Antitumour activity of Angelica archangelica leaf extract.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a leaf extract from A. archangelica on the growth of Crl mouse breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antiproliferative activity of the extract was measured by 3H-thymidine uptake in the Crl cells in vitro. Twenty mice were injected with the Crl cells, and 11 of them were fed A. archangelica leaf extract, and the progress of the tumours was followed. RESULTS: The leaf extract was mildly antiproliferative on the Crl cells with an EC50 of 87.6 microg/ml The antitumour activity of the extract was expressed in the mice by marked reduction in tumour growth. In the experimental animals, 9 out of 11 mice developed no or very small tumours, whereas control animals, not receiving the extract, developed significantly larger tumours (p<0.01), as estimated by Mann-Whitney U-test. The antitumour activity of the leaf extract could not be explained by the antiproliferative activity of furanocoumarins present in the extract. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate the antiproliferative activity in vitro and antitumour activity in vivo of a leaf extract from A. archangelica

Familial risk of lung carcinoma in the Icelandic population.

CONTEXT: The dominant role of tobacco smoke as a causative factor in lung carcinoma is well established; however, an inherited predisposition may also be an important factor in the susceptibility to lung carcinoma. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the contribution of genetic factors to the risk of developing lung carcinoma in the Icelandic population. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Risk ratios (RRs) of lung carcinoma for first-, second-, and third-degree relatives of patients with lung carcinoma were estimated by linking records from the Icelandic Cancer Registry (ICR) of all 2756 patients diagnosed with lung carcinoma within the Icelandic population from January 1, 1955, to February 28, 2002, with an extensive genealogical database containing all living Icelanders and most of their ancestors since the settlement of Iceland. The RR for smoking was similarly estimated using a random population-based cohort of 10,541 smokers from the Reykjavik Heart Study who had smoked for more than 10 years. Of these smokers, 562 developed lung cancer based on the patients with lung cancer list from the ICR. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Estimation of RRs of close and distant relatives of patients with lung carcinoma and comparison with RRs for close and distant relatives of smokers. RESULTS: A familial factor for lung carcinoma was shown to extend beyond the nuclear family, as evidenced by significantly increased RR for first-degree relatives (for parents: RR, 2.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.20-3.23; for siblings: RR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.77-2.23; and for children: RR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.53-2.39), second-degree relatives (for uncles/aunts: RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.15-1.49; and for nephews/nieces: RR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.10-1.43), and third-degree relatives (for cousins: RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.22) of patients with lung carcinoma. This effect was stronger for relatives of patients with early-onset disease (age at onset < or =60 years) (for parents: RR, 3.48; 95% CI, 1.83-8.21; for siblings: RR, 3.30; 95% CI, 2.19-4.58; and for children: RR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.34-7.21). The hypothesis that this increased risk is solely due to the effects of smoking was rejected for all relationships, except cousins and spouses, with a single-sided test of the RRs for lung carcinoma vs RRs for smoking. CONCLUSIONS: These results underscore the importance of genetic predisposition in the development of lung carcinoma, with its strongest effect in patients with early-onset disease. However, tobacco smoke plays a dominant role in the pathogenesis of this disease, even among those individuals who are genetically predisposed to lung carcinoma.

[Carcinoma of the colon in Iceland 1955-1989. An investigation of survival according to various pathological parameters.].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate various pathological parameters of colon carcinoma over a 35 year time period and evaluate their effect on survival of the patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All pathological specimens from patients diagnosed with colon carcinoma in Iceland in the period 1955 to 1989 were re-evaluated in order to determine the following pathological parameters: Tumour size, gross appearance, tissue type, grade, Dukes stage, lymphatic and/or blood vessel invasion, lateral margin involvement, Jass-group of tumour, peritumoural lymphocytic infiltrate, limitation of tumour growth to bowel wall, lymph node metastases, invasive tumour margin and colloid component in adenocarcinoma. Also the following parameters were determined in every case: Age at diagnosis, sex, year of diagnosis and tumour location within the bowel. All these parameters were evaluated with respect to survival of the patients. RESULTS: According to the Icelandic Cancer Registry 1265 patients were diagnosed with colon cancer in Iceland in the period under investigation. After re-evaluation 1205 patients fulfilled the criteria of a primary colon cancer and of those we were able to re-evaluate specimens from 1109 patients to determine histopathological parameters. In a univariable analysis most of the parameters investigated proved significant with respect to survival, except sex, anatomical location of tumour within the bowel, and the proportion of colloid component of tumour. In a multivariable analysis the age at diagnosis proved important as well as the year/period of diagnosis. The following pathological parameters evaluated had a significant prognostic input with regard to survival: Tumour grade, Dukes stage, number of lymph nodes with metastases, peritumoral lymphocytic infiltrate, lateral margin involvement in the surgical specimen and invasive growth pattern of tumour margin. CONCLUSIONS: Many pathological parameters are important in regard with prognostic evaluation of patients diagnosed with colon cancer. We suggest that pathologists should include in their surgical pathology specimen reports of colon cancer, in addition to traditional parameters, an evaluation of peritumoral lymphocytic infiltrate, lateral margin involvement with tumour and the growth pattern of tumour at the invasive margin.