E. Lita

Radiation therapy for the management of patients with HTLV-1-associated adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-associated adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) typically has survivals measured in months with chemotherapy. One prior published series (1983-1991) assessed local radiotherapy for ATL. Ten consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed ATL treated with radiotherapy were reviewed. Subtypes included acute (n = 7), smoldering (n = 2), and lymphomatous (n = 1). Patients received an average of 2.5 systemic therapy regimens before radiotherapy. Twenty lesions (cutaneous = 10, nodal = 8, extranodal = 2) were treated to a mean of 35.4 Gy/2-3 Gy (range, 12-60 Gy). At 9.0-month mean follow-up (range, 0.1-42.0 months), all lesions symptomatically and radiographically responded, with in-field complete responses in 40.0% (nodal 37.5% vs. cutaneous 50.0%; P = .62). No patient experienced in-field progression. Nine patients developed new/progressive out-of-field disease. Median survival was 17.0 months (3-year survival, 30.0%). No Radiation Therapy Oncology Group acute grade ≥ 3 or any late toxicity was noted. This report is the first to use modern radiotherapy techniques and finds effective local control across ATL subtypes. Radiotherapy should be considered for symptomatic local progression of ATL.

Urinary aHGF, IGFBP3 and OPN as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for prostate cancer

AIM Serum PSA screening for prostate cancer (PCa) is controversial. Here, we identify three urinary biomarkers - aHGF, IGFBP3 and OPN - for PCa screening and prognostication. METHODS Urinary aHGF, OPN and IGFBP3 from healthy men (n = 19) and men with localized (n = 65) and metastatic (n = 36) PCa were quantified via ELISA. Mann-Whitney nonparametric t-test and the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) analyses were used to analyze associations. RESULTS Mean aHGF and IGFBP3 levels were significantly elevated in PCa patients versus controls (p = 0.0006 and p = 0.0012, respectively), and the area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve (indicator of diagnostic accuracy) for aHGF and IGFBP3 was 0.75 and 0.74, respectively. OPN levels were significantly higher in metastatic groups (p = 0.0060) versus localized and controls (area under the curve = 0.68). CONCLUSION Urinary aHGF and IGFBP3 exhibit the capacity for diagnostic discrimination for PCa, whereas OPN may indicate presence of metastatic disease.