Medical Specialties Commons^™

A Cell-Surface Membrane Protein Signature For Glioblastoma., Dhimankrishna Ghosh, Cory C Funk, Juan Caballero, Nameeta Shah, Katherine Rouleau, John C Earls, Liliana Soroceanu, Greg Foltz, Charles Cobbs, Nathan D Price, Leroy Hood

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

We present a systems strategy that facilitated the development of a molecular signature for glioblastoma (GBM), composed of 33 cell-surface transmembrane proteins. This molecular signature, GBMSig, was developed through the integration of cell-surface proteomics and transcriptomics from patient tumors in the REMBRANDT (n = 228) and TCGA datasets (n = 547) and can separate GBM patients from control individuals with a Matthew's correlation coefficient value of 0.87 in a lock-down test. Functionally, 17/33 GBMSig proteins are associated with transforming growth factor β signaling pathways, including CD47, SLC16A1, HMOX1, and MRC2. Knockdown of these genes impaired GBM invasion, reflecting their role …

Modulation Of Estrogen Related Receptor Alpha Activity By The Kinesin Kif17, Am Pramodh Bandara Seneviratne, Zeynep Turan, Aurelie Hermant, Patrick Lecine, William O. Smith, Jean-Paul Borg, Fanny Jaulin, Geri Kreitzer

Publications and Research

Estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERR1) is an orphan nuclear receptor that can bind transcriptional co-activators constitutively. ERR1 expression correlates with poor patient outcomes in breast cancer, heightening interest in this nuclear receptor as a therapeutic target. Because ERR1 has no known regulatory ligand, a major challenge in targeting its activity is to find cellular or synthetic modulators of its function. We identified an interaction between ERR1 and KIF17, a kinesin-2 family microtubule motor, in a yeast-2-hybrid screen. We confirmed the interaction using in vitro biochemical assays and determined that binding is mediated by the ERR1 ligand-binding/AF2 domain and the KIF17 C-terminal …

Functional Roles Of Matrix Metalloproteinases In Bone Metastatic Prostate Cancer, Jeremy S. Frieling

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Skeletal metastasis is a lethal component of many advanced cancers including prostate, the second most common cancer among men. Patients whose prostate cancer is localized and detected early benefit from multiple treatment options ranging from active surveillance to radiation and surgery, resulting in a 5-year survival rate of nearly 100%. Unfortunately, the prognosis and survival for patients with advanced metastatic disease is much worse due to the highly aggressive nature of the disease and a paucity of treatment options. Understanding the mechanisms and interactions that occur between metastatic cancer cells and the bone will enable the future treatment landscape for …

Phase Iii Prospective Randomized Comparison Trial Of Depot Octreotide Plus Interferon Alfa-2b Versus Depot Octreotide Plus Bevacizumab In Patients With Advanced Carcinoid Tumors: Swog S0518, James C. Yao, Katherine A. Guthrie, Cesar Moran, Jonathan R. Strosberg, Matthew H. Kulke, Jennifer A. Chan, Noelle Loconte, Robert R. Mcwilliams, Edward M. Wolin, Bassam Mattar, Shannon Mcdonough, Helen Chen, Charles D. Blanke, Howard S. Hochster

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Purpose

Treatment options for neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) remain limited. This trial assessed the progression-free survival (PFS) of bevacizumab or interferon alfa-2b (IFN-α-2b) added to octreotide among patients with advanced NETs.

Patients and Methods

Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) S0518, a phase III study conducted in a US cooperative group system, enrolled patients with advanced grades 1 and 2 NETs with progressive disease or other poor prognostic features. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with octreotide LAR 20 mg every 21 days with either bevacizumab 15 mg/kg every 21 days or 5 million units of IFN-α-2b three times per week. The primary …

Breast Cancer Patient Preparedness For Transition To Survivorship: Individualized Survivorship Care Plans, Kimberly Beringer

Master's Projects and Capstones

Purpose. For breast cancer survivors, after-effects of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy can be substantial, and recurrence is a concern requiring constant surveillance. National healthcare organizations have promulgated guidelines that include providing individualized survivorship care plans (SCP’s). At a northern California oncology department, SCP’s will be prepared for breast cancer patients and delivered in-person by the oncology nurse navigator (ONN).

