Adenocarcinoma

Paclitaxel is an active agent for adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus and is a radiation sensitizer. We sought to investigate the toxicity and complete response rate of paclitaxel, cisplatin, and concurrent radiation for esophageal cancer. Forty-one patients with esophageal cancer were studied, 29 with adenocarcinomas and 12 with squamous cell cancers. Twelve patients had tumor extension into the proximal stomach and/or abdominal adenopathy.

C57BL/6J mice carrying the Min allele of Adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) develop numerous adenomas along the entire length of the intestine and consequently die at an early age. This short lifespan would prevent the accumulation of somatic genetic mutations or epigenetic alterations necessary for tumor progression. To overcome this limitation, we generated F(1) Apc(Min/+) hybrids by crossing C57BR/cdcJ and SWR/J females to C57BL/6J Apc(Min/+) males. These hybrids developed few intestinal tumors and often lived longer than 1 year.

Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) plays a role in a number of physiological and pharmacological functions in variety of cells. The aim of this study was to clarify the role for TRPM7 channels and the effect of waixenicin A on the pacemaking activity of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) and on the cell viability of the human gastric and breast adenocarcinoma cell lines, AGS and MCF-7, respectively.

Pancreatic cancer, although infrequent, has an exceptionally high mortality rate, making it one of the four or five most common causes of cancer mortality in developed countries. The incidence of pancreatic cancer varies greatly across regions, which suggests roles for lifestyle factors, such as diet, or environmental factors, such as vitamin D exposure. Smoking is the most common known risk factor, and is the cause of 20-25% of all pancreatic tumors. Alcohol does not seem to be a risk factor, unless it leads to chronic pancreatitis, which is a probable risk factor.

OBJECTIVE: Although personality factors, especially emotional suppression and loss-hopelessness, have been linked to the occurrence and progression of cancer, little is reported specifically on colorectal cancer. It has also been claimed that a 'hysterical' personality characterized by exaggerated emotional expressions, egocentricity and ambivalent connection may be protective from cancer.

The combined use of trance (hypnosis) and conjoint family therapy to meet certain needs of a patient with terminal cancer and her family is described. The potential value of these two approaches used in conjunction with normal medical management is shown.

Pain--which can have a variety of causes--constitutes a severe problem for patients in need of palliative care, because this pain usually dramatically impairs their quality of life. Thus, the more advanced a terminal illness has become, the more hospital staff should focus on holistic treatment, encompassing body, mind and soul of the patient. Apart from conventional medication-based pain therapy, there is also a variety of non-medicinal treatments for pain.

BACKGROUND: Artemisinin is a compound isolated from the wormwood Artemisia annua L. It reacts with iron and forms cytotoxic free radicals. It is selectively more toxic to cancer than normal cells because cancer cells contain significantly more intracellular free iron. Previously, we found that covalently tagging artemisinin to transferrin enhanced the selectivity and toxicity of artemisinin toward cancer cells in vitro. In the present research, artemisinin-transferrin conjugate was tested in a rat breast cancer model.

Tea polyphenols have been shown to have anticancer activity in many studies. In the present study, we investigated effects of theaflavin-3-3'-digallate (TF(3)), one of the major theaflavin monomers in black tea, in combination with ascorbic acid (AA), a reducing agent, and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the main polyphenol presented in green tea, in combination with AA on cellular viability and cell cycles of the human lung adenocarcinoma SPC-A-1 cells.