Anna Badowska-Kozakiewicz

By Anna Maria Badowska-Kozakiewicz and Michał Piotr Budzik

A great number of scientific studies have shown that the development of different TNBC forms is closely associated with the induction of various signaling pathways and that TNBC cells show greater sensitivity to different drugs. Recent studies showed hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) was strongly correlated to clinicopathological features in many types of cancers. This molecule seems to play a significant role in the development of different tumors and breast cancer among them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between immunohistochemical expression of novel prognostic marker—HIF-1α—and clinicopathological features for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Among 162 breast cancer patients, we identified 111 (68.5%) subjects with triple-negative breast cancer. In our study, TNBC was most commonly assessed as G2 and G3 (52.2%; 45.1%), pT1 and pT2 (34.2%; 62.1%), and pN1 and pN2 (45%; 41.4%). TNBC more often presented HIF-1α expression (43.2%) than non-TNBC (35.2%). TNBC subgroup demonstrated significant correlation between HIF-1α expression and tumor size (pT1–pT4) (p = 0.021), which may suggest that HIF-1 alpha expression in this group of patients may be an additional and significant marker in the evaluation of the advance of the disease, affecting therapeutic decisions.

Part of the book: Breast Cancer and Surgery

By Urszula Religioni, Aleksandra Czerw, Anna M. Badowska-Kozakiewicz, Michał Budzik and Andrzej Deptała

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cancer causing death in the world. The prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer is relatively low, which may be reflected in the patients’ lack of acceptance of the illness and passive attitudes towards the illness. The aim of the study was to evaluate the strategy of coping with pain and its control, acceptance of the illness and adjustment to life with cancer in patients suffering from pancreatic cancer. Forty-six patients with pancreatic cancer were included in the study. They were treated as outpatients at the Center of Oncology at Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s Institute in Warsaw between 2017 and 2018. The questionnaire included four psychometric tests: BPCQ, CSQ, AIS and MiniMAC. In the BPCQ test the highest average test result was obtained by “internal factors” (M = 16.85; SD = 5.64). The most frequently chosen strategies for coping with pain are praying/hoping (M = 22.33; SD = 7.85). The average illness acceptance score was 23.13 (SD = 7.84). The most common methods of psychological adjustment to cancer for the studied group are the strategies of positive re-evaluation (M = 20.07, SD = 3.67). Patients with pancreatic cancer have a low level of acceptance of their illness.

Part of the book: Health-Related Quality of Life