Biomimetic nanoplatform based on perylene diimide for tumor-specific fluorescence-imaging and drug delivery.

Breast Cancer in the Asia–Pacific Region

Surface engineered nanocarriers for the management of breast cancer

No Association of BRCA Mutations with Therapy-Related Myelodysplastic Syndrome or Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Patients Treated for Breast or Ovarian Cancer

This book, written for the layperson, provides evidence-based material explaining the complex and evolving evidence of the benefits and limitations of breast cancer screening and the advances in breast cancer treatment. A diagnosis of breast cancer is one of the most emotionally charged statements a woman can hear from her doctor. Understanding the rapid changes in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment is challenging, especially for those without a medical background. This book will help explain the strengths and weaknesses of breast cancer screening, breast cancer treatment, and ways of coping with the disease (for oneself or a loved one). Written for the layperson, this text explains the history of disease prevention with a specific emphasis on breast cancer detection and treatment. The main chapters weigh the pros and cons of well-known but often mystifying screening tests, such as mammograms; discuss the benefits and side effects of targeted hormone therapies; consider holistic regimens that complement traditional medicine; and explore the mental, physical, and emotional strain caused by breast cancer. Concluding with the current breast cancer screening guidelines recommended by leading organizations in disease prevention, Breast Cancer Facts, Myths, and Controversies not only engages with the history of breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment, it looks ahead to a brighter future for survivors.

Advanced strategies in liposomal cancer therapy: Problems and prospects of active and tumor specific drug release

Introduction The delay in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer has a direct correlation with more advanced stages of the disease and a lower survival rate. These delays represent an urgent situation in developing countries due to their high prevalence. Objective This study aims to determine the time intervals in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with breast cancer in the main public hospital in the city of Tijuana, to identify the mechanisms through which the different population aspects and Hospitals affect the treatment of patients. Methods A descriptive, observational, and retrospective study was conducted, including patients with breast cancer diagnoses treated at the General Hospital Tijuana in the period from January 2019 to December 2019. We used data from the medical record, including dates, demographics, histopathological, and clinical data from each visit. Descriptive statistics were calculated in SPSS V27. Results A total of 154 patients with breast cancer were treated at the TGH during 2019. Of these, 97 patients included in the study, with an average age of 52.34 ± 9.14 years. The patient delay time was higher than three months in 61% of cases. The diagnosis delay time was between 5 and 13 weeks. Conclusion Mexican breast cancer patients, as Latinas in California, are more likely to exhibit late-stage breast cancers at the time of diagnosis and have lower survival rates. Mexico counts an opportunistic or non-organized mammography screening program, leading to considerable delays in the diagnosis of breast cancer, even in border cities near to the US (where some people use multiple healthcare systems). With this context, it is necessary to recommend the creation of an organized screening program based on a more exceptional ability to cover the target population and, therefore, greater effectiveness at the community, as well as more equitable access. Citation Format: Antonio Galindo-Castañeda, Martín Gonzalez-Corral, Luis Garcia-Armas, Oscar Egurrola-Terán, Luis Martínez-Gómez, Jorge Albert Guadarrama-Orozco. Delay time in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the California-Mexican Border [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-214.

Introduction/Background: Early-onset breast cancer remains a critical public health concern. Despite advances in medical research, young women continue to account for approximately 15% of breast cancer (BC)-related deaths. Among these, Black young women have double the mortality rate at 12.1 per 100,000 compared to young White women. Black young women face significant disparities in both access to comprehensive BC preventive care, and the personalization of BC treatments. There is a crucial need for improved primary prevention strategies to reduce BC incidence and ensure access to personalized treatment upon diagnosis. Biomarker-based preventative BC screening, and monitoring post-diagnosis offers a promising avenue to combat these disparities. These approaches have the potential to provide individualized risk assessments and individualized BC treatment. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of Black women under the age of 50 living with BC on the acceptability of biomarker-based primary BC prevention screening, as well as biomarker’s role post BC diagnosis. Study Aims: (1) Examine the perspectives of Black women living with BC on the acceptability of preventative BC biomarkers, and use of biomarker monitoring after BC diagnosis; (2) Understand the breast health and BC risk information available to young Black women prior to their diagnosis; (3) Explore the pathways leading to BC diagnosis of these women; and (4) Assess the extent to which biomarker monitoring and genomic testing was received after their BC diagnosis. Methods: Nineteen Black women living with breast cancer were invited to participate in virtual focus groups (FG) via the Zoom platform in November 2025. Each FG session was preceded by an educational PowerPoint presentation detailing the role of primary preventive BC biomarker screening, and biomarker and genomic screening following a BC diagnosis. Using a critical lens informed by Intersectionality Theory and the Embodied Health Movement Theory, Reflective Thematic Analysis was employed to analyze FG transcripts, extracting both articulated and emergent themes. Results: Participants generally expressed openness to the idea of preventive BC biomarker screening, recognizing its potential benefits. However, concerns arose regarding the financial burden of screening, insurance coverage, and fear of how test results might impact access to job benefits. Two participants reported a comprehensive breast assessment due to a known family genetic BC mutation. While 17 participants reported receiving minimal breast health education, no comprehensive BC risk assessments prior to diagnosis, and identified their breast change(s) themselves, which lead to BC diagnosis. Regarding the use of biomarkers in post-diagnosis treatment, responses varied widely. Access to biomarker monitoring was influenced by factors such as the time since diagnosis, disease aggressiveness, and physician preference. Several emergent themes surfaced during the discussions, including the need for self-advocacy both before and after diagnosis, the racialized experience of BC, and the inadequate marketing of BC prevention. Conclusion and Future Research: Biomarkers for BC prevention and use post- diagnosis are novel but promise more personalized BC risk assessments, individualized BC treatment, and improved disease monitoring. Future research should prioritize randomized controlled trials evaluating preventive BC biomarkers, and biomarker monitoring post-diagnosis among diverse young women. Citation Format: R. Campbell, L. Houghton, D. Walker. Black women perceptions regarding use of biomarker screening for breast cancer prevention and treatment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS3-05-19.

