Association between hepatitis C virus genotype 4 and renal cell carcinoma: Molecular and virological studies.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common infection worldwide. The correlation between HCV and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still mysterious. Therefore, the relationship between HCV and RCC was investigated.

Stem cell therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma and end-stage liver disease.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major health problem worldwide, especially for patients who are suffering from end-stage liver disease (ESLD). The ESLD is considered a great challenge for clinicians due to the limited chance for liver transplantation, which is the only curative treatment for those patients. Stem cell-based therapy as a part of regenerative medicine represents a promising application for ESLD patients.

Frequency of Pathogenic Germline Mutations in Early and Late Onset Familial Breast Cancer Patients Using Multi-Gene Panel Sequencing: An Egyptian Study.

Background: Precision oncology has been increasingly used in clinical practice and rapidly evolving in the oncology field. Thus, this study was performed to assess the frequency of germline mutations in early and late onset familial breast cancer (BC) Egyptian patients using multi-gene panel sequencing to better understand the contribution of the inherited germline mutations in BC predisposition. Moreover, to determine the actionable deleterious mutations associated with familial BC that might be used as biomarker for early cancer detection.

Genetic profiling of different phenotypic subsets of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) in breast cancer patients.

Background: Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) have a crucial role in breast carcinogenesis, development, and progression. The aim of the current study is to characterize the BCSCs through the genetic profiling of different BCSCs phenotypic subsets to determine their related genetic pathways.

Methods: Fresh tumor tissue samples were obtained from 31 breast cancer (BC) patients for (1) Mammosphere culture.

Long non-coding RNAs as novel prognostic biomarkers for breast cancer in Egyptian women.

Breast cancer (BC), the most common type of malignant tumor, is the leading cause of death, having the highest incidence rate among women. The lack of early diagnostic tools is one of the clinical obstacles for BC treatment. The current study was designed to evaluate a panel of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) BC040587, HOTAIR, MALAT1, CCAT1, CCAT2, PVT1, UCA1, SPRY4-IT1, PANDAR, and AK058003-and two mRNAs (SNCG, BDNF) as novel prognostic biomarkers for BC.

Her2/EGFR-PDGFR pathway aberrations associated with tamoxifen response in metastatic breast cancer patients.

Background: Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is a major health problem worldwide. Some patients improve on tamoxifen and others do not respond to treatment. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to assess genetic aberrations in the Her2/EGFR-PDGFR pathway associated with tamoxifen response in MBC patients.

Estrogen Receptor Gene Polymorphism as a Possible Genetic Risk Factor for Treatment Response in ER-Positive Breast Cancer Patients.

Estrogen receptor-α (ESR1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been related to breast cancer (BC) susceptibility. In this retrospective study we investigated ESR1 SNPs in association with survival and treatment response in BC patients. Seven ESR1 SNPs were genotyped using TaqMan probe assay in 100 formalin-fixed paraffin embedded blocks of Egyptian ERBC patients.

Ledipasvir-sofosbuvir in Adolescents With Chronic Hepatitis C and Hematological Malignancies Undergoing Chemotherapy.

Objectives: In children with hematological malignancies, chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been associated with more rapid liver disease progression and higher risk of malignancy relapse due to chemotherapy interruption. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of ledipasvir-sofosbuvir for 12weeks in these patients.

Methods: In a phase 2, open-label study, at one site in Egypt, patients ages 12-<18years with chronic HCV genotype 1 or 4 infection undergoing maintenance chemotherapy for hematological malignancies received ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (90 mg/400 mg) once daily for 12weeks.

Characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 genomes in Egypt in first and second waves of infection.

At Wuhan, in December 2019, the SRAS-CoV-2 outbreak was detected and it has been the pandemic worldwide. This study aims to investigate the mutations in sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 genome and characterize the mutation patterns in Egyptian COVID-19 patients during different waves of infection. The samples were collected from 250 COVID-19 patients and the whole genome sequencing was conducted using Next Generation Sequencing.

Prognostic influence of microsatellite alterations of muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with radical cystectomy.

Objective: To examine the prognostic effect of microsatellite instability (MSI) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Patients And Methods: The liquid nitrogen-preserved specimens of 220 patients between March 2009 and December 2012 were analyzed for the presence of MSI and LOH in 12 loci (ACTBP2, D16S310, D16S476, D18S51, D4S243, D9S162, D9S171, D9S747, FGA, INF-α, MBP, MJD) using polymerase chain reaction. MSI was defined as MSI-stable, MSI-Low, or MSI-High if instability was detected in 0, 1, or 2 or more of the examined markers, respectively.

Combining Bevacizumab with Knocked-Down β-Catenin Reduces VEGF-A and Slug mRNA in HepG2 but not in Caco-2 Cell Lines.

Background: Bevacizumab (Bev) resistance is hypothesized to be overcome by combining inhibitors of other signalling pathways.

