Plausibility of trophoblastic-like regulation of cancer tissue.

Thus far, a well-established logical pattern of malignancy does not exist. The current approach to cancer properties is primarily descriptive with usually, for each of them, extensive analyses of the underlying associated biomolecular mechanisms. However, this remains a catalog and it would be valuable to determine the organizational chart that could account for their implementation, hierarchical links and input into tumor regulation.

Hypothesis about Transdifferentiation As Backbone of Malignancy.

Background: Cancer is mainly watched through the prism of random mutations and related corruption of signaling pathways. However, it would seem puzzling to explain the tumor organization, pugnacity and steady evolution of the tumorous disease and, moreover, a systematic ascendancy over the healthy tissues, only through stochastic genomic alterations.

Malignancy Specific Properties: Considering the core characteristics of cancer cells, it appears that two major sets of properties are emerging, corresponding to well-identified physiological phenotypes, i.

Trophoblastic-like transdifferentiation: A key to oncogenesis.

The epigenetic plasticity of cancer stem-like cells allows them to reprogram multifaceted properties. Being determined by an oncogene driving force, the reprogrammed properties are suitable for extensive, non-homeostatic clone expansion rather than controlled tissue generation. They belong to physiological phenotypes, under strict control in normal cells but illicitly expressed in malignant cells.

The CONRAD approach to biokinetic modeling of DTPA decorporation therapy.

Diethylene Triamine Pentaacetic Acid (DTPA) is used for decorporation of plutonium because it is known to be able to enhance its urinary excretion for several days after treatment by forming stable Pu-DTPA complexes. The decorporation prevents accumulation in organs and results in a dosimetric benefit, which is difficult to quantify from bioassay data using existing models. The development of a biokinetic model describing the mechanisms of actinide decorporation by administration of DTPA was initiated as a task in the European COordinated Network on RAdiation Dosimetry (CONRAD).

Treatment of actinide exposures: a review of Ca-DTPA injections inside CEA-COGEMA plants.

Calcium diethylenetriamine pentacetate (Ca-DTPA) has been used for medical treatment of plutonium and americium contaminations in the CEA and COGEMA plants from 1970 to 2003. This paper is a survey of the injections Ca-DTPA administered as a chelating molecule and it will be a part of the authorisation process for Ca-DTPA by intravenous administration. Out of 1158 injections administered to 469 persons, 548 events of possible or confirmed contamination were reported.

[How to consider cancer: implications for the risk due to ionizing radiation].

Cancers induced by ionizing radiation have no particular specificity nor genetic remarkable signature, excepting numerous multideletions. They should therefore be studied in the general field of cancer biology in its broad sense. A gap remains between the initial events like the rather well identified genomic damage and the subsequent emerging cellular clone with cancer characteristics.