Advances in the management of malignant mesothelioma.

Malignant mesotheliomas are very aggressive tumors that originate from mesothelial cells, which form the serosal lining of the pleura, pericardial, and peritoneal cavities. Finding effective chemotherapeutic treatment for malignant mesothelioma is a challenge. There is no standard treatment because this tumor is relatively resistant to therapy.

Overexpression of the human inducible nitric oxide synthase gene enhances radiation-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells via a caspase-dependent mechanism.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been reported to sensitize cancer cells to radiation. Since delivery of NO to tumors is limited in vivo by systemic toxicity of NO, we examined the potential of gene delivery of the human inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene as a means of achieving high output NO production. We successfully transduced two colorectal cancer cell lines as evidenced by increased iNOS protein accumulation and nitrite production.

First-line chemotherapy for NSCLC: an overview of relevant trials.

In advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), monotherapy with gemcitabine improves quality of life when compared to best supportive care alone, while single-agent taxanes and vinorelbine also improve survival. Platinum-based combinations achieve benefits in response rate, time to progression and survival compared to single-agent cisplatin. With the introduction of combinations of newer agents, 2-year survival rates of 10-20% are being seen in co-operative group trials.