• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.143-150
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• 2001

Background : Many investigators have found transforming growth factor-${\beta}1$ (TGF-${\beta}1$) to be elevated in tumors. Changes in responsiveness to TGF-${\beta}1$ have been linked to malignant transformation, tumor progression and tumor regression. Many malignant cell lines of epithelial or hematopoietic origin are refractory to the antiproliferative effects of TGF-${\beta}1$. However, a little is known about the association of TGF-${\beta}1$ with progression of malignant tumor. Methods : In this study, we measured the plasma level of TGF-${\beta}1$ in various cancer patients and evaluated the utility of plasma TGF-${\beta}1$ as a possible tumor marker. Plasma TGF-${\beta}1$ levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in cancer patients and normal controls. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as tumor marker were compared with TGF-${\beta}1$ in the aspects of sensitivity and specificity. Results : The mean of plasma TGF-${\beta}1$ levels was $1.219{\pm}0.834ng/ml$ in normal controls, $5.491{\pm}3.598ng/ml$ in breast cancer, $12.670{\pm}10.386ng/ml$ in lung cancer, $5.747{\pm}3.228ng/ml$ in hepatocellular carcinoma and $10.854{\pm}7.996ng/ml$ in cervical cancer. In comparison with CEA and AFP, TGF-${\beta}1$ is more sensitive. Conclusion : We conclude that the high levels of TGF-${\beta}1$ are common in the plasma of cancer patients. These results suggest that the plasma TGF-${\beta}1$ level can be a potent tumor marker in various cancer patients.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.156-159
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• 2016

Although carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9 is a useful tumor marker for pancreatic cancer, it can also become elevated from a variety of benign and malignant conditions. Herein we describe an unusual presentation of elevated CA 19-9 in an asymptomatic patient who had previously undergone adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy for resected early stage pancreatic cancer. The rise in CA 19-9 might be due to delayed radiation-induced inflammation related to previous intra-abdominal radiation therapy with or without radiation recall induced by gemcitabine. After treatment with corticosteroids the CA 19-9 level decreased to normal, and the patient has not developed any evidence of recurrent cancer to date.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2014

Accurate diagnosis and proper monitoring of cancer patients remain important obstacles for successful cancer treatment. The search for cancer biomarkers can aid in more accurate prediction of clinical outcome and may also reveal novel predictive factors and therapeutic targets. One such prognostic marker seems to be FOXA1. Many studies have shown that FOXA1 is strongly expressed in a vast majority of cancers, including breast cancer, in which high expression is associated with a good prognosis. In this review, we summarize the role of this transcription factor in the development and prognosis of breast cancer in the hope of providing insights into utility of FOXA1 as a novel biomarker.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.4259-4265
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• 2016

Background: Colorectal malignancies with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H), either hereditary (Lynch syndrome) or sporadic, demonstrate better prognosis and altered response to 5FU chemotherapy. It is now recommended to perform MSI testing for all new cases of colorectal cancer regardless of being categorized as hereditary or sporadic. For MSI detection, immunohistochemistry or PCR-based protocols using a cohort of various sets of STR markers are recommended. Here we aimed to evaluate a simplified protocol using just a single STR marker, MT1XT20 mononucleotide repeat, for detection of MSI in Lynch syndrome patients. A Promega five-marker MSI testing panel and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used as the gold standard in conjunction with MT1XT20. Materials and Methods: Colorectal patients with a positive history of familial cancers were selected by evaluating medical records. Based on Amsterdam II criteria for Lynch syndrome 20 families were short listed. DNA was extracted from formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumour and adjacent normal tissues resected from the index case in each family. Extracted DNA was subjected to MT1XT20 mononucleotide marker analysis and assessment with a commercially available five marker MSI testing kit (Promega, USA). IHC also was performed on tissue sections and the results were compared with PCR based data. Results: Eight (40%), seven (35%) and five (25%) cases were MSI positive using with the Promega kit, IHC and MT1XT20, respectively. Among the markers included in Promega kit, BAT26 marker showed instability in all 8 samples. NR24 and NR21 markers showed instability in 7 (87.5%), and BAT25 and MONO 27 in 6 (75%) and 5 (62.5%). Conclusions: Although MT1XT20 was earlier reported as a valid standalone marker for MSI testing in CRC patients, we could not verify this in our Iranian patients. Instead BAT26 among the markers included in Promega MSI testing kit showed instability in all 8 MSI-H CRC samples. Therefore, it seems BAT26 could act well as a single marker for MSI testing in Iranian CRC patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7045-7047
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• 2015

Background: Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a marker which has been investigated in many cancers but data for head and neck lesions are limited. We aimed to study the MPV levels in head and neck cancers as a diagnostic marker. Materials and Methods: A total of 96 head and neck cancer patients and 31 control patients who did not meet exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. The cancer locations, the platelet and MPV levels at the first diagnosis time were collected. Results: The head and neck cancer location distribution between these patients was 2 (2.1%) buccal, 9 (9.4%) tongue, 6 (6.3) lip, 1 (1%) gingiva, 1 (1%) hypopharynx, 1 (1%) ear, 58 (60.4%) larynx, 2 (2.1%) maxilla, 2 (2.1%) nasal, 1 (1%) nasopharynx, 2 (2.1%) palatal, 3 (3.1%) primary unknown, 1 (1%) retromolar, 1 (1%) thyroid, 2 (2.1%) tonsil, and 4 (4.2%) salivary gland. MPV levels were significantly different between cancer and control group (p=0.002). The cut-off point for MPV predicting head and neck cancer is >10 fL (sensitivity=55.21, specificity=87.10). Conclusions: MPV level increase, a readily assessable parameter which does not bring extra costs can warn us regarding head and neck cancer risk.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.19
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• pp.8215-8219
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• 2014

