Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase as a marker of bone metastases in patients with breast cancer and prostate cancer

Serum activity of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP 5b) in patients with breast cancer and prostate cancer having bone metastases was much higher than in healthy donors and patients without skeletal injuries. TRAP 5b activity in patients with breast cancer and multiple bone metastases surpassed that in patients with single bone metastases. The mean activity of TRAP 5b and range of enzyme activity in women treated with bisphosphonates were significantly lower than in patients not receiving antiresorptive therapy. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of TRAP 5b as a marker of skeletal metastases in patients with breast cancer were 82 and 87%, respectively. In patients with prostate cancer these indexes were 71 and 83.4%, respectively. Detection of this marker in tumor patients holds much promise for early diagnostics of bone metastases, estimation of the severity of skeletal metastases, and monitoring of the efficiency of bisphosphonate therapy. Translated fromByulleten’ Eksperimental’noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 138, No. 7, pp. 91–93, July, 2004     

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase as a marker of bone metastases in patients with breast cancer and prostate cancer

Serum activity of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRAP 5b) in patients with breast cancer and prostate cancer having bone metastases was much higher than in healthy donors and patients without skeletal injuries. TRAP 5b activity in patients with breast cancer and multiple bone metastases surpassed that in patients with single bone metastases. The mean activity of TRAP 5b and range of enzyme activity in women treated with bisphosphonates were significantly lower than in patients not receiving antiresorptive therapy. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of TRAP 5b as a marker of skeletal metastases in patients with breast cancer were 82 and 87%, respectively. In patients with prostate cancer these indexes were 71 and 83.4%, respectively. Detection of this marker in tumor patients holds much promise for early diagnostics of bone metastases, estimation of the severity of skeletal metastases, and monitoring of the efficiency of bisphosphonate therapy.     

Anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody-based therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of the effect of PIK3CA mutations in KRAS wild-type patients

Introduction

We conducted a meta-analysis to dissect the association between PIK3CA mutations (exon 9 and exon 20) and resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) in KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients.

Material and methods

In 11 previously published studies, 864 cancer patients were treated with cetuximab or panitumumab-based therapy. Primary outcomes included objective response (complete response + partial response vs. stable disease + progressive disease), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). We calculated the odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate the risk or hazard. We found consistent and clinically substantial risk or hazard for objective response, PFS, and OS in the cetuximab or panitumumab-treated mCRC patients.

Results

PIK3CA mutations as a whole were associated with reduced response and poor PFS and OS in KRAS wild-type mCRC patients (objective response: OR = 0.42 and 95% CI 0.23–0.75; PFS: HR = 1.54 and 95% CI 1.13–2.09; and OS: HR = 1.4 and 95% CI 1.02–1.91). PIK3CA exon 9 mutations had no effect, whereas exon 20 mutations were associated with a worse outcome compared with wild types, with an OR of 0.21 (95% CI 0.05–0.93).

Conclusions

PIK3CA mutations as a whole might be useful prognostic factors for assessing clinical outcomes of anti-EGFR MoAb-based chemotherapies in KRAS wild-type mCRC patients. In particular, PIK3CA exon 20 mutations were significantly associated with lack of response.     

The effect of marital status on survival in late-stage cancer patients: An analysis based on surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) data, in the United States

Recently findings that marital status is associated with survival in patients with late-stage prostate cancer led to an examination of the generalizability of this association for all cancers. We restricted the investigation to patients with late-stage cancer using population-based data collected from 261,070 patients with late-stage cancer at multiple sites in the United States to determine relations between marital status and survival. After controlling for age, race, and treatment, married patients with cancers of all major primary sites had significantly better survival than single, separated, divorced, or widowed patients. Although single and widowed patients had the poorest prognosis in general, single patients appeared to show the most consistently poor survival across the different types of cancers. Survival differences by marital status were more pronounced in men than in women. This observation raises the possibility that some characteristics associated with being married delay death from cancer. These findings require investigators to ask new questions about the effect of being married and its possible correlates, such as general health status, access to health care, and socioeconomic status. Known correlates of marital status, such as available social support and social isolation also merit attention in relation to these findings.