Ovarian cancer retains a poor prognosis among the female gynaecological malignancies. It constitutes about 3% of all malignancies in women and accounts for 5% of all female cancer related deaths. A standard treatment is cytoreductive surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy, and re-treatment with platinum based chemotherapy at the time of relapse. In order to improve cisplatin response in ovarian cancer cells, we utilized a high-throughput RNAi screening to identify kinase modulators. »
09/01/10

There is an unmet need for biomarkers for the prediction and monitoring of anti-cancer therapies. Here, we measured the concentrations of nucleosomes and DNA, protease and caspase activities in serum of 62 patients with ovarian cancer before and after first-line carboplatin/taxane-based chemotherapy and of 28 healthy individuals by Cell Death Detection ELISA, PicoGreen, Protease Fluorescent Detection Kit and Caspase-Glo(R)3/7 Assay, respectively. »
08/16/10

Inhibitor of differentiation 1 (ID1) plays a role in cellular differentiation, proliferation, angiogenesis and tumor invasion. As shown recently, ID1 is positively regulated by the tyrosine kinase SRC in lung carcinoma cell lines and with that appears as a potential new therapeutic target in non-small cell carcinoma (NSCLC). To substantiate this hypothesis we examined ID1, SRC and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) immunohistochemically in human NSCLC specimens. »
08/13/10

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is the main structural component of Caveolae which are plasma membrane invaginations that participate in vesicular trafficking and signal transduction events. Although, evidence has recently accumulated describing the function of CAV1 in several cancer types, its role in melanoma tumor formation and progression remains poorly explored. »
08/13/10

Human NESG1 (CCDC19) gene was originally isolated in our laboratory from human nasopharynx tissue. However, the biological and clinical significances of this gene remain largely unknown. »
08/16/10

Acrylamide is a potential carcinogen, which commonly occurs in some food items. The relation between acrylamide and esophageal cancer deserves attention. In a Swedish nationwide, population-based case-control study, data were collected on diet among other variables in 1995-1997 through personal interviews. »
08/16/10

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) overexpression is strongly associated with colorectal tumourigenesis. It has been demonstrated that the chronic use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (COX inhibitors) partially protects patients from colorectal cancer (CRC) development and progression but induces severe cardiovascular side effects. New strategies for selective COX-2 blockade are required. »
08/17/10

Current staging classifications in colorectal cancer are not able to accurately predict patient outcome, and the need for novel prognostic markers is evident. S100A4 is a Ca(2+)-binding protein which promotes metastasis in several tumour types, and the aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic impact of S100A4 expression in colorectal cancer. »
08/16/10

Persuasive epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that dietary flavonoids have anti-cancer activity. Since conventional therapeutic and surgical approaches have not been able to fully control the incidence and outcome of most cancer types, including colorectal neoplasia, there is an urgent need to develop alternative approaches for the management of cancer. »
08/13/10

Allergy history has been consistently inversely associated with glioma risk. Two serologic markers, soluble CD23 (sCD23) and soluble CD14 (sCD14), are part of the innate and adaptive humoral immune systems and modulate allergic responses in opposite directions, with sCD23 enhancing and sCD14 blunting inflammatory responses. »
08/18/10