The SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex plays important roles in cellular processes including cell differentiation, cell cycle control, and DNA repairs. Aberrant expression of SWI/SNF subunits is involved in cancer development. The core subunit of SWI/SNF complex, SNF5, has been shown to be inactivated in malignant rhabdoid tumours and has been defined as a tumour suppressor. However, the role of the catalytic subunit, BRG1, is not well defined in cancer. »
05/11/10

Lung cancer is known as the top cancer killer in most developed countries. However, there is currently no promising diagnostic or prognostic biomarker for lung cancer. This study aims to discover non-invasive differential markers in the serum of lung cancer patients, to determine the protein identity of the candidate biomarker(s), and to investigate any clinical implication of the biomarker(s) concerned. »
05/25/10

Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a dismal prognosis. betaIII-Tubulin, a protein highly expressed in neuronal cells, is strongly associated with drug-refractory and aggressive NSCLC. »
05/25/10

Ewing's sarcoma (EWS) is an aggressive tumor of children and young adults that requires intensive treatment. The search for new prognostic factors is very important to choose the most appropriate therapy and to better understand the biology of the disease for the development of new therapeutic tools. »
05/01/10

Altered levels of circulating adhesion molecules found in several carcinomas, including lung cancer, reflect local loss of diffusion barriers and tumor volume and can be potentially used as biomarkers. In the present study we investigated the role of soluble E-cadherin (sE-cad), soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble E-selectin (sE-sel) as biomarkers in lung cancer. »
05/21/10

Although neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the standard treatment for advanced rectal cancer (RC), markers to predict the treatment response have not been fully established. In 73 patients with advanced RC who underwent CRT in a neoadjuvant setting, we retrospectively examined the associations between the clinical effects of CRT and blood cell counts before and after CRT. »
06/03/10

Sharing the common neuroectodermal origin, melanoma and neuroblastoma are tumors widely diffused among adult and children, respectively. Clinical prognosis of aggressive neuroectodermal cancers remains dismal, therefore the search for novel therapies against such tumors is warranted. Curcumin is a phytochemical compound widely studied for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Recently, we have synthesized and tested in vitro various curcumin related compounds in order to select new anti-tumor agents displaying stronger and selective growth inhibition activity on neuroectodermal tumors. »
06/03/10

Poor distribution of some anticancer drugs in solid tumors may limit their anti-tumor activity. »
06/03/10

Most cancers maintain telomeres by activating telomerase but a significant minority, mainly of mesenchymal origin, utilize an alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) mechanism. »
06/03/10

Human Disabled-2 (DAB2), is a multi-function signalling molecule that it is frequently down-regulated in human cancers. We aimed to investigate the possible tumour suppressor effect of DAB2 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). »
06/03/10