Macrophage traits in cancer cells are induced by macrophage-cancer cell fusion and cannot be explained by cellular interaction.

Background: Cell fusion is a natural process in normal development and tissue regeneration. Fusion between cancer cells and macrophages generates metastatic hybrids with genetic and phenotypic characteristics from both maternal cells. However, there are no clinical markers for detecting cell fusion in clinical context.

HER4 tumor expression in breast cancer patients randomized to treatment with or without tamoxifen.

The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 4 is a relative of HER2 and has been associated to endocrine breast cancer and prediction of tamoxifen response. In addition to PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathway activation, ligand binding to HER4 triggers proteolytic cleavage and release of an intracellular receptor domain (4ICD) with signaling properties. The aim of the present study was to analyze HER4 protein expression and intracellular localization in breast cancer tissue from patients randomized to treatment with or without adjuvant tamoxifen.

Wwox expression may predict benefit from adjuvant tamoxifen in randomized breast cancer patients.

Reduced or absent Wwox expression has recently been associated with tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer and has also been proposed as a candidate predictive marker for treatment. We aimed to investigate the correlation of Wwox expression with the outcome of tamoxifen treatment by examining tissues from 912 randomized breast cancer patients. Paraffin-embedded tissues from patient tumors were arranged on tissue microarray, and Wwox protein was stained using immunohistochemistry.

The mitochondrial transporter SLC25A43 is frequently deleted and may influence cell proliferation in HER2-positive breast tumors.

Background: Overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 2 is associated with poor prognosis and shortened survival in breast cancer patients. HER2 is a potent activator of several signaling pathways that support cell survival, proliferation and metabolism. In HER2-positive breast cancer there are most likely unexplored proteins that act directly or indirectly downstream of well established pathways and take part in tumor development and treatment response.

A mechanistic hypothesis for the cytochrome P450-catalyzed cis-trans isomerization of 4-hydroxytamoxifen: an unusual redox reaction.

We provide a detailed description of the cis-trans isomerization of 4-hydroxytamoxifen/endoxifen catalyzed by several isoforms from the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily, including CYP1B1, CYP2B6, and CYP2C19. We show that the reactions mainly involve redox processes catalyzed by CYP. DFT calculation results strongly suggest that the isomerization occurs via a cationic intermediate.

Genetic alterations in the K-Ras gene influence the prognosis in patients with cervical cancer treated by radiotherapy.

Introduction: A high incidence of K-Ras mutations has been identified in a variety of human cancers, especially in codon 12, 13, and 61. Nevertheless, the presence of K-Ras mutations in cervical cancer remains controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate possible mutations in exon 1 and 2 of the K-Ras gene and to assess whether K-Ras mutation status had prognostic and predictive significance and were linked to clinicopathological parameters.

Expression of the forkhead transcription factor FOXL2 correlates with good prognosis in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen.

Aromatase is an important enzyme in the local synthesis of oestrogens and its expression has been shown to be increased in breast cancer through the activation of multiple promoters. However, the mechanisms behind this are not yet fully understood. A novel candidate in this context is the transcription factor forkhead box L2 (FOXL2), which has been recognised to be co-expressed with aromatase and transcriptionally active promoter II in developing goat and chicken ovaries.

Conformational enantiomerization and estrogen receptor α binding of anti-cancer drug tamoxifen and its derivatives.

The anticancer drug tamoxifen (TAM) displays two chiral vinyl propeller structures, which interconvert so rapidly that the process is undetectable on the NMR time scale. In the present work, the enantiomerization processes were investigated with molecular modeling techniques. The threshold mechanisms probed at the different rings were shown to be identical, i.

Biological significance of allele specific loss of the p53 gene in breast carcinomas.

The p53 tumor suppressor gene has a central role in the defense against cancer, including breast cancer, and contains a polymorphic variant (Arg/Pro) at codon 72 that has been shown to have different biological properties regarding apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Earlier studies have shown allele specific loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at this particular site and we aimed to investigate its biological relevance in codon 72 heterozygous breast cancer patients (i.e.

In situ levels of oestrogen producing enzymes and its prognostic significance in postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Background: The risk of developing breast cancer is strongly correlated with the overall exposure to oestrogen and most tumours are more or less dependent on oestrogen for their growth. A great majority of breast cancers occur after menopause when the ovaries have ceased to be functional, yet breast tumours in postmenopausal women maintain high intratumoural oestrogen concentrations, primarily through enzymatic conversion of androgenic precursors.

Patients: with a hormone dependent tumour generally receive the anti-oestrogen tamoxifen that mediate its anti-tumour effect by competing with oestrogen for binding to the oestrogen-receptor (ER).

Genetic variants of CYP3A5, CYP2D6, SULT1A1, UGT2B15 and tamoxifen response in postmenopausal patients with breast cancer.

Introduction: Tamoxifen therapy reduces the risk of recurrence and prolongs the survival of oestrogen-receptor-positive patients with breast cancer. Even if most patients benefit from tamoxifen, many breast tumours either fail to respond or become resistant. Because tamoxifen is extensively metabolised by polymorphic enzymes, one proposed mechanism underlying the resistance is altered metabolism.

p53 polymorphic variants at codon 72 and the outcome of therapy in randomized breast cancer patients.

Background: Adjuvant therapy of breast cancer patients reduces the risk of recurrence and mortality, although, a substantial proportion of patients acquire resistance and relapse in the disease. Predictors of therapeutic response are therefore important to avoid both therapy resistance and the side effects of inefficient regimes. The p53 protein is a key determinant to induce either growth arrest or apoptosis in response to cytotoxic stress.

Genotype of metabolic enzymes and the benefit of tamoxifen in postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

Background: Tamoxifen is widely used as endocrine therapy for oestrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer. However, many of these patients experience recurrence despite tamoxifen therapy by incompletely understood mechanisms. In the present report we propose that tamoxifen resistance may be due to differences in activity of metabolic enzymes as a result of genetic polymorphism.