Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and its incidence is on a constant rise. Previous studies suggest that higher levels of plasma prolactin are associated with escalated risk of breast cancer, however, these results are contradictory and inconclusive. PubMed and Medline were used to search and identify published observational studies that assessed the relationship between plasma prolactin levels and the risk of breast cancer. The pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a fixed-effects or random-effects model. A total of 7 studies were included in our analysis. For the highest versus lowest levels of plasma prolactin, the pooled RR (95% CI) of breast cancer were 1.16 (1.04, 1.29). In subgroup analyses, we found a positive association between plasma prolactin levels and the risk of breast cancer among the patients who were postmenopausal, ER+/PR+ or in situ and invasive carcinoma. However, this positive association was not detected in the premenopausal and ER-/PR- patients. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence supporting a significantly positive association between plasma prolactin levels and the risk of breast cancer.

Laparoscopy is an effective way to improve perioperative outcomes and reduce the complications of hemodynamically stable patients with abdominal trauma. It is worth further popularization in clinical practice.

• This is the first trial to explore the neoadjuvant therapy of pyrotinib in HER2-positive operable and locally advanced breast cancer, in combination with epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel plus trastuzumab. • Results primarily showed that pyrotinib in combination with epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel plus trastuzumab was effective and safe in HER2-positive operable and locally advanced breast cancer. • A subsequent randomized controlled trial is still warranted to confirm these results.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), the systematic chemotherapy given to patients with locally advanced and inoperable breast caner, has been proven to be of great clinical values. Many scientific reports confirmed NAC could effectively eliminate sub-clinical disseminated lesions of tumor, and improve long-term and disease-free survival rate of patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC); however, up to now, LABC is still a serious clinical issue given improved screening and early diagnosis. This study, with main focus on inoperable LABC, investigated the values of NAC in converting inoperable LABC into operable status and assessed the prognosis. Sixty-one patients with inoperable LABC were initially treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy; their local conditions were improved to operable status. Radical surgery was exerted on 49 patients. Original chemotherapy was performed after surgery, followed by local radiotherapy. And endocrine therapy was optional according to the hormone receptor status. The quality of life for most patients with skin diabrosis was obviously improved because their local conditions were under control. For all recruited cases, the survival duration and life quality were significantly improved in patients who finished both NAC and surgery compared to those who did not. Further more, this study demonstrates improved prognostic consequences.

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Background: In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been developing rapidly in cancer treatment. Huaier is a widely used fungus by TCM to treat different kinds of cancers. Its good efficacy in prevention of tumor recurrence and metastasis has been proven by a large number of clinical studies. In order to further investigate the efficacy and safety of Huaier granules in post-surgical therapy for stage I-III triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients, we performed a case-control clinical study to observe its effects on the post-surgical safety and survival rates of these patients.Methods: Two hundred and one TNBC patients underwent modified radical mastectomy were selected, they were admitted to our hospital between October 2010 to September 2014. The patients were randomly allocated to the experimental group (101 cases) or the control group (100 cases). Patients in the experimental group were treated with Huaier granules, by orally taking 20 g each time with 3 times a day. Medication was started during chemotherapy or at the time in 6 or 18 months after it. The control group did not receive any TCM preparations during this process. The disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were measured as the main outcome.Results: The median follow-up time was 46 months. For the 100 patients in control group, 5-year DFS and OS was 82% and 86% respectively, while 87.1% and 90.1% for the 101 patients in the experimental group. The difference was not statistically significant. However, stage III patients in the control group showed a 5-year DFS of 53.8% and OS of 65.4%, which were significantly lower than that of stage III patients in the experimental group as 81.3% and 87.5%. In the experimental group, 10 patients with 6-month medication showed disease progression, whereas only 3 patients with 18-month medication showed disease progression. This difference was statistically significant as well.Conclusions: Huaier granules could play an important role in post-surgical adjuvant therapy of TNBC patients, specially by effectively increasing the DFS and OS of breast cancer patients at middle to advanced stage.

Compared to open thoracotomy, VATS is an effective and even better treatment for improving perioperative outcomes of hemodynamically stable patients with chest trauma and reduce the complications. However, caution should also be exercised in certain clinical scenarios.