Nuclear Pedigree Criteria for the Identification of Individuals Suspected to Be at Risk of an Inherited Predisposition to Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy worldwide and therefore represents a significant healthcare burden. Environmental and genetic factors are involved in the development of gastric cancer. To date only one clear genetic predisposition has been identified involving mutations in the E-cadherin gene. The disease phenotype in patients harbouring E-cadherin mutations appears to be specifically related to diffuse gastric cancer. Little is known genetically about the other forms of gastric cancer. Since there is a growing awareness about the necessity of early intervention criteria have been developed that aid the identification of hereditary forms of gastric cancer. The aim of the current study was to identify minimal inclusion criteria so that nuclear pedigree families can be provided with risk assessment and/or genetic testing

An intensified systemic trafficking of bone marrow-derived stem/progenitor cells in patients with pancreatic cancer

Various experimental studies indicate potential involvement of bone marrow (BM)-derived stem cells (SCs) in malignancy development and progression. In this study, we comprehensively analysed systemic trafficking of various populations of BM-derived SCs (BMSCs), i.e., mesenchymal, haematopoietic, endothelial stem/progenitor cells (MSCs, HSCs, EPCs respectively), and of recently discovered population of very small embryonic/epiblast-like SCs (VSELs) in pancreatic cancer patients. Circulating CD133^+/Lin^−/CD45^−/CD34^+ cells enriched for HSCs, CD105^+/STRO^-1^+/CD45− cells enriched for MSCs, CD34^+/KDR^+/CD31^+/CD45− cells enriched for EPCs and small CXCR4^+CD34^+CD133^+ subsets of Lin^−CD45^− cells that correspond to VSELs were enumerated and sorted from blood samples derived from 29 patients with pancreatic cancer, and 19 healthy controls. In addition, plasma levels of stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), growth/inhibitory factors and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P; chemoattractants for SCs), as well as, of complement cascade (CC) molecules (C3a, C5a and C5b-9/membrane attack complex – MAC) were measured. Higher numbers of circulating VSELs and MSCs were detected in pancreatic cancer patients (P < 0.05 and 0.01 respectively). This trafficking of BMSCs was associated with significantly elevated C5a (P < 0.05) and C5b-9/MAC (P < 0.005) levels together with S1P concentrations detected in plasma of cancer patients, and seemed to be executed in a SDF-1 independent manner. In conclusion, we demonstrated that in patients with pancreatic cancer, intensified peripheral trafficking of selected populations of BMSCs occurs. This phenomenon seems to correlate with systemic activation of the CC, hepatocyte growth factor and S1P levels. In contrast to previous studies, we demonstrate herein that systemic SDF-1 levels do not seem to be linked with increased mobilization of stem cells in patients with pancreatic cancer

Chłoniak MALT dwunastnicy. Opis przypadku i przegląd literatury

Przedstawiono przypadek 69-letniego mężczyzny  skierowanego do poradni gastrologicznej, po przebytym epizodzie krwawienia z przewodu pokarmowego, z łagodną anemią mikrocytarną. Na podstawie wykonanych badań, w których kluczową rolę odegrała ultrasonografia jamy brzusznej, postawiono rozpoznanie chłoniaka MALT opuszki dwunastnicy. Nie stwierdzono zakażenia Helicobacter pylori. W leczeniu zastosowano radioterapię radykalną i uzyskano remisję choroby (czas obserwacji 9 miesięcy). Dotychczas w literaturzepisano 45 chorych z chłoniakiem MALT dwunastnicy, u 19 chorych zmiany zlokalizowane były w opuszce dwunastnicy, u połowy chorych stwierdzono zakażenie H. pylori. U 16 chorych zastosowano leczenie eradykacyjne, z czego u 9 chorych uzyskano remisję. Pozostali chorzy leczeni byli chemioterapią, radioterapią, operacyjnie lub stosowano kombinacje wyżej wymienionych  metod. U większości chorych uzyskano remisję choroby (czas obserwacji od 3 tygodni do 12 lat); zgon wystąpił jedynie u 3 chorych.  Chłoniak MALT dwunastnicy jest nowotworem o dobrym rokowaniu, a związki pomiędzy zakażeniem H. pylori  i skuteczność leczenia eradykacyjnego są mniejsze niż w przypadku chłoniaka MALT żołądka