| 1. |
- Priftakis, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Human polyomavirus DNA is not detected in Guthrie cards (dried blood spots) from children who developed acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- 2003
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Ingår i: Medical and Pediatric Oncology. - : Wiley. - 0098-1532 .- 1096-911X. ; 40:4, s. 219-223
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Epidemiological evidence has suggested that some childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may be initiated in utero and may have an infectious etiology. The human polyomavirus JC virus (JCV) has been discussed as a candidate virus, but its presence has not been demonstrated in leukemia cells from children with ALL. The aim of this study was, therefore, to investigate if prenatal human polyomavirus infection could still indirectly be correlated to the development of childhood ALL. Procedure Fifty-four Guthrie cards (stored, dried blood spots filter papers, routinely collected from newborns for different screening analyses), collected at 3–5 days of age, from Swedish children who subsequently developed ALL, as well as from 37 healthy controls, were investigated by nested PCR for the presence of human polyomaviruses JCV and BK virus (BKV). Results JCV and BKV DNA were not detected in any of the Guthrie cards from ALL patients or from healthy controls, although all tested samples had amplifiable DNA as confirmed by an HLA DQ PCR. Conclusions JCV or BKV were not found in any of the dried blood spots of children who later developed ALL or in the healthy controls. These findings suggest that it is unlikely that childhood ALL is associated with an in utero infection with JCV or BKV, although it is not possible to exclude an association with an in utero infection that has become latent in the kidneys with very low levels of circulating virus at birth.
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| 2. |
- Qatarneh, Sharif M., et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of a segmentation procedure to delineate organs for use in construction of a radiation therapy planning atlas
- 2003
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Ingår i: International Journal of Medical Informatics. - 1386-5056 .- 1872-8243. ; 69, s. 39-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: This paper evaluates a semi-automatic segmentation procedure to enhance utilizing atlas based treatment plans. For this application, it is crucial to provide a collection of 'reference' organs, restorable from the atlas so that they closely match those of the current patient. To enable assembling representative organs, we developed a semiautomatic procedure using an active contour method. Method: The 3D organ volume was identified by defining contours on individual slices. The initial organ contours were matched to patient volume data sets and then superimposed on them. These starting contours were then adjusted and refined to rapidly find the organ outline of the given patient. Performance was evaluated by contouring organs of different size, shape complexity, and proximity to surrounding structures. We used representative organs defined on CT volumes obtained from 12 patients and compared the resulting outlines to those drawn by a radiologist. Results: A strong correlation was found between the area measures of the delineated liver (r = 0.992), lung (r = 0.996) and spinal cord (r = 0.81), obtained by both segmentation techniques. A paired Student's t-test showed no statistical difference between the two techniques regarding the liver and spinal cord (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This method could be used to form 'standard' organs, which would form part of a whole body atlas (WBA) database for radiation treatment plans as well as to match atlas organs to new patient data.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Brattström, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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Serum VEGF and bFGF adds prognostic information in patients with normal platelet counts when sampled before, during and after treatment for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer
- 2003
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Ingår i: Lung Cancer. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-5002 .- 1872-8332. ; 43:1, s. 55-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) have both been implicated to have roles in tumour angiogenesis. In the present retrospective study, serum VEGF and bFGF from patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were analysed before, during and after treatment. Seventy-three patients and a total of 460 serum samples were analysed for VEGF and 443 serum samples were analysed for bFGF. Pre-treatment bFGF levels in patients with normal platelet counts, were correlated to poorer survival, P-value = 0.047. During chemotherapy, each rise of one unit bFGF corresponded to a hazard ratio of 4.06 (P=0.022). In patients with normal platelet counts, VEGF levels after radiotherapy significantly correlated to good prognosis (P=0.023), during radiotherapy VEGF levels indicated the same correlation (P=0.085). We conclude that serum VEGF and especially bFGF are of clinical interest as prognostic factors, especially in patients presenting with normal platelet counts.
