Author Archives: Precision Medicine for African Breast Cancer

Abstract Women with African ancestry in western, sub-Saharan Africa and in the United States represent a population subset facing an increased risk of being diagnosed with biologically aggressive phenotypes of breast cancer that are negative for the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, and the HER2/neu marker. These tumors are commonly referred to as triple-negative breast cancer. DisparitiesContinue reading “Breast Cancer and African Ancestry: Lessons Learned at the 10-Year Anniversary of the Ghana-Michigan Research Partnership and International Breast Registry”

Abstract Breast cancers that have negative or extremely low expression of estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor and non-amplification of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)/neu are termed triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The majority of TNBC tumors belong to the biologically aggressive basal subtype, and they cannot be managed with targeted endocrine or anti-HER2/neu agents. InContinue reading “Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Ghanaian Women: The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital Experience”

Abstract Background: Disparities in breast cancer incidence and outcome between African American and white American women are multifactorial in etiology. The increased frequency of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) in African American patients suggests the possible contribution of hereditary factors related to African ancestry. Methods: The University of Michigan (UM)-Komfo Anoyke Teaching Hospital (KATH) Breast Cancer Research CollaborativeContinue reading “Global surgical oncology disease burden: addressing disparities via global surgery initiatives: the University of Michigan International Breast Cancer Registry”

Abstract Purpose: Population-based incidence rates of breast cancers that are negative for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/ neu (triple-negative breast cancer [TNBC]) are higher among African American (AA) compared with white American (WA) women, and TNBC prevalence is elevated among selected populations of African patients. The extent to whichContinue reading “Androgen Receptor and ALDH1 Expression Among Internationally Diverse Patient Populations”

Abstract The human endogenous retroviruses HERV-K HML-2 have been considered a possible cause of human breast cancer (BrC). A HERV-K HML-2 fully intact provirus Xq21.33 was recently identified in some West African people. We used PCR technology to search for the Xq21.33 provirus in DNA from Nigerian women with BrC and controls. to see ifContinue reading “Is the HERV-K HML-2 Xq21.33, an endogenous retrovirus mutated by gene conversion of chromosome X in a subset of African populations, associated with human breast cancer?”

Abstract Objective: To investigate subtype-specific risk of germline alleles associated with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) in African ancestry populations. Background: Breast cancer (BC) mortality is higher in African American (AA) compared to White American (WA) women; this disparity is partly explained by 2-fold higher TNBC incidence. Methods: We used a surgically maintained biospecimen cohort of 2884 BCContinue reading “Hereditary Susceptibility for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Associated With Western Sub-Saharan African Ancestry: Results From an International Surgical Breast Cancer Collaborative”

Abstract Background and aims: Conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) varies in incidence geographically from 0 to 1 case per 100 000 per year globally. Additionally, the incidence of CSCC is known to increase 49% for every 10° decrease in latitude. Since the onset of the AIDS epidemic, there has been a trend of increasing incidence ofContinue reading “Clinical characteristics, HIV status, and molecular biomarkers in squamous cell carcinoma of the conjunctiva in Ghana”

Abstract Identifying better predictive and prognostic biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is complicated by tumor heterogeneity ranging from responses to therapy, mutational burden, and clonal evolution. To overcome the gap in our understanding of tumor heterogeneity, we hypothesized that isolating and studying the gene expression profile of invasiveContinue reading “Heterogeneity at the invasion front of triple negative breast cancer cells”

Abstract Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are more common among African-ancestry populations, such as African Americans and western, sub-Saharan Africans, compared with European-ancestry populations. This phenotype prevalence contributes to disparities in breast cancer outcomes between African Americans and White Americans. Breast cancer stem cells represent the tumor subpopulation involved in metastatic virulence, and ongoing research seeksContinue reading “Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Stem Cells, and African Ancestry”

Abstract Although breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) display plasticity transitioning between quiescent mesenchymal-like (M) and proliferative epithelial-like (E) states, how this plasticity is regulated by metabolic or oxidative stress remains poorly understood. Here, we show that M- and E-BCSCs rely on distinct metabolic pathways and display markedly different sensitivities to inhibitors of glycolysis and redoxContinue reading “Targeting Breast Cancer Stem Cell State Equilibrium through Modulation of Redox Signaling”