The role of DNA repair pathways in cisplatin resistant lung cancer.

Platinum chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin are currently used in the treatment of various malignancies such as lung cancer. However, their efficacy is significantly hindered by the development of resistance during treatment. While a number of factors have been reported that contribute to the onset of this resistance phenotype, alterations in the DNA repair capacity of damaged cells is now recognised as an important factor in mediating this phenomenon.

Phyllodes tumours of the breast: radiological presentation, management and follow-up.

Objective: Phyllodes tumours (PTs) are rare neoplasms accounting for <1% of breast lesions. With increased breast awareness and screening programmes, smaller PTs are being detected. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical, radiological and pathological presentation of PTs and to evaluate the role of imaging follow-up, for which there are no specific guidelines.

SPINK1 protein expression and prostate cancer progression.

Purpose: SPINK1 overexpression has been described in prostate cancer and is linked with poor prognosis in many cancers. The objective of this study was to characterize the association between SPINK1 overexpression and prostate cancer-specific survival.

Experimental Design: The study included 879 participants in the U.

A Barrett's esophagus registry of over 1000 patients from a specialist center highlights greater risk of progression than population-based registries and high risk of low grade dysplasia.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) arising from chronic gastro-oesophageal reflux (GERD) is the main pathologic precursor of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). The risk of progression to high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and EAC is unclear, and recent population studies from Denmark and Northern Ireland suggest that this has been overestimated in the past. No data exist from the Republic of Ireland.

Imaging features of extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma.

Small cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 20% of lung cancers; however, it rarely occurs at other sites. Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma (EPSCC) is notoriously aggressive with a strong propensity for both regional and distant spread. The majority of the literature on these uncommon tumours is from a clinicopathological viewpoint with a relative paucity of detail regarding the radiological findings.

Transseptal transcatheter coil embolization of a symptomatic pulmonary arteriovenous aneurysm in a patient with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

An atrial transseptal approach was used for embolization of a pulmonary arteriovenous aneurysm in a 56-year-old man with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. Two previous attempts at embolization of the aneurysm failed because of an inability to cannulate the feeding vessel. A transseptal puncture was performed to gain access to the left superior pulmonary vein allowing retrograde cannulation of the venous sac and successful coiling of the aneurysm without complications.

Immunological indicators of coeliac disease activity are not altered by long-term oats challenge.

Coeliac disease is a gluten-sensitive enteropathy that develops in genetically susceptible individuals. The disease exhibits many features of an autoimmune disorder. These include the production of highly specific anti-endomysial autoantibodies directed against the enzyme tissue transglutaminase.

Genes of the interleukin-18 pathway are associated with susceptibility to Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: To investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms of the interleukin-18 (IL-18) pathway to Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Most cases of EAC arise in a background of reflux-induced BE. Genetic influences in this pathway are poorly understood.

Preferences for the white female nasal supratip break.

Background: The debate on how to create ideal facial proportions--once the remit of artists and sculptors--has been reignited during the past 5 decades, with the emergence of aesthetic facial surgery. Classic ideals exist, but few individuals actually satisfy these criteria. Aesthetic ideals are culturally and temporally variable.

Osteopoikilosis masquerading as osseous metastases in breast cancer.

Osteopoikilosis (OPK) is a rare, congenital bone disorder characterised by multiple round or ovoid radio densities appearing throughout the axial and appendicular skeleton. It is usually an asymptomatic condition diagnosed incidentally on radiological imaging, and may mimic other bone disorders, including osseous metastases. In this case report, we present a patient with lobular breast cancer whose computed tomography findings were thought to be consistent with osseous cancer metastases.

Metabolic syndrome and leptin are associated with adverse pathological features in male colorectal cancer patients.

Aim: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) describes a clustering of factors including central obesity, hypertension and raised plasma glucose, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Central obesity is associated with a risk for colorectal cancer, but the impact of MetS on colorectal cancer biology and outcomes is unclear.

Method: A prospective observational study of colorectal cancer patients was carried out in an Irish population.

T lymphocyte activation in visceral adipose tissue of patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Visceral adipose tissue may fuel obesity-associated chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis. T cells may be important in visceral adipose tissue in driving inflammation, but they have not yet been characterized in patients with cancer. This study aimed to characterize T lymphocytes in visceral adipose tissue and peripheral blood from patients with oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Docetaxel maintains its cytotoxic activity under hypoxic conditions in prostate cancer cells.

