Bmc Cancer
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The optimal cancer treatment for an older population is largely unknown because of the low numbers of elderly patients accrued into clinical trials. This project focuses on the attitudes of the elderly about participation in clinical trials to determine if this is one of the barriers to the involvement of this population in clinical trials. ⋯ Most elderly people, who responded to this survey, are willing to consider participation in cancer clinical trials however, elderly patients do not appear to actively seek clinical trials and few were informed of the availability of clinical trials. Physician barriers and availability of appropriate clinical trials may play a bigger role in preventing accrual of elderly cancer patients into trials.
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Persistent fatigue is recognised as one of the most common, ongoing symptoms reported by patients following cancer treatment and may have profound effects on the quality of life. However, recent cross-sectional studies also highlight the close relationship between cancer related fatigue (CRF) and diagnoses of depression or anxiety disorder. There is currently limited information about the relationships between these conditions over time. We sought to examine the longitudinal relationships between fatigue and mood disorder in women treated with adjuvant therapy for early stage breast cancer. ⋯ Post-cancer fatigue was prevalent and sustained on follow-up. Concurrent psychological disorder was evident in the majority, but not all, cases of PCF and tended to be sustained over time. Further prospective cohort studies to define the longitudinal co-morbid relationships between fatigue, mood disorder, and ongoing disability after cancer treatment are indicated.
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It is important to discriminate between primary and secondary lung cancer. However, often, the discriminating diagnosis of primary lung acinar adenocarcinoma and lung metastasis of colorectal cancer based on morphological and pathological findings is difficult. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of immunohistochemistry of beta-catenin, cytokeratin (CK) 7, and CK20 for the discriminating diagnosis of lung cancer. ⋯ Combined immunohistochemistry of beta-catenin, CK7, and CK20 is useful for making a discriminating diagnosis between lung metastasis of colorectal cancer and primary lung acinar adenocarcinoma. This method will enable accurate diagnosis of a lung tumor and will be useful for selecting appropriate therapeutic strategies, including chemotherapeutic agents and operation methods.
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Comparative Study
Histological response of peritoneal carcinomatosis after hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC) in experimental investigations.
In selected patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer prognosis can be improved by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) after cytoreductive surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the tumor response of peritoneal carcinomatosis in tumor-bearing rats treated with HIPEC. ⋯ These findings indicate that HIPEC is an effective treatment for peritoneal carcinomatosis in this animal model. HIPEC reduced macroscopic and microscopic intraperitoneal tumor spread.
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Hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha), which plays an important role in controlling the hypoxia-induced glycolysis pathway, is a "master" gene in the tissue hypoxia response during tumor development. However, its role in the apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer remains unknown. Here, we have studied the effects of HIF-1alpha on apoptosis by modulating HIF-1alpha gene expression in A549 cells through both siRNA knock-down and over-expression. ⋯ During hypoxia in A549 cells, HIF-1alpha promotes activity of the glycolysis pathway and decreases the pH of the culture medium, resulting in increased cellular apoptosis.