Jasmonates induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in non-small cell lung cancer lines.

The jasmonates, cis-jasmone (CJ) and methyl jasmonate (MJ), were investigated for their effects against NSCLC cell lines A549 and H520. CJ or MJ inhibited the proliferation of both cell lines in a dose-dependent manner as well as induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Apoptosis was observed following treatment with CJ or MJ as indicated by Hoechst staining and confirmed by dual annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/prodium iodide (PI) and DAPI (4',6-diamidine-2'-phenylindole dihydrochloride) staining. p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation was observed with increased expression of bax, p21, and caspase-3 activity. These observations indicate that jasmonates may have a therapeutic value in the treatment of lung cancer.

Optimization of collimator parameters to reduce rectal dose in intensity-modulated prostate treatment planning.

The inability to avoid rectal wall irradiation has been a limiting factor in prostate cancer treatment planning. Treatment planners must not only consider the maximum dose that the rectum receives throughout a course of treatment, but also the dose that any volume of the rectum receives. As treatment planning techniques have evolved and prescription doses have escalated, limitations of rectal dose have remained an area of focus. External pelvic immobilization devices have been incorporated to aid in daily reproducibility and lessen concern for daily patient motion. Internal immobilization devices (such as the intrarectal balloon) and visualization techniques (including daily ultrasound or placement of fiducial markers) have been utilized to reduce the uncertainty of intrafractional prostate positional variation, thus allowing for minimization of treatment volumes. Despite these efforts, prostate volumes continue to abut portions of the rectum, and the necessary volume expansions continue to include portions of the anterior rectal wall within high-dose regions. The addition of collimator parameter optimization (both collimator angle and primary jaw settings) to intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) allows greater rectal sparing compared to the use of IMRT alone. We use multiple patient examples to illustrate the positive effects seen when utilizing collimator parameter optimization in conjunction with IMRT to further reduce rectal doses.

Monoterpenes enhanced the sensitivity of head and neck cancer cells to radiation treatment in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Perillyl alcohol (POH) elicited anticarcinogenic effects in a number of cancer models and pharmacokinetic studies in humans revealed that PA is the major circulating metabolite following POH administration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Effects of PA or POH alone, or in combination with radiation, on human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines (HNSCC), were investigated using cytotoxicity and flow cytometry assays. HNSCC cells were pretreated with 1.0 mM PA or 0.5 mM POH for 72 h before exposure to 1 or 2Gy dose of radiation. RESULTS: Pretreatment of the cells with 1.0 mM PA or 0.5 mM POH prior to irradiation, caused the following growth inhibition: HTB-43 (50% or 71%), SCC-25 (55% or 68%), and BroTo (18% or 53%). PA and POH induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. CONCLUSION: PA and POH have potential for use as radiosensitizers in chemo-radiation therapy of head and neck cancers and should be further studied.