Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is characterized by dissemination and aggressive growth in the thoracic cavity. Podoplanin (PDPN) is an established diagnostic marker for MPM, but the function of PDPN in MPM is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the pathogenetic function of PDPN in MPM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiffuse malignant mesothelioma (DMM) is a tumor of serosal membranes with propensity for progressive local disease. Because current treatment options are largely ineffective, novel therapeutic strategies based on molecular mechanisms and the disease characteristics are needed to improve the outcomes of patients with this disease. Akt kinase interacting protein 1 (Aki1; Freud-1/CC2D1A) is a scaffold protein for the PI3K-PDK1-Akt signaling module that helps determine receptor signal selectivity for EGFR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and highly aggressive neoplasm that arises from the pleural, pericardial, or peritoneal lining. Although surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and combinations of these therapies are used to treat MPM, the median survival of such patients is dismal. Therefore, there is a compelling need to develop novel therapeutics with different modes of action.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Malignant pleural mesotheliomas (MPMs) are aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis. We aimed to clarify the mechanisms of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in MPMs by analyzing the expressions of EMT-associated transcription factors and E-cadherin in relation to tumor proliferation rates and patient survival.
Methods: One hundred nine patients with MPMs were investigated.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive thoracic tumor with a poor prognosis. We performed a comprehensive clinical study on the intratumoral expression of Wnt1, Wnt2B and Wnt5A in MPM. One hundred and seven MPM patients were investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe tumor microenvironment is crucial to the progression of various malignancies. Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), which originates from the pleura, grows aggressively in the thoracic cavity. Here we describe an orthotopic implantation SCID mouse model of MPM and demonstrate that α-SMA-positive fibroblast-like cells accumulate in the tumors produced by the human MPM cell lines MSTO-211H and Y-Meso-14.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mutations in Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) have been reported to protect tumor cells from chemotherapeutic agents. However, their prognostic significance in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still unclear. In this study, we examined the effect of Keap1 gene mutations on survival and disease-free interval using resected primary NSCLC tissue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A fusion gene between echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) and the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has recently been identified in nonsmall-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). We screened for EML4-ALK fusion genes and examined the clinicopathological and genetic characteristics of fusion-harboring NSCLC tumors.
Methods: We examined 313 NSCLC samples from patients who underwent resection at our hospital between May 2001 and July 2005.
Background And Objectives: A disintegrin and metalloprotease 12 (ADAM12) has multiple domains and functions, and it plays important roles in the development of cancer. We conducted a retrospective study to determine whether the expression of the membrane type of ADAM12 (ADAM12-L) could be a prognostic factor in resected pathological (p-) stage I lung adenocarcinoma.
Methods: ADAM12-L mRNA expression was quantified by a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in tissue samples from 84 completely resected p-stage I lung adenocarcinoma patients.
Background: Experimental studies have revealed that D2-40 is useful in identifying the presence of lymphatic invasion in various malignant neoplasms, but the clinical significance remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to assess the clinical significance of D2-40 status in completely resected non-small cell lung cancer.
Methods: A total of 215 consecutive patients with resected pathological stage I-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer were reviewed.
Background: The authors elucidated particular chemokine receptors that are expressed on lung cancer cells, as well as the clinical significance of the expression of these chemokine receptors in completely resected nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods: The authors examined gene expression of chemokine receptors (CCR1-11, CXCR1-7, XCR1, and CX3CR1) in 11 cell lines of lung cancer, and gene expression of CXCR3, CXCR4, and CXCR7 (CXCR3/4/7) in surgical specimens of 127 patients who underwent complete resection for their NSCLC between May 2001 and December 2002, using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mutation detection analysis of the EGFR genes using the PCR single-strand conformational polymorphism method was evaluated in patients with pathological (p-) stage I adenocarcinoma.
Background: To evaluate the prognostic value of folate receptor alpha (FOLR1) and/or reduced folate carrier (RFC1) expression, which are well-characterized folate transporters, in completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods: We quantitatively examined gene expression of FOLR1 and RFC1 in surgical specimens resected from NSCLC patients. A total of 119 consecutive patients from January 2003 to June 2004 were included.
A 59-year-old man, who had been treated for bronchial asthma since 2000, was hospitalized with high fever and productive cough in November 2003. Chest radiography on admission showed consolidations in both lower lung fields, and computed tomography demonstrated anteroposterior narrowing of both main bronchi. A physical examination revealed deformity of auricular cartilage and saddle nose, and we diagnosed him relapsing polychondritis (RP).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF