Synergic Role of Dietary Bioactive Compounds in Breast Cancer Chemoprevention and Combination Therapies.

Breast cancer is the most common tumor in women. Chemotherapy is the gold standard for cancer treatment; however, severe side effects and tumor resistance are the major obstacles to chemotherapy success. Numerous dietary components and phytochemicals have been found to inhibit the molecular and signaling pathways associated with different stages of breast cancer development. In particular, this review is focused on the antitumor effects of PUFAs, dietary enzymes, and glucosinolates against breast cancer. The major databases were consulted to search in vitro and preclinical studies; only those with solid scientific evidence and reporting protective effects on breast cancer treatment were included. A consistent number of studies highlighted that dietary components and phytochemicals can have remarkable therapeutic effects as single agents or in combination with other anticancer agents, administered at different concentrations and via different routes of administration. These provide a natural strategy for chemoprevention, reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence, impair cell proliferation and viability, and induce apoptosis. Some of these bioactive compounds of dietary origin, however, show poor solubility and low bioavailability; hence, encapsulation in nanoformulations are promising tools able to increase clinical efficiency.

Healthy Lifestyle and Cancer Risk: Modifiable Risk Factors to Prevent Cancer.

Cancer has become a serious problem worldwide, as it represents the main cause of death, and its incidence has increased over the years. A potential strategy to counter the growing spread of various forms of cancer is the adoption of prevention strategies, in particular, the use of healthy lifestyles, such as maintaining a healthy weight, following a healthy diet; being physically active; avoiding smoking, alcohol consumption, and sun exposure; and vitamin D supplementation. These modifiable risk factors are associated with this disease, contributing to its development, progression, and severity. This review evaluates the relationship between potentially modifiable risk factors and overall cancer development, specifically breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer, and highlights updated recommendations on cancer prevention. The results of numerous clinical and epidemiological studies clearly show the influence of lifestyles on the development and prevention of cancer. An incorrect diet, composed mainly of saturated fats and processed products, resulting in increased body weight, combined with physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, and smoking, has induced an increase in the incidence of all three types of cancer under study. Given the importance of adopting correct and healthy lifestyles to prevent cancer, global institutions should develop strategies and environments that encourage individuals to adopt healthy and regular behaviors.

Psychological Well-Being of Cancer Patients before and during the Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients. METHODS: Ninety cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with antiblastics were recruited from a tertiary medical center and completed a battery of standardized questionnaires to assess anxiety, depression, peritraumatic stress, and quality of life before and during the pandemic. RESULTS: Quality of life worsened significantly during the pandemic compared with the pre-pandemic period. Anxiety and depression levels also increased significantly during the pandemic. COVID-19 peritraumatic distress significantly predicted lower quality-of-life scores during the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 distress affected the overall quality of life of patients who already had lower levels of quality of life before the pandemic and who had advanced cancers. Cancer patients must receive adequate support from psychiatrists and psychologists to mitigate the psychological distress related to the pandemic.

Uterine Papillary Serous Carcinoma Arising in a Polyp: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis on 75 Patients.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether the international recommendations on the management of uterine papillary serous carcinoma arising in a polyp are uniformly followed in Italian Oncologic Centers and whether the strategy adopted is effective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with uterine papillary serous carcinoma arising in a polyp and who had undergone a hysterectomy were identified in the 2003-2013 database of 7 Italian Gynecologic Oncology Centers. Clinical and pathologic characteristics and outcomes were compared between staging procedure types. Survival curves of the women were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and analyzed using Cox regression hazard model and the log-rank test. Associations between clinical parameters and the incidence of recurrence were assessed by generalized linear models and the Fisher test. RESULTS: A total of 75 patients met the inclusion criteria. Recurrence-free survival was affected positively by type of surgical staging and negatively by preoperative diagnosis of hypertension. The association between surgical staging and recurrence-free survival resulted significant at univariate survival analysis (P=0.048 and 0.045) and maintained a trend of significance (P=0.070) in multivariate analysis, whereas hypertension was demonstrated to be the principal influencing factor. CONCLUSIONS: The international recommendations on the management of uterine papillary serous carcinoma are not uniformly followed in daily practice, although the extension of the surgery seems to be associated with lower recurrence rates also when uterine papillary serous carcinoma is confined to a polyp or endometrial surface.

