The rate of second primary lung cancer development for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) has been noted. The aim of our study was to evaluate the incidence and clinical features of suspected second primary lung cancer that developed in patients with primary HNC.
We conducted a retrospective study of 469 patients who were newly diagnosed with HNC at the Korea University Medical Center between January 2000 and December 2006.
A total of 469 patients were included (389 men and 80 women). Eighteen patients (3.8%) had suspected second primary lung cancers. Statistically significant clinical variables for lung cancer development included the origin site for the primary HNC (oro-hypopharynx and larynx) (p=0.048), abnormal chest x-ray findings (p=0.027) and the histological HNC type (squamous cell carcinoma) (p=0.032). When the second primary lung cancers were combined with HNCs, the adjusted overall survival of patients with a second primary lung cancer was 16 months (p<0.001).
Considering the relative risk factors for a second primary lung cancer developing in patients with HNC, advanced diagnostic tools, such as chest CT or PET CT scan, should be applied for the early detection of a second primary lung cancer.
Citations
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) are members of the TGF-β superfamily and it has been demonstrated that BMPs enhance migration, invasion and metastasis. The purpose of this study was to identify the association between the serum BMP-2 level and the progression status of gastric cancer.
Fifty-five patients with metastatic gastric cancer (metastatic disease group), six patients with early gastric cancer without lymph node metastasis (the EGC group), and ten healthy control subjects were enrolled in this study. The serum BMP-2 level was quantified by use of a commercially available ELISA kit. In EGC group patients and patients with metastatic disease, whole blood was obtained before endoscopic mucosal resection and before the commencement of a scheduled cycle of systemic chemotherapy, respectively.
No significant difference in the mean serum BMP-2 levels was observed between the control subjects and the EGC group patients (87.95 pg/ml for the control subjects and 84.50 pg/ml for the EGC group, p=1.0). However, the metastatic disease group patients had a significantly higher level of serum BMP (179