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Email: p.simpson@uq.edu.au
Research Interests
Breast cancer is a very heterogenous disease making
morphological classification of disease and management of patients
a significant challenge. For example, it remains difficult to
predict which patients are at risk of their disease returning
(recurrence), spreading (metastasis) or which patients will respond
to a specific treatment. There has therefore been a concerted
effort to supplement the morphological classification of breast
disease with molecular parameters that can provide a clearer
appreciation for this complexity and better predict tumour
behaviour. This ideology has driven significant advancements in the
field of molecular pathology research.
I nvasive lobular carcinomas are a common special
subtype of breast cancer comprising up to 15% of all diagnosed
case. They exhibit a very characteristic set of clinical,
pathological and biological properties, including a progressive
decline in survival, an infiltrative pattern of growth and down
regulation of cell adhesion molecule, E-cadherin. Morphological
variants exist which are associated with a worse outcome compared
to the classic type. Research interests focus on several aspects of
this specific subtype of the disease, including understanding
molecular determinants predictive of tumour behaviour and
mechanisms of invasion and metastasis.
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Key publications
Simpson PT, Gale T, Reis-Filho JS, Jones C,
Parry S, Sloane JP, Hanby A, Pinder PE, Lee AHE, Humphreys S, Ellis
IO, Lakhani SR. Columnar Cell Lesions of the Breast - the missing
link in breast cancer progression? A morphological and molecular
analysis. Am J Surg Pathol. 2005; 29: 734-746.
Reis-Filho JS, Simpson PT, Turner NC, Lambros
MB, Jones C, Mackay A, Grigoriadis A, Sarrio D, Savage K, Dexter T,
Iravani M, Fenwick K, Weber B, Hardisson D, Schmitt FC, Palacios J,
Lakhani SR, Ashworth A. FGFR1 Emerges as a Potential Therapeutic
Target for Lobular Breast Carcinomas. Clin Cancer Res. 2006; 12:
6652-62.
Simpson PT, Reis-Filho JS, Lambros MBK, Jones
C, Steele D, Mackay A, Iravani I, Fenwick K, Dexter T, Jones A,
Reid L, Da Silva L, Shin SJ, Hardisson D, Ashworth A, Schmitt F,
Palacios J, Lakhani SR. Molecular profiling pleomorphic lobular
carcinomas of the breast: evidence for a common molecular genetic
pathway with classic lobular carcinomas. J Pathol 2008; 215:
231-244.
Simpson PT, Reis-Filho JS, Gale T, Lakhani SR.
Molecular evolution of breast cancer. J Pathol. 2005; 205:
248-54.
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Collaborations
Prof Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Drs Kum Kum Khana and Nic Waddell
(QIMR)
The Kathleen Cuningham Consortium into Research on Familial
Breast Cancer (kConFab)
Drs Alan Porter and Elizabeth Evans (Wesley Breast Clinic,
Brisbane)
A/Profs Greg Montieth & Sarah Roberts-Thompson (UQ).
Drs Lisa Chopin & Rachael Murray (QUT)
Dr Michelle Hill (UQ)
Dr Jorge Reis Filho (UK)
Prof Ian Ellis & Dr Emad Rhaka (UK)
Prof Giuseppe Viale (Italy)
Dr Sandra Shin (USA)
Dr Marjanka Schmidt (Netherlands)
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