The identification of the anthracycline aclarubicin as an effective cytotoxic agent for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal types of cancer, mainly due to its delayed diagnosis and lack of effective therapeutic options. Therefore, it is imperative to find novel treatment options for PDAC. Here, we tested a series of conventional chemotherapeutics together with anthracycline compounds as single agents or in combination, determining their effectivity against established commercial and patient-derived, low-passage PDAC cell lines.

Targeting EML4-ALK gene fusion variant 3 in thyroid cancer.

Finding targetable gene fusions can expand the limited treatment options in radioactive iodine-refractory (RAI-r) thyroid cancer. To that end, we established a novel cell line 'JVE404' derived from an advanced RAI-r papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patient, harboring an EML4-ALK gene fusion variant 3 (v3). Different EML4-ALK gene fusions can have different clinical repercussions.

HLA-G protein expression in colorectal cancer evaluated by immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis: Its expression characteristics remain enigmatic.

HLA-G protein expression could play a role in evasion of tumor immune surveillance. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that HLA-G is expressed in different types of malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of the current study was to further unravel whether HLA-G protein expression could play a role in immune evasion of CRC.

RNA analysis of cancer predisposing genes in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue determines aberrant splicing.

High-throughput sequencing efforts in molecular tumour diagnostics detect increasing numbers of novel variants, including variants predicted to affect splicing. In silico prediction tools can reliably predict the effect of variant disrupting canonical splice sites; however, experimental validation is required to confirm aberrant splicing. Here, we present RNA analysis performed for 13 canonical splice site variants predicted or known to result in splicing in the cancer predisposition genes MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, APC and BRCA1.

Methylation associated transcriptional repression of ELOVL5 in novel colorectal cancer cell lines.

Genetic and epigenetic alterations mark colorectal cancer (CRC). Global hypomethylation is observed in nearly all CRC, but a distinct subset of CRC show the CpG Island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP). These tumors show DNA hypermethylation of a specific subset of CpG islands, resulting in transcriptional downregulation of nearby genes.