Anticancer research
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Anticancer research · Jan 2006
HER-2/neu status of primary breast cancer and corresponding metastatic sites in patients with advanced breast cancer treated with trastuzumab-based therapy.
The aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether there were changes in HER-2/neu status in newly-developed metastatic lesions following treatment with trastuzumab in advanced breast cancer patients overexpressing HER-2/neu. The utility of serological assays for HER-2/neu in such patients was also studied. ⋯ These data suggest that, for most patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with trastuzumab, the HER-2/neu expression as measured by IHC and/or CISH in newly-developed metastatic lesions was unchanged. However, a remarkable percentage of cases lost HER-2/neu overexpression. It is not clear whether this finding implies resistance or sensitivity to trastuzumab.
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Anticancer research · Jan 2006
EGFR, c-erbB-2 and ki-67 in NSCLC and preneoplastic bronchial lesions.
The relationships between EGF-R and c-erbB-2 with other factors involved in tumour regulation are not well understood. The aim of this study was to correlate the expression of these markers with tumour proliferation. ⋯ EGF-R and c-erbB-2 do not seem to be correlated with Ki-67 in NSCLC.
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Anticancer research · Nov 2005
Randomized Controlled TrialPerioperative application of the Viscum album extract Isorel in digestive tract cancer patients.
It is assumed that perioperative immunomodulation of cancer patients can attenuate cellular and humoral deficiencies thus improving their overall health status. Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) anticancer drugs are likely candidates for such adjuvant therapy, because they do not have major adverse side-effects but have dual desirable activities; immune-modulating effects and relatively selective cytotoxicity for cancer cells. ⋯ The results of this study indicate that perioperative use of the mistletoe drug Isorel can improve immune competence and the overall health status of cancer patients undergoing surgery.
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Anticancer research · Nov 2005
Comparative StudyDifferent ways to induce apoptosis by fenretinide and all-trans-retinoic acid in human B lymphoma cells.
All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and its synthetic analog fenretinide (4HPR) are potent anticancer drugs. Only a few reports are available about the effects of retinoids on B lymphoma cells. In our study, non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells (HT58) were treated with ATRA and 4HPR. ⋯ However, z-VAD-fmk did not influence the DNA fragmentation in 4HPR-treated cells. Endonuclease G was released from the mitochondria during 4HPR treatment, which could be an inducer for caspase-independent DNA fragmentation. Our results suggest that natural (ATRA) and synthetic (4HPR) retinoids induce different apoptotic pathways in B lymphoma cells, which is particularly relevant for their potential use in leukemia treatment.
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Anticancer research · Sep 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialEvaluation of epoetin supplemented with oral iron in patients with solid malignancies and chronic anemia not receiving anticancer treatment.
To evaluate the effectiveness and improvement in quality of life (QOL) of epoetin alfa administration supplemented with oral iron as a therapeutic regimen for patients with solid malignancies and anemia of chronic disease (ACD), not receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. ⋯ Our results suggest that weekly epoetin alfa therapy supplemented with daily oral iron increases Hb levels and improves QOL in patients with solid malignancies and ACD who are not receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. This regimen offers optimal therapy in this population taking into consideration physician's convenience and patient's compliance.