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal malignancies due to low response to chemotherapy. Focused ultrasound (FUS) has emerged as a promising strategy for enhancing tumor-specific drug delivery. However, chemotherapy in combination with FUS has still been limited by the unique tumor environment of pancreatic cancer. Thus, FUS application to clinical trials has been sufficiently considerable by several side effect. Therefore, many preclinical and clinical trials have been conducted to accelerate clinical application. This study demonstrates the effects of FUS-induced mechanical and thermal energies on drug delivery efficiency and safety in a PANC-1 xenografted BALB/c mouse model. Reflected acoustic pressure from tumors were analyzed to quantify cavitation effects, and enhancement of drug delivery investigated by fluorescence imaging. Anti-tumor efficacy with FUS exposure was compared using FOLFIRINOX. H&E, TUNEL assay and serum biochemistry were evaluated for the comparison of toxicity. The results demonstrated that increase of cavitation dose was dominantly dependent on the intensity, not duty cycle inducing thermal effect for the enhancement of drug accumulation to tumor. Mechanical effects by 2.0kW/cm2-ISPPA and 1% duty cycle enhanced drug accumulation to tumor by 1.57-fold without tissue damage. Also, FOLFIRINOX combined with mechanical effects achieved superior antitumor efficacy, with 83.0% tumor inhibition compared to 48.0% with FOLFIRINOX alone. And mechanical effect was validated as a non-toxic energy for tumor treatment by H&E, TUNEL assay and serum biochemistry analysis. In conclusion, FUS-mediated mechanical effects can be one of candidate as a safe and effective strategy for tumor-specific drug delivery.

Newly Diagnosed Mental Health Disorders in Patients with Breast Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy

Breast cancer, menopause, and long-term survivorship: critical issues for the 21st century

Breast cancer (BC) continues to be the leading cancer diagnosis and top cancer-related mortality globally among women globally including Ghana. Late stage reporting of breast cancer at health facilities is pervasive and largely attributed to patronage of traditional or herbal medicines practitioners (TMPs) prior to seeking orthodox treatment. However, there is a scarcity of research examining BC knowledge, perceptions and treatment practices among TMPs in Ghana. The objectives of this study were to assess the level of BC knowledge among TMPs, determine level of TMPs involvement in BC treatment, examine TMPs BC treatment practices, and determine strategic approaches that can be employed to bridge the gap between TMPs and conventional oncologists to facilitate early reporting and diagnosis of breast cancer among women in Ghana. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The data were collected via a structured questionnaire using KOBO toolbox. Data was done using Stata version 17. Descriptive and inferential statistics were run on categorical variables. Logistic regression was used to predict factors that determined knowledge, perceptions, and referral of BC patients to hospitals among TMPs, and significant associations were set at a p value of 0.05. Variables with p values less than or equal to 0.05 were considered significant. The results are presented in tables and graphs. With a mean age of 50.8 years (M = 50.82, SD = 11.74), majority of the 170 participants are female (64.7%), literate (62.3%), and Akan (35.3%). Large majority (74%) of TMPs have treated clients with BC. While awareness of symptoms and risk factors was high, significant knowledge gaps existed with only 54% demonstrating good knowledge of BC while 46% showing poor BC knowledge. Ethnicity ( AOR = 5.3,p = 0.041) and regional affiliation (AOR = 0.05, p = 0.04) were strongly associated with BC knowledge; with Ewe ethnicity having good BC knowledge and TMPs in Northeast region scoring the lowest on BC knowledge. Majority (59.3%) of TMPs had positive perceptions of BC, with having a bachelor’s degree (AOR = 9.5, CI:1.8–49.4, P = 0.005), being a member of Ghana National Association of Traditional Healers (AOR = 12.4, CI: 1.8–83.6, P = 0.00), and being based in Northeast Region (AOR = 123.5, CI: 4.4–3615, P = 0.00) were strongly associated with positive perceptions towards BC. Belonging to Ewe ethnicity (AOR = 5.7, CI:0.9–32.5, P = 0.05) was associated with referral of BC cases to hospital while being based in Northeast region was less likely to refer BC cases to hospitals. There were unverifiable claims of curing BC patients. TMPs reported willingness to collaborate to promote early BC reporting and diagnosis. TMPs in Ghana are deeply involved in BC treatment, have positive perceptions towards BC, but lack comprehensive knowledge of BC. Collaborating with TMPs in BC awareness campaigns, training, and treatment planning is necessary for preventing late-stage presentation and improving BC treatment outcomes in Ghana.

