Mammary Cell News Volume 3.13 | Apr 7 2011

UCSF Team Discovers New Way to Predict Breast Cancer Survival and Enhance Effectiveness of Treatment
A team of researchers has discovered a new way to predict breast cancer survival based on an “immune profile” – the relative levels of three types of immune cells within a tumor. [Press release from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) discussing online prepublication in Cancer Discovery]

DNA of 50 Breast Cancer Patients Decoded
In the single largest cancer genomics investigation reported to date, scientists have sequenced the whole genomes of tumors from 50 breast cancer patients and compared them to the matched DNA of the same patients’ healthy cells. [Press release from Washington University in St. Louis discussing data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd Annual Meeting 2011]

UMass Amherst Study Suggests Breast Milk May Offer a More Accurate and Personalized Indicator of Breast Cancer Risk
Early results of a study suggest that in the future, women and their physicians may have a new tool for evaluating breast cancer risk by examining epithelial cells naturally present in breast milk. [Press release from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst discussing data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd Annual Meeting 2011]

Fox Chase Researchers Find that Fish Oil Boosts Responses to Breast Cancer Drug Tamoxifen
Researchers have found that omega-3 fatty acids could be a safe and beneficial booster for tamoxifen therapy. [Press release from Fox Chase Cancer Center discussing data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd Annual Meeting 2011]

Fox Chase Researchers Show Vitamin A Derivative Can Inhibit Early Forms of Breast Cancer
A nutrient found in carrots and sweet potatoes may prove key to fighting breast cancer at early stages, according to a new study. [Press release from Fox Chase Cancer Center discussing data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd Annual Meeting 2011]

LABORATORY RESEARCH

Cancer-Associated Adipocytes Exhibit an Activated Phenotype and Contribute to Breast Cancer Invasion
Scientists showed that murine and human tumor cells cocultivated with mature adipocytes exhibit increased invasive capacities in vitro and in vivo, using an original two-dimensional coculture system. [Cancer Res]

Interaction Between FGFR-2, STAT5 and Progesterone Receptors in Breast Cancer
Researchers demonstrated that medroxyprogesterone acetate and FGF2 induced cell proliferation and activation of ERK, AKT and STAT5 in T47D and in murine C4-HI cells. [Cancer Res]

Tumor-Evoked Regulatory B Cells Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis by Converting Resting CD4⁺ T Cells to T Regulatory Cells
Findings suggested that tumor-evoked B regulatory cells must be controlled to interrupt the initiation of a key cancer-induced immunosuppressive event that is critical to support cancer metastasis. [Cancer Res]

A Critical Role for GRP78/BiP in the Tumor Microenvironment for Neovascularization During Tumor Growth and Metastasis
In mouse tumor models in which wild-type, syngeneic mammary tumor cells were injected into the host, investigators showed that glucose-regulated protein 78^+/− (Grp78^+/−) mice suppressed tumor growth and angiogenesis during the early phase but not during the late phase of tumor growth. [Cancer Res]

Benzyl Isothiocyanate Inhibits Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Cultured and Xenografted Human Breast Cancer Cells
Investigators demonstrated that benzyl isothiocyanate inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in human breast cancer cells. [Cancer Prev Res]

Compensatory Function of Pyk2 in the Promotion of FAK-Null Mammary Cancer Stem Cell Tumorigenicity and Metastatic Activity
Using a recently developed breast cancer mouse model with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) deletion in mammary tumor cells (MFCKO-MT mice), here scientists presented evidence suggesting a compensatory function of Pyk2, a FAK-related kinase, in the regulation of mammary cancer stem cells and metastasis in these mice. [J Biol Chem]

C/D Box snoRNA-Host RNA Zfas1 Is a Regulator of Mammary Development and a Potential Marker for Breast Cancer
To identify novel regulators in breast biology, researchers identified differentially regulated long noncoding RNAs during mouse mammary development. [RNA]

FOXC1, a Target of Polycomb, Inhibits Metastasis of Breast Cancer Cells
Investigators discovered in this study that the expression of FOXC1 gene was negatively correlated to that of polycomb group genes, i.e., Bmi1, EZH2, and SUZ12, in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. [Breast Cancer Res Treat]

Leukocyte Complexity Predicts Breast Cancer Survival and Functionally Regulates Response to Chemotherapy
In this article investigators demonstrated that both macrophage abundance and T-cell abundance in breast cancer represent prognostic indicators for recurrence-free and overall survival. [Cancer Discov]

Expression of Cancer Testis Antigens in Human BRCA-Associated Breast Cancers: Potential Targets for Immunoprevention?
The objective of this study was to examine the expression of cancer testis antigens and their frequency in BRCA-associated breast cancers. [Cancer Immunol Immunother]

CLINICAL RESEARCH

Duration of Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different first-line chemotherapy durations in patients with metastatic breast cancer on overall survival and progression-free survival. [J Clin Oncol]

Prospective Study of Breast Cancer Incidence in Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutation Under Surveillance with and without Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Annual surveillance with magnetic resonance imaging is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of advanced-stage breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers. [J Clin Oncol]

Polygenic Susceptibility to Prostate and Breast Cancer: Implications for Personalized Screening
Researchers compared the number of cases potentially detectable by screening in a population undergoing personalized screening with a population undergoing screening based on age alone. [Br J Cancer]

Walk Away with a RoboSep™ Facebook Photo Contest Winners
STEMCELL Technologies has announced the Grand Prize Winner and Finalists of the “Walk Away With A RoboSep™” Facebook photo contest. [STEMCELL Technologies Inc. Press Release]

Halaven™ (Eribulin) Receives European Commission Approval for Advanced Breast Cancer
Eisai Co., Ltd. announced that it has received approval from the European Commission for Halaven™ (eribulin) for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have progressed after at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for advanced disease. [Eisai Co., Ltd. Press Release]

Apthera and RXi Pharmaceuticals Announce Definitive Merger Agreement
Apthera, Inc. announced it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation under which RXi will acquire Apthera. [Apthera, Inc. Press Release]

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)

NEW 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting
June 3-7, 2011
Chicago, United States

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the mammary cell community.

Lab Technologist – Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies)

Post-doctoral Position Metastasis Research Laboratory (University of Liege) 

Post-doctoral Fellow (University of Texas Medical School at Houston) 

PhD Program – Tumor Cell Intrinsic Signaling Pathways that Regulate Immune Suppression (Lady Davis Institute of Medical Research)

Post-doctoral Fellow (New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey)

Post-doctoral Position in Cancer Research (Tufts Medical Center)

Post-doctoral Fellow in Gene Expression/Cancer and Stem Cell Biology (University of Cincinnati College of Medicine)

Post-doctoral Research Associate (University of Wisconsin – Madison)

Post-doctoral Fellow (University of Texas Medical School at Houston)

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