Low serum concentrations of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate in women with uterine fibromatosis.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used plasticizer in flexible polyvinylchloride formulations, and is a widespread ubiquitous environmental contaminant. A potential role of exposure to DEHP and its primary metabolite, monoethylhexylphthalate (MEHP), on women's reproductive function is suggested in the current study. The aim of the study was to test serum concentrations of DEHP and/or MEHP in women with uterine fibromatosis. Two groups of women were enrolled in the study: (i) women with uterine fibromatosis undergoing surgical menopause (n = 15) and (ii) healthy women (n = 20). Serum DEHP and MEHP concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Serum MEHP distribution was found to be non-Gaussian (p = 0.001) while serum DEHP distribution was compatible with a normal curve (p = 0.141). Patients with uterine fibromatosis showed significantly lower serum MEHP concentrations (median [interquartile range]: 0 [0-0] microg/ml, range: 0-0.57 microg/ml) than controls (0.42 [0-0.51] microg/ml, range: 0-1.20 microg/ml, z = -2.93, p = 0.0034). Likewise, serum DEHP concentrations in women with fibromatosis were found to be significantly lower than in controls (patients: 0.27 +/- 0.096 microg/ml (mean +/- standard deviation (SD)), range: 0.14-0.59 microg/ml vs. controls: 0.30 +/- 0.14 microg/ml (mean +/- SD), range: 0-0.63 microg/ml; t = 3.212, df = 33, difference: -0.325 (95% confidence interval: -0.5309, -0.1191), p = 0.0029). In conclusion, the present findings indicate for the first time that serum DEHP and MEHP concentration are lower in women with uterine fibromatosis, suggesting a possible correlation between phthalate esters and fibromatosis pathology.

pRb2/p130 and VEGF expression in endometrial carcinoma in relation to angiogenesis and histopathologic tumor grade.

PURPOSE: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy. Established prognostic factors are histologic grade, depth of myometrial invasion, and extrauterine spread including retroperitoneal lymph node metastases. Tumorigenesis is a multistep process involving different genetic changes resulting in uncontrolled cellular proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, and enhanced vascular proliferation among other events. Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from a preexisting vascular network, is necessary for invasive tumor growth and metastasis and constitutes an important point in the control of cancer progression. The pathogenesis of the angiogenetic phenotype may involve the inactivation of different tumor suppressor genes. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We investigated the relationship between the expression levels of VEGF and the retinoblastoma family member pRb2/p130 in endometrial carcinoma in relation to histopathologic tumor grade in a cohort of 50 patients. RESULTS: We found that VEGF and pRB2/p130 expression were inversely correlated. Additionally, high grade tumors presented a significantly lower number of cells expressing pRb2/p130 when compared to low grade tumors. A significant positive correlation was found, by means of the Spearman coefficient, between VEGF expression and binary grading (0.450, p-value < 0.005) which is an architectural grading system that uses low-magnification assessment of amount of solid growth, pattern of invasion, and presence of necrosis to divide endometrioid carcinomas into low- and high-grade tumors. Additionally, we also found a negative correlation between pRb2/p130 expression levels and binary grading (-0.595, p-value < 0.005). Interestingly, we also found that VEGF and pRb2/p130 expression levels were not related to staging (p-value > 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: These results open up a new perspective including novel markers that, combined together, may be useful in patient screening for endometrial cancer aggressiveness.

Molecular pathology of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among women with gynecologic malignancies. Epithelial tumors typically constitute 80-90% of ovarian malignancies and are classified primarily as serous, mucinous, endometrioid or clear cell. Current data indicate that each of these histologic subtypes is associated with distinct morphologic and molecular genetic alterations. We describe such genetic alterations with specific reference to histologic subtypes.

Listeriosis in pregnancy: a case report.

Listeria monocytogenes is an alimentary infection which can be extremely dangerous for pregnant women. A 34-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized with fetal cardiac rate alterations and influenza-like symptoms. A caesarean section due to fetal distress was performed. A maternal-fetal listeriosis diagnosis was possible only after the birth through bacteriological and histological examination on both the placenta and the newborn.

Role of the retinoblastoma family in gynecological cancer.

The cell cycle consists of a series of events that regulate cell life. The regulation and coordination result from a combination of several signals from different regulatory pathways which are activated in response to the presence of the right stimuli. Tumor suppressor genes represent a crucial milestone in the understanding of cancer genetics. The RB gene family includes three members: Rb/p105, p107 and RB2/p130. The regulation of all three members of the retinoblastoma family of proteins is complex and unique for each single member. Each member of the RB family of growth suppressive nuclear phosphoproteins elicits G1 growth arrest upon ectopic expression in sensitive cell lines, and their phosphorylation status is regulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner. In this review, we will discuss the role of Rb family members in the pathogenesis and prognosis of and their therapeutic impact on gynecological cancer.