Diagnosis and treatment of advanced HER2-positive breast cancer in young pregnant female: A case report

Polymorphisms of inflammation-related genes and susceptibility to childhood leukemia: evidence from a meta-analysis of 16 published studies

OBJECTIVE

This study was to comprehensively clarify the associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in inflammatory genes and the susceptibility to childhood leukemia.

METHODS

Eligible articles were collected from the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI and Wan Fang. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to estimate the association strength by using the STATA 15.0 software.

RESULTS

Sixteen studies were enrolled. These studies mainly evaluated SNPs in 13 genes, including C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), toll-like receptor (TLR)-4, TLR6, TLR9, CD14, interleukin (IL)-1β, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3, IL-4, interleukin 4 receptor, IL-10, IL-13, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and tumor necrosis factor-α. The meta-analysis indicated that CXCL12 rs1801157 (AG vs GG: OR = 1.99; 95%CI = 1.20-3.30; p = 0.008; AA + AG vs GG: OR = 1.92; 95%CI = 1.18-3.12; p = 0.009), TLR6 rs5743810 (TC vs TT: OR = 0.58; 95%CI = 0.39-0.85; p = 0.005), IL-10 rs1800871 (TC vs CC: OR = 1.19; 95%CI = 1.01-1.41; p = 0.044), rs1800872 (AC vs AA: OR = 1.53; 95%CI = 1.22-1.92; p < 0.001) and MIF rs755622 (CG versus GG: OR = 1.33; 95%CI = 1.07-1.67; p = 0.012) polymorphisms were associated with the risk of childhood leukemia. No significant correlations were found between SNPs in other genes and the childhood leukemia risk. Subgroup analyses of rs1800871 and rs1800872 confirmed the conclusions obtained in their overall meta-analytical processes.

CONCLUSION

CXCL12 rs1801157, TLR6 rs5743810, IL-10 rs1800871, rs1800872 and MIF rs755622 polymorphisms may represent candidate biomarkers for the risk prediction of childhood leukemia.

Is It Possible to Personalize the Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer during Pregnancy?

The main goal of precision medicine in patients with breast cancer is to tailor the treatment according to the particular genetic makeup and the genetic changes in the cancer cells. Breast cancer occurring during pregnancy (BCP) is a complex and difficult clinical problem. Although it is not very common, both maternal and fetal outcome must be always considered when planning treatment. Pregnancy represents a significant barrier to the implementation of personalized treatment for breast cancer. Tailoring therapy mainly takes into account the stage of pregnancy, the subtype of cancer, the stage of cancer, and the patient’s preference. Results of the treatment of breast cancer in pregnancy are as yet not very satisfactory because of often delayed diagnosis, and it usually has an unfavorable outcome. Treatment of patients with pregnancy-associated breast cancer should be centralized. Centralization may result in increased experience in diagnosis and treatment and accumulated data may help us to optimize the treatment approaches, modify general treatment recommendations, and improve the survival and quality of life of the patients.