The presence and clinical implications of α-2,6-galactose-linked sialic acids in non-small-cell lung cancer brain metastases — preliminary study

Brain metastases (BM) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients present an increasing clinical challenge. Identifying biomarkers which specifically identify patients at high risk of BM may improve their early diagnosis, which is crucial for surgical and radiotherapeutic treatment outcome. Alpha-2,6-sialyltransferase (α-2,6-ST) and the primary product of its activity, alpha-2,6-galactose-linked sialic acids (α-2,6-GalSA) have been found responsible for the adhesion of tumor cells to the brain vessels’ endothelium and enabling their transmigration through the blood-brain barrier in brain metastatic tumors. The aim of the study was to investigate by histochemical method the presence and possible role of α-2,6-GalSA in the formation of brain metastasis in NSCLC. In the screening phase 76 metastatic brain tumors were stained for α-2,6-GalSA and the second phase involved an identical staining of 20 primary tumors of patients who had their primary tumors treated with surgery or definite radiochemotherapy yet who later developed BM. The results were compared to a control group of 22 patients treated with surgery for NSCLC and who survived 5 years without the recurrence of disease. Alpha-2,6-GalSA presence was found to be down-regulated in poorly differentiated tumor types, whereas majority of differentiated tumors overexpressed it. This was statistically significant for both BM and the primary tumors. The expression of α-2,6-GalSA remained stable in primary and metastatic tumor pairs, however, no statistically significant differences were observed between study and control groups. Within the study group, a higher α-2,6-GalSA expression was associated with better overall survival, but not all statistical models found this result significant. Further studies are recommended to validate these findings

Cancer incidence and mortality in Greater Poland Province in 2006 – Report

Greater Poland is a region of high cancer risk in Poland. Standardized rates for cancer incidence among man and woman are the highest in Poland. Standardized rates for cancer deaths are also very high (4th place for men and 2nd for woman).When analysing the absolute numbers of cases and deaths among men in Greater Poland for last eight years, we observe increase of cases number by 16,14% and deaths by 10,85%.Most common cancer incidence sites in Greater Poland for man are: lung, colorectum and prostate. Among woman breast, colorectum and lung.Most common cancer deaths sites in men are: lung, colorectum and stomach. Among woman breast, lung and colorectum.When analysing standardized rates for malignant tumors morbidity and mortality among men and women, we see clearly that increase of number of new cancer cases and deaths is determined first of all by ageing in Greater Poland population.Lung cancer in Greater Poland is situated in first three most common cancer sites by incidence and mortality. Region has a medium lung cancer incidence and mortality compare to other voivodships. In analyzed period (1999–2006) lung cancer incidence and mortality among men has decreased. Unfortunately the same trend is not observed among women.High breast cancer incidence is very typical for Greater Poland. Analysis of standardized rates shows that Greater Poland is on 3rd place by breast cancer incidence and on the 4th place by breast cancer mortality. The most important and at the same time the cheapest method to eliminate tumors is prophylactics and screening

The optimal utilization proportion of external beam radiotherapy in European countries: An ESTRO-HERO analysis

Background and purpose: The absolute number of new cancer patients that will require at least one course of radiotherapy in each country of Europe was estimated. Material and methods: The incidence and relative frequency of cancer types from the year 2012 European Cancer Observatory estimates were used in combination with the population-based stage at diagnosis from five cancer registries. These data were applied to the decision trees of the evidence-based indications to calculate the Optimal Utilization Proportion (OUP) by tumour site. Results: In the minimum scenario, the OUP ranged from 47.0% in the Russian Federation to 53.2% in Belgium with no clear geographical pattern of the variability among countries. The impact of stage at diagnosis on the OUP by country was rather limited. Within the 24 countries where data on actual use of radiotherapy were available, a gap between optimal and actual use has been observed in most of the countries. Conclusions: The actual utilization of radiotherapy is significantly lower than the optimal use predicted from the evidence based estimates in the literature. This discrepancy poses a major challenge for policy makers when planning the resources at the national level to improve the provision in European countrie

