Autofluorescent Cancer Stem Cells: Potential Biomarker to Predict Recurrence in Resected Colorectal Tumors.

Cancer stem cells (CSC) in colorectal cancer drive intratumoral heterogeneity and distant metastases. Previous research from our group showed that CSCs can be easily detected by autofluorescence (AF). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential role of AF CSCs as a prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer relapse.

RAS Mutational Status in Advanced Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Treated With Anti-angiogenics: Preliminary Experience With Liquid Biopsy.

Aim: To determinate molecular changes in the downstream epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway using serial liquid biopsies in patients with metastatic colorectal tumors (mCRC) under anti-angiogenic treatment.

Patients And Methods: Determination of RAS mutation in primary tissue samples from colorectal tumors was performed in the 23 patients included in the study at diagnosis using quantitative-polymerase chain reaction. Sequential mutations were studied in circulating tumor (ct) DNA obtained from plasma samples.

VITAL phase 2 study: Upfront 5-fluorouracil, mitomycin-C, panitumumab and radiotherapy treatment in nonmetastatic squamous cell carcinomas of the anal canal (GEMCAD 09-02).

Aim: VITAL, a phase II single-arm study, aimed to evaluate efficacy and safety of panitumumab addition to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), mitomycin-C (MMC) and radiotherapy (RT) in patients with localized squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCCAC).

Methods: Adult, treatment-naïve SCCAC patients (Stage T2-T4, any N, M0) and ECOG-PS ≤2, received panitumumab (6 mg/kg, day 1 and Q2W; 8 weeks), 5-FU (1000 mg/m /d, days 1-4 and 29-32), MMC (10 mg/m , days 1 and 29) and RT 45 Gy (1.8 Gy/fraction) to the primary tumor and mesorectal, iliac and inguinal lymph nodes, plus 10-15 Gy boost dose to the primary tumor and affected lymph nodes.

Genetic polymorphisms of SCN9A are associated with oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy.

Background: Oxaliplatin is a chemotherapy agent active against digestive tumors. Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most important dose-limiting toxicity of this drug. It occurs in around 60-80% of the patients, and 15% of them develop severe neuropathy.

Current evidence for cancer stem cells in gastrointestinal tumors and future research perspectives.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a very heterogeneous subpopulation of "stem-like" cancer cells that have been identified in many cancers, including leukemias and solid tumors. It is believed that CSCs drive tumor growth, malignant behavior and are responsible for the initiation of metastatic spread. In addition, CSCs have been implicated in chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance.

Lung cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Lung cancer is currently one of the most common malignancies in the world and peritoneal involvement is rare in these types of tumors. Clinical manifestations of these metastases are also uncommon and include intestinal perforation and obstruction. The present study reviewed certain aspects of the complication of peritoneal involvement and illustrated it with four cases of patients that were diagnosed with primary lung carcinoma and secondary peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC).

Oxaliplatin induced-neuropathy in digestive tumors.

Oxaliplatin is one of the main drugs used in digestive tumors treatment. Peripheral neuropathy is a well-recognized dose-limiting toxicity of OXL. Two types of neuropathy have been described with this agent: acute or transient and chronic or persistent, with different etiology, clinical manifestations and prognosis.

A major response to trabectedin in metastatic malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the vertebra: a case report and review of the literature.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma is an aggressive tumor, the most common soft-tissue sarcoma of adult age. It is usually located in the extremities and retroperitoneum, and very rarely there is skeletal involvement. Surgery is the preferred treatment in early disease; in advanced disease, chemotherapy is the main therapeutic strategy.

Cancer in developing countries: the next most preventable pandemic. The global problem of cancer.

Cancer is a global problem that accounts for almost 13% of deaths worldwide, a number similar to the 7 million deaths each year from HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria combined According to Globocan it is estimated that by 2020, there will be between 15 and 17 million new cases of cancer every year, 60% of which will be in developing countries. Moreover, the survival rates in these regions are often half those of developed countries. However, cancer is potentially the most preventable disease; with current resources, one-third of tumors could be preventable, and another one-third of newly diagnosed cancer patients could experience increased survival or early-stage detection.

