Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the third most common cancer worldwide and,despite improved treatments,is still an important cause of cancer-related deaths.CRC encompasses a complex of diseases arising from a multistep proce...Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the third most common cancer worldwide and,despite improved treatments,is still an important cause of cancer-related deaths.CRC encompasses a complex of diseases arising from a multistep process of genetic and epigenetic events.Besides heterogeneity in the molecular and biological features of CRC,chromosomal instability is a hallmark of cancer and cancer cells may also circumvent replicative senescence and acquire the ability to sustain unlimited proliferation.Telomere/telomerase interplay is an important mechanism involved in both genomic stability and cellular replicative potential,and its dysfunction plays a key role in the oncogenetic process.The erosion of telomeres,mainly because of cell proliferation,may be accelerated by specific alterations in the genes involved in CRC,such as APC and MSH2.Although there is general agreement that the shortening of telomeres plays a role in the early steps of CRC carcinogenesis by promoting chromosomal instability,the prognostic role of telomere length in CRC is still under debate.The activation of telomerase reverse transcriptase(TERT),the catalytic component of the telomerase complex,allows cancer cells to grow indefinitely by maintaining the length of the telomeres,thus favouring tumour formation/progression.Several studies indicate that TERT increases with disease progression,and most studies suggest that telomerase is a useful prognostic factor.Plasma TERT mRNA may also be a promising marker for the minimally invasive monitoring of disease progression and response to therapy.展开更多
Pancreatic surgery represents one of the most challenging areas in digestive surgery. In recent years, an increasing number of laparoscopic pancreatic procedures have been performed and laparoscopic distal pancreatect...Pancreatic surgery represents one of the most challenging areas in digestive surgery. In recent years, an increasing number of laparoscopic pancreatic procedures have been performed and laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) has gained world-wide acceptance because it does not require anastomosis or other reconstruction. To date, English literature reports more than 300 papers focusing on LDP, but only 6% included more than 30 patients. Literature review confirms that LDP is a feasible and safe procedure in patients with benign or low grade malignancies. Decreased blood loss and morbidity, early recovery and shorter hospital stay may be the main advantages. Several concerns still exist for laparoscopic pancreatic adenocarcinoma excision. The individual surgeon determines the technical conduction of LDP, with or without spleen preservation; currently robotic pancreatic surgery has gained diffu- sion. Additional researches are necessary to determine the best technique to improve the procedure results.展开更多
Dear Editor,Gastric cancer represents a remarkable disease burden worldwide,ranking among the first five tumor types in incidence and mortality[1].Germline DNA variation has been extensively investigated in terms of p...Dear Editor,Gastric cancer represents a remarkable disease burden worldwide,ranking among the first five tumor types in incidence and mortality[1].Germline DNA variation has been extensively investigated in terms of predisposition to sporadic gastric cancer,which represents more than 90%of all cases[2].Currently available evidence shows that the fraction of disease burden that can be attributable to known risk polymorphisms is small(<20%)[2].Single germline variations of circadian genes(also called clock genes)have been associated with the predisposition of different tumor types[3].The circadian clock is a timetracking rhythmic biological system with a periodicity of about 24 hours that enables organisms to anticipate environmental changes and allow them to modify their behavior and physiological functions in the most efficient way.Circadian rhythms are controlled by proteins encoded by circadian genes,which have been discovered in all studied species.Remarkably,the disruption of these rhythms has been linked with risk of different diseases including cancer.In regards to the latter,a growing wealth of evidence supports the potential tumor suppressor role of the biological clock[3,4].展开更多
基金Supported by A grant from Cariparo,Project"Tumour mi-croenvironment and tumour spread in gastrointestinal cancers",2013/2014,No.6421 to Rampazzo E
文摘Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the third most common cancer worldwide and,despite improved treatments,is still an important cause of cancer-related deaths.CRC encompasses a complex of diseases arising from a multistep process of genetic and epigenetic events.Besides heterogeneity in the molecular and biological features of CRC,chromosomal instability is a hallmark of cancer and cancer cells may also circumvent replicative senescence and acquire the ability to sustain unlimited proliferation.Telomere/telomerase interplay is an important mechanism involved in both genomic stability and cellular replicative potential,and its dysfunction plays a key role in the oncogenetic process.The erosion of telomeres,mainly because of cell proliferation,may be accelerated by specific alterations in the genes involved in CRC,such as APC and MSH2.Although there is general agreement that the shortening of telomeres plays a role in the early steps of CRC carcinogenesis by promoting chromosomal instability,the prognostic role of telomere length in CRC is still under debate.The activation of telomerase reverse transcriptase(TERT),the catalytic component of the telomerase complex,allows cancer cells to grow indefinitely by maintaining the length of the telomeres,thus favouring tumour formation/progression.Several studies indicate that TERT increases with disease progression,and most studies suggest that telomerase is a useful prognostic factor.Plasma TERT mRNA may also be a promising marker for the minimally invasive monitoring of disease progression and response to therapy.
文摘Pancreatic surgery represents one of the most challenging areas in digestive surgery. In recent years, an increasing number of laparoscopic pancreatic procedures have been performed and laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy (LDP) has gained world-wide acceptance because it does not require anastomosis or other reconstruction. To date, English literature reports more than 300 papers focusing on LDP, but only 6% included more than 30 patients. Literature review confirms that LDP is a feasible and safe procedure in patients with benign or low grade malignancies. Decreased blood loss and morbidity, early recovery and shorter hospital stay may be the main advantages. Several concerns still exist for laparoscopic pancreatic adenocarcinoma excision. The individual surgeon determines the technical conduction of LDP, with or without spleen preservation; currently robotic pancreatic surgery has gained diffu- sion. Additional researches are necessary to determine the best technique to improve the procedure results.
基金This work was supported by the University of Padova (DOR1944742).
文摘Dear Editor,Gastric cancer represents a remarkable disease burden worldwide,ranking among the first five tumor types in incidence and mortality[1].Germline DNA variation has been extensively investigated in terms of predisposition to sporadic gastric cancer,which represents more than 90%of all cases[2].Currently available evidence shows that the fraction of disease burden that can be attributable to known risk polymorphisms is small(<20%)[2].Single germline variations of circadian genes(also called clock genes)have been associated with the predisposition of different tumor types[3].The circadian clock is a timetracking rhythmic biological system with a periodicity of about 24 hours that enables organisms to anticipate environmental changes and allow them to modify their behavior and physiological functions in the most efficient way.Circadian rhythms are controlled by proteins encoded by circadian genes,which have been discovered in all studied species.Remarkably,the disruption of these rhythms has been linked with risk of different diseases including cancer.In regards to the latter,a growing wealth of evidence supports the potential tumor suppressor role of the biological clock[3,4].
