Krebswissenschaft und -therapie

I am pleased to introduce Journal of Cancer Science and Therapy (JCST) a rapid peer reviewed Journal which has key concerns over the Cancer Science by exploring the best patient oriented clinical research and by promoting these findings both directly as research outcomes and in practice oriented formats of direct application in day to-day situations. I am pleased to announce that, all issues of volume 11 were published on scheduled time during the year of 2019.

A new public health crisis threatening globally, is the emergence of novel Corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) or the acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The COVID-19 virus was originated in China, particularly in the Wuhan lab of Hubei province in December 2019. It has been found that cancer patients are highly susceptible to infection with COVID 19, and developed more critical symptoms as compared to the normal or non-cancer patients possibly due to the systemic immunosuppressive status, caused by excessive tumor growth as well as effects of anticancer treatment. Extensive literature survey shows that patients with hematological malignancies including lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma had a more severe infection of COVID-19 as compared to the solid tumor patients. In this review, we have discussed the risk and impact of COVID-19 infection on the individuals on the basis of cancer subgroups and patient demographics (sex, age group), and preventive guidelines and resources in addition to highlighting the clinical management and recommendations.

Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive disease. It is characterized with bad prognosis. We conducted this study to assess the prognostic significance of pretreatment PLR in patients with MPM.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 400 patients treated for MPM in Ain Shams University hospital, Clinical Oncology department between January 2013 and December 2017. Pre-treatment CBC was available for the 110 patients to calculate PLR.

Results: Out of 110 patients, age ranged from 28 to 70 years. Male: female was 5: 6. Epithelioid subtype represent 85%.Stages III, IV represent 48.2% and 35.5%. Median PFS and OS were 6.9 and 11.9 monthes. Using a cut-off value of 177.9.Low PLR was associated with better median PFS than high PLR (7.97 vs. 6.63), (p=0.039). For patients with low vs. high PLR, median OS was 15.07 vs. 10.4 months (P value= 0.063) 61.8% received platinum pemetrexed and 38.2% received platinum/gemcitabine as 1^st line chemotherapy. Radiological response to first line therapy was SD, PR, PD and CR in 47%, 29%, 23% and 0.9% of patients respectively. There was no statistical significance in PFS and OS between patients who received platinum/pemetexed versus platinum/Gemcitabine (p=0.53). The group who received platinum/pemetrexed had median OS 17.5 vs. 10.5 months (P=0.108) in low versus high PLR and median PFS 7.7 monthes vs. 5.03 months (P=0.034). The group who received platinum- gemcitabine had median OS 15.07 vs. 8.2 months (P=0.264) in low versus high PLR and median PFS 8.07 vs. 8.2 months (P=0.332).

Conclusion: The higher the PLR, the worse the prognosis. There was statistically significant difference in PFS between low vs. high PLR, and in PFS of both groups of PLR of the group who received platinum pemetrexed.

Introduction: Some diagnosed cases of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) with possible mutations of the p-53 gene in the human B lymphocyte
genome were investigated in this study.
Method: Using the ELISA technique, the frequency of p-53 protein expression in 20 patients diagnosed with CLL, was analyzed, including the
relationship of this protein to the disease status, in the stages II-III/IV.
Results: The frequency of increased expression of the isoform p-53 protein in type B-CLL was found to be 15% per cent. The mean concentrations
of the p-53 proteins in 17 cases out of the 20, was found to be 16.76 μg/dl, with CV=0.5% and the probability index p=0.034. The percentage
of the p-53 positive isoform proteins increased above the normal values with disease progression: 15% ± 2 in stages 1-2, compared to 100% in
stages 3-4.
Conclusion: The ELISA method has proved a useful prognostic tool of CLL because was able to identify the patients with p-53 isoform proteins
and can be considered a screening method for the applying of personalized treatment in the cases diagnosticated with resistance CLL to the
specific treatment applied of the first line.