MedWorm: Cancer Therapy

Angiogenesis-inhibitors for metastatic thyroid cancer.

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 06:22:03 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: There is currently no reliable evidence available from randomized controlled trials regarding the bene fi ts and harms of the use of angiogenesis-inhibitors for treating advanced thyroid cancer. Several trials are ongoing. PMID: 20238360 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews)

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Targeting the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway for cancer treatment.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:36:03 +0100

Authors: Ma Q, Wang Z, Zhang M, Hu H, Li J, Zhang D, Guo K, Sha H The action of L-arginine is mainly dependent on its end-product, nitric oxide (NO). The L-arginine/NO pathway has been confirmed to play an important role in tumor development. Recent findings indicate that NO derived from L-arginine could influence angiogenesis factors, vascular permeability, perivascular-cell recruitment and vessel remodeling and maturation. Additionally, the L-arginine/NO pathway could activate a broad array of genes that are functionally involved in proliferation, metastasis and apoptosis. Interestingly, this pathway plays roles in both tumorigensis and tumor killing. The role of the L-arginine/NO pathway in tumor therapy has been well-studied. Members of this pathway have been reported to be promisi...

Nitric Oxide and Cancer Therapy: The Emperor has NO Clothes.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:36:03 +0100

Authors: Hickok JR, Thomas DD The role of nitric oxide (NO()) as a mediator of cancer phenotype has led researchers to investigate strategies for manipulating in vivo production and exogenous delivery of this molecule for therapeutic gain. Unfortunately, NO() serves multiple functions in cancer physiology. In some instances, NO() or nitric oxide synthase (NOS) levels correlate with tumor suppression and in other cases they are related to tumor progression and metastasis. Understanding this dichotomy has been a great challenge for researchers working in the field of NO() and cancer therapy. Due to the unique chemical and biochemical properties of NO(), it's interactions with cellular targets and the subsequent downstream signaling events can be vastly different based upon tumor heteroge...

HIPK2-A therapeutical target to be (re)activated for tumor suppression: Role in p53 activation and HIF-1alpha inhibition.

Cell Cycle — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:38:12 +0100

Authors: Nardinocchi L, Puca R, Givol D, D'Orazi G Oncosuppressor p53 is often inactivated by either mutations or deregulation of regulatory proteins. These include the homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) that, by phosphorylating p53 at Ser46 modulates p53 response to DNA damage by inducing pro-apoptotic transcription. There is compelling evidence that HIPK2 is also involved in the response to hypoxia by acting as co-suppressor of hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha), a major factor in cancer progression that activates the transcription of genes involved in angiogenesis, glucose metabolism and invasion. Hence conditions that induce HIPK2 deregulation would end up in a multifactorial response leading to tumor chemoresistance by affecting p53 activity on one hand and...

Scripps, Moffitt share $2M grant

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:37:33 +0100

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa will share a nearly $2 million grant to work on cancer therapies. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Kinase inhibitors: Narrowing down the real targets

Nature Chemical Biology — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:19:34 +0100

Nature Chemical Biology 6, 249 (2010). doi:10.1038/nchembio.336 Author: Henrik Daub Many kinase inhibitors for cancer therapy are rather nonselective, and their cellular mechanisms of action are incompletely understood. A nested chemical proteomics and chemical genetics strategy reveals which cellular targets of the clinical kinase inhibitor dasatinib functionally relate to its anti-oncogenic activity. (Source: Nature Chemical Biology)

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Energy Restriction as an Antitumor Target of Thiazolidinediones [Metabolism]

Journal of Biological Chemistry — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:36:04 +0100

Cancer cells gain growth advantages in the microenvironment by shifting cellular metabolism to aerobic glycolysis, the so-called Warburg effect. There is a growing interest in targeting aerobic glycolysis for cancer therapy by exploiting the differential susceptibility of malignant versus normal cells to glycolytic inhibition, of which the proof-of-concept is provided by the in vivo efficacy of dietary caloric restriction and natural product-based energy restriction-mimetic agents (ERMAs) such as resveratrol and 2-deoxyglucose in suppressing carcinogenesis in animal models. Here, we identified thiazolidinediones as a novel class of ERMAs in that they elicited hallmark cellular responses characteristic of energy restriction, including transient induction of Sirt1 (silent information regulat...

Tumor Growth Rate Determines the Timing of Optimal Chronomodulated Treatment Schedules

PLoS Computational Biology — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Author Summary Chronotherapy of cancers aims at exploiting daily physiological rhythms to improve anti-cancer efficacy and tolerance to drugs by administering treatments at a specific time of the day. Recent clinical trials have shown that chronotherapy can be beneficial in improving quality of life and median life span in patients, but that it can also have negative effects if the timing is wrong. A theoretical basis for the rational development of individualized therapy schedules is still lacking. Here, we use a simple cell population model to show how biological rhythms and the cell cycle interact to modulate the response to cancer therapy. In particular, we show that the proliferation rate of cancer cells determines when treatments are most effective. We provide a simple formulation o...

Irradiation and IL-15 promote loss of CD8 T-cell tolerance in response to lymphopenia

Blood — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:02:03 +0100

In conclusion, we show that lymphopenia is not sufficient to break CD8 T-cell tolerance. Furthermore, we demonstrate that pretreatment regimens are crucial to circumvent this problem and to optimize adoptive T-cell therapy. (Source: Blood)

Maintaining Fertility in Young Women with Breast Cancer

Current Treatment Options in Oncology — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:40:18 +0100

Opinion statement Breast cancer effects nearly 200,000 American women each year, with 9% of these women still in their childbearing years. For this subset of future survivors, the issue of fertility may be a significant quality-of-life concern. Both the causes and treatments for infertility in young breast cancer patients must be thoroughly understood by the multidisciplinary team caring for these women in order for the caregivers to be effective advocates for their patients. Radiation, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy all effect ovarian function to greater or lesser degrees, with the incidence of permanent post-treatment amenorrhea following systemic treatment for breast cancer in women age 50 or younger estimated as between 33% and 76%. The science of fertil...

Metastases to the lingual nodes in tongue cancer: A pitfall in a conventional neck dissection

Auris, Nasus, Larynx — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:19:50 +0100

Abstract: Some classical textbooks of anatomy provided a detailed description of the lingual nodes, which are small inconstant lymph nodes in the floor-of-mouth and the upper neck. The clinical importance of these lymph nodes in cancer therapy, however, has been underestimated so far. We previously reported an extremely poor prognosis of oral tongue cancer patients who had lesions at the root of the lingual artery and assumed that metastases in occult lingual nodes might be responsible for such lesions. This case report clearly demonstrates the distinctive draining course of the lateral lingual nodes, which may potentially be left untreated by a neck dissection. A 63-year-old Japanese male with T2 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue showed multiple metastatic involvements of the lat...

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A systematic review of salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia induced by cancer therapies: prevalence, severity and impact on quality of life

Supportive Care in Cancer — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:14:14 +0100

Conclusions Salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia are induced by radiotherapy in the head and neck region depending on the cumulative radiation dose to the gland tissue. Treatment focus should be on optimized/new approaches to further reduce the dose to the parotids, and particularly submandibular and minor salivary glands, as these glands are major contributors to moistening of oral tissues. Other cancer treatments also induce salivary gland hypofunction, although to a lesser severity, and in the case of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, the adverse effect is temporary. Fields of sparse literature included pediatric cancer populations, cancer chemotherapy, radioactive iodine treatment, total body irradiation/hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and immunotherapy. ...

Study Evaluates Costs And Benefits Associated With New Colon Cancer Therapies

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

New chemotherapy agents appear associated with improvements in survival time for patients with metastastic colorectal cancer, but at substantial cost. David H. Howard, Ph.D., and colleagues at Emory University, Atlanta, used a cancer registry database to measure trends in life expectancy and lifetime medical costs in 4,665 patients age 66 and older diagnosed with metastastic colon cancer between 1995 and 2005. Patients were classified according to whether they received one or more of the six chemotherapeutic agents approved for the treatment of metastastic colon cancer between 1996 to 2004... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Study Evaluates Costs And Benefits Associated With New Colon Cancer Therapies

Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Personalized cancer therapy coming of age: clinical highlights in 2009 and future directions

Future Medicine: Personalized Medicine — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:00:46 +0100

Personalized Medicine , March 2010, Vol. 7, No. 2, Pages 121-124. (Source: Future Medicine: Personalized Medicine)

Assessing oncologic benefit in clinical trials of immunotherapy agents.

Ann Oncol — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: RECIST may not be an optimal indicator of clinical benefit in immunotherapy trials. This article discusses alternative clinical trial designs and end points that may be more relevant for immunotherapy trials and may offer more effective prediction of survival in pivotal phase III studies. PMID: 20237004 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Ann Oncol)

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Targeted Cancer Therapies in the Twenty-First Century: Lessons From Imatinib.

Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Stegmeier F, Warmuth M, Sellers WR, Dorsch M An increased understanding of the molecular etiology of cancer has enabled the development of novel therapies that are collectively referred to as molecular targeted agents. Unlike the drugs used in conventional chemotherapy, these agents are designed to specifically interfere with key molecular events that are responsible for the malignant phenotype. They hold great promise for widening the therapeutic window, which would provide more effective treatment options as compared with cytotoxic therapies. In addition, the targeted approach that is characteristic of these drugs provides unique opportunities for combination therapies with other anticancer agents that have non-overlapping toxicities. Targeted agents are therefore primed to ...

Sexual Pain and Dysfunction after Cancer Treatment

Women Speak — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:57:00 +0100

Patients undergoing cancer therapy are faced with many difficult side effects and changes in their bodies. For women, a frequent but unexpected side effect of cancer therapy is painful intercourse. Painful intercourse or dyspareunia may result from physical changes in the vagina following radiation and/or surgery or a depletion of the female hormone, estrogen, which can cause vaginal dryness. Female patients receiving certain chemotherapy agents may be at risk for premature menopause due to the effect of medication(s). Women with cancers of the cervix, uterus, ovaries, or vagina/vulva may undergo radical surgery or radiation, which leads to scarring and narrowing of the vagina. During treatment, most women and physicians are concerned with their battle against cancer, and there is ra...

