Serum double monoclonal components and hematological malignancies: Only a casual association? Review of 34 cases

A double monoclonal component (MC) detected in the serum and/or urine represents a very rare occurrence (2-6% of monoclonal gammopathies). In this study, we report 34 patients with double serum MCs, focusing on the associated diseases. The diagnosis was made using high-resolution serum protein electrophoresis and immunofixation. Of the 1214 patients with monoclonal gammopathies, 49 had a double MC but only 34 (2.8%) were included in our study. A double MC was associated with hematological malignancies in 20/34 cases. Based on our experience, a double MC is more often associated with other diseases, especially an oncohematological one.     

Genetic heterogeneity in HER2 testing may influence therapy eligibility

Prospective studies have demonstrated that approximately 20% of HER2 testing may be inaccurate. When carefully validated testing is conducted, available data do not clearly demonstrate the superiority of either IHC or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) as a predictor of benefit from anti-HER2 therapy. In addition, the interpretation of the findings of HER2 tests according to international guidelines is not uniform. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) recently published practice guidelines for a definition of HER2 amplification heterogeneity that can give rise to discrepant results between IHC and FISH assays for HER2. In this article, we compare the HER2 status of 291 non consecutive breast cancers. The status is determined by both IHC and FISH approaches, using a specific FISH strategy to investigate genetic heterogeneity. Our data demonstrate that HER2 amplified cells may be found as diffuse, clustered in a specific area or section, intermingled with non-amplified cells or confined to metastatic nodules. The correct evaluation of ratio value in the presence of genetic heterogeneity and of polysomy contributes to the accurate assessment of HER2 status and potentially affects the selection of appropriate anti-HER2 therapy. By taking into account the presence of different genetic cell populations, the immunotherapy eligibility criteria for HER2 FISH scoring proposed in the CAP (2009) and SIGU guidelines identify an additional subset of cases for trastuzumab or lapatinib therapy compared to the ASCO/CAP (2007) guidelines.     

The effect of food on the bioavailability of panobinostat, an orally active pan-histone deacetylase inhibitor, in patients with advanced cancer

Purpose  

Panobinostat is a novel oral pan-deacetylase inhibitor with promising anti-cancer activity. The study aimed to determine the influence of food on the oral bioavailability of panobinostat.     

Antiproliferative effect of oleuropein in prostate cell lines

Currently, there is increasing interest in the in vivo protective effects of natural antioxidants found in dietary plants against oxidative damage caused by free radical species. Oxidative stress has been invoked as a causative agent in cancer and epidemiological data suggest that the consumption of fruits and vegetables may be associated with a lower incidence of cancer. The fruit of the Olea europaea L. and olive oil contain hundreds of phytochemicals and its extracts have recently been shown to exhibit antioxidant properties, due to the action of oleuropein. In view of these considerations, in this study, we investigated the effects of oleuropein on LNCaP and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines and on BPH-1 non-malignant cells. Oleuropein reduces cell viability and induces thiol group modifications, γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, reactive oxygen species, pAkt and heme oxygenase-1. Exposing cell cultures to oleuropein induces an antioxidant effect on BPH-1 cells and a pro-oxidant effect on cancer cells. Our results confirm the beneficial properties of olive oil and oleuropein, suggesting its possible use as an adjuvant agent in the treatment of prostatitis, in order to prevent the transformation of hypertrophic to cancerous cells.     

Identification,validation and clinical implementation of cancer biomarkers: Translational strategies of the EORTC PathoBiology Group

The increasing demand for personalized cancer therapy requires a strong, intense, and continuous collaboration between pre-clinical and clinical investigators. As a part of the EORTC Translational Research Divison, the EORTC PathoBiology Group (EORTC PBG), focuses on discovery and validation of cancer biomarkers, providing both scientific evidence as well as quality assurance. The clinically relevant target-identification and validation studies carried out in the last decades within the EORTC PBG represent a paradigm for EORTC studies in which laboratory investigations on human biologic material are used to support the development of drugs directed to defined target molecules. The experience acquired within the EORTC PBG with respect to standardization of cancer biomarker test kits and reagents, quality assessment/assurance of cancer biomarker determinations, development of standard operating procedures for assessment of these markers as well as instruction of methodologies and teaching of ethical issues represent a valuable contribution of the EORTC PBG to the onco-translational strategies of the EORTC.     

Knowledge and truths about nursing: discourse of new students

It is a study with a qualitative approach that proposes to analyze truths regimes that pass by and along Nursing as a profession, as manifested by students entering in the Graduate Course 2004/2, 2005/1 and 2005/2. The Discourse Analysis has been used as a methodological option for analyzing the data, under Michel Foucault's approaches. Three great themes have come out of such context of analysis and discussion: the traversing of gender knowledges in Nursing practice; Nursing as a knowledge made hierarchical; making as a might in Nursing's academic and professional day-by-day. Social conceptions became self evident, going through invisible knowledges that legitimate health and nursing practices, making them unquestionable.     

Temporomandibular disorders and orthognathic surgery

The relations between temporomandibular dysfunctions (TMDs) and maxillomandibular malformations requiring orthognathic surgery for correction have been the object of different studies in medical literature. The authors have performed a bibliographic revision on this issue to show the state of the art. This study, an analysis of the literature of the last 20 years, is chronologically presented. It analyzes the prevalence of TMD in patients with different types of maxillomandibular deformities undergoing orthognathic surgery and the TMD changes that occurred after an orthognathic surgical treatment. Medical studies reported in literature show a high variation of results related both to the prevalence of TMD in patients with maxillomandibular deformities and to the changes ensuing from an orthognathic surgical treatment. It has been difficult to compare the different studies because of the different methods used to individuate TMD signs and symptoms in the groups of patients analyzed, as well as the different types of orthognathic surgery performed and the specific TMD treatments used when required. It is concluded that despite the different results provided by the various studies, a certain prevalence of TMD is always present in patients with maxillomandibular deformity. This can be assumed to be within a correlation between dysgnathia and TMDs, and it asserts the necessity to treat patients who have maxillomandibular deformities and TMD by performing a specific treatment of TMD.