PML as a potential predictive factor of oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidine-based first line chemotherapy efficacy in colorectal cancer patients
PML regulates a wide range of pathways involved in tumorigenesis, such as apoptosis, which is also one of the main mechanisms through which oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidine exert their antineoplastic activity. The present study aims to investigate PML expression as a predictive factor of oxaliplatin/fluoropyrimidine therapy efficacy. Seventy-four metastatic colorectal cancer patients who received oxaliplatin/floropyrimidine-based first line therapy have been included in this retrospective study. PML expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry. PML down-regulation was detected in 39 (52.7%) patients (14 complete and 25 partial PML loss). RR was significantly lower (25.6%) in patients wit…
PML expression in soft tissue sarcoma: Prognostic and predictive value in alkylating agents/antracycline-based first line therapy
Soft tissue sarcomas are aggressive tumors representing <1% of all adult neoplasms. Aim of our study was to evaluate promyelocytic leukemia gene expression value as prognostic factor and as a factor predicting response to alkylating agents/antracycline-based first line therapy. One hundred eleven patients affected by locally advanced and metastatic soft tissue sarcoma were selected. PML expression was evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis in pathological samples and in the corresponding normal tissue from each case. PML immunohistochemical results were correlated with prognosis and with radiological response to alkylating agents/antracycline-based first line therapy. PML expression was …
Short-term benefit of smoking cessation along with glycopirronium on lung function and respiratory symptoms in mild COPD patients: a retrospective study.
Introduction. Tobacco smoke is the leading cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking cessation can change the natural history of COPD, as we know from the GOLD guidelines. Little is known about the short-term clinical and functional effects of smoking cessation treatment combined with anti-muscarinic bronchodilators. Objective. To determine whether quitting smoking, obtained by smoking cessation treatment combined with the use of a new long-acting muscarinic antagonist bronchodilator (LAMA), can improve lung function tests and respiratory symptoms more than the use of LAMA alone. Methods. We evaluated, in a retrospective analysis, the functional and clinical data, colle…
The changes of lipid metabolism in advanced renal cell carcinoma patients treated with everolimus: a new pharmacodynamic marker?
Background: Everolimus is a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). We aimed to assess the association between the baseline values and treatmentrelated modifications of total serum cholesterol (C), triglycerides (T), body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose level (FBG) and blood pressure (BP) levels and the outcome of patients treated with everolimus for mRCC. Methods: 177 patients were included in this retrospective analysis. Time to progression (TTP), clinical benefit (CB) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: Basal BMI was significantly higher in patients who experienced a CB (p=0,0145). C, T an…
Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene expression is a prognostic factor in ampullary cancer patients
Background: Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) tumor suppressor gene plays a key role in acute PML pathogenesis but its involvement in pathogenesis and prognosis of solid cancers has not been defined yet. Patients and methods: In all, 62 ampullary adenocarcinoma patients who underwent curative surgery between 1996 and 2005 were included. Expression analysis of PML was carried out by immunohistochemical staining and correlated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: In 24 tumor specimens (38.7%), PML was classified as absent, in 16 (25.8%) as focally expressed and in 22 (35.5%) as diffusely expressed. By univariate analysis, DFS was significantly influenced by patholog…