This large retrospective comparative analysis confirms the less aggressive behavior of PMBC compared to IDC. This favorable outcome is maintained after 20 years. This tumor presents typically in older patients and is rarely associated with nodal disease. Positive nodal status appears to be the most significant predictor of worse prognosis.

To determine rates of pathologic complete response (pCR) and near-complete response (npCR) in operable early-stage breast cancer using neoadjuvant capecitabine plus docetaxel, with or without trastuzumab, and investigate biomarkers of pathologic response. Women with operable early-stage breast cancer were enrolled in a multicenter study of neoadjuvant therapy for four 21-day cycles with capecitabine 825 mg/m(2) plus docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) if human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, and additionally, a standard trastuzumab dose if HER2-positive. Primary endpoint was rate of pCR and npCR. Secondary endpoints were potential associations between response and TP53 mutational analysis using the AmpliChip TP53 assay or immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, and genomic subtyping using the PAM50 assay. In patients who completed treatment and surgery, pCR and npCR rates were 15.8% in patients with HER2-negative and 50% in patients with HER2-positive tumors. Stratified by genomic subtype, patients of HER2-enriched subtype had the best response (72.2%), and luminal A (9.1%) and B (4.8%) subtypes, the poorest. Of 147 patients tested for TP53 mutations using the AmpliChip assay, 78 variants were detected; 55 were missense. Response rate among TP53-mutated patients was 30%, significantly higher than TP53 wild-type patients (10%; P = 0.0032). Concordance between AmpliChip mutation status versus TP53 IHC staining was 65%, with AmpliChip status predictive of response and IHC status not predictive. Capecitabine plus docetaxel in HER2-negative, and with trastuzumab in HER2-positive patients, provided a good response rate with four cycles of non-anthracycline-containing therapy. TP53 mutational analysis and genomic subtyping were predictive.

A genetic map of melon enriched for fruit traits was constructed, using a recombinant inbred (RI) population developed from a cross between representatives of the two subspecies of Cucumis melo L.: PI 414723 (subspecies agrestis) and 'Dulce' (subspecies melo). Phenotyping of 99 RI lines was conducted over three seasons in two locations in Israel and the US. The map includes 668 DNA markers (386 SSRs, 76 SNPs, six INDELs and 200 AFLPs), of which 160 were newly developed from fruit ESTs. These ESTs include candidate genes encoding for enzymes of sugar and carotenoid metabolic pathways that were cloned from melon cDNA or identified through mining of the International Cucurbit Genomics Initiative database (http://www.icugi.org/). The map covers 1,222 cM with an average of 2.672 cM between markers. In addition, a skeleton physical map was initiated and 29 melon BACs harboring fruit ESTs were localized to the 12 linkage groups of the map. Altogether, 44 fruit QTLs were identified: 25 confirming QTLs described using other populations and 19 newly described QTLs. The map includes QTLs for fruit sugar content, particularly sucrose, the major sugar affecting sweetness in melon fruit. Six QTLs interacting in an additive manner account for nearly all the difference in sugar content between the two genotypes. Three QTLs for fruit flesh color and carotenoid content were identified. Interestingly, no clear colocalization of QTLs for either sugar or carotenoid content was observed with over 40 genes encoding for enzymes involved in their metabolism. The RI population described here provides a useful resource for further genomics and metabolomics studies in melon, as well as useful markers for breeding for fruit quality.