Cancer Detection and Prevention Volume 28 / Issue 2 (Mar-Apr 2004)

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.

Family history of hematopoietic and other cancers in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

laire Infante-Rivard, MD, PhD, Marguerite Guiguet, PhD

A positive family history of hematopoietic malignancies among first- or second-degree relatives was associated with a slight risk increase for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The increase was stronger on the maternal than on the paternal side. >>>

Up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 is an early event in prostate carcinogenesis

Hua Zhong, MD, PhD, Gregg L. Semenza, MD, PhD, Jonathan W. Simons, MD, Angelo M. De Marzo, MD, PhD

In 11 of 14 high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia, strong nuclear immunohistochemical staining revealed overexpression of hypoxia-inducible factors –1alpha and beta (HIF-1α and β). In areas adjacent to prostate cancer lesions, HIF-1β nuclear staining was found in normal prostate epithelial and endothelial cells. >>>

The relationship between endometrial carcinoma and coexistent adenomyosis uteri, endometriosis externa and myoma uteri

Masafumi Koshiyama, MD, Takako Okamoto, Michio Ueta

Endometrial adenocarcinomas accompanied by the hormone-dependent diseases, adenomyosis uteri, endometriosis externa, and myoma uteri, showed a low histologic grade (G₁) and had a better prognosis than for control patients. >>>

Evidence of p53 immunohistochemical overexpression in ethmoidal mucosa of woodworkers

Guido Valente, MD, Luisa Ferrari, MD, Simonetta Kerim, MD, Carmine F. Gervasio, MD, Eugenia Ricci, MD, Giuseppe Migliaretti, BSc, Enrico Pira, MD, Mario Bussi, MD

In 92% of woodworkers with long-term exposure to wood dust, the esthmoidal mucosa was mainly layered by metaplastic epithelium. Occupational exposure to wood dust produced p53 overexpression in metaplastic and ciliated nasal epithelium and in sero-mucus glands. In tumor cases the number of p53-positive cells of the normal epithelium was higher in woodworkers than in controls. >>>

Effects of low dose aspirin (81 mg) on proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Amaranthus caudatus labeling in normal-risk and high-risk human subjects for colorectal cancer

Koyamangalath Krishnan, MD, FRCP, Toshihiro Aoki, MD, Mack T. Ruffin, MD, MPH, Daniel P. Normolle, PhD, C. Richard Boland, MD, Dean E. Brenner, MD

The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-labeling index (LI) at baseline was higher in subjects at high risk for colorectal cancer than in normal risk individuals. Aspirin, at a dose of 81mg daily for 28 days, did not moderate the PCNA LI in either high-risk or normal-risk individuals. Thus, neither A. caudatus lectin (ACA) nor PCNA are useful biomarkers for chemopreventive activity of aspirin in morphologically normal human colorectal mucosa of high-risk or normal-risk individuals. >>>

Tumor-associated antigen arrays to enhance antibody detection for cancer diagnosis

Jian-Ying Zhang, MD, PhD

Increased frequencies of anti-c-myc antibodies were found in breast, lung, gastric and hepatocellular carcinoma but not in colorectal and prostate cancer. Autoantibodies to p53 have been found in lung, esophageal, oral, colon, gastric, hepatic, prostate, thyroid and bladder cancers. Detection of autoantibodies in cancer may be enhanced by tumor-associated antigens: c-myc, p53, cyclin, B1, p62, Koc, IMPi and survivin. >>>

Large-scale mitochondrial DNA deletion mutations and nuclear genome instability in human breast cancer

Weizhu Zhu, MD, Wenyi Qin, MD, Edward R. Sauter, MD, PhD

At least one nuclear DNA (nDNA) or 4576 deletion mutations in mitochondrial (mt) DNA (mtDNA) were present in 97.4% of breast cancer specimens. The 4576 bp mtDNA deletion was present in 77% of breast cancer and in 13% of adjacent normal tissue but not in breast tissue without cancer. >>>

Celecoxib: a potent cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor in cancer prevention

Kemal Kismet, MD, M. Turan Akay, PhD, Osman Abbasoglu, MD, Aygün Ercan, MD

Description of the inhibitory effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are supported by 168 citations. Enhanced expression of COX-2 and beneficial effects of NSAIDs are presented for cancers of the colon, gastric, hepatic, pancreatic, lung, breast, skin, prostate and bladder. The chemopreventive effects of NSAIDs are linked to induction of apoptosis and to angiogenesis regulation. >>>

Secular trends in cancer mortality, California 1970­1998

Kiumarss Nasseri, DVM, MPH, PhD

Cancer mortality rates serve to reflect the effectiveness of cancer control activities. The decline in mortality rates from most major cancers is associated with specific primary control measures such as reducing tobacco use and increasing early detection activities like mammography, routine sigmoidoscopy, and prostate specific antigen testing for early detection and aggressive treatment of younger patients. >>>

Herbert E. Nieburgs, MD
Worcester, MA
2004