The impact of cancer incidence and stage on optimal utilization of radiotherapy: Methodology of a population based analysis by the ESTRO-HERO project

Background and purpose: The impact of differences in the distribution of major cancer sites and stages at diagnosis among 4 European countries on the optimal utilization proportion (OUP) of patients who should receive external beam radiotherapy was assessed within the framework of the ESTRO-HERO project. Materials and methods: Data from Australian Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CCORE) were used. Population based stages at diagnosis from the cancer registries of Belgium, Slovenia, the Greater Poland region of Poland, and The Netherlands were used to assess the OUP for each country. A sensitivity analysis was carried out. Results: The overall OUP by country varied from the lowest of 48.3% in Australia to the highest of 53.4% in Poland; among European countries the variation was limited to 3%. Cancer site specific OUPs showed differences according to the variability in stage at diagnosis across countries. The most important impact on the OUP by country was due to changes in relative frequency of tumours rather than stage at diagnosis. Conclusions: This methodology can be adapted using European data, thus facilitating the planning of resources required to cope with the demand for radiotherapy in Europe, taking into account the national variability in cancer incidence

The Spirit of Evolutionary Algorithms

Evolutionary algorithms (EAs), which are based on a powerful principle of evolution: survival of the fittest, and which model some natural phenomena: genetic inheritance and Darwinian strife for survival, constitute an interesting category of modern heuristic search. During the last two decades there has been a growing interest in these algorithms; today, many complex software systems include at least some evolutionary component.However, the process of building an evolutionary program is still art rather than science; often it is based on the intuition and experience of the designer. In this introductory article we present some important ideas behind the construction of evolutionary algorithms. These ideas are illustrated by three test cases: the transportation problem, a particular nonlinear parameter optimization problem, and the traveling salesman problem. We conclude the paper with a brief discussion on how an evolutionary algorithm can be tuned to the problem while solving it, which may increase further efficiency of the algorithm in a significant way

Heat generation by eddy currents in a shell of superconducting bus-bars for SIS100 particle accelerator at FAIR

Superconducting magnets in the SIS100 particle accelerator require the supply of liquid helium and electric current. Both are transported with by-pass lines designed at Wrocław University of Technology. Bus-bars used to transfer an electric current between the sections of the accelerator will be encased in a steel shell. Eddy currents are expected to appear in the shell during fast-ramp operation of magnets. Heat generation, which should be limited in any cryogenic system, will appear in the shell. In this work the amount of heat generated is assessed depending on the geometry of an assembly of the bus-bars and the shell. Numerical and analytical calculations are described. It was found that heat generation in the shell is relatively small when compared to other sources present in the accelerator and its value strongly depends on the geometry of the shell. The distribution of eddy currents and generated heat for different geometrical options are presented. Based on the results of the calculations the optimal design is proposed

Adenomas – Genetic factors in colorectal cancer prevention

Colorectal cancer is the second most common type of cancer both in Europe and Poland. During the last 30 years more than a 3-fold increase has been observed in Poland due to environmental and genetic factors. Almost all colorectal malignancies are related to the formation and malignant transformation of colorectal dysplasia and adenoma. Efforts aiming to decrease the number of colorectal cancer deaths are focused on the disease early detection. Genetic diagnosis for hereditary syndromes predisposing to colorectal cancer has been developed and is a part of the routine treatment. Most cancers are sporadic. They often develop from polyps in the colon. In addition to the genetic events described in the 1990s, showing the adenoma transformation into carcinoma that has been a prime example of malignant transformation for a long time, there are also other possibilities of neoplastic transformation. The recognition of colorectal cancer risk factors make sense as their nature is lifestyle- and diet-related. In this review paper those risk factors are presented and the prevention of colorectal cancer is discussed taking into account genetic factors