Objective: We aimed to study the effect of combining Bev with knocked down β-catenin (Bev-β-cat-siRNA) on the expression of VEGF-A, Slug, NFκB, and its two target genes, c-Flip and FasR, in HepG2. Expression of VEGF-A and Slug was also studied in Caco-2 cells.

Prognostic Impact of and Mutations on Long-Term Survival Outcomes in Egyptian Female Breast Cancer Patients.

Evidence on the prognostic relevance of mutations on breast cancer survival is still debatable. To address this ambiguity, we sought to elucidate the impact of / mutation carriership on long-term clinical outcomes for the first time in Egyptian female breast cancer patients. This study comprised 103 Egyptian female breast cancer patients previously tested for mutations.

Genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of Egyptian patients revealed mutation hotspots that are related to clinical outcomes.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibits a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Despite the fact that SARS-CoV-2 has slower evolutionary rate than other coronaviruses, different mutational hotspots have been identified along the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

Methods: We performed whole-genome high throughput sequencing on isolates from 50 Egyptian patients to see if the variation in clinical symptoms was related to mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome.

Prevalence of MMTV-Like Sequences and Its Association with BRCA1/2 Genes Mutations Among Egyptian Breast Cancer Patients.

Background: Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is thought to have a role in human breast cancer (BC) pathogenesis. BRCA1 and 2 genes mutations are well-established risk factors for BC. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence of MMTV in familial and non-familial Egyptian breast cancer patients.

Assessment of the Circulating Tumor Cells and Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancer Patients: Prognostic and Diagnostic Value.

Background: Microsatellite instability (MSI) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play important roles in the diagnosis, prognosis and management of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

Methods: CTCs and MSI were assessed in the blood and representative tumor tissues of 100 CRC patients by flow cytometry (FCM) and PCR amplification. The data were correlated to relevant clinicopathological features of the patients, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates.

Cancer in Africa: Is It a Genetic or Environmental Health Problem?

Patients of African ancestry have the poorest outcome and the shortest survival rates from cancer globally. This could be attributed to many variables including racial, biological, socioeconomic and sociocultural factors (either single, multiple or combined), which may be responsible for this major health problem. We sought to assess the most common types of cancer that endanger the health of the African people, and tried to investigate the real differences between African and other Non-African patients regarding incidence, prevalence and mortality rates of different cancers.

The Prognostic Significance of 5-Fluorouracil Induced Inflammation and Immuno-Modulation in Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Aim: The change in the levels of peripheral inflammatory markers together with EGFR in relation to 5- fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy was evaluated for their prognostic significance in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

Patients And Methods: Expression levels of COX2, IL6, IL1β, EGFR, IL10, and TNFα were determined with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) in the peripheral blood of 90 CRC patients. The inflammatory response was correlated with patients' clinical features, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS).

BRCA1 and BRCA2 truncating mutations and variants of unknown significance in Egyptian female breast cancer patients.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women worldwide and the leading cause of cancer death in economically developing countries. We sought to study the contribution of BRCA1/2 mutations to the burden of breast cancer in Egypt.

Patients And Methods: 103 Egyptian female breast cancer patients, unselected for age of onset or family history, were included in the study.

Genomic characterization of SARS-CoV-2 in Egypt.

Introduction: The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread throughout the globe, causing a pandemic. In Egypt over 115,000 individuals were infected so far.

Objective: In the present study, the objective is to perform a complete genome sequence of SAR-CoV2 isolated from Egyptian coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients.

The role of circulating tumor cells and K-ras mutations in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer: a prospective study.

Rectal cancer is a common malignancy with a relatively poor prognosis. We assessed the possible prognostic and predictive role(s) of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and K-ras mutations in locally advanced rectal carcinoma (LARC) patients. CTCs number and K-ras mutation status were assessed in the Peripheral blood and tumor tissue samples of 60 patients with LARC compared to control group (normal rectal mucosa).

Targeted next generation sequencing identifies somatic mutations in a cohort of Egyptian breast cancer patients.

Breast cancer (BC) incidence is progressively increasing in Egypt. However, there is insufficient knowledge of the acquired somatic mutations in Egyptian BC patients which limit our understanding of its progression. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Egyptian cohort to sequence a multiple-gene panel of cancer related genes on BC patients.

The Role of Breast Cancer Stem Cells and Some Related Molecular Biomarkers in Metastatic and Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer.

Background: Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) play important role(s) in the development and progression of invasive duct carcinoma (IDC). We assessed the role of BCSC marker expression and the number of mammospheres in cultures of breast cancer (BC) tissues and correlated these data to relevant clinicopathologic features of the patients and overall survival (OS).

Methods: Fresh tumor tissue samples were collected from 44 Egyptian female patients with IDC of the breast and 25 healthy women undergoing reduction mammoplasty as a control.