• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.623-628
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• 2012

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs; TIMP-1, -2, -3 and -4) are endogenous inhibitor for matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that are responsible for remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM) and involved in migration, invasion and metastasis of tumor cells. Unlike under normal conditions, the imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs is associated with various diseased states. Among TIMPs, TIMP-1, a 184-residue protein, is the only N-linked glycoprotein with glycosylation sites at N30 and N78. The structural analysis of the catalytic domain of human stromelysin-1 (MMP-3) and human TIMP-1 suggests new possibilities of the role of TIMP-1 glycan moieties as a tuner for the proteolytic activities by MMPs. Because the TIMP-1 glycosylation participate in the interaction, aberrant glycosylation of TIMP-1 presumably affects the interaction, thereby leading to pathogenic dysfunction in cancer cells. TIMP-1 has not only the cell proliferation activities but also anti-oncogenic properties. Cancer cells appear to utilize these bilateral aspects of TIMP-1 for cancer progression; an elevated TIMP-1 level exerts to cancer development via MMP-independent pathway during the early phase of tumor formation, whereas it is the aberrant glycosylation of TIMP-1 that overcome the high anti-proteolytic burden. The aberrant glycosylation of TIMP-1 can thus be used as staging and/or prognostic biomarker in colon cancer.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.49-55
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• 2014

RalBP1 is an ATP-dependent non-ABC transporter, responsible for the major transport function in many cells including many cancer cell lines, causing efflux of glutathione-electrophile conjugates of both endogenous metabolites and environmental toxins. RalBP1 is expressed in most human tissues, and is over-expressed in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines and in many other tumor types. Blockade of RalBP1 by various approaches has been shown to increase sensitivity to radiation and chemotherapeutic drugs, leading to cell apoptosis. In xenograft tumor models in mice, RalBP1 blockade or depletion results in complete and sustained regression across many cancer cell types including lung cancer cells. In addition to its transport function, RalBP1 has many other cellular and physiological functions, based on its domain structure which includes a unique Ral-binding domain and a RhoGAP catalytic domain, as well as docking sites for multiple signaling proteins. Additionally, RalBP1 is also important for stromal cell function in tumors, as it was recently shown to be required for efficient endothelial cell function and angiogenesis in solid tumors. In this review, we discuss the cellular and physiological functions of RalBP1 in normal and lung cancer cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1371-1374
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• 2015

Background: Tongue cancer is one of the leading sites of cancer in our population. Aim: To evaluate the socio-demographic profiles and stages at diagnosis of oral tongue (OT) and base of tongue (BT) cancers, and identify any possible variations in characteristics. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on tongue cancer cases, divided into OT and BT, registered at the hospital cancer registry of North-East India during January 2010 to May 2013. Cases were analyzed for age, gender, residential status and different levels of education for patients, the stage at diagnosis and presence of distant metastasis. Results: A total of 1,113 cases of tongue cancers were registered, 846(76.1%) of BT and 267(23.9%) of OT. While 33.9% of BT cancer patients were above 65 years of age, the figure for OT cancers was 18.4%, stages III and IV accounting for 90.8% and 77%, respectively. The relative risk for distant metastasis in OT cancers was 3.3 (95% CI 1.08-10.1, p=0.03). Conclusions: In the subsites of tongue cancers in our population, the majority arose from the base of tongue, these tending to occur in older individuals and presenting at late stage.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.365-369
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• 2000

Oral mucositis or stomatitis produced by stomatotoxic chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy are painful, restrict oral intake and, importantly, act as sites of secondary infection and potals of entry for the endogenous oral microflora often leading to bacteremias or sepsis. A number of clinical observations and studies of animal model suggests a pathophysiological complexity in the development of mucositis. The condition appears to represent a sequential interaction of the oral mucosal cells and tissues, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and local environmental factors in the mouth. This article discussed and reviewed biological process of the mucositis and, the role of cytokines as initiators and amplifiers of the process. The recognition that the pathophysiology of mucositis is a multifactorial process has presented opportunities for intervention based upon biological attenuation.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4369-4371
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• 2012