CD133 is one of the most important stem cell markers in solid cancers and Ki-67 is a marker that reflects cell proliferation. The relationships between the expression of CD133 and Ki-67 and prognosis in gastric carcinoma are unknown and need exploring. We examined 50 gastric cancer patients retrospectively in the Radiation Oncology Department of the Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University. CD133 and Ki-67 expression was examined using immunohistochemical staining. The survival rate in patients with CD133 positive expression was significantly worse than that in the patients with negative expression (p=0.04). Expression of CD133 had a positive correlation with that of Ki-67 (r=0.350; p=0.014). Multivariate analysis revealed that the expression of CD133 was an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer (p=0.02). Conclusion, expression of CD133 may be a useful prognostic marker in gastric cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2973-2978
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• 2012

Background: Cancer stem cells (CSC) have been described in a variety of malignancies, including breast carcinomas. Among several markers, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) has been identified as reliable for breast cancer stem cells. Knockdown of BRCA1 in primary breast epithelial cells leads to an increase in cells expressing ALDH1. Methods: We examined 127 breast carcinomas for expression of ALDH1, using immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinicopathological parameters as well as the BRAC1 status. Results: Comparing the results for both ALDH1 and BRCA1 expression showed a significant inverse association between the two, indicating that reduced BRCA1 was more often seen in breast cancer cells expressing ALDH1 (p-value = 0.044). A total of 24/110 (22%) of tumours displayed the ALDH1 + / BRCA1 -/low phenotype, which showed a trend for a relation with a high grade (p-value= 0.056). Cytoplasmic expression of ALDH1 was not correlated with tumour characteristics. Conclusion: Taken together, our findings suggest that increased ALDH1 is inversely correlated with decreased BRCA1 in a series of unselected breast carcinomas. Therefore, ALDH1 positive (cancer stem) cells with reduced BRCA1 phenotype may indicate a subset of patients for whom specific targeting of the CSC marker ALDH1 and more aggressive adjuvant treatment is appropriate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.18
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• pp.7971-7975
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• 2014

Background: From our previous study, we established that cyclin A1 (CCNA1) promoter methylation is strongly correlated with multistep progression of HPV-associated cervical cancer, suggesting potential use as a diagnostic maker of disease. Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to assess the prevalence of CCNA1 promoter methylation in residual cervical cells isolated from liquid-based cytology that underwent hrHPV DNA screening for cervical cancer, and then to evaluate this marker for diagnostic accuracy using parameters like sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratio. Methods: In this retrospective study, histopathology was used as the gold standard method with specimens separated into the following groups: negative (n=31), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL, n=34) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or worse (HSIL+, n=32). The hrHPV was detected by Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) and CCNA1 promoter methylation was examined by CCNA1 duplex methylation specific PCR. Results: The results showed the frequencies of CCNA1 promoter methylation were 0%, 5.88% and 83.33%, while the percentages of hrHPV were 66.67%, 82.35% and 100% in the negative, LSIL and HSIL+ groups, respectively. Although hrHPV infection showed high frequency in all three groups, it could not differentiate between the different groups and grades of precancerous lesions. In contrast, CCNA1 promoter methylation clearly distinguished between negative/LSIL and HSIL+, with high levels of all statistic parameters. Conclusion: CCNA1 promoter methylation is a potential marker for distinguishing between histologic negative/LSIL and HSIL+using cervical cytology samples.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6813-6820
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• 2013

The present study was conducted to investigate the prognostic significance of co-expression patterna of HER-2, IL-6, TNF-a and TGF-${\beta}1$ in breast cancer, by correlating the number of markers with positive expression with clinicopathological characteristics indicative of tumor progression and overall survival. One hundred thirty consecutive patients with primary breast cancer were prospectively included and evaluated. Serum concentrations of the above markers were measured by ELISA. Median split was used to subdivide patients with marker positive or negative expression. The presence of ${\geq}3$ positive markers was independently associated with extended lymph node (>3) involvement (aOR, 11.94, p=0.001) and lymphovascular invasion (aOR, 12.04, p=0.018), increasing the prognostic significance of each marker considered separately. Additional prognostic information regarding survival was also provided; as the number of positive markers increased, a gradually reduction of survival time was observed. In addition, patients with 4 positive markers had significantly shorter survival (25 vs 39 months, p=0.006) and a more than 4 fold increased risk of death (aHR, 4.35, p=0.003) compared to patients with 3 positive markers. Our findings suggest that the coexpression pattern of these four markers could be used clinically as a useful marker for tumor extension and outcome of breast cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.701-707
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• 1997

Although many reseraches have been persued to detect the molecular tumor marker to define the cancer, ideal tumor marker which speak for the characteristics of malignancy and has high sensitivity and specificity is not known. One of the characteristics of the malignant cells is indefinite proliferative potential, in other word, immortality. The expression of telomerase and stabilization of te10meres are con omitant with the attaiunent of immortality in tumor cells; thus the measurement of telomerase activity in clinically obtained tumor samples may provide important information which would be useful as a diagnostic marker to detect immortal cancer cells. Telomerase activity was analyzed in 12 non-small cell . lung cancer cell lines and 41 primary non-small cell lung cancers with the use of a PCR-based assay. All the cell lines and the majority of tumors displayed telomerase activity, but telomerase was not detectable in most of the corresponding pathologically-normal tissues. Telomere length was not correlated with telomerase activity. The present study indicate that measurement of telomerase activity may be useful as a molecular tumor marker in non-small cell lung cancer.