Aim To evaluate efficacy and acute and chronic toxicity of a hypofractionated irradiation schedule in elderly patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the skin. Materials and methods Between February 2005 and November 2011, 42 retrospectively selected patients...
Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) prior to surgery is increasingly the standard of care for locally advanced oesophageal cancer. Radiation therapy is important for local tumour control; however, tumour resistance to radiation is a substantial clinical problem. The mechanism(s) of radioresistance are still poorly understood, however, mounting evidence supports a role for microRNA (miRNA) in modulating key cellular pathways mediating response to radiation. Global miRNA profiling of an established isogenic model of radioresistance in oesophageal adenocarcinoma demonstrated a significant downregulation of miR-31 in radioresistant cells, both basally and in response to radiation. Ectopic re-expression of miR-31 significantly re-sensitised radioresistant cells to radiation. miR-31 was demonstrated to alter the expression of 13 genes involved in DNA repair, which is a critical cellular defence against radiation-induced DNA damage. In oesophageal tumours, miR-31 expression was significantly reduced in patients demonstrating poor histomorphologic response to neoadjuvant CRT, whilst expression of the miR-31-regulated DNA repair genes was significantly increased. Our data suggest a possible mechanism for resistance to CRT, potentially via enhanced DNA repair. This study demonstrates, for the first time, a role for miR-31 in modulating radioresistance and highlights the need for further study investigating the potential role of miR-31 as both a predictive marker of response and a novel therapeutic agent with which to enhance the efficacy of radiation therapy.
Niamh Lynam-Lennon, John V Reynolds, Laure Marignol, Orla M Sheils, Graham P Pidgeon and Stephen G Maher
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Traditional chemotherapy has resulted in only a modest response, if any, for the 3 most common cutaneous malignancies of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Recent advances in understanding of the defects in the pathways driving tumorigenesis...
The worldwide incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) has risen dramatically over the last decades. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is by far the most common type of skin cancer. NMSC needs to be regarded as a chronic disease that has enormous implications for health...
BACKGROUND: Nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common cancer affecting white-skinned individuals and the incidence is increasing worldwide. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review brings together 75 studies conducted over the past half century to look at...
BACKGROUND: A multidisciplinary nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) clinic is held weekly at our center, where all new patients are jointly assessed by dermatology/dermatopathology, radiation oncology, and plastic surgery. A new patient database was established in 2004....
Radiation therapy can result in bone injury with the development of fractures and often can lead to delayed and nonunion of bone. There is no prevention or treatment for irradiation-induced bone injury. We irradiated the distal half of the mouse left femur to study...
AIMS: The primary objective of this study was to assess the rate of tumour response to the palliative radiotherapy regimen used at our centre (8 Gy/fraction on days 0, 7, 21) for non-melanoma skin cancer. The secondary objective was to evaluate symptom palliation....
BACKGROUND: Keloids have been treated by using radiation for over a century, and it is currently suggested that keloids are best treated by a combination of surgery and postoperative radiation therapy, although randomized controlled trials testing this are still...
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