Clinical usefulness of alterations in sialic acid, sialyl transferase and sialoproteins in breast cancer.

Sialic acid, the end moieties of the carbohydrate chains are biologically important and essential for functions of glycoconjugates and are reported to be altered in cancer patients. Two hundred and twenty five breast cancer (BC) patients, 100 patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and 100 healthy females (controls) were enrolled for the study. Eight hundred and twenty four follow-up samples of 225 breast carcinoma patients were also evaluated.

Alterations in plasma lipid profile patterns in head and neck cancer and oral precancerous conditions.

Background: The changes in lipid profile have long been associated with cancer because lipids play a key role in maintenance of cell integrity.

Aims: The present study evaluated alterations in plasma lipid profile in untreated head and neck cancer patients as well as patients with oral precancerous conditions (OPC) and its association with habit of tobacco consumption.

Material And Methods: This hospital-based case control study included 184 head and neck cancer patients, 153 patients with OPC and 52 controls.

Vitamin B(12) and Folate Status in Head and Neck Cancer.

Deficiency of vitamin B(12) and folate is associated with causation of certain precancerous conditions and cancer. The present study was carried out on 56 controls, 167 patients with oral precancerous conditions (OPC) and 214 head and neck cancer patients, to evaluate the plasma vitamin B(12) and folate levels to determine their association with tobacco habits and vegetarianism and several sociodemographic factors. The subjects were interviewed using a health habit and diet questionnaire at the time of blood collection.

Clinical usefulness of telomerase activation and telomere length in head and neck cancer.

Background: Telomere shortening at every replication cycle is postulated to limit the life span of human somatic cells. In contrast, activation of telomerase is proposed to be an essential step for cancer cell immortalization. Head and neck cancer is the most common malignancy in the Indian population compared with Western countries.

Evaluation of serum alkaline DNase activity in treatment monitoring of head and neck cancer patients.

Our previously published data on breast cancer suggest that serum alkaline DNase, a known circulating tumour marker, can be used for treatment monitoring of cancer patients. Serum alkaline DNase activities were analyzed in 215 untreated head and neck cancer patients. The enzyme activity ranged from 0.