ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Omentin is related with metabolic syndrome and obesity. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) is a lethal and obesity-linked malignancy. This study was conducted to investigate the serum levels of omentin in patients with PA and the relationship with tumor progression and known prognostic parameters. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from thirty-three patients on first admission before any treatment. Age, sex and body mass index (BMI) matched 30 healthy controls were included in the analysis. Both serum omentin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis was 59 years (32-84 years). Twenty (61%) patients were men and the remaining were women. The most common metastatic site was liver in 23 patients with metastasis (n = 19, 83%). Thirty-nine percent of 23 metastatic patients who received palliative chemotherapy (CTx) were CTx-responsive. Median overall survival of the whole group was 41.3 ± 8.3 weeks [95% confidence interval (CI) = 25-58 weeks]. The baseline serum omentin levels were significantly higher in patients with PA than in the control group (p < 0.001). Serum omentin levels were significantly higher in patients with larger pathologic tumor size compared with smaller size (p = 0.03). Conversely, serum omentin concentration was found to have no prognostic role on survival (p = 0.54). CONCLUSION: Serum levels of omentin may have a good diagnostic role in patients with PA.
ABSTRACT
Breast cancer is a complex disease displaying different profiles involving genetic as well as epigenetic factors. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression. Recent studies demonstrated that miRNAs may display great potential for the development of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In the present study, the levels of miR-21 and miR-145 were analyzed in the peripheral blood of 52 patients with luminal A breast cancer. miRNA expression was determined in serum samples from matched pre- and post-treatment patients with breast cancer by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. There were no statistically significant differences in miR-145 and miR-21 levels between pre- and post-treatment samples. In addition, the miRNA levels were not found to be associated with the clinical parameters.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Patients with breast cancer with a pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) have a better prognosis than patients with residual disease. The aim of the current study was to identify predictors of pCR. METHODS: This retrospective study included 388 patients treated with anthracycline-based NAC. Clinicopathological parameters were compared between the patients with and without pCR in breast and axilla. RESULTS: Treatment consisted of FAC/FEC in 230 patients (59%), TAC in 39 (10%) patients and AC followed by docetaxel in 119 (31%). In all, 36 (9.3%) patients had pCR. In univariate analysis, age, tumor size, lymph node involvement, tumor grade (p = 0.077, n = 265), ER and HER-2 status (n = 213), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), type of chemotherapy and taxane-containing chemotherapy were associated with pCR. In multivariate analysis, ER negativity (p = 0.003), the absence of LVI (p = 0.009) and taxane-containing NAC (p = 0.026) were found to be significant indicators of pCR. Median follow-up time was 69 months. Progression-free survival was significantly improved in patients achieving pCR (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: pCR is associated with a better outcome regardless of clinical and pathological parameters in breast cancer patients who receive NAC. The probability of pCR was higher in ER-negative, LVI-negative tumors and in patients treated with sequential taxane-containing chemotherapy.
