• Molecules and Cells
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.462-466
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• 2008

Adenoviruses are the most commonly used gene-delivery vectors due to the efficiency of their in vivo gene transfer. Since 1993, about 300 protocols using an adenoviral vector have been performed, although they have yet to be proven effective in clinical trials. The adenovirus-based vector has been continuously improved by modification of the adenoviral genome and capsid, and novel adenovirus-delivery systems, such as the carrier-cell delivery system, have been recently proposed. Adenovirus-based cancer gene therapy is fast becoming one component of a multi-modality treatment approach to advanced cancer, along with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6419-6425
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• 2013

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is a treatment modality whereby chemotherapy is used as the initial treatment of HNSCC in patients presenting with advanced cancer that cannot be treated by other means. It leads to shrinkage of tumours to an operable size without significant compromise to essential oro-facial organs of the patients. The molecular mechanisms behind shrinkage due to NACT is not well elucidated. Materials and Methods: Eleven pairs of primary HNSCCs and adjacent normal epithelium, before and after chemotherapy were screened for cell proliferation and apoptosis. This was followed by immunohistochemical analysis of some cell cycle (LIMD1, RBSP3, CDC25A, CCND1, cMYC, RB, pRB), DNA repair (MLH1, p53) and apoptosis (BAX, BCL2) associated proteins in the same set of samples. Results: Significant decrease in proliferation index and increase in apoptotic index was observed in post-therapy tumors compared to pre-therapy. Increase in the RB/pRB ratio, along with higher expression of RBSP3 and LIMD1 and lower expression of cMYC were observed in post-therapy tumours, while CCND1 and CDC25A remained unchanged. While MLH1 remained unchanged, p53 showed higher expression in post-therapy tumors, indicating inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis. Increase in the BAX/BCL2 ratio was observed in post-therapy tumours, indicating up-regulation of apoptosis in response to therapy. Conclusions: Thus, modulation of the G1/S cell cycle regulatory proteins and apoptosis associated proteins might play an important role in tumour shrinkage due to NACT.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.1063-1067
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• 2015

Background: Tumor associated fatigue (TAF) or cancer related fatigue (CRF) is not a new concept. Nonetheless, no real headway has been made in the quantitative analysis of its successful treatment via cognitive behavioral therapy. Since 20 to 30% of all breast cancer patients suffer from anxiety and/or depression within the first year of their diagnosis, this issue needs to be addressed and a standard treatment protocol has to be developed. This study focused on developing a simple, reproducible and short (8 weeks) protocol for the cognitive behavioral therapy support of tumor associated fatigue patients. Materials and Methods: Between the year 2011 and 2012, 23 breast cancer patients fulfilled the diagnosis TAF requirements and were introduced into this study. Our method focused on a psycho-oncological support group using a predetermined, highly structured and reproducible, cognitive behavioral therapy treatment manual. Eight weekly, 90 minute sessions were conducted and patients were evaluated before and after this eight session block. Tumor fatigue specific questionnaires such as the multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI) as well as the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) were used in order to quantitatively evaluate patient TAF. Results: Of the 23 patients enrolled in the study, only 7 patients fulfilled the TAF diagnostic criteria after the psycho-oncological group treatment. This represents a 70% reduction in diagnosable tumor associated fatigue. The HADS analysis showed a 33% reduction in patient anxiety as well as a 57% reduction in patient depression levels. The MFI scores showed a significant reduction in 4 of the 5 evaluate categories. With the exception of the "mental fatigue" MFI category all results were statistically significant. Conclusions: This study showed that a highly structured, cognitive behavioral therapy group intervention will produce significant improvements in breast cancer patient tumor associated fatigue levels after only 8 weeks.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3419-3423
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• 2013

Of all gynecologic cancers, endometrial cancer is the most common cancer in the US and Europe. In addition, it is presently the second most common gynecologic cancer in the world. As a result of increasing menopausal, obese and tamoxifen use women, the incidence of the cancer seems to be on the increase. Surgery is the major treatment, whereas postoperative radiation therapy in high-intermediate risk patients many prevent locoregional recurrence. Adjuvant chemotherapy can improve progression free survival in advanced or recurrent cancers. Molecular targeted therapies are now a focus of attention including anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). They may provide useful future strategies for control of endometrial malignancies in developing countries and across the world.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.818-822
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• 2013

This report is aimed to investigate the effect of Traditional Korean Therapy (TKT) in treating recurred breast cancer metastasized to lung. A 53-year-old woman who was diagnosed as left breast cancer and underwent surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in early 2009 was admitted for the treatment of recurred, metastatic lung cancer in late 2012. She was treated with TKT including acupuncture, moxibustion and pharmacopuncture. The effect was evaluated with positron emission tomogram and computed tomogram (PET-CT). The metastatic tumors in both lungs were disappeared after the treatment for about 2 months. These results suggest that TKT is a therapeutic method to treat metastatic lung cancer originated from breast cancer.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10543-10555
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• 2015

