Is health-related quality of life sufficiently addressed in trials for breast cancer treatments? An assessment based on reimbursement opinions from the French health technology assessment body, 2009-2023.

Background: Breast cancer treatments can impact the patients' health-related quality of life (HR-QoL). This criterion is relevant for drug reimbursement decisions. We wanted to assess the usage of HR-QoL in health technology assessments (HTA).

CD82 metastasis suppressor gene: a potential target for new therapeutics?

The transmembrane glycoprotein CD82 is a member of the tetraspanin protein family and is a metastasis suppressor implicated in biological processes ranging from fusion, adhesion and migration to apoptosis and cell-morphology alterations. Downregulation of CD82 expression is associated with the advanced stages of many human cancers and correlates with the acquisition of metastatic potential. Recent studies suggest that complex mechanisms underlie CD82 loss of function, including altered transcriptional regulation, splice variant production and post-translational protein modifications, and indicate a central role for CD82 in controlling metastasis as a 'molecular facilitator'.

Thyroid cell proliferation in response to forced expression of gap junction proteins.

Gap junctions are known to play a role in the control of cell proliferation, and connexins (Cx) are considered to be tumor suppressors. However, the effects of Cx on cell proliferation are dependent on the Cx which is expressed and on the cell type under consideration. We previously found that restoration of cell-to-cell communication by stable transfection of two independent thyroid-derived cell lines, FRTL-5 and FRT cells, with the Cx32 gene induced a marked reduction of their proliferation rate.