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| 5. |
- Carlinfante, G, et al.
(författare)
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Differential expression of osteopontin and bone sialoprotein in bone metastasis of breast and prostate carcinoma
- 2003
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Metastasis. - 1573-7276 .- 0262-0898. ; 20:5, s. 437-444
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Breast and prostate cancer often metastasise to the skeleton. Interestingly, the histopathological characteristics of the bone lesions that arise from these two cancer types differ. Breast tumours give rise to metastases in the skeleton with a mixed lytic/sclerotic pattern, whereas a predominantly sclerotic pattern is seen in metastases from prostate tumours. Osteopontin (OPN) and bone sialoprotein (BSP) are bone matrix proteins that have been implicated in the selective affinity of cancer cells for bone. In the present study, 21 patient cases with skeletal metastasis and their respective primary tumours ( 12 with breast cancer, 9 with prostate cancer) were investigated by immunohistochemistry in order to assess the level of OPN and BSP. Moderate to strong OPN expression was found in 42% of all breast tumours and in 56% of all prostate tumours. Significantly more breast cancer bone metastases exhibited high OPN expression, 83%, as compared with prostate tumour bone metastases, 11% ( P = 0.0019). In contrast, moderate to strong BSP expression was found in 33% of breast tumours and in 89% of prostate tumours. In the bone lesions, only 33% of breast tumour metastases showed moderate/strong BSP expression compared to 100% of prostate tumour metastases ( P = 0.0046). This divergent pattern of OPN/BSP expression could be an important determinant for the different characteristics of these two types of bone metastasis, i.e., lytic vs. sclerotic, consistent with the proposed role of OPN in differentiation and activation of osteoclasts and of BSP as a stimulator of bone mineralisation.
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| 6. |
- Dahlén, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Clustering of deletions on chromosome 13 in benign and low-malignant lipomatous tumors
- 2003
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Ingår i: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136. ; 103:5, s. 616-623
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Deletions and structural rearrangements of the long arm of chromosome 13 are frequently observed in benign and low-malignant lipomatous tumors, but nothing is known about their molecular genetic consequences. We assessed the karyotypes of 40 new and 22 previously published cases (35 ordinary lipomas, 15 spindle cell/pleomorphic lipomas, 2 myxolipomas, 1 angiomyxolipoma and 9 atypical lipomatous tumors) with chromosome 13-abnormalities, and found bands 13q12-22 to be frequently affected. Twenty-seven cases with structural abnormalities within this region were selected for breakpoint and deletion mapping by metaphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), using a set of 20 probes. Deletions were found in 23 of 27 cases. The remaining 4 cases had seemingly balanced rearrangements. The breakpoints were scattered but clustered to band 13q14, and in all cases with unbalanced abnormalities, a limited region within band 13q14 was partially or completely deleted. A deletion within band 13q14 was found together with a breakpoint on the other homologue in 5 cases, 4 of which could be tested further with regard to the status of the retinoblastoma (RB1)-gene. In all 4 cases, only 1 copy of the gene was deleted. In addition to the breaks and deletions in the vicinity of the RB1-locus, several other regions of 13q were recurrently affected, e.g., in the vicinity of the hereditary breast cancer (BRCA2; 13q12)- and lipoma HMGIC fusion partner (LHFP; 13q13)- genes. Our findings strongly indicate that deletion of a limited region (approximately 2.5 Mbp) within 13q14, distal to the RB1-locus, is of importance in the development of a subset of lipomatous tumors.
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| 7. |
- Elmroth, Kerstin, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Chromatin- and temperature-dependent modulation of radiation-induced double-strand breaks
- 2003
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Ingår i: International Journal of Radiation Biology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0955-3002 .- 1362-3095. ; 79:10, s. 809-816
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: To investigate the influence of chromatin organization and scavenging capacity in relation to irradiation temperature on the induction of double-strand breaks (DSB) in structures derived from human diploid fibroblasts. Materials and methods: Agarose plugs with different chromatin structures (intact cells±wortmannin, permeabilized cells with condensed chromatin, nucleoids and DNA) were prepared and irradiated with X-rays at 2 or 37°C and lysed using two different lysis protocols (new ice-cold lysis or standard lysis at 37°C). Induction of DSB was determined by constant-field gel electrophoresis. Results: The dose-modifying factor (DMFtemp) for irradiation at 37 compared with 2°C was 0.92 in intact cells (i.e. more DSB induced at 2°C), but gradually increased to 1.5 in permeabilized cells, 2.2 in nucleoids and 2.6 in naked DNA, suggesting a role of chromatin organization for temperature modulation of DNA damage. In addition, DMFtemp was influenced by the presence of 0.1 M DMSO or 30 mM glutathione, but not by post-irradiation temperature. Conclusion: The protective effect of low temperature was correlated to the indirect effects of ionizing radiation and was not dependent on post-irradiation temperature. Reasons for a dose modifying factor <1 in intact cells are discussed.
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| 8. |
- Elmroth, Kerstin, 1970, et al.
(författare)
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Cleavage of cellular DNA by calicheamicin γ1
- 2003
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Ingår i: DNA Repair. - 1568-7864 .- 1568-7856. ; 2:4, s. 363-374
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is assumed that the efficient antitumor activity of calicheamicin γ1 is mediated by its ability to introduce DNA double-strand breaks in cellular DNA. To test this assumption we have compared calicheamicin γ1-mediated cleavage of cellular DNA and purified plasmid DNA. Cleavage of purified plasmid DNA was not inhibited by excess tRNA or protein indicating that calicheamicin γ1 specifically targets DNA. Cleavage of plasmid DNA was not affected by incubation temperature. In contrast, cleavage of cellular DNA was 45-fold less efficient at 0°C as compared to 37° due to poor cell permeability at low temperatures. The ratio of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) to single-stranded breaks (SSB) in cellular DNA was 1:3, close to the 1:2 ratio observed when calicheamicin γ1 cleaved purified plasmid DNA. DNA strand breaks introduced by calicheamicin γ1 were evenly distributed in the cell population as measured by the comet assay. Calicheamicin γ1-induced DSBs were repaired slowly but completely and resulted in high levels of H2AX phosphorylation and efficient cell cycle arrest. In addition, the DSB-repair deficient cell line Mo59J was hyper sensitive to calicheamicin γ. The data indicate that DSBs is the crucial damage after calicheamicin γ1 and that calicheamicin γ1-induced DSBs are recognized normally. The high DSB:SSB ratio, specificity for DNA and the even damage distribution makes calicheamicin γ1 a superior drug for studies of the DSB-response and emphasizes its usefulness in treatment of malignant disease.
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| 9. |
- Falkmer, U, et al.
(författare)
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A systematic overview of radiation therapy effects in skeletal metastases
- 2003
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Ingår i: Acta Oncologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1651-226X .- 0284-186X. ; 42:5-6, s. 620-633
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A systematic review of radiation therapy trials in several tumour types was performed by The Swedish Council of Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU). The procedures for evaluation of the scientific literature are described separately (Acta Oncol 2003; 42: 357-365). This synthesis of the literature on radiation therapy for skeletal metastases is based on data from 16 randomized trials. Moreover, data from 20 prospective studies, 5 retrospective studies and 22 other articles were used. A total of 63 scientific articles are included, involving 8051 patients. The results were compared with those of a similar overview from 1996 including 13054 patients. The conclusions reached can be summarized as follows: Irradiation of skeletal metastases is, with few exceptions, a palliative treatment. There is strong evidence that radiotherapy of skeletal metastases gives an overall (complete and partial pain relief) in more than 80% of patients. There is strong evidence that the duration of pain relief in at least 50% of patients lasts for greater than or equal to6 months. There is convincing evidence that pain relief, in terms of degree and duration, does not depend on the fractionation schedules applied. Irrespective of the fractionation schedule used at irradiation, the number of later complications, such as spinal cord compression or pathological fractures, at the index fields are low. There are some data showing that the difference in cost between single and multifraction treatment is small. However, these data do not permit any firm conclusions to be drawn. Several reports indicate that early diagnosis and early therapy of spinal cord compression are the two most important predictors of a favourable clinical outcome after radiotherapy. However, no controlled studies have been undertaken. When the diagnosis of spinal cord compression is late, a favourable outcome might depend on the radio-responsiveness of the tumour. The documentation is weak and no conclusions can be drawn. There is some evidence that a small proportion of totally paralytic patients can regain walking function after radiotherapy. There is strong evidence that the radionuclides Sr-89 and Sm-153 are efficient when they are used as a systemic treatment of generalized bone pain due to metastasis from carcinomas of the prostate and breast. Overall bone pain relief occurs in about 60-80% of patients with a median response duration of 2-4 months. There is strong evidence that intravenous treatment with bisphosphonates in patients with myeloma and osteolytic bone metastasis due to carcinoma of the breast significantly decreases the number of skeleton-related events and bone pain.
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| 10. |
- Glimelius, Bengt, et al.
(författare)
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A systematic overview of radiation therapy effects in rectal cancer.
- 2003
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Ingår i: Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden). - : Informa UK Limited. - 0284-186X .- 1651-226X. ; 42, s. 476-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A systematic review of radiation therapy trials in several tumour types was performed by The Swedish Council of Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU). The procedures for evaluation of the scientific literature are described separately (Acta Oncol 2003; 42: 357-365). This synthesis of the literature on radiation therapy for rectal cancer is based on data from 42 randomized trials and 3 meta-analyses. Moreover, data from 36 prospective studies, 7 retrospective studies and 17 other articles were used. A total of 131 scientific articles are included, involving 25 351 patients. The results were compared with those of a similar overview from 1996 including 15 042 patients. The conclusions reached can be summarized thus: The results after rectal cancer surgery have improved during the past decade. It is likely that local failure rates after 5 years of follow-up at hospitals adopting the TME-concept (TME = total mesorectal excision) have decreased from about 28% to 10-15%. Preoperative radiotherapy at biological effective doses above 30 Gy decreases the relative risk of a local failure by more than half (50-70%). Postoperative radiotherapy decreases the risk by 30-40% at doses that generally are higher than those used preoperatively. There is strong evidence that preoperative radiotherapy is more effective than postoperative. There is moderate evidence that preoperative radiotherapy significantly decreases the local failure rate (from 8% to 2% after 2 years) also with TME. There is strong evidence that preoperative radiotherapy improves survival (by about 10%). There is no evidence that postoperative radiotherapy improves survival. There is some indication that survival is prolonged when postoperative radiotherapy is combined with concomitant chemotherapy. Preoperative radiotherapy at adequate doses can be given with low acute toxicity. Higher, and unacceptable acute toxicity has been seen in some preoperative radiotherapy trials using suboptimal techniques. Postoperative radiotherapy can also be given with acceptable acute toxicity. The long-term consequences of radiotherapy appear to be limited with adequate radiation techniques, although they have been less extensively studied. Longer follow-up periods are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. Peroperative radiotherapy, preferably preoperative since it is more effective, is routinely recommended for most patients with rectal cancer since it can substantially decrease the risk of a local failure and increases survival. In a primarily non-resectable tumour, preoperative radiotherapy can cause tumour regression allowing subsequent radical surgery. This therapy is routinely indicated. Whether radiochemotherapy is more efficient than radiotherapy alone is not clear, since the results of four small randomized trials are partly conflicting. Preoperative radiotherapy, frequently combined with chemotherapy, has been used to increase the chances of sphincter-preserving surgery in low-lying tumours. The literature is inconclusive with respect to how frequently this occurs. Radiotherapy frequently produces symptom relief in patients with rectal cancer not amendable to surgery.
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