The clinical importance of serum galectin-3 levels in breast cancer patients with and without metastasis.

Objective: Studies have investigated expression status of galectin-3 (Gal-3), but very little is known about the importance of circulating Gal-3 in patients with breast cancer (BC). The purpose of the study was to investigate the clinical significance and potential diagnostic value of plasma Gal-3 levels in patients with BC.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-two patients with BC and 35 age-matched healthy controls were enrolled.

The clinical importance of serum urokinase plasminogen activator receptor and carbonic anhydrase IX levels and the effect of anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy on these biomarkers in breast cancer.

Introduction: Breast cancer mortality rates after metastasis is high. Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) play very important roles during tumor cell invasion and metastasis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate plasma levels of uPAR and CAIX and the effect of anthracycline-based chemotherapy on these biomarkers in patients with operable breast cancer.

Elevated Serum Levels of SCUBE1, a Marker for Coagulation, in Patients with Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women and a major cause of death. Signal Peptide-Cub-Epidermal growth factor domain-containing protein-1 (SCUBE1) is secreted under hypoxia and inflammatory conditions from platelet alpha granules. Its biological function is uncertain, although it may be a procoagulant substance in cancer patients.

The effect of adjuvant chemotherapy on plasma TAT and F 1+2 levels in patients with breast cancer.

Introduction: Increased thromboembolic disorders and chemotherapy-induced thromboembolic events are well known phenomena in patients with breast cancer. Antithrombin III (AT III) inactivates thrombin, resulting in increased thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) levels. Activated factor X cleaves prothrombin and thrombin, resulting in increased levels of prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F 1+2).

Clinicopathological Characteristics of Triple-negative Breast Cancers in the Northeast Region of Turkey.

Background: Triple-negative (TN) breast cancer is a subtype of breast cancer characterised by a loss of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) expression, and the absence of human epidermal growth factor (HER2) overexpression.

Aims: To identify the relationships between clinicopathological characteristics of TN breast cancers in the northeast region of Turkey and disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS).

Study Design: Retrospective clinical study.

Diagnostic and prognostic significance of CA IX and suPAR in gastric cancer.

This study was intended to evaluate the prognostic and diagnostic significance of carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) and soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) levels in gastric cancer patients. CA IX and suPAR were analyzed from serum and plasma samples of gastric cancer patients. Fifty patients and 34 controls were enrolled.

Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and thrombin-antithrombin-III-complex levels in patients with gastric cancer.

The relation between cancer and coagulation is the subject of investigation since a relation between tumor and thrombosis has been determined. Antithrombin III is an important thrombin inhibitor, and increased thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) complex levels activate coagulation. Activated thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) inhibits the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin.

Effects of zoledronic acid and ibandronic acid on renal functions and calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels in breast cancer patients with bone metastases: a retrospective analysis.

Aim Of The Study: Bone is a common site of metastasis in patients with breast cancer. Skeletal complications associated with bone metastasis are commonly treated with bisphosphonates. However, there are a number of side-effects associated with these, such as renal failure, hypocalcemia and osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Penile metastasis from adenocarcinoma of the prostate in a patient with colorectal carcinoma.

Skin metastasis secondary to cancer of the prostate is rare and the prognosis is poor. A 65-year-old male patient diagnosed with metastatic colon carcinoma presented with polyuria and subcutaneous nodular mass on dorsal side of the corpus penis. The serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level was 111.

Fifty-one Kaposi sarcoma patients.

Introduction: Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a mesenchymal tumor originating from lymphatic endothelial cells. Immunosuppressive patients have higher risk for KS. HHV-8 has a role in immunopathogenesis of KS.

The expression of MCM-2 in invasive breast carcinoma: a stereologic approach.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the expression of MCM-2 and conventional proliferation marker Ki-67 in breast carcinoma by stereologic technique and to compare it with various clinicopathologic parameters.

Methods: The expression of MCM-2 and Ki-67 on paraffin-embedded tumor tissue sections of patients with invasive breast carcinoma was analyzed immunohistochemically. Stereologic method was used for evaluation of the percentage of positively stained tumor cells.

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma with knee and heel skin metastases: a case report.

Distant metastases from laryngeal carcinoma are frequently seen in the lung, bone and liver, while skin metastases are rarely observed. In these cases presented as case reports in the literature, the supradiaphragmatic region is usually involved. Skin metastasis in lower extremity has only been reported in a few cases.

Clear cell hidradenoma of the gluteal region: a case report.

Clear cell hidradenoma is a rare skin appendage tumor. A 41-year-old female presented with right gluteal mass. Excisional biopsy of the mass was performed.

Association of gastrointestinal stromal tumor and acute myeloid leukemia preceded by myelodysplastic syndrome with refractory anemia.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. GISTs are believed to be related to mutational activation of receptor tyrosine kinases, KIT, or platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha. The coexistence of GISTs with other neoplasms has been extensively addressed in the literature.

The effects of melatonin on human hepatoma (Hep G2) cell line.

