The overexpression of VEGF in esophageal cancer is associated with a more advanced TMN stage: a meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantitatively assess the impact of VEGF overexpression on prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer (EC).

Methods: A meta-analysis was performed on studies reporting overall survival (OS) or clinicopathological parameters to compare the outcomes of EC patients with VEGF overexpression to the outcomes of patients without VEGF overexpression.

Results: There was a significantly increased risk for patients with VEGF overexpression to have an advanced stage of the disease (III and IV) with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.

Circulating Methylated XAF1 DNA Indicates Poor Prognosis for Gastric Cancer.

Background: Methylated DNA in fluids may be a suitable biomarker for cancer patients. XAF1 has been shown to be frequently down-regulated in human gastric cancer (GC). Here, we investigated if XAF1 methylation in GC could be a useful biomarker.

Functional polymorphisms in FAS and FASL contribute to risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx and hypopharynx in a Chinese population.

Accumulating evidences indicate that the functional FAS-1377G>A, -670A>G and FASL-844T>C polymorphisms affect the risk of several kinds of cancers. However, their roles in the development of larynx and hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were still unknown in the Chinese. In the current study, we examined whether these functional genetic variants were associated with the risk of larynx and hypopharynx squamous SCC in a Han Chinese population.

Enhanced RegIV expression predicts the intrinsic 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) resistance in advanced gastric cancer.

Aim: RegIV, a member of the Regenerating (REG) gene family, may be a marker for the prediction of resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy. However, the relationship between the intrinsic drug resistance of gastric cancer (GC) cells to 5-FU used alone (single FU) or in multidrug therapeutic regimens (5-FU combinations) and RegIV expression has not been investigated.

Methods: The patient cohort comprised 45 patients with primary GC.

[Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma and its role in cancer invasion].

Objective: To assess the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma and explore its role in cancer invasion.

Methods: Fifty-four patients with pathologically confirmed salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) were divided into invasion group and non-invasion group. The EGFR expression was determined by immunohistochemstry (SP staining).

Stepwise cumulation of RUNX3 methylation mediated by Helicobacter pylori infection contributes to gastric carcinoma progression.

Background: Helicobacter pylori has been recognized as a definite carcinogen for gastric cancer (GC); however, the pathogenesis of H. pylori infection remains unclear. Runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) is a candidate tumor suppressor gene whose deficiency is causally related to GC.

CDH1 methylation in preoperative peritoneal washes is an independent prognostic factor for gastric cancer.

Background And Objectives: To investigate the clinical value of CDH1 methylation in preoperative peritoneal washes (PPW) from gastric cancer patients.

Methods: CDH1 methylation was detected by real-time methylation specific-PCR in tumor tissues and corresponding PPW from 92 gastric cancer patients, gastric mucosa from 40 chronic gastritis patients and 48 normal persons.

Results: CDH1 methylation was found in 75 of 92 (81.

Epidemiologic risk factors for esophageal cancer development.

In retrospective studies of esophageal cancer (EC), cigarettes and hookah smoking, nass use (a chewing tobacco product), opium consumption, hot tea drinking, poor oral health, low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables, and low socioeconomic status have been associated with a higher risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Barrett's esophagus is clearly recognized as a risk factor for EC, and dysplasia remains the only factor useful for identifying patients at increased risk, for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma in clinical practice. Here, we review the epidemiologic studies that have investigated the epidemiologic patterns and causes of EC.

Heterogeneity of chemosensitivity in esophageal cancer using ATP-tumor chemosensitivity assay.

Aim: Current chemotherapy for esophageal cancer is conducted on the basis of empirical information from clinical trials, which fails to take into account the known heterogeneity of chemosensitivity between patients. This study was aimed to demonstrate the degree of heterogeneity of chemosensitivity in esophageal cancers.

Methods: A total of 42 esophageal cancer specimens were collected.

MSH2 promoter hypermethylation in circulating tumor DNA is a valuable predictor of disease-free survival for patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Tumor-specific alterations of DNA methylation in circulating DNA have been associated with tumor burden and malignant progression. A wealth of information indicating the potential use of DNA methylation in circulating DNA for cancer screening, prognosis and monitoring of the efficacy of anticancer therapies has emerged. In this study, we examined prospectively whether the presence of plasma DNA with tumor characteristics before oesophagectomy is a predictive factor related to disease-free survival (DFS).

[Impact of lymphocytes subgroups in peripheral blood on survival rate of patients with gastric cancer].

Objective: To study the change of lymphocyte subgroups in the peripheral blood of patients with gastric carcinoma and its association with survival.

Methods: Flow cytometry was used to examine the subgroups of lymphocytes (CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD4(+)/CD8(+), CD19(+), CD25(+), CD44(+) and NK cells) in the peripheral blood of 833 gastric carcinoma patients prior to any therapy. Patients were divided into the high expression group and lower expression group according to the average test values of 96 healthy control subjects.

Unfavorable clinical implications of circulating CD44+ lymphocytes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing radiochemotherapy.

Background: To evaluate the use of cellular immunity parameters as predictors of therapy response.

Methods: Circulating lymphocytes were measued by flow cytometry in 94 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients following radiochemotherapy.

