Invasion, or directed migration of tumor cells into adjacent tissues, is one of the hallmarks of cancer and the first step towards metastasis. Penetrating to adjacent tissues, tumor cells form the so-called invasive front/edge. The cellular plasticity afforded by different kinds of phenotypic transitions (epithelial–mesenchymal, collective–amoeboid, mesenchymal–amoeboid, and vice versa) significantly contributes to the diversity of cancer cell invasion patterns and mechanisms. Nevertheless, despite the advances in the understanding of invasion, it is problematic to identify tumor cells with the motile phenotype in cancer tissue specimens due to the absence of reliable and acceptable molecular markers. In this review, we summarize the current information about molecules such as extracellular matrix components, factors of epithelial–mesenchymal transition, proteases, cell adhesion, and actin cytoskeleton proteins involved in cell migration and invasion that could be used as invasive markers and discuss their advantages and limitations. Based on the reviewed data, we conclude that future studies focused on the identification of specific invasive markers should use new models one of which may be the intratumor morphological heterogeneity in breast cancer reflecting different patterns of cancer cell invasion.

Tumor associated macrophages (TAM) support tumor growth and metastasis in several animal models of breast cancer, and TAM amount is predictive for efficient tumor growth and metastatic spread via blood circulation. However, limited information is available about intratumoral TAM heterogeneity and functional role of TAM subpopulations in tumor progression. The aim of our study was to examine correlation of TAM presence in various morphological segments of human breast cancer with clinical parameters. Thirty six female patients with nonspecific invasive breast cancer T1-4N0-3M0 were included in the study. Morphological examination was performed using Carl Zeiss Axio Lab.A1 and MiraxMidiZeiss. Immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence/confocal microcopy analysis was used to detect CD68 and stabilin-1 in 5 different tumor segments: (1) areas with soft fibrous stroma; (2) areas with coarse fibrous stroma; (3) areas of maximum stromal-and-parenchymal relationship; (4) parenchymal elements; (5) gaps of ductal tumor structures. The highest expression of CD68 was in areas with soft fibrous stroma or areas of maximum stromal-and-parenchymal relationship (79%). The lowest expression of CD68 was in areas with coarse fiber stroma (23%). Inverse correlation of tumor size and expression of CD68 in gaps of tubular tumor structures was found (R=-0.67; p=0.02). In case of the lymph node metastases the average score of CD68 expression in ductal gaps tumor structures was lower (1.4±0.5) compared to negative lymph nodes case (3.1±1.0; F=10.9; p=0.007). Confocal microscopy identified 3 phenotypes of TAM: CD68+/stabilin-1-; CD68+/stabilin-1+ (over 50%); and CD68-/stabilin-1+. However, expression of stabilin-1 did not correlate with lymph node metastasis. We concluded, that increased amount of CD68+TAM in gaps of ductal tumor structures is protective against metastatic spread in regional lymph nodes.

According to the classification presented by Lehmann BD (2016), triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous group of malignant tumors with four

A detailed description of the methodological aspects of the evaluation of HER2-status in carcinomas of such localizations as the mammary gland, pancreas, salivary glands, stomach, colon, endometrium, bladder, lungs is presented. Approaches and criteria for assessing HER2 status from methodological and clinical points of view are analyzed. The data are systematized in tables for use in practical diagnostic work.

Тройной негативный рак молочной железы (РМЖ) представляет собой гетерогенную группу карцином, значимо отличающихся по клинико-морфологическим и молекулярно-генетическим характеристикам, ответу опухоли на химиотерапию, а также по прогнозу заболевания. Эти особенности определяют тройной негативный РМЖ на сегодняшний день как особую до конца не решенную клиническую проблему. Обзор посвящен описанию и систематизации имеющихся на настоящее время данных литературы, касающихся молекулярно-генетических особенностей и различий в достаточно значимой по объему группе карцином молочной железы, которые имеют тяжелое, агрессивное течение и крайне плохой прогноз. В обзоре представлена существующая молекулярно-генетическая классификация тройного негативного РМЖ, основанная на результатах исследований M. Burstein (2015) и B. Lehmann (2016), определяющая наличие 4 опухолеспецифичных субтипов: базальноподобный (тип 1 и 2), мезенхимальный и люминальный андрогенрецепторный тип. В статье отражены основные этапы трансформации предложенной классификации на протяжении последнего десятилетия и предпринята попытка описать молекулярные особенности каждого субтипа указанных карцином.