Sexual Pain and Dysfunction after Cancer Treatment

Women Speak — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:57:00 +0100

Double action cancer therapy

Chemistry World | Latest News — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:34:00 +0100

Multifunctional nanoparticles simultaneously attack tumours with chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (Source: Chemistry World | Latest News)

An in vitro comparative study with furyl-1,4-quinones endowed with anticancer activities

Investigational New Drugs — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:49:53 +0100

We describe the biological activity of some furylbenzo- and naphthoquinones (furylquinones) on hepatocarcinoma cells and healthy rat liver slices. The effects of furylquinones on cancer cells (Transplantable Liver Tumor, TLT) were assessed by measuring cell death (membrane cell lysis); intracellular contents of ATP and GSH and the activity of caspase-3 were used to determine the type of cell death. Most of the furylquinones tested (at a concentration of 25 μg/ml) induced caspase-independent cell death but compound 4 had no cytotoxic effects. The levels of both ATP and GSH were severely affected by quinones 1, 2 and 5, while no effect was observed with compound 4. These cytotoxic properties of quinones are associated with physico-chemical properties as shown by the LUMO energies a...

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Cancer Therapy Can Be Hard on the Heart: Researchers Aim to Explain--and Avoid--Cardiotoxicity [Medical News & Perspectives]

JAMA — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:50:41 +0100

(Source: JAMA)

Study evaluates costs and benefits associated with new colon cancer therapies

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 04:00:00 +0100

(JAMA and Archives Journals) New chemotherapy agents appear associated with improvements in survival time for patients with metastastic colorectal cancer, but at substantial cost, according to a report in the March 22 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

SIR: Novel Pancreatic Cancer Therapy Uses Nanoparticles

Modern Medicine — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

An experimental treatment for pancreatic cancer that involves injecting the tumor with gold nanoparticles coated with a cancer-killing agent was described by researchers at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, held from March 13 to 18 in Tampa, Fla. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Cardiovascular Effects in Rats following Exposure to a Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor.

Toxicologic Pathology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Aguirre SA, Heyen JR, Collette W, Bobrowski W, Blasi ER The receptor tyrosine kinase receptor (RTK) signaling pathway, mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-Met)/hepatocyte growth factor receptor (HGFR), has been implicated in oncogenesis and is a target of interest in cancer therapy. PF-04254644 is a potent and selective inhibitor of c-Met/HGFR. Wide ligand binding profiling of PF-04254644 revealed a potentially significant interaction with phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3, and follow-up PDE enzyme activity assays confirmed PF-04254644 as a potent inhibitor of PDE3 as well as other PDEs (1, 2, 5, 10, and 11). Clinical observations, laboratory, and echocardiography parameters were recorded in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats that received PF-04254644 oral dosing for up to seven consecu...

Technological Advances in Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Current Urology Reports — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:00:26 +0100

Abstract Radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer has made huge strides over the past two decades. The addition of image guidance has allowed radiation oncologists to ensure accurate delivery of increasingly precise radiation treatment plans using newer conformal therapy methods such as three-dimensional conformal RT, intensity-modulated RT, and proton beam RT. Regardless of the specific treatment technique, patients can depend on the treatment to target the moving prostate effectively while significantly sparing adjacent tissues, thereby reducing the morbidity of having to undergo prostate cancer therapy. This review summarizes the recent technical advances made in radiation dose delivery, including target volume definition, treatment planning, treatment delivery method...

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Thompson named leader of UT Health Science Center’s cancer center

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:56:04 +0100

The Cancer Therapy & Research Center at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has a new permanent executive director. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

The Sonodynamic Effects of Chlorin e6 on the Proliferation of Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cell SPCA-1

Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:51:32 +0100

Conclusion There was a significant selectively inhibitory effect of sonodynamic effect with Chlorin e6 on the SPCA-1 cell growth. Chlorin e6 may be a promising sonosensitizing agent for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. (Source: Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer)

OICR Advances Development Of Two Investigational Cancer Innovations

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) announced a significant investment toward the development of two new promising cancer therapies. The recipients of the awards are: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, for Kullervo Hynynen's low-cost focused ultrasound system. This system can find and destroy tumors without surgery, increasing quality of life and lowering the cost of treatment for patients with inoperable bone and liver cancer. Hynynen will use the investment from OICR to develop a complete prototype and perform pre-clinical testing of the new system... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

OICR Advances Development Of Two Investigational Cancer Innovations

Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Multifunctional polymeric nanoparticles for combined chemotherapeutic and near-infrared photothermal cancer therapy in vitro and in vivo

RSC - Chem. Commun. latest articles — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Fong-Yu Cheng, Chia-Hao Su, Ping-Ching Wu, Chen-Sheng Yeh (Communication from Chem. Commun.) Fong-Yu Cheng, Chem. Commun., 2010, DOI: 10.1039/b919172k To cite this article before page numbers are assigned, use the DOI form of citation above. The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry (Source: RSC - Chem. Commun. latest articles)

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Stathmin1 overexpression associated with polyploidy, tumor-cell invasion, early recurrence, and poor prognosis in human hepatoma

Molecular Carcinogenesis — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In conclusion, STMN1 overexpression could predict early tumor recurrence and poor prognosis, particularly at early stage of hepatoma. Overexpression of STMN1 promoted polyploidy formation, tumor-cell invasion, and intrahepatic metastasis, suggesting that STMN1 can be a target for anti-cancer therapy of human hepatoma. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. (Source: Molecular Carcinogenesis)

New way to get physical in fight against cancer

ScienceDaily Headlines — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:00:00 +0100

Researchers have shown that the biochemical activity of a key player in cancer metastasis can be altered by the application of a direct physical force. This new way in which cells can sense and respond to physical forces presents a new road for future cancer therapies. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

Understanding autophagy in cell death control.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:18:05 +0100

Authors: Platini F, Pérez-Tomás R, Ambrosio S, Tessitore L Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradation pathway which primary functions as a cell survival adaptive mechanism during stress conditions. Autophagy is a tumor suppressor process and induction of the autophagic machinery can cause cell demise in apoptosis-resistant cancer. Thus, this metabolic pathway can act either to prevent or to promote carcinogenesis, as well as to modulate the response to anticancer therapies, included drug-induced apoptosis. Conventional therapies exert their cytotoxic activity mainly by inducing apoptosis. Massive activation of the apoptotic program in a tissue can result in cell loss providing a selective advantage for growth to displastic cells and tumor cell subpopulations with hi...

Cellular senescence in the development and treatment of cancer.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:18:05 +0100

Authors: Saretzki G Senescence is defined as an irreversible growth arrest that is characterised by a changed morphology, gene expression pattern and chromatin structure as well as an activated DNA damage response. Senescence has a dual role for tumour development-it acts as a tumour suppressor to prevent the proliferation of seriously damaged cells. Important mechanisms ensuring the stop of genomically altered cells to proliferate are the activation of ATM, p53 and the DNA damage response (DDR). In addition it emerges in recent years that oncogene activation acts as a genetic stress and induces senescence as well using similar downstream components: DNA damage activation, changes in gene expression and chromatin strucrure. Therefore, senescence functions as a powerful tumour suppresso...

Nitrosative stress as a mediator of apoptosis: implications for cancer therapy.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:18:05 +0100

Authors: Hirst DG, Robson T Nitric oxide (NO) is now recognised as one of the most important molecules influencing the development, progression and treatment of cancer. A key component of its action is as a negative and positive regulator of apoptosis. Broadly, constitutive levels of NO(nM), are capable of inhibiting numerous signalling pathways in both normal and cancer cells. These include soluble guanylate cyclase, leading to reduced Ca++ signalling, inhibition of caspases and scavenging of reactive oxygen species, all of which promote survival signalling. High concentrations (M-mM) on the other hand, generally promote apoptosis. Pathways involving cGMP, cytochrome c release, mitogen activated kinases, ceramide and poly(ADP)ribose polymerase have all been implicated. The role of p53...

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The role of apoptosis in cancer development and treatment: focusing on the development and treatment of hematologic malignancies.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:18:05 +0100

Authors: Zivny J, Klener P, Pytlik R, Andera L Apoptosis is a normal aspect of human physiology ensuring tissue homeostasis. Evasion of endogenous cell death processes, including apoptosis, represents one of the characteristics of cancer. Defects in the physiological mechanisms of apoptosis contribute to the pathological cell expansion and to the development and progression of cancer. Resistance of malignant cells to cancer therapeutic agents may be, in some cases, caused by dysregulation of apoptotic pathways, e.g. BCL2 or IAP overexpression. The understanding of the physiological mechanisms that control apoptosis and the elucidation of apoptotic defects in cancer cells may lead to the development of targeted cancer therapies. Apoptotic pathways, molecules involved in the cross-talk b...

Recent advances in cancer therapy: an overview.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:18:05 +0100

Authors: Urruticoechea A, Alemany R, Balart J, Villanueva A, Viñals F, Capellá G The landscape of cancer treatment has dramatically changed over the last four decades. The age when surgery and radiotherapy were the only effective way to fight tumour growth has ended. A complex scenario where the molecular features of tumours seem to be the cornerstone of any therapy is now emerging. Here we provide an overview on the different approaches to cancer treatment. This review will help the reader to acknowledge the pivotal role of some classic cancer therapies, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and endocrine therapy, now better understood in the mechanims underpinning their efficacy. Following, we focus on the understanding of the value of systemic treatment and on an up-d...

Targeting a Novel N-terminal Epitope of Death Receptor 5 Triggers Tumor Cell Death [Signal Transduction]

Journal of Biological Chemistry — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:36:07 +0100

In this study, we demonstrate that NTR could mediate DR5 activation that transmits an apoptotic signal when bound to a specific agonistic monoclonal antibody. A novel epitope in the NTR of DR5 was identified by peptide array. Antibodies against the antigenic determinant showed high affinities for DR5 and triggered caspase activation in a time-dependent manner, suggesting the NTR of DR5 might function as a potential death-inducing region. Moreover, permutation analysis showed that Leu6 was pivotal for the interaction of DR5 and the agonistic antibody. Synthetic wild-type epitopes eliminated the cytotoxicity of all three agonistic monoclonal antibodies, AD5-10, Adie-1, and Adie-2. These results indicate that the NTR of DR5 could be a potential target site for the development of new strategie...

Generation of a stable anti-human CD44v6 scFv and analysis of its cancer-targeting ability in vitro

Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:49:15 +0100

Abstract CD44v6 is a cancer-associated antigen that mainly expresses in a subset of adenocarcinomas. Therefore, in this study, anti-human CD44v6 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) has been selected and characterized because it is the first step of primary importance towards the construction of a novel cancer-targeted agent for cancer diagnosis and therapy. In our study, anti-human CD44v6 scFv was selected from a human phage-displayed scFv library based on its ability to bind in vitro to CD44v6 antigen. Subsequently, immunofluorescent staining and Western blot analyses were performed to measure the binding characteristics of this scFv. In addition, flow cytometric analysis was done to verify its cancer-targeting ability in vitro. And a flow cytometry-based assay was used...