Breast cancer primary prevention is a high research priority due to the high psychological and economic costs. The disease is a multistep process and several risk factors have been recognized. Over the past three decades numerous studies have investigated the association of lifestyle with breast cancer, showing independent effects of various factors. We report here a summary of the present state of knowledge on the role of lifestyle patterns, such as physical activity, diet, smoking, hormone therapy, and experience of psychological stress in the modulation of breast cancer in women, and discuss commonly accepted biological mechanisms hypothesized as responsible for the associations. The findings indicate that regular physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity is probably linked with the decreased breast cancer risk among postmenopausal females and suggestive for a decrease of the risk in premenopausal women. In contrast, the consumption of high-fat diet, alcohol intake, and use of combined estrogen and synthetic progestagen hormonal therapy may increase the risk. Epidemiological findings dealing with a role of smoking and experience of psychological stress are conflicting.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2015

With advances in the understanding of the biology and genetics of colorectal cancer (CRC), diagnostic biomarkers that may predict the existence or future presence of cancer or a hereditary condition, and prognostic and treatment biomarkers that may direct the approach to therapy have been developed. Biomarkers can be ascertained and assayed from any tissue that may demonstrate the diagnostic or prognostic value, including from blood cells, epithelial cells via buccal swab, fresh or archival cancer tissue, as well as from cells shed into fecal material. For CRC, current examples of biomarkers for screening and surveillance include germline testing for suspected hereditary CRC syndromes, and stool DNA tests for screening average at-risk patients. Molecular biomarkers for CRC that may alter patient care and treatment include the presence or absence of microsatellite instability, the presence or absence of mutant KRAS, BRAF or PIK3CA, and the level of expression of 15-PGDH in the colorectal mucosa. Molecularly targeted therapies and some general therapeutic approaches rely on biomarker information. Additional novel biomarkers are on the horizon that will undoubtedly further the approach to precision or individualized medicine.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.129-135
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• 2013

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In advanced and metastatic gastric cancer, the conventional chemotherapy with limited efficacy shows an overall survival period of about 10 months. Patient specific and effective treatments known as personalized cancer therapy is of significant importance. Advances in high-throughput technologies such as microarray and next generation sequencing for genes, protein expression profiles and oncogenic signaling pathways have reinforced the discovery of treatment targets and personalized treatments. However, there are numerous challenges from cancer target discoveries to practical clinical benefits. Although there is a flood of biomarkers and target agents, only a minority of patients are tested and treated accordingly. Numerous molecular target agents have been under investigation for gastric cancer. Currently, targets for gastric cancer include the epidermal growth factor receptor family, mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor axis, and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-AKT-mammalian target of rapamycin pathways. Deeper insights of molecular characteristics for gastric cancer has enabled the molecular classification of gastric cancer, the diagnosis of gastric cancer, the prediction of prognosis, the recognition of gastric cancer driver genes, and the discovery of potential therapeutic targets. Not only have we deeper insights for the molecular diversity of gastric cancer, but we have also prospected both affirmative potentials and hurdles to molecular diagnostics. New paradigm of transdisciplinary team science, which is composed of innovative explorations and clinical investigations of oncologists, geneticists, pathologists, biologists, and bio-informaticians, is mandatory to recognize personalized target therapy.

• CELLMED
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.18.1-18.2
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• 2022

In Korea, liver cancer is the sixth most prevalent malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. The peak incidence of liver cancer deaths occurs between the ages of 40 and 59. (e.g. Yoon et al. 2021) The patient is a 69-year-old female with bronchiectasis as an underlying condition. She underwent left lower lobe resection for the disease, and in 2009 she was diagnosed with liver cancer and experienced a recurrence after a full recovery. In the case of such patients, the most effective OCNT prescription is recommended.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.3763-3766
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• 2012

Background: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme in the metabolism of folate, and the role of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism in pancreatic carcinogenesis is still controversial. Methods: A literature search was performed using Pubmed and CNKI databases for published studies through May 2012. We performed a meta-analysis of all relevant case-control studies that examined the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and pancreatic cancer risk. Results: Finally, 9 individual case-control studies with a total of 1,299 pancreatic cancer cases and 2,473 controls were included into this meta-analysis. Results: This metaanalysis showed there was an obvious association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and pancreatic cancer risk in East Asians (for allele model, OR = 1.67, 95%CI 1.11-2.51; For homozygote model, OR = 2.77, 95%CI 1.40-5.48; for recessive model, OR = 1.96, 95%CI 1.54-2.50; for dominant model, OR = 2.11, 95%CI 1.01-4.41). However, no significant association was found in Caucasians. Conclusions: The MTHFR C677T polymorphism is associated with pancreatic cancer risk, and a race-specific effect may exist in this association. More studies with a larger sample size are needed to further clarify this association.