British journal of cancer
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British journal of cancer · Apr 2014
Notch1 activation is a poor prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer.
Aberrant Notch1 activation has been studied in many malignant tumours, but its role in gastric cancer remains unknown. This study is aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of Notch1 activation in patients with gastric cancer. ⋯ Notch1 activation was correlated with gastric cancer progression and defined as a novel independent prognostic factor. Combining ICN1 expression with TNM stage may provide a better predictive model for outcomes of gastric cancer patients.
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British journal of cancer · Apr 2014
Retracted PublicationClinical significance of p95HER2 overexpression, PTEN loss and PI3K expression in p185HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab-based therapies.
Overexpression of p185HER2 is an established poor prognostic factor in breast cancer, portending an aggressive course and potential for early metastasis. On the other hand, monoclonal antibody trastuzumab is widely used in the clinic to target this overexpressed oncogene. Unfortunately, ~30-40% of all patients overexpressing HER2 respond to trastuzumab, warranting further research regarding the structure and additional modulation of the receptor. In this study, we aimed to investigate the response to trastuzumab in terms of the potential roles of several oncogenic pathways (phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)) and a truncated receptor protein, p95HER2, retrospectively. ⋯ Presence of p95 predicted a poorer response to trastuzumab treatment, shorter PFS and OS in our HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer cohort. In addition, loss of PTEN predicted a poorer response to trastuzumab treatment and shorter PFS but not OS. We could not find an effect of PI3K expression on the above-mentioned parameters.
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British journal of cancer · Apr 2014
Meta AnalysisRisk and prognosis of ovarian cancer in women with endometriosis: a meta-analysis.
The risk and prognosis of ovarian cancer have not been well established in women with endometriosis. Thus, we investigated the impact of endometriosis on the risk and prognosis for ovarian cancer, and evaluated clinicopathologic characteristics of endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer (EAOC) in comparison with non-EAOC. ⋯ Endometriosis is strongly associated with the increased risk of ovarian cancer, and EAOC shows favourable characteristics including early-stage disease, low-grade disease and a specific histology such as endometrioid or clear cell carcinoma. However, endometriosis may not affect disease progression after the onset of ovarian 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.