British journal of cancer
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British journal of cancer · Mar 2014
Tumour expression of leptin is associated with chemotherapy resistance and therapy-independent prognosis in gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinomas.
Cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the main systemic therapy for gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma, but resistance to chemotherapy is common, resulting in ineffective and often toxic treatment for patients. Predictive biomarkers for chemotherapy response would increase the probability of successful therapy, but none are currently recommended for clinical use. We used global gene expression profiling of tumour biopsies to identify novel predictive biomarkers for cytotoxic chemotherapy. ⋯ In gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinomas, tumour leptin expression is associated with chemoresistance but a better therapy-independent prognosis. Tumour leptin expression determined by immunohistochemistry has potential utility as a predictive marker of resistance to cytotoxic chemotherapy, and a prognostic marker independent of therapy in gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Leptin antagonists have been developed for clinical use and leptin and its associated pathways may also provide much needed novel therapeutic targets for gastro-oesophageal adenocarcinoma.
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British journal of cancer · Mar 2014
Association between smoking and deaths due to colorectal malignant carcinoma: a national population-based case-control study in China.
This study explored the association between smoking and colorectal malignant carcinoma (CRC) in the Chinese population at the national level for the first time. ⋯ Quitting smoking at any time would likely be beneficial to CRC prevention. Long-term heavy smokers and rural men should be viewed as special targets for smoking prevention and cessation programs.