Method. The author worked with the ONN to develop the format and content requirements for the SCP’s. The ONN prepared individualized plans for patients and scheduled in-person appointments to deliver the SCP’s. A feedback survey to assess preliminary impact was then …

Temperature Induces Significant Changes In Both Glycolytic Reserve And Mitochondrial Spare Respiratory Capacity In Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines, Mihail I. Mitov, Jennifer W. Harris, Michael Alstott, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva, B. Mark Evers, D. Allan Butterfield

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Thermotherapy, as a method of treating cancer, has recently attracted considerable attention from basic and clinical investigators. A number of studies and clinical trials have shown that thermotherapy can be successfully used as a therapeutic approach for various cancers. However, the effects of temperature on cancer bioenergetics have not been studied in detail with a real time, in a microplate, label-free detection approach.

This study investigate how changes in temperature affect the bioenergetics characteristics (mitochondrial function and glycolysis) of three colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines utilizing the Seahorse XF96 technology. Experiments were performed at 32°C, 37°C and 42°C using assay …

Impact Of Ibrutinib Dose Adherence On Therapeutic Efficacy In Patients With Previously Treated Cll/Sll., Paul M Barr, Jennifer R Brown, Peter Hillmen, Susan O'Brien, Jacqueline C Barrientos, Nishitha M Reddy, Steven Coutre, Stephen P Mulligan, Ulrich Jaeger, Richard R Furman, Florence Cymbalista, Marco Montillo, Claire Dearden, Tadeusz Robak, Carol Moreno, John M Pagel, Jan A Burger, Samuel Suzuki, Juthamas Sukbuntherng, George Cole, Danelle F James, John C Byrd

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

Ibrutinib, an oral inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), at a once-daily dose of 420 mg achieved BTK active-site occupancy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) that was maintained at 24 hours. It is unknown if intermittent interruption of ibrutinib therapy contributes to altered clinical outcomes. We therefore evaluated the effect of ibrutinib dose adherence on patient outcomes in the phase 3 RESONATE trial. The overall mean dose intensity (DI) was 95% with median treatment duration of ∼9 months. Pharmacokinetic assessment of ibrutinib exposure at 420-mg dose suggested similar exposure regardless of patient weight or age. …

Adenocarcinoma In A Koff Urinary Ileal Diversion., Bradley Sherman, Frederick Taylor

Oncology Articles

The use of an ileal conduit as a means of treatment for bladder cancer or dysfunction is widely used and understood. However, long term surveillance of that conduit has not been strongly established and set forth as a means of screening. We present a 76yo female with a history of neurogenic bladder secondary to paraplegia who underwent the formation of a "Koff" pouch as a conduit. Nineteen years later she presents with hematuria and was found to have adenocarcinoma originating in her conduit.

The Skin Cancer Health Crisis And Recommended Intervention Methods, Blaire Brooks

Senior Theses

Despite the increasing research connecting UVR exposures to skin cancer, rates of skin cancer are rising. Skin cancer is now the most common form of cancer and there are significant health care costs associated with treating the cases (Balk et al., 2013). As a result, the United States needs greater initiatives to increase educational programs, physician counseling, and political action regarding ultraviolet exposure and incidence of skin cancer. Evaluation of the types of skin cancer, perceptions of tanning, and current regulations and recommendations are required in order to form the initiatives to combat the growth of skin cancer.

