Purpose: To analyze and study the characteristics of diagnosis, multidisciplinary treatment including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy of pregnancy-associated breast cancer. Methods: 9 cases of pregnancy-associated breast cancer were diagnosed and treated in the Department of radiotherapy of Henri Mondor Hospital, the Xllth University of Paris, from December 1992 to June 1999. 3 cases were diagnosed during pregnancy, while the other 6 were diagnosed within one year following pregnancy. 5 cases were treated with breast conservative therapy, 4 cases with modified radical mastectomy. Post-operative radiotherapy was delivered to all of the 9 cases, and 7 cases accepted chemotherapy. Results: 7 of the 9 mammographies and all the 5 breast ultrasonographies revealed tumor images. The stage at the diagnosis was generally late, the proportion of stage I , II and fT was 11 % , 44% and 44% respectively. The median follow-up time was 60 months (9-89 months), disease-free survival was observed in 6 cases, 3 cases had local recurrence or distant metastasis at 14 months to 48 months after the completion of treatment. Conclusions: Delay of diagnosis is frequently observed in pregnancy-associated breast cancer, especially in these cases diagnosed after delivery. Attention should be paid to the physical examination and ultrasonography of the breast during pregnancy and lactation. The principal of treatment is to take into account both the urgency of the disease and the safety of the fetus. Under the condition that the chemotherapy and radiotherapy could be delivered without delay, breast conservative treatment is feasible in early stage pregnancy associated breast cancer

Objective To investigate the expression and significance of activator protein-1 (AP-1)and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) subjects. Methods Immunohistochemical techniques were used to detect the subunit of AP-1 (c-Jun), MMP-2 and MMP-9 in human AMI and normal heart tissue and the expressions of c-Jun and MMPs were measured with computer image analysis system. Results (1) There were expressions of c-Jun, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in normal heart tissue, mainly in myocardial cells and cardiac fibroblasts, and their expressions in AMI myocardial tissues were all significantly higher than those in normal myocardial tissues (P <0.05). (2) The level of MMP-9expression was significantly and positively correlated with c-Jun in AMI heart tissue (r=0.773, P < 0.01).Conclusions The expressions of AP-1 and MMPs increase in human myocardial infarction. These findings suggest that AP-1 transcription activation pathway and MMPs may play an important role in ventricular remodeling of myocardial infarction.

It is critical to regulate the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) due to its effect on promoting malignant phenotypes and limiting the efficiency of cancer therapy. In this study, we demonstrated that marchantin M (Mar-M, a naturally occurring bisbibenzyl) suppressed pro-inflammatory SASP components which were elevated in chemotherapy-resistant cells. Mar-M treatment attenuated the pro-tumorigenic effects of SASP and enhanced survival in drug-resistant mouse models. No toxicity was detected on normal fibroblast cells or in animals following this treatment. Inactivation of transcription factor EB (TFEB) and nuclear factor-B (NF-B) by Mar-M significantly accounted for its suppression on the components of SASP. Furthermore, inhibition of SASP by Mar-M contributed to a synergistic effect during co-treatment with doxorubicin to lower toxicity and enhance antitumor efficacy. Thus, chemotherapy-driven pro-inflammatory activity, seen to contribute to drug-resistance, is an important target for Mar-M. By decreasing SASP, Mar-M may be a potential approach to overcome tumor malignancy.