Breast Tissue Study of Breast Diseases Among Women in Hong Kong
Condition: Breast Cancer
MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Background:

      - The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the National Cancer Institute are conducting a
      breast tissue study in connection with another study on breast health. This larger study will
      look at breast health in women who live in Hong Kong. Women in the breast health study will
      provide a breast tissue sample during biopsy surgery. Researchers want to use part of the
      sample to study changes in breast tissue that are related to breast diseases. This sample
      study is part of the larger study.

      Objectives:

      - To look at changes in breast tissue that are related to breast diseases.

      Eligibility:

        -  Women who are participating in the Hong Kong breast health study.

        -  Participants must be having a biopsy to remove breast tissue for study.

      Design:

        -  Participants will have a biopsy to remove a breast tissue sample. Most of the sample
           will be used for diagnosis. A portion of the leftover tissue will be used for this
           study.

        -  No extra surgery will be required.

        -  Treatment will not be provided as part of this study.
    

Detailed description: 
      Background: Breast cancer incidence is increasing rapidly among many Asian populations
      primarily due to the adaptation of a Westernized lifestyle. However, Asian women seem to have
      a distinctive profile of breast cancer that differs from that seen in Western populations,
      such as earlier age at onset, more advanced stage, and higher frequency of ER-negative
      tumors. The disproportionally high rates among younger women were also seen among U.S.-born
      Asian women, such as Chinese, Filipina, Indian, and Pakistani women. These findings suggest
      that Asian breast cancer may have a distinct etiology that is not fully explained by adapting
      a westernized lifestyle. Recent molecular studies have suggested that breast cancers comprise
      several biologically and clinically distinct tumor subtypes. Epidemiologic evidence suggests
      that associations with breast cancer risk factors may vary by tumor subtype. However, most
      previous studies were conducted in Western populations; large, population-based epidemiologic
      studies characterizing molecular subtypes of breast cancer in Asian women are limited. In
      this study, we would like to characterize the molecular profile of breast cancer among
      Chinese women in Hong Kong and associate the molecular features with clinical and etiologic
      factors. An improved understanding of the inter-relationships among age, breast cancer
      subtypes, and race/ethnicity is critical for the development of targeted prevention and the
      best and most efficacious therapy.

      Objectives: To assess the technical feasibility of 1) collecting fresh frozen tissues and
      fixed tissue blocks from breast cancer cases in Hong Kong, and 2) conducting tumor profiling
      analyses in the collected tissues.

      Eligibility: Breast cancer cases who are participants in an ongoing breast cancer case
      control study among Hong Kong women (Night shift and breast cancer: a case-control study
      among Hong Kong women, led by Dr. Tse at Chinese University in Hong Kong) and who will
      receive surgery at the North District Hospital, HK, in 2013.

      Design: In this feasibility study, we plan to collect fresh frozen and fixed tissues (tumor
      and adjacent normal) from approximately 100 breast cancer cases who have given consent to
      participate in our breast tissue collection pilot study. DNA and RNA will be extracted from
      frozen tumors and assessed for quality and yield. We will then conduct expression profiling
      analysis in a subset of cases (N approximately 10) to determine the quality of RNA in
      molecular profiling analysis. We will also determine whether there are enough epithelial
      benign and tumor tissues for the construction of tissue microarrays (TMAs). The results from
      this feasibility study will inform our decision on whether or not to pursue a large scale
      study.
    

Observational model: Case-Only
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Female breast cancer patients identified from the Surgery or Oncology Departments of two
        hospitals in Hong Kong (North District Hospital and Yan Chai Hospital).
      
Biospecimen description: 
      Biospecimens: Fresh frozen and fixed tissues (breast tumor and adjacent normal tissue)
    
Keywords: Cancer; Breast Cancer; Molecular Subtypes; Asian Breast Cancer