Aim: Metastatic tumor of bone is the most common malignancy involving bone and is an important predictor of prognosis in advanced cancers. The prognosis depends upon the primary site of origin and the extent of disease. In current study, we present the pattern and distribution of metastatic bone disease seen in the leading cancer care center of Pakistan, Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital & Research Center (SKMCH & RC), Lahore. Materials & Methods: All cases of bony metastatic disease were included that presented in the Pathology Department, from Jan 2005 to July 2011. Patients of all ages and both sexes were included. Primary bone tumors, lymphomas, sarcomas and other malignancies were excluded. The data were recorded and analyzed with SPSS 16.0. Results: A total of 146 cases of metastatic bone disease were included in the study. Out of the total cases, 79 were male and 67 were female. Age range 25-82 years (median 52). Hip bone was the most frequent bone involved, with femur and vertebrae as second and third in the list. The commonest bone involved in males was vertebrae with 23 cases and in females was hip bone with 22 cases. Regarding primary site, cancers of breast, prostate and gastrointestinal tract were at the top of the list with prostate and breast being the most frequent primary sites of metastasis in males and females respectively. Conclusion: Bone metastasis is an important entity to consider in the differential diagnosis whenever a bony tumor especially carcinoma present in older age. Our data are comparable with international findings and the literature available regarding the site and distribution of skeletal metastatic lesions. A slight deviation noted was more common bony metastatic lesions with ovarian primaries in females and gastrointestinal tract cancers in males in our study.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 2012

The malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor(MPNST) is an extremely rare soft tissue sarcoma of ectomesenchyme also known as malignant schwannoma or malignant neurilemoma. It is a highly malignant sarcoma, which is locally invasive, frequently leading to multiple recurrences and eventual metastatic spread. The peak incidence of this disease is known to arise in the seventh decades. In human body, trunk and extremities are the most commonly involved sites, and only 8-14% of all lesions appear in head and neck region. Because immunohistochemical staining is essential in final diagnosis. The authors report a case of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor in neck with hypopharyngeal cancer simultaneously on a review of the literature.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.5567-5577
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• 2013

The prevalence of oral cancers (OC) is high in Asian countries, especially in South and Southeast Asia. Asian distinct cultural practices such as betel-quid chewing, and varying patterns of tobacco and alcohol use are important risk factors that predispose to cancer of the oral cavity. The aim of this review is to provide an update on epidemiology of OC between 2000 and 2012. A literature search for this review was conducted on Medline for articles on OC from Asian countries. Some of the articles were also hand searched using Google. High incidence rates were reported from developing nations like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Sri Lanka. While an increasing trend has been observed in Pakistan, Taiwan and Thailand, a decreasing trend is seen in Philippines and Sri Lanka. The mean age of occurrence of cancer in different parts of oral cavity is usually between 51-55 years in most countries. The tongue is the leading site among oral cancers in India. The next most common sites in Asian countries include the buccal mucosa and gingiva. The 5 year survival rate has been low for OC, despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment. Tobacco chewing, smoking and alcohol are the main reasons for the increasing incidence rates. Low socioeconomic status and diet low in nutritional value lacking vegetables and fruits contribute towards the risk. In addition, viral infections, such as HPV and poor oral hygiene, are other important risk factors. Hence, it is important to control OC by screening for early diagnosis and controlling tobacco and alcohol use. It is also necessary to have cancer surveillance at the national-level to collect and utilise data for cancer prevention and control programs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.455-462
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• 2004

Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in American men and evidences point to significant life style/diet components as risk factors for its development or prevention. Two large cohort studies have identified the consumption of tomatoes or high Plasma levels of Iycopene as associated with reduced risk. A number of other substances such as quercetin, phytoene, phytofluene, cyclolycopene, salicylates and tomatine in tomato besides lycopene could have anticancer activity and may be acting synergistically with lycopene. Lycopene at almost physiologically feasible concentrations, reduces cell viability by cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and modulates the cyclin pathways as well as increasing intercellular communication. However, it is not clear whether lycopene or its oxidation products are more bioactive. Tomato product supplementation results in plasma accumulation of phytoene, Phytofluene, the lycopene oxidation product, and cyclolycopene at significant concentrations and lycopene supplementation, either as a tomato product or as beadlets, results in maximal mean plasma lycopene concentrations of ∼ 1 $\mu$M which is at the lower limit of its activity in cell culture. Rats and mice are poor accumulators of lycopene and other carotenoids making them poor models for the study of cancer prevention and control. Of the 19 animal studies for various cancer sites, lycopene showed a positive effect in 10 studies but negative in 2 prostate cancer studies. In vivo prevention of leukocyte DNA damage in humans has been mostly studied using tomato product supplementation but lycopene supplementation appeared to reduce oxidative DNA damage as well as tomato product supplementation. Lycopene appears to be bioactive in intefering with carcinogenesis but the actions of phytoene, phytofluene or cyclolycopene cannot be ruled out since these compounds were present in most of the lycopene material used for these studies. Although lycopene remains as a promising agent, especially for cancer control, exploring interactions with other tomato phytochemicals and with current prostate cancer therapies should be encouraged.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.15
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• pp.6381-6386
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• 2014

Background: The global burden of cancer is continuously increasing. According to recent report of the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) on time trends it is estimated that future burden of cancer cases for India in 2020 will be 1,320,928. It is well known that knowledge of the incidence of cancer is a fundamental requirement of rational planning and monitoring of cancer control programs. It would help health planners to formulate public health policy if relevant ethnic groups were considered. North East-India alone contains over 160 Scheduled Tribes and 400 other sub-tribal communities and groups, whose cancer incidence rates are high compared to mainland India. As since no previous study was done focusing on ethnicity, the present investigation was performed. Materials and Methods: In this paper PBCR-Guwahati data on all cancer registrations from January 2009 to December 2011 for residents of the Kamrup Urban District, comprising an area of 261.8 sq. km with a total population of 900,518, including individual records with information on sex, age, ethnicity and cancer site are provided. Descriptive statistics including age adjusted rates (AARs) were taken as provided by NCRP. For comparison of proportional incidence ratios (PIR) the Student's t test was used, with p<0.05 considered as statistically significant. Results and Conclusions: Differences in leading sites of Kamrup Urban District since from the beginning of the PBCR-Guwahati were revealed among different ethnic groups by this study. The results should help policy makers to formulate different strategies to control the level of burden as well as for treatment planning. This study also suggests that age is an important factor of cancer among different ethnic populations as well as for overall population of Kamrup District of Assam.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.16
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• pp.7295-7302
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• 2015

Background: Lung cancer has been a major health problem in developed countries for several decades, and has emerged recently as the leading cause of cancer death in many developing countries. The incidence of lung cancer appears to be increasing more rapidly in rural than in urban areas of China. This paper presents the trends of lung cancer incidence and survival derived from a 40-year population-based cancer monitoring program in a rural area, Qidong, China. Materials and Methods: The Qidong cancer registration data of 1972-2011 were used to calculate the crude rate, age-standardized rate by Chinese population (CASR) and by world population (WASR), birth cohort rates, and other descriptive features. Active and passive methods were used to construct the data set, with a deadline of the latest follow-up of April 30, 2012. Results: The total number of lung cancer cases was 15,340, accounting for 16.5% of all sites combined. The crude incidence rate, CASR and WASR of this cancer were 34.1, 15.7 and 25.4 per 100,000, respectively. Males had higher crude rates than females (49.7 vs 19.0). Rapidly increasing trends were found in annual percent change resulting in lung cancer being a number one cancer site after year 2010 in Qidong. Birth cohort analysis showed incidence rates have increased for all age groups over 24 years old. The 5 year observed survival rates were 3.55% in 1973-1977, 3.92 in 1983-1987, 3.69% in 1993-1997, and 6.32% in 2003-2007. Males experienced poorer survival than did females. Conclusions: Lung cancer has become a major cancer-related health problem in this rural area. The rapid increases in incidence likely result from an increased cigarette smoking rate and evolving environmental risk factors. Lung cancer survival, while showing some improvement in prognosis, still remains well below that observed in the developed areas of the world.