No association between serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-I, vascular endothelial growth factor, prolactin and clinicopathological characteristics of breast carcinoma after surgery

Background: Angiogenesis is essential for tumour growth and metastasis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been suggested as the major angiogenic factor in breast carcinoma. Both insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and prolactin are involved in the progression of breast cancer at least partly by stimulating angiogenesis. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between serum IGF-I, VEGF and prolactin levels and clinicopathological characteristics of breast carcinoma. Methods: Serum IGF-I, VEGF and prolactin levels were measured in breast cancer patients and controls and these levels were compared with well-known clinicopathological characteristics of breast carcinoma, including tumour size, axillary lymph node and oestrogen/progesterone receptor status, tumour grade and disease stage. Results: Serum prolactin, VEGF and IGF-I levels were found to be similar in breast cancer patients and control subjects (P > 0.05). When the patients were divided into groups according to their tumour size, axillary lymph node status, tumour grade, oestrogen/progesterone receptor status and disease stage, no significant differences in serum prolactin, VEGF and IGF-I levels were found among the groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The present study failed to demonstrate an association between serum levels of VEGF, IGF-I and prolactin and well-known clinicopathological characteristics of breast carcinoma

The role of spleen volume change in predicting immunotherapy response in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Abstract Introduction Resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) is a significant issue in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), as it is in the majority of cancer types. An important deficiency in immunooncology today is the lack of a predictive factor to identify this patient group. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are a type of cell that contributes to immunotherapy resistance by inhibiting T cell activity. While it accumulates in the tumor microenvironment and blood, it can also accumulate in lymphoid organs such as the spleen and cause splenomegaly. Therefore we aimed to evaluate the effect of increase in splenic volume, which can be considered as an indirect indicator of increased MDSC cells, on survival outcomes in mRCC patients. Methods We analyzed 45 patients with mRCC who received nivolumab as a second-line or subsequent therapy. Splenic volume was analyzed from baseline imaging before starting nivolumab and from control imaging performed within the first 6 months of treatment initiation. Additionally, we analyzed how patients’ body mass index (BMI), IMDC risk score, ECOG performance status, nephrectomy status, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and sites of metastasis. Results Median splenic volume change was 10% (ranging from − 22% to + 117%) during follow-up. Change in splenic volume was found to be associated with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.025, 0.04). The median PFS in patients with increased splenic volume was 5 months, while it was 17 months in patients without increased splenic volume. (HR 2.1, 95% CI (1–4), p = 0.04). The median OS in patients with increased splenic volume was 9 months, while it was 35 months in patients without increased splenic volume (HR 2.7, 95% CI (1.1–6.2), p = 0.025). In four patients with decreased splenic volume, neither PFS nor OS could reach the median value. Log-rank p value in respectively (0.015, 0.035), The group in which an increase in volume was accompanied by a high NLR had the shortest survival rate. Basal splenic volume was analyzed separately. However, neither PFS nor OS differed significantly. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the change in splenic volume throughout immunotherapy regimens may be utilized to predict PFS and OS in mRCC patients undergoing treatment

Akut lenfoblastik lösemi hastalarında t(4;11) MLL/AF4 translokasyonunun real time RT-PCR ile 5 yıllık sonuçlarının retrospektif değerlendirilmes

Aim: t(4,11) is a chromosomal abnormality formed by the translocation MLL-AF4, which is the result of the fusion of the AF4 gene, localized on 4q21 chromosomal band, to the MLL gene, localized on 11q23 chromosomal band. The aim of this study is to examine the results of the analysis of t (4;11) MLL-AF4 translocation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients retrospectively. Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood or bone marrow samples of 176 children (70 girls, 106 boys) and 144 adults (60 women, 84 men) with a preliminary diagnosis of acute leukemia between 2009-2013 were analyzed in the Medical Biology Department of Ege University Faculty of Medicine. The translocation RNA results of 71 peripheral blood and 473 bone marrow samples of these patients were evaluated quantitatively for t(4;11) with real-time RT- PCR. t(4;11) quantitation was performed by real-time qRT-PCR instrument after the synthesis of complementary DNA with conventional PCR from total RNA or mRNA isolated from blood and bone marrow. Quantitative analysis of the patients was performed by comparing positive and negative controls and samples classified as positive or negative (the ratio of the number of positive copies to the number of reference copies). Results: A total of 320 patients, with 98 having also follow-ups, were evaluated for t(4;11) translocation. Totally 34 patients (24 children and 10 adults) were found positive and the other samples were negative. Conclusion: The assessment of these results supports that, quantitative determination of t(4;11) with RT-PCR method among newly diagnosed ALL patients and ALL patients undergoing treatment, is a valuable method for both confirming the diagnosis and guiding the treatment intended to achieve molecular remission.Amaç: t(4;11), MLL-AF4 translokasyonu sonucu oluşan, 4q21 kromozomal bandına yerleşim gösteren AF4 geninin 11q23 kromozomal bandına yerleşim gösteren MLL genine füzyonu sonucu gelişen kromozomal bir anomalidir. Bu çalışmada, retrospektif olarak 2009-2013 yılları arasındaki akut lenfoblastik lösemi (ALL) hastalarındaki t(4;11) MLL- AF4 translokasyonunun analiz sonuçlarının incelenmesi amaçlandı. Gereç ve Yöntem: Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Tıbbi Biyoloji Anabilim Dalı’na 2009-2013 yılları arasında akut lösemi ön tanısıyla 176 çocuk (70 kız, 106 erkek) ve 144 yetişkin (60 kadın, 84 erkek) olgunun kan veya kemik iliği örnekleri incelendi. Bu olgulara ait 71 kan ve 473 kemik iliği örneğinin t(4;11) translokasyon RNA sonuçları, gerçek zamanlı RT-PCR yöntemi ile kantitatif olarak değerlendirildi. İlk aşamada, kan ve kemik iliği örneklerinden izole edilen total RNA veya mRNA’dan konvansiyonel bir PCR cihazı ile komplementer DNA sentezlendi. İkinci aşamada, gerçek zamanlı PCR cihazı ile t(4;11) kantitasyonu gerçekleştirildi. Olguların kantitatif olarak değerlendirilmesi, pozitif kontrol ve negatif kontrolün karşılaştırılması ile örneklerin negatif yada pozitif (pozitif olgu kopya sayısının referans kopya sayısına oranı) olması şeklinde yapıldı. Bulgular: Çalışmamızda 98’i takip hastası olmak üzere toplam 320 hasta t(4;11) MLL-AF4 translokasyonu için değerlendirildi. Çalışmaların sonucunda toplam 34 olgu (24 çocuk, 10 yetişkin) pozitif ve diğer örnekler negatif olarak bulundu. Sonuç: Bu değerlendirmenin sonuçları, RT-PCR yöntemi ile ALL hastalarında yeni tanı döneminde ve tedavi sürecinde t(4;11) MLL-AF4 translokasyonunun kantitatif tayini, hem tanının kesinleştirilmesinde hem de moleküler remisyon sağlanmasına yönelik tedaviyi yönlendirmesinde değerli bir yöntem olduğunu desteklemektedir