• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.78-84
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• 2017

A 73-year-old non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient admitted due to cough, sputum, and dyspnea, aggravated a week ago. She was diagnosed as pneumonia based on the assessment of inflammation markers, chest X-ray and sputum culture. Computed tomography (CT) scan was conducted to exclude malignant tumor metastasis. At the initiation of treatment, considering underlying disease and inflammation marker level, herbal medicine and antibiotics were concurrently used and antibiotics had been discontinued after 10days. Using the monotherapy of herbal medicine in the next 6 days, chest X-ray showed remarkably decreased infiltration in right middle lung and right lower lung. This case represented additional improvement of chest X-ray when treated only with herb medicine after termination of antibiotic therapy and demonstrated the possibility of applying herbal medicine in patients with limited use of antibiotics.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.216-224
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• 2023

Centrosome abnormalities are hallmarks of human cancers. Structural and numerical centrosome abnormalities correlate with tumor aggressiveness and poor prognosis, implicating that centrosome abnormalities could be a cause of tumorigenesis. Since Boveri made his pioneering recognition of the potential causal link between centrosome abnormalities and cancer more than a century ago, there has been significant progress in the field. Here, we review recent advances in the understanding of the causes and consequences of centrosome abnormalities and their connection to cancers. Centrosome abnormalities can drive the initiation and progression of cancers in multiple ways. For example, they can generate chromosome instability through abnormal mitosis, accelerating cancer genome evolution. Remarkably, it is becoming clear that the mechanisms by which centrosome abnormalities promote several steps of tumorigenesis are far beyond what Boveri had initially envisioned. We highlight various cancer-promoting mechanisms exerted by cells with centrosome abnormalities and how these cells possessing oncogenic potential can be monitored.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3535-3539
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• 2013

Head and neck cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. Two genes GSTM1 and GSTT1 involved in phase II of carcinogen detoxification have been frequently studied in the literature. Their null genotypes are thought to be associated with increased head and neck cancer risk. However, the published reviews are not up to date and many important papers have been skipped. The current literature review was restricted to the null genotypes of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes with special emphasis on the genotypic status. We found that the size of study sample varied greatly and the oral cavity cancer was more influenced by GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene deletions. With respect to ethnicity Asians are more prone to head and neck cancers with these null genotypes as compared to Europeans and Americans. The current review showed significant associations (OR=9.0, 95%CI; 1.4-9.5; OR=3.7, 95%CI; 1.4-9.5) of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes with head and neck cancers. Review confirms the data of previous reviews that GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms may be risk factors for cancer initiation.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2022

Sparassis crispa is an edible mushroom that has been widely utilized in Japan and Korea. It has various biological activities, such as anti-hypertensive, anti-allergic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, and anti-cancer effects. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity and underlying molecular mechanism of chloroform fraction of methanol extract of S. crispa (CESP) against cervical cancer stem cells (CSCs), which contribute to tumor initiation, recurrence, and resistance to therapy of human cervical cancer. CESP effectively inhibited the proliferation, tumorsphere formation, and migration of HeLa-derived cervical CSCs by promoting apoptosis. In addition, CESP significantly downregulated the expression of key cancer stemness markers, including integrin α6, CD133, CD44, ALDH1A1, Nanog, Oct-4, and Sox-2, in HeLa-derived cervical CSCs. Furthermore, CESP remarkably suppressed in vivo tumor growth of HeLa-derived cervical CSCs in a chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model. Therefore, our findings suggest that CESP has potential as a natural medicine for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer by targeting CSCs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.577-583
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• 2014

The recent discovery of tiny microRNAs (miRNAs) has brought about awareness of a new class of regulators of diverse pathways in many physiological and pathological processes, such as tumorigenesis. They modulate gene expression by targeting plethora of mRNAs, mostly reducing the protein yield of a targeted mRNA. With accumulation of information on characteristics of miR-205, complex and in some cases converse roles of miR-205 in tumor initiation, progression and metastasis are emerging. miR-205 acts either as an oncogene via facilitating tumor initiation and proliferation, or in some cases as a tumor suppressor through inhibiting proliferation and invasion. The aim of this review is to discuss miR-205 roles in different types of cancers. Given the critical effects of deregulated miR-205 on processes involved in tumorigenesis, they hold potential as novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2533-2539
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• 2012

Annona muricata L (Annonaceae), commonly known as soursop has a long, rich history in herbal medicine with a lengthy recorded indigenous use. It had also been found to be a promising new anti-tumor agent in numerous in vitro studies. The present investigation concerns chemopreventive effects in a two-stage model of skin papillomagenesis. Chemopreventive effects of an ethanolic extract of A. muricata leaves (AMLE) was evaluated in 6-7 week old ICR mice given a single topical application of 7,12-dimethylbenza(${\alpha}$)anthracene (DMBA 100ug/100ul acetone) and promotion by repeated application of croton oil (1% in acetone/twice a week) for 10 weeks. Morphological tumor incidence, burden and volume were measured, with histological evaluation of skin tissue. Topical application of AMLE at 30, 100 and 300mg/kg significantly reduced DMBA/croton oil induced mice skin papillomagenesis in (i) peri-initiation protocol (AMLE from 7 days prior to 7 days after DMBA), (ii) promotion protocol (AMLE 30 minutes after croton oil), or (iii) both peri-initiation and promotion protocol (AMLE 7 days prior to 7 day after DMBA and AMLE 30 minutes after croton oil throughout the experimental period), in a dose dependent manner (p<0.05) as compared to carcinogen-treated control. Furthermore, the average latent period was significantly increased in theAMLE-treated group. Interestingly, At 100 and 300 mg/kg, AMLE completely inhibited the tumor development in all stages. Histopathological study revealed that tumor growth from the AMLE-treated groups showed only slight hyperplasia and absence of keratin pearls and rete ridges. The results, thus suggest that the A.muricata leaves extract was able to suppress tumor initiation as well as tumor promotion even at lower dosage.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2016

