hot off the press--new markers found for IBC giving new targets!
 

30 January 2007
Inflammatory breast cancer treatment target proposed
Researchers have highlighted a possible treatment target for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) after detecting specific c-Met overexpression in such tumors.

"Inflammatory breast cancers (IBC) are very aggressive tumors that most often develop in young women and are associated with poor 5-year survival ranging from 30 to 50%," note the study authors.

Deregulation of c-Met has been shown to correlate with a poor outcome in breast carcinomas, and various c-Met inhibitors have recently been developed as potential drugs for such cancers, they add.

To further explore this issue, Colette Charpin-Taranger, from the Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire Nord in Marseille, France, and colleagues compared expression of c-Met , PI3K, and E-cadherin in tumor samples from 41 women with IBC and 480 with non-IBC ducal breast carcinomas, who served as controls.

The team constructed tissue microarrays for tumor sample examination and quantified c-Met immunoprecipitates within the tumor using image analysis software.

Results revealed significant overexpression of c-Met in IBC compared with non-IBC samples, with averages of 21.3% versus 2.7% of their surfaces immunostained.

Women with IBC also showed significant overexpression of PI3K compared with controls, with 19.6% versus 4.4% of their tumor samples immunostained.

These findings suggest "that the overexpressed c-Met is functionally active at least through the PI3K signal transduction pathway," say the investigators.

Finally, the percentage of E-cadherin-positive surfaces was significantly higher among samples from women with IBC than controls, at 35.4% versus 10.3%.

"Our results confirm that c-Met and PI3K are significantly overexpressed in IBC, suggesting that in this particular clinical setting, c-Met expression and downstream signal transducers may be regarded as potential targets for specific therapies," states the team.

"Also, overexpression of c-Met as well as E-cadherin appears to belong to the proteomic signature of IBC," the researchers conclude.



Br J Cancer 2007; 96: 329-335

http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v9.../6603569a.html
© CMG

Thanks Lani for all the research that you provide!

Lexi

Great news
 

Hi,
I am glad to hear that researchers are working on IBC.
Congratulations to all the people who are surviving. Keep the sharing going everyone.
Peace,
ElaineM

kat in the delta
 

Will any one please list some of the symptoms of Imflamatory Breast Cancer??? Thanks, kat in the delta

Inflamatory breast cancer
 

Hi,
Some of the symtoms of inflamatory breast cancer include redness in the breast that may feel warm to the touch. Also the skin of the breast may feel or look like the skin of an orange. An inverted nipple may also be seen. If a person has any or all of these symtoms a doctor's visit should be scheduled. At first a doctor may think it is a breast infection and prescribe antibiotics. If the symtoms reappear after the course of antibiotics is finished, another doctor's visit should be scheduled. A needle biopsy may be recommended.
Peace,
ElaineM

kat,

My IBC presented itself in a small pimple. It spread to about the size of a nickel in a rashy way. I had a skin punch biopsy wich confirmed the diagnosis.

Lexi

I had NONE of the obvious symptoms, only a small lump. At my first ultrasound (where the technician said it was benign!) the lump was about 1 cm and about six weeks later it had already grown to 1.5 cm (thank goodness I chose to have a biopsy done as the nasty little bugger was growing rapidly!!) Chemo stopped it in its tracks after the first "blast"--take that you nasty little bugger!! Ha!

kat in the delta
 

katcdale@yahoo.com
 

Sorry, I don't understand what you want here. Sandy

Just to reveiw...
 

I remember reading somewhere....or seeing it on the news that IBC can only be dx via a biopsey...is that correct? A mammogram will not pick up the IBC, is that correct?

Thank you.
Jean

Ankles
 

Hi,
I heard that hand and foot (and maybe ankles) problems (burning etc.) can result from different kinds of chemo. It could be the burning ankles are from an unrelated problem. It might be good to check it out with the doc.
Take care !!
ElaineM

I asked my oncologist last week about IBC. I told him there were some out there that said they are 14 or 15 years out with no reoccurence. He said, "yes" once in a while you will see one but its rare. He says, he always looks at the path report and if it is lymphatic invasion involving surounding tissues than it most usually will be IBC. He said many think IDC is the same as IBC and he said, it isn't. He also said some think that if there is a red spot, on the skin than it is IBC and he said that is not true either. Mine was determined by biopsies, nothing showed on cat scan and they said it was no sense in doing a mammo because it wouldn't show on that either. I was told by another oncologist that IBC is always, stage 111b and if it has spread to organs or/and bones than it is stage IV. Anyway, that is what I was told and I am sure other oncologist will have a different spin on things. hugs, Sandy

IBC signs
 

Hi Sandy (and everyone else)
IBC can show up on a mammogram if the area is large enough. It can look like the edge of the breast is glowing on a mammogram, but the most reliable test is a biopsy. I wonder if lymphatic involvement can be other things besides IBC? It makes sense that invasive ductal carcinoma can spread across the lymph glands in the breast but not actually inside of them. I guess the only way to determine whether or not it is IBC after surgery is the pathology report. Let's keep asking the docs questions and sharing our concerns with them. Part of a doc's job is to teach us what is going on and how to take care of ourselves !!
Peace,
ElaineM

It is pretty confusing. My original path report was IDC. Then after having a spot biopsied, I was restaged IBC. However, I have been told, not by my onc., that I had skin involvement and that is not the same as IBC. All I know is that I had aggresive tx and I have done what I could to kill the beast. I am very hopeful for IBC recurrence rates to drop with the uses of herceptin and tykerb.

Hugs to all my sisters,
Lexi