A quantitative real-time approach for discriminating apoptosis and necrosis.

Apoptosis and necrosis are the two major forms of cell death mechanisms. Both forms of cell death are involved in several physiological and pathological conditions and also in the elimination of cancer cells following successful chemotherapy. Large number of cellular and biochemical assays have evolved to determine apoptosis or necrosis for qualitative and quantitative purposes.

Combination of genetic variants in cyclin D1 and retinoblastoma genes predict clinical outcome in oral cancer patients.

Oral cancer is a dreadful disease with a wide variation in geographical distribution. In order to identify some useful biomarkers for the disease prognosis, the present study assessed the influence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cell cycle genes on survival in a well-annotated set of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The study examined 12 sequence variants or SNPs in selected cell cycle genes, with prognostic outcomes in 311 oral cancer patients.

Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms in cell cycle regulatory genes with oral cancer susceptibility.

Alterations in the regulation of the cell cycle are strongly linked to tumorigenesis, so genetic variants in genes critical to control of the cycle are good candidates to have their association with susceptibility to oral cancer assessed. In this hospital-based, case-control study of 445 patients who had been newly-diagnosed with oral cancer and 449 unaffected controls, we used a multigenic approach to examine the associations among a panel of 10 selected polymorphisms in the pathway of the cell cycle that were possibly susceptible to oral cancer. Six of 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the cell cycle showed significant risks for oral cancer, the highest risk being evident for p27 (rs34329; Odds ratio 3.

Loss of heterozygosity of D9S162: molecular predictor for treatment response in oral carcinoma.

Inspite of improvements in treatment regimen of oral cancer, locoregional recurrence rates and overall mortality have remained unchanged over the years. This study therefore focused on microsatellite alterations in 9p21 loci, as a possible molecular prognostic marker in oral cancer and to identify the correlation between allelic imbalance, if any, with the recurrence in oral cancer. Eighty-one patients, treated with radiation or combination of surgery with radiotherapy/chemotherapy, were investigated for LOH/MSI at the 9p21 locus using microsatellite assay.