Oncology reports
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Gastric carcinogenesis is a multistep process progressing from chronic gastritis, through glandular atrophy (GA), intestinal metaplasia (IM) and dysplasia. We have previously demonstrated that minority patients at New York City hospitals are infected with a relatively virulent strain of H. pylori (Hp) and that Hp infection is associated with an increased incidence of precancerous changes in the gastric mucosa. Nevertheless, precancerous changes are not observed in every Hp-infected individual, suggesting that environmental and genetic factors may also play a role in the formation and appearance of precancerous lesions. ⋯ In Hp-infected individuals, the MPO -463G/G genotype was associated with an increase in the incidence of IM in the antrum, whereas the A allele was associated with an increase in IM in the fundic region. These paradoxical findings suggest that different MPO genotypes are associated with the appearance of IM in distinct anatomical regions of the stomach. However, since the majority of gastric cancer (GC) cases in our patient population occurred in the antrum, the MPO -463G/G genotype, which is associated with increased MPO expression and antral IM, may be considered a risk factor for GC.
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Chordomas are rare neoplasms arising along the axial skeleton. Up to now, the most suitable therapeutic approach is based on a combination of surgical excision and radiotherapy. Chemotherapy in not applied due to its reported low efficacy. ⋯ We analyzed 14 chordoma samples for the expression of the Imatinib mesylate targets by means of RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry and found that PDGFR alpha and PDGFR beta are in some cases expressed in neoplastic cells, while the stromal counterpart of the same tumor shows the above receptors. Findings on the PDGFA/PDGFB expression suggest a receptor-activated status. Our study provides new insights into the specific localization of Imatinib mesylate targets in skull base chordomas that could be taken into account for the setting up of a pharmacological treatment for this tumor.
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Differential methylation of the OCT3/4 upstream region in primary human testicular germ cell tumors.
Germ cell tumors show many similarities to normal embryogenesis. This is, for example, illustrated by the expression of the marker of pluripotency, OCT3/4, known to play a pivotal role in the early stages of normal development. Interestingly, it is found to be the most informative diagnostic marker for the early developmental stages of malignant germ cell tumors. ⋯ Testicular lymphomas showed the most heterogeneous pattern, although specific regions were consistently hypermethylated. In conclusion, the results obtained from this set of adult normal and neoplastic in vivo derived samples is in accordance to the in vitro data that expression of OCT3/4 is associated with specific changes in methylation. Moreover, the findings argue against OCT3/4 being a driving oncogenic factor in the pathogenesis of human germ cell tumors.