Feasibility evaluation of emodin (rhubarb extract) as an inhibitor of pancreatic cancer cell proliferation in vitro.

Emodin is a commonly used traditional herbal treatment in China, including use for pancreatic malignancy. In this study, the potential for emodin to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell proliferation was examined using 4 human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines: Mia Paca-2, BxPC-3, Panc-1, and L3.6pl.

Radiofrequency ablation of primary and metastatic liver tumors: a critical review of the literature.

Background: Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for hepatic tumors; however, for various reasons, the vast majority of patients are not operative candidates. As a result, several local ablative therapies have emerged as alternatives to resection or as adjuncts in total oncologic care. Presently, the most widely employed liver-directed treatment is radiofrequency thermal ablation.

Gastric adenocarcinoma arising from fundic gland polyps in a patient with familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare hereditary syndrome characterized by multiple colorectal polyps and early development of colorectal cancer. Although FAP uniformly involves the large bowel, it may also produce lesions in the stomach and upper intestinal tract. Fundic gland polyps are the most common gastric lesion in FAP.

The abdominal cocoon: a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in two patients.

The abdominal cocoon is a rare disease that is characterized by total or partial encasement of the small bowel by a thick and fibrotic membrane. After an increased number of case reports, the characteristic age group and sex distribution of abdominal cocoon have changed. Although the etiology is unknown, congenital malformation is implicated as the causative factor in the two patients in this report.

Inhibition of proliferation by omega-3 fatty acids in chemoresistant pancreatic cancer cells.

Background: Pancreatic cancer-gemcitabine (GEM) chemoresistance has been demonstrated to be associated with enhanced NF-kB activation and antiapoptotic protein synthesis. The well-known capacity of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FAs) to inhibit NF-kB activation and promote cellular apoptosis has the potential to restore or facilitate gemcitabine chemosensitivity.

Methods: Four pancreatic cancer cell lines (MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3, PANC-1, and L3.

A primer on transarterial, chemical, and thermal ablative therapies for hepatic tumors.

Background: Surgical resection is the only potentially curative approach for patients with primary and metastatic liver tumors. Unfortunately, most patients with hepatic malignancy are precluded from resection due to multifocal disease, anatomic limitations, inadequate functional liver reserve, extrahepatic metastases, or medical comorbidities. Consequently, several methods of tumor ablation have been developed as alternate treatment strategies for patients with unresectable hepatic tumors or as adjuncts in total cancer therapy.