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Ross E, Swallow J, Kerr A, Chekar CK, Cunningham-Burley S. Diagnostic layering: Patient accounts of breast cancer classification in the molecular era. Soc Sci Med 2021; 278:113965. [PMID: 33940433 PMCID: PMC8146724 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 03/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Social scientific work has considered the promise of genomic medicine to transform healthcare by personalising treatment. However, little qualitative research attends to already well-established molecular techniques in routine care. In this article we consider women's experiences of routine breast cancer diagnosis in the UK NHS. We attend to patient accounts of the techniques used to subtype breast cancer and guide individual treatment. We introduce the concept of 'diagnostic layering' to make sense of how the range of clinical techniques used to classify breast cancer shape patient experiences of diagnosis. The process of diagnostic layering, whereby various levels of diagnostic information are received by patients over time, can render diagnosis as incomplete and subject to change. In the example of early breast cancer, progressive layers of diagnostic information are closely tied to chemotherapy recommendations. In recent years a genomic test, gene expression profiling, has become introduced into routine care. Because gene expression profiling could indicate a treatment recommendation where standard tools had failed, the technique could represent a 'final layer' of diagnosis for some patients. However, the test could also invalidate previous understandings of the cancer, require additional interpretation and further prolong the diagnostic process. This research contributes to the sociology of diagnosis by outlining how practices of cancer subtyping shape patient experiences of breast cancer. We add to social scientific work attending to the complexities of molecular and genomic techniques by considering the blurring of diagnostic and therapeutic activities from a patient perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Ross
- Usher Institute, Old Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 9AG, UK; Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, Elmfield Building, Northumberland Road, Sheffield, S10 2TU, UK.
| | - Julia Swallow
- Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, Usher Institute, Old Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 9AG, UK
| | - Anne Kerr
- School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Choon Key Chekar
- Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health & Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YG, UK
| | - Sarah Cunningham-Burley
- Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, Usher Institute, Old Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH8 9AG, UK
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4
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Li YK, Hsu HM, Lin MC, Chang CW, Chu CM, Chang YJ, Yu JC, Chen CT, Jian CE, Sun CA, Chen KH, Kuo MH, Cheng CS, Chang YT, Wu YS, Wu HY, Yang YT, Lin C, Lin HC, Hu JM, Chang YT. Genetic co-expression networks contribute to creating predictive model and exploring novel biomarkers for the prognosis of breast cancer. Sci Rep 2021; 11:7268. [PMID: 33790307 PMCID: PMC8012617 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84995-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic co-expression network (GCN) analysis augments the understanding of breast cancer (BC). We aimed to propose GCN-based modeling for BC relapse-free survival (RFS) prediction and to discover novel biomarkers. We used GCN and Cox proportional hazard regression to create various prediction models using mRNA microarray of 920 tumors and conduct external validation using independent data of 1056 tumors. GCNs of 34 identified candidate genes were plotted in various sizes. Compared to the reference model, the genetic predictors selected from bigger GCNs composed better prediction models. The prediction accuracy and AUC of 3 ~ 15-year RFS are 71.0-81.4% and 74.6-78% respectively (rfm, ACC 63.2-65.5%, AUC 61.9-74.9%). The hazard ratios of risk scores of developing relapse ranged from 1.89 ~ 3.32 (p < 10-8) over all models under the control of the node status. External validation showed the consistent finding. We found top 12 co-expressed genes are relative new or novel biomarkers that have not been explored in BC prognosis or other cancers until this decade. GCN-based modeling creates better prediction models and facilitates novel genes exploration on BC prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan-Kuei Li
- Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Huan-Ming Hsu
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Surgery, Songshan Branch of Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 11490, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Chiung Lin
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Wen Chang
- School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Ming Chu
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.,Big Data Research Center, College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.,Department of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan.,Department of Healthcare Administration and Medical Informatics College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jia Chang
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Cell Physiology and Molecular Image Research Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jyh-Cherng Yu
- Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Ting Chen
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen-En Jian
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chien-An Sun
- Big Data Research Center, College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Kang-Hua Chen
- School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hao Kuo
- Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Shiang Cheng
- Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Ting Chang
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Syuan Wu
- Graduate Institute of Life Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hao-Yi Wu
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Ting Yang
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen Lin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Center for Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Che Lin
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 11490, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.,Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital, Xincheng, Hualien, 97144, Taiwan
| | - Je-Ming Hu
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, 11490, Taiwan.,Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.,Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei City, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Tien Chang
- Division of Medical Informatics, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan. .,Big Data Research Center, College of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
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5
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Tsakogiannis D, Kalogera E, Zagouri F, Zografos E, Balalis D, Bletsa G. Determination of FABP4, RBP4 and the MMP-9/NGAL complex in the serum of women with breast cancer. Oncol Lett 2020; 21:85. [PMID: 33376518 PMCID: PMC7751333 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2020.12346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in females and is the leading cause of cancer-associated death among women, worldwide. The present study aimed to measure the serum levels of fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) and the MMP-9/neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) complex in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Serum levels of the examined proteins were determined in the peripheral blood of patients via ELISA. Furthermore, whether the concentration of each protein was associated with breast cancer growth, molecular subtype, BMI, postmenopausal status, diabetes and the social background of patients was assessed. Women with invasive breast cancer demonstrated significantly higher levels of FABP4 (P=0.008). Additionally, considerably elevated FABP4 levels were demonstrated specifically in Luminal breast cancer cases (P<0.01). No significant association was recorded between RBP4 and breast cancer development. In addition, significantly lower levels of the MMP-9/NGAL complex were recorded in triple negative/HER-2 cases (P<0.05). BMI values appeared to influence the aforementioned associations, while significantly high serum levels of FABP4 and the MMP-9/NGAL complex were found in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer and a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (P<0.05). In addition, high levels of FABP4 were significantly associated with breast cancer patients with diabetes (P=0.05). However, no association was identified between RBP4, the MMP-9/NGAL complex and diabetes. In conclusion, FABP4 can be regarded as a biomarker of breast cancer growth, while both FABP4 and the MMP-9/NGAL complex may provide considerable information regarding the development of specific breast cancer subtypes. FABP4 and the MMP-9/NGAL complex may also be able to predict the development of breast cancer in postmenopausal patients with obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eleni Kalogera
- Research Center, Hellenic Anticancer Institute, Athens 10680, Greece
| | - Flora Zagouri
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens 11528, Greece
| | - Eleni Zografos
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens 11528, Greece
| | - Dimitris Balalis
- Department of Surgery, Saint Savvas, Anticancer Hospital, Athens 11522, Greece
| | - Garyfalia Bletsa
- Research Center, Hellenic Anticancer Institute, Athens 10680, Greece
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