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Pediatric Oncology Patients With Vincristine-Induced Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Palsy: Two Case Reports and a Brief Review of Literature.
Tay, SY, Foster, J, Heczey, A, Sitton, M
Ear, nose, & throat journal. 2021;(10):NP459-NP463
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Vincristine (VCR) is a chemotherapeutic agent used widely in the treatment of hematologic and solid tumors, known to result in neurotoxicity, especially with cumulative administrations. Bilateral vocal fold palsy (VFP) is a rare but life-threatening complication of VCR. We report 2 patients with hepatoblastoma presenting with stridor following VCR treatment and propose a management plan. METHODS Electronic medical records of oncology patients treated at a tertiary hospital with VCR-induced VFP were reviewed. Literature review was performed in PubMed using the terms: hoarseness, VFP, stridor, vincristine. RESULTS A total of 23 children with VCR-induced VFP were identified from the literature review and adding on our 2 cases. Seventeen (77.3%) were male and 5 (22.7%) were female. The median presenting age was 36.0 months (5-204 months). Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 15 of 23 (65.2%), was the most common malignancy. Eighteen patients (78.3%) had bilateral VFP and 5 (21.7%) had unilateral VFP. The mean time to VF function recovery was 167.3 days (median: 200.5 days, range: 7-270 days) in the intervention group versus 72.1 days (median: 31.5 days, range: 3-240 days) in the conservative group. One patient in the intervention group had persistent VFP. Sixteen patients (69.6%) were observed, 4 (17.4%) underwent tracheostomy, 1 (4.35%) was intubated, 1 (4.35%) underwent cordectomy, and 1 (4.35%) required positive pressure support. Vincristine was restarted in 12 patients (54.5%), of which 4 developed recurrence of airway symptoms and had to stop VCR. CONCLUSION A new-onset hoarseness or stridor in a child on VCR should raise the suspicions of VFP. The assumption of an upper respiratory-induced hoarseness or stridor should be avoided. Decisions regarding readministration of VCR and possible airway interventions should be made via a multidisciplinary team approach.
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Antiproliferative and palliative activity of flavonoids in colorectal cancer.
Fernández, J, Silván, B, Entrialgo-Cadierno, R, Villar, CJ, Capasso, R, Uranga, JA, Lombó, F, Abalo, R
Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie. 2021;:112241
Abstract
Flavonoids are plant bioactive compounds of great interest in nutrition and pharmacology, due to their remarkable properties as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antitumor drugs. More than 5000 different flavonoids exist in nature, with a huge structural diversity and a plethora of interesting pharmacological properties. In this work, five flavonoids were tested for their potential use as antitumor drugs against three CRC cell lines (HCT116, HT-29 and T84). These cell lines represent three different stages of this tumor, one of which is metastatic. Xanthohumol showed the best antitumor activity on the three cancer cell lines, even better than that of the clinical drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), although no synergistic effect was observed in the combination therapy with this drug. On the other hand, apigenin and luteolin displayed slightly lower antitumor activities on these cancer cell lines but showed a synergistic effect in combination with 5-FU in the case of HTC116, which is of potential clinical interest. Furthermore, a literature review highlighted that these flavonoids show very interesting palliative effects on clinical symptoms such as diarrhea, mucositis, neuropathic pain and others often associated with the chemotherapy treatment of CRC. Flavonoids could provide a double effect for the combination treatment, potentiating the antitumor effect of 5-FU, and simultaneously, preventing important side effects of 5-FU chemotherapy.
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Vocal cord paralysis secondary to vincristine treatment in children: A case series of seven children and literature review.
Godbehere, J, Payne, J, Thevasagayam, R
Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery. 2021;(5):1114-1118
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Perspectives and controversies regarding the use of natural products for the treatment of lung cancer.
Wen, T, Song, L, Hua, S
Cancer medicine. 2021;(7):2396-2422
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality both in men and women and accounts for 18.4% of all cancer-related deaths. Although advanced therapy methods have been developed, the prognosis of lung cancer patients remains extremely poor. Over the past few decades, clinicians and researchers have found that chemical compounds extracted from natural products may be useful for treating lung cancer. Drug formulations derived from natural compounds, such as paclitaxel, doxorubicin, and camptothecin, have been successfully used as chemotherapeutics for lung cancer. In recent years, hundreds of new natural compounds that can be used to treat lung cancer have been found through basic and sub-clinical research. However, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of drugs that have been used in a clinical setting. The probable reasons may include low solubility, limited absorption, unfavorable metabolism, and severe side effects. In this review, we present a summary of the natural compounds that have been proven to be effective for the treatment of lung cancer, as well as an understanding of the mechanisms underlying their pharmacological effects. We have also highlighted current controversies and have attempted to provide solutions for the clinical translation of these compounds.
