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Aim of the studyTo determine whether the expression of HER-3 influences the survival of HER-2 positive patients with breast cancer (BC).Material and methodsIn the present work, the expression of HER-3 in a group of 35 HER-2 positive patients with BC was studied by performing immunohistochemistry (IHC) in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues.ResultsHigher HER-3 status if estimated by IHC correlated significantly with older age of the patients. HER-3 expression did not correlate with estrogen or progesterone receptor status, pT or pN. There was also no significant difference in disease-free or overall survival (DFS and OS) between groups with different HER-3 expression, although some tendencies were seen as HER-3 expression in over 50% of cells was a factor of worse 5- and 10-year survival.ConclusionsFurther studies should be performed on a larger group of patients to confirm the prognostic role of HER-3 status determined by IHC in BC.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary malignant liver cancer. The five-year overall survival (OS) in men diagnosed with HCC does not exceed 9%. Patients (pts) with advanced disease are treated with sorafenib (multikinase inhibitor). In randomised trials the OS advantage was within the range of three months for sorafenib. Stabilisation of disease was achieved in 71% of patients, and no case of CR was reported. We present a case of 60-year-old patient with locally advanced cT3aN0M0 (stage IIIA according to seventh TNM) bifocal HCC (12 × 10 cm and 10 × 8 cm). The diagnosis was confirmed by pathologic examination. Due to the clinical stage, palliative treatment with sorafenib was administered from January 2016 to February 2017. A clinical partial response (cPR) enabled surgery. In May 2017, left-sided liver bisegmentomy and resection of residual lesion in segment 6 were performed. The pathological report revealed ypCR. Subsequently, pathology verification changed the primary diagnosis to PR. In September 2017 thermoablation of lesion in segment 5 of the liver was performed. The increased AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) level at baseline was normalised during treatment. The sorafenib therapy was completed after one year. The patient remains in follow-up with no evidence of relapse. Treatment with sorafenib in the presented case enabled radical therapy, so the palliative treatment turned out to be an induction treatment. Clinical CR (especially pCR) in advanced non-operable solid tumours after systemic treatment is quite rare (3-15%), and even less common in HCC. So far, only a few cases of achievement of CR during sorafenib therapy in HCC have been described.

Breast cancer is the most common malignant neoplasm among women in Poland and in the European Union. According to most recent data of the Polish National Cancer Registry, in 2014 breast cancer was diagnosed in over 17,000 women. Based on the National Health Fund records, it is estimated that there are about 55,000-60,000 women in Poland who have a history of breast cancer diagnosis and are potentially at a risk of relapse. The most common sign of breast cancer is the presence of a nodule, however women also seek medical attention because of skin lesions. The aim of the study is to present diverse clinical manifestations of direct infiltrates and/or skin metastases of breast cancer. Attention is drawn to the importance of including breast cancer in the differential diagnosis of skin lesions. StReSZCZenieRak piersi jest najczęstszym nowotworem złośliwym występującym u kobiet w Polsce i Unii Europejskiej. Według najnowszych danych Krajowego Rejestru Nowotworów z 2014 r. nowotwór ten rozpoznano u ponad 17 000 Polek. Na podstawie rejestrów Narodowego Funduszu Zdrowia szacuje się, że w Polsce żyje ok. 55 000-60 000 kobiet, u któ-rych kiedykolwiek zdiagnozowano raka piersi. Każda z nich potencjalnie jest zagrożona nawrotem choroby. Najczęstszym objawem raka piersi jest obecność guzka, ale to zmiany skórne mogą być przyczyną zgłoszenia się pacjentki do lekarza. Celem pracy jest przedstawienie przypadków pokazujących, jak różnorodny charakter i obraz kliniczny mogą przyjmować zmiany będące bezpośrednimi naciekami i/lub przerzutami raka piersi w skórze i jak ważne jest uwzględnianie tej jednostki chorobowej w diagnostyce różnicowej chorób skóry.