The worldwide annual incidence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is over 300,000 cases with a mortality rate of 48%. This cancer type accounts for 90% of all oral cancers, with the highest ...incidence in men over 50 years of age. A significantly increased risk of developing OSCC exists among smokers and people who consume alcohol daily. OSCC is an aggressive cancer that metastasizes rapidly. Despite the development of new therapies in the treatment of OSCC, no significant increase in 5-year survival has been recorded in the past decades. The latest research suggests focus should be put on examining tumor stroma activation within OSCC, as the stroma may contain cells that can produce signal molecules and a microenvironment crucial for the development of metastases. The aim of this review is to provide an insight into the factors that activate OSCC stroma and hence faciliate neoplastic progression. It is based on the currently available data on the role and interaction between metalloproteinases, cytokines, growth factors, hypoxia factor and extracellular adhesion proteins in the stroma of OSCC and neoplastic cells. Their interplay is additionally presented using the Systems Biology Graphical Notation in order to sublimate the collected knowledge and enable the more efficient recognition of possible new biomarkers in the diagnostics and follow-up of OSCC or in finding new therapeutic targets.
Twenty common genetic variants have been associated with risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC) in genome wide association studies to date. Since large differences between populations exist, ...generalisability of findings to any specific population needs to be confirmed.
The aim of this study was to perform an association study between risk variants: rs10795668, rs16892766, rs3802842 and rs4939827 and CRC risk in Croatian population.
An association study was performed on 320 colorectal cancer cases and 594 controls recruited in Croatia. We genotyped four variants previously associated with CRC: rs10795668, rs16892766, rs3802842 and rs4939827.
SMAD7 variant rs4939827 (18q21.1) was significantly associated with CRC risk in Croatian population. C allele was associated with a decreased risk, odds ratio (OR): 0.70 (95% CI: 0.57-0.85, P=3.5E-04). Compared to TT homozygotes, risk was reduced by 34% in heterozygotes (OR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.47-0.92) and by 52% in CC homozygotes (OR=0.48, 95% CI: 0.33-0.72).
Our results show association of rs4939827 with colorectal cancer risk in Croatian population. The higher strength of the association in comparison to other studies suggests population-specific environmental or genetic factors may be modifying the association. More studies are needed to further describe role of rs4939827 in CRC. Likely reason for failure of replication for other 3 loci is inadequate study power.
Over-the-counter products rarely cause unwanted reactions in the oral cavity. Oral reactions to these agents are not specific and might present with various clinical oral findings. Detailed medical ...history is a key to the proper diagnosis of these lesions and fortunately other diagnostic procedures are rarely needed. Lesions are usually managed with elimination of the offending agent and with topical steroids. In more severe cases systemic steroids should be applied.
Hemiperitoneum caused by venous bleeding from the hilum of the spleen is a rare cause of acute abdomen in the last trimester of pregnancy.
We are presenting a case of a twenty-nine-year-old primipara ...with the clinical picture of acute abdomen.
Primipara in the 36th week of pregnancy presented with the clinical picture of acute abdomen with the ultrasound finding of free fluid in the abdominal cavity and foetal bradycardia. Considering the clinical picture of the mother and the risks for the foetus, it was decided to complete the pregnancy with an emergency caesarean section. During the procedure, exploration of the abdominal cavity found the bleeding site from the venae gastricae breves, and a surgeon stopped active bleeding.
Non-obstetric bleedings are not common in pregnancy, but they are life-threatening both to the mother and the foetus. The exact cause is usually found during the surgical procedure. If a pregnant woman presents with a clinical picture of abdominal pain, and the signs of foetal distress or clinical instability of the mother are also present, an emergency surgical procedure is indicated. In this case, the indication was foetal bradycardia, and the child was born alive by a caesarean section, while an extended surgical procedure saved the mother's life.
Oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral lichenoid reaction (OLR) are clinically and histopathologically similar diseases. Whereas OLP is a consequence of T cell mediated autoinflammatory process to a still ...unknown antigen, OLR might be caused by drugs, dental restorative materials and dental plaque. Pubmed was searched and 24 publications published over the last three years regarding etiology, diagnosis and malignant alteration were included in this study. Patients with OLR who have amalgam fillings near lesions should have them replaced, i.e. when possible they should be referred to patch test, as well as when drug-induced OLR are suspected. OLR lesions induced by drugs should disappear when the offending drug has been discontinued. Histology finding in OLR consists of more eosinophils, plasma cells and granulocytes in comparison to OLP lesions. Furthermore, OLP lesions showed more p53, bcl-2 and COX-2 positivity when compared to OLR. OLP is characterized by infiltration, atrophic epithelium, rete pegs and Max Joseph spaces, while deep infiltration into connective tissue and hyperkeratosis were the criteria for making the diagnosis of OLR. The number of degranulated mastocytes in the reticular layer, as well as the number of capillaries was higher in OLR in comparison to OLP. It seems that OLR are more prone to malignant alteration in comparison to OLP.
Based on immunohistochemical staining for the basal markers cytokeratin 5/6 (CK 5/6), cytokeratin 14 (CK 14) and P-cadherin, triple negative tumors (TNT) are divided into two groups: 1) basal-like ...(BL) positive for one or all three markers; and 2) non basal-like (NBL) negative for all three markers. Even though the different origin of the cells of these two types of tumors implies different biological properties, they had been treated as one entity until recently. This paper analyzes TNT collected from 150 patients and distributed into two groups according to the results of immunohistochemical analysis, i.e. BL 116 (77.3%) and NBL 34 (22.67%). In this study, CK 5/6, CK 14 and P-cadherin were used as markers for identifying BL tumors. The immunohistochemical reaction was positive for CK 5/6 in 37%, for CK 14 in 50.86% and for P-cadherin in 68.34% of cases. The subclassification of triple negative breast cancer using the basal markers CK 5/6, CK 14 and P-cadherin has enabled identification of BL and NBL breast cancers in a proportion that is in line with the only accurate analysis of TNT gene expression. Using the mentioned combination of markers in daily practice is easy to perform and economically affordable.
To estimate the incidence and mortality trends of gastric and colorectal cancers in Croatia between 1988 and 2008.
Incidence data for the period 1988-2008 were obtained from the Croatian National ...Cancer Registry. The number of deaths from gastric and colorectal cancers were obtained from the World Health Organization mortality database. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to describe changes in trends by sex.
Gastric cancer incidence rates declined steadily during the study period, with estimated annual percent change (EAPC) of -3.2% for men and -2.8% for women. Mortality rates in men decreased, with EAPC of -5.0% from 1988-1995 and -2.5% from 1995-2008. Mortality rates in women decreased, with EAPC of -3.2% throughout the study period. For colorectal cancer in men, joinpoint analysis revealed increasing trends of both incidence (EAPC 2.9%) and mortality (EAPC 2.1%). In women, the increase in incidence was not significant, but mortality rates in the last 15 years showed a significant increase (EAPC 1.1%).
The incidence and mortality trends of gastric cancer in Croatia are similar to other European countries, while the still increasing colorectal cancer mortality calls for more efficient prevention and treatment.
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