Evidence that cervical cancer cells secrete IL-2, which becomes an autocrine growth factor.

Cytokine — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We present evidence that cervical cancer cells express a functional IL-2 receptor (IL-2R). In fact, by RT-PCR we obtained that the IL-2R is present in CALO, and INBL cells, and that it consisted of the alphaIL-2R, betaIL-2R, and gammaIL-2R chains. We also found that IL-2 is a growth factor for these cell lines, and unexpectedly that CALO and INBL themselves being cancer cells produce, and secrete IL-2. Antibodies against the alpha and beta subunits of the IL-2R inhibited cell proliferation thus hinting to a cell growth dependency on this factor. Our results thus provide evidence that the IL-2R on cervical cancer cells is part of an autocrine mechanism for its growth to the extent that, like lymphocytes, they produce and become partially dependent on this growth factor. We think that in vie...

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Hypoxia-activated prodrugs in cancer therapy: progress to the clinic

Future Oncology — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:06:24 +0100

Future Oncology , March 2010, Vol. 6, No. 3, Pages 419-428. (Source: Future Oncology)

Nanoshells for Photothermal Cancer Therapy

Springer protocols feed by Cancer Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:51:55 +0100

Cancer is a leading cause of death in the United States and contributes to yearly rising health care costs. Current methods of treating cancer involve surgical removal of easily accessible tumors, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. These methods do not always result in full treatment of the cancer and can in many cases damage healthy cells both surrounding the tissue area and systemically. Nanoshells are optically tunable core/shell nanoparticles that can be fabricated to strongly absorb in the near-infrared (NIR) region where light transmits deeply into tissue. When injected systemically, these particles have been shown to accumulate in the tumor due to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and induce photothermal ablation of the tumor when irradiated with an NIR laser. T...

Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) Effect for Anticancer Nanomedicine Drug Targeting

Springer protocols feed by Cancer Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:51:54 +0100

Effective cancer therapy remains one of the most challenging tasks to the scientific community, with little advancement on overall cancer survival landscape during the last two decades. A major limitation inherent to most conventional anticancer chemotherapeutic agents is their lack of tumor selectivity. One way to achieve selective drug targeting to solid tumors is to exploit abnormalities of tumor vasculature, namely hypervascularization, aberrant vascular architecture, extensive production of vascular permeability factors stimulating extravasation within tumor tissues, and lack of lymphatic drainage. Due to their large size, nano-sized macromolecular anticancer drugs administered intravenously (i.v.) escape renal clearance. Being unable to penetrate through tight endothelial junctions o...

Preparation and Characterization of Doxorubicin Liposomes

Springer protocols feed by Cancer Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:51:53 +0100

During nanoparticle system in drug delivery, liposomes were perhaps the best characterized and one of the first to be developed. Stealth liposomes (SLs), containing polyethylene glycol-conjugated lipid, which can form a hydro-layer around liposomes bilayer, have a long circulation time and hence result in enhanced drug efficiency. Doxorubicin (DOX), an effective anticancer drug, can be loaded into liposomes by transmembrane pH gradient method to get high encapsulation efficiency with high drug/lipid ratio. Liposomal doxorubicin is a successful clinical formulation, and also a perfect model drug system for cancer-therapy research. Here we described the preparation of SLs via extrusion, DOX loading by transmembrane pH gradient method, and characterization analysis, including phospholipid con...

What Is Cancer Nanotechnology?

Springer protocols feed by Cancer Research — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:51:53 +0100

Cancer nanotechnology has the potential to dramatically improve current approaches to cancer detection, diagnosis, imaging, and therapy while reducing toxicity associated with traditional cancer therapy (1, 2). In this overview, we will define cancer nanotechnology, consider issues related to application of nanotechnology for cancer imaging and therapy, and broadly consider implications for continued development in nanotechnology for the future of clinical cancer care. These considerations will place in perspective the methodological approaches in cancer nanotechnology and subject reviews outlined in this volume. (Source: Springer protocols feed by Cancer Research)

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Tumor Initiation in Human Malignant Melanoma and Potential Cancer Therapies

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:49:34 +0100

(Source: Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents))

Liver Cancer Stem Cells as an Important Target in Liver Cancer Therapies

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:49:34 +0100

(Source: Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents))

Berkeley scientists find new way to get physical in the fight against cancer

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) Berkeley Lab researchers have shown that the biochemical activity of a key player in cancer metastasis can be altered by the application of a direct physical force. This new way in which cells can sense and respond to physical forces presents a new road for future cancer therapies (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Systematic reviews and guidelines for oral complications of cancer therapies: current challenges and future opportunities

Supportive Care in Cancer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:41:17 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticleCategory EditorialDOI 10.1007/s00520-010-0855-4Authors Michael T. Brennan, Carolinas Medical Center Department of Oral Medicine P.O. Box 32861 Charlotte NC 28203 USAFred K. L. Spijkervet, University of Groningen Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen P.O. Box 30.001 Groningen 9700 RB The NetherlandsLinda S. Elting, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Department of Biostatistics 1515 Holcombe Blvd Houston TX 77030 USA Journal Supportive Care in CancerOnline ISSN 1433-7339Print ISSN 0941-4355 (Source: Supportive Care in Cancer)

Characteristics of patients with brain metastases from lung cancer in a palliative care center

Supportive Care in Cancer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:41:15 +0100

Conclusion Optimization of the quality of life in its final stages requires efficient palliative care, which involves considerable psychological, sociological, technical, and financial burdens. Palliative management of brain metastases requires a multidisciplinary approach performed by a well-trained neuro-oncology team, and it is important to avoid any treatment that is harmful or has a poor toxicity/efficacy ratio to avoid inappropriate prolongation of dying. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00520-010-0838-5Authors Ryuya Yamanaka, Kurume University Research Center for Innovative Cancer Therapy, School of Medicine 67 Asahimachi Kurume Fukuoka 830-0011 JapanHatsuyo Koga, Kurume University Palliative Care Center, School of Medicine K...

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Editorial [ Hot Topic:Recent Concepts on Cancer- and Metastasis-Initiating Cells and Their Therapeutic Implications in the Development of Novel Effective Cancer Therapies(Guest Editors: M. Mimeault and S.K. Batra) ]

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:22:29 +0100

This article is currently available as a free download on IngentaConnect (Source: Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Formerly Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents))

Oncolytic herpes simplex virus armed with xenogeneic homologue of prostatic acid phosphatase enhances antitumor efficacy in prostate cancer

Gene Therapy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: P Castelo-Branco, B J Passer, J S Buhrman, S Antoszczyk, M Marinelli, C Zaupa, S D Rabkin & R L Martuza (Source: Gene Therapy)

Synthetic Lethality: A New Way To Kill Cancer Cells

Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Ovarian and breast cancer therapies being developed that mix a protein inhibitor and traditional anticancer drugs are showing signs of success, according to a new review for Faculty of 1000 Biology Reports. (Source: Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer)

Studies Conducted At Magna Graecia University On Head And Neck Cancer Therapy Recently Published

Cancercompass News: Other Cancer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Investigators publish new data in the report 'Multiple head and neck tumours and their genetic relationship.' Second primary tumours represent one of the major causes of failure in the treatment of head and neck cancer. Advances in early diagnosis and treatment have improved the patient's disease-specific survival, investigators in Italy report. (Source: Cancercompass News: Other Cancer)

Scientists At Institute Of Bioengineering And Nanotechnology Report Research In Cancer Gene Therapy

Cancercompass News: Other Cancer — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A new study, 'Combinatorial control of suicide gene expression by tissue-specific promoter and microRNA regulation for cancer therapy,' is now available. Transcriptional targeting using a tissue-specific cellular promoter is proving to be a powerful means for restricting transgene expression in targeted tissues. (Source: Cancercompass News: Other Cancer)

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Management of Skin Toxicities of Anti-EGFR Agents in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer and Other GI Tumors by Using Electronic Communication: Effective and Convenient.

JOP — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:50:03 +0100

Authors: Saif MW, Kaley K, Lamb L, Pecerillo J, Hotchkiss S, Steven L, Brennan M, Penney R, Gillespie C, Shaib W Erlotinib has been FDA approved to be used in combination with gemcitabine as the first line treatment in advanced pancreatic cancer patients. Skin rash has been documented as one of the commonest adverse reactions in patients receiving erlotinib and other EGFR inhibitors. Draw back to this reaction leads to: 1) drug discontinuation or dose reduction; 2) impairs quality of life; and 3) Puts patients at risk of superinfection. Monitoring patients closely and initiating immediate skin care is recommended. However, patients forget how the rash started and when. No standard treatments exist secondary to the diversity of symptoms, variability and intermittent occurrence in relati...

A systematic review of trismus induced by cancer therapies in head and neck cancer patients

Supportive Care in Cancer — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:02:20 +0100

Conclusions Newer radiation modalities may decrease the prevalence of trismus compared to conventional radiotherapy. Few studies have addressed the quality of life impact of trismus, and no studies were identified to assess the economic impact of trismus. The few preventive and management trials identified in the literature showed some promise, although larger, well-designed studies are required to appropriately assess these therapies before recommendations can be provided. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Review ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00520-010-0847-4Authors Rene-Jean Bensadoun, CHU de Poitiers Radiotherapy Department, Pôle Régional de Cancérologie 2 rue de la Milétrie, BP 577 86021 Poitiers Cedex 9 FranceDorothea Riesenbeck, Wildermannstr. 21 45659 Recklingh...

Topoisomerase 2 Alpha and the Case for Individualized Breast Cancer Therapy

Annals of Surgical Oncology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:00:56 +0100

Conclusions It seems increasingly likely that response to anthracyclines is predicated on these alterations. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Breast OncologyDOI 10.1245/s10434-009-0855-0Authors Ronan W. Glynn, National University of Ireland, Galway, Clinical Science Institute Department of Surgery Costello Road Galway IrelandNicola Miller, National University of Ireland, Galway, Clinical Science Institute Department of Surgery Costello Road Galway IrelandMaria C. Whelan, National University of Ireland, Galway, Clinical Science Institute Department of Surgery Costello Road Galway IrelandMichael J. Kerin, National University of Ireland, Galway, Clinical Science Institute Department of Surgery Costello Road Galway Ireland Journal Annals of Surgical OncologyOnlin...

Multimodal treatment options for bilobar colorectal liver metastases

Langenbeck's Archives of Surgery — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:23:32 +0100

Conclusion Extensive liver resection within multimodal treatment concepts is justified in patients with biCRC-LM when complete resection of all metastases seems to be achievable. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00423-010-0604-7Authors Kia Homayounfar, University Medical Centre, Georg-August University Goettingen Department of General and Visceral Surgery Robert-Koch-Strasse 40 37073 Goettingen GermanyTorsten Liersch, University Medical Centre, Georg-August University Goettingen Department of General and Visceral Surgery Robert-Koch-Strasse 40 37073 Goettingen GermanyMartin Niessner, University Medical Centre, Georg-August University Goettingen Department of General and Visceral Surgery Robert-Koch-Strasse 40 37073 Goettingen GermanyJ...

Microarray analysis of suppression subtracted hybridisation libraries identifies genes associated with breast cancer progression.

Cellular Oncology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:06:02 +0100

Conclusions: The combination of subtracted cDNA libraries and microarray analysis has thus identified potential diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and targets for cancer therapy, which have not been identified from common prognostic gene signatures. PMID: 20208137 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Cellular Oncology)

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Building on dendritic cell subsets to improve cancer vaccines.

Current Opinion in Immunology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Palucka K, Ueno H, Zurawski G, Fay J, Banchereau J T cells can reject established tumors when adoptively transferred into patients, thereby demonstrating that the immune system can be harnessed for cancer therapy. However, such passive immunotherapy is unlikely to maintain memory T cells that might control tumor outgrowth on the long term. Active immunotherapy with vaccines has the potential to induce tumor-specific effector and memory T cells. Vaccines act through dendritic cells (DCs) which induce, regulate, and maintain T cell immunity. Clinical trials testing first generation DC vaccines pulsed with tumor antigens provided a proof-of-principle that therapeutic immunity can be elicited. The increased knowledge of the DC system, including the existence of distinct DC subsets...

Virus eyed as new treatment for prostate cancer

CTV Health — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:50:28 +0100

Canadian researchers are working on a fascinating new way to treat prostate cancer using viruses. And while it's still early days, they say their research opens the door to more effective cancer therapies. (Source: CTV Health)

Join the Society's 'Late effects of cancer therapy' SIG and receive regular news updates

Society for Endocrinology — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:00:00 +0100

Members who have registered their interest with 5 of the Society's Special Interest Groups (SIGs: Obesity, Bone and Mineral, Andrology, Endocrine disruptors and Steroids) already receive regular emails alerting them to news stories on these topics. These stories are sent up to 2-3 times per week, with the option of opting out at any time. We will be introducing this service to members of the Late effects of cancer therapy SIG and in time, extending this service to the remaining 3 SIGs: Laboratory Aspects of Clinical Endocrinology (LACE)*, PCOS and Metabolic Syndrome, and Pituitary. If you are interested in receiving regular news alerts, sign up to a Society SIG here. We'd also like to take this opportunity to remind you to update your preferences and details in the members' section of the ...

Prostate Cancer Therapy Correlates To Specialist Seen

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

New research published in today's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (Vol. 170, No. 5), by an investigator at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and colleagues at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, shows that the type of specialist that men with localized prostate cancer see can influence the form of therapy they ultimately receive... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Prostate Cancer Therapy Correlates To Specialist Seen

Radiology / Nuclear Medicine News From Medical News Today — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

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Validation of the FACT-Gastric cancer quality of life questionnaire for use in Spanish-speaking countries

Psycho-Oncology — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The universal Spanish FACT-Ga demonstrates content and linguistic validity, and is conceptually equivalent to its English source. It is a promising tool for use in evaluating the health-related quality of life for Spanish-speaking patients with gastrointestinal-related cancers, given more research regarding universally derived reliability and validity statistics. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: Psycho-Oncology)

Metformin: A Therapeutic Opportunity in Breast Cancer.

Clinical Cancer Research — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Gonzalez-Angulo AM, Meric-Bernstam F Two important, related pathways are involved in cancer growth: the insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) signaling pathway, which is activated when nutrients are available, and the adenosine mono-phosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, activated when cells are starved for carbohydrates. Metformin inhibits transcription of key gluconeogenesis genes in the liver, increases glucose uptake in skeletal muscle, and decreases circulating insulin levels. Metformin reduces levels of circulating glucose, increases insulin sensitivity, and reduces insulin resistance-associated hyperinsulinemia. At the level of cell signaling, metformin activates AMPK. There are extensive preclinical data showing the anticancer effects of metformin in ...

An Overview of the Optimal Planning, Design, and Conduct of Phase I Studies of New Therapeutics.

Clinical Cancer Research — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Lorusso PM, Boerner SA, Seymour L Phase I clinical trials represent the first step in bringing promising new treatments from the laboratory to the clinic. Although the importance of phase I clinical trials is widely recognized, there is currently no consensus among the scientific, medical, and statistical communities on how best to do these studies in humans. With the advent of targeted therapies, it has become evident that we need to tailor the design of phase I studies for the particular drug class under investigation and any endpoints that are being defined. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Investigational Drug Steering Committee (IDSC) provides broad external scientific and clinical input on the design and prioritization of early-phase clinical trials with agents for wh...

Optimized St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) Germplasm Lines Exert Cytotoxicity in HT-29 Colon Cancer Cells via Downregulation of NF-κB

Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:55:35 +0100

Extracts of two germplasm lines of St. John's wort (SJW; Hypericum perforatum L.) selected for enhanced hypericin and hyperforin content were evaluated for potential activity against colon cancer. Bioactivity was assessed in signaling pathways of tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α) and nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB) in HT-29 colon cancer cells. Both extracts and the hypericin standard significantly inhibited growth of HT-29 cells. Levels of active NF-κB were reduced in cells treated with either of the plant extracts or hypericin, but the purified hyperforin standard was comparatively ineffective. The combination of TNF-α and SJW treatments had significantly higher cytotoxic effects, and reduced the expression of NF-κB, inhibitor of NF-κBs (IκBa), IκB kinase b (IKKb), and TNF ...

Targeting mitochondria for cancer therapy

Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Several recent insights into the roles of mitochondria in cancer have renewed efforts to develop nongenotoxic therapies targeting mitochondrial proteins and functions. Mitochondria are central hubs for intrinsic apoptotic pathways that are activated by cellular stress and injury, and as a consequence, cancers often have defects in these pathways. Bcl-2, the first identified regulator of apoptotic cell deaths, was discovered as an oncogene in human cancers. BCL-2 inhibits mitochondrial pathways of apoptosis through local effects at mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum membranes. Increased expression of BCL-2 and the related antiapoptotic proteins BCL-XL, MCL-1, and BCL-W occurs in significant subsets of common cancer types (Table I) and is generally correlated with poor response. Althoug...

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Shell-Sheddable Micelles Based on Dextran-SS-Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) Diblock Copolymer for Efficient Intracellular Release of Doxorubicin.

Biomacromolecules — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Sun H, Guo B, Li X, Cheng R, Meng F, Liu H, Zhong Z Reduction-responsive biodegradable micelles were developed from disulfide-linked dextran-b-poly(epsilon-caprolactone) diblock copolymer (Dex-SS-PCL) and applied for triggered release of doxorubicin (DOX) in vitro and inside cells. Dex-SS-PCL was readily synthesized by thiol-disulfide exchange reaction between dextran orthopyridyl disulfide (Dex-SS-py, 6000 Da) and mercapto PCL (PCL-SH, 3100 Da). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements showed that Dex-SS-PCL yielded micelles with an average size of about 60 nm and a low polydispersity index (PDI 0.1-0.2) in PB (50 mM, pH 7.4). Interestingly, these micelles formed large aggregates rapidly in response to 10 mM dithiothreitol (DTT), most likely due to shedding of the dextran ...

Allyl sulfur compounds and cellular detoxification system: effects and perspectives in cancer therapy.

Amino Acids — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Melino S, Sabelli R, Paci M Natural organosulfur compounds (OSCs) have been shown to have chemopreventive effects and to suppress the proliferation of tumor cells in vitro through the induction of apoptosis. The biochemical mechanisms underlying the antitumorigenic and anti-proliferative effects of garlic-derived OSCs are not fully understood. Several modes of action of these compounds have been proposed, and it seems likely that the rate of clearance of allyl sulfur groups from cells is a determinant of the overall response. The aim of this review is to focus attention on the effects of natural allyl sulfur compounds on the cell detoxification system in normal and tumor cells. It has been already reported that several natural allyl sulfur compounds induce chemopreventive effe...

A novel yeast cell-based screen identifies flavone as a tankyrase inhibitor.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Yashiroda Y, Okamoto R, Hatsugai K, Takemoto Y, Goshima N, Saito T, Hamamoto M, Sugimoto Y, Osada H, Seimiya H, Yoshida M The telomere-associated protein tankyrase 1 is a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and is considered to be a promising target for cancer therapy, especially for BRCA-associated cancers. However, an efficient assay system for inhibitor screening has not been established, mainly due to the difficulty of efficient preparation of the enzyme and its substrate. Here, we report a cell-based assay system for detecting inhibitory activity against tankyrase 1. We found that overexpression of the human tankyrase 1 gene causes a growth defect in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Chemicals that restore the growth defect phenotype can be identified as potential tank...

Acupuncture eases breast cancer therapy

Health News - UPI.com — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:31:08 +0100

NEW YORK, March 5 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say acupuncture may relieve joint pain often accompanying breast cancer treatment. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

Lancet: New rectal cancer treatment yields promising outcomes

Health Imaging News — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:05:42 +0100

For patients with high-risk, potentially operable rectal cancer, therapy with preoperative chemotherapy prior to standard chemoradiation and surgical resection is a reasonable treatment with acceptable safety and promising long-term outcomes, based on a study published in the March issue of the Lancet Oncology. (Source: Health Imaging News)

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Lancet: New rectal cancer treatment yields promising outcomes

Health Imaging News — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:05:42 +0100

Data On Breast Cancer Therapy Discussed By Researchers At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Current study results from the report, 'Inflammatory breast cancer: novel preoperative therapies,' have been published. According to recent research from the United States, The treatment of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) has been hampered by the diagnostic rarity of the disease and its consequent inclusion in clinical trials of preoperative treatment for the more indolent locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). (Source: Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer)

Exploiting the balance between life and death: targeted cancer therapy and "oncogenic shock"

Biochemical Pharmacology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Sharma SV, Settleman J Rational approaches to targeted cancer therapy have begun to predominate the pipelines of oncology drug development. Our rapidly increasing understanding of the "wiring" of tumor cells and the vulnerabilities of such cells that can potentially be exploited through targeted treatments has opened up enormous opportunities for improved therapies. Accumulating evidence suggests that many of these vulnerabilities reflect states of dependency or "addiction" that are unique to cancer cells (versus normal cells). Such addiction can arise due to a strict dependency on a single activated oncogene, a cell lineage-specific factor, or even to a non-oncogene, and identifying these "Achilles' heels" within individual tumors remains an important challenge to the develop...