Ccr4 Is A Determinant Of Melanoma Brain Metastasis., Anat Klein, Orit Sagi-Assif, Tsipi Meshel, Alona Telerman, Sivan Izraely, Shlomit Ben-Menachem, Jagadeesh Bayry, Diego M Marzese, Shuichi Ohe, Dave S B Hoon, Neta Erez, Isaac P Witz

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

We previously identified the chemokine receptor CCR4 as part of the molecular signature of melanoma brain metastasis. The aim of this study was to determine the functional significance of CCR4 in melanoma brain metastasis. We show that CCR4 is more highly expressed by brain metastasizing melanoma cells than by local cutaneous cells from the same melanoma. Moreover, we found that the expression of CCR4 is significantly higher in paired clinical specimens of melanoma metastases than in samples of primary tumors from the same patients. Notably, the expression of the CCR4 ligands, Ccl22 and Ccl17 is upregulated at the earliest stages …

Evidence-Based Treatment Options In Recurrent And/Or Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma Of The Head And Neck., Athanassios Argiris, Kevin J. Harrington, Makoto Tahara, Jeltje Schulten, Pauline Chomette, Ana Ferreira Castro, Lisa Licitra

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

The major development of the past decade in the first-line treatment of recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN) was the introduction of cetuximab in combination with platinum plus 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy (CT), followed by maintenance cetuximab (the "EXTREME" regimen). This regimen is supported by a phase 3 randomized trial and subsequent observational studies, and it confers well-documented survival benefits, with median survival ranging between approximately 10 and 14 months, overall response rates between 36 and 44%, and disease control rates of over 80%. Furthermore, as indicated by patient-reported outcome measures, the addition of cetuximab …

Vitamin D Supplementation In Allo-Hsct Patients, Bailey Nelson

Theses & Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Bone health is a serious concern for long-term survivors of Allo-HSCT due to multiple risk factors including steroids, chemotherapy, immunosuppressive drugs, and poor nutrition status1. Steroids have been long proven to have negative impact on bone health and the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) lists steroids as a contributing factor to osteoporosis and fractures. NOF guidelines recommend providing adequate daily vitamin D as a safe and inexpensive way to help reduce fracture risk1. Therefore, proper supplementation of vitamin D may increase the quality of life for patients post Allo-HSCT.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine if Allo-HSCT …

Diffusion Of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Among Women In Primary Care: Associations With Insurance Type, Cheryl R. Clark, Tor Tosteson, Anna Tosteson, Tracy Onega, Julie Weiss, Kimberly A. Harris, Jennifer S. Haas

Dartmouth Scholarship

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has shown potential to improve breast cancer screening and diagnosis compared to digital mammography (DM). The FDA approved DBT use in conjunction with conventional DM in 2011, but coverage was approved by CMS recently in 2015. Given changes in coverage policies, it is important to monitor diffusion of DBT by insurance type. This study examined DBT trends and estimated associations with insurance type. From June 2011 to September 2014, DBT use in 22 primary care centers in the Dartmouth -Brigham and Women's Hospital Population-based Research Optimizing Screening through Personalized Regimens research center (PROSPR) was examined among …

The E2f4 Prognostic Signature Predicts Pathological Response To Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy In Breast Cancer Patients, Kenneth M. K. Mark, Frederick S. Varn, Matthew H. Ung, Feng Qian, Chao Cheng

Dartmouth Scholarship

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is a key component of breast cancer treatment regimens and pathologic complete response to this therapy varies among patients. This is presumably due to differences in the molecular mechanisms that underlie each tumor’s disease pathology. Developing genomic clinical assays that accurately categorize responders from non-responders can provide patients with the most effective therapy for their individual disease. We applied our previously developed E2F4 genomic signature to predict neoadjuvant chemotherapy response in breast cancer. E2F4 individual regulatory activity scores were calculated for 1129 patient samples across 5 independent breast cancer neoadjuvant chemotherapy datasets. Accuracy of the E2F4 signature in …

Choriocarcinoma With Brain, Lung And Vaginal Metastases Successfully Treated Without Brain Radiation Or Intrathecal Chemotherapy: A Case Report, Anja Frost, Jonathan Sherman, M. Katayoon Rezaei, Alivia Aron, Micael Lopez-Acevedo

Neurological Surgery Faculty Publications

Highlights:

• • There is no consensus on optimal treatment for GTN and brain metastases.
• • Brain metastasis treated with craniotomy and intravenous, EMA-CO chemotherapy
• • Intravenous high-dose methotrexate may be adequate to treat brain metastases.

