Asymptomatic papillary fibroelastoma of the Aortic valve in a young woman - a case report

Echocardiography represents an invaluable diagnostic tool for the detection of intracardiac masses while simultaneously provides information about their size, location, mobility and attachment site as well as the presence and extent of any consequent hemodynamic derangement

Clinical Significance of Major Angiogenesis-Related Effectors in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer Treated with Trastuzumab-based Regimens.

PURPOSE: Angiogenesis is a crucial phenomenon in the development and progression of breast cancer (BC), but the clinical significance of angiogenesis-related proteins in metastatic BC remains unknown. This study investigates the prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2, 3 (VEGFR1, VEGFR2, VEGFR3) as well as vascular endothelial growth factors A and C (VEGFA and VEGFC) in metastatic BC patients treated with trastuzumab-based regimens. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Two hundred female patients were included. Protein and mRNA expression of the studied angiogenesis-related factors were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR), respectively. RESULTS: High expression of VEGFA, VEGFC, VEGFR1, VEGFR2 and VEGFR3 in the tumor cells was observed in 43.5%, 24.2%, 36%, 29.5% and 43%, respectively. Stromal elements expressed high levels of VEGFA, VEGFC, VEGFR1, VEGFR2, VEGFR3 in 78.9%, 93.3%, 90.7%, 90.2 %,74.8% of tumors with available data. High tumor cell expression of VEGFR1 was a favorable prognosticator for survival among patients with HER2-positive tumors (HR=0.55, p=0.013). A trend towards longer progression free survival (PFS) was detected univariately for patients with HER2-negative tumors and high expression of VEGFR2, (HR=0.60, p=0.059). CONCLUSION: VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 seem to have significant prognostic value in BC patients with metastatic disease treated with trastuzumab-based regimens