Journal of Cancer Biology

Background: Breast cancer remains a major global health burden despite therapeutic advances, necessitating further innovations to address persistent challenges like therapeutic resistance, adverse effects, and mortality in subgroups. Emerging technologies offer promising opportunities in this regard through data-driven, precise, and personalized approaches.

The incorporation of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is essential for assessing whether a cancer treatment enhances overall patient well-being, beyond merely extending survival. This scoping review aimed to identify and analyze the use of PROs in ovarian cancer clinical trials.

Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a type of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) that portends a poor prognosis and has limited options for treatment. PMF is often driven by clonal mutations in one of three genes that regulate the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, leading to hyperactivation of this signaling pathway and over-proliferation of megakaryocytes (MKs) and their precursors. PMF presents with debilitating symptoms such as splenomegaly and weight loss.

Examining BRCA mutations in preoperative breast cancer patients is very important when selecting a surgical procedure. Although there are advantages and disadvantages associated with knowing about the presence of genetic mutations, including for the patient’s family, there are many benefits for the patient. BRCA genetic testing should be recommended for patients who are strongly suspected of being positive for a BRCA mutation. 

Liver masses account for 5 to 6% of pediatric cancer, which includes hepatoblastoma (HBL) along with rare cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The most dangerous form of pediatric liver cancer is aggressive HBL, which can be characterized by chemo-resistance and multiple nodules or metastases at diagnosis, all correlating with worse clinical prognosis. Despite intensive studies and a significant improvement in overall outcomes, very little is known about the key molecular pathways which determine the aggressiveness of pediatric liver cancer.

This commentary focuses on two recent publications showing deregulation of the transcription factor Slug/Snail2 and TGF-β function in primary bronchial basal/progenitor cells of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and the impact on proliferation and the expression of genes involved in stem cell maintenance. We discuss the molecular mechanisms related to the exhaustion of airway basal stem/progenitor cells in tobacco smoke-induced COPD, as well as putative links between COPD and lung cancer at the molecular level.

Cancer biology involves complex dynamics and interactions between cells and the tissue environment. Mathematical modeling and computer simulation can provide a powerful instrument for considering this complexity. Agent-based modeling is a particular discrete hybrid modeling method.

Radiation therapy (RT) is one of the pillars of locally advanced head and neck cancer (HNSCC) treatment in combination with cisplatin or epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors. Despite a very high local tumor control rate, approximately 50% of patients with locally advanced disease will develop a recurrence.

Background and Aim: Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the commonest cause of chronic liver disease and is a leading cause of liver transplantation in the United States, with no approved medication to halt or reverse its progression. Recent animal-model prospective trial-suggested that drug Vedolizumab leads to improvement and reversal in the NAFLD-related metabolic derangements. Vedolizumab is an α4β7 integrin-inhibitor that is approved for use in IBD patients. Our study aims to understand Vedolizumab's impact on the course of NAFLD in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients.

The pediatric liver cancer hepatoblastoma (HBL) has a complex etiology which is not yet determined. In contrast to adult liver cancer hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), pediatric HBL has a low rate of genetic mutations suggesting that other mechanisms play a critical role in development of this disease.

In the respiratory management of preterm infants of less than 33 weeks gestational age and very low birth weight infants, it is essential to understand changes in chest X-ray and blood gas findings in addition to observing their clinical symptoms.

Metastatic breast cancer to brain carries poor prognostic features with increased risks of occurrence in Tripple- negative and HER- positive breast tumors. In addition, tumors with mutated BRCA tumors, carry as well increased metastatic incidence. However, new clinical evidence suggest distinct clinical features between BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutated breast cancer and brain metastasis.

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is a leading cause of lameness in broiler chickens, which results in financial losses due to mortality and reduced growth. Due to the nature of the condition, it raises animal welfare and food safety concerns as well. The pathology in the commercial setting is derived from a combination of weak bone and bacterial translocation and infection.

This study presents a comprehensive exploration into the shared molecular mechanisms linking psoriasis and major depressive disorder (MDD), two conditions that are increasingly recognized as having potential comorbidities. It offers new insights into the immune and genetic pathways that may contribute to both disorders, emphasizing the potential of CD19 as a biomarker and therapeutic target through the PPARγ/β-catenin/Wnt3a signaling pathway.

Brain metastases are a feared complication of breast cancer, occurring in 15-25% of patients and being associated with poor prognosis and reduced quality of life. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an advanced technique that uses powerful magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed three-dimensional (3D) images of the brain's neuroanatomy and any potential pathology, especially in the management of brain metastases. 

Tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease is known to hamper several cellular functions including  microtubule dynamics, proteostasis etc. Tau is a microtubule-stabilizing protein, playing an important role in maintaining the integrity of the axonal microtubules [1,2].

Epigenetics is the study of heritable modifications to gene expression, such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA modifications, that do not alter the nucleotide sequence of the corresponding gene. Recently, RNA modification has emerged as a novel research focus. 

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the growing epidemic which is rapidly increasing in USA. Elderly people are the most affected population which suffers from NAFLD. The earliest stage of NAFLD, hepatic steatosis has no evidence of liver injury, but is characterized by an accumulation of triglycerides in hepatocytes. Hepatic steatosis progresses in age-dependent manner to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cirrhosis. Mechanisms of development of age associated NAFLD are not well understood and approaches to treat this disease are not developed. Recent studies within last three years; however, provided several lines of evidence showing that although hepatic steatosis strongly correlates with development of NAFLD, it might be not a cause of next steps of NAFLD: fibrosis and NASH. Moreover, some reports suggest that hepatic steatosis might play a protective role in development of fibrosis and NASH. Recent studies of NAFLD in animal models showed that the increase of liver proliferation is the first event in high-fat diet-induced NAFLD.

The management of anxiety and distress in patients with cancer is stressful for the oncology clinicians who treat them. Unfortunately, psychosocial care for patients with cancer is not universally available or standardized. Referrals from oncology services to psychological serves are often not initiated early enough, may not be encouraged from medicine or surgical services, and are subsequently foregone or patients do not follow up beyond a single appointment.

CD133 is a transmembrane protein that mainly localizes to the plasma membrane of normal stem cells as well as cancer stem cells, and is widely known as a cancer stem cell marker. CD133 was recently shown to localize in the cytoplasm; however, its transport pathway and functions currently remain unknown.