[Efficacy and safety of panitumumab for K-ras wild-type unresectable or recurrent colorectal cancer - a study focusing on first-line treatment].

Panitumumab was approved in June 2010 for use in the treatment of unresectable advanced/recurrent colorectal cancer. Here, we report outcomes and adverse events of panitumumab combination therapy or single-agent chemotherapy for K-ras wild-type unresectable or recurrent colorectal cancers. Our study focused on first-line treatments. The study involved 18 patients who started receiving panitumumab in October 2010. Nine patients received panitumumab as a first-line treatment; 4, as a second-line treatment; and 5, as a third-line or subsequent treatment. The overall response rate was 27.8%. Among the patients who received panitumumab as a first-line treatment, the response rate was 55.6%. Grade 1 and 2 skin disorders were common adverse events. Grade 2 interstitial pneumonia was observed in 1 patient(5.6%). Grade 3 or higher events comprised peripheral neuropathy in 1 patient(5.6%)and neutropenia in another patient(5.6%). The treatment was beneficial, and metastatic foci were resected in 3 patients. In this study, the only adverse events of Grade 3 or higher were 1 case each of peripheral neuropathy and neutropenia. Accordingly, adequate control seemed possible. The specific line of treatment that panitumumab should belong to remains controversial. However, active initiation as first-line treatment should be considered for cases in which resection of metastatic foci can be expected from tumor reductions due to panitumumab.

Overexpression of histone deacetylase 6 contributes to accelerated migration and invasion activity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is a cytoplasmic enzyme that regulates many important biological processes, including cell migration, viral infection and autophagy. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of HDAC6 in the invasion and metastasis activities of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Three HCC cell lines and two primary cultures of hepatocytes were used for biological experiments. Immunohistochemistry for HDAC6 protein was also examined in 70 resected primary HCCs. Knockdown of the HDAC6 gene in the HCC cell lines was carried out by treatment with siRNA, and their migration and invasion activities were examined by the scratch assay and Matrigel invasion assay, respectively. HDAC6 expression was greater in all of the HCC cell lines compared to the primary cultures of hepatocytes. Knockdown of HDAC6 markedly downregulated the migration and invasion activities of all HCC cell lines (P<0.05). Overexpression of HDAC6 protein to a level higher than that in the corresponding normal hepatocytes was observed in 14 (20%) of the 70 primary HCCs, and was significantly correlated with high clinical stage, number of tumors, vascular invasion and intrahepatic metastasis (P<0.05). These results suggest that overexpression of the HDAC6 protein is involved in the migration and invasion activities of HCC cells, and may be a good biomarker for prediction of intrahepatic metastasis.

A case of gallstone ileus displaying spontaneous closure of cholecystoduodenal fistula after enterolithotomy.

INTRODUCTION: Gallstone ileus, a rare complication of cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, is a relatively rare cause of alimentary tract obstruction. It is usually associated with a cholecystoenteric fistula through which a gallstone has passed into the gastrointestinal tract. Cholecystoenteric fistula uncommonly closes spontaneously, the period between formation and closure having rarely been reported. In addition, endoscopic detection of cholecystoenteric fistulous closure has seldom been reported. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a 51-year-old Japanese man with gallstone ileus in whom spontaneous closure of a cholecystoduodenal fistula was observed by endoscopy 2 weeks after laparoscopy-assisted enterolithotomy. DISCUSSION: Laparoscopy-assisted enterolithotomy for gallstone ileus allows direct diagnosis of gallstone ileus and assessment of the status of adhesions affecting the biliary tract. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic confirmation of fistulous closure after laparoscopy-assisted enterolithotomy is a minimally invasive approach that may avert the need for biliary surgery.

Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of ßIII-tubulin protein expression in relation with cell cycle-dependent regulation of tumor cells.

The expression of ßIII-tubulin (TUBB3) is generally restricted to neurons, but its mRNA is often expressed at low levels in non-neuronal cells. Interestingly, however, a number of non-neural tumors occasionally express high levels of TUBB3 protein, leading to a significant resistance to taxane derivatives. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling TUBB3 expression and its turnover during normal cell growth are largely unknown. Here, we present evidence that TUBB3 expression occurs in a cell cycle-dependent manner, and that its protein levels are controlled by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Both mRNA and protein of TUBB3 accumulated around the G2/M stage of the cell cycle, and reduction of TUBB3 expression by siRNA resulted in partial inhibition of cell growth. Furthermore, the cell cycle-dependent expression of TUBB3 was mediated by the RE-1-silencing transcription factor REST through its binding to the RE-1 element that is present in the first intron of the TUBB3 gene. These results demonstrate a novel role of TUBB3 in cell cycle progression in non-neuronal cells, and further suggest that dysregulation of the REST-TUBB3 system could be a primary cause of the TUBB3 overexpression.