Background: Melatonin has been suggested to have antiproliferative effects on cancer cells. These effects can be attributed to immunomodulation, growth factor inhibition, induction of apoptosis and prooxidant properties. Melatonin is considered as a safe drug with minimal adverse effects.

Effect of the farnesyl transferase inhibitor L-744,832 on the colon cancer cell line DLD-1 and its combined use with radiation and 5-FU.

Background: Ras oncogenes are found in 25% of human tumors and they significantly affect prognosis. One of the major fields studied to improve anticancer drugs is blockade of the oncogenic ras protein function. One of the mechanisms to block the function of these proteins is to block farnesylation using a farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI) and thus to prevent the ras from anchoring to the cell membrane.

Hodgkin's disease and autoimmune hemolytic anemia: a case report.

Objective: To report a case of Hodgkin's disease presenting with immune hemolytic anemia.

Clinical Presentation And Intervention: A 47-year-old man was admitted to hospital because of weight loss, fever, and inguinal lymph node adenopathy. Biopsy of the inguinal lymph node revealed mixed-cellularity Hodgkin's disease.

Carcinoma erysipelatoides resulting from gastric adenocarcinoma: an unusual clinical presentation.

Objective: To report a rare case of carcinoma erysipelatoides on the laryngeal skin caused by stomach adenocarcinoma.

Clinical Presentation And Intervention: A 48-year-old male, who had undergone a gastrectomy 18 months prior to admission for stage IIIA gastric adenocarcinoma, presented with a reddish induration of the cervical skin, lymphadenopathy in both supraclavicular areas and widespread subcutaneous nodules. Abdominal computerized tomography and chest radiography did not reveal any organ metastasis or peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Hemostatic and fibrinolytic response to nasal desmopressin in hemodialysis patients.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of desmopressin (DDAVP) on hemostatic parameters during dialysis and in the interval between dialysis sessions.

Subjects And Methods: Fifteen patients dialyzed twice weekly at least for 1 year and 15 healthy volunteers serving as a control group were enrolled in the study. Bleeding time, platelet count, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1), euglobulin clot lysis time, protein C, protein S, fibrinogen, D-dimer, factor V, VII, VIII, IX, X and von Willebrand factor (VWF) values were studied at the beginning, at 2 and 4 h of dialysis with and without administration of DDAVP at a dose level of 2 microg/kg intranasally.

Effects of dexamethasone, all-trans retinoic acid, vitamin D(3) and interferon-alpha on FO myeloma cells.

Background: Since multiple myeloma responds poorly to conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy, new therapeutic approaches are needed. This study investigated the effects of dexamethasone, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), the active metabolite of vitamin D(3) [1,25(OH)(2)D(3)] and interferon-alpha on FO mouse myeloma cells (non-immunoglobulin-secreting myeloma cell line) in single drug or drug combination groups in vitro.

Methods: Apoptosis ratio and change in cell counts in 4 single drug groups (dexamethasone, ATRA, vitamin D(3) and interferon-alpha) and 6 combination drug groups (dexamethasone + vitamin D(3,) dexamethasone + ATRA, dexamethasone + interferon-alpha, vitamin D(3) + ATRA, vitamin D(3) + interferon-alpha, interferon-alpha + ATRA) were compared with the control group.

The effects of Medroxyprogesterone acetate on apoptosis of CD34+ cells.

Background: Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is widely used in oncology practice, especially in the treatment of gynecological malignancies and cachexia of cancer. Some studies have demonstrated that high-dose MPA might reduce hematological toxicity in patients receiving chemotherapy for solid tumors. The underlying mechanism of this action is still unknown.

Correlation of serum IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10 levels with International Prognostic Index in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Cytokines play important roles in the pathogenesis of lymphomas. The aim of this study was to determine the relations between serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, and IL-10 and parameters of International Prognostic Index (IPI). Serum levels of IL-2, IL-6, and IL-10 were measured using a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the pretreatment frozen sera from 43 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The efficacy of octreotide in the therapy of acute radiation-induced diarrhea: a randomized controlled study.

Purpose: Although the somatostatin analog octreotide is currently used in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea and secretory diarrhea associated with various disorders, its role in the management of radiation enteritis is not well defined. We performed a randomized study that compared octreotide acetate with diphenoxylate hydrochloride plus atropine sulfate, the drug commonly used as therapy for acute radiation-induced diarrhea (ARID).

Methods And Materials: Sixty-one patients with Grade 2 (four to six stools per day) or Grade 3 (> or = seven stools per day, National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria) diarrhea associated with pelvic radiotherapy were assigned randomly to receive octreotide s.

Primary intraspinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor: case report of a tumor arising from the sacral spinal nerve root and review of the literature.

Primary spinal primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is a rare condition, 18 cases of which have been reported in the literature. In general, this tumor is treated with surgery followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but prognosis is still poor. An 18-year-old female patient with an intradural, extramedullary mass at L3-L5 levels is presented in this report.