Biomedical subjects

A M Groeger

Publications and source records attributed to A M Groeger.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

A model of BAX gene delivery to human lung cancer.

In this report we have investigated the effects of BAX in enhancing apoptosis in two primary non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. A count of the apoptotic cells by TUNEL staining revealed that almost 70% of BAX over-expressing cells died, while very few apoptotic cells were detectable in the wildtype cells or in the cells transfected with an empty vector. These findings suggest that de-regulated expression of BAX may provide a novel mechanism for initiating cell death in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Further studies are needed to better define the involvement of this protein in the complex mechanism of lung carcinogenesis and to definitely demonstrate the therapeutic utility of targeting this pathway.

Apoptosis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Advances in the understanding of lung cancer.

Lung cancers still represent an incurable group of malignancies, where we have to admit that therapy, be it surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, still fails. The emphasis in research has centered on exogenous factors causing the initiation and progression of the different types of lung cancer, especially exposure to tobacco smoke. But so far we have learned that endogenous factors play an equal, if not a more important role, in the onset of this group of diseases. Cancer arising spontaneously never appears to be due to one specific factor, but experimental cancers have been shown to do so. In this light, recent advances in molecular biology have pointed out the relevance of the role of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in the pathogenesis of lung cancers. It is the purpose of this paper to review these latest findings, especially from a genetic point of view.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Racial variation in lung cancer.

Lung cancer claimed about 153,000 lives in 1994 in the United States. Despite research overall lung cancer survival has still not improved during the last 20 years, with 5-year relative survival remaining about 13%. In addition several epidemiologic and molecular studies showed a difference in the incidence of lung cancer in the three major races. The aim of our study was to investigate the variations of race in lung cancer patients, in order to identify potential risk factors linked to the different racial status. In this light we compared a 10 years lung cancer data of black population from Howard University Hospital, Washington D.C., U.S.A. and a 20 years data of white population from the Vienna University Hospital, Austria. Our results did not show any significant difference in mean age or tumor localization in both groups, but highlighted a remarkable difference in the incidence of the lung cancer histological types also according to the sex. In this respect it could be more successful to consider carcinogenesis like a protracted process of gene function deregulation in response to cell injury from exposure to genotoxic substances with individual specificity.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ethnic variations in lung cancer.

Cancer of the lung is the most frequent cancer in the world, but with wide geographical variation in risk. It is most spread among males of all races worldwide, the only exception being its incidence among Chinese women aged 70 years and older. When comparing the different ethnic groups we have to consider that besides inhaling cigarette smoke actively or as a passive smoker the exposure to occupational carcinogens varies considerably according to different work places. In our study we compared 10 years of data from African-Americans in Howard University Hospital, Washington D.C. with 20 years of data from the white population in the University Hospital of Vienna, Austria. Ethnic patterns are generally consistent within each group in terms of both incidence and mortality. The difference in susceptibility between the sexes, the three major racial groups and already proven differences in genetic variations indicate the difference between individuals concerning the initiation and progression of lung cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis of the lung: a clinico-pathological study.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is the only form of pulmonary angiitis histologically characterized by a necrotizing angiocentric and angiodestructive lymphoid infiltrate, with an admixed T-cell reaction. We evaluated three patients with a single lung nodule not diagnosed by routine radiological and endoscopic assays. Our investigations showed a prevalence of T-cells in areas of diffuse infiltration, which were actively replacing reactive follicular areas of B-cells, similarly to T-cell lymphomas. Further pathologic assays suggested the histologic diagnosis of grade I lymphomatoid granulomatosis for all three evaluated specimens. After two years, patients treated with a combination of surgical resection and chemotherapy were disease free, supporting the efficacy of aggressive therapy in the management of this often mistreated group of lymphoid proliferations.

Antigens, CD↗