The Active Tumor Vaccination in Combination With CDK4/6 Inhibitor Treatment: A Case Report.

Background: Current standard treatment for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) involves cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/6) inhibitors with endocrine therapy, showing potential in enhancing anti-tumor immune responses.

Case Report: This report details a clinical case of MBC where palbociclib was co-administered with letrozole. The integration of allogeneic tumor vaccination to this treatment led to heightened interferon-γ production, expansion of CD8+ and NK cell populations, and positive delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions, indicating successful development of anti-tumor immunity.

Valproic acid reprograms the metabolic aberration of cisplatin treatment via ALDH modulation in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

We recently demonstrated that the histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) reprograms the cisplatin-induced metabolome of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, including a shift in hexose levels. Accordingly, here, we tested the hypothesis that VPA alters glucose metabolism in correlation with cisplatin sensitivity. Two TNBC cell lines, MDA-MB-231 (a cisplatin-resistant line) and MDA-MB-436 (a cisplatin-sensitive line), were analyzed.

A Comparison of Outcomes in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Patients With and Without a Preoperative Diagnosis: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

Cytological limitations pose a challenge to preoperative diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and therefore, a significant subset of patients is only diagnosed postoperatively. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of knowledge of a preoperative MTC diagnosis on disease management and outcomes. Multicenter, retrospective, cohort study of MTC patients treated in Israel from January 2000 to June 2021.

Plasma Progastrin-Releasing Peptide and Chromogranin A Assays for Diagnosing and Monitoring Lung Well-Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumors: A Brief Report.

Introduction: The use of chromogranin A (CGA) as a circulating biomarker in lung carcinoids (LCs) is limited by low specificity and sensitivity. This study aimed to evaluate plasma progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRPp) as an alternative to plasma CGA (CGAp), for the diagnosis and follow-up of LC.

Methods: ProGRPp and CGAp concentrations were measured in 107 patients with LC and 105 patients with benign lung disease (BLD).

Potential Refinement of Recurrence Score by pSTAT3 Status.

The likelihood of recurrence in breast cancer patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR-positive) tumors is influenced by clinical, histopathological, and molecular features. Recent studies suggested that activated STAT3 (pSTAT3) might serve as a biomarker of outcome in breast cancer patients. In the present work, we have analyzed the added value of pSTAT3 to OncotypeDx Recurrence Score (RS) in patient prognostication.

Thyroid Hormones and Morphological Features of Primary Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Many experimental studies have suggested the importance of thyroid hormones in breast cancer (BC) morphogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of thyroid hormone levels in serum of patients with primary BC with morphological presentations of the disease in pathological specimens and prognosis.

Patients And Methods: We measured the serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4), along with serum thymidine kinase 1 activity and examined their relation to pathological features and prognosis of 158 patients with primary BC.

Elevated Free Triiodothyronine Is Associated With Increased Proliferative Activity in Triple-negative Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Thyroid hormones (THs) stimulate breast cancer (BC) cell proliferation. We hypothesized that these hormones and the proliferative marker thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) represent the initial and final steps of the proliferative pathway, respectively.

Patients And Methods: We measured the serum levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), and free thyroxine (FT4), along with serum TK1 activity, in 144 newly diagnosed BC patients, and examined the associations between THs and proliferation in different BC receptor profiles.

Thyroid Hormones, Silencing Mediator for Retinoid and Thyroid Receptors and Prognosis in Primary Breast Cancer.

Background/aim: Silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid receptors (SMRT) is a nuclear corepressor in thyroid and estrogen hormones pathways. The aim was to evaluate SMRT expression in relation to thyroid hormone levels and prognostic markers in breast cancer (BC).

Patients And Methods: Serum and tumor tissues were obtained from 36 patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and 79 BC patients.

Serum Thymidine Kinase 1 Activity Following Nephrectomy for Renal Cell Carcinoma and Radiofrequency Ablation of Metastases to Lung and Liver.

Background/aim: Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is involved in DNA synthesis and is considered a reliable and sensitive marker of cell proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of measurements of serum TK1 activity following tumor ablation.

Patients And Methods: This study was performed on 32 patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who had undergone nephrectomy and 35 patients with cancer of different histology with metastases to the liver (n=28) and lung (n=7) treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

New ARCHITECT plasma pro-gastrin-releasing peptide assay for diagnosing and monitoring small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) is a potential marker for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in serum; however, it may be more stable in plasma. We investigated a new plasma assay (ProGRPp) and its usefulness in diagnosing and monitoring SCLC.

Methods: The marker concentrations were determined on the ARCHITECT i system.

A phase IIb trial assessing the addition of disulfiram to chemotherapy for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Disulfiram, an alcohol aversion agent, has been in use for >50 years. Numerous authors have reported an anticancer effect of this drug in vitro and in mouse models. More recently, several reports have claimed that disulfiram also possesses anti-stem cell activity.