Striking the Target in Wnt-y Conditions: Intervening in Wnt Signaling During Cancer Progression.

Biochemical Pharmacology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Camilli TC, Weeraratna AT Wnt signaling can be divided into three pathways, namely the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, and the non-canonical (or heretical) Wnt/Ca(2+) and planar cell polarity (PCP) pathways. Although the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is the best described in cancer, increasing data points to the importance of the heretical Wnt pathways in several aspects of tumor progression. The recent advances in understanding the players and mechanisms by which these Wnt pathways contribute to cancer progression have led to the identification of numerous molecules that are already, or could be considered, targets for cancer therapy. PMID: 20211149 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biochemical Pharmacology)

Introduction to the Biochemical Pharmacology Special Issue on Targeted Cancer Therapy.

Biochemical Pharmacology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Smalley K PMID: 20211148 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biochemical Pharmacology)

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The antitumor effect of PLK1 and HSF1 double knockdown on human oral carcinoma cells.

International Journal of Oncology — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:59:14 +0100

Authors: Kim SA, Kwon SM, Yoon JH, Ahn SG High levels of mitotic progression-associated PLK1 and stress-associated HSF1 have been observed in various human cancers. In the present study, we investigated the effects of PLK1 and HSF1 knockdown on the proliferation of oral cancer cells using small interfering RNA. In human oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) tissues, the levels of PLK1 and HSF1 were higher compared to normal tissues. The expression levels of PLK1 and HSF1 were also elevated in the human oral SCC cell lines FaDu and HEp-2. Disruption of PLK1 induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase as well as apoptosis in oral cancer cells. Interestingly, knockdown of both PLK1 and HSF1 expression decreased cell proliferation while increasing apoptotic cell death in synergistic fashion. Thes...

Synergistic antineoplastic effect of DLC1 tumor suppressor protein and histone deacetylase inhibitor, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), on prostate and liver cancer cells: Perspectives for therapeutics.

International Journal of Oncology — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:58:20 +0100

Authors: Zhou X, Yang XY, Popescu NC Inactivation of tumor suppressor genes is a major contributing alteration in the initiation or progression of cancer. The human tumor suppressor gene DLC1 (deleted in liver cancer 1) is frequently downregulated or silenced in multiple cancers, predominantly by epigenetic mechanisms. With the current considerable interest and progress in epigenetic therapy, a number of promising antineoplastic agents, particularly histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, have been developed and used successfully in clinical trials. Both DLC1 and HDAC inhibitors exert antineoplastic functions, and their combined action could be exploited for a more effective cancer therapy. To evaluate the potential benefits of this approach, we examined the antineoplastic effects of ad...

U.K. researchers seek to design high-sensitivity SPECT camera

Health Imaging News — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:52:59 +0100

Project ProSPECTus is attempting to develop a new technology for next-generation SPECT imaging which will shorten imaging time, lower radiation doses, improve future diagnosis of cancer and the probability of successful cancer therapy while enabling a higher throughput of patients in hospitals. (Source: Health Imaging News)

U.K. researchers seek to design high-sensitivity SPECT camera

Health Imaging News — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:52:59 +0100

Prostate cancer therapy can increase risk of heart disease and death

NaturalNews.com — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) A new report published in the American Cancer Society journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and in the American Heart Association journal, Circulation, reveals that androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), a type of prostate cancer treatment, can increase heart risk factors and possibly lead to heart attack or cardiac death.A writing group of experts from the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Urological Association, and the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology published their findings that indicate that ADT leads to increased fat mass, increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad" form of cholesterol, and blood sugar abnormalities.The goal of ADT is to reduce male hormonal levels in order to decrease t...

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RANK Ligand: Effects of Inhibition

Current Oncology Reports — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:07:58 +0100

This article reviews the latest evidence of RANKL inhibition and its clinical implications. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11912-010-0088-1Authors Saby George, University of Texas Health Sciences Center Cancer Therapy and Research Center Zeller 4th Floor, 7979 Wurzbach Road San Antonio TX 78229 USAAndrew Brenner, University of Texas Health Sciences Center Cancer Therapy and Research Center Zeller 4th Floor, 7979 Wurzbach Road San Antonio TX 78229 USAJohn Sarantopoulos, University of Texas Health Sciences Center Cancer Therapy and Research Center Zeller 4th Floor, 7979 Wurzbach Road San Antonio TX 78229 USARonald M. Bukowski, University of Texas Health Sciences Center Cancer Therapy and Research Center Zeller 4th Floor, 7979 Wurzbach Road San Antonio TX 78229 USA Jou...

Stat5 is indispensable for the maintenance of bcr/abl-positive leukaemia

EMBO Molecular Medicine — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Tumourigenesis caused by the Bcr/Abl oncoprotein is a multi-step process proceeding from initial to tumour-maintaining events and finally results in a complex tumour-supporting network. A key to successful cancer therapy is the identification of critical functional nodes in an oncogenic network required for disease maintenance. So far, the transcription factors Stat3 and Stat5a/b have been implicated in bcr/abl-induced initial transformation. However, to qualify as a potential drug target, a signalling pathway must be required for the maintenance of the leukaemic state. Data on the roles of Stat3 or Stat5a/b in leukaemia maintenance are elusive. Here, we show that both, Stat3 and Stat5 are necessary for initial transformation. However, Stat5- but not Stat3-deletion induces G0/G1 cell cycle...

Effects of Surgical and Adjuvant Therapies for Breast Cancer on Sexuality, Cognitive Functions, and Body Weight

The Journal of Sexual Medicine — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions. Young women undergoing adjuvant breast cancer therapy experience a heavy impairment in important quality of life domains as sexuality and targeted support interventions are needed. Biglia N, Moggio G, Peano E, Sgandurra P, Ponzone R, Nappi RE, and Sismondi P. Effects of surgical and adjuvant therapies for breast cancer on sexuality, cognitive functions and body weight. J Sex Med **;**:**[ndash]**. (Source: The Journal of Sexual Medicine)

Circulating Nucleic Acids as a Potential Source for Cancer Biomarkers.

Current Molecular Medicine — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Vlassov VV, Laktionov PP, Rykova EY Since the association of circulating DNA level changes with tumor growth was discovered many attempts have been made to develop the sensitive and robust blood-based tests for early tumor diagnostics. Both genomic as well as mitochondrial DNA quantification in the circulation have been extensively evaluated as a diagnostic and prognostic tool to monitor cancer therapy. Cell-free DNA bearing the same genetic and epigenetic changes as the tumor tissues were shown to be detectable in plasma / serum of cancer patients indicating the principal possibility to create the minimally invasive diagnostic tests based on tumor-specific DNA markers. Apart from circulating DNA, tumor-derived RNA in plasma / serum was found to be a promising approach for the...

Prostate cancer cell death produced by the co-delivery of Bcl-xL shRNA and doxorubicin using an aptamer-conjugated polyplex.

Biomaterials — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Kim E, Jung Y, Choi H, Yang J, Suh JS, Huh YM, Kim K, Haam S We investigated the synergism between shRNAs against Bcl-xL and doxorubicin (DOX) using aptamer-conjugated polyplexes (APs) in combination cancer therapy. Synergistic and selective cancer cell death was achieved by AP-mediated co-delivery of very small amounts of DOX and Bcl-xL-specific shRNA, which simultaneously activated an intrinsic apoptotic pathway. A branched polyethyleneimine (PEI) was grafted to polyethylene glycol (PEI-PEG) to serve as a vehicle for shRNA delivery, and its surface was further conjugated with an anti-PSMA aptamer (APT) for the selective delivery of APs to prostate cancer cells that express prostate-specific membrane antigens (PSMA) on their cell surface. The APs were finally obtained after i...

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Humanized Gene Replacement in Mice Reveals the Contribution of Cancer Stroma-Derived HB-EGF to Tumor Growth.

Cell Structure and Function — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:38:02 +0100

Authors: Ichise T, Adachi S, Ohishi M, Ikawa M, Okabe M, Iwamoto R, Mekada E Tumor progression is a complex process that involves the interaction of cancer cells with the cancer-surrounding stromal cells. The cancer stroma influences the cancer cell growth and metastatic potential. The EGF family growth factor HB-EGF is synthesized in cancer cells and plays pivotal roles in oncogenic transformation and tumor progression, but the contribution of HB-EGF expressed in tumor stromal cells to tumor growth remains unclear. In the present study, we found that HB-EGF was expressed in host-derived cancer stromal cells in xenograft and allograft mouse tumor models. CRM197 is a specific inhibitor of human HB-EGF that has no effect on mouse HB-EGF. To elucidate whether host-derived stromal HB-EGF c...

Cancer Therapies Utilizing the Camptothecins: A Review of the in Vivo Literature

Molecular Pharmaceutics — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:25:16 +0100

Molecular Pharmaceutics, Volume 0, Issue 0, Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable). (Source: Molecular Pharmaceutics)

A novel type of cellular senescence that can be enhanced in mouse models and human tumor xenografts to suppress prostate tumorigenesis

Journal of Clinical Investigation — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:25:43 +0100

Irreversible cell growth arrest, a process termed cellular senescence, is emerging as an intrinsic tumor suppressive mechanism. Oncogene-induced senescence is thought to be invariably preceded by hyperproliferation, aberrant replication, and activation of a DNA damage checkpoint response (DDR), rendering therapeutic enhancement of this process unsuitable for cancer treatment. We previously demonstrated in a mouse model of prostate cancer that inactivation of the tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (Pten) elicits a senescence response that opposes tumorigenesis. Here, we show that Pten-loss–induced cellular senescence (PICS) represents a senescence response that is distinct from oncogene-induced senescence and can be targeted for cancer therapy. ...

