March 1 Cancer Research Highlights

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Selected Articles from the March 1, 2006 Issue

The articles referenced in this Highlights section will be available online in HTML and PDF formats to all interested users at no charge until the next issue of Cancer Research is published. Click on the article title to view the complete article.

View the Table of Contents for the March 1 issue of Cancer Research.

Targeted Collagen Degradation Aids Viral Vector Distribution in Tumors

While offering great promise for the treatment of solid tumors, oncolytic viral therapy is currently limited by the inability of vectors to propagate throughout the entire tumor. Using in vivo two-photon microscopy, McKee et al. found that interstitial fibrillar collagen is a major barrier to the distribution of herpes simplex virus (HSV) vectors following intratumoral injection. Matrix degradation using bacterial collagenase improved vector distribution and significantly enhanced the efficacy of the oncolytic HSV vector MGH2. This study highlights the potential of matrix-modifying strategies for improvement of cancer gene therapy.

Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Characterized by Cox-1 Overexpression

Human epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC) originate from the outer lining of the ovary. Underlying causes of EOC formation and growth are largely unknown. Cyclooxygenase-1 (Cox-1) and Cox-2 produce prostaglandins, which, when produced in excess, stimulate growth of various tumors. Much research has focused on Cox-2 because it is overexpressed in many cancers and enhances growth. Cox isoforms’ roles in EOC remain puzzling. Using several genetically engineered mouse models, Daikoku et al. show that Cox-1, not Cox-2, is overexpressed in EOC, presenting Cox-1 as a potential marker of EOC and a target for the prevention and/or treatment of this deadly disease.

IL-23–Expressing NSCs Evoke Antiglioma Immune Response

Neural stem cells have the capability of tracking brain tumors. To explore the potential of autologous neural stem cells for delivering immunotherapy against glioma, Yuan et al. isolated neural stem-like cells (NSC) from bone marrow and tested the ability of NSC to deliver cytokine IL-23 for immunotherapy of brain tumors. Intratumoral delivery of IL-23–expressing bone marrow–derived NSC mounted an effective immune response against glioma. The antitumor immunity is due to the unique action of IL-23 on tumoricidal potency and the tumor-tracking ability of NSC. These data suggest an attractive new treatment modality for malignant brain tumors.

Array Analysis Identifies Key Chemo Response Markers

The greatest problem associated with effective treatment of colorectal cancer is drug resistance. To address this problem, Boyer et al. utilized a novel DNA microarray-based approach to identify sets of genes associated with sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin. In this study, the robustness of oligonucleotide microarray analysis in predicting drug-induced alterations in gene expression is demonstrated. Furthermore, functional analysis of three target genes is reported, demonstrating their importance as novel regulators of cytotoxic drug response. These findings highlight the power of this novel approach as a method of identifying potentially important markers of response to treatment and/or targets for therapeutic intervention.