Utility of circulating tumor cells and DNA in the management of advanced colorectal cancer.

Clinical management of colorectal cancer is challenging. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and DNA (ctDNA) are investigated to detect key mutation and for prognosis for risk stratifications. 200 advance-stage patients with metastatic disease were selected and followed-up.

Ras inhibition by zoledronic acid effectively sensitizes cervical cancer to chemotherapy.

Aberrant activation of Ras is common in several human cancers, including cervical cancer. In this study, we show that Ras function can be inhibited by zoledronic acid (ZA) owing to its ability in inhibiting protein prenylation. Using in-vitro cell culture system and an in-vivo xenograft mouse model, the effects of ZA on cervical cancer cell growth and survival were determined.

Inhibition of isoprenylcysteine carboxylmethyltransferase sensitizes common chemotherapies in cervical cancer via Ras-dependent pathway.

Isoprenylcysteine carboxylmethyltransferase (Icmt) catalyzes the last step of post-translational protein prenylation, which is essential for the stability and proper functions of many oncogenic proteins, such as Ras. Despite extensive studies on the roles of Icmt in tumor transformation and progression, little is known on the involvement ofIcmt in the development of tumor resistance to chemotherapy. Here we show the upregulation of Icmt as a persistent response to chemotherapy in cervical cancer cells.