Summary. At present, there are no valid prognostic biomarkers in patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) except well known clinical factors such as tumor size, lymph node status, differentiation grade and proliferation rate. Aim: To evaluate the prognostic role of androgen receptor (AR) expression in patients with TNBC. Materials and Methods: The effect of the AR expression level in tumor tissue on overall survival depending on clinical, histological and immunohistochemical characteristics of the tumor was evaluated in 116 patients with metastatic TNBC. Results: The independent prognostic value of AR expression in patients with TNBC of different stages was shown. The median overall survival was higher in patients with AR-positive tumors compared with AR-negative tumors (57 months vs 27 months, p < 0.0001). Five-year survival since diagnosis in the group with AR-positive TNBC was 47.6 ± 8.3% vs 20.0 ± 5.3% in the group with AR-negative TNBC (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The results of our study indicate a favorable impact of AR expression on the overall survival of TNBC patients.

Magnetic nanocomposites (MNC) are promising theranostic platforms with tunable physicochemical properties allowing for remote drug delivery and multimodal imaging. Here, we developed doxorubicin-loaded Fe₃O₄–Au MNC (DOX-MNC) using electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD) in combination with magneto-mechanochemical synthesis to assess their antitumor effect on Walker-256 carcinosarcoma under the influence of a constant magnetic (CMF) and electromagnetic field (EMF) by comparing tumor growth kinetics, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra. Transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of spherical magnetite nanoparticles with a discontinuous gold coating that did not significantly affect the ferromagnetic properties of MNC, as measured by vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM). Tumor-bearing animals were divided into the control (no treatment), conventional doxorubicin (DOX), DOX-MNC and DOX-MNC + CMF + EMF groups. DOX-MNC + CMF + EMF resulted in 14% and 16% inhibition of tumor growth kinetics as compared with DOX and DOX-MNC, respectively. MRI visualization showed more substantial tumor necrotic changes after the combined treatment. Quantitative analysis of T₂-weighted (T₂W) images revealed the lowest value of skewness and a significant increase in tumor intensity in response to DOX-MNC + CMF + EMF as compared with the control (1.4 times), DOX (1.6 times) and DOX-MNC (1.8 times) groups. In addition, the lowest level of nitric oxide determined by ESR was found in DOX-MNC + CMF + EMF tumors, which was close to that of the muscle tissue in the contralateral limb. We propose that the reason for the relationship between the observed changes in MRI and ESR is the hyperfine interaction of nuclear and electron spins in mitochondria, as a source of free radical production. Therefore, these results point to the use of EB-PVD and magneto-mechanochemically synthesized Fe₃O₄–Au MNC loaded with DOX as a potential candidate for cancer magnetic nanotheranostic applications.

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor. Doxorubicin (DOX) is extensively used in OS chemotherapy, yet improving patient outcomes remains challenging. This study investigated the effect of free DOX combined with inductive moderate hyperthermia (IMH) on Saos-2 human OS cells. Methods: Cell viability was assessed by trypan blue exclusion. Flow cytometry analyzed apoptosis, necrosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells exposed to control (no treatment), IMH (42 MHz frequency, 500 μT magnetic field induction, 564 V/m electric field strength, 15 W output power, and 30 min duration) alone, DOX (0.06 μg/mL) alone, or DOX combined with IMH. The expression of p14^ARF tumor suppressor and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was evaluated by immunocytochemistry. Spatial autocorrelation analysis quantified the heterogeneity of p14^ARF and EGFR distributions in acquired images. Results: The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of DOX in Saos-2 cells had minimal variation between 48 h (0.060 ± 0.01 μg/mL) and 72 h (0.055 ± 0.003 μg/mL). DOX + IMH resulted in a 15% increase in early apoptosis and a 20% elevation in ROS levels compared with DOX alone. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed a 37% increase in p14^ARF and a 32% reduction in EGFR expression following combined treatment in comparison to DOX alone. Image analysis showed that DOX + IMH treatment caused the highest Moran’s index values for p14^ARF and EGFR, reflecting less heterogeneous spatial distributions (p < 0.05). Conclusions: IMH enhanced DOX-induced cytotoxicity in Saos-2 cells by initiating ROS-mediated apoptosis and reducing heterogeneity of cellular responses.

