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Topic Review
Anti-Cancer Mechanisms of Cucurbitacins
Cucurbitacins constitute a group of cucumber-derived dietary lipids, highly oxidized tetracyclic triterpenoids, with potential medical uses. These compounds are known to interact with a variety of recognized cellular targets to impede the growth of cancer cells.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists as Therapeutic Agent for Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is a bone tumor predominantly affecting children and adolescents with high malignant potential. It is a cause of serious public health challenges due to its high morbidity rates and metastatic potential. Metastasis in osteosarcoma may manifest either during treatment of the primary tumor, shortly after treatment, or a long time after the end of the treatment. So far, there are no therapeutics that can prevent or treat osteosarcoma metastasis. The peptide substance P (SP) and its high-affinity receptor, Neurokinin-1 (NK-1R), are known to positively correlate with osteosarcoma progression. Osteosarcoma cells overexpress NK-1R. SP is known to elicit the proliferation of osteosarcoma cells and induce angiogenesis and migration, leading to the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. In contrast, NK-1R antagonists, such as aprepitant, inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of osteosarcoma cells. Aprepitant is also known to inhibit the migration of osteosarcoma cells, as well as reduce the expression levels and activities of transcriptional regulators of metastasis-related genes such as matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). These preceding studies highlighted the antimetastatic role of aprepitant in osteosarcoma Moreover, combination therapy consisting of chemotherapy and NK-1R antagonist increases the chemosensitization of osteosarcoma cells.
  • 1.1K
  • 28 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma
Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare malignancy, with a rising incidence in recent decades, and accounts for roughly 40% of all cancers of the small bowel. The majority of SBAs arise in the duodenum and are associated with a dismal prognosis. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment for localized disease, while systemic treatments parallel those used in colorectal cancer (CRC), both in the adjuvant and palliative setting. In fact, owing to the lack of prospective data supporting its optimal management, SBA has historically been treated in the same way as CRC.
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Markers in Diagnostics and Classification of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer (BC)is etiologically, histopathologically and genetically a heterogeneous disease with both hereditary predispositions and non-hereditary factors. This is certainly true for BC as it refers to mammary carcinoma from ductal or lobular cells in the mammary epithelial tissue. Only a minor portion are sarcomas transformed from connective tissue and vessels. Malignant transformation in BC is the product of accumulations of consecutive mutations in critical regions of the genome that are normally involved in control of cell growth and division, DNA repair and programmed cell death. These mutations are partly inherited but mostly spontaneous. Contribution of genetic factors in BC has been indicated by familial occurrence which is estimated as 5–10% of all cases. High-penetrance genes which are linked with inherited BC susceptibility include BRCA1 and BRCA2, and more rarely TP53, PTEN, CDH1 and SKT11. Heterozygotic mutations in DNA repair genes BRCA1 (locus Ch17q21.31) or BRCA2 (Ch13q13.1) are the most common inherited conditions associated with BC. Absolute risk of BC for BRCA1 mutations reads ~50–65% in females and ~1% in males, while in BRCA2 mutations female risk ranges from 40% to 55% and reaches up to 9% in males. Familiar susceptibility to BC is also associated with mutations of lower penetrance genes as ATM (Ch11q22.3), PALB2 (Ch16p12.2) and CHEK2 (Ch22q12.1). Mutation in the androgen receptor gene (AR) has been found in cases of male BC. Susceptibility to sporadic BC cases can be linked with many more genes: e.g., sporadic invasive ductal variant of BC and lobular BC are associated with somatic mutation of genes RAD54L (Ch1p34.1) and CDH1 (Ch16q22.1), respectively. Other genes candidates associated with sporadic BC include: TP53 (Ch17p13.1), SLC22A1 (Ch11p15.4), PIK3CA (Ch3q26.32), ESR1 (Ch6q25.1-q25.2), RB1CC1 (Ch8q11.23), KRAS (12p12.1), AKT1 (14q32.33), RB1 (Ch13q14.2), PPM1D (Ch17q23.2), MYC (Ch8q24.21), FGFR1 and eventually ERBB2 (Ch17q12), CCND1 (Ch11q13.3), GATA3 (Ch10p14), MAP3K1 (Ch5q11.2) in certain lineages.
