Experimental oncology最新文献

Background: Exosomes have become a potential field of nanotechnology for the treatment and identification of many disorders. However, the generation of exosomes is a difficult, time-consuming, and low-yielding procedure. At the same time, exosome mimetics (EM) resemble exosomes in their characteristics but have higher production yields. The aim of this study was to produce natural killer (NK) cell-derived EM (NKEM) loaded with sorafenib and test their killing ability against thyroid cancer cell lines.

Materials and methods: Sorafenib was loaded into NKEM by mixing sorafenib with NK cells during NKEM production (NKEM-S). Then, these two types of nanoparticles were characterized with nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) to measure their sizes. In addition, the cellular uptake and in vitro killing effect of NKEM-S on thyroid cancer cell lines were investigated using confocal laser microscopy and bioluminescence imaging (BLI) techniques.

Results: The uptake of NKEM and NKEM-S by the thyroid cancer cells was observed. Moreover, BLI confirmed the killing and anti-proliferation effect of NKEM-S on two thyroid cancer cell lines. Especially important, the NKEM-S demonstrated a desirable killing effect even for anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cells.

Conclusion: Sorafenib-loaded NKEM showed the ability to kill thyroid cancer cells in vitro, even against ATC. This provides a new opportunity for drug delivery systems and thyroid cancer treatment.

Using the Ukrainian version of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form, MOS SF-36 questionnaire for assessment of quality of life (QoL), a prospective analysis of the QoL of patients with bladder cancer who underwent radical surgery in the scope of radical cystectomy (group 1, 15 patients) and organ-preserving surgeries (bladder resection or transurethral resection, group 2, 40 patients) was conducted in the period from 2020 to 2022 at the Center for Urology and Urologic Oncology of the Feofania Clinical Hospital. The survey was conducted 1 week before radical surgery and 6 months after surgery. None of the studied patients had signs of recurrence or progression of bladder cancer during the postoperative survey. With identical QoL indicators before surgery, patients who underwent organ-preserving surgeries demonstrated significantly higher QoL indicators, such as physical, role, social, emotional functioning, and psychological health.

Background: Colorectal cancer, ranking second place in global cancer mortality, arises from diverse causes. There is growing recognition of the substantial involvement of the epigenetic modifications of histones at the DNA level in the occurrence of CRC.

Aim: To assess the expression of p53, HDAC1, and HDAC3 proteins in a cohort of CRC patients and to analyze potential relationship between their expression and the stages of CRC progression.

Materials and methods: The retrospective investigation was carried out on 95 paraffin-embedded CRC tissue samples. The expression of p53, HDAC1, and HDAC3 was assessed immunohistochemically.

Results: Notably, the expression of the p53 protein in CRC tissue samples exhibited a prominent correlation with the protein expression of both HDAC1 (p < 0.001, rho = 0.522) and HDAC3 (p < 0.001, rho = 0.411), as well as the advanced TNM staging of CRC (p = 0.002, rho = 0.313). Downregulation of p53 was correlated with underexpressed HDAC1 and HDAC3. Nevertheless, the observed expression of p53 exhibited a significant negative correlation with the age of the patients.

Conclusion: The data on HDACs-p53 co-expression suggest a possible mechanism of interaction between the expression of these proteins.

The Conference was organized on the initiative of the R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the State Institution "SP Grigoriev Institute of Medical Radiology and Oncology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine", and public organizations "National Association of Oncologists of Ukraine" and "Ukrainian Society for Cancer Research". The cancer patient's health and the quality of life (QoL) was put in the focus of this conference. Various edges of cancer research were discussed by researchers together with medical doctors, clinical scientists, specialists in demography, economics, law, and the general public.

Background: Potential clinical efficacy of cystectomy in patients with metastatic bladder cancer (mBCa) remains poorly investigated. The clinical data suggest that there could be a benefit from the local treatment in selected patients with mBCa in terms of redeeming local symptoms, increasing quality of life (QoL), and decreasing the number of the potential adverse events of systemic therapy. The aim of our study was to test safety and efficacy of cystectomy in mBCa and its impact on patients' survival, QoL, and eligibility for systemic therapy.

Materials and methods: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 524 patients treated with cystectomy due to bladder cancer in the National Cancer Institute of Ukraine from 2008 to 2019 is presented. We selected a group of 21 (3.6%) patients with surgically resectable primary tumors and advanced metastatic disease prior to the surgery and proceeded for further analysis. Patients were analyzed in terms of pre- and postoperative performance status, metastatic burden, surgical complexity and complications (Clavien-Dindo grade), clinical benefits of systemic therapy, and cancer specific survival.

