Basic and Clinical Cancer Research
Volume:14 Issue: 2, Spring 2022

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are mediators of chronic inflammation, which is recognized as an underlying process in carcinogenesis. The role of AGEs in cancers is the focus of recent studies. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in the world and the etiology is unknown, but some risk factors have been defined; including obesity and diabetes. Both of these disorders are linked to AGEs; thus, BC and AGEs might be associated. AGEs in the human body either derive from the glycation of proteins and lipids in the blood, or from the dietary AGEs (dAGE). AGEs are mainly associated with disease states or aging, including diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders, Alzheimer, renal failure, arthritis, skin problems, viral infections, and osteoporosis. Some bioeffects of AGEs are consistent with the chain of events that occur during carcinogenesis. However, the studies about the role of AGEs in specific cancers are not conclusive, and some recent literature, especially clinical studies do not support the theory of the association between AGEs and cancers,. There does not exist a great deal of studies about the role of AGEs in BC, but the subject has been addressed recently. The present evidence is rather in favor of the association of AGEs and breast cancer; however, the direction and type of this association are unclear. In-vitro studies show that AGEs promote features of invasiveness in BC, but clinical studies show diverse findings. In this study, we present an overview of the core existing knowledge about AGEs and their relation with diseases; then provide a brief review of the results of studies that have investigated the association of AGEs and cancer, and then proceed to a concise discussion about studies on AGEs and BC.

We aimed to investigate safety and efficacy of preoperative chemotherapy using EOX regime in patients with locally advanced gastric and GEJ cancer who were admitted at Imam-Khomeini Oncology clinic and Aram clinic.

We performed a mix-cohort study in 51 gastric cancer patients. In the beginning, we performed contrast thorax and abdominal CT scan or ECO cardiograph to determine cancer staging. After that, each patient received 3-weeks EOX regime in 6 cycle. After each three cycles follow-up CT scan was performed to assess any possible progression. Response to the treatment, Overall survival, and Progression-Free Survival were the main outcomes that we evaluated in the current study. We used Kaplan-Meier approach and Cox regression to address survival rate and its prognostic factors.

Overall, 72.5% percent were male and mean age of study participants was 57.6. Complete response rate was observed in 11.1%, while 51.1% showed partial response. Median of overall survival and Progression-Free Survival was estimated 35.0 and 28.0 month, respectively. The 5-year overall survival was 74.2% and for PFS it was estimated at 57.7%.

Preoperative chemotherapy using EOX regime could increase survival rate among patients with gastric and GEJ cancer.

This study evaluated the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy and hormone therapy on overall survival and disease-free survival in patients with breast cancer with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative tumors without lymph node involvement.

Breast cancer patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, and no lymph node involvement were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patient records were used to collect data on sex, age, time of disease onset, tumor subtype, tumor size, grade, lymphovascular and perineural involvement, ki67, and treatment protocols. Patients were divided into 2 groups: Patients who received both adjuvant chemotherapy and hormonal therapy and patients who received hormonal therapy only. Disease-free survival index (DFS) and overall survival index (OS) were evaluated.

Sixty-seven female patients were enrolled in this study. Of them, 68.2% received both adjuvant chemotherapy and hormonal therapy and 31.6% received hormonal therapy only. During follow-up, recurrences occurred in 8 patients. The 3-year and 5-year DFS were 93.4% and 90%, respectively. The 3-year and 5-year DFS was 94% and 92%, respectively, in patients who received both adjuvant chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, and 91% and 85%, respectively, in patients who received hormonal therapy. None of the factors studied affected the 3-year and 5-year DFS. The 3-year and 5-year DFS OS were 98.6% and 96.9%, respectively

Adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative, and no lymph node involvement compared with similar patients receiving hormone therapy alone had no significant difference in disease-free survival index and overall survival index.

Melanoma is the cause of death for 1.3% of all cancer patients in humans. The key role of the BRAF protein in the progression of human melanoma has been confirmed, and its prognostic significance has been revealed. Because canine cancer resembles human cancer in biological behavior and molecular abnormalities, BRAF protein may be expressed in canine melanoma, the same as human melanoma. Despite the investigation of the BRAF mutation in canine melanoma, the status of BRAF at the protein level in canine skin melanoma has not yet been examined.

Thirty-two formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples of canine malignant cutaneous melanoma were randomly selected. After cutting into 3-μmthick sections, the samples were evaluated for BRAF protein expression by immunohistochemistry and using the anti-BRAF V600E (VE1) mouse monoclonal antibody

The BRAF status was assessed using the Allred scoring system. Among the 32 samples examined, 21 samples were negative, and 11 cases showed high BRAF protein expression.