Sex-Specific Associations Of Maternal Birthweight With Offspring Birthweight In The Omega Study., Collette N Ncube, Amelia R Gavin, Michelle A Williams, Chunfang Qiu, Tanya K Sorensen, Daniel A Enquobahrie

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

PURPOSE: We investigated nonlinear and offspring sex-specific associations of maternal birthweight (BW) with offspring BW among participants of the Omega study, a pregnancy cohort.

METHODS: Maternal BW was modeled as a continuous variable, linear spline and binary variable indicating low birthweight (LBW;≥2500 grams). Offspring BW was modeled as a continuous and binary variable in regression models. Nonlinearity was assessed using likelihood ratio tests (LRTs) in marginal linear spline models.

RESULTS: For every 100-gram increase of maternal BW, offspring BW increased by 22.29 (95% CI: 17.57, 27.02) or 23.41 (95% CI: 6.87, 39.96) grams among mothers with normal BW or born …

A Review Of The Signal Transduction Pathways Involved In Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition Induced In Breast Cancer Metastasis And Their Cross-Talks, Kasey Cervantes '17

Independent Study

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a biological process utilized by epithelial cells to transform into motile mesenchymal cells, initiating metastasis in cancer. EMT is also utilized during development and wound healing [10]. This process allows for cancerous cells to detach themselves from their primary tumor and invade normal tissue in preferred organ sites, forming secondary tumors called metastases. Metastasis is very important in the progression of cancer in patients as it the process responsible for the mortality of patients through the collection of metastases that effect vital organs like the brain, lung, or immune system. The most common metastases for malignant …

Sigma1 Targeting To Suppress Aberrant Androgen Receptor Signaling In Prostate Cancer., Jeffrey D. Thomas, Charles G. Longen, Halley M. Oyer, Nan Chen, Christina M. Maher, Joseph M. Salvino, Blase Kania, Kelsey N. Anderson, William F. Ostrander, Karen E. Knudsen, Felix J. Kim

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Suppression of androgen receptor (AR) activity in prostate cancer by androgen depletion or direct AR antagonist treatment, although initially effective, leads to incurable castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) via compensatory mechanisms including resurgence of AR and AR splice variant (ARV) signaling. Emerging evidence suggests that Sigma1 (also known as sigma-1 receptor) is a unique chaperone or scaffolding protein that contributes to cellular protein homeostasis. We reported previously that some Sigma1-selective small molecules can be used to pharmacologically modulate protein homeostasis pathways. We hypothesized that these Sigma1-mediated responses could be exploited to suppress AR protein levels and activity. Here we demonstrate that …

Restriction Spectrum Imaging Improves Risk Stratification In Patients With Glioblastoma., A P Krishnan, R Karunamuni, K M Leyden, T M Seibert, R L Delfanti, J M Kuperman, H Bartsch, P Elbe, A Srikant, A M Dale, Santosh Kesari, D E Piccioni, J A Hattangadi-Gluth, N Farid, C R Mcdonald, N S White

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ADC as a marker of tumor cellularity has been promising for evaluating the response to therapy in patients with glioblastoma but does not successfully stratify patients according to outcomes, especially in the upfront setting. Here we investigate whether restriction spectrum imaging, an advanced diffusion imaging model, performed after an operation but before radiation therapy, could improve risk stratification in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma relative to ADC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pre-radiation therapy diffusion-weighted and structural imaging of 40 patients with glioblastoma were examined retrospectively. Restriction spectrum imaging and ADC-based hypercellularity volume fraction (restriction spectrum imaging-FLAIR volume fraction, …

Optical Imaging Of Metabolic Adaptability As A Biomarker For Metastatic Potential In Breast Cancer Cells, Mason G. Harper

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Breast cancer metastasis is the main cause for mortality in breast cancer patients. However, knowledge of metastatic recurrence is limited, and there is a need to understand metastatic recurrence in order to treat breast cancer patients more effectively. Highly invasive metastatic breast cancer has shown to exhibit metabolic adaptability, transitioning from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation in the presence of microenvironmental stress. NADH and FAD are naturally occurring cofactor products during glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, respectively, and they are of particular importance during these metabolic processes due to their endogenous fluorescence. Measuring the ratio of fluorescence intensities of these cofactors through …