Scientific evidence on all aspects of smoking amongst youth is very important for designing appropriate interventions to reduce smoking among this vulnerable population. This paper describes current access to anti-smoking information among school children aged 13 to 15 years in Vietnam in 2014 and examines its potential impact on preventing smoking initiation. The data used in this paper were obtained from the 2014 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in Vietnam. Students were asked questions about their level of awareness of anti-smoking information from various sources in the past 30 days and about lessons in school regarding the dangers of tobacco use during the last 12 months. Those who have never smoked were asked "whether or not they thought about avoiding cigarettes because of health warnings on cigarette packages" and answers were analyzed in combination with data on access to anti-smoking information from other sources. The prevalence of exposure to antismoking campaigns was high among school children in Viet Nam: 55.3% of current smokers reported thoughts of smoking cessation because of health warnings on cigarette packages; 60.5% of never smokers avoided initiating smoking because of the same health warnings. The potential impact of graphic health warnings to prevent school-aged children from smoking initiation would be stronger if there was concurrent access to anti-smoking programs on the dangers of tobacco use in schools. However, school education for tobacco prevention and control has not been as strong as expected. A more comprehensive school curriculum on tobacco prevention and control is recommended to reinforce antismoking messages among school children.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.15
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• pp.6299-6302
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• 2015

Background: The rise in consumption of tobacco products among youth is a public health concern in India. Several studies have shown that advertisements promoting tobacco products influence decisions and behaviour of youth towards smoking. Objective: To ascertain which method of Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) was more influential for initiating tobacco use in youth in India. Materials and Methods: The secondary data of youth (15-24 years) from nationally representative Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) conducted in 2009-2010 was analyzed. Odds ratio and p-value were used to know the association between TAPS and initiation of use of tobacco products among youth. Logistic regression was used to determine the most significant means of TAPS altering the youth's behaviour towards tobacco products. Results: Out of 13,383 youths, 1,982 (14.7%) used smokeless forms of tobacco and 860 (6.38%) used smoke forms. Logistic regression reveals that promotional activities mainly through cinemas (p<0.05) and providing free samples of tobacco products (p < = .001) were most influential means of initiating consumption of tobacco products among youth. Conclusions: The smoking in youth is associated with watching advertisements particularly in cinema and promotional activities like distribution of free samples, coupons and sales on the price of tobacco products. Stronger legislative measures should be enforced to curb promotional advertisements in cinemas and distribution of free samples.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3533-3540
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• 2016

Background: Cigarette smoking is one of the leading global causes of premature and preventable death. In Brunei Darussalam, smoking-related diseases have been a primary cause of mortality for the past three decades. Despite the increasing efforts that have been made in recent years to reduce the consumption of tobacco products in Brunei, the prevalence of adolescent smoking cigarette, however has risen alarmingly, from 8.9% in 2013 to 11.4% in 2014, with a higher prevalence found in males (17.8%) than in females (4.8%). In response to the need for more effective smoking prevention programmes in Brunei, this study sought to explore factors that influence Bruneian male adolescents to start and continue smoking. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using focus group discussions (FGDs) as the data collection method was conducted from October to November 2015. A total of 43 studentss, comprising 31 smokers and 12 non-smokers, aged 13-17 years, from two government secondary schools in Bandar Seri Begawan, participated in six FGDs. Discussions were recorded and translated. Transcripts were entered into NVivo10, before thematic analysis was conducted. Results: We identified three themes under the core construct of 'factors influencing smoking initiation' ('family as teachers', 'overt pressure from peers' and 'perceived smoking has many advantages') and three themes under the core construct of 'factors influencing smoking continuation' ('craving and addiction', 'smoking as a 'social activity' and 'easy accessibility of cigarettes'). Conclusions: Based on the findings, it is recommended that future prevention activities should be embedded in a comprehensive approach, involving all stakeholders within a community, and should be focused towards bringing a change in smoking and parenting behavior of parents, social norms within the culture towards all population levels, and at strengthening the existing non-smoking policies in schools and other public places where young people congregate.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.3687-3696
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• 2016

Cancer registration, an important component of cancer surveillance, is essential to a unified, scientific and public health approach to cancer prevention and control. India has one of the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the world. A good surveillance system in the form of cancer registries is important for planning and evaluating cancer-control activities. Cancer registration in India was initiated in 1964 and expanded since 1982, through initiation of the National Cancer Registry Program (NCRP) by the Indian Council of Medical Research. NCRP currently has twenty-six population based registries and seven hospital based registries. Yet, Indian cancer registries, mostly in urban areas, cover less than 15% of the population. Other potential concerns about some Indian registries include accuracy and detail of information on cancer diagnosis, and timeliness in updating the registry databases. It is also important that necessary data collection related quality assurance measures be undertaken rigorously by the registries to ensure reliable and valid information availability. This paper reviews the current status of cancer registration in India and discusses some of the important pitfalls and issues related to cancer registration. Cancer registration in India should be complemented with a nationwide effort to foster systematic investigations of cancer patterns and trends by states, regions and sub populations and allow a continuous cycle of measurement, communication and action.