clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00915018.

Reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs), including superoxide anion (O2*-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radical (*OH), play an important role in carcinogenesis. There are some primary antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT) which protect against cellular and molecular damage caused by the ROMs. We conducted the present study to determine the rate of O2*- and H2O2 production, and concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), as an index of lipid peroxidation, along with the SOD, GPx and CAT activities in 54 breast cancer (BC) patients. Forty-two age- and sex-matched patients with minor surgical problems, who had no history of any neoplastic or breast disorders, were taken as controls. The rate of O2*- production was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in BC patients than controls, irrespective of clinical stages and menopausal status. Similarly, H2O2 production was significantly higher in BC patients, especially in stage III and postmenopausal groups, as compared to the respective controls. MDA concentration was also observed significantly elevated in stage II (p < 0.001), stage III (p < 0.01), postmenopausal (p < 0.005), and premenopausal (p < 0.02) group as compared to their corresponding controls. SOD and GPx activities were found significantly raised in all the groups (p < 0.001), except the GPx activity was found a smaller alteration in stage IV (p < 0.02). On the contrary, CAT activity was found significantly depressed in all the study groups. The maximum depression was observed in stage II (-61.8%). Lower CAT activity in our study may be the effect of higher production of ROMs, particularly O2*- and *OH. SOD and GPx, however, were less effected by these higher ROMs production. The results of our study have shown a higher ROMs production and decreased CAT activity, which support the oxidative stress hypothesis in carcinogenesis. The relatively higher SOD and GPx may be due to the response of increased ROMs production in the blood. However, the higher SOD and GPx activities may be inadequate to detoxify high levels of H2O2 into H2O leading to the formation of the most dangerous *OH radical followed by MDA. Therefore, administration of CAT may be helpful in the management of BC patients. However, further elaborate clinical studies are required to evaluate the role of such antioxidant enzymes in BC management.

This randomized controlled trial confirmed the efficacy of chemotherapy (mGEMOX) compared with BSC and FUFA in improving OS and PFS in unresectable GBC.

BACKGROUND: Data on the clinical profile of early breast cancer (EBC) from India is scant. Due to differences in

Cancer is emerging as a major public health challenge globally. Recently, IARC (International Association of Research on Cancer) published global cancer burden using GLOBOCAN 2020 estimates for 36 cancers in 185 countries of the world. As per the estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, cancer is the first or second leading cause of death in 112 of 183 countries. The major takeaways of the GLOBOCAN 2020 report relevant to the surgical oncology community include the rising global burden of cancer, global disparity in cancer incidence and mortality in different geographic regions, and the impact of the human development index (HDI) on cancer incidence and projected global cancer burden by 2040. In this article, we discuss the implications of the GLOBOCAN report on future global cancer control strategies and the role of surgical oncologists in the fight against cancer.

MPNSTs constituted a significant proportion (12%) of soft tissue sarcoma in our medical center. Heterogeneous differentiation and multifocality of the tumor were few distinct features of MPNST. Sex and cellular differentiation were noticed as the new adverse prognostic factors and adjuvant radiotherapy has been proved to be a significant treatment tool in the current series.

These data of EES suggests that low hemoglobin and high WBC count adversely affect EFS. Overall outcome was significantly better for EES than skeletal primary tumors.

Key words: stromelysin; matrix metalloproteinase; oral cancerMMPs are a family of closely related Zn 2ϩ -dependent endopeptidases, involved in degradation of ECM and basement membrane in a substrate-dependent manner, leading to tumour invasion and metastasis. 1,2 In addition, MMPs play important roles in angiogenesis, tumour cell intravasation and malignant cell proliferation. 3,4 ST3, an MMP originally identified by its overexpression in primary breast carcinomas, 5 exhibits some characteristic features, including the inability to degrade any major ECM component, 6 intracellular processing of pro-ST3 by furin-dependent proteolytic cleavage and secretion in a potentially active form, 7 suggesting that it may have a unique role among the MMPs. Normal ST3 expression is associated with intense tissue remodelling during tissue involution, embryogenesis and wound healing. 8 -10 In a syngeneic tumorigenesis model in mice, ST3-increased tumorigenesis was shown to result from decreased cancer cell death through apoptosis and necrosis, suggesting that during malignancy the cellular function of ST3 is to favour survival of cancer cells in the stromal environment. 11 In most human cancers, ST3 expression has been observed in stromal fibroblasts surrounding malignant epithelial cells and suggested to promote tumorigenesis in a paracrine manner. 12,13 Strong ST3 expression has been correlated with increased aggressiveness of tumours and a poor clinical outcome. 14 In breast carcinomas, high levels of ST3 mRNA and protein correlated with poor clinical outcome. 15,16 ST3 expression was also observed in lung, colorectal and ovarian carcinomas. [17][18][19] Betel and tobacco consumption is the major cause of the high incidence of oral cancer, accounting for about 40% of all malignancies in the Indian subcontinent. SCC of the oral cavity is the most common cancer amongst Indian males and the third most common cancer among females. 20 The development of betel-and tobacco-associated oral SCC is a multistep process, clinically preceded by precancerous lesions, often leukoplakia, with histologic evidence of hyperplasia or dysplasia, the rate of malignant transformation being 5-10% over a period of 10 years. 21 Oral SCCs have a high potential for invasiveness leading to regional lymph node involvement and locoregional spread, causing severe morbidity. Elucidation of the factors affecting invasion and locoregional spread and identification of useful biomarkers to predict malignant potential are important for effective management of oral cancer. ST3 expression has been observed in head-and-neck cancer. 22,23 However, the role of ST3 in precancerous oral lesions remains to be comprehensively evaluated. Our aim was to determine the clinical significance of ST3 expression in early stages of oral tumour development and determine its relationship with intratumoral MVD as a parameter of angiogenesis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Tissue specimensOur study was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (New D...