Results: Significantly decreased percentage of CD3(+), CD4(+), and CD8(+) lymphocytes, significantly increased proportion of CD44(+), CD25(+), NK lymphocytes, and an increased CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio were indicated in NPC patients as compared with healthy controls.

[Expression of DNA methylation of APC in peripheral blood and tumor tissue in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between methylation status of APC gene in both peripheral blood and tumor tissues and clinical-pathology characteristics in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC), and to study the dynamic change of APC methylation in peripheral blood in the perioperative period.

Methods: Real-time MSP technique was used to detect methylation status of APC in tumor tissues, adjacent normal tissues and peripheral blood on the day before the surgery, intraoperative, postoperative day 7 in 76 cases with ESCC. Sixty healthy volunteers matched by age and gender were randomly selected as controls.

Hypermethylation-modulated downregulation of RASSF1A expression is associated with the progression of esophageal cancer.

Background And Aims: Chromosome 3p21 is an important locus harboring critical tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple tumors including esophageal carcinoma (EC). Aberrant promoter methylation is a fundamental mechanism of inactivation of TSGs in cancer. RASSF1A, a candidate tumor suppressor gene, recently cloned from the lung tumor locus at 3p21.

Aberrant methylation of different DNA repair genes demonstrates distinct prognostic value for esophageal cancer.

Background: DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency results in a strong mutator phenotype and high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-H), which are the hallmarks of many tumors.

Aim: The objective of this study is to investigate the promoter CpG island methylation status of mismatch repair genes human mutL homolog 1 (hMLH1), human mutS homolog 2 (hMSH2), and O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its roles in alkylating agents chemotherapy.

Methods: Real-time methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) (real-time MSP) was employed to detect promoter CpG island methylation of the hMLH1, hMSH2, as well as MGMT genes in 235 surgical tumor tissue samples from ESCC patients and their corresponding normal tissue samples.

Critical regions and spreading of runt-related transcription factor-3 C-phosphate-G (CpG) island methylation in human salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma.

We investigated the spreading pattern of runt-related transcription factor-3 (RUNX3) C-phosphate-G (CpG) island (3478 base pairs) methylation in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma. The methylation status of multiple regions within the runt-related transcription factor-3 promoter CpG island (3478 base pairs) was detected by real-time methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, and the runt-related transcription factor-3 protein was detected with a Western blot in 19 salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma samples and the corresponding nonneoplastic salivary glands. The risk ratio between runt-related transcription factor-3 CpG island methylation and salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma progression was analyzed by the logistic analysis of variance model.

Unfavorable clinical implications for hypermethylation of RUNX3 in patients with salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma.

To elucidate the potential etiological role of RUNX3 in the development of salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), we analyzed the methylation status of RUNX3 in a series of 114 ACC tissues and 3 ACC cell lines. Results showed that the methylated rate of RUNX3 was 50.9 and 3.

[RUNX3 expression and its methylation of 5'-CpG island in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma cell lines ACC-2, ACC-3 and ACC-M].

Objective: To investigate the methylation of 5'-CpG island and expression of RUNX3 in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma cell lines.

Methods: RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction), laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) and Western blot were used to detect the expression of RUNX3 gene and protein in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma cell lines, ACC-2, ACC-3, and ACC-M, before/after a treatment of 5-Aza-dc respectively.

Results: A weak expression of RUNX3 was found in ACC-2 and ACC-3.

[Evolution pattern of the Runx3 gene 5'-CpG island methylation in human salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma].

Objective: To investigate the evolution pattern of the Runx3 gene 5'-CpG island ~3478 bp region methylation in human salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (SGACC).

Methods: Quantitative MSP method was used to detect the methylation status of CpG island in various regions (No.1-10) of Runx3 promoter region, and Western blot was used for detection of the expression of Runx3 protein in 41 salivary gland SGACC samples and corresponding non-neoplastic salivary gland tissues.

Novel statistical framework to identify differentially expressed genes allowing transcriptomic background differences.

Motivation: Tests of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from microarray experiments are based on the null hypothesis that genes that are irrelevant to the phenotype/stimulus are expressed equally in the target and control samples. However, this strict hypothesis is not always true, as there can be several transcriptomic background differences between target and control samples, including different cell/tissue types, different cell cycle stages and different biological donors. These differences lead to increased false positives, which have little biological/medical significance.

[Study on cancer incidence through the cancer registry program in 11 cities and counties, China].

Objective: Aim of this paper was to explore the trend and characteristics of cancer incidence in 11 areas (5 cities and 6 counties) in China.

Methods: Data from cancer registries during 1988 to 2002 collected from the 11 cancer registry points were used to analyze the trends and characteristics of cancer incidence rates.

Results: There were 695 050 newly developed cancer cases in this study.

[Phase I study of docetaxel combined with carboplatin in patients with non-small cell lung cancer].

Objective: To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTU) and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of Docetaxel and Carboplatin in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: Docetaxel was given at escalating doses until MTD was determined from the initial dose of 65 mg/m2 to 75 mg/m2, 85 mg/ m2 on dl. Carboplatin was targeted to an area under the plasma concentration curve of 5 using Calver's equation on dl.