Expression of clusterin in colorectal carcinoma in relation to clinicopathological criteria

Background/Aim: Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) carries a high incidence of morbidity and mortality.Prognosis is related to nodal metastasis and stage. Clusterin is a widely distributed glycoproteinwith not yet fully understood functions. Clusterin may be overexpressed in some tumours or underexpressed in other tumours. The aim behind this study is to examine the relation of clusterincytoplasmic immunostaining to tumour characteristics, disease relapse, and survival in CRC. Materialsand Methods: Paraffin blocks of 133 CRCs were retrieved from the Department of Pathology,King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Immunostaining was done using antibody toclusterin. Staining expression in 10% of malignant cells was used as a cut-off to determine lowimmunostaining and high immunostaining. Statistical tests were used to evaluate the association ofclusterin immunostaining with clinicopathological parameters. Results: Immunohistochemical resultsshowed clusterin low immunostaining in CRC and nodal metastases. No association was foundbetween clusterin immunostaining and tumour grade, age, tumour invasiveness, distant metastases,vascular invasion, nodal metastases, relapse, and survival. Conclusion: Our study showed low clusterinimmunostaining in CRC with lack of association with prognostic indicators in CRC. These resultsraise the controversy of understanding the role of clusterin in CRC. Further molecular studies arerequired to explore more about possible mechanisms of clusterin association with tumorigenicity,apoptosis, tumour growth progression, local and vascular invasion, and metastasis of CRC.

Depression in patients with colorectal cancer

Patients with colorectal cancer [CRC] experience psychological stress due to the diagnosis and the physical and social changes brought on by the illness, increasing the risk of depressive disorder. Depression causes tremendous disability and adds to the suffering that patients must already endure. It is known to alter immune and endocrine functions that affect vulnerability to CRC, its course over time, and its response to treatment. We review the prevalence of depressive symptoms and disorders worldwide and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA], focusing on patients with medical illness and those with CRC, in particular. We examine how often depression is diagnosed, how it is treated, and its likely course over time, and review the effects of depression on functional disability, longevity, and immune functions. Finally, we discuss research needs and make recommendations on highest priority research studies to advance our understanding of depressive disorder in CRC patients in KSA

Proteasome inhibitor novel treatment in multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma remains an incurable B-cell malignancy, necessitating urgent development of novel treatment. The proteasome is a ubiquitous and essential intracellular enzyme that degrades many proteins regulating cell cycle, apoptosis, transcription, cell adhesion, angiogenesis, and antigen presentation. PS-341 is a proteasome inhibitor that halts the cell cycle, resulting in apoptosis. It also inhibits a key transcription factor and has antiangiogenic activity and represents a novel potential anti cancer therapy. PS-341 has recently enrolled in many clinical trials for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In this concise review, we briefly described the pharmacological aspects of this drug, reviewed the current knowledge regarding mechanisms of its-anti-myeloma activity and the most recent clinical trials