International journal of cancer. Journal international du cancer
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Sarcomatoid carcinomas (SC) of the lung are uncommon malignant tumors composed of carcinomatous and sarcomatous cell components and characterized by a more aggressive outcome than other histological subtypes of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies have emerged as a promising therapeutic approach in patients with advanced typical NSCLC such as adenocarcinoma, the potential clinical activity of these drugs in lung SC is still unknown. To investigate this point, we have analyzed the status of 4 EGFR pathways biomarkers in a series of lung SC. ⋯ KRAS mutations were found in 8 patients (38%; Gly12Cys in 6 cases and Gly12Val in 2 cases). The consistent EGFR protein overexpression and the high rate of KRAS mutation may contribute to the poorer outcome of lung SC in comparison with typical NSCLC. The rare incidence of increased EGFR gene copy number, the lack of EGFR mutation and the high rate of KRAS mutation observed in our series also suggest that most patients with lung SC are not likely to benefit from anti-EGFR therapies.
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Coffee, tea and maté may cause esophageal cancer (EC) by causing thermal injury to the esophageal mucosa. If so, the risk of EC attributable to thermal injury could be large in populations in which these beverages are commonly consumed. In addition, these drinks may cause or prevent EC via their chemical constituents. ⋯ For other hot foods and drinks, over half of the studies showed statistically significant increased risks of EC associated with higher temperature of intake. Overall, the available results strongly suggest that high-temperature beverage drinking increases the risk of EC. Future studies will require standardized strategies that allow for combining data and results should be reported by histological subtypes of EC.
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OX40 costimulation can abrogate Foxp3+ regulatory T cell-mediated suppression of antitumor immunity.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an important role in maintaining immunological tolerance that is one of the main obstacles to overcome for improving antitumor immunity. Recently, the Treg has been shown to constitutively express OX40 (CD134), which is a member of the TNF-receptor family that is transiently expressed on effector T cells after TCR triggering, and through which the signal enhances effector T-cell proliferation and memory T-cell development. However, little is known about the role of OX40 costimulation to Tregs in tumor immunology. ⋯ Interestingly, Tregs minimally suppressed the proliferation or the cytokine secretion of Ag-specific CD8(+) T cells after Ag-restimulation. Furthermore, Tregs suppressive function to the antitumor effect was reversed by OX40 costimulation in vivo. Our data indicate that, in addition to controlling effector T-cell function, OX40 costimulation directly controls Treg-mediated suppression in tumor immunity.
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Comparative Study
Greater vegetable and fruit intake is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer among Chinese women.
The effect of vegetable and fruit consumption on breast cancer risk is controversial. We examined the association between vegetable and fruit intake and breast cancer risk in a hospital-based case-control study conducted in Guangdong, China. Four hundred and thirty-eight cases were frequency matched to 438 controls by age (5-year interval) and residence (rural/urban). ⋯ Consumption of individual vegetable and fruit groups such as dark green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, carrots and tomatoes, banana, watermelon/papaya/cantaloupe were all inversely and significantly related with breast cancer risk. An inverse association was also observed for vitamin A, carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and fiber intake. These data indicate that greater intake of vegetables and fruits is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer among Chinese women residing in Guangdong.