Cancer Science & Therapy

Supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, both in dietary in vivo studies, as well as in vitro tissue culture models, has anti-proliferative effects on tumor cells. In the current study, the role of p53-dependent growth inhibition by docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, is examined. Previous work has established that DHA is capable of growth inhibitory effects independent of p53 mutational status in colon carcinomas, however, one of the same studies showed an increase in the number of apoptotic cells (measured by Annexin V-FITC) only in the DHA- treated cells of the colon carcinoma with wildtype p53. To determine the potential role of p53 on the growth inhibition observed with DHA treatment of the human colon carcinomas COLO-205 (wildtype p53) and WiDr (mutant p53, His 237) and the human lung adenocarcinomas A549 (wildtype p53) and H441 (mutant p53, codon 158), p53-specific siRNA’s and a chemical inhibitor of p53, pifithrin-α, were employed in vitro . Significant increases in the number of DHA-treated cells by p53 siRNA or pifithrin-α addition were observed only in the COLO-205 and A549 cell lines expressing wildtype p53, and these correlated with a reduction in the percentage of apoptotic and necrotic cells. This data confirms a role for p53-dependent growth inhibition with DHA treatment.

Purpose: Previously in treatment planning systems (TPS) the treatment couch was expected to be made out of air-equivalent material due to the used material (Carbon). Some studies have already shown that the treatment couch cannot be neglected during treatment planning. Nowadays the manufacturer of TPS implemented the feasibility to insert treatment couch structures. This study aimed to find the correct modeling of the treatment couch parameters in the TPS Eclipse. Method: The Varian Exact Treatment Couch consists of a carbon board (length 2.5 cm) and two moveable rails (length 8.5 cm) underneath. The treatment couch can be modeled in TPS by changing the Hounsfi eld units (HU) for each part of the treatment couch. For low and high photon energies the attenuation of the treatment couch was measured at a Clinac 2300 C/D and in the TPS the attenuation of the treatment couch model was determined for different sets of HU values. Measured and calculated attenuations were compared to each other. Results: Minimum aberration between the calculated and measured attenuation of treatment couch were found for the HU values of -750 HU for the carbon plate, -995 HU for the filling of the carbon plate and 225 HU for the rails. Additionally it was found that the attenuation is dependent on the gantry angle. Like expected the highest attenuation was found in the region of the rails underneath the treatment couch. Conclusion: For Varian Exact Treatment Couch the HU values should be adjusted to -750 HU for the carbon plate, -995 HU for the filling of the carbon plate and 225 HU for the rails. The same HU set can be used for low and high photon energies. With the correct set of HU values the treatment couch is modeled correctly in the TPS Eclipse.

Interferon ? (IFN?), a potent inhibitor of proliferation,inducer of apoptosis and an immune modulator of mammalian cells, has been used as an anticancer agent in cancer therapy. Several molecular mechanisms, depending upon the differences in the lineage of transformed cell targets, have been elucidated for the growth inhibition or apoptosis of target cancer cells by IFN?. However, its mechanism of action on normal cells needs to be understood from the point of view of: (i) The effect of IFN? on non-transformed cell line and (ii) The side effect of interferon therapy on normal cells in cancer patients. Using the non-transformed cell line, human foetal epithelial cell line (WISH), our earlier studies had shown that IFN? detains cells at a point prior to the activation step of cyclin dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) in the G1 phase of cell cycle. In the present study, we identifi ed significant reduction in the levels and/or activity of cyclin E-CDK2, CDC25A phosphatase, cyclin H, cyclin E, cyclin D, p21 and p27. The drastic decrease in the levels and/or activity of cyclin E and/or of cyclin E-CDK2 complex might have caused growth arrest of WISH cells by IFN?.

Purpose: This case is only the third case of the Sialadenoma papilliferum of the bronchial system. This is a extremely rare tumor of the bronchial system. This report highlights once again the histo-pathological difficulties of diagnosing such a rare tumor.

Patients and methods: A 53 year old woman with a 3 weeks history of a productive cough associated with hemoptysis presented to the Community hospital Stuttgart (Teaching Hospital of the University of Tübingen). A thoracic CT revealed a solid mass in the right lower lobe with 10 mm diameter. In the community hospital a bronchoscopic biopsy was suspicious for an adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Result: The patient was transferred to our institution for thoracic surgery and a right lower bilobectomy with semicircular intrapericardial vessel resection and total nodal resection was performed. By immune-histochemical analysis , the removed tumor (size 10 mm) revealed to be a benign adenoma from the seromucosal bronchial glands, which is a very rare benign tumor of the Sialadenoma papilliferum type. All of the removed lymph nodes were analyzed and showed no signs of malignancy.

Conclusion: At present there have been reported only two cases of the pulmonary Sialadenoma papilliferum in the literature. This case report represents the first case of pulmonary Sialadenoma papilliferum in Germany and western Europe. The biologic behavior of this tumor still remains unknown.