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View the Table of Contents for the February 15 issue of Cancer Research.
Page 1883 Page 1891
Lu et al. Page 1956
Green tea has been shown to be a potent chemopreventive agent against lung tumorigenesis in animal models. Treatment of A/J mice with either green tea (0.6% in water) or a defined green tea catechin extract (Polyphenon E) (2.0 g/kg in diet) inhibited lung tumor tumorigenesis. Lu et al. established a 17-gene–expression profile specific for exposure to effective doses of either green tea or Polyphenon E. This gene-expression signature was altered both in normal lungs and lung adenomas when mice were exposed to green tea or Polyphenon E. These experiments identified patterns of gene expressions that both offer clues for green tea’s potential mechanisms of action and provide a molecular signature specific for green tea exposure.
Kim et al. Page 2153
The proliferation-specific Foxm1 transcription factor regulates expression of cell-cycle genes essential for DNA replication and mitosis. To determine the role of Foxm1 in lung tumorigenesis in vivo, Kim et al. used interferon-inducible Mx-Cre recombinase transgene to delete mouse Foxm1 fl/fl-targeted allele prior to inducing lung tumors with urethane. Mx-Cre Foxm1–/– mice exhibited diminished proliferation of lung tumor cells causing a significant reduction in number and size of lung adenomas. Foxm1 expression was elevated in a majority of human lung cancers, suggesting that Foxm1 can be used as a potential target for diagnosis and/or treatment of lung cancer.
Page 2250
In a prospective study with a median of 10 years’ follow-up of 526 consecutive patients with operable breast cancer, Henderson et al. evaluated the significance of positive parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) staining by immunohistology. Improved survival was observed for the 79% of patients with tumors that stained positively for PTHrP. Patients with PTHrP-positive primary tumors were less likely to develop bone metastases. PTHrP status was associated with estrogen receptor and menopausal status but was not significantly associated with tumor size, vascular invasion, tumor grade, or patient age. This study establishes that increased production of PTHrP in primary breast tumors is associated with reduced metastases at all sites, including bone, and is consequently associated with reduced mortality.