Background. Breast cancer is an increasingly prevalent cancer pathology. In developed countries, breast cancer hits almost every eighth woman and ranks first in the incidence of patients with malignant tumors. The success of breast cancer therapy is apparently connected with the effectiveness of a strategy of impact on typical breast cancer targets, such as estrogen and progesterone receptors, HER2/neu oncoprotein. Implementation of modern achievements of fundamental science into routine clinical practice will allow the prognosis of patients with breast cancer at both earlier and later stages (in cases of the metastatic lesion) to be improved. Purpose. To review modern literature sources that cover biological and clinical relevance of expanding molecular genetic classification of breast cancer for the purpose of singling out additional clinically significant breast cancer subtypes with special emphasis on HER2-low-positive tumors. Materials and methods. The literature search was performed manually by the keywords (breast cancer, HER2-low-positive breast cancer), and also literature sources from evidential databases PubMed, and Web of Science were reviewed. The data from meta-analyses, randomized trials, systematic reviews, cohort trials, and the data of fundamental works were taken into consideration. 41 literature sources were analyzed in total. We opted for the sources which were published over the last ten years. Results. Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Overexpression of the HER2 receptor is peculiar to 15–20% of breast tumors, usually due to amplification of the ERBB2 gene. Taking into account that the ERBB2 gene is a very powerful proto-oncogene, tumors with such phenotype are characterized by aggressive course and unfavorable prognosis. Starting from the 1990s, the development of target drugs aimed at the blockade of HER2 receptors beginning from monoclonal antibodies – trastuzumab, later – pertuzumab, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (lapatinib, neratinib, tucatinib) and the new class of antitumor drugs – conjugates of a monoclonal antibody with a cytostatic drug (trastuzumab emtansine, trastuzumab deruxtecan, trastuzumab duocarmazine) and their implementation into clinical practice changed the course and the prognosis of the patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. In opposition to earlier clinical trials, the results of the more modern ones demonstrate the clinical effectiveness of new antitumor drugs such as conjugates of HER2 monoclonal antibody with a cytostatic drug (trastuzumab deruxtekan, trastuzumab duokarmazine) not only in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer but also in some patients with metastatic breast cancer with low HER2 expression. In order to determine the patients who may potentially benefit from the new target drugs among the patients with HER2-negative breast cancer, a new concept of HER2/neu-low breast cancer has been suggested, which is used for the selection of patients in modern clinical trials, and in the measurable future it will be used in routine clinical practice. Conclusions. Today’s scientific data confirm biological and clinical relevance of expanding molecular genetic classification of breast cancer for the purpose of singling out additional clinically significant breast cancer subtypes with special emphasis on HER2-low-positive tumors. The development of a new class of antitumor drugs, namely conjugates of HER2 monoclonal antibody with a cytostatic drug (trastuzumab deruxtekan, trastuzumab duokarmazine) gives new therapeutic possibilities for patients with breast cancer, and also for patients with other types of malignant tumors. Актуальність. Рак грудної залози (РГЗ) є надзвичайно розповсюдженою онкологічною патологією. У розвинених країнах РГЗ уражує майже кожну восьму жінку і посідає перше місце у захворюваності пацієнток на злоякісні пухлини. Успіхи терапії РГЗ швидше за все пов’язані з ефективністю стратегії впливу на типові для РГЗ мішені, такі як рецептори естрогенів та прогестерону, онкопротеїн HER2/neu. Впровадження в рутинну клінічну практику новітніх досягнень фундаментальної науки дозволить покращити прогноз пацієнток з РГЗ як на ранніх стадіях, так і при метастатичному захворюванні. Мета роботи – розглянути поточні джерела літератури, які висвітлюють біологічну та клінічну доцільність розширення молекулярно-генетичної класифікації РГЗ з метою виділення додаткових клінічно значущих підтипів раку грудної залози з особливим акцентом на HER2-низькопозитивних пухлинах. Матеріали та методи. Пошук літератури було здійснено ручним методом за ключовими словами (рак грудної залози, HER2-низькопозитивний рак грудної залози), а також розглянуто джерела літератури з доказових баз даних PubMed, Web of Science. Брали до уваги дані метааналізів, рандомізованих досліджень, систематичні огляди, когортні дослідження та дані фундаментальних робіт. Всього було опрацьовано 41 джерело...

Background/Objectives: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cardiovascular complication in cancer patients and the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence, timing, clinical predictors, and management of VTE in patients with breast cancer (BC), undergoing oncological therapy, and to propose a risk-adapted strategy for thrombosis monitoring and prevention. Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, 116 women with histologically confirmed BC (stages I–IV) treated between 2021 and 2024 were included. Patients were divided according to the occurrence of objectively confirmed VTE. Clinical characteristics, comorbidities, laboratory parameters, cancer-related factors, and treatment modalities were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of VTE. Results: VTE occurred in 25 patients (21.6%), predominantly within the first 12 months after cancer diagnosis. Patients who developed VTE were significantly older and more frequently had hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, anemia, and leukocytosis. Multivariate analysis identified age ≥ 55 years, poor performance status (ECOG ≥ 3), and elevated glucose level as independent predictors of VTE. Deep vein thrombosis of the lower and upper extremities was the most common manifestation (52%), while pulmonary embolism was present in 24% of cases, either alone or in combination (20%). Direct oral anticoagulants were the most frequently used long-term anticoagulant therapy. Conclusions: VTE is a clinically relevant and relatively frequent complication in patients with BC, particularly during the early period of anticancer treatment. Patient-related and metabolic factors play a key role in thrombosis risk, underscoring the need for individualized, risk-adapted approaches to VTE prevention and monitoring in these populations.

Cholangiocarcinoma during pregnancy is a very rare condition. We present the case of a 35-year-old pregnant woman with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first case of cholangiocarcinoma in a patient with twin pregnancy. At 25 weeks of gestation, surgical intervention was performed: right-sided hemihepatectomy, lymphadenectomy D3, and diaphragmatic peritoneumectomy on the right side. At 33 weeks of pregnancy, a cesarean section was performed. Currently, the patient is receiving chemotherapy. A multidisciplinary approach should be a standard workup in making decisions regarding the treatment strategy for a pregnant patient with a cancer diagnosis