Circulating tumor cells as a surrogate marker for determining response to chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer

Cancer Science — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study investigates the hypothesis that CTCs can predict clinical outcomes in patients with AGC. From November 2007 to June 2009, 52 patients with AGC were enrolled into a prospective study. The chemotherapy regimen was an S-1-based regimen (S-1 with or without cisplatin) or paclitaxel. CTCs of whole blood at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks after initiation of chemotherapy, were isolated and enumerated using immunomagnetics. Patients with [ge]4 CTCs at 2-week points and 4-week points had a shorter median progression-free survival (PFS) (1.4, 1.4 months, respectively) than those with the median PFS of (Source: Cancer Science)

Targeting and processing of site-specific DNA interstrand crosslinks

Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) are among the most cytotoxic types of DNA damage, and thus ICL-inducing agents such as cyclophosphamide, melphalan, cisplatin, psoralen, and mitomycin C have been used clinically as anticancer drugs for decades. ICLs can also be formed endogenously as a consequence of cellular metabolic processes. ICL-inducing agents continue to be among the most effective chemotherapeutic treatments for many cancers; however, treatment with these agents can lead to secondary malignancies, in part due to mutagenic processing of the DNA lesions. The mechanisms of ICL repair have been characterized more thoroughly in bacteria and yeast than in mammalian cells. Thus, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ICL processing offers the potential to improve the effic...

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CNK1 Promotes Invasion of Cancer Cells through NF-{kappa}B-Dependent Signaling.

Cell Research — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Fritz RD, Radziwill G Hallmarks of cancer cells are uncontrolled proliferation, evasion of apoptosis, angiogenesis, cell invasion, and metastasis, which are driven by oncogenic activation of signaling pathways. Herein, we identify the scaffold protein CNK1 as a mediator of oncogenic signaling that promotes invasion in human breast cancer and cervical cancer cells. Downregulation of CNK1 diminishes the invasiveness of cancer cells and correlates with reduced expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and membrane-type 1 MMP (MT1-MMP). Ectopic expression of CNK1 elevates MT1-MMP promoter activity in a NF-kappaB-dependent manner. Moreover, CNK1 cooperates with the NF-kappaB pathway, but not with the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase pathway, to promote cell inva...

Differences in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Survival Between Young Adults and Children [Article]

Archives of Pediatrics — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:50:48 +0100

Conclusions Being a young adult at diagnosis and having a higher stage of disease at diagnosis were associated with higher risk of death from NHL. Increasing survival with NHL is dependent on receiving appropriate cancer therapy. Therefore, efforts to address survival should include improving enrollment in clinical trials as well as increasing access to care. (Source: Archives of Pediatrics)

Restless legs syndrome and its relationship with anxiety, depression, and quality of life in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

Quality of Life Research — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:12:06 +0100

Conclusions The prevalence of RLS in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy is 18.3%, about double of that expected in the general population. The occurrence of RLS is much more frequent in female patients and with longer-term chemotherapy. Cancer patients afflicted by RLS have significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression, and poorer quality of life especially in the physical well-being dimension. Recognition and treatment of RLS in cancer patients is an important target in clinical management and may improve quality of life and overall health outcomes in these patients. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11136-010-9614-8Authors Luca Ostacoli, University of Torino, San Luigi Hospital Mental Health Orbassano ItalyAndrea Saini, University of Torino, ...

Anticancer drugs: Actively targeting mTOR

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:48:42 +0100

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 9, 193 (2010). doi:10.1038/nrd3118 Author: Charlotte Harrison Many tumour cells carry mutations that increase signalling through the PI3K–AKT–mTOR (phosphoinositide 3-kinase–AKT–mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway. Although rapamycin (also known as sirolimus), which suppresses the kinase activity of mTOR through an allosteric mechanism, is used in cancer therapy it does not fully inhibit either (Source: Nature Reviews Drug Discovery)

Targeted therapies: Thalidomide in lung cancer therapy—what have we learned?

Nature Clinical Practice Oncology — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:47:20 +0100

Targeted therapies: Thalidomide in lung cancer therapy—what have we learned? Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology 7, 134 (2010). doi:10.1038/nrclinonc.2010.11 Authors: Martin Reck & Ulrich Gatzemeier Disappointing phase III results for thalidomide combined with gemcitabine and carboplatin in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer might be related to poor efficacy of targeted therapies in unselected patients. We argue that current trial designs are flawed because they expose large numbers of such patients to potentially harmful treatment, and suggest that future research strategies should prioritize identification of predictive markers. (Source: Nature Clinical Practice Oncology)

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Improved Cancer Therapy and Molecular Imaging with Multivalent, Multispecific Antibodies

Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:56:05 +0100

Cancer Biotherapy & Radiopharmaceuticals Feb 2010, Vol. 25, No. 1: 1-12. (Source: Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals)

ASTRO: Larynx Function After Cancer Therapy Examined

Modern Medicine — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Patients with head or neck cancer who undergo induction chemotherapy followed by radiation in a treatment approach to preserve the larynx have a low risk of subsequent severe voice disability, according to a study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, held from Feb. 25 to 27 in Chandler, Ariz., sponsored by the American Head and Neck Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, and the Society of Nuclear Medicine. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Biology of Aurora A kinase: Implications in cancer manifestation and therapy.

Cell Research — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Karthigeyan D, Prasad SB, Shandilya J, Agrawal S, Kundu TK The Aurora A kinase belongs to serine/threonine group of kinases, well known for its role in cell cycle, especially in the regulation of mitosis. Numerous substrates of Aurora A kinase have been identified, which are predominantly related to cell cycle progression while some of them are transcription factors. Aurora A-mediated phosphorylation can either directly or indirectly regulate the function of its substrates. There are overwhelming evidences which report overexpression and gene amplification of Aurora A in several human cancers, and suggest that Aurora A could be a bona fide oncogene involved in tumorigenesis. Hence, Aurora A plays wide-ranging roles in both mitosis and its deregulation manifests in cancer progr...

New directions in cancer therapy - HDAC inhibitors

Future Prescriber — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The HDACis (histone deacetylation inhibitors) are an active class of drugs that have been used to treat a wide variety of tumours including breast cancer, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, thyroid cancer and Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. One HDAC, vorinostat, has been licensed by the FDA, but more work is needed to identify and delineate the histone and nonhistone targets of these agents. In this article, Dr Steve Schey considers the place of HDACis in future cancer therapy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: Future Prescriber)

Single- vs. Multiple-Item Instruments in the Assessment of Quality of Life in Patients with Advanced Cancer

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract: Although multidimensional instruments are usually used to measure quality of life in advanced cancer patients, recent research suggests that single-item assessments can provide a reliable measure. Using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) instrument as a gold standard, we assessed the performance of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System “feeling of well-being” (ESAS WB) item. We reviewed the data from 213 patients enrolled in six clinical trials. We determined the association between baseline ESAS WB and FACT-G total and subscale domain scores (Physical Well-being [PWB], Social/Family Well-being [SWB], Emotional Well-being [EWB], and Functional Well-being [FWB]. We also calculated the association between baseline (T1) and second (T2) observations of ...

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Enhanced Resistance to Tamoxifen by the c-ABL Proto-oncogene in Breast Cancer.

Neoplasia — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study shows that c-ABL regulates the cellular response to TAM through functional interaction with the estrogen receptor, which suggests c-ABL as a therapeutic target and a prognostic tumor marker for breast cancer. PMID: 20234815 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Neoplasia)

Anticancer Role of PPARγ Agonists in Hematological Malignancies Found in the Vasculature, Marrow, and Eyes

PPAR Research — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:02:30 +0100

The use of targeted cancer therapies in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic agents and/or radiation treatment has increased overall survival of cancer patients. However, longer survival is accompanied by increased incidence of comorbidities due, in part, to drug side effects and toxicities. It is well accepted that inflammation and tumorigenesis are linked. Because peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ agonists are potent mediators of anti-inflammatory responses, it was a logical extension to examine the role of PPARγ agonists in the treatment and prevention of cancer. This paper has two objectives: first to highlight the potential uses for PPARγ agonists in anticancer therapy with special emphasis on their role when used as adjuvant or combine...

Establishment of a novel monoclonal antibody against LGR5.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Sasaki Y, Kosaka H, Usami K, Toki H, Kawai H, Shiraishi N, Ota T, Nakamura K, Furuya A, Sato M, Hasegawa K, Masuda K LGR5 is an orphan G-Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPCR) that is expressed on the cell surface membrane. LGR5 is reported to be overexpressed in colon, liver, and ovary tumor compared to normal tissue. However, a specific ligand for LGR5 has not yet been determined, and the function is still not clear. An LGR5-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) is needed as a tool for detection and analysis of LGR5 biological function and cancer therapy. To date, no mAb against LGR5 that retains high affinity and specificity has been reported. Here we report successful establishment and characterization of a mAb (KM4056) that specifically recognizes the extracellular N-terminal domai...

Stem cells of the breast and cancer therapy

Future Medicine: Women's Health — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:40:01 +0100

Women's Health , March 2010, Vol. 6, No. 2, Pages 205-219. (Source: Future Medicine: Women's Health)

Inhibition of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System by Natural Products for Cancer Therapy

Planta Medica — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:08:41 +0100

Planta MedDOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1240901AbstractThe ubiquitin-proteasome system plays a critical role in selective protein degradation and regulates almost all cellular events such as cell cycle progression, signal transduction, cell death, immune responses, metabolism, protein quality control, development, and neuronal function. The recent approval of bortezomib, a synthetic proteasome inhibitor, for the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma has opened the way to the discovery of drugs targeting the proteasome and ubiquitinating and deubiquitinating enzymes as well as the delivery system. To date, various synthetic and natural products have been reported to inhibit the components of the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Here, we review natural products targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome system a...

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A phase II trial of sorafenib in first-line metastatic urothelial cancer: a study of the PMH Phase II Consortium

Investigational New Drugs — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:42:57 +0100

Conclusions Sorafenib does not show sufficient activity as a single agent in first-line metastatic urothelial cancer to warrant further investigation. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory PHASE II STUDIESDOI 10.1007/s10637-010-9408-4Authors Srikala S. Sridhar, Princess Margaret Hospital, Phase II Consortium 610 University Avenue, Suite 5-222 Toronto Ontario M5G 2M9 CanadaEric Winquist, London Regional Cancer Center London ON CanadaAndrea Eisen, Odette Cancer Center Toronto ON CanadaSebastien J. Hotte, Juravinski Cancer Center Hamilton ON CanadaElaine McWhirter, Juravinski Cancer Center Hamilton ON CanadaIan F. Tannock, Princess Margaret Hospital, Phase II Consortium 610 University Avenue, Suite 5-222 Toronto Ontario M5G 2M9 CanadaSom D. Mukherjee, Juravinski Cancer Center Hamilton ...

