During the course of tumor progression the differentiated morphologic and functional characteristics of differentiated thyroid carcinomas (DTC) disappear. This corresponds to more aggressive growth, metastatic spread, and loss of iodine uptake. Experimental data give strong evidence that differentiated functions of iodine metabolism can be reinduced by retinoic acids. Results of a study performed in patients with advanced DTC are presented. Twenty patients with DTC (eight follicular, seven papillary, five oxyphilic) were selected for treatment with retinoic acid 1.5 mg/kg body weight/day over 5 weeks. All patients had advanced tumor stages with prior operative and radioiodine treatment. Extensive tumor invasion, distant metastatic spread, or insufficient or no radioiodine uptake precluded any conventional therapeutic option. The aim was to assess the changes under retinoid treatment. Iodine uptake increased in eight patients (three follicular, three papillary, two oxyphilic). Thyroglobulin (TG) as parameter for tumor mass and differentiation increased in 12 (63%) patients, decreased in 6 (32%), and did not change in 1 (5%). Retinoids do have an effect on differentiation status of DTC, reinducing iodine uptake in 50% of patients. TG levels do not always parallel a response in iodine uptake.
Background and aims: Microsatellite instability (MSI) is characterized by the size variation of microsatellites in tumor DNA as compared to matching normal DNA due to defects in the mismatch repair system. To examine the chromosomal differences in microsatellite-stable (MSS) and -unstable (MSI) tumors in detail, we analyzed MSS (Caco-2, Colo-205, SW948) and MSI (HCT-15, HCT-116, LoVo) cell lines by spectral karyotyping (SKY). Methods: SKY is a sensitive method to detect chromosome aberrations by visualizing each chromosome in a different color. Metaphases were hybridized with a SKY probe mixture. Images were visualized with the SpectraCube system and analyzed with the SKYview imaging software. Results: The average number of chromosomes was 49 in LoVo, 45 in HCT-116, 46 in HCT-15, 71 in Colo-205, 89 in Caco-2 and 66 in SW-948. Three aberrant chromosomes were detected in LoVo, three in HCT-116, two in HCT-15, seventeen in Colo-205, fourteen in Caco-2 and nine in SW948. Conclusion: The karyotypes of MSS colon cancer cells displayed complex numerical and structural aberrations. In contrast the chromosomes of MSI colon cancer cells were mostly unaltered but displayed a few isolated numerical and structural aberrations. We speculate that these isolated aberrations may be specifically involved in the pathogenesis of MSI tumors.
Normally, thyroid cancer is a disease with a good prognosis, but about 30% of the tumours dedifferentiate and may ®nally develop into highly malignant anaplastic thyroid carcinomas with a mean survival time of less than 8 months. Due to the loss of thyroid-speci®c functions associated with dedifferentiation, these tumours are inaccessible to standard therapeutic procedures such as radioiodide therapy and thyroxine-mediated thyrotrophin suppression. Medullary thyroid carcinomas are also highly aggressive. Here, therapy is limited to surgery, and no alternative is left if patients do not respond to this standard procedure.Obviously, new approaches would be desirable. Several novel approaches are currently being tested for the treatment of thyroid cancer. Many of them utilise methods of gene therapy, but follow different strategies: (1) reintroduction of the tumour suppressor p53 into a background lacking functional p53; (2) suicide gene therapy with ganciclovir and a transduced gene for herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase controlled by the thyroglobulin promoter; (3) strengthening of the antitumour immune response by expression of an adenovirus-delivered interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene; (4) induction of an immune response by DNA vaccination against the tumour marker calcitonin; (5) transduction of the thyroid sodium/iodide transporter gene to make tissues that do not accumulate iodide treatable by radioiodide therapy; (6) blocking of the expression of the oncogene c-myc by antisense oligonucleotides. While these approaches are still tested in vitro or in animal models, ®rst results from pilot studies concerning other novel treatment modalities are available: (7) radioimmunotherapy exploits the carcinoembryonic antigen expressed on medullary thyroid carcinomas to target a radiolabelled antibody to the tumour; and (8) retinoic acid is used for a redifferentiation therapy in the case of thyroid cancer. Hopefully, one or the other of these novel strategies may probably extend after some time the current therapeutic repertoire for thyroid cancers and provide a perspective for otherwise untreatable patients.European Journal of endocrinology 143 15±24
Objective: Proinflammatory cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of non-thyroidal illness (NTI), as shown by studies with IL-6 2/2 and IL-12 2/2 mice. Interleukin (IL)-6 changes peripheral thyroid hormone metabolism, and IL-12 seems to be involved in the regulation of the central part of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis during illness. IL-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine which shares important biological properties with IL-12, such as interferon (IFN)-g-inducing activity. Design: By studying the changes in the HPT-axis during bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced illness in IL-18 2/2 , IFNgR 2/2 and wild-type (WT) mice, we wanted to unravel the putative role of IL-18 and IFNg in the pathogenesis of NTI. Results: LPS induced a decrease in pituitary type 1 deiodinase (D1) activity (P , 0.05, ANOVA) in WT mice, but not in IL-18 2/2 mice, while the decrease in D2 activity was similar in both strains. LPS decreased serum thyroid hormone levels and liver D1 mRNA within 24 h similarly in IL-18 2/2 , and WT mice. The expression of IL-1, IL-6 and IFNg mRNA expression was significantly lower in IL-18 2/2 mice than in WT, while IL-12 mRNA expression was similar. IFNgR 2/2 mice had higher basal D1 activity in the pituitary than WT mice (P , 0.05); LPS induced a decrease of D2, but not of D1, activity in the pituitary which was similar in both strains. In the liver, the LPS-induced increase in cytokine expression was not different between IFNgR 2/2 mice and WT mice, and the decrease in serum T 3 and T 4 levels and hepatic D1 mRNA was also similar. Conclusions: The relative decrease in serum T 3 and T 4 and liver D1 mRNA in response to LPS is similar in IL-18 2/2 , IFNgR 2/2 and WT mice despite significant changes in hepatic cytokine induction. However, the LPS-induced decrease in D1 activity in the pituitary of WT mice is absent in IL-18 2/2 mice; in contrast, LPS did not decrease pituitary D1 activity in the IFNgR 2/2 mice or their WT, which might be due to the genetic background of the mice. Our results suggest that IL-18 is also involved in the regulation of the central part of the HPT axis during illness.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.