Cobalt Serum Level as a Biomarker of Cause-Specific Survival among Prostate Cancer Patients.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men and the second leading cause of death in male cancer patients. The WHO suggests that cobalt is involved in the carcinogenesis of prostate cancer. There are, however, no studies associating cobalt levels and prostate cancer patient survival.

Blood Iodine as a Potential Marker of the Risk of Cancer in BRCA1 Carriers.

Breast cancer and ovarian cancer pose a significant risk for BRCA1 carriers, with limited risk-reduction strategies. While improved screening helps in the early detection of breast cancer, preventive measures remain elusive. Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between iodine levels and modulation of cancer risk, but comprehensive studies are scarce.

Zinc and Its Antioxidant Properties: The Potential Use of Blood Zinc Levels as a Marker of Cancer Risk in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers.

BRCA1 mutations predispose women to breast and ovarian cancer. The anticancer effect of zinc is typically linked to its antioxidant abilities and protecting cells against oxidative stress. Zinc regulates key processes in cancer development, including DNA repair, gene expression, and apoptosis.

Serum Levels of Copper and Zinc and Survival in Breast Cancer Patients.

There is emerging interest in the relationship between several serum micronutrients and the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. The relationship between serum zinc and copper levels and breast cancer prognosis is unclear. In our study, we included 583 patients with breast cancer diagnosed between 2008 and 2015 in the region of Szczecin, Poland.

Correlation between Selenium and Zinc Levels and Survival among Prostate Cancer Patients.

The most prevalent type of cancer among males is prostate cancer. Survival is considered quite good, but it can be further improved when risk factors are optimized. One of these factors is micronutrients, including Se and Zn.

Blood Copper Levels and the Occurrence of Colorectal Cancer in Poland.

There is a need for sensitive and specific biomarkers for the early detection of colorectal cancer. In this retrospective study, we assessed whether a high blood copper level was associated with the presence of colorectal cancer. The blood copper level was measured among 187 colorectal cancer patients and 187 matched controls.

Influence of the Levels of Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury and Lead on Overall Survival in Lung Cancer.

The effects of heavy metals on cancer risk have been widely studied in recent decades, but there is limited data on the effects of these elements on cancer survival. In this research, we examined whether blood concentrations of the heavy metals arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead were associated with the overall survival of lung cancer patients. The study group consisted of 336 patients with lung cancer who were prospectively observed.

Blood Arsenic Levels as a Marker of Breast Cancer Risk among Carriers.

An important group of breast cancers is those associated with inherited susceptibility. In women, several predisposing mutations in genes involved in DNA repair have been discovered. Women with a germline pathogenic variant in have a lifetime cancer risk of 70%.

Blood cadmium levels as a marker for early lung cancer detection.

Background: We assessed whether blood cadmium levels were associated with incident lung cancer and could be used in the context of a screening program for early-stage lung cancer.

Material And Methods: We measured blood cadmium levels among 205 lung cancer patients and 205 matched controls. Cases and controls were matched for sex, age and smoking history (total pack-years, years since cessation for former smokers).

Lung Cancer Occurrence-Correlation with Serum Chromium Levels and Genotypes.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogens is an important cause of lung cancer. One of these substances is chromium, which is found ubiquitously across the planet.

Influence of the selenium level on overall survival in lung cancer.

Background: Although the results of studies in populations with low selenium status indicate an inverse correlation between body selenium levels and the risk of the lung cancer, the effect of this microelement on survival has not been studied.

Materials And Methods: We performed a prospective study of 302 patients diagnosed with lung cancer in Szczecin, Poland. Selenium concentration in serum was measured at the time of diagnosis and before treatment.

BRCA1/2 mutations are not a common cause of malignant melanoma in the Polish population.

The association of BRCA1/2 mutations with melanoma is not completely determined; the interpretation of variants of unknown significance is also problematic. To evaluate these issues we explored the molecular basis of melanoma risk by performing whole-exome sequencing on a cohort of 96 unrelated Polish early-onset melanoma patients and targeted sequencing of BRCA1/2 genes on additional 30 melanoma patients with familial aggregation of breast and other cancers. Sequencing was performed on peripheral blood.

Founder Mutations for Early Onset Melanoma as Revealed by Whole Exome Sequencing Suggests That This is Not Associated with the Increasing Incidence of Melanoma in Poland.

Purpose: Germline mutations within melanoma susceptibility genes are present only in minority of melanoma patients and it is expected that additional genes will be discovered with next generation sequence technology and whole-exome sequencing (WES).

Materials And Methods: Herein we performed WES on a cohort of 96 unrelated Polish patients with melanoma diagnosed under the age of 40 years who all screened negative for the presence of CDKN2Avariants. A replication study using a set of 1,200 melanoma patient DNA samples and similarly large series of healthy controls was undertaken.

The Prevalence of Founder Mutations among Individuals from Families with Familial Pancreatic Cancer Syndrome.

Purpose: Familial pancreatic cancer describes families with at least two first-degree relatives with pancreatic cancer that do not fulfil the criteria of other inherited tumor syndromes with increased risks of pancreatic cancer. Although much has been learned regarding the aggregation of pancreatic cancer in some families, the genetic basis for this familial aggregation is poorly understood. This study evaluated the prevalence of 10 Polish founder mutations in four genes among individuals from families with diagnosed familial pancreatic cancer syndrome and assessed their possible association with the familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) risk in Poland.

Do founder mutations characteristic of some cancer sites also predispose to pancreatic cancer?

Understanding of the etiology and risk of pancreatic cancer (PaCa) is still poorly understood. This study evaluated the prevalence of 10 Polish founder mutations in four genes among PaCa patients and assessed their possible association with the risk of disease in Poland. In the study 383 PaCa patients and 4,000 control subjects were genotyped for founder mutations in: BRCA1 (5382insC, 4153delA, C61G), CHEK2 (1100delC, IVS2 + 1G > A, del5395, I157T), NBS1 (657del5) and PALB2 (509_510delGA, 172_175delTTGT).

Serum Concentrations of Selenium and Copper in Patients Diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.

Purpose: Understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer (PaCa) is still insufficient. This study evaluated the associations between concentrations of selenium (Se) and copper (Cu) in the serum of PaCa patients.

Materials And Methods: The study included 100 PaCa patients and 100 control subjects from the same geographical region in Poland.

Can selenium levels act as a marker of colorectal cancer risk?

Background: Selenium has attracted attention because of its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protects cells from damage. Certain breakdown products of selenium are believed to prevent tumor growth by enhancing the immune cell activity and suppressing the development of tumor blood vessels.

Smoking related cancers and loci at chromosomes 15q25, 5p15, 6p22.1 and 6p21.33 in the Polish population.

Genetic factors associated with the risk of smoking related cancers have until recently remained elusive. Since the publication of a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on lung cancer new genetic loci have been identified that appear to be associated with disease risk. In this replication study we genotyped 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located at the 5p12.

Prevalence of the NOD2 3020insC mutation in aggregations of breast and lung cancer.

Both breast and lung cancers are common malignancies and within the context of known genetic predispositions to breast cancer, no association has been made in linking the two diseases together. This does not exclude the possibility that such associations may exist that lie outside the known high-risk breast cancer families. To examine the likelihood of common genetic factors that could influence the risk of disease, two sets of consecutively collected tumor groups were examined for the 3020insC mutation in the NOD2/CARD15 gene.