Role of abnormal lipid metabolism in development,progression,diagnosis and therapy of pancreatic cancer

There is growing evidence that metabolic alterations play an important role in cancer development and progression.The metabolism of cancer cells is reprogrammed in order to support their rapid proliferation.Elevated fatty acid synthesis is one of the most important aberrations of cancer cell metabolism.An enhancement of fatty acids synthesis is required both for carcinogenesis and cancer cell survival,as inhibition of key lipogenic enzymes slows down the growth of tumor cells and impairs their survival.Based on the data that serum fatty acid synthase(FASN),also known as oncoantigen 519,is elevated in patients with certain types of cancer,its serum level was proposed as a marker of neoplasia.This review aims to demonstrate the changes in lipid metabolism and other metabolic processes associated with lipid metabolism in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC),the most common pancreatic neoplasm,characterized by high mortality.We also addressed the influence of some oncogenic factors and tumor suppressors on pancreatic cancer cell metabolism.Additionally the review discusses the potential role of elevated lipid synthesis in diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.In particular,FASN is a viable candidate for indicator of pathologic state,marker of neoplasia,as well as,pharmacological treatment target in pancreatic cancer.Recent research showed that,in addition to lipogenesis,certain cancer cells can use fatty acids from circulation,derived from diet(chylomicrons),synthesized in liver,or released from adipose tissue for their growth.Thus,the interactions between de novo lipogenesis and uptake of fatty acids from circulation by PDAC cells require further investigation.

MicroRNA and esophageal carcinoma

Objective：An abundant class of non-coding small RNA molecules, 21-25 nucleotide in length, are widely found in animals and plants and named microRNA （miRNA）. MiRNAs are highly evolutionarily conserved, expressing in specific tissue and timing, and negatively regulate the gene expressions at the posttranscriptional level,and subsequently control crucial physiological processes such as metabolism, amplification, differentiation, development and apoptosis, Therefore, miRNAs could provide an access to many human diseases in theory. Recent evidence demonstrates that miRNAs play an important role in the initiation and progression of human cancer, mainly by interrupting the cell cycle at the cellular level and by interacting with signaling The expression profiling of miRNAs can be used as a tool of diagnosis, staging, prognosis and biotherapy of some tumors, as has already been proven to have superiority to mRNA, in the categorization of tumors. This review focuses on the genesis, mechanism of action of miRNA and its relationship to tumors, detection methods and its potential effect on the diagnosis, staging, and biotherapy in esophageal carcinoma.

Identification of chromosomal imbalances in pancreatic carcinoma using comparative genomic hybridization

Objective To identify genetic abnormalities in primary pancreatic carcinoma in humans.Methods Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was used to investigate genomic imbalances in 27 cases of pancreatic carcinomas. Multiple deletions and gains were observed in all tumor specimens.Results Losses affecting chromosomes 9p,17p,4q and 6p and gains involving 8q,7q,3q and 1q were commonly observed.Conclusions There are multiple regions of chromosomes with changes copy number in pancreatic carcinoma. The altered chromosomal regions may contain several candidate genes which are involved in the development and progress of pancreatic carcinogenesis.