Ae-Ri Kim

BACKGROUND: Patients who have residual invasive carcinoma after the receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer have poor prognoses. The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in these patients remains unclear. METHODS: We randomly assigned 910 patients with HER2-negative residual invasive breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (containing anthracycline, taxane, or both) to receive standard postsurgical treatment either with cape

Gastric cancer is a heterogeneous cancer, making treatment responses difficult to predict. Here we show that we identify two distinct molecular subtypes, mesenchymal phenotype (MP) and epithelial phenotype (EP), by analyzing genomic and proteomic data. Molecularly, MP subtype tumors show high genomic integrity characterized by low mutation rates and microsatellite stability, whereas EP subtype tumors show low genomic integrity. Clinically, the MP subtype is associated with markedly poor survival

Recent evidence shows that amniotic fluid (AF) contains multiple cell types derived from the developing fetus, and may represent a novel source of stem cells for cell therapy. In this study, we examined the paracrine factors released by human amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AF-MSCs) and their ability to accelerate the wound-healing process by stimulating proliferation and migration of dermal fibroblasts. AF-MSCs expressed the typical MSC marker proteins CD13, CD29, and CD44 and di

BACKGROUND: The balance in the immune system between immune surveillance against non-self-antigens and tolerance of self-antigens is known to be associated with the prognosis of breast cancer patients. However, immunologic signals in tumor microenvironment according to biological characteristics of cancer cells have not been clearly elucidated. CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells, and forkhead box P3-positive (Foxp3) regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the main keys for immune surveillance and tolerance,

AIMS: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is characterized by a loss of epithelial nature and the acquisition of a mesenchymal form. The aim of this study was to assess the role of EMT in human mammary carcinogenesis, by performing immunohistochemical studies of EMT markers with tissue microarrays. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 492 cases were evaluated and classified as hormone receptor (HR)-positive type, HER2 type and triple-negative (TN) type by the use of immunohistochemistry and in-si

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) can contribute to tumor invasion, metastasis, and resistance to chemotherapy or hormone therapy. EMT may be induced by a variety of growth factors, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF). Most studies regarding EMT have focused on TGF-β-Smads signaling. The mechanism of EGF-induced EMT via activation of the Smad2/3 in breast cancer cells, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, remains unclear. The expression levels of Snail, vimentin, and fibronectin were increased by EGF t

BACKGROUND: Aberrant expressions of specific microRNAs are recently known in many malignancies, including gastric carcinoma. The prognostic implication of oncogenic microRNA dysregulation was investigated in advanced gastric carcinomas undergoing radical resection and adjuvant systemic chemotherapy, and observed on long-term follow-up. METHODS: The expression levels of miR-20a, miR-21, miR-25, miR-93, miR-103, miR-106a, miR-106b, miR-130b, miR-155, miR-221, and miR-222 were analyzed in formalin-

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and causes of death worldwide. In this study, we assessed the correlation between clinicopathologic factors with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated molecule-4 (CTLA-4) expressions. Furthermore, we analyzed the prognostic significance of these proteins in a subgroup of patients. We retrospectively evaluated the PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4 expressi

Understanding the performance and limitations of FNAC can enhance its value as a diagnostic technique in the management of breast disease.

BACKGROUND: Heregulin (HRG; also known as neuregulin) is a ligand for ErbB3. One of its isotypes, HRG-β1, binds to ErbB3 and forms heterodimers with other ErbB family members, thereby enhancing the proliferation and tumorigenesis of breast cancer cells. HRG stimulation may contribute to the progression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor metastasis in breast cancer. Majority of studies regarding EMT has been concentrated on TGF-β signaling. Therefore, we investigated whether the

Distant recurrence during tamoxifen treatment of hormone positive breast cancer might be affected by tamoxifen resistance related miRNAs. Such distant recurrence can be predicted using miRNA measurement.