title: Pro-oncogenic cytokines and growth factors are differentially expressed in the post-surgical wound fluid from malignant compared to benign breast lesions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The accumulation of wound fluid known as seroma in the chest cavity following breast surgery is a common occurrence that can persist for many weeks. While the pro-inflammatory composition of seroma is well established, there has been remarkably little research to determine whether seroma contains pro-oncogenic factors, and whether this is influenced by previous malignant disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed a clinical trial in which we obtained post-surgical seroma fluids from women with benign or malignant disease 1 or 2 weeks following lumpectomy or mastectomy. We conducted an analysis of more than 80 different cytokines, chemokines and growth factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that surgical cavity seroma from breast cancer patients has a higher expression of key tumor-promoting cytokines and lower expression of important tumor-inhibiting factors when compared to benign lesions from non-cancer patients. Patients with high body mass index also had higher levels of leptin regardless of malignancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that the breast post-surgical tumor cavity contains factors that are pro-inflammatory regardless of malignant or benign disease, but in malignant disease there is significant enrichment of additional pro-oncogenic chemokines, cytokines and growth factors, and reduction in tumor-inhibiting factors. These results are consistent with tumor conditioning of surrounding normal stromal tissue and creation of a pro-oncogenic environment that persists long after surgical removal of the tumor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valeta-Magara
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA.
authors.forename: Raheleh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hatami
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA ; NYU Perlmutter Cancer Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Axelrod
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA ; NYU Perlmutter Cancer Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA.
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Roses
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA ; NYU Perlmutter Cancer Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA.
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guth
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA ; Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY USA.
authors.forename: Silvia C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Formenti
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA ; Department of Surgery, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA ; NYU Perlmutter Cancer Institute, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA ; Department of Radiation Oncology, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016 USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Schneider
keywords: Breast cancer; Cytokines; Malignancy; Seroma fluid; Surgical cavity