Expression of anti-apoptosis genes determines the response of adrenal cancer to apoptosis-inducing chemotherapy.

Background: This study tested the hypothesis that response of adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) to pro-apoptosis drugs depends on expression of anti-apoptosis genes.

Materials And Methods: Expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL proteins was determined in two human adrenal cancer cell lines, NCI-H-295 and RL-251. Two pro-apoptosis drugs, gossypol (G) and docetaxel (D) were tested in vitro and in vivo in a human ACC/SCID mouse chimera.

Complications from vascular disrupting agents and angiogenesis inhibitors: aberrant control of hemostasis and thrombosis.

Purpose Of Review: To discuss thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications from angiogenesis inhibitors and vascular disrupting agents, pathogenesis, and recommendations for prophylaxis and management of those complications.

Recent Findings: Venous thromboembolism has been a significant complication of the angiogenesis inhibitors thalidomide and lenalidomide. Prophylaxis with aspirin, low-molecular-weight heparin, or warfarin has been shown to decrease rates of venous thromboembolism in patients treated with these agents.

Tissue-preserving approach to extracting DNA from paraffin-embedded specimens using tissue microarray technology.

Background: DNA extracted from tumor cells or normal cells contained in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues is widely used in many laboratories. The 2 most common procedures to isolate cells for DNA extraction from paraffin-embedded tissues are scalpel microdissection and laser capture microdissection. A new tissue- and time-conserving method for rapid DNA isolation from small cores taken from paraffin-embedded tissue blocks is described in this report.

In vitro effects of the BH3 mimetic, (-)-gossypol, on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Purpose: Bcl-xL overexpression is common in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and correlates with resistance to chemotherapy. Thus, a nonpeptidic, cell-permeable small molecule that mimics the BH3 domain of proapoptotic proteins may inhibit Bcl-xL function and have therapeutic potential for HNSCC by overcoming drug-resistance. (-)-Gossypol, the levorotatory isomer of a natural product isolated from cottonseeds and roots, was recently discovered to bind to the BH3 binding groove of Bcl-xL and Bcl-2.

P53 mutation correlates with cisplatin sensitivity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma lines.

Background: A critical factor for successful organ preservation treatment in head and neck cancer may be selecting tumors that respond to chemotherapy and radiation. Previous results in patients indicated that tumors that overexpressed p53 were more sensitive to chemotherapy than those that did not overexpress p53.

Methods: To determine the relationship of p53 mutations to sensitivity to cisplatin in vitro, 23 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines were analyzed for cisplatin sensitivity, p53 expression, and p53 mutation status.