Characterization Of Murine Breast Cancer Cell Lines For Anti-Cancer Vaccine, Haven N. Frazier

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States (1). While treatments involving radiation and chemotherapy currently exist, disease must be detected early in order for the treatments to be somewhat effective, and there is no effective treatment after metastasis occurs (2). Additionally, current therapies do not mitigate tumor immunosuppression. Decreasing the tumor-associated immunosuppressive conditions while activating antitumor immunity could prevent recurrence and metastasis, possibly leading to an effective treatment for cancer (3). Tumor cell vaccines could possibly address this issue and have become a …

Oncolog, Volume 62, Number 05-06, May - June 2017, Joe Munch, Bryan Tutt, Kathryn Hale

OncoLog MD Anderson's Report to Physicians (All issues) Archives

• Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Directed Natural Killer Cells for B Cell Malignancies: New take on an experimental therapy holds promise for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, other lymphoid cancers.
• Preoperative Exercise Program for Pancreatic Cancer Patients: Prehabilitation regimen to improve functional status during chemotherapy evaluated in clinical trials.
• Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Clinical Trial will evaluate immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with operable early-stage disease.
• HOUSE CALL: Genetic Screening for Hereditary Cancer Syndromes: Genetic counseling, testing help people assess, manage cancer risk

Dox Inducible Idh2 R140q Expression In Stem Cells Results In Cell Death, Opposite Of Cancerous Overgrowth, Reuben Hogan

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 or 2 are found in about 23% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) samples and about 90% of gliomas. Mutations result in neomorphic function of the IDH enzyme that yields the novel molecule 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) instead of alpha-ketoglutarate (aKG). 2HG is known to be associated with hypermethylation of DNA and histones, a phenotype seen in AML. Our lab intends to study the mechanism by which hypermethylation is achieved and how this mechanism relates to the onset of cancer. In this experiment, we utilized a line of H9 stem cells which we had developed. These cells …

Quality Assurance Guidelines For Superficial Hyperthermia Clinical Trials : Ii. Technical Requirements For Heating Devices., Hana Dobšíček Trefná, Johannes Crezee, Manfred Schmidt, Dietmar Marder, Ulf Lamprecht, Michael Ehmann, Jacek Nadobny, Josefin Hartmann, Nicolleta Lomax, Sultan Abdel-Rahman, Sergio Curto, Akke Bakker, Mark D. Hurwitz, Chris J. Diederich, Paul R. Stauffer, Gerard C. Van Rhoon

Department of Radiation Oncology Faculty Papers

Quality assurance (QA) guidelines are essential to provide uniform execution of clinical trials with uniform quality hyperthermia treatments. This document outlines the requirements for appropriate QA of all current superficial heating equipment including electromagnetic (radiative and capacitive), ultrasound, and infrared heating techniques. Detailed instructions are provided how to characterize and document the performance of these hyperthermia applicators in order to apply reproducible hyperthermia treatments of uniform high quality. Earlier documents used specific absorption rate (SAR) to define and characterize applicator performance. In these QA guidelines, temperature rise is the leading parameter for characterization of applicator performance. The intention of this …

Rising Thyroid Cancer Incidence In Southern India: An Epidemic Of Overdiagnosis?, Indu Elizabeth Mathew, Aju Mathew

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Background: Thyroid cancer incidence is rising in high-income countries. This increase in disease burden is attributed to the phenomenon of overdiagnosis.

Objective: We aimed to investigate trends in thyroid cancer rates in India, focusing on the state of Kerala in southern India, which has reported a high incidence of the disease.

Design: Population-based study using data from the National Cancer Registry Program.

