It has been reported that antidiabetic drugs affect the risk of cancer and the prognosis of patients with diabetes, but few studies have demonstrated the influence of different antidiabetic agents on outcomes after anticancer therapy among patients with cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of the antidiabetic drugs metformin and insulin on the prognosis of patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) plus type 2 diabetes who received first-line chemotherapy. »
04/26/11

TASK-3 channel overexpression was shown to facilitate the survival of malignantly transformed cells, possibly by providing greater hypoxia tolerance through a still unknown mechanism. Although it has been suggested previously that TASK-3 channels are expressed in the mitochondrial membranes, their role here remains elusive. »
04/20/11

Belotecan (CKD602; Camtobell, Chong Keun Dang Corp., Seoul, Korea) is a recently developed camptothecin derivative with antitumor properties. This phase II study was designed to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of belotecan combined with carboplatin in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). »
05/15/11

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths in women in the Western world. ETS transcription factors are known to act as positive or negative regulators of the expression of genes that are involved in various biological processes, including those that control cellular proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, tissue remodelling, angiogenesis and transformation. »
04/25/11

In a cohort including 5112 prostate cancer (pCa) patients, the authors investigated associations among triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and pCa while taking into account glucose. »
05/15/11

The involvement of TNF-α in cancer development is controversial, since this cytokine was reported to act either as tumor promoter or suppressor. TNF-α may activate signaling pathways critical for life/death decisions, such as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the anti-apoptotic NF-κB pathway. In this work, we investigate the activation status of NF-κB-related proteins in human prostate cancerous versus normal epithelium, and the alterations in the NF-κB pathway in relation to cell death in TNF-α-treated LNCaP (androgen-independent cells) and PC3 (androgen-independent) prostate cancer cell lines. »
04/25/11

Prostate cancer (PC) is the second most common cancer in older men, after skin cancer. PC is difficult to diagnose because the prostate-specific antigen screening method is associated with many false positives. In addition there is a need to develop new and more effective treatments. Among presently available new treatments, immunotherapy is a promising approach. We investigated the expression of the cancer/testis antigen, AKAP-4, in PC patients to evaluate the possibility of exploiting AKAP-4 as a target for immunotherapy. »
04/25/11

Although in recent years deleterious BRCA1 mutations have been extensively studied as a prostate cancer risk factor, results are inconclusive. To assess the contribution of the BRCA1 Galician founder mutation c.211A>G in prostate cancer morbidity we conducted a case-control study. Moreover, to better elucidate whether deleterious BRCA1 mutations are involved in the development of prostate cancer, we performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of BRCA1 studies on prostate cancer. »
04/25/11

NSAIDs exhibit protective properties towards some cancers, especially colon cancer. Yet, it is not clear how they play their protective role. PGE2 is generally shown as the only target of the NSAIDs anticancerous activity. However, PGE2 known targets become more and more manifold, considering both the molecular pathways involved and the target cells in the tumour. The role of PGE2 in tumour progression thus appears complex and multipurpose. »
04/27/11

Maslinic acid, a pentacyclic triterpene found in the protective wax-like coating of the leaves and fruit of Olea europaea L., is a promising agent for the prevention of colon cancer. We have shown elsewhere that maslinic acid inhibits cell proliferation to a significant extent and activates mitochondrial apoptosis in colon cancer cells. In our latest work we have investigated further this compound's apoptotic molecular mechanism. »
04/27/11