Multikinase inhibitors (MKIs) sunitinib and sorafenib have become a standard of care for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). This study assessed safety and treatment patterns for these agents in a real-world clinical practice setting in Italy. »
03/24/11

Exosomes consist of membrane vesicles that are secreted by several cell types, including tumors and have been found in biological fluids. Exosomes interact with other cells and may serve as vehicles for the transfer of protein and RNA among cells. »
03/27/11

Curcumin is a naturally occurring phenolic compound shown to have a wide variety of antitumor activities; however, it does not attain sufficient blood levels to do so when ingested. Using structure-based design, a novel compound, FLLL32, was generated from curcumin. FLLL32 possesses superior biochemical properties and more specifically targets STAT3, a transcription factor important in tumor cell survival, proliferation, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance. In our previous work, we found that several canine and human osteosarcoma (OSA) cell lines, but not normal osteoblasts, exhibit constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3. Compared to curcumin, we hypothesized that FLLL32 would be more efficient at inhibiting STAT3 function in OSA cells and that this would result in enhanced downregulation of STAT3 transcriptional targets and subsequent death of OSA cells. »
03/28/11

Double stranded RNA (dsRNA) has multiple anti-tumor mechanisms. Over the past several decades, there have been numerous attempts to utilize synthetic dsRNA to control tumor growth in animal models and clinical trials. Recently, it has become clear that intracellular dsRNA is more effective than extracellular dsRNA on promoting apoptosis and orchestrating adaptive immune responses. To overcome the difficulty in delivering a large dose of synthetic dsRNA into tumors, we propose to deliver a replicase-based plasmid DNA, hypothesizing that the dsRNA generated by the replicase-based plasmid in tumor cells will inhibit tumor growth. »
03/28/11

Targeted exercise training could reduce risk factors for fracture and obesity-related diseases that increase from breast cancer treatment, but has not been sufficiently tested. We hypothesized that progressive, moderate-intensity resistance + impact training would increase or maintain hip and spine bone mass, lean mass and fat mass and reduce bone turnover compared to controls who participated in a low-intensity, non-weight bearing stretching program. »
03/19/11

Increasing evidence showed that Toll-like receptors (TLR), key receptors in innate immunity, play a role in cancer progression and development but activation of different TLRs might exhibit the exact opposite outcome, antitumor or protumor effects. »
03/22/11

Digoxin resembles estrogen chemically and may have estrogenic effect. We hypothesized that digoxin use might increase breast cancer incidence and examined if use might be associated with risk of breast cancer, categorized by estrogen receptor (ER) status. To determine if being under care for heart disease biased the findings, rate ratios in users of angina drugs were similarly evaluated as a control exposure group. »
03/21/11

MUC16 (CA125) protein is a high molecular weight mucin overexpressed in the majority of epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC) but not in the epithelium of normal ovaries suggesting that it might play a role in EOC pathogenesis. Here, we explored the phenotypic consequences of MUC16 knockdown and expression of its C-terminal domain with the aim of establishing a role for MUC16 in tumorigenesis. »
03/19/11

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein (IGFBP)-3 is the main carrier of circulating IGFs and the main modulator of their activity. IGFBP-3 controls cellular availability of IGFs, which cannot exert their pro-proliferative activity while bound to IGFBP-3. Proteolysis of IGFBP-3 is one mechanism to control IGF release. A reduction of serum IGFBP-3 levels and the associated increased availability of IGFs may represent a strategy whereby melanoma increases its metastatic potential. »
03/21/11

The overall 5-year survival rate of approximately 60% for head and neck cancer patients has remained essentially unchanged over the past 30 years. MicroRNA-137 (miR-137) plays an essential role in cell-cycle control at the G1/S-phase checkpoint. However, the aberrant miR-137 promoter methylation observed in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) suggests a tumor-specific molecular defect that may contribute to disease progression. »
04/01/11