The detection of positive BRAF expression in 34.3% of canine cutaneous melanoma samples could be a step forward to improving treatment options, using dogs as an animal model in human melanoma clinical trials, and possibly identifying a new prognostic biomarker in canine melanoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) is one of the most common cancers in the Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer (HNSCC) group. The increasing frequency of oral carcinomas and their late-stage appearance is a major worldwide health concern. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in cancer growth and progression, as the available relevant data indicate. However, no information is available about the parts miR-7113-3p and miR-6721-5p taken in OSCC. In the present study, the expression of MAP2K1, miR-7113-3p, and miR-6721-5p was examined to determine their possible biological role in the advancement of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Quantitative Real-Time PCR was applied to investigate the mRNA expression of MAP2K1, miR-7113-3p, and miR-6721-5p in fresh frozen OSCC tissues and adjacent normal fresh frozen tissues of 30 patients and then, the relationship between MAP2K1 Expression and clinical parameters was studied.

MAP2K1 expression dramatically increased in tumor tissues compared to the normal tissues, while miR7113-3p and miR-6721-5p expression significantly decreased. Furthermore, a statistical correlation of p=0.04 was also observed between increased MAP2K1 expression and Perineural invasion. In addition, the downregulation of miR-7113-3p was positively correlated with the overexpression of MAP2K1 (p=0.0218), and a negative correlation was observed between the downregulation of miR-6721-5p and overexpression of MAP2K1 (p=0.7771).

Based on the findings, miR-7113-3p, and miR-6721-5p might be prospective biomarkers for OSCC patients and can be utilized to detect OSCC at an early stage of its diagnosis. MAP2K1 overexpression is linked to the development of OSCC and Perineural invasion.

Invasive breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer at present. Due to systemic nature of disease, chemotherapy plays an important role in treatment of invasive breast cancer. Relapse (loco-regional or metastatic) is not uncommon in this disease. Both eribulin and capecitabine are effective as single agent in relapsed disease. But in combination, efficacy of these two chemotherapeutic medicines are not properly known. In this single-Institutional retrospective study, Eribulin and capecitabine have been assessed as combination chemotherapy in patients with relapsed breast cancer.

Patients with relapsed breast cancer, having ER and/or PR positive, Her-2/neu negative or triple negative status and received eribulin alongwith capecitabine, were included in our study. Primary objective of this study was to assess response, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Secondary objective was toxicity assessment.

48 patients were included in our study. Median age of patients was 56 years. Thirty six (75%) patients had ER and/or PR positive status and twelve (25%) patients had ER/PR negative status. Five (10.4%) patients achieved complete response (CR). Thirty two (66.7%) patients achieved partial response (PR). Disease was stable (SD) in nine (18.8%) patients. Two (4.2%) patients suffered from progressive disease (PD). Median Progression-free survival (PFS) was 10.15 months. Mean of PFS of patients was 10.72 (95% CI- 9.72-11.72) months. Median overall survival (OS) was 18.15 months. Mean of overall survival of patients was 19.56 (95% CI- 17.9-21.22) months. Nineteen (39.6%) and three (6.2%) patients experienced grade 2 and grade 3 anemia respectively. Eighteen (37.5%) and two (4.2%) patients suffered from grade 2 and grade 3 neutropenia respectively. One patients experienced grade 2 thrombocytopenia. Nineteen (39.6%) patients experienced grade 2 diarrhoea. One patients suffered from grade 3 diarrhoea. Palmo-plantor erythrodysesthesia had been experienced by eight (16.7%) patients. Six (12.5%) patients suffered from grade 2 neuropathy. Two (4.2%) patients experienced grade 3 neuropathy. Fatigue had been experienced by 19 (39.6%) patients.

Eribulin alongwith capectabine can be used in patients with relapsed invasive breast cancer, in whom anthracycline and taxane have previously been used; with response rate and survival better than either single agent chemotherapy. This regimen is important particularly for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), where option for chemotherapy is limited.

Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide in 2020. Moderately increased risk of stomach cancer has been associated with tobacco smoking and Alcohol drinking. In this systematic review, we summarized the current knowledge on the relation between smoking and alcohol, both alone and in combination, to the risk of gastric cancer.

This study was conducted in 2023 with a structured overview in the Science Directe , PubMed, Web of Science (ISI) databases. We investigated the studies that were published between 2010 and 2023. In the first step, articles were extracted based on their titles and abstracts; the quality of 58 articles was evaluated using the STORBE tool. Inclusion criteria were English language (first step), year of the study and the study type (second step).

Of these 39 articles, 17 ones were case-control studies, 21 were cohort studies, one was a descriptive study. eleven articles were related to alcohol consumption and risk of gastric cancer, twenty-three articles were related to smoking and risk of gastric cancer, five articles were related smoking and alcohol consumption in combination and risk of gastric cancer. Many studies reported a significant association between alcohol and gastric cancer risk. Also, three studies showed that smoking acts as a risk factor for developing gastric cancer only in certain genotype and not in all people.

Based on the best our knowledge and present studies, consumption of alcohol and smoking are risk factors of gastric cancer. It is better to conduct more studies on this issue in different populations in the future. We also suggest that future studies focus more on the intracellular mechanisms of these associations than on epidemiological outcomes.