Several naturally occurring cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAPs), including bovine lactoferricin (LfcinB), display promising anticancer activities. These peptides are unaffected by multidrug resistance mechanisms and have been shown to induce a protective immune response against solid tumors making them interesting candidates for developing novel lead structures for anticancer treatment. Recently we showed that the anticancer activity by LfcinB was inhibited by the presence of heparan sulfate (HS) on the surface of tumor cells. Based on extensive structure-activity relationship studies performed on LfcinB, shorter and more potent peptides have been constructed. In the present study, we have investigated the anticancer activity of three chemically modified 9-mer peptides and the influence of HS and chondroitin sulfate (CS) on their cytotoxic activity. »
03/31/11

KLK15 over-expression is reported to be a significant predictor of reduced progression-free survival and overall survival in ovarian cancer. Our aim was to analyse the KLK15 gene for putative functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and assess the association of these and the HapMap tag SNPs with ovarian cancer survival. »
04/01/11

The female sex steroids estrogen and progesterone are important in breast cancer etiology. It therefore seems plausible that variation in genes involved in metabolism of these hormones may affect breast cancer risk, and that these associations may vary depending on menopausal status and use of hormone therapy. »
04/01/11

Triple negative breast cancer is associated with poorer prognosis and unresponsiveness to endocrine and anti-HER2 directed agents. Despite emerging data supporting the use of PARP inhibitors, complete and durable responses are rare and exploration of additional targeted therapies is needed. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is expressed in triple negative breast cancer and several clinical trials are testing the role of anti-EGFR directed therapy. However, the rate of EGFR mutations is poorly defined. We therefore sought to characterize EGFR mutations in triple negative breast cancers. »
04/01/11

The immune factors heat shock protein (HSP)/peptides (HSP/Ps) can induce both adaptive and innate immune responses. Treatment with HSP/Ps in cancer cell-bearing mice and cancer patients revealed antitumor immune activity. We aimed to develop immunotherapy strategies by vaccination with a mixture of HSP/Ps (mHSP/Ps, HSP60, HSP70, Gp96 and HSP110) enhanced with cyclophosphamide (CY) and interleukin-12 (IL-12). »
02/26/11

Iodine 125 (125I) seed irradiation is an effective treatment for unresectable pancreatic cancers. However, the radiobiological mechanisms underlying brachytherapy remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the influence of continuous and low-energy 125I irradiation on apoptosis, expression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and cell growth in pancreatic cancers. »
04/02/11

In 50% of all cases, bladder cancer patients develop tumor progression despite modern surgical methods such as radical cystectomy. A solution to the problem might be the identification and understanding of molecular biomarkers which could result in the development of advanced methods with better preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic potential. »
10/01/10

Abnormal activities of histone lysine demethylases (KDMs) and lysine deacetylases (HDACs) are associated with aberrant gene expression in breast cancer development. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between KDMs and HDACs in chromatin remodeling and regulation of gene transcription are still elusive. »
03/31/11

Epidemiologic findings are inconsistent regarding risk for breast cancer related to dairy consumption. We performed a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies to examine the association between diary product consumption and risk of breast cancer. A PubMed database search through January 2011 was performed for relevant studies. »
03/27/11

Pulmonary metastasis of breast cancer requires recruitment and expansion of T regulatory cells (Tregs) that promote escape from host protective immune cells. However, it remains unclear precisely how tumors recruit Tregs to support metastatic growth »
03/28/11