Data On Breast Cancer Therapy Published By Researchers At University Of Rome

Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Researchers detail in 'Male breast cancer,' new data in breast cancer. According to recent research published in the journal Critical Reviews In Oncology, Male breast cancer (MaleBC) is a rare disease, accounting for <1% of all male tumors. During the last few years, there has been an increase in the incidence of this disease, along with the increase in female breast cancer (FBC). (Source: Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer)

Research From Cancer Treatment Centers Of America Yields New Findings On Ovarian Cancer Therapy

Cancercompass News: Gynecological Cancer — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

New investigation results, 'Impact of improved nutritional status on survival in ovarian cancer,' are detailed in a study published in Supportive Care In Cancer. Malnutrition is a common occurrence in ovarian cancer and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We evaluated the impact of improvement in nutritional status on ovarian cancer survival, scientists in the United States report. (Source: Cancercompass News: Gynecological Cancer)

Psychometric Evaluation of the FACT Colorectal Cancer Symptom Index (FCSI-9): Reliability, Validity, Responsiveness, and Clinical Meaningfulness.

The Oncologist — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion. Results provide preliminary evidence of the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the FCSI-9. PMID: 20189976 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Oncologist)

MIVOC method with temperature control

Review of Scientific Instruments — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:41:54 +0100

W. Takasugi, M. Wakaisami, N. Sasaki, T. Sakuma, M. Yamamoto et al. The Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences has been used for cancer therapy, physics, and biology experiments since 1994. Its ion sources produce carbon ion for cancer therapy. They also produce various ions (HXe) for physics and biology experiments ... [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 02A329 (2010)] published Wed Feb 24, 2010. (Source: Review of Scientific Instruments)

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Manhattan Scientifics Acquires Exclusive Rights to Nanomedicine Technology for Early Cancer Detection and Treatment

HSMN NewsFeed — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:27:31 +0100

Ground-Breaking Technology Developed by Dr. Edward R. Flynn Requires No Radiation and is 100x More Sensitive Than Existing Diagnostics Techniques Enable Early Cancer Detection and Precise, Image Guided Cancer Therapies ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.--(HSMN NewsFe... Biopharmaceuticals, Diagnostics, Oncology, AcquisitionsManhattan Scientifics, Senior Scientific LLC, nanomedicine (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

The Akt/PKB Family of Protein Kinases: A Review of Small Molecule Inhibitors and Progress Towards Target Validation: A 2009 Update.

Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article describes recent advances in the development and biological evaluation of small molecule inhibitors for the serine/threonine kinase Akt (PKB) as a reprise of our 2005 review with new data from the 2006-2009 time period. Akt plays a pivotal role in cell survival and proliferation through a number of downstream effectors. Recent studies indicate that unregulated activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway is a prominent feature of many human cancers and Akt is over-expressed or activated in all major cancers. Akt is considered an attractive target for cancer therapy and inhibition of Akt alone or in combination with standard cancer chemotherapeutics has been postulated to reduce the apoptotic threshold and preferentially kill cancer cells. Recently, several series of small molecule, ATP-...

Temporal Trends in Cause-Specific Late Mortality Among 5-Year Survivors of Childhood Cancer [Pediatric Oncology]

Journal of Clinical Oncology — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:01:03 +0100

Conclusion While overall patterns of mortality from other health conditions do not differ over time, adjustment for demographic characteristics provides evidence that risk of treatment-related mortality may be lower in more recent eras. Disparities in health care utilization among survivors should be explored. (Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology)

Reversion of multidrug resistance by tumor targeted delivery of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides in hydroxypropyl-chitosan nanoparticles.

Biomaterials — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In this study, we developed an efficient and targeted delivery of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides asODNs, using folic acid (FA) conjugated hydroxypropyl-chitosan (HPCS). These nanoparticles were designed to reduce production of P-gp, in order to overcome tumor drug resistance. Nanoparticles prepared were found to be 181 nm in diameter. Spectrofluorimetry was utilized to evaluate the effect of charge ratio of the nanoparticles on loading efficiency. In PBS buffer, 40% of asODNs were released from the nanoparticles at first 24 h. However, just another 15% was released between 24 and 48 h. The antitumor effect of the nanoparticles was evaluated in KB-A-1 cells implanted in Balb/c-nu/nu mice. They inhibited the growth of tumor by 35% compared to the bare asODNs. The FA-HPCS-asODNs nanoparticle...

Cancer therapy-related symptoms and self-care in Thailand.

European Journal of Oncology Nursing — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Self-care including complementary care use as an adjunct to cancer treatments could help patients deal with the side effects of therapy. Assessment of symptoms using the TRSC (Thai) version and their alleviation could enable the health care providers to enhance patients' coping during cancer treatments. PMID: 20188629 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: European Journal of Oncology Nursing)

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Financing Closed for First Proton Therapy Center in New Jersey

HSMN NewsFeed — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:13:42 +0100

ProCure, New Jersey Physicians and Hospital to Offer Advanced Cancer Therapy SOMERSET, N.J.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. (ProCure), Princeton Radiation Oncology and CentraState Health System announced today that they have closed fin... Devices, OncologyProCure Treatment Centers, proton therapy, proton beam, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Information Gap Could Delay Lung Cancer Therapy in Blacks

MedicineNet Cancer General — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:00:00 +0100

Title: Information Gap Could Delay Lung Cancer Therapy in BlacksCategory: Health NewsCreated: 2/22/2010 2:10:00 PMLast Editorial Review: 2/23/2010 (Source: MedicineNet Cancer General)

Evaluating the Older Patient with Cancer: Understanding Frailty and the Geriatric Assessment

CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The majority of cancer incidence and mortality occurs in individuals aged older than 65 years, and the number of older adults with cancer is projected to significantly increase secondary to the aging of the US population. As such, understanding the changes accompanying age in the context of the cancer patient is of critical importance. Age-related changes can impact tolerance of anticancer therapy and can shift the overall risk-benefit ratio of such treatment. A challenge in implementing evidence-based approaches in older adults is the under-representation of this group in oncology clinical trials. In addition, although older adults are particularly vulnerable to the side effects of cancer therapy, few oncology studies to date have incorporated a measure of health status other than the Eas...

Genetic redirection of T cells for cancer therapy.

Journal of Leukocyte Biology — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Westwood JA, Kershaw MH Adoptive immunotherapy can induce dramatic tumor regressions in patients with melanoma or viral-induced malignancies, but extending this approach to many common cancers has been hampered by a lack of naturally occurring tumor-specific T cells. In this review, we describe recent advances in the genetic modification of T cells using genes encoding cell-surface receptors specific for tumor-associated antigen. Using genetic modification, the many functional properties of T cells, including cytokine secretion and cytolytic capacity, are redirected from their endogenous specificity toward the elimination of tumor cells. Advances in gene design, vectors, and cell production are discussed, and details of the progress in clinical application of this approach are...

Modulation of Lymphocyte Regulation for Cancer Therapy: A Phase II Trial of Tremelimumab in Advanced Gastric and Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Clinical Cancer Research — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: Despite the disappointing response rate of tremelimumab, one patient had a remarkably durable benefit for this poor-prognosis disease. In vitro evidence of enhanced proliferative responses to relevant tumor-associated antigens suggests that combining CTLA4 blockade with antigen-targeted therapy may warrant further investigation. Clin Cancer Res; 16(5); 1662-72. PMID: 20179239 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical Cancer Research)

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HER3 Comes of Age: New Insights into Its Functions and Role in Signaling, Tumor Biology, and Cancer Therapy.

Clinical Cancer Research — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Campbell MR, Amin D, Moasser MM The human epidermal growth family (HER) of tyrosine kinase receptors underlies the pathogenesis of many types of human cancer. The oncogenic functions of three of the HER proteins can be unleashed through amplification, overexpression, or mutational activation. This has formed the basis for the development of clinically active targeted therapies. However, the third member HER3 is catalytically inactive, not found to be mutated or amplified in cancers, and its role and functions have remained shrouded in mystery. Recent evidence derived primarily from experimental models now seems to implicate HER3 in the pathogenesis of several types of cancer. Furthermore, the failure to recognize the central role of HER3 seems to underlie resistance to epiderm...

Information Gap Could Delay Lung Cancer Therapy in Blacks

MedlinePlus Health News — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:00:00 +0100

More than half expect symptoms before diagnosis, survey finds Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Topics: African-American Health, Lung Cancer (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Impact of Medical Qigong on quality of life, fatigue, mood and inflammation in cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial

Annals of Oncology — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:25:36 +0100

Conclusions: This study indicates that MQ can improve cancer patients’ overall QOL and mood status and reduce specific side-effects of treatment. It may also produce physical benefits in the long term through reduced inflammation. (Source: Annals of Oncology)

Characterization of formulation parameters affecting low molecular weight drug release from in situ forming drug delivery systems.

Biomed Res — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study examined the effect of varying the formulation components on the low Mw drug release profile from a ISFI consisting of poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA), fluorescein (model drug), and excipient dissolved in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP). Effects of varying PLGA Mw, excipient concentration, and drug loading were studied. Additionally, solubility studies were conducted to determine the critical water concentration required for phase inversion. Results demonstrated that PLGA Mw was the most significant factor in modulating low Mw drug release from the ISFI systems. ISFI formulations comprised of a low Mw (16 kDa) PLGA showed a significantly (p < 0.05) lower burst release (after 24 h), 28.2 +/- 0.5%, compared with higher Mw PLGA (60 kDa), 55.1 +/- 3.1%. Critical water concen...

Enhanced Oncolytic Activity of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Encoding SV5-F Protein Against Prostate Cancer

The Journal of Urology — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We report the construction of the recombinant, replication restricted vesicular stomatitis virus encoding SV5-F, which can induce syncytial formation with enhanced oncolytic properties against TRAMP-C2 tumors in an immunocompetent mouse model of prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: We constructed the SV5-F recombinant restricted virus vector by replacing the vesicular stomatitis virus G gene with that of the SV5-F transgene to generate rVSV-ΔG-SV5-F. Morphological changes and DNA fragmentation induced by rVSV-ΔG-GFP or rVSV-ΔG-SV5-F were determined by phase contrast microscopy and gel electrophoresis. In vitro cytotoxicity by recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus was done by MTT assay. In vivo study of rVSV treatment was done in immunocompetent mice by subcutaneous administration of ...

