1.
Nicotinamide for skin cancer chemoprevention.
Damian, DL
The Australasian journal of dermatology. 2017;(3):174-180
Abstract
Nicotinamide (vitamin B3 ) has a range of photoprotective effects in vitro and in vivo; it enhances DNA repair, reduces UV radiation-induced suppression of skin immune responses, modulates inflammatory cytokine production and skin barrier function and restores cellular energy levels after UV exposure. Pharmacological doses of nicotinamide have been shown to reduce actinic keratoses and nonmelanoma skin cancer incidence in high-risk individuals, making this a nontoxic and accessible option for skin cancer chemoprevention in this population.
2.
Autophagy: A boon or bane in oral cancer.
Adhauliya, N, Kalappanavar, AN, Ali, IM, Annigeri, RG
Oral oncology. 2016;:120-6
Abstract
Autophagy is a catabolic process involving cellular recycling and is believed to play a distinct role in cell survival especially when exposed to stressors, rendering it comparable to the elixir sustaining life. It plays a significant role in various conditions like cancers, neuropathies, heart diseases, auto-immune diseases, etc. Its role in tumorigenesis and cancer therapeutics is worth exploring. Autophagy is believed to help in survival and longevity of cancer cells by buffering metabolic stress. Inhibition of autophagy in an environment of nutrient deprivation leads to cell death. Autophagy is also seen to facilitate metastasizing tumor cells in surviving the conditions of metabolic deprivation and in recovery when conditions turn favorable. Many current cancer therapies tend to inflict metabolic stress, thus autophagy inhibitors may be useful in cancer treatment. As per the adage, "excess of anything is bad", the autophagy promoters can also be exploited as beneficial tools in the fight against cancer. Another method for tumor-cell elimination can be by inducing autophagic cell death through over-stimulation. Oral cancers are becoming a leading cause of deaths worldwide. Much remains to be explored about the role autophagy plays in progression of head and neck cancers, so as to harness it in the therapeutics of these cancers. Research on autophagy is still in its infancy. There are knowledge gaps in understanding this complex process. But there is no doubt that understanding exact mechanism behind autophagy will open up new avenues in cancer therapeutics and even prevention.
3.
Randomized study of antiinflammatory and immune-modulatory effects of enteral immunonutrition during concurrent chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer.
Sunpaweravong, S, Puttawibul, P, Ruangsin, S, Laohawiriyakamol, S, Sunpaweravong, P, Sangthawan, D, Pradutkanchana, J, Raungkhajorn, P, Geater, A
Nutrition and cancer. 2014;(1):1-5
Abstract
Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) induces toxicities from inflammation and immunological suppression. Omega-3 fatty acids, glutamine, and arginine are therapeutic factors that can attenuate such inflammation and promote cellular immunity. The question is whether immunonutrition (IN) during CCRT reduces inflammation and improves the immune function in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Seventy-one locally advanced ESCC patients being treated with CCRT (5-FU and cisplatin) were randomized into 2 groups. The IN group received a combination of omega-3 fatty acids, glutamine, and arginine, whereas the control group received standard formula. The levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interferon-gamma (IFN), interleukin (IL-6, IL-10), CD3, CD4, CD8, white blood cells, neutrophils, and total lymphocytes were measured before and during treatment. The levels of CRP (P = 0.001) and TNF (P = 0.014) increased more during treatment in the control group than the treatment group, whereas IFN, IL-6, and IL-10 were similar but not significantly. CD3, CD4, CD8, white blood cells, neutrophils, and total lymphocytes decreased more in the control group than in the treatment group, but not significantly. Enteral IN during CCRT reduced the increase of inflammatory cytokine levels.
4.
Protein-protein interaction network analyses for elucidating the roles of LOXL2-delta72 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Wu, BL, Zou, HY, Lv, GQ, Du, ZP, Wu, JY, Zhang, PX, Xu, LY, Li, EM
Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP. 2014;(5):2345-51
Abstract
Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2), a member of the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family, is a copper-dependent enzyme that catalyzes oxidative deamination of lysine residues on protein substrates. LOXL2 was found to be overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in our previous research. We later identified a LOXL2 splicing variant LOXL2-delta72 and we overexpressed LOXL2-delta72 and its wild type counterpart in ESCC cells following microarray analyses. First, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of LOXL2 and LOXL2-delta72 compared to empty plasmid were applied to generate protein-protein interaction (PPI) sub-networks. Comparison of these two sub-networks showed hundreds of different proteins. To reveal the potential specific roles of LOXL2- delta72 compared to its wild type, the DEGs of LOXL2-delta72 vs LOXL2 were also applied to construct a PPI sub-network which was annotated by Gene Ontology. The functional annotation map indicated the third PPI sub-network involved hundreds of GO terms, such as "cell cycle arrest", "G1/S transition of mitotic cell cycle", "interphase", "cell-matrix adhesion" and "cell-substrate adhesion", as well as significant "immunity" related terms, such as "innate immune response", "regulation of defense response" and "Toll signaling pathway". These results provide important clues for experimental identification of the specific biological roles and molecular mechanisms of LOXL2-delta72. This study also provided a work flow to test the different roles of a splicing variant with high-throughput data.
5.
[Clinical study on treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer with Chinese herbal medicine combined with synchronous radio- and chemotherapy].
Liu, X, Wang, B, Fu, X
Zhongguo Zhong xi yi jie he za zhi Zhongguo Zhongxiyi jiehe zazhi = Chinese journal of integrated traditional and Western medicine. 2000;(6):427-9
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of applying Chinese herbal medicine according to Syndrome Differentiation of TCM combined with synchronous radio- and chemotherapy (combination therapy) in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS The 56 patients in the group A were treated with combination therapy, and the 44 patients in the group B treated with synchronous radio- and chemotherapy, while the 34 patients in the group C treated with non-synchronous radio- and chemotherapy. The efficacy of treatment in the three groups were observed and compared. RESULTS The immediate effective rate in the A, B, C groups was 87.5%, 84.1% and 55.9% respectively, that in the group A and B was better than that in the group C (P < 0.01). The median survival time in the three groups was 16.4, 11.8 and 10.6 months respectively. The 2-year and 3-year survival rate in the group A were markedly higher than those in the group B (P < 0.05), moreover, the clinical symptoms, Karnovsky scoring and immune function were obviously improved in the group A (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION Effect of the combination therapy is superior to that of synchronous radio- and chemotherapy alone in improving immune function, elevating quality of life and prolongating survival time of patients with NSCLC.