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Ethical Models Applicable to Cancer Care during Pregnancy
A holistic view should be taken towards patient’s treatment, care and counselling in order to provide patient-centric, ethically and legally informed care for pregnant cancer patients. It is essential to consider individual circumstances of each pregnant cancer patient where each patient is seen as a person embedded in the realities of their lives and the changes that a cancer diagnosis brings to themselves and their pregnancy care.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a well-established treatment for a variety of hematologic malignancies, immune disorders and metabolic diseases. Allo-HSCT often represents the only possible curative therapy, however it is hampered by high morbidity and mortality rates for an array of complications, including bloodstream infection and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Feb 2021
Topic Review
A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase (ADAM) Family
A disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) proteins are proteolytic enzymes that are responsible for destroying the extracellular matrix, but they also have adhesive properties. Recent investigations have demonstrated that the expression of several ADAMs is upregulated in gastrointestinal (GI) tumour cells and have linked the secretion of these proteins to pathogenesis of GI malignancies.
  • 1.1K
  • 18 May 2022
Topic Review
Cervical Carcinoma
Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of carcinomas causing morbidity and mortality in women in all countries of the world. At the moment, the oncology, oncobiology, and oncomorphology of cervical cancer are characterized by the accumulation of new information; various molecular biological, genetic, and immunohistochemical methods of investigation of the mechanisms of cervical carcinogenesis are tested and applied; targeted antitumour drugs and diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive biomarkers are being searched for. Many issues of the etiopathogenesis of cervical cancer have not been sufficiently studied, and the role of many biomarkers characterizing various stages of cervical carcinogenesis remains unclear.
  • 1.1K
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
MR-Guided Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer
The biological features of prostate cancer as a tumor with a low alpha beta ratio have led clinicians to consider the use of higher doses per fraction, thus gaining an advantage both in terms of clinical outcomes and of logistic opportunities. In this setting, the recent introduction of MR-Linac will provide clinicians an attractive tool for the treatment of prostate cancer, by exploiting the superior soft tissue visualization combined with the possibility to daily adapt the treatment plan with the real-time anatomy of the patient.
  • 1.1K
  • 08 Jul 2021
Topic Review
177Lu-PSMA Therapy
177Lu-PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen) therapy is used for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Although there are some different approaches regarding the use of 177Lu-PSMA therapy in different countries, this type of therapy is generally safe, with a low toxicity profile. From the oncological point of view, a PSA (prostate specific antigen) decline of ≥50% was seen in 10.6–69% of patients with mCRPC; whereas progression-free survival (PFS) was reported to be 3–13.7 months in different studies. Consequently, 177Lu-PSMA therapy is a promising treatment in patients with mCRPC, with good clinical efficacy, even in heavily pretreated patients with multiple lines of systemic therapy. Currently, there are ongoing clinical trials in the United States, including a phase III multicenter FDA registration trial. 
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Metal-Based Chemotherapeutic Treatments
Herein we provides an overview of the various research approaches we have explored in recent years to improve metal-based agents for cancer or infection treatments. Although cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin remain the cornerstones in tumor chemotherapy, the discovery and approval of novel inorganic anticancer drugs is a very slow process. Analogously, although a few promising inorganic drugs have found clinical application against parasitic or bacterial infections, their use remains relatively limited. Moreover, the discovery process is often affected by small therapeutic enhancements that are not attractive for the pharmaceutical industry. However, the availability of increasing mechanistic information for the modes of action of established inorganic drugs is fueling the exploration of various approaches for developing effective inorganic chemotherapy agents. Through a series of examples, some from our own research experience, we focus our attention on a number of promising strategies, including (1) drug repurposing, (2) the simple modification of the chemical structures of approved metal-based drugs, (3) testing novel drug combinations, and (4) newly synthesized complexes coupling different anticancer drugs. Accordingly, we aim to suggest and summarize a series of reliable approaches that are exploitable for the development of improved and innovative treatments.
  • 1.1K
  • 25 May 2021
Topic Review
Antitumor Potential of Stingless Bee Propolis and Geopropolis
Stingless bees, also known as meliponines, live in colonies and are characterized by having atrophied stingers. Propolis is a mixture of salivary secretions and plant resins collected by bees and is produced to seal the hive and prevent the entry of air and invading insects, besides having antimicrobial activity, protecting the colony from diseases. The investigation of the biological activities of stingless bee products, especially propolis and geopropolis, has revealed promising therapeutic properties, especially in the research on new antineoplastic agents.
  • 1.1K
  • 17 Nov 2021
Topic Review
The Blessed Union of Glycobiology and Immunology
The fields of cancer glycobiology and glycobiology of infectious diseases provide crucial information concerning the cell surface glycoconjugates, as they play an important role in immunosurveillance during the development and establishment of certain pathologies. Furthermore, screening for atypical glycophenotypes culminates in the construction and modulation of an innate and adaptive immune response, mainly because glycans are biological structures that are very well conserved by evolution and are naturally heterogeneous, and end up acting as carriers of biological information that are decoded by families of proteins known as lectins. The effects of the structural recognition of glycans by these receptors, present mainly in cells of the immune system, are paramount in defining the immune responses. Therefore, those receptors are subjected to subversion of the host response against certain pathologies, being involved in the persistence of infections and tumors resistant to chemotherapy and increased metastatic potential.
