High BIM mRNA levels are associated with longer survival in advanced gastric cancer.

Chemotherapy drugs, including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), oxaliplatin and docetaxel, are commonly used in the treatment of gastric cancer (GC). Apoptosis-relevant genes may be associated with drug resistance. In the present study, the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 interacting mediator of cell death (BIM), astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) and AXL receptor tyrosine kinase (AXL) were investigated in 131 advanced GC samples, and the expression levels of these genes were correlated with patients' overall survival (OS).

MET overexpression and amplification define a distinct molecular subgroup for targeted therapies in gastric cancer.

Background: Currently, only trastuzumab, ramucirumab, and apatinib effectively treat gastric cancer. Thus, additional novel targets are required for this disease.

Methods: We investigated the immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization expression of MET, ROS1, and ALK in four gastric cell lines and a cohort of 98 gastric cancer patients.

10(th) Congress on Lung Cancer-updates on clinical trials: goal.

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death and probably one of the most challenging cancers to treat. Platinum-based chemotherapy remains as the standard of treatment for most of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and although therapeutic improvements have been achieved in the last years, the benefits are quite modest. One of the most important advances in NSCLC care has been the identification of oncogenic mutations that contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer, suggesting that some tumors can rely on a specific gene for their survival and proliferation, and the subsequent development of drugs targeted to these specific alterations.

EMT and EGFR in CTCs cytokeratin negative non-metastatic breast cancer.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are frequently associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).The objective of this study was to detect EMT phenotype through Vimentin (VIM) and Slug expression in cytokeratin (CK)-negative CTCs in non-metastatic breast cancer patients and to determine the importance of EGFR in the EMT phenomenon. In CK-negative CTCs samples, both VIM and Slug markers were co-expressed in the most of patients.

Assessing standardization of molecular testing for non-small-cell lung cancer: results of a worldwide external quality assessment (EQA) scheme for EGFR mutation testing.

Background: The external quality assurance (EQA) process aims at establishing laboratory performance levels. Leading European groups in the fields of EQA, Pathology, and Medical and Thoracic Oncology collaborated in a pilot EQA scheme for somatic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutational analysis in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: EQA samples generated from cell lines mimicking clinical samples were provided to participating laboratories, each with a mock clinical case.

Differential effect of MMSET mRNA levels on survival to first-line FOLFOX and second-line docetaxel in gastric cancer.

Background: Breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) expression differentially affects outcome to platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy. Mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1 (MDC1), p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1), multiple myeloma SET domain (MMSET) and ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 9 (UBC9) are involved in DNA repair and could modify the BRCA1 predictive model.

Methods: Mediator of DNA damage checkpoint protein 1, 53BP1, MMSET and UBC9 mRNA were assessed in gastric tumours from patients in whom BRCA1 levels had previously been determined.

TAZ is highly expressed in gastric signet ring cell carcinoma.

Transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) is known to bind to a variety of transcription factors to control cell differentiation and organ development. We examined TAZ protein levels in 146 stage II-IV gastric cancer using immunohistochemistry (IHC), while TAZ mRNA was confirmed by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) in 84 samples with enough tissue. TAZ protein expression was positive in 113 out of 146 (77.

Comprehensive molecular screening: from the RT-PCR to the RNA-seq.

Up to now, the analysis of the mRNA expression in tumoral and non-tumoral has been conducted via RT-PCR. It is considered to be the gold standard for measuring the number of copies of specific cDNA targets. The application of RT-PCR has demonstrated that levels of RNA transcripts stratify patients and predict outcomes in a variety of diseases, providing the basis for several important clinical tests.

Pharmacogenetics of EGFR in lung cancer: perspectives and clinical applications.

Lung cancer is a lethal disease, and most cases have already disseminated at the time of diagnosis. Driver mutations in the EGFR tyrosine kinase domain (mainly deletions in exon 19 and L858R mutation in exon 21) have been identified in lung adenocarcinomas, mostly in never smokers, at frequencies of 20-60%. The EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) gefitinib or erlotinib attain a response rate of 70% and progression-free survival of 9-13 months, although there are subgroups of patients with long-lasting remissions.

mRNA expression levels and genetic status of genes involved in the EGFR and NF-κB pathways in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

Background: Metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a dismal prognosis. EGFR is overexpressed or mutated in a large proportion of cases. Downstream components of the EGFR pathway and crosstalk with the NF-κB pathway have not been examined at the clinical level.

Detection of EGFR mutations with mutation-specific antibodies in stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer.

Background: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) with mutation-specific antibodies may be an ancillary method of detecting EGFR mutations in lung cancer patients.

Methods: EGFR mutation status was analyzed by DNA assays, and compared with IHC results in five non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines and tumor samples from 78 stage IV NSCLC patients.

Results: IHC correctly identified del 19 in the H1650 and PC9 cell lines, L858R in H1975, and wild-type EGFR in H460 and A549, as well as wild-type EGFR in tumor samples from 22 patients.

BRCA1 mRNA expression and outcome to neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy in bladder cancer.

Background: neoadjuvant chemotherapy has shown a modest benefit in muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients; however, the subset of patients most likely to benefit has not been identified. BRCA1 plays a central role in DNA repair pathways and low BRCA1 expression has been associated with sensitivity to cisplatin and longer survival in lung and ovarian cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: we assessed BRCA1 messenger RNA expression levels in paraffin-embedded pre-treatment tumor samples obtained by transurethral resection from 57 patients with locally advanced bladder cancer subsequently treated with neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

Brain apparent water diffusion coefficient magnetic resonance image during a prolonged visual aura.

Background: Reversible changes in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) weighted in diffusion-weighted images (DWI) and apparent water diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps have been reported in acute stroke, epilepsy, eclampsia, and hypoglycemia, but they are contradictory regarding to migraine aura.

Objective: A 41-year-old woman with known basilar migraine for 5 years consulted about a persistent visual aura (visual snow phenomenon) plus bilateral paresthesias in the extremities for 4 days. The headache was treated with success with 10 mg of wafer rizatriptan and 600 mg of ibuprophen.

Individual triptan selection in migraine attack therapy.

About 6% of men and 18% of women suffer migraine attacks. Migraine can induce a great impact in the quality of life of the patient and the costs of medical care and lost productivity can be also high. There are two therapeutic approaches in the treatment of migraine: preventive therapy and acute treatment of migraine attack.

Clopidogrel in secondary ischemic stroke prevention.

The results obtained in the CAPRIE study in 1996 led to the introduction of the clopidogrel as a new antiplatelet drug in the secondary prevention of acute myocardial infarct (AMI), ischemic stroke (IS) and symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). Clopidogrel showed a similar efficacy and safety than acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). More recently, the combined use of clopidogrel with ASA has evidenced a better protection than ASA alone in some patients: patients with past history of AMI, angina pectoris, intermittent claudication or PAD, IS or TIA, coronary bypass, and diabetes mellitus, patients on treatment with statins, and patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis >/=50%.