The prognostic significance of single hormone receptor positive metastatic breast cancer: an analysis of three randomised phase III trials of aromatase inhibitors

We analysed the outcomes of women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) from three randomised phase III trials of aromatase inhibitors according to oestrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) status. Both receptors were analysed in 1010 of the 1870 women (54%), including 31 that were ER-/PgR-, which were excluded. Of the remaining 979, 726 (74%) were ER+/PgR+ but 253 were single hormone receptor positive (213 ER+/PgR-, 40 ER-/PgR+). Although there were no differences in clinical benefit or time to progression, the median overall survival of women with ER+/PgR+ tumours was significantly longer than those with single HR positive tumours (800 versus 600 days, p=0.01). In women with ER+ tumours, the median overall survival of those with tumours that were also PgR+ was significantly longer than those that were PgR- (800 versus 625 days, p=0.02). The PgR status is an important prognostic factor for survival in MBC.

Chemokines and their receptors as potential targets for the treatment of asthma

Asthma is a chronic and sometimes fatal disease, which affects people of all ages throughout the world. Important hallmarks of asthma are airway inflammation and remodelling, with associated bronchial hyperresponsiveness and variable airflow obstruction. These features are orchestrated by cells of both the innate (eosinophils, neutrophils and mast cells) and the adaptive (T(H)2 T cells) immune system, in concert with structural airway cells. Chemokines are important for the recruitment of both immune and structural cells to the lung, and also for their microlocalisation within the lung tissue. Specific blockade of the responses elicited by chemokines and chemokine receptors responsible for the pathological migration of airway cells could therefore be of great therapeutic interest for the treatment of asthma.

Functional specialization of gut CD103+ dendritic cells in the regulation of tissue-selective T cell homing

Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) dendritic cells (DCs) display a unique ability to generate CCR9⁺α₄β₇⁺ gut-tropic CD8⁺ effector T cells. We demonstrate efficient induction of CCR9 and α₄β₇ on CD8⁺ T cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) after oral but not intraperitoneal (i.p.) antigen administration indicating differential targeting of DCs via the oral route. In vitro, lamina propria (LP)–derived DCs were more potent than MLN or Peyer's patch DCs in their ability to generate CCR9⁺α₄β₇⁺ CD8⁺ T cells. The integrin α chain CD103 (α_E) was expressed on almost all LP DCs, a subset of MLN DCs, but on few splenic DCs. CD103⁺ MLN DCs were reduced in number in CCR7^−/− mice and, although CD8⁺ T cells proliferated in the MLNs of CCR7^−/− mice after i.p. but not oral antigen administration, they failed to express CCR9 and had reduced levels of α₄β₇. Strikingly, although CD103⁺ and CD103⁻ MLN DCs were equally potent at inducing CD8⁺ T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production, only CD103⁺ DCs were capable of generating gut-tropic CD8⁺ effector T cells in vitro. Collectively, these results demonstrate a unique function for LP-derived CD103⁺ MLN DCs in the generation of gut-tropic effector T cells.