Basic & Clinical Cancer Research
Year:2018 | Volume:10 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Background: Despite the enormous effort has been done for cancer therapy, fabricating targeted drug delivery platform which can effectively eliminate cancer is a challenge. Methods: In this study, we have developed a novel platform composed of graphene oxide (GO), poly-l-lysine (PLL), Herceptin (Her) and doxorubicin (DOX) for chemo-photothermal therapy. GO has been prepared using the hummers method. The morphology of the prepared carriers has studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The successful conjugation of PLL and Her to the surface of GO has been examined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). DOX loading on GO sheets was characterized using UV-Vis absorption spectra. MTT and live/dead assay have been administrated to study the synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy potential of the carries. Results: FTIR shows the successful conjugation of the PLL and Herceptin to the GO surface. TGA analysis suggests that, in comparison to GO, GO-PLL has higher thermal stability. In addition, DOX loading efficiency is around 78. 5 ± 4. 3 %. Also, Live /dead and MTT assays reveal that the introduced carrier can effectively kill cancerous cells via chemo-photothermal effects. Conclusion: Our results have suggested that the novel carrier is a versatile platform for chemo-photothermal therapy application.

Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world and the third cause of death in Iran. Evidence suggests that some cancer patients are admitted to intensive care units at their own request. The need for hospitalization in this ward can vary based on different factors such as gender, age, type of disease, etc. Therefore, this study has been designed in order to investigate the epidemiology of cancer patients admitted to intensive care units. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population includes all cancer patients admitted to the intensive care units of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in the years 2013-2016. The records of all patients were included in the study through census and the necessary information was extracted. Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 24 in terms of percentage, mean, standard deviation through Chi-square test. Results: 12273 patients were admitted to intensive care units during the study period, among which 380 (3. 6%) were cancer patients. The age range of patients with cancer was between 16 and 96 years old, with a mean value of 60. 11 years and a standard deviation of 17. 49, and the majority of patients (52. 4%) were mal. The frequency of patients in terms of cancer type were as follows; 40% gastrointestinal cancer, 20% brain cancer, 9. 2% lung cancer, 6. 6% kidney cancer, 6. 6% breast cancer, 5. 5%blood cancer, and 11. 8% other cancers. The mortality rate of cancer patients admitted to ICUs was 36. 1%. The frequency of patients with gastrointestinal, lung, blood, kidney and brain cancers admitted to the intensive care units in males was significantly higher than females (p <0. 001). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that, despite the need for intensive care in cancer patients, the lack of beds in these wards may lead to cancer patients being admitted less frequently than necessary. Therefore these wards may need to take practical measures in this respect, such as the establishment of intensive care units specifically for cancer patients.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, and is among the five most prevalent cancer types among Iranian women. Advanced-stage breast cancer is often correlated with distant metastases. Alterations in gene expression affect general cytoskeleton changes during differentiation and oncogenesis, and can be considered an important factor in tumor progression. Gelsolin plays a significant role in actin assembly and has been introduced as a tumor activator. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of Gelsolin in breast cancer as well as its correlation with patients’ clinical parameters. Methods: In this study, 70 breast cancer patients, who had been referred to Cancer Institute, Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex for surgery were randomly selected. Normal and tumor tissues were prepared and stored at-80° C. Gelsolin gene expression was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The results showed that Gelsolin gene expression had increased in 68. 6% of the tumor samples. In addition, there was a significant association between increased levels of gene expression and tumor progression stages (P < 0. 05). However, there was no significant association between increased levels of gene expression and other clinical findings, such as tumor grade, tumor size or patient age. Conclusion: The results revealed that Gelsolin gene expression had increased in the tumor samples. Gelsolin overexpression also resulted in increased lymph node involvement in breast cancer. The expression of this gene also increased significantly during advanced stages of breast cancer; however, there was no significant relation between Gelsolin expression and tumor grade or tumor size.

