Mammary Cell News Volume 3.08 | Mar 3 2011

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Protein and microRNA Block Cellular Transition Vital to Metastasis
Like a bounty hunter returning escapees to custody, a cancer-fighting gene converts organ cells that change into highly mobile stem cells back to their original, stationary state, researchers report. [Press release from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discussing online prepublication in Nature Cell Biology]

Researchers Identify New, More Effective Tool in Diagnosing Breast Cancer and Melanoma in Sentinel Lymph Nodes
Researchers say a new kind of tracing agent is more accurate than current methods in helping identify tumor-draining sentinel lymph nodes in breast cancer and melanoma patients. [Press release from California Pacific Medical Center discussing online prepublication in the Annals of Surgical Oncology]

New Cell Death Mechanism Has Implications for Breast Cancer Treatments
A novel mechanism of cell death that occurs in mammalian organisms has been revealed by researchers. [Press release from the University of Cambridge discussing online prepublication in Nature Cell Biology]

Herceptin May Boost Long-Term Survival After Aggressive Breast Cancer
The cancer drug Herceptin produces significantly longer disease-free survival in women with an aggressive type of early-stage breast cancer who take the drug for a year after standard chemotherapy, a new study suggests. [Press release from Bloomberg Businessweek discussing online prepublication in The Lancet Oncology]

Breast Cancer Incidence Rates No Longer Declining in U.S. Women
A sharp decline in breast cancer incidence rates among non-Hispanic white women in the United States after a dramatic drop in the use of postmenopausal hormone therapy did not continue through 2007, according to a new study. [Press release from ScienceDaily discussing online prepublication in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention]

Obesity May Increase Risk of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
New findings confirm the risk of breast cancer among women who are obese and not physically active, and suggests additional mechanisms beyond estrogen. [Press release from the American Association for Cancer Research discussing online prepublication in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention]

Smoking Increases Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women, Study Shows
Postmenopausal women who smoke or used to smoke have up to a 16% higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who have never smoked. [Press release from ScienceDaily discussing online prepublication in the British Medical Journal]

The More Times a Woman Gives Birth, the Higher Her Risk of Rare but Aggressive ‘Triple-Negative’ Breast Cancer
Full-term pregnancy has long been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer, but a new study finds that the more times a woman gives birth, the higher her risk of “triple-negative” breast cancer. [Press release from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center discussing online prepublication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

p53 Regulates Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition and Stem Cell Properties Through Modulating miRNAs
Using genomic approaches, scientists show that tumor suppressor p53 has a role in regulating both epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and EMT-associated stem cell properties through transcriptional activation of the microRNA miR-200c. [Nat Cell Biol]

Stat3 Controls Lysosomal-Mediated Cell Death In Vivo
Here researchers show that the physiological process of post-lactational regression of the mammary gland is accomplished through a non-classical, lysosomal-mediated pathway of cell death. [Nat Cell Biol]

Transcriptionally Repressed Genes Become Aberrantly Methylated and Distinguish Tumors of Different Lineages in Breast Cancer
Findings implicate aberrant DNA methylation as a marker of cell lineage rather than tumor progression and suggest that it does not cause the repression with which it is associated. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Feedback Upregulation of HER3 (ErbB3) Expression and Activity Attenuates Antitumor Effect of PI3K Inhibitors
Investigators examined the effects of an inhibitor of PI3K, XL147, against human breast cancer cell lines with constitutive PI3K activation. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

Efficacy of a Leptin Receptor Antagonist Peptide in a Mouse Model of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Results indicate that leptin receptor antagonists could become attractive options for triple-negative breast cancer treatment, especially in the obese patient population. [Eur J Cancer]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Reproductive History and Oral Contraceptive Use in Relation to Risk of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Using data from 155 723 women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative, researchers assessed associations between reproductive and menstrual history, breastfeeding, oral contraceptive use, and subtype-specific breast cancer risk. [J Natl Cancer Inst]

Treatment with Trastuzumab for 1 Year After Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Early Breast Cancer: A 4-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Investigators aimed to assess disease-free survival and overall survival after a median follow-up of 4 years for patients enrolled on the Herceptin Adjuvant trial. [Lancet Oncol]

Association of Active and Passive Smoking with Risk of Breast Cancer Among Postmenopausal Women: A Prospective Cohort Study
The objective of this study is to examine the association between smoking and risk of invasive breast cancer using quantitative measures of lifetime passive and active smoking exposure among postmenopausal women. [Br Med J]

Breast Cancer Incidence Rates in United States Women Are No Longer Declining
Scientists examined breast cancer incidence rates among non-Hispanic white women from 2003-2007 to determine whether the decrease in breast cancer incidence rates indeed persisted through 2007. [Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev]

Body Size, Physical Activity, and Risk of Triple-Negative and Estrogen Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer
Focusing on potentially modifiable breast cancer risk factors, investigators examined the relationship between body size, physical activity, and triple-negative disease risk. [Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev]

A Phase II Study of ^99mTc-Tilmanocept in the Detection of Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Melanoma and Breast Cancer
In a prospectively planned, open-label phase II clinical study, ^99mTc-tilmanocept was injected into breast cancer and cutaneous melanoma patients before intraoperative lymphatic mapping. [Ann Surg Oncol]

Hologic Announces Favorable Ruling in Patent Infringement Suit
Hologic, Inc. announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled in favor of Hologic, by reversing the previous decisions reached by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, in favor of SenoRx, Inc. [Hologic, Inc. Press Release]

Elan and Celgene Enter into Settlement and License Agreement Related to ABRAXANE®
Elan Corporation plc and Celgene Corporation announced that Elan subsidiary Elan PharmaInternational Limited has entered into a settlement and license agreement with Celgene Corporation resolving the patent infringement litigation involving ABRAXANE®. [Elan Corporation plc Press Release]

Bayer and Onyx Begin Enrollment in Phase III Trial of Nexavar in Combination with Chemotherapy Agent Capecitabine for Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the companies have begun enrolling patients in a Phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating Nexavar® (sorafenib) tablets in combination with the oral chemotherapeutic agent, capecitabine, versus placebo plus capecitabine for the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer. [Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Press Release]

Wheeling Hospital Offering Breast MRI For Early Detection of Cancer
The latest advanced technology for early detection of breast cancer is now being used at Wheeling Hospital. [Wheeling Hospital Press Release]

Towards Customized Treatment of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer can develop very differently in different women. Researchers in Norway are improving breast cancer diagnostics and treatment by identifying the various tumor types. [The Research Council of Norway Press Release]

FDA Grants Genentech a Hearing on Avastin’s Use for Metastatic Breast Cancer in the United States
Genentech announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a hearing to allow the company the opportunity to present its views on why Avastin® (bevacizumab) should remain FDA-approved for metastatic breast cancer. [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

European Commission Continues to Support Avastin in Combination with Paclitaxel as an Effective Treatment Option for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer
Roche announced that the European Commission confirmed that Avastin (bevacizumab) in combination with paclitaxel will remain a treatment option for women with metastatic breast cancer in Europe. [European Commission, European Union]

Avastin (Bevacizumab) Is Not Recommended for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer in New Guidance from NICE
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published final guidance to the National Health Service not recommending the use of bevacizumab (Avastin, Roche Products), when used in combination with a taxane, as a first-line treatment for people with metastatic breast cancer. [National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, United Kingdom]

National Institutes of Health (United States)

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

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