Objective: The efficacy of docetaxel has recently been shown to be increased under hypoxic conditions through the down-regulation of hypoxia-inducible-factor 1α (HIF1A). Overexpression of the hypoxia-responsive gene class III β-tubulin (TUBB3) has been associated with docetaxel resistance in a number of cancer models. We propose that administration of docetaxel to prostate patients has the potential to reduce the hypoxic response through HIF1A down-regulation and that TUBB3 down-regulation participates in sensitivity to docetaxel.

Microtubule-targeting-compound PBOX-15 radiosensitizes cancer cells in vitro.

Background: We proposed to investigate the radiosensitizing properties of PBOX-15, a novel microtubule-disrupting agent, in a panel of cancer cell lines.

Results: PBOX-15 treatment was associated with significant cell kill and increased radiosensitivity in all three cell lines tested. The number of surviving cells in response to the combined treatment was significantly less than PBOX -15 alone in 22Rv1 cells.

Differential pathologic variables and outcomes across the spectrum of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction.

Background: Adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) as described by Siewert et al. is classified as one entity in the latest (7th Edition) American Joint Cancer Committee/International Union Against Cancer (AJCC/UICC) manual, compared with the previous mix of esophageal and gastric staging systems. The origin of AEG tumors, esophageal or gastric, and their biology remain controversial, particularly for AEG type II (cardia) tumors.

Molecular markers associated with response to chemotherapy in gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Response rates to cytotoxics in gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) vary; recent trials demonstrated lack of objective response rates in up to 70% of patients. Identification of predictive therapeutic biomarkers would be beneficial in the treatment of GEP. Selected markers with known or suspected capability of predicting response to cytotoxics or prognosis (Ki-67, p53, multidrug resistance protein-1 (MDR1), Akt, thymidylate synthase (TS), phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), CA9, cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1, mismatch repair gene - human mutL homolog 1 (hLMH1), and Bcl-2) were analyzed using immunohistochemisrtry in 60 treatment-naive patients receiving chemotherapy (n=46) or chemoembolization (n=14) for inoperable advanced and/or metastatic GEP and correlated with prognosis (survival and response rates).

Impact of obesity on surgical and oncological outcomes in the management of colorectal cancer.

Introduction: Obesity is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer, particularly in males, and may negatively impact on oncologic outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of body mass index (BMI) on mortality and morbidity, tumour pathology, and overall survival in a consecutive cohort of Irish colorectal cancer patients treated with curative intent.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of BMI data entered prospectively into a comprehensive electronic database of colorectal cancer patients was undertaken.

Assessment of physical fitness for esophageal surgery, and targeting interventions to optimize outcomes.

This review examines how higher levels of physiological reserve and fitness can help the patient endure the demands of esophageal surgery. Lung function, body composition, cardiac function, inflammatory mediators and exercise performance are all determinants of fitness. Physical fitness, both as an independent risk factor and through its effect on other risk factors, has been found to be significantly associated with the risk of developing postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in patients following esophagectomy.

Metabolic syndrome, central obesity and insulin resistance are associated with adverse pathological features in postmenopausal breast cancer.

Aims: Obesity is associated with both an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer and increased mortality rates. The mechanism is unclear, and central (visceral) obesity, insulin resistance, altered sex steroids and altered adipokines are mooted as possible factors. These features may cluster in the so-called metabolic syndrome.

Management of gastro-bronchial fistula complicating a subtotal esophagectomy: a case report.

Background: The development of a fistula between the tracheobronchial tree and the gastric conduit post esophagectomy is a rare and often fatal complication.

Case Presentation: A 68 year old man underwent radical esophagectomy for esophageal adenocarcinoma. On postoperative day 14 the nasogastric drainage bag dramatically filled with air, without deterioration in respiratory function or progressive sepsis.

The excessive cost of baseline diagnostic imaging in early breast cancer.

Many patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer undergo multiple staging investigations. We aimed to assess the use and yield of baseline diagnostic imaging in early-stage breast cancer. A review of all patients diagnosed with breast cancer over five years at a single institution was carried out.