An Examination of the Association between FOXA1 Staining Level and Biochemical Recurrence following Salvage Radiation Therapy for Recurrent Prostate Cancer.

Background: Standardly collected clinical and pathological patient information has demonstrated only moderate ability to predict risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer in men undergoing salvage radiation therapy (SRT) for a rising PSA after radical prostatectomy (RP). Although elevated FOXA1 staining has been associated with poor patient outcomes following RP, it has not been studied in the specific setting of SRT after RP. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between FOXA1 staining level and BCR after SRT for recurrent prostate cancer.

The combination of an mTORc1/TORc2 inhibitor with lapatinib is synergistic in bladder cancer in vitro.

Objective: To examine the ability of dual mTORc1/c2 inhibitors in conjunction with lapatinib to function in a synergistic manner to inhibit cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth in bladder cancer cell lines.

Materials And Methods: We examined patient tumor samples for overexpression of pS6, p4EBP1, pAkt, and phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (pEGFR) using a tissue microarray containing 84 cases. Three bladder cancer cell lines, T24, HT1376, and UM-UC-3, were analyzed for cell proliferation after treatment with mTORc1/c2 inhibitors OSI-027 or PP242.

Pathway signature and cellular differentiation in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common kidney cancer. The purpose of this study is to define a biological pathway signature and a cellular differentiation program in ccRCC.

Methodology: We performed gene expression profiling of early-stage ccRCC and patient-matched normal renal tissue using Affymetrix HG-U133a and HG-U133b GeneChips combined with a comprehensive bioinformatic analyses, including pathway analysis.

A p120 catenin isoform switch affects Rho activity, induces tumor cell invasion, and predicts metastatic disease.

p120 catenin is a cadherin-associated protein that regulates Rho GTPases and promotes the invasiveness of E-cadherin-deficient cancer cells. Multiple p120 isoforms are expressed in cells via alternative splicing, and all of them are essential for HGF signaling to Rac1. However, only full-length p120 (isoform 1) promotes invasiveness.

Oncogenic K-ras promotes early carcinogenesis in the mouse proximal colon.

Oncogenic K-ras mutations are frequently observed in colon cancers and contribute to transformed growth. Oncogenic K-ras is detected in aberrant crypt foci (ACF), precancerous colonic lesions, demonstrating that acquisition of a K-ras mutation is an early event in colon carcinogenesis. Here, we investigate the role of oncogenic K-ras in neoplastic initiation and progression.

Pathway analysis of primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma (PCNSL) is a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) confined to the CNS. A genome-wide gene expression comparison between PCNSL and non-CNS DLBCL was performed, the latter consisting of both nodal and extranodal DLBCL (nDLBCL and enDLBCL), to identify a "CNS signature." Pathway analysis with the program SigPathway revealed that PCNSL is characterized notably by significant differential expression of multiple extracellular matrix (ECM) and adhesion-related pathways.

Secreted frizzled-related protein 1 loss contributes to tumor phenotype of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Incidence and mortality rates for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have been rising for decades. Unfortunately, the molecular events that support RCC carcinogenesis remain poorly understood. In an effort to gain a better understanding of signaling events in clear cell RCC (cRCC), we investigated the antitumor activity of secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (sFRP1), a negative regulator of Wnt signaling.

Lower expression levels of the transforming growth factor beta receptor type II protein are associated with a less aggressive tumor phenotype and improved survival among patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Loss of expression of the transforming growth factor beta type II receptor (TbetaRII) has been implicated as an important event in renal carcinogenesis; however, its role as a potential prognostic factor remains poorly understood. Using archived tumor samples and long-term follow-up on a cohort of 280 clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients treated with surgery from 1980 to 1998, we evaluated the association of TbetaRII expression and cancer-specific survival in both a univariate and multivariate setting. Low tumor expression of TbetaRII is associated with a less aggressive tumor phenotype at time of surgery.