The influence of a human embryonic stem cell-derived microenvironment on targeting of human solid tumor xenografts.

The awareness of the important role that the surrounding tissue microenvironment and stromal response play in the process of tumorigenesis has grown as a result of in vivo models of tumor xenograft growth in immunocompromised mice. In the current study, we used human embryonic stem cells in order to study the interactions of tumor cells with the surrounding microenvironment of differentiated human cell tissues and structures. Several cancer cell types stably expressing an H2A-green fluorescence protein fusion protein, which allowed tracking of tumor cells, were injected into mature teratomas and developed into tumors.

Inverse relationship between Skp2 ubiquitin ligase and the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 in prostate cancer.

Purpose: Prostate carcinomas show a low level of the cell cycle inhibitor p27, which correlates with tumor aggressiveness. In tumors p27 is of the WT species and its deregulation is due to aberrant ubiquitin mediated degradation. The p27 is degraded following phosphorylation and subsequent recognition by SCFSkp2 ubiquitin ligase.

Prognostic role of apoptotic, Bcl-2, c-erbB-2 and p53 tumor markers in salivary gland malignancies.

Objective: The clinical characteristics and survival probability rate of 36 patients with salivary gland malignancies and 10 patients with benign salivary tumors were summarized in relation to the immunohistological analysis of the tumor, apoptotic-related markers and apoptosis rate. The expression of the markers examined - Bcl-2, c-erbB-2, p53 - was detected in paraffin sections of the tumors by the streptavidin-biotin peroxidase method following heat-induced antigen retrieval, and the apoptosis rate was determined by the TUNEL method.

Results: The overall 5-year survival probability was 61% for patients with malignant tumors and 100% for those with benign tumors.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: the prevalence and prognostic roles of p53, Bcl-2, c-erbB-2 and apoptotic rate as related to clinical and pathological characteristics in a retrospective study.

In the current study, we examined the clinical characteristics and survival probability rates of 116 patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue. In 55 randomly selected patients these data were correlated with the immunohistological analysis of the tumor and apoptosis-related markers, p53, Bcl-2, c-erbB-2 (Her-2/neu), and to the apoptosis rate assessment by the terminal dUTP nick-end-labeling (TUNEL) method. The overall 5-year survival probability was 55%, which might be the result of the low incidence of smoking and/or alcohol consumption among the patients (21%), the early diagnosis (65% at Stages I-II) and the low histological grades (91% good-moderate).