Participants: We used data from the Population Based Cancer Registries for Thiruvananthapuram (capital of Kerala state), Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai. We used data for three reporting periods from 2005 to 2014 (represented as 2006, 2009, and 2012). …

Cyclin B1 Mediates The Effect Of Uchl1 In Promoting Cell Cycle Progression In Uterine Papillary Serous Carcinoma, Suet Ying Kwan

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC) is an aggressive form of endometrial cancer with poor survival rates and a high risk of recurrence. The rarity of UPSC poses challenges to the discovery of novel targeted therapies. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to identify novel therapeutic targets that could aid in the management of UPSC. To do so, we began with the relatively large cohort of UPSC cases in the TCGA data set, which was used to identify differentially expressed genes between UPSC and low-grade endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC) and normal tissue.

We identified Ubiquitin Carboxyl-Terminal Hydrolase L1 (UCHL1 …

A Phase Ib/Ii Study Of Cabozantinib (Xl184) With Or Without Erlotinib In Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer., Heather A Wakelee, Scott Gettinger, Jeffrey Engelman, Pasi A Jänne, Howard J. West, Deepa S Subramaniam, Joseph Leach, Michael Wax, Yifah Yaron, Dale R Miles, Primo N Lara

Articles, Abstracts, and Reports

PURPOSE: Cabozantinib is a multi-kinase inhibitor that targets MET, AXL, and VEGFR2, and may synergize with EGFR inhibition in NSCLC. Cabozantinib was assessed alone or in combination with erlotinib in patients with progressive NSCLC and EGFR mutations who had previously received erlotinib.

METHODS: This was a phase Ib/II study (NCT00596648). The primary objectives of phase I were to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics and to determine maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of cabozantinib plus erlotinib in patients who failed prior erlotinib treatment. In phase II, patients with prior response or stable disease with erlotinib who progressed were randomized to single-agent …

Targeting The Glucose Metabolism Of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (Mdscs) To Stimulate Cancer Immunity., Jaspreet Grewal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous group of immature myeloid cells that are significantly increased in cancer patients and correlate with higher stage and poor prognosis. MDSCs negatively modulate anti-tumor immunity, suppress T cell activity, promote angiogenesis and increase the risk of metastasis. In this study, we report that monocytic-MDSCs (M-MDSCs) but polymorphonuclear-MDSCs (PMN-MDSCs) over-express 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2, 6-bisphosphatases 3 (PFKFB3), an important regulator of glycolysis. Furthermore in the melanoma model, M-MDSCs but not PMN-MDSCs suppressed T cell function which correlated with PFKFB3 over-expression and increased rate of glycolysis. PFKFB3 inhibition with the first-in-class small molecule inhibitor, PFK-158 reversed M-MDSC …

Fluorinated N,N'-Diarylureas As Novel Therapeutic Agents Against Cancer Stem Cells, Dasha E. Kenlan, Piotr G. Rychahou, Vitaliy M. Sviripa, Heidi L. Weiss, Chunming Liu, David S. Watt, B. Mark Evers

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States. More than 50% of patients with colorectal cancer will develop local recurrence or distant organ metastasis. Cancer stem cells play a major role in the survival and metastasis of cancer cells. In this study, we examined the effects of novel AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activating compounds on colorectal cancer metastatic and stem cell lines as potential candidates for chemotherapy. We found that activation of AMPK by all fluorinated N,N-diarylureas (FND) compounds at micromolar levels significantly inhibited the cell-cycle progression and subsequent cellular proliferation. In addition, we demonstrated …

Incidence Of Cns Tumors In Appalachian Children, Bin Huang, Alice Luo, Eric B. Durbin, Ellen Lycan, Thomas Tucker, Quan Chen, Craig Horbinski, John L. Villano

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Determine whether the risk of astrocytomas in Appalachian children is higher than the national average. We compared the incidence of pediatric brain tumors in Appalachia versus non-Appalachia regions, covering years 2000–2011. The North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) collects population-based data from 55 cancer registries throughout U.S. and Canada. All invasive primary (i.e. non-metastatic tumors), with age at diagnosis 0–19 years old, were included. Nearly 27,000 and 2200 central nervous system (CNS) tumors from non-Appalachia and Appalachia, respectively comprise the cohorts. Age-adjusted incidence rates of each main brain tumor subtype were compared. The incidence rate of pediatric CNS …