Taiwanese Breast Cancer Patients Research Articles

Serum adiponectin and leptin levels in Taiwanese breast cancer patients

The role of two adipocytokines, adiponectin and leptin, in Taiwanese breast cancer patients remains to be determined. In this study, we analyzed the correlations between the serum levels of adiponectin and leptin and the various clinicopathological parameters in 100 newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed breast cancer patients and 100 controls. We found serum levels were decreased significantly for adiponectin in the breast cancer patients, in comparison to controls (Student t-test, P=0.003), while serum levels were increased significantly for leptin in the breast cancer patients in comparison to controls (Student t-test, P=0.025). Leptin/adiponectin (L/A ratio) were increased significantly in the breast cancer patients, in comparison to controls (Student t-test, P=0.009). Among the clinicopathological parameters, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2/neu, lymph node metastasis, tumor stage, and tumor grade all showed no effect on the serum levels of adiponectin and leptin. BMI was negatively and positively correlated to serum adiponectin and leptin levels, respectively (Spearman's correlation, r=−0.333 and 0.323, respectively; P<0.001 for both). Intriguingly, serum L/A ratio disclosed a positive correlation to tumor size ( r=0.21, P=0.036). In summary, our results suggest that low serum adiponectin levels and high serum leptin levels are associated with an increased risk for breast cancer. Also, independent of the effect of BMI, the increased serum ratio of L/A may indicate the presence of aggressive breast cancers.

Symptom Distress Changes During First Postoperative Month in Newly Diagnosed Taiwanese Breast Cancer Patients

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to explore changes in symptom distress in newly diagnosed Taiwanese breast cancer patients during the initial 4-week postoperative period. The research instruments, including a demographic questionnaire and the Symptom Distress Scale, were used to obtain data on postoperative day 2 and at weeks 2, 3, and 4. In total, 39 patients with a mean age of 48 years participated in this study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t tests, one-way ANOVA, and repeated-measures ANOVA. Results revealed that the level of symptom distress significantly decreased from postoperative day 2 to week 4. Loss of appetite and a poor outlook increased; nausea frequency, fatigue, and insomnia decreased then increased; and frequency and the level of pain, coughing, tightness/tenderness in the chest wall, weakness, and numbness in the arm of the operative side all decreased over the 4-week study period. Age, stage of disease, and type of surgery were all related to symptom distress. Results of this study may provide reassurances about what can be expected after breast cancer surgery.

Small invasive breast carcinomas in Taiwanese women.

Female Taiwanese breast cancer patients are younger than their Western counterparts. This study examined the predictors of axillary lymph node metastases in Taiwanese women with T1 breast cancer. Data from 394 Taiwanese women with T1 invasive breast carcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. The data contained 6 T1a, 51 T1b, and 337 T1c breast tumors. The patients' ages ranged from 23 to 82 years (mean +/- SD, 48.2 +/- 11.4 years; median, 46.4 years). Axillary nodal metastases were present in 38.3% of the patients (16.7% in T1a, 35.3% in T1b, and 39.2% in T1c tumors). The patients with nodal metastases had significantly greater body weights and S-phase fractions than those without nodal metastases. Univariate analysis revealed that unfavorable pathology, lymphovascular invasion, S-phase fraction >7%, and nondiploid DNA ploidy were significantly associated with lymph node metastases. Lymphovascular invasion was the only significant variable as the independent predictor in the multiple logistic regression analysis. In the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, axillary nodal status and lymphovascular invasion were significantly associated with survival. Taiwanese women with small breast cancer displayed a relatively higher incidence of axillary lymph node metastases than Western women. Axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy should be conducted on Taiwanese patients with small invasive breast carcinomas, particularly when risk factors exist.

Sulfotransferase 1A2*2 is a risk factor for early-onset breast cancer.

The estrogen-signaling pathway plays an important role in the pathophysiology of breast cancer, and the sulfotransferase 1A (SULT1A) family has been found to be both downstream targets of tamoxifen and a risk factor of breast cancer. We have used PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing methods to determine SULT1A2 polymorphisms in 230 Taiwanese breast cancer patients. The results showed that the frequencies of SULT1A2*1 and SULT1A2*2 occurring were 94.8% and 5.2%, respectively. No SULT1A2*3 allele was found in these patients. In comparison with the frequency of healthy controls (96.0% and 4.0% for SULT1A2*1 and SULT1A2*2, respectively), the allelic frequencies of SULT1A2 polymorphisms in these patients were not statistically significant (p=0.398). However, the SULT1A2*2 allele seems to influence the age of onset among early-onset breast cancer patients (p=0.021, OR=2.74, 95%CI=1.13-6.65).