Serum thymidine kinase 1 activity in the prognosis and monitoring of chemotherapy in lung cancer patients: a brief report.

Introduction: Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is a metabolic enzyme involved in DNA synthesis. Most standard treatment protocols for lung cancer (LC) include cytotoxic agents, which are potential modulators of TK1. We aimed to assess the prognostic significance of serum TK1 activity and its role in monitoring chemotherapy in LC patients.

Increased proliferative background in healthy women with BRCA1/2 haploinsufficiency is associated with high risk for breast cancer.

Previous studies indicated that BRCA haploinsufficiency was associated with activation of the EGF receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway and increased proliferative activity in mammary epithelial cells of healthy women. We hypothesized that these processes might be reflected in the expression of serologic soluble EGFR (sEGFR) and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity, which signal the initial and final steps of the proliferative pathway, respectively. We found that healthy carriers of BRCA1/2 mutations (n = 80) showed a significantly higher TK1 activity than age-matched controls (P = 0.

The prognostic significance of LIAISON(R) CA15-3 assay in primary breast cancer.

Aim: To investigate the prognostic significance of cancer antigen 15-3 (CA15-3) in primary breast cancer (BC).

Patients And Methods: This prospective study included 368 women: 62 patients with benign breast disease (BBD), 159 patients with invasive BC and 88 healthy blood donors (control). The median follow-up was 76 months (range, 43-99 months).

Comparison of diagnostic and prognostic performance of two assays measuring thymidine kinase 1 activity in serum of breast cancer patients.

Background: We compared two recently developed immunoassays for serum thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity: one manual assay (DiviTum, Biovica(®)) and one fully automated assay (Liaison, Diasorin(®)).

Methods: The study included 368 women: 149 healthy blood donors (control), 59 patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and 160 patients with primary breast cancer (BC).

Results: A regression analysis of the Liaison (y) and DiviTum (x) assays for all three groups yielded the equation y=3.

Serum thymidine kinase 1 activity in breast cancer.

Aims: Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) is an enzyme involved in DNA synthesis and an important proliferation marker. We explored the association of preoperative serum TK1 activity with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS) in breast cancer (BC) patients.

Patients And Methods: TK1 activity in serum of 120 healthy women and 161 BC patients was measured by quantitative ELISA.

Circulating tumor M2 pyruvate kinase and thymidine kinase 1 are potential predictors for disease recurrence in renal cell carcinoma after nephrectomy.

Objectives: Pyruvate kinase type M2 (TuM2-PK) and thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) are the key enzymes involved in tumor cells metabolism and proliferation. We explored the association of their preoperative circulating levels with disease recurrence in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods: We measured the plasma levels of TuM2-PK levels and serum TK1 activity preoperatively in patients with RCC, using a quantitative ELISA, and correlated the results with clinicopathological parameters.

The diagnostic and prognostic value of ProGRP in lung cancer.

Aim: To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic significance of pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) in non-small cell (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and compare this marker with other known serum markers in lung cancer.

Patients And Methods: Serum levels of ProGRP, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), CYFRA 21-1 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were measured in 37 patients with benign pulmonary disease (BPD), 88 with advanced NSCLC and 37 with SCLC.

Results: The ProGRP assay showed a better clinical performance than that of NSE in discriminating between SCLC and BPD or NSCLC, especially at specificity higher than 90%.

The follow-up of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer by urine cytology, abdominal ultrasound and urine CYFRA 21-1: a pilot study.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of urine cytology, bladder ultrasound (US), urine cytokeratin 19 fragment assay (CYFRA 21-1) and the combination of these noninvasive modalities in the detection of recurrent bladder cancer.

Patients And Methods: In a total of 154 patients that were followed with cystoscopy after endoscopic resection of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, we performed and analyzed results of 311 observations that included cytology, CYFRA 21-1, US. The urine concentration of CYFRA 21-1 was measured by an immunoradiometric assay.

Relevance of circulating biomarkers for the therapy monitoring and follow-up investigations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

As the release and amount of circulating biomarkers show considerable variations between individuals, single value determinations are often difficult to be interpreted on their diagnostic or prognostic significance on the individual level. However, changes of the biomarker levels in a specific person during the disease course are quite informative for the estimation of the efficacy of therapy or the early detection of recurrent disease because they consider only intraindividual variations. If methods for marker determination are maintained, preanalytical and analytical standard prerequistits are respected, thresholds for each marker have to be defined which exceeds the normal, intraindividual biological variation.

Clinical significance of urine heparanase in bladder cancer progression.

Heparanase is an endo-beta-glucuronidase capable of cleaving heparan sulfate (HS), an activity implicated in tumor metastasis. Heparanase expression is upregulated in primary human tumors, correlating with reduced post operative survival and elevated microvessel density. An ELISA method was used to quantify heparanase in urine from 282 individuals.