Vitamin E May Play a Role in the Development of Esophageal and Gastric Cancers
High serum levels of -tocopherol, one of two major forms of vitamin E, are associated with a decreased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancers, a new study has found. Philip R. Taylor, M.D., Sc.D., of the National Cancer Institute, and his colleagues measured serum - and -tocopherol levels in 1,072 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, gastric cardia cancer, or gastric noncardia cancer, and 1,053 healthy controls. High -tocopherol levels were associated with a reduced risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, but an increased risk of gastric noncardia cancer. Serum -tocopherol levels were not associated with the incidence of any of these cancers.
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Antisense Inhibition Lowers Incidence of Neuroblastomas in Mice
Inhibition of hMYCN oncogene expression is associated with a reduction in the incidence of neuroblastomas in mice, according to a new study. Neuroblastomas are childhood tumors of sympathetic nervous tissue. Catherine A. Burkhart, and Michelle Haber, Ph.D., of the Children's Cancer Institute Australia for Medical Research, and colleagues used antisense oligonucleotides to inhibit hMYCN expression in mouse models of neuroblastoma. Mice treated continuously with antisense oligonucleotides had a lower incidence of neuroblastomas and lower mean tumor mass than mice treated with control oligonucleotides. "Our results raise the possibility that hMYCN antisense therapy may ultimately be clinically useful in the treatment of childhood neuroblastoma," the authors conclude.
Researchers Address Questions about the Design of Dual-Label Microarrays
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Journal of the National Cancer Institute
16-Sep-2003