Effects of indinavir in a preliminary phase I study on dogs with stage III slenic hemangiosarcoma.

HIV protease inhibitors are antiretroviral drugs able to prevent production of infectious particles. It has been shown that these protease inhibitors are able to inhibit cancer-promoted angiogenesis in patients affected by Kaposi's sarcoma. A preliminary phase I study on dogs with stage III splenic hemangiosarcoma was designed in order to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the protease inhibitor Indinavir to delay the progression of this advanced neoplasm.

Spontaneous intestinal melanoma in dogs.

Primary melanoma of the gastrointestinal tract is a rare, highly malignant neoplasm that is associated with an unfavorable long-term prognosis. Animal studies are needed to further characterize this tumor and to develop new and more effective protocols. A spontaneous canine intestinal melanoma is described which, because of its local aggressive behavior and advanced stage, was not treatable with conventional strategies, thus being a potential candidate for investigational trials.

A new dose-intense epoetin alfa regimen effective in anemic cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: an open-label, non randomized, pilot study.

Background: Chronic anemia is a well-recognized complication of both cancer and cytotoxic treatments and is associated with symptoms (e.g., fatigue, dyspnea) that may induce or exacerbate functional deterioration.

Leiomyosarcoma of the scrotum arising from the dartos muscle: a rare clinicopathological entity.

Scrotal leiomyosarcoma is a rare tumour arising from the dartos layer: We describe a case of scrotal leiomyosarcoma in a 40-year-old man. The patient was treated by a wide surgical excision and no recurrence has been recognized 36 months later. A review of the literature is presented, summarizing the principal clinical and morphological characteristics of this rare tumor.

Pleomorphic lipoma: a definite histopathological entity.

Pleomorphic lipomas are rare benign tumours that can resemble a variety of malignant tissue tumour on histological examination. We describe a case of pleomorphic lipoma arising on the posterior aspect of the neck of a 70-year-old man, successfully treated by surgical excision. A review of the literature is presented, summarizing the principal clinical and morphological characteristics of this rare tumor.

S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) supplementation for treatment of chemotherapy-induced liver injury.

Background: Liver toxicity can be observed during treatment with most chemotherapic agents, and represents one of the principal causes of dose reduction or chemotherapy delays. S-Adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) plays a critical role in the synthesis of polyamines and provides cysteine for the production of glutathione (GSH), the major endogenous hepatoprotective agent. Our study was aimed at assessing the protective effect of AdoMet supplementation in cancer chemotherapy-induced liver toxicity.

Analysis of Fas (Apo-1/CD95) expression in non-small cell lung cancer.

Defects in the apoptotic pathway represent a critical element in the progression of neoplastic disease and may also concur to determine treatment efficacy at the cellular level. Fas (Apo-1/CD95) is a cell-surface receptor involved in cell death signaling. In this study we analyzed, by immunohistochemistry, the expression of Fas protein in a group of 68 NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) specimens.

Expression of surface protein receptors in lung cancer.

Cell adhesion is a basic count in inter- and intracellular communication and plays an important role in tumor progression. In this study, the expression of E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were evaluated by means of immunohistochemistry in a group of 153 lung cancer specimens. E-selectin immunoreactivity was localized mostly on endothelial cell venules and capillaries with an average staining intensity of 75% of cells in the NSCLC, while in SCLC the intensity of the staining was 69%.

Papillary pneumocytoma of the lung simulating a pleomorphic adenoma.

A rare case of papillary pneumocytoma of the lung is reported. The immunohistochemical positivities for EMA, cytokeratin and TTF-l strongly support the hypothesis that the neoplastic cells are originated from type 2 pneumocytes. The tumour also presented areas displaying stroma of non-specific mixoid appearance, simulating a benign tumour of the salivary gland type.

Apelin expression in normal human tissues.

Apelin is an endogenous ligand of the human orphan receptor APJ (orphan G protein-coupled receptor). This peptide is produced through processing from the C-terminal portion in the pre-proprotein consisting of 77 amino acid residues and exists in multiple molecular forms. Although the main physiological functions of apelin have not been clarified yet, it has been demonstrated that apelin partially suppresses cytokine production from mouse spleen and, specifically, induces the promotion of extracellular acidification and inhibition of cAMP production in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Loss of pRb2/p130 expression is associated with unfavorable clinical outcome in lung cancer.

Altered expression of cell cycle regulators represents a frequent event in both small cell and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite several studies that reported involvement of tumor suppressor genes, such as p53 and pRb, in the development and progression of lung cancer, contrasting opinions exist about the prognostic role of this protein in this neoplasm. We developed an immunohistochemical assay suitable for the detection of pRb2/p130, the last discovered member of the retinoblastoma gene family, on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections.