Anticancer research
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Anticancer research · Jul 1998
Effect of Avemar and Avemar + vitamin C on tumor growth and metastasis in experimental animals.
Because of the observed immunostimulatory actions of a new fermented wheat germ extract--with standardized benzoquinone composition--we have investigated the eventual tumor growth- and metastasis-inhibiting effects of this preparation (Avemar) applied alone or in combination with vitamin C. Tumor models of different origin [a highly metastatic variant of the Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL-HH), B16 melanoma, a rat nephroblastoma (RWT-M) and a human colon carcinoma xenograft (HCR25)]--kept in artificially immunosuppressed mice were applied. The metastasis-inhibiting effects of the treatments have been studied both in the presence and in the absence (following surgical removal) of the transplanted primary tumors. ⋯ According to the results of other experiments--carried out in our laboratory in parallel with those described here--Avemar proved to have a meaningful immunostimulatory effect. It might therefore be suggested that the observed metastasis-inhibiting effect of this preparation may be mainly due to its immunostimulatory properties. The possible therapeutic benefits of Avemar and Avemar plus vitamin C are also discussed.
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Anticancer research · Mar 1998
Radiation-induced apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells is independent of mutant p53 overexpression.
Previous studies have demonstrated that androgen-independent prostate cancer cancer cells undergo apoptosis in response to ionizing irradiation. The p53 protein controls cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by acting as a checkpoint control that halts the cell cycle in G1, while DNA damage is present. In this study the effect of overexpression of mutant p53 protein, on radiation-induced apoptotic cell death of human prostate cancer cells PC-3 was investigated. ⋯ These findings seriously challenge the involvement of p53 in radiation-induced apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells and suggest that p53 mutations provide no selective advantage in the development of radioresistance of prostate tumor cells within the context of p53 independent apoptotic pathway.
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Anticancer research · Sep 1997
Comparative Study Clinical TrialComparison of breast-conserving therapy with mastectomy for treatment of early breast cancer.
The aim of this study was to compare the survival and recurrence rates of patients undergoing breast-conserving therapy with the rates of those undergoing mastectomy. Between August 1991 and June 1994, 229 patients were enrolled in this study, although one was later excluded because the tumor was histologically diagnosed as benign. A total of 119 patients with clinical stage TIS, I or II underwent breast-conserving therapy and 109 patients received mastectomy. ⋯ Mean follow-up time of the breast-conserving therapy group and the mastectomy group was 42.4 and 39.7 months, respectively. There was no significant difference in the overall survival and disease-free survival between breast-conserving therapy and mastectomy. After adjustment for the clinical stage, there was no significant difference in the prognosis between breast-conserving therapy and mastectomy.
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Anticancer research · Jul 1997
Preoperative serum levels of CEA and CA 19-9 and their prognostic significance in colorectal carcinoma.
The prognostic information provided by preoperative serum CEA, CA 19-9 antigen assays as compared with the classical prognostic factors (age, sex, tumor infiltration, tumor stage (Dukes') and R-classification) in 495 patients with colorectal carcinoma was analysed. ⋯ The postoperative Dukes' classification provides the best prognostic information besides the preoperative values of CA 19-9. The predictive information provided by the preoperative CA 19-9 serum level is additional to that obtained from the other factors investigated.
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p53-mutations are of major importance in the development of human malignancies and occur frequently in head and neck cancer. The detection of serum p53-antibodies has been performed for a number of different cancers. For head and neck cancer though, the occurrence of serum p53-antibodies has not been determined so far. ⋯ As far as we know, this is the first study to reveal p53-antibodies in the sera of patients with SCCHN. The high incidence of positivity for p53-antibodies in this subset of cancer patients may give additional help in the diagnosis of this often disfiguring disease.