Management of colorectal cancer patients after resection of liver metastases: can we offer a tailored treatment?

Surgical resection remains the only option of cure for patients with colorectal liver metastases, and no patient should be precluded from surgery. There is much controversy not only regarding the most appropriate therapeutic approach in the neoadjuvant setting but also after surgery is performed. Many patients will experience early relapses but others will be long survivors.

Squamous-cell carcinoma of the lungs: is it really so different?

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the predominant histological type in men, and adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype in women in the world. The incidence of SCC is decreasing in men, while the incidence of adenocarcinoma (AC) is stable or slightly increasing in western countries. There is active research on the AC subtype but SCC remains poorly studied.

Relevance of breast cancer subtypes for magnetic resonance imaging response monitoring during neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Changes in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have been reported as predictive of pathology outcome in triple-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relevance of breast cancer subtype for MRI response in 24 women before and during NAC in our centre. Our results show that a reduction greater than 23% is associated with a pathological complete response (pCR) in Her-2-positive and ER-negative/Her2-negative breast cancer, and suggest a trend correlation between higher ADC values and pCR in these subtypes in comparison with ER-positive/Her2-negative breast cancers.

Upregulation of trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) after rectal cancer chemoradiotherapy is an adverse prognostic factor and a potential therapeutic target.

Purpose: Management of locally advanced rectal cancer (RC) consists of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with fluoropyrimidines, followed by total mesorectal excision. We sought to evaluate the expression of selected genes, some of which were derived from a previous undirected SAGE (serial analysis of gene expression)-based approach, before and after CRT, to identify mechanisms of resistance.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 129 consecutive patients.

Long-term treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer with panitumumab.

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. More than 30% patients present with metastases at diagnoses and will require systemic chemotherapy. In recent years many anti-EGFR targets have been developed.

Severe emphysematous cystitis: Outcome after seven days of antibiotics.

We present the case of a 70-year-old woman with emphysematous cystitis. She was a diabetic patient and she was on chemotherapy treatment for a breast cancer. She complaint of severe asthenia and pain in her right lower extremity, but no fever or urinary symptoms.

Paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis: Is it an oropharyngeal or a lung cancer complication?

This case report describes a patient with a locally advanced oropharyngeal cancer with a simultaneous paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis. To the best of our knowledge, a paraneoplastic neurological syndrome is a rare complication in head and neck cancer, and has previously not been reported in the literature. One year later, following initial treatment, a small cell lung cancer developed, a tumor frequently associated with this type of paraneoplastic syndrome.

Different patterns of toxicity after sequential administration of two anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies.

A 40-year-old woman with liver metastasis resulting from colorectal adenocarcinoma suffered from a severe hypersensitivity reaction to cetuximab. She also experienced grade 3 skin toxicity. The administration of cetuximab was suspended, and she was offered panitumumab as an alternative treatment.

Male breast cancer.

Male breast cancer accounts for around 1% of all breast cancer cases, but the incidence has increased over the past 25 years. The rarity of this entity precludes prospective randomized clinical trials. Although breast carcinoma in both genders share certain characteristics, notable differences have emerged.

KRAS mutations in primary colorectal cancer tumors and related metastases: a potential role in prediction of lung metastasis.

Background: KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer primary tumors predict resistance to anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and thus represent a true indicator of EGFR pathway activation status.

Methodology/principal Findings: KRAS mutations were retrospectively studied using polymerase chain reactions and subsequent sequencing of codons 12 and 13 (exon 2) in 110 patients with metastatic colorectal tumors. These studies were performed using tissue samples from both the primary tumor and their related metastases (93 liver, 84%; 17 lung, 16%).

Idiopathic and recurrent thromboembolic phenomena in cancer patients.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the most common complications in cancer patients. It is not only associated with both reduced survival and a high number of recurrences, but an idiopathic VTE also increases the likelihood of a cancer diagnosis.

Methods: Between January 2000 and October 2005 we reviewed the medical history of 88 patients who were admitted to a tertiary hospital and presented both a diagnosis of VTE and any type of tumour.