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[The relevance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection and exclusion of prostate cancer.]

Der Urologe. Ausg. A — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Stattaus J, Forsting M This review illustrates the relevance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the detection or exclusion of prostate cancer. The functional MR methods dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), MR spectroscopy, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) helped in recent years to establish MRI as the imaging method of choice for prostate cancer. Indications for MRI of the prostate regarding recent guidelines and new concepts of cancer therapy are introduced. PMID: 20169436 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Der Urologe. Ausg. A)

Impact of Guideline Conformity on Breast Cancer Therapy: Results of a 13-Year Retrospective Cohort Study.

Onkologie — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:40:04 +0100

Conclusions: It has to be demanded that breast cancer patients are treated in con-formity with the S3 guidelines. The reasons for a treatment not conforming to the guidelines should be analyzed for the detection of barrier factors, in order to optimize adherence to the guidelines and therefore to prolong RFS and OAS. PMID: 20164658 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Onkologie)

{alpha}2,6-Sialic Acid on Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (PECAM) Regulates Its Homophilic Interactions and Downstream Antiapoptotic Signaling [Glycobiology and Extracellular Matrices]

Journal of Biological Chemistry — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:39:19 +0100

Antiangiogenesis therapies are now part of the standard repertoire of cancer therapies, but the mechanisms for the proliferation and survival of endothelial cells are not fully understood. Although endothelial cells are covered with a glycocalyx, little is known about how endothelial glycosylation regulates endothelial functions. Here, we show that 2,6-sialic acid is necessary for the cell-surface residency of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM), a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that plays multiple roles in cell adhesion, mechanical stress sensing, antiapoptosis, and angiogenesis. As a possible underlying mechanism, we found that the homophilic interactions of PECAM in endothelial cells were dependent on 2,6-sialic acid. We also found that the absence of 2,6-siali...

Scientists At University of Texas Cancer Center Publish Research In Colon Cancer Therapy

Cancercompass News: Colorectal Cancer — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A report, 'The evolving role of monoclonal antibodies in colorectal cancer: early presumptions and impact on clinical trial development,' is newly published data in The Oncologist. "Targeted biologic agents have an established role in treating metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Bevacizumab, a recombinant monoclonal antibody against the vascular endothelial growth factor ligand is approved by the U.S.," scientists in the United States report. (Source: Cancercompass News: Colorectal Cancer)

New Findings Reported From National Institutes Of Health Describe Advances In Ovarian Cancer Therapy

Cancercompass News: Gynecological Cancer — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A new study, 'MicroRNAs in ovarian carcinomas,' is now available. "The molecular mechanisms involved in epithelial ovarian cancer initiation and progression are just beginning to be elucidated. In particular, it has become evident that microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), a class of molecules that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression, play a major role in ovarian tumorigenesis, scientists in the United States report. (Source: Cancercompass News: Gynecological Cancer)

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The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences to team with Oslo Cancer Cluster

bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:33:04 +0100

The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences on Thursday announced a new partnership with the Oslo Cancer Cluster in Norway that could pave the way for faster development of new cancer therapies in Norway and in North Carolina. (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)

Prostate Cancer Therapy Can Increase Heart Risk Factors

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), commonly used to treat prostate cancer, can worsen heart risk factors and may increase the risk of heart attack and/or cardiac death, although the relationship between ADT and heart attack or cardiac death has not been definitively established, according to a science advisory published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Prostate Cancer Therapy Can Increase Heart Risk Factors

Cancer / Oncology News From Medical News Today — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Recent Advances in Anti-Survivin Treatments for Cancer.

Current Medicinal Chemistry — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Kanwar RK, Cheung CH, Chang JY, Kanwar JR Apoptosis occurs via extrinsic or intrinsic signalling each triggered and regulated by many different molecular pathways. In recent years, the selective induction of apoptosis through survivin in tumour cells has been increasingly recognized as a promising approach for cancer therapy. Survivin has multiple functions including cytoprotection, inhibition of cell death, and cell-cycle regulation, especially at the mitotic process stage, all of which favour cancer survival. Many studies on clinical specimens have shown that survivin over expression is invariably up regulated in human cancers, associated with resistance to chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and linked to poor prognosis, suggesting that cancer cells survive with survivin. On...

Development of Peptides as Potential Drugs for Cancer Therapy.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Li ZJ, Cho CH New tumor targeting agents are required to advance cancer diagnosis and treatment. Peptides are small amino acid sequences that can be selected to recognize a predetermined target and are potentially able to interfere with its function. The isolation and use of specific peptides can inhibit individual signaling components, which are essential in cancer development and progression. Phage display is a powerful technology for selecting and engineering peptides expressed on the surface of bacteriophage. Using phage display, one can rapidly and simultaneously survey billio-nclonepeptide libraries, resulting in large numbers of hits. Although peptides make up only a small fraction of current therapeutics, their potential is being enhanced by new developments affecting ...

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Cell Cycle as a Target of Antineoplastic Drugs.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: De Falco M, De Luca A The cell cycle consists of a number of complex biochemical pathways that ensure that the start of a particular event depends on the successful and right end of previous steps in the pathway. An important role is played by cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) complexes which are critical regulators of cell cycle progression and RNA transcription. To ensure proper progression through each phase, cells have developed a series of orchestrated checkpoints that govern the different cellular kinases required for distinct cell cycle events. In particular, several cell cycle protein kinases, including members of the Aurora family and the Polo-like kinases, play critical roles in mitotic entry and chromosome segregation that ensure the correct formation of daughter...

Nutlins and Ionizing Radiation in Cancer Therapy.

Current Pharmaceutical Design — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Impicciatore G, Sancilio S, Miscia S, Di Pietro R Radioresistance stands as a fundamental barrier that limits the effectiveness of radiotherapy in cancer treatment. Recent evidences suggest that radioresistance is due to tumour repopulation and involves several signalling pathways, including p53/MDM2 interaction. Ionizing radiation induces p53-dependent MDM2 gene transcription that, in turn, inhibits p53 transcriptional activity, favouring its nuclear export and stimulating its degradation. In light of the observation that in many human tumours the inadequate function of p53 is the result of MDM2 over-expression, several authors have considered as an attractive therapeutic strategy to activate p53 signalling in tumours by inhibiting MDM2 activities or p53/MDM2 interaction. We ...

City of Hope Testing New Communication Link Between Cancer Therapy System and Elekta Electronic Medical Record System

HSMN NewsFeed — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:03:38 +0100

First-ever interface between TomoTherapy's Hi-Art treatment system and Elekta's MOSAIQ oncology information system designed to increase workflow efficiency and enhance patient safety ATLANTA, Feb. 17 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.), a... Devices, OncologyElekta, TomoTherapy, MOSAIQ-Hi-Art, radiotherapy, MOSAIQ (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Tumor-Targeting, pH-Responsive, and Stable Unimolecular Micelles as Drug Nanocarriers for Targeted Cancer Therapy

Bioconjugate Chemistry — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:32:00 +0100

Bioconjugate Chemistry, Volume 0, Issue 0, Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable). (Source: Bioconjugate Chemistry)

A phase I study of obatoclax mesylate, a Bcl-2 antagonist, plus topotecan in solid tumor malignancies

Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:27:33 +0100

Conclusion Obatoclax mesylate administered at 14 mg/m2 IV on days 1 and 3 is safe and well tolerated when given in combination with topotecan 1.25 mg/m2 IV on days 1–5 of an every 3-week cycle. A phase II trial to assess the efficacy of this combination for patients with relapsed SCLC is currently accruing patients. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s00280-010-1265-5Authors Paul K. Paik, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Thoracic Oncology Service, Department of Medicine New York NY 10065 USACharles M. Rudin, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Baltimore MD USAAndrew Brown, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Thoracic Oncology Service, Department of Medicine New York NY 10065 USANaiyer A. Ri...

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Proposing magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia in low-field MRI

Concepts in Magnetic Resonance Part A — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This work examines feasibility, practical advantages, and disadvantages of a combined MRI/magnetic particle hyperthermia (MPH) system for cancerous tumor treatment in low perfusion tissue. Although combined MRI/hyperthermia systems have been proposed and constructed, the current proposal differs because the hyperthermia system would be specifically designed to interact with the magnetic nanoparticles injected at the tumor site. The proposal exploits the physical similarities between the magnetic nanoparticles currently employed for MPH and those used as superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) contrast agents in MR imaging. The proposal involves the addition of a rotating magnetic field RF hyperthermia source perpendicular to the MRI B0 field which operates in a similar manner to the MRI RF exc...

Caris Life Sciences Announces Launch of National Cancer Research Observational Registry

Medical News (via PRIMEZONE) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0100

IRVING, Texas, Feb. 16, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caris Life Sciences (Caris(r)) -- a leading provider of integrated anatomic pathology and oncology testing services, including molecular profiling and hematopathology -- today announced the launch of The Caris RegistrySM, a biomarker-driven repository to help predict clinical benefit and patients' responses to cancer therapy including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and biological therapy. (Source: Medical News (via PRIMEZONE))

Lipid A in Cancer Therapy

Springer Biomedical Sciences titles — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:33:50 +0100

series:Advances in Experimental Medicine and BiologyCancer remains a major challenge for modern society. Not only does cancer rank among the first three causes of mortality in most population groups but also the therapeutic options available for most tumor types are limited. The existing ones have limited efficacy, lack specificity and their administration carry major side effects. Hence the urgent need for novel cancer therapies. One of the ... (Source: Springer Biomedical Sciences titles)

Breast cancer recurrence risk related to concurrent use of SSRI antidepressants and tamoxifen.

Acta Oncologica — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study provides epidemiologic evidence to support this recommendation. Material and methods. We conducted a case-control study of breast cancer recurrence nested in the population of female residents of Denmark who were diagnosed with non-metastatic estrogen-receptor positive breast cancers between 1994 and 2001 and who took tamoxifen for at least one year. We ascertained complete prescription histories by linking cases' and controls' civil registration numbers to the Danish national prescription registry. We estimated the association between SSRI use while taking tamoxifen and risk of recurrent breast cancer. Results. About the same proportion of recurrent cases (37 of 366) and matched controls (35 of 366) received at least one prescription for citalopram or its s-stereoisomer while t...