Although monoallelic expression (MAE) is a frequent genomic event in normal tissues, its role in tumorigenesis remains unclear. Here we performed SNP arrays on DNA and RNA from a large cohort of pediatric and adult brain tumor tissues to determine the genome-wide rate of MAE, its role in specific cancer-related genes, and the clinical consequences of MAE in brain tumors. »
12/05/11

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dihydrotanshinone I (DI) in inhibiting the growth of human cervical cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo, and molecular targets in HeLa cells when treated by DI or irradiation with or without being combined. In this study, MTT, clonogenic assay, flow cytometry, and Western blotting were performed to assess the effect of treatment on cells. »
12/14/11

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), secreted mainly by activated macrophages, is recently involved in fighting against tumorigenesis. Tumor necrosis factor α -308 G>A, the common polymorphism in the promoter of TNF-α, has been implicated to alter the risk of cervical cancer, yet the results of relative studies are inconclusive or controversial. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, we performed a meta-analysis based on 8 studies. »
12/06/11

Endogenous estrogens and estrogen metabolism are hypothesized to be associated with premenopausal breast cancer risk but evidence is limited. We examined 15 urinary estrogens/estrogen metabolites (EM) and breast cancer risk among premenopausal women in a case-control study nested within the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII). »
12/05/11

To assess the clinical significance of the interaction between estrogen and Runx2 signaling, previously demonstrated in vitro. »
12/06/11

Personalized medicine requires the identification of unambiguous prognostic and predictive biomarkers to inform therapeutic decisions. Within this context, the management of lymph node-negative breast cancer is the subject of much debate with particular emphasis on the requirement for adjuvant chemotherapy. »
12/05/11

Mortality rates for advanced lung cancer have not declined for decades, even with the implementation of novel chemotherapeutic regimens or the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) are thought to be responsible for resistance to chemo/radiotherapy. Therefore, targeting CSCs with novel compounds may be an effective approach to reduce lung tumor growth and metastasis. We have isolated and characterized CSCs from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and measured their telomerase activity, telomere length, and sensitivity to the novel telomerase inhibitor MST312. »
08/09/11

CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling has been shown to play a role in breast cancer progression by enhancing tumor growth, angiogenesis, triggering cancer cell invasion in vitro, and guiding cancer cells to their sites of metastasis. However, CXCR7 also binds to CXCL12 and has been recently found to enhance lung and breast primary tumor growth, as well as metastasis formation. Our goal was to dissect the contributions of CXCR4 and CXCR7 to the different steps of metastasis - in vivo invasion, intravasation and metastasis formation. »
12/09/11

Contrasting its role in breast cancer (BCa) initiation, estrogen signaling has a protective effect in later stages, where estrogen receptor (ER)alpha loss associates with aggressive metastatic disease. We asked whether the beneficial effect of estrogen signaling in late-stage BCa is attributable to the recently reported estrogen-mediated antagonism of the pro-metastatic transcription factor Runx2. »
12/09/11

Inhibiting the enzyme Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN) leads to apoptosis of breast carcinoma cells, and this is linked to HER2 signaling pathways in models of simultaneous expression of FASN and HER2. »
12/16/11