Higher expression of miR-133b is associated with better efficacy of erlotinib as the second or third line in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (gefitinib, erlotinib and afatinib) are indicated as first-line therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors harbor activating mutations in the EGFR gene. Erlotinib is also used in second and third-line therapy for patients whose tumors have wild type EGFR but to date there are no validated biomarkers useful to identify which patients may benefit from this treatment. The expression level of four miRNAs: miR-133b, -146a, -7 and -21 which target EGFR was investigated by real-time PCR in tumor specimens from NSCLC patients treated with erlotinib administered as the second or third line.

Soluble Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (sEGFRs) in Cancer: Biological Aspects and Clinical Relevance.

The identification of molecules that can reliably detect the presence of a tumor or predict its behavior is one of the biggest challenges of research in cancer biology. Biological fluids are intriguing mediums, containing many molecules that express the individual health status and, accordingly, may be useful in establishing the potential risk of cancer, defining differential diagnosis and prognosis, predicting the response to treatment, and monitoring the disease progression. The existence of circulating soluble growth factor receptors (sGFRs) deriving from their membrane counterparts has stimulated the interest of researchers to investigate the use of such molecules as potential cancer biomarkers.

Biomarkers of cancer angioprevention for clinical studies.

With the great advances made in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases over the last century, chronic degenerative diseases-cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and cancer-represent the major causes of death in the developed world. Although massive efforts and investments have been made in cancer therapy, the progress made towards reducing mortality has been more successful for cardiovascular disease than for tumours. This can be attributable largely to an active prevention approach implemented for cardiovascular disease.

Tracing Behçet's disease origins along the Silk Road: an anthropological evolutionary genetics perspective.

Objectives: Behçet's disease is a multifactorial vasculitis that shows its highest prevalence in geographical areas historically involved in the Silk Road, suggesting that it might have originated somewhere along these ancient trade routes. This study aims to provide a first clue towards genetic evidence for this hypothesis by testing it via an anthropological evolutionary genetics approach.

Methods: Behçet's disease variation at ancestry informative mitochondrial DNA control region and haplogroup diagnostic sites was characterised in 185 disease subjects of Italian descent and set into the Eurasian mitochondrial landscape by comparison with nearly 9,000 sequences representative of diversity observable in Italy and along the main Silk Road routes.

Preliminary Evidence on the Diagnostic and Molecular Role of Circulating Soluble EGFR in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Assessment of biological diagnostic factors providing clinically-relevant information to guide physician decision-making are still needed for diseases with poor outcomes, such as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a promising molecule in the clinical management of NSCLC. While the EGFR transmembrane form has been extensively investigated in large clinical trials, the soluble, circulating EGFR isoform (sEGFR), which may have a potential clinical use, has rarely been considered.

Runx2 isoform I controls a panel of proinvasive genes driving aggressiveness of papillary thyroid carcinomas.

Context: The ability of tumor cells to invade adjacent tissues is governed by a complicated network of molecular signals, most of which have not yet been identified. In a recent work, we reported that the transcriptional regulator Id1 contributes to thyroid cancer progression by powering the invasion capacity of tumor cells.

Objective: The intent of this work was to further investigate the biology of invasive thyroid tumors, through the analysis of the molecular interactions existing between Id1 and some of its target genes and through the characterization of the function of these factors in the progression of thyroid tumors.

Soluble epidermal growth factor receptor isoforms in non-small cell lung cancer tissue and in blood.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is implicated in tumor development and is highly expressed in many human tumors. EGFR overexpression has been observed in both premalignant lesions and in malignant lung tumors, as well as in 40-80% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). EGFR is a 170-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein with an extracellular ligand-binding domain and a cytoplasmic domain with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity.

New biomarkers for lung cancer.

Importance Of The Field: Despite many efforts to improve early detection, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths. Stage is the main determinant of prognosis and the basis for deciding treatment options. Screening tests for lung cancer have not been successful so far.

Circulating plasma DNA as diagnostic biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer.

Objectives: The presence of circulating DNA in plasma of patients with malignant neoplasm has been a known fact for over 30 years. Since then, the concentration of free circulating plasma DNA has been studied as well as the genetic alterations and epigenetic alterations of tumour DNA of patients that suffer from various types of tumours. The analysis of circulating plasma DNA may be a useful marker to get an early diagnosis on malignant neoplasms.