Cancer Detection and Prevention Volume 25 / Issue 6 (Nov-Dec 2001)

Table of Contents and Editor's Notes

The peer review process occasionally results in approval of controversial publications that do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the editors. Readers of the journal are encouraged to critically review and comment on presented data by submitting a "Letter to the Editor" that may be reprinted in a subsequent issue.

hMLH1 and hMSH2 Mutations in Families with Familial Clustering of Gastric Cancer and Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colorectal Cancer

Jin C. Kim, MD, phD, Hee C. Kim, MD, Seon A. Roh, MS, Kum H. Koo, BS, Dong H. Lee, MD, Chang S. Yu, MD, Je H. Lee, MD, Tae W. Kim, MD, Han I. Lee, MD, Nicholas E. Beck, MD, and Walter F. Bodmer; PhD

Mutations of hMLH1 and hMSH2 occurred in 9.4% of familial clustering of gastric cancer, in 54.5% of first-degree relatives with 1 or more colorectal and gastric cancer and in 31.6% of first- and second-degree relatives with 2 or more colorectal cancer, but without gastric neoplasms. >>>

Breast Cancer Risk Factors and HER2 Over-expression in Tumors

Helen Swede, phD, Kirsten B. Moysich, phD, Jo L. Freudenheim, phD, Jeffrey T Quirk, phD, Paola C. Muti, MD, Thelma C. Hurd, MD, Stephen B. Edge, MD, Janet S. Winston, MD, and Arthur M Michalek, PhD

HER-2-positive breast cancers tended to be larger and were more likely estrogen receptor-negative than HER-2-negative tumors. No statistically significant age-adjusted associations were observed among any of the risk factors and HER-2 status. >>>

Carrageenan-Induced Inclusions in Mammary Myoepithelial Cells

Joanne K. Tobacman, MD, and Katherine S. Walters, BS

Exposure in tissue culture of mammary myoepithelial cells to low concentrations of lambda-carrageenan for short intervals produced marked changes in the intracellular structure. These changes included prominence of membrane-associated vesicles that coalesced to form unusual petal-like arrays that were associateed with distortion and vacuolation of the lysosomes. >>>

Effects of the Dietary Phytoestrogens Daidzein and Genistein on the Incidence of Vulvar Carcinomas in 129/J Mice

Julius E. Thigpen, PhD, Jacqueline Lockleal, DVM, Joseph K. Haseman, PhD, Hannah Saunders, BS, Mary F. Grant, VMD, and Diane B. Forsythe, DVM

Seventy-five percent of mice fed on a purified soy protein diet of the phytoestrogens diadzein and genestein had vulvar carcinomas compared to 37.5% of mice fed a purified casein diet with less than detectable levels of the phytoestrogens. >>>

Importance of Human Papillomaviruses for the Development of Skin Cancer

Thomas Meyer, PhD, Rüdiger Arndt, MD, Enno Christophers, MD, Ingo Nindl, PhD, and Eggert Stockfleth, MD

A high prevalence of HPV was detected in 93% of Verrucae vulgares lesions in contrast to only 22% of keratoacanthomas. An average of 50% of premalignant and malignant skin lesions were HPV-positive compared to 16% of HPV-positive normal skin tissues. In plugged hair folicles, HPV DNA was detected in 47%. Authors suggest that a direct role of HPV in skin carcinogenesis remains questionable. >>>

Clostridium as a Tumor-Specific Delivery System of Therapeutic Proteins

Jan Theys, PhD, Willy Landuyt, SrSc, Sandra Nuyts, MD, Lieve Van Mellaert, PhD, Philippe Lambin, MD, PhD, and Jozef Anne, PhD

In rat rhabdomyosarcoma R1 in vivo tumor model clostridium acetobutylicum colonized the tumors whereas proliferation of these bacteria was absent in normal tissues suggesting the use of this tumor-specific nonpathogenic vector for delivery of therapeutic proteins. >>>

Comparative Study of Sister Chromatid Exchange Induction and Antitumor Effects by Homo-aza-steroidal Esters of {p-[bis(2- chloroethyl)amino]phenyl}butyric Acid

Charalambos Camoutsis, PhD, Dimitrios Catsoulacos, BSc, Venetia Karayianni, MSC, Athanasios Papageorgiou, PhD, Dionysios Mourelatos, PhD, Elefthenia Mioglou, PhD, Zafiria Kritsi, PhD, Sotiris Nikolaropoulos, PhD

Three homo-aza-steroidal esters containing the -CONH- in steroidal nucleus on cultured human lymphocytes from leukemia P388- and leukemia L1210-bearing mice induced a statistically significant enhancement of sister chomatid exchanges and of cell division delay. >>>

Herbert E. Nieburgs, MD
Worcester, MA
2001