regulates the infiltration of immune cells into the tumor microenvironment, which induces both pro- and anti-immunity and promotes or suppresses tumor growth and proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Increasing evidence indicates the promising prognostic value of the chemokine system in cancer patients. While CCL2, CXCL10, and CX3CL1/CX3CR1 can serve as favorable or unfavorable prognostic factors depending on the cancer types, CCL14 and XCL1 possess good prognostic value. Other chemokines such as CXCL1, CXCL8, and CXCL12 are poor prognostic markers. Despite vast advances in our understanding of the complex nature of the chemokine system in tumor biology, knowledge about the multifaceted roles of the chemokine system in different types of cancers is still limited. Further studies are necessary to decipher distinct roles within the chemokine system in terms of cancer progression and to validate their potential value in cancer prognosis.

Inhibitory role of large intergenic noncoding RNA-ROR on tamoxifen resistance in the endocrine therapy of breast cancer by regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway

Breast cancer (BC) is the second-leading cause of central nervous system metastases among severe malignancies. This study aimed at investigating the underlying mechanism by which large intergenic noncoding RNA-regulator of reprogramming (lincRNA-ROR) affects the tamoxifen (TAM) resistance of BC cells by regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Immortalized human mammary epithelial cell line (MCF10A) and BC cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, T47D, BCAP-37, and ZK-75-1) were cultured, and BC tissues and adjacent normal breast tissues were collected from 152 BC patients. LincRNA-ROR expression in tissues and cells were detected using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RNA interference was used to silence lincRNA-ROR in MDA-MB-231 cells, and then the cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and annexin-V and propidium iodide (PI) double staining respectively. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway-related proteins was measured by performing western blot assay. The BC tissues and cells presented a higher expression of lincRNA-ROR. MAD-MB-231 cells exhibited the highest lincRNA-ROR expression. After lincRNA-ROR silencing, MAD-MB-231 cells showed decreased proliferation, and increased sensitivity to TAM. Besides, the apoptosis-promoting effect of TAM on MAN-MB-231 cells significantly increased. The expression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway-related proteins and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway were repressed by TAM after silencing lincRNA-ROR. Our study demonstrated that silencing lincRNA-ROR could increase the sensitivity of BC MAD-MB-231 cells to TAM by suppressing the activation of P13K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.