Phenotypic Plasticity and Cancer: A System Biology Perspective.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a major axis of phenotypic plasticity not only in diseased conditions such as cancer metastasis and fibrosis but also during normal development and wound healing. Yet-another important axis of plasticity with metastatic implications includes the cancer stem cell (CSCs) and non-CSC transitions. However, in both processes, epithelial (E) and mesenchymal (M) phenotypes are not merely binary states.

Clinical Network Systems Biology: Traversing the Cancer Multiverse.

In recent decades, cancer biology and medicine have ushered in a new age of precision medicine through high-throughput approaches that led to the development of novel targeted therapies and immunotherapies for different cancers. The availability of multifaceted high-throughput omics data has revealed that cancer, beyond its genomic heterogeneity, is a complex system of microenvironments, sub-clonal tumor populations, and a variety of other cell types that impinge on the genetic and non-genetic mechanisms underlying the disease. Thus, a systems approach to cancer biology has become instrumental in identifying the key components of tumor initiation, progression, and the eventual emergence of drug resistance.

Surveillance Colonoscopy in Older Stage I Colon Cancer Patients and the Association With Colon Cancer-Specific Mortality.

Objectives: Guideline-issuing groups differ regarding the recommendation that patients with stage I colon cancer receive surveillance colonoscopy after cancer-directed surgery. This observational comparative effectiveness study was conducted to evaluate the association between surveillance colonoscopy and colon cancer-specific mortality in early stage patients.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database combined with Medicare claims.

The association between post-treatment surveillance testing and survival in stage II and III colon cancer patients: An observational comparative effectiveness study.

Background: The best strategy for surveillance testing in stage II and III colon cancer patients following curative treatment is unknown. Previous randomized controlled trials have suffered from design limitations and yielded conflicting evidence. This observational comparative effectiveness research study was conducted to provide new evidence on the relationship between post-treatment surveillance testing and survival by overcoming the limitations of previous clinical trials.

Where is My Spleen? - A Case of Splenosis Diagnosed Years Later after Splenectomy.

Hepatic splenosis was first described in 1939 and is a rare condition that results from splenic trauma or splenectomy. A 43-year-old man with a past medical history significant for a prior splenectomy was admitted to the hospital due to right upper quadrant pain for two days. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen suggested features of hepatic adenoma, however, a percutaneous biopsy showed the mass within the liver to be a discrete collection of splenic tissue, apparently the result of a traumatic splenic rupture years ago.

Primary Gastric Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma (PGSCC) is an extremely rare cause of gastric malignancy. We present a 66-year-old man with a past medical history of stage I left palpebral marginal zone lymphoma status post radiation. The patient was complaining of a two-year history of bloating and early satiety.

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Metastasized to Colon.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an infrequent cause of malignancy that accounts for 1% of all tumors of the oral and maxillofacial region. We present a 59-year-old woman with a past medical history of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the left salivary gland treated with radiation and thoracotomy due to lung metastasis. Years after the onset of diagnosis, she presented with nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms.

Targeting chaperonin containing TCP1 (CCT) as a molecular therapeutic for small cell lung cancer.

Identifying new druggable targets is desired to meet the needs for effective cancer treatments. To this end, we previously reported the efficacy of a therapeutic peptide called CT20p that displays selective cytotoxicity through inhibition of a multi-subunit, protein-folding complex called Chaperonin-Containing TCP-1 (CCT). To investigate the role of CCT in cancer progression, we examined protein levels of CCT subunits in liver, prostate, and lung cancer using human tissue microarrays.

Pulmonary Vein Thrombosis: A Recent Systematic Review.

The pulmonary veins (PVs) are the most proximal source of arterial thromboembolism. Pulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT) is a rare but potentially lethal disease; its incidence is unclear, as most of the literature includes case reports. It most commonly occurs as a complica-tion of malignancy, post lung surgery, or atrial fibrillation and can be idiopathic in some cases.

An Atypical Angiomyomatous Hamartoma With Unexplained Hepatosplenomegaly.

When a patient presented with ipsilateral lymphedema of the limb, an excisional biopsy of the left inguinal lymph node showed extensive smooth muscle and vascular proliferation replacing most of the lymph node.

Chaperonin Containing TCP-1 Protein Level in Breast Cancer Cells Predicts Therapeutic Application of a Cytotoxic Peptide.

Purpose: Metastatic disease is a leading cause of death for patients with breast cancer, driving the need for new therapies. CT20p is a peptide previously discovered by our group that displays cancer-specific cytotoxicity. To design the optimal therapeutic use of the peptide, we identified the intracellular target of CT20p in breast cancer cells, correlating expression patterns of the target with susceptibility to CT20p.

A phase II study of docetaxel, doxorubicin, and infusional 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of patients with locally advanced breast cancer.

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to estimate the rate of clinical and pathologic response to preoperative docetaxel, doxorubicin, and infusional 5-fluorouracil in patients with locally advanced breast cancer. Secondary objective included the determination of toxicity profile.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-nine patients (median age 49 years) with histologically confirmed locally advanced breast cancer (stage IIIA or IIIB) were studied.