  • 1.1K
  • 07 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs）
Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) are accounting for 8% of the human genome. These sequences are remnants from ancient germline infections by exogenous retroviruses. After million years of evolution and multiple integrations, HERVs have acquired many damages rendering them defective. At steady state, HERVs are mostly localized in the heterochromatin and silenced by methylation. Multiple conditions have been described to induce their reactivation, including auto-immune diseases and cancers. HERVs re-expression leads to RNA (simple and double-stranded) and DNA production (by reverse transcription), modulating the innate immune response. Some studies also argue for a role of HERVs in shaping the evolution of innate immunity, notably in the development of the interferon response. However, their exact role in the innate immune response, particularly in cancer, remains to be defined. In this review, we see how HERVs could be key-players in mounting an antitumor immune response.
  • 1.1K
  • 03 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Nanoparticles for Thyroid Cancers
Thyroid cancer (TC) is rare relative to cancers of many other organs (breast, prostate, lung, and colon). The majority of TCs are differentiated tumors that are relatively easy to treat and have a good prognosis. However, for anaplastic TC, a rapidly growing and aggressive tumor, treatment is suboptimal because the effective drugs cause severe adverse effects. Drug delivery by nanocarriers can improve treatment by reducing side effects. This can either be mediated through better retention in the tumor tissue due to size (passive targeting) or through the attachment of specific molecules that zero in on the cancer cells (active targeting). Nanoparticles are already used for diagnosis and imaging of TC. For unresectable anaplastic TC, nanoparticle-based treatments, less suitable for deeply located cancers, could be useful, based on low-intensity focused ultrasound and near-infrared irradiation. All potential applications of nanoparticles in TC are still in the preclinical phase. 
  • 1.1K
  • 23 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Alcohol and Prostate Cancer
Alcohol consumption is linked to the risk of prostate cancer (PCa). High alcohol intake, especially binge drinking, is associated with increased risk for PCa, and this effect is not limited to any type of beverage. Alcohol consumption is also directly linked to PCa lethality as it may accelerate the growth of prostate tumors and significantly shorten the time for the progression to metastatic PCa. 
  • 1.1K
  • 22 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Application of Nanoparticles in Immunotherapy
Natural killer（NK） cells are a part of the native immune response to cancer. NK cell-based immunotherapies are an emerging strategy to kill tumor cells. 
  • 1.1K
  • 18 Nov 2022
Topic Review Video
Crosstalk between Apoptosis and Autophagy
Research in biomedical sciences has changed dramatically over the past fifty years. There is no doubt that the discovery of apoptosis and autophagy as two highly synchronized and regulated mechanisms in cellular homeostasis are among the most important discoveries in these decades. Along with the advancement in molecular biology, identifying the genetic players in apoptosis and autophagy has shed light on our understanding of their function in physiological and pathological conditions. Apoptosis and autophagy play essential roles in human health, and their malfunction leads to many diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and autoimmune disorders. These mechanisms are highly regulated, and there is complex crosstalk between them.
  • 1.1K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Pineal Gland Tumors
Pineal gland neoplasms are tumors with different and variable morphological, histological, and radiological characteristics and, consequently different diagnosis and management. Pineal tumors, are divided into germ cell tumors, pineal parenchymal tumors and tumors that derive from adjacent structures.
  • 1.1K
  • 21 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Selenium Deficiency and Thyroid Cancer
     Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient present in all tissues of the human body. It is incorporated into selenoproteins as selenocysteine (Se-Cys), the 21st amino acid. Se is present in high concentration in thyroid and plays an important role in the elimination of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and hydrogen peroxide produced during the iodination of thyroid hormones. Therefore, a fluctuation in its level could affect the expression of antioxidant selenoproteins. Indeed, Se deficiency in various diseases, including cancer, could be related to a high level of free radicals caused by oxidative stress. The relationship between Se and cancer risk is not fully understood and still debated worldwide. Most studies indicate a low Se levels in the patients with thyroid cancer.  However, some selenoproteins have been reported to fight tumor cell growth, while others support it, highlighting the fact that the role of Se in the mechanisms of thyroid tumor carcinogenesis is far from clear.
  • 1.1K
  • 30 Oct 2020
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