The Influence of Modifiable Factors on Breast and Prostate Cancer Risk and Disease Progression

Development of machine learning-based malignant pericardial effusion-related model in breast cancer: Implications for clinical significance, tumor immune and drug-therapy

Background

Malignant pericardial effusion (MPE) is a common complication of advanced breast cancer (BRCA) and plays an important role in BRCA. This study is aims to construct a prognostic model based on MPE-related genes for predicting the prognosis of breast cancer.

Methods

The BRCA samples are analyzed based on the expression of MPE-related genes by using an unsupervised cluster analysis method. This study processes the data by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multivariate Cox analysis, and uses machine learning algorithms to construct BRCA prognostic model and develop web tool.

Results

BRCA patients are classified into three clusters and a BRCA prognostic model is constructed containing 9 MPE-related genes. There are significant differences in signature pathways, immune infiltration, immunotherapy response and drug sensitivity testing between the high and low-risk groups. Of note, a web-based tool (http://wys.helyly.top/cox.html) is developed to predict overall survival as well as drug-therapy response of BRCA patients quickly and conveniently, which can provide a basis for clinicians to formulate individualized treatment plans.

Conclusion

The MPE-related prognostic model developed in this study can be used as an effective tool for predicting the prognosis of BRCA and provides new insights for the diagnosis and treatment of BRCA patients.

Nutrigenomics and microbiome shaping the future of personalized medicine: a review article

The relationship between nutrition and genes has long been hinted at and sometimes plainly associated with certain diseases. Now, after many years of research and coincidental findings, it is believed that this relationship, termed "Nutrigenomics," is certainly a factor of major importance in various conditions. In this review article, we discuss nutrigenomics, starting with basics definitions and enzymatic functions and ending with its palpable association with cancer. Now, diet is basically what we eat on a daily basis. Everything that enters through our alimentary tract ends up broken down to minute molecules and amino acids. These molecules interact with our microbiome and genome in discreet ways. For instance, we demonstrate how proper intake of probiotics enhances beneficial bacteria and may alleviate IBS and prevent colorectal cancer on the long term. We also show how a diet rich in folic acid is essential for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) function, which lowers risk of colorectal cancer. Also, we discuss how certain diets were associated with development of certain cancers. For example, red and processed meat are highly associated with colorectal and prostate cancer, salty diets with stomach cancer, and obesity with breast cancer. The modification of these diets significantly lowered the risk and improved prognosis of these cancers among many others. We also examined how micronutrients had a role in cancer prevention, as vitamin A and C exert anti-carcinogenic effects through their function as antioxidants. In addition, we show how folic acid prevent DNA mutations by enhancing protein methylation processes. Finally, after a systematic review of myriad articles on the etiology and prevention of cancer, we think that diet should be a crucial feature in cancer prevention and treatment programs. In the future, healthy diets and micronutrients may even be able to successively alter the liability to genetic mutations that result in cancer. It also will play a role in boosting treatment and improving prognosis of diagnosed cancers.

[18F]-FDHT PET for the Imaging of Androgen Receptor in Prostate and Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

The aim of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of fluoro-5α-dihydrotestosterone ([18F]-FDHT) for the in vivo imaging of androgen receptors (AR) through positron emission tomography (PET) in metastatic breast (mBC) and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Relevant studies published from 2013 up to May 2023 were selected by searching Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science. The selected imaging studies were analyzed using a modified version of the critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP). Eleven studies encompassing 321 patients were selected. Seven of the eleven selected papers included 266 subjects (82.2%) affected by mCRPC, while four encompassed 55 (17.2%) patients affected by mBC. [18F]-FDHT PET showed a satisfying test/retest reproducibility, and when compared to a histochemical analysis, it provided encouraging results for in vivo AR quantification both in mCRPC and mBC. [18F]-FDHT PET had a prognostic relevance in mCRPC patients submitted to AR-targeted therapy, while a clear association between [18F]-FDHT uptake and the bicalutamide response was not observed in women affected by AR-positive mBC. Further studies are needed to better define the role of [18F]-FDHT PET, alone or in combination with other tracers (i.e., [18F]-FDG/[18F]-FES), for patients' selection and monitoring during AR-targeted therapy, especially in the case of mBC.

Metabolic changes during prostate cancer development and progression

Metabolic reprogramming has been recognised as a hallmark in solid tumours. Malignant modification of the tumour's bioenergetics provides energy for tumour growth and progression. Otto Warburg first reported these metabolic and biochemical changes in 1927. In prostate cancer (PCa) epithelial cells, the tumour metabolism also changes during development and progress. These alterations are partly driven by the androgen receptor, the key regulator in PCa development, progress, and survival. In contrast to other epithelial cells of different entities, glycolytic metabolism in prostate cells sustains physiological citrate secretion in the normal prostatic epithelium. In the early stages of PCa, citrate is utilised to power oxidative phosphorylation and fuel lipogenesis, enabling tumour growth and progression. In advanced and incurable castration-resistant PCa, a metabolic shift towards choline, amino acid, and glycolytic metabolism fueling tumour growth and progression has been described. Therefore, even if the metabolic changes are not fully understood, the altered metabolism during tumour progression may provide opportunities for novel therapeutic strategies, especially in advanced PCa stages. This review focuses on the main differences in PCa's metabolism during tumourigenesis and progression highlighting glutamine's role in PCa.

Expansion of the quality of care index on breast cancer and its risk factors using the global burden of disease study 2019

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC), as the top neoplasm in prevalence and mortality in females, imposes a heavy burden on health systems. Evaluation of quality of care and management of patients with BC and its responsible risk factors was the aim of this study.

METHODS

We retrieved epidemiologic data of BC from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 1990-2019 database. Epidemiology and burden of BC and its risk factors were explored besides the Quality of Care Index (QCI) introduced before, to assess the provided care for patients with BC in various scales. Provided care for BC risk factors was investigated by their impact on years of life lost and years lived with disability by a novel risk factor quality index (rQCI). We used the socio-demographic index (SDI) to compare results in different socio-economic levels.

RESULTS

In 2019, 1,977,212 (95% UI: 1,807,615-2,145,215) new cases of BC in females and 25,143 (22,231-27,786) in males was diagnosed and this major cancer caused 688,562 (635,323-739,571) deaths in females and 12,098 (10,693-13,322) deaths in males, globally. The all-age number of deaths and disability-adjusted life years attributed to BC risk factors in females had an increasing pattern, with a more prominent pattern in metabolic risks. The global estimated age-standardized QCI for BC in females in 2019 was 78.7. The estimated QCI was highest in high SDI regions (95.7). The top countries with the highest calculated QCI in 2019 were Iceland (100), Japan (99.8), and Finland (98.8), and the bottom countries were Mozambique (16.0), Somalia (8.2), and Central African Republic (5.3). The global estimated age-standardized rQCI for females was 82.2 in 2019.

CONCLUSION

In spite of the partially restrained burden of BC in recent years, the attributable burden to risk factors has increased remarkably. Countries with higher SDI provided better care regarding both the condition and its responsible risk factors.