Breast cancer (BC) diagnosis and treatment expose patients to a 5-fold higher risk of depression compared with the general population, with an estimated prevalence of 10% to 25%. A depressive episode in patients with BC has implications for the tolerance of and adherence to treatment, impairing quality of life and reducing life expectancy. To identify and characterize distinct longitudinal patterns of depressive symptoms in patients with BC from diagnosis to 3 years after treatment. The CANTO-DEePRESS (Deeper in the Understanding and Prevention of Depression in Breast Cancer Patients) cohort study included women in the French multicenter CANTO (CANcer TOxicities) cohort study (conducted between March 20, 2012 and December 11, 2018), who were 18 years or older with invasive stage I to III BC and no previous BC treatment. The study aimed to characterize toxicities over a 5-year period following stage I to III primary BC treatment. Assessments of depressive symptoms were performed on a subset of patients with available data at diagnosis and at least 2 other time points. All data were extracted from the CANTO database on October 1, 2020. The primary outcome was the level of depressive symptoms at each assessment time point measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and depression subscale at BC diagnosis and at 3 to 6, 12, and 36 months after the end of treatment. The group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify trajectory groups, and multinomial logistic regression models were used to characterize the following factors associated with trajectory group affiliation: demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, lifestyle, and quality-of-life data. A total of 4803 women (mean [SD] age, 56.2 [11.2] years; 2441 patients [50.8%] with stage I BC) were included in the study. Six trajectory groups that described the heterogeneity in the expression of depressive symptoms were identified: noncases with no expression of symptoms (n = 2634 [54.8%]), intermediate worsening (1076 [22.4%]), intermediate improvement (480 [10.0%]), remission (261 [5.4%]), delayed occurrence (200 [4.2%]), and stable depression (152 [3.2%]). HADS-D scores at diagnosis were consistently associated with the 5 depressive trajectory group affiliations, with an estimated higher probability per point increase of experiencing subthreshold or clinically significant depressive symptoms between diagnosis and the 3 years after the end of BC treatment. The higher probabilities ranged from 1.49 (95% CI, 1.43-1.54) for the intermediate worsening group to 10.53 (95% CI, 8.84-12.55) for the stable depression group. Trajectory groups with depressive symptoms differed from the noncases group without symptoms by demographic and clinical factors, such as having dependent children, lower household income, cancer stage, family history of BC, previous psychiatric hospitalizations, obesity, smoking status, higher levels of fatigue, and depression at diagnosis. In this cohort study, nearly a third of patients with BC experienced temporary or lasting significant depressive symptoms during and after treatment. Improving early identification of women at risk of developing long-term or delayed depression is therefore critical to increase quality of life and overall survival. Subjected to validation, this study is an important first step toward personalized care of patients with BC at risk of depression.

Consensus on clinical diagnosis and medical treatment of HER2-low breast cancer (2022 edition)

Background: Cancer is one of the major human problems and breast cancer is a significant health problem. In spite of the developed treatment methods, breast cancer cannot be treated very effectively. Therefore, the identification of novel genes that will have played a role in the treatment and diagnosis of breast cancer and the high interest of B-cell lymphoma (BCL2) family proteins are critical regulators of apoptosis). Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between the levels of BCL2, BAX, and B-cell integrate medium (BIM) proteins which the prognosis and apoptosis processes of the breast cell line. Patients and Methods: Collected tissue samples from normal and cancer tissue type, RNA isolated from the cell, then quantitation done, cDNA synthesized, cDNA quantitation and Real-time PCR was performed to see the level between two kinds of genes. Results: BCL2 protein level was significantly lessened in regulator molecule tissues of a cell line with breast cancer. In contrast to Bax protein, no significant difference was detected in the BIM expression level. Our result also showed that low BCL2 expression level is associated with significant clinical characteristics of the patient such as tumor grade, stage and breast cancer type. Conclusion: Findings of our study showed that BCL2 has a role in breast cancer formation and might be a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

Advances in Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Breast Cancer