Background: Diverse relationships have been proposed between esophageal cancer (EC) and vitamin D serum levels. We aimed to assess serum levels of vitamin D in high and low-risk populations for EC in Northern Iran. Methods: This ecological study was conducted in Golestan province, Northern Iran. Based on the incidence rates of EC, the province was divided into high-risk and low-risk populations. A stratified cluster sampling method was used. Serum vitamin D levels were assessed using the ELISA method. The proportions of vitamin D deficiency were compared between the two populations. Results: A total of 246 persons were studied, with a mean age of 50. 7 years. 96 subjects were male (39%) and 146 subjects were female (61%). 119 subjects (48. 8%) were from high-risk and 127 (51. 6%) were from low-risk populations. Thirty-two of 244 (13. 1%) persons had vitamin D deficiency. The proportions of vitamin D deficiency were 7. 9% and 18. 3% in high-and low-risk populations, respectively (p=0. 02). Conclusion: We found that significantly larger numbers of people suffered from vitamin D deficiency in populations at low-risk of EC compared to high-risk populations. Regarding the ecological design of this study, causal inference could not be made from our results. Therefore, we recommend further investigation of this issue in future individual-level studies in this area, and in other high-risk populations.

Background: Leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia being the most common subtype among children. Epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation, are found to be important in leukemia. According to the National Cancer Institute, Wilms’ tumor (WT1) is among the most important tumor antigens. This study examines WT1 gene methylation as a diagnostic or therapeutic method in patients afflicted by ALL. Methods: 37 ALL patients were enrolled in this study before initiation of treatment. Twelve healthy subjects were used as the control group. After DNA extraction and conversion with bisulfite, WT1 gene methylation in samples was analyzed via the MSP technique. Results: The WT1 gene promoter was not methylated in patients or the control group. Conclusion: Due to the absence of WT1 gene promoter methylation in patients, as well as the healthy group, it is likely that methylation of the promoter of this gene is of no consequence in leukemia development, and subsequently cannot aid in its diagnosis.

I read with great interest the paper by Reza Ghalehtaki and coworkers in the edition 9/2017 of your journal. The authors showed a case report of skeletal muscle metastasis of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC)1. I congratulate them on disease detection and treatment. At the same time, I would like to raise a few concerns related to the published data. Firstly, the study defines the prevalence of skeletal muscle metastases in the course of PTC as extremely rare referring to the paper by Song et al from 20112. Disappointedly, the authors overlooked the majority of such cases already published. In my extensive review of medical literature over 110 years, between 1907 and 2017, there were reported 58 cases of papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) skeletal muscle metastases, not 11 as Song et al stated3...

Dear Dr. Herbowski Thank you very much for your letter to to the editor and detailed comments about our case report "Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma with Thigh Muscle Metastases. . . BCCR 2017; 9(4): 32-39". We also read with great interest your very informative review titled "Skeletal muscle metastases from papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas: An extensive review of the literature", published very recently in Oncology Letters (15: 7083-7089, May 2018). We congratulate you for this excellent review, and we are sorry that we missed some of the papers reviewed in your May 2018 publication...

Interdigitating dendritic cells (IDCs) act as antigen-presenting cells (APC) of the immune system and have the ability to stimulate T cells. These cells are mostly seen in the paracortex of the lymph node. The interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma (IDCS) originating from the IDC is an extremely rare tumor. This tumor is observed in both lymph nodes and non-lymph nodes. This malignancy is difficult to diagnose due to its rarity, and thus far no guideline has been established for its treatment. However, it seems that the best treatment for this malignancy is radical resection of the tumor. Meanwhile, the role of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the survival and recurrence of the tumor is not clear. In this study, we present a case of IDCS originating from a cervical lymph node, which was first exposed to mass resection, with IHC evaluation revealing negative CD1a, CD3, CD20, CD23, and CD21 factors and positive S100 and LCA factors. After confirming the diagnosis, modified radical neck dissection was performed. In the next stage, the patient underwent chemotherapy with an R-CHOP regimen (Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin Hydrochloride, Oncovin, Prednisone) and neck radiotherapy. 18 months after the formation of the tumor, no sign of recurrence or metastasis was observed in the patient.