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Therapeutic Potential of Thymoquinone in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Prevention and Progression through the Modulation of the Tumor Microenvironment.
Adinew, GM, Taka, E, Mochona, B, Badisa, RB, Mazzio, EA, Elhag, R, Soliman, KFA
Nutrients. 2021;(1)
Abstract
To date, the tumor microenvironment (TME) has gained considerable attention in various areas of cancer research due to its role in driving a loss of immune surveillance and enabling rapid advanced tumor development and progression. The TME plays an integral role in driving advanced aggressive breast cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a pivotal mediator for tumor cells to communicate with the surrounding cells via lymphatic and circulatory systems. Furthermore, the TME plays a significant role in all steps and stages of carcinogenesis by promoting and stimulating uncontrolled cell proliferation and protecting tumor cells from the immune system. Various cellular components of the TME work together to drive cancer processes, some of which include tumor-associated adipocytes, fibroblasts, macrophages, and neutrophils which sustain perpetual amplification and release of pro-inflammatory molecules such as cytokines. Thymoquinone (TQ), a natural chemical component from black cumin seed, is widely used traditionally and now in clinical trials for the treatment/prevention of multiple types of cancer, showing a potential to mitigate components of TME at various stages by various pathways. In this review, we focus on the role of TME in TNBC cancer progression and the effect of TQ on the TME, emphasizing their anticipated role in the prevention and treatment of TNBC. It was concluded from this review that the multiple components of the TME serve as a critical part of TNBC tumor promotion and stimulation of uncontrolled cell proliferation. Meanwhile, TQ could be a crucial compound in the prevention and progression of TNBC therapy through the modulation of the TME.
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Xanthohumol from Hop: Hope for cancer prevention and treatment.
Girisa, S, Saikia, Q, Bordoloi, D, Banik, K, Monisha, J, Daimary, UD, Verma, E, Ahn, KS, Kunnumakkara, AB
IUBMB life. 2021;(8):1016-1044
Abstract
Cancer is a major public health concern due to high mortality and poor quality of life of patients. Despite the availability of advanced therapeutic interventions, most treatment modalities are not efficacious, very expensive, and cause several adverse side effects. The factors such as drug resistance, lack of specificity, and low efficacy of the cancer drugs necessitate developing alternative strategies for the prevention and treatment of this disease. Xanthohumol (XN), a prenylated chalcone present in Hop (Humulus lupulus), has been found to possess prominent activities against aging, diabetes, inflammation, microbial infection, and cancer. Thus, this manuscript thoroughly reviews the literature on the anti-cancer properties of XN and its various molecular targets. XN was found to exert its inhibitory effect on the growth and proliferation of cancer cells via modulation of multiple signaling pathways such as Akt, AMPK, ERK, IGFBP2, NF-κB, and STAT3, and also modulates various proteins such as Notch1, caspases, MMPs, Bcl-2, cyclin D1, oxidative stress markers, tumor-suppressor proteins, and miRNAs. Thus, these reports suggest that XN possesses enormous therapeutic potential against various cancers and could be potentially used as a multi-targeted anti-cancer agent with minimal adverse effects.
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In silico identification of natural products from Traditional Chinese Medicine for cancer immunotherapy.
Cai, C, Wu, Q, Hong, H, He, L, Liu, Z, Gu, Y, Zhang, S, Wang, Q, Fan, X, Fang, J
Scientific reports. 2021;(1):3332
Abstract
Advances in immunotherapy have revolutionized treatments in many types of cancer. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has a long history of clinical adjuvant application against cancer, is emerging as an important medical resource for developing innovative cancer treatments, including immunotherapy. In this study, we developed a quantitative and systems pharmacology-based framework to identify TCM-derived natural products for cancer immunotherapy. Specifically, we integrated 381 cancer immune response-related genes and a compound-target interaction network connecting 3273 proteins and 766 natural products from 66 cancer-related herbs based on literature-mining. Via systems pharmacology-based prediction, we uncovered 182 TCM-derived natural products having potential anti-tumor immune responses effect. Importantly, 32 of the 49 most promising natural products (success rate = 65.31%) are validated by multiple evidence, including published experimental data from clinical studies, in vitro and in vivo assays. We further identified the mechanism-of-action of TCM in cancer immunotherapy using network-based functional enrichment analysis. We showcased that three typical natural products (baicalin, wogonin, and oroxylin A) in Huangqin (Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi) potentially overcome resistance of known oncology agents by regulating tumor immunosuppressive microenvironments. In summary, this study offers a novel and effective systems pharmacology infrastructure for potential cancer immunotherapeutic development by exploiting the medical wealth of natural products in TCM.
