Evaluating genomic biomarkers associated with resistance or sensitivity to chemotherapy in patients with advanced breast and colorectal cancer.

Introduction: Carcinogenesis is driven by an array of complex genomic patterns; these patterns can render an individual resistant or sensitive to certain chemotherapy agents. The Personalized Oncogenomics (POG) project at BC Cancer has performed integrative genomic analysis of whole tumour genomes and transcriptomes for over 700 patients with advanced cancers, with an aim to predict therapeutic sensitivities. The aim of this study was to utilize the POG genomic data to evaluate a discrete set of biomarkers associated with chemo-sensitivity or-resistance in advanced stage breast and colorectal cancer POG patients.

Loperamide and cardiac events: Is high-dose use still safe for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea?

High-dose loperamide is often used for the acute management of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea, with a maximum daily dosing of up to 24 mg. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning that loperamide can cause rare serious cardiac events, including QT prolongation, torsades de pointes, cardiac arrest and death. Most events were reported in patients taking very high doses for an extended period of time.

Molecular characteristic and physiological role of DOPA-decarboxylase.

The enzyme DOPA decarboxylase (aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase, DDC) plays an important role in the dopaminergic system and participates in the uptake and decarboxylation of amine precursors in the peripheral tissues. Apart from catecholamines, DDC catalyses the biosynthesis of serotonin and trace amines. It has been shown that the DDC amino acid sequence is highly evolutionarily conserved across many species.

[Management of Hemoptysis: Results of an Algorithm-Based Interdisciplinary Treatment Scheme].

Introduction: Hemoptysis is a worrying symptom for the majority of patients, is frequently a sign for a severe disease and can develop into a life-threatening situation. Various therapeutic methods and medical specialties can be involved in the management of these patients. Guidelines or evidence-based recommendations on this issue are not available.

[Postoperative pain in the acute phase after surgery: VATS lobectomy vs. open lung resection - results of a prospective randomised trial].

Introduction: Minimally invasive procedures, e.g. video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy, are less traumatic and thus one may expect a lower level of postoperative pain compared to open procedures.

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration and its role in non-small cell lung cancer: Diagnostic impact and limitations.

A diagnostic work-up to evaluate possible mediastinal lymph node involvement in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) should be performed once suspected as a result of computed tomography. Cytological/histological verification is always compulsory. In recent years, diagnostic tools for mediastinal evaluation have made great technical progress with the introduction of endosonographic real-time ultrasound techniques such as endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA).