Annals of Oncology 2007 18(12):1919; doi:10.1093/annonc/mdm524
© 2007 European Society for Medical Oncology
In this issue
 |
BiotHER and response to trastuzumab
|
|---|
Besides the accurate assessment of HER2 status, additional predictive
parameters are needed to identify more precisely those breast
cancer patients most likely to benefit from trastuzumab therapy.
Neither FISH nor the most widely used immunohistochemical methods
to detect HER2 overexpression actually document the presence
of the specific target site of trastuzumab, which is located
in the juxtamembrane region of the extracellular domain. Sapino
et al. hypothesized that using trastuzumab as the primary antibody
to reveal the presence of HER2 on the surface of cancer cells
might better predict its clinical efficacy. In this issue, these
authors report a study in which tumor specimens from 234 patients
who received trastuzumab-based treatments were analyzed for
HER2 amplification and biotin-labeled trastuzumab (BiotHER)
immunoreactivity. Clinical data were then analyzed to assess
the effect of BiotHER positivity on response rate, time to progression
and survival. They report that BiotHER immunoreactivity was
independently associated with increased probability of tumor
response, with reduced risk of disease progression and death.
|
PAI-1 in colorectal cancer prognosis
|
|---|
Extracellular matrix degradation mediated by the urokinase plasminogen
activation (uPA) system is an important mechanism involved in
tissue remodeling. Expression levels of the uPA system components
have been shown to be very low in normal colorectal mucosa,
but high in invasive carcinomas. Additionally, high plasma levels
of the uPA receptor and the uPA inhbitor PAI-1 have been associated
with worse survival in patients with colorectal cancer. Expression
of the components of the uPA system can be up-regulated by several
hormones, growth factors and cytokines. Since single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) located within the promoter or other regulatory
regions of the genes in the uPA system may affect the expression
of the gene or the protein, genotyping of these SNPs could provide
a simple method to predict the risk and the prognosis of cancer.
In this issue, Försti et al. report the results of a study
that examined four SNPs with a potential effect on uPA system
gene expression for their role in colorectal cancer susceptibility
and prognosis.
|
Pamidronate-related jaw necrosis in multiple myeloma patients
|
|---|
Bisphosphonate-related bone necrosis, a recently recognized
complication, has been reported more frequently in patients
receiving the more potent aminobisphosphonates, which are usually
administered i.v., and occurs almost exclusively in the jaws.
The site specificity is thought to be related to a higher rate
of jawbone turnover due to the functional influence of teeth
and the prevalence of dental diseases. Several studies have
reported the incidence of the complication for multiple myeloma
patients in the range of 3%–10%. Many risk factors and
comorbidities have been proposed but few have been explored
with supporting data. In this issue, Jadu et al. report the
results of a study that aimed to determine the incidence of
jaw necrosis among a homogeneous population of multiple myeloma
patients receiving the bisphosphonate, pamidronate, to investigate
risk factors and comorbidities that increase the risk and to
characterize the radiographic changes on conventional dental
radiographs in terms of type and frequency. These authors report
an estimated incidence of 3.2%, with longer duration of pamidronate
therapy, dental extractions, cyclophosphamide therapy, prednisone
therapy, erythropoietin therapy, low hemoglobin levels, renal
dialysis and advanced age, representing statistically significant
risk factors.
|
Cancer treatment and muscular fitness
|
|---|
Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy
have acute and chronic effects on physiological systems such
as the muscular system. Cancer survivors experience a decline
in protein synthesis due to physical inactivity (deconditioning)
coupled with a possible reduction in the supply of amino acids
in protein production, while protein degradation appears to
be due to an increased expression of components in the ubiquitin–proteasome
proteolytic pathway. A growing body of research shows that exercise
interventions can help cancer survivors during or following
treatment. Exercise studies have shown improvements in functional
capacity, upper body fitness and lower body fitness with concomitant
decreases in fatigue in cancer survivors during or following
various types of cancer therapies. In this issue, Schneider
et al. report a study that aimed to determine the effects of
an individualized prescriptive exercise training program, carried
out either during or after cancer treatment, on upper body and
lower body muscular fitness, flexibility, depression and quality
of life in breast and prostate cancer survivors. These authors
conclude that moderate intensity-individualized prescriptive
exercise is a safe and efficacious means to augment muscular
function and improve the quality of life of cancer survivors.
|
Quote
|
|---|
London. A Street.
Enter Sir John Falstaff, with his Page bearing his sword and buckler.
Falstaff: Sirrah, you giant, what says the doctor to my water?
Page: He said, sir, the water itself was a good healthy water; but, for the party that owed it, he might have more diseases than he knew for.
A urinalysis reported in William Shakespeare's The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth. Act I. Scene II.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
Top
BiotHER and response to...
PAI-1 in colorectal cancer...