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The anti-cancerous activity of adaptogenic herb Astragalus membranaceus.
Sheik, A, Kim, K, Varaprasad, GL, Lee, H, Kim, S, Kim, E, Shin, JY, Oh, SY, Huh, YS
Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology. 2021;:153698
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer is the most dreadful disease increasing rapidly causing an economic burden globally. A standardized chemotherapy regimen planned with curative intent weakens the immune system and damages healthy cells making the patient prone to infections and severe side effects with pain and fatigue. PURPOSE Astragalus membranaceus (AM) has a long history of use in the treatment of severe adverse diseases. For thousands of years, it has been used in mixed herbal decoctions for the treatment of cancer. Due to growing interest in this plant root for its application to treat various types of cancers and tumors, has attracted researcher's interest. METHOD The literature search was done from core collections of electronic databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed and Science Direct using keywords given below and terms like pharmacological and phytochemical details of this plant. OUTCOME Astragalus membranaceus has demonstrated the ability to modulate the immune system during drug therapy making the patient physically fit and prolonged life. It has become a buzzword of herbalists as it is one of the best of seven important adaptogenic herbs with a protective effect against chronic stress and cancer. It demonstrated significant amelioration of the perilous toxic effects induced by concurrently administered chemo onco-drugs. CONCLUSION The natural phytoconstituents of this plant formononetin, astragalus polysaccharide, and astragalosides which show high potential anti-cancerous activity are studied and discussed in detail. One of them are used in clinical trials to overcome cancer related fatigue. Overall, this review aims to provide an insight into Astragalus membranaceus status in cancer therapy.
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Molecular mechanisms of anticancer activities of polyphyllin VII.
Ahmad, B, Rehman, SU, Azizullah, A, Khan, MF, Din, SRU, Ahmad, M, Ali, A, Tahir, N, Azam, N, Gamallat, Y, et al
Chemical biology & drug design. 2021;(4):914-929
Abstract
Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in the world. The major therapies for cancer treatment are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. All these therapies expensive, toxic and show resistance. The plant-derived compounds are considered safe, cost-effective and target cancer through different pathways. In these pathways include oxidative stress, mitochondrial dependent and independent, STAT3, NF-kB, MAPKs, cell cycle, and autophagy pathways. One of the new plants derived compounds is Polyphyllin VII (PPVII), which target cancer through different molecular mechanisms. In literature, there is a review gap of studies on PPVII; therefore in the current review, we summarized the available studies on PPVII to provide a base for future research.
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Targeting Histone Onco- Modifications Using Plant-Derived Products.
Illam, SP, Kandiyil, SP, Raghavamenon, AC
Current drug targets. 2021;(11):1317-1331
Abstract
The regulatory mechanisms lying over the genome that determines the differential expression of genes are termed epigenetic mechanisms. DNA methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation of histone proteins and RNAi are typical examples. These epigenetic modifications are important determinants of normal growth and metabolism; at the same time, aberrant histone modifications play a major role in pathological conditions and are emerging as a new area of research for the last decades. Histone onco-modification is a term introduced by the scientific world to denote histone post-translational modifications that are associated with cancer development and progression. These modifications are likely to act in certain conditions as adaptive mechanisms to environmental and social factors. The enzymes that regulate DNA methylation as well as histone modifications are thus become a target for cancer therapy and chemoprevention. Since oxidative stress has been shown to modulate epigenetic changes, and phytocompounds with powerful antioxidant properties have a significant role in disease prevention. Nowadays, "nutri- epigenetics" is becoming an emerging area of research that deals with the influence of dietary compounds in epigenetics. This review aims to discuss the biological efficacy of promising phytocompounds that are able to counteract deleterious epigenetic modifications, especially histone onco- modifications.