High Frequency of Cell-in-Cell Formation in Heterogeneous Human Breast Cancer Tissue in a Patient With Poor Prognosis: A Case Report and Literature Review

Overview

Journal Front Oncol

Specialty Oncology

Date 2020 Jan 11

PMID 31921689

Citations 21

Authors

Banzhan Ruan

Zubiao Niu

Xiaoyi Jiang

Zhuo Li

YanHong Tai

Hongyan Huang

Qiang Sun

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Cell cannibalism is a unique pathological phenomenon that has been observed at low frequency in a variety of human tumor samples (<0.5%), including breast cancer. Cannibalistic cells typically form cell-in-cell (CIC) structures characterized by enclosure of one cell or more by another, mediating a novel type of cell death "entosis," which was proposed as the type IV cell death. A large number of CIC structures are generally associated with malignant transformation and progression, and they are believed to be primed by and form among heterogeneous cells. However, there is currently no evidence from human tumor samples. In this case report, covering a 37-year-old female breast cancer patient, we observed considerable heterogeneity and proliferative activity (>70% Ki-67 positivity) in her breast cancer cells, accompanied by high frequency of CIC formation (~6%) and poor prognosis. We consider this a typical example of cell cannibalism, supporting a role of heterogeneity in cell-in-cell formation and malignant progression. It may serve as a pretest basis for further investigations of cell-in-cell biology and breast cancer treatment.

Citing Articles

The battle within: cell death by phagocytosis in cancer.

Zhou L, Fan S, Zhang W, Gong Z, Wang D, Tang D Clin Transl Oncol. 2024; .

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Mechanisms and significance of entosis for tumour growth and progression.

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Loss of RND3/RHOE controls entosis through LAMP1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

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Cell-in-cell: a potential biomarker of prognosis and a novel mechanism of drug resistance in cancer.

Liu X, Yang J Front Oncol. 2023; 13:1242725.

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Fate of Entosis: From the Beginning to the End in Untreated Advanced Breast Cancer.

Dziuba I, Gawel A, Tyrna P, Rybczynska J, Bialy L, Mlynarczuk-Bialy I Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(15).

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