British journal of cancer
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British journal of cancer · Mar 2008
Double inhibition of XIAP and Bcl-2 axis is beneficial for retrieving sensitivity of renal cell cancer to apoptosis.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is known to be resistant to chemo- and radiotherapy due to a high apoptotic threshold. Smac and XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein) proteins were detected in all RCC cell lines and tissue samples examined. We modulated the function of XIAP, either through its constitutional downregulation with an shRNA vector or by applying a Smac-mimicking peptide. ⋯ We determined that exposure of Caki1 cells to Smac-N7 peptide (AVPIAQK) resulted in a slight but significant decrease in viability (P=0.0031) and potentiated cisplatin's effect (P=0.0027). In contrast with point targeting of XIAP by shRNA, Smac-N7 peptide is active against several IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis protein) family members, which can explain its role in sensitising cells to cisplatin. Our results suggest that multiple targeting of both Bcl-2 and XIAP or, alternatively, of several IAP family members by the Smac-N7 peptide is a potent way to overcome resistance of RCC to apoptosis-triggering treatment modalities, and might be a new tool for molecular targeted therapy.
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British journal of cancer · Feb 2008
Meta AnalysisParenteral oestrogen in the treatment of prostate cancer: a systematic review.
The objectives of this study were to assess the effectiveness and safety of parenteral oestrogen in the treatment of prostate cancer, and to examine any dose relationship. A systematic review was undertaken. Electronic databases, published paper and internet resources were searched to locate published and unpublished studies with no restriction by language or publication date. ⋯ The results provide no evidence to suggest that parenteral oestrogen, in doses sufficient to produce castrate levels of testosterone, is less effective than luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) or orchidectomy in controlling prostate cancer, or that it is consistently associated with an increase in cardiovascular mortality. Further well-conducted trials of parenteral oestrogen are required. A pilot randomised controlled trial comparing transdermal oestrogen to LHRH analogues in men with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer is underway in the United Kingdom.
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British journal of cancer · Jan 2008
Review Meta AnalysisOxygen for relief of dyspnoea in mildly- or non-hypoxaemic patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of palliative oxygen for relief of dyspnoea in cancer patients. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for randomised controlled trials, comparing oxygen and medical air in cancer patients not qualifying for home oxygen therapy. Abstracts were reviewed and studies were selected using Cochrane methodology. ⋯ Results were stable to a sensitivity analysis, excluding studies requiring the use of imputed quantities. In this small meta-analysis, oxygen did not provide symptomatic benefit for cancer patients with refractory dyspnoea, who would not normally qualify for home oxygen therapy. Further study of the use of oxygen in this population is warranted given its widespread use.
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British journal of cancer · Jan 2008
Meta AnalysisProgesterone receptor variation and risk of ovarian cancer is limited to the invasive endometrioid subtype: results from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium pooled analysis.
There is evidence that progesterone plays a role in the aetiology of invasive epithelial ovarian cancer. Therefore, genes involved in pathways that regulate progesterone may be candidates for susceptibility to this disease. Previous studies have suggested that genetic variants in the progesterone receptor gene (PGR) may be associated with ovarian cancer risk, although results have been inconsistent. ⋯ However, in histopathological subtype analyses, we found a statistically significant association between risk of endometrioid ovarian cancer and the PROGINS allele (n=651, OR=1.17, 95% CI=1.01-1.36, P=0.036). We also observed borderline evidence of an association between risk of endometrioid ovarian cancer and the +331C/T variant (n=725 cases; OR=0.80, 95% CI 0.62-1.04, P=0.100). These data suggest that while these three variants in the PGR are not associated with ovarian cancer overall, the PROGINS variant may play a modest role in risk of endometrioid ovarian cancer.
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British journal of cancer · Jan 2008
Comparative StudyDiagnostic potential of near-infrared Raman spectroscopy in the stomach: differentiating dysplasia from normal tissue.
Raman spectroscopy is a molecular vibrational spectroscopic technique that is capable of optically probing the biomolecular changes associated with diseased transformation. The purpose of this study was to explore near-infrared (NIR) Raman spectroscopy for identifying dysplasia from normal gastric mucosa tissue. A rapid-acquisition dispersive-type NIR Raman system was utilised for tissue Raman spectroscopic measurements at 785 nm laser excitation. ⋯ The empirical diagnostic algorithm based on the ratio of the Raman peak intensity at 875 cm(-1) to the peak intensity at 1450 cm(-1) gave the diagnostic sensitivity of 85.7% and specificity of 80.0%, whereas the diagnostic algorithms based on PCA-LDA yielded the diagnostic sensitivity of 95.2% and specificity 90.9% for separating dysplasia from normal gastric tissue. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves further confirmed that the most effective diagnostic algorithm can be derived from the PCA-LDA technique. Therefore, NIR Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with multivariate statistical technique has potential for rapid diagnosis of dysplasia in the stomach based on the optical evaluation of spectral features of biomolecules.