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C Botti

Publications and source records attributed to C Botti.

115 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of steroid-free fetal serum and steroid supplementation on MUC1 gene expression in human breast cancer cell line MCF7.

MUC1 is a gene expressed by many normal epithelial tissues and aberrantly expressed by carcinomas. Studies regarding the expression of MUC1 in endometrial tissues and the constitution of its promoter region suggest a possible role for hormonal regulation of this gene. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the regulation of MUC 1 expression by 17 beta-estradiol (E2), progesterone (Pg) and by steroid-free fetal calf serum (FCS) in the hormone-sensitive cell line MCF7. MUC1 mRNA proved to be detectable by means of Northern-blot analysis in MCF7 cells, and its levels were strongly increased in cells grown with 10% steroid-free FCS. By contrast, the steady-state MUC1 mRNA levels of steroid-supplemented cells did not change compared to those of unsupplemented cells (controls). In conclusion, MUC1 expression is regulated by substances present in the steroid-stripped FCS (growth factors, e.g. Insulin-like Growth Factor). The lack of any observed MUC1 modulation by steroids could be due to: a) a low FCS concentration preventing the manifestation (permissive action) of possible gene regulation; b) an immediate stimulatory effect occuring in the first phases of the treatment, which could subsequently be lost.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Development of a rapid and ultrasensitive RIA method for estrogen (E2, E1, E1-S) determination with selective solid phase extraction.

The inhibition of the proliferative stimulation exercised by estrogens on neoplastic cells is the goal of all endocrine therapies in breast cancer. Under various circumstances, e.g. with the use of aromatase inhibitors, this result can be obtained by blocking the synthetic pathway and, consequently, by lowering the circulating levels of estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and estrone sulfate (E1-S). The evaluation of these hormones in plasma could therefore represent a useful indicator of the biological efficacy of the therapy. However, the measurement of circulating steroids in a large series of patients is often a complicated procedure. Indirect methods of extraction are time consuming and expensive while the analytical sensitivity of direct methods is not sufficient to measure the residual levels of E2, E1, and E1-S. In this paper we describe a novel extraction method for the evaluation of plasma levels of E2, E1, and E1-S. This new method consists of solid phase extraction followed by a highly specific radioimmunoassay. The sensitivity of the assay is 0.6 pg/ml, 2.0 pg/ml and 7.0 pg/ml for E2, E1, and E1-S, respectively.

Estradiol↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of multiploidy as unfavorable prognostic variable in colorectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prognostic value of DNA multiploidy in a prospective study on frozen surgical tissue samples from primary colorectal cancer. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Survival data from eleven prospective studies collectively comprising about thirteen hundred patients showed that aneuploidy correlated with a 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) significantly poorer than diploidy, and showed the limited prognostic value of results from retrospective studies employing paraffin-embedded material. METHODS: Multiple tumor samples of fresh/frozen surgical tissues from 120 colorectal cancer patients who had undergone radical surgery were taken for flow cytometric analysis of DNA content, and proliferative activity, shown as percentage of cells in S-phase (%S). The minimum follow-up of this series was 30 months. Univariate and multivariate analyses determined the independent significance of both clinical and biological variable on DFS. RESULTS: Values of %S equal to or higher than 17.3 correlated with a 5-year DFS poorer than values lower than 17.3 (44.5% vs 85.2% respectively; p = .03), even if only in patients younger than 64. The subgroup with multiploid tumors showed a significantly poorer 5-year DFS (44.5% vs. 62.6% in the non multiploid patients; p = .02). Subgrouping the Dukes'B stage alone by multiploidy, the difference in DFS was much more evident (31.2% vs. 68% respectively; p = .0004) and multivariate analysis showed multiploidy as the only significant variable. Above all, adjuvant therapy did not absolutely modify the unfavorable outcome of the multiploid Dukes'B patients. CONCLUSIONS: The prospective evaluation of ploidy allowed us to identify a very high-risk subgroup of patients with multiploid tumors. This biological characterization was easy to demonstrate and, above all in node-negative patients, reliable and very effective in terms of prognosis. The presence of multiploidy should result in a more aggressive therapeutic approach in the adjuvant setting.

Aneuploidy↗