Results: Six patients underwent preoperative systemic therapy with partial response (n = 4) and stable disease (n = 2) according to RECIST 1.1. There were no severe intraoperative complications, although 2 patients experienced Clavien Grade III events that needed surgical correction in the postoperative period. During the analysis, no 30-day mortality events were found, and 11 of 21 patients were alive 1 year after surgery. Most patients (n = 19) were eligible for standard first-line chemotherapy after surgery, with 13 proceeding to second-line chemotherapy due to further progression with no AE higher than grade II during systemic therapy. An increase in QoL was found out by comparing the questionnaire data before and 3 months after surgery.

Conclusion: The benefits of cystectomy in mBCa setting are mainly hidden by QoL improvement and the decreasing number of the potential contraindications to the systemic therapy. Potential effects that reduce adverse events during chemotherapy should prompt to estimate oncological preferences of cystectomy in advanced bladder cancer.

Background: Metastatic breast cancer (mBCa) is one of the main causes of mortality among postmenopausal women with malignant neoplasms. Numerous studies indicate the feasibility of using bone matrix remodeling proteins to predict the BC course.

Aim: To investigate the relationship between osteopontin (OPN) and osteonectin (ON) expression levels in tumor tissue of patients of menopausal age with primary mBCa (pmBCa) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) taking into account the clinicopathological features of the disease.

Materials and methods: The study included 54 menopausal patients with pmBCa, 23 from whom had manifestations of MetS, while 31 patients were without MetS. The expression of matricellular proteins (OPN and ON) was determined immunohistochemically.

Results: In tumor tissue of patients with MetS and pmBCa of category N3, an increase in the level of OPN expression (H-Score of 265.6 ± 7.7, p < 0.05) was recorded along with a decrease in the expression level of ON (H-Score of 123.2 ± 7.7, p < 0.05). The invasive lobular pmBCa in patients with MetS was characterized by a significant decrease in the level of OPN expression ( H-Score of 219.4 ± 8.4) and an increase in ON expression (H-Score of 144.8 ± 7.5). In the patients with MetS, a significant decrease in ON expression (p < 0.05) was recorded in the tumor tissue of luminal A, luminal B, and Her2/neu subtypes ( H-Scores of 140.2 ± 7.8, 119.3 ± 10.2, and 110.0 ± 7.7, respectively). Among the cases of pmBCa with diagnosed metastatic liver disease, ON expression in tumor tissue was lower in patients with MetS (H-Score of 146.2±9.1).

Conclusions: The obtained data demonstrated the relationship between the expression indicators of matricellular proteins in the pmBCa tissue and the degree of malignancy and indicated the prospects for further studies of their prognostic value in the presence of MetS.

Background: Bone neoplasms significantly reduce the patient's quality of life (QoL) not only during the manifestation of the primary disease but also at various treatment stages.

Aim: To study the QoL indicators in patients with primary malignant bone tumors before and after surgical treatment using a training 3D model.

Materials and methods: 44 patients with primary malignant tumors of the lower extremities (osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma) were treated by surgery. 3D modeling was used to plan the surgical intervention. 3D printing of the models of the pathological foci was performed by the method of layer-by-layer deposition (Fused Deposition Modeling, FDM) using a Creatbot D600 3D printer. The QoL index of patients before and 3 weeks after surgical treatment was measured by the arithmetic sum of the scores of the QLQ-C30 simplified version questionnaire.

Results: The surgical removal of a tumor using a training 3D model had a positive effect on the QoL of patients. Before treatment, the QoL index was on average 7.4 ± 1.2 points, and after treatment 9.4 ± 1.3 points, that is, by 27% higher.

Conclusions: The use of training 3D models not only implements a strategy of personalized treatment and improves the QoL of patients but also contributes to optimization of the postoperative rehabilitation.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular sarcoma commonly occurring in the liver, soft tissues, and organs of the chest cavity. This study provides a detailed description of the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the ovary in a 71-year-old patient. According to the pathohistological examination, a mesenchymal tumor of the ovary with epithelioid cells was diagnosed. The immunohistochemical tests confirmed the diagnosis of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. This clinical case is of interest for clinical practitioners due to the rare location of the tumor in female reproductive organs, which has not been previously documented in the medical literature.

ABSTRACTS OF THE CONFERENCE «ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN CANCER PATIENTS COVERED IN EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL ONCOLOGY PUBLICATIONS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES», October 3-4 2024, Kyiv.

In the era of the intensive development of post-genomic technologies, it is reasonable to review the modern strategy for solving the problems of cancer patients. The current trend of the new paradigm is based on the knowledge and possibilities of correcting molecular genetic processes based on the principles of precision medicine. The key role in implementing such an approach belongs to modern innovative technologies, among which omics technologies occupy a special place. The genesis of the symbiosis of medical-biological and cybernetic technologies aimed at processing information databases becomes the subject of learning the functioning of complex biological systems. Today, for the dynamic development of the implementation of precision medicine based on innovative technologies, it is worth concentrating the efforts on the deep consolidation of transdisciplinary approaches that can form an algorithm of a new market of medical services aimed at improving the quality of life.