Anticancer research
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Anticancer research · Jul 2014
Association of serum and intratumoral cytokine profiles with tumor stage and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio in colorectal cancer.
We examined cytokine profiles and evaluated the association between cytokine levels, pathological stages, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR). ⋯ Different cytokine profiles were observed in serum, normal mucosa, and tumor tissue. The elevation of specific cytokines in sera or tumors reflects features of advanced disease.
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Anticancer research · Jul 2014
Case ReportsFirst report of trastuzumab treatment after postoperative Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
Trastuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody used for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. Cardiotoxicity is a well-known adverse event of trastuzumab use but little has been documented regarding its use in patients with a history of cardiac disease. ⋯ Trastuzumab can be safely administered after acute heart failure secondary to postoperative Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.
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Anticancer research · Jul 2014
Comparison of colorectal cancer in differentially established liver metastasis models.
Metastasis is one of the main reasons for colorectal cancer (CRC)-related deaths due to the lack of effective therapeutics mainly for liver metastasis. In the present study, we established an orthotopic colorectal cancer mouse model using different transplantation protocols to determine the optimal conditions for CRC liver metastasis. ⋯ The model described herein will be effective in studying new therapeutic strategies against metastatic disease when used in conjunction with small animal MRI and optical imaging.
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Anticancer research · Jun 2014
The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with local recurrence or in-transit metastasis of melanoma.
From January 2003 to March 2010, a prospective study was undertaken at the National Cancer Research Institute of Genoa in 15 patients with melanoma who had local recurrence (LR) or a few (≤ 3) in-transit metastases and clinically-negative regional lymph nodes with the aim of defining: i) the feasibility of sentinel node re-staging (r-sN) of the regional nodal basin; ii) the prognostic value of sentinel node status, and iii) the potential benefit in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with an histologically-positive sentinel node undergoing therapeutic regional lymph node dissection. Preoperative lymphoscintigraphy was performed to identify the r-sN: the radiotracer was intra-dermally injected around the LR or in-transit metastasis. Moreover, 10 min prior to the operative procedure, 0.5 ml intradermal injection of Patent-Blue-V dye was given around each LR or in-transit metastasis site, so that r-sN identification was achieved by both visualization of the nodal blue dye staining and the information supplied by gamma-detection probe. ⋯ The interval between the diagnosis of primary melanoma and the onset of recurrence was longer, although not significantly, in patients with tumor-negative r-sN, a compared to tumor-positive r-sN (49 ± 47 months vs. 25 ± 19 months, p=0.342). There was a trend toward an improved 1-, 3-, and 5-year disease-free survival and overall survival in patients with tumor-negative r-sN a compared to tumor-positive r-sN. Hence, the r-sN proved to be a feasible and accurate staging procedure even in patients with a few localizations of LR or in-transit metastases (≤ 3). r-sN identified those with a more favorable prognosis, supporting an aggressive therapeutic approach in the natural history of their disease; moreover, an unnecessary regional lymph node dissection was safely avoided in 11 out of 15 73.3% patients because they had a tumor-negative r-sN.
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Anticancer research · May 2014
The impact of combined thoracoscopic and laparoscopic surgery on pulmonary complications after radical esophagectomy in patients with resectable esophageal cancer.
Pulmonary complications (PCs) after esophagectomy for patients with esophageal cancer have been correlated with prolonged hospital stays and in-hospital mortality. Previous studies have shown that minimally-invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is associated with a lower rate of PCs compared to conventional open surgery. Although PCs were reportedly associated with many factors, including surgical approaches, patients' demographics, and perioperative variables, the predictive factors for PCs including MIE, have not been fully evaluated. ⋯ The combination of thoracoscopic and laparoscopic MIE presents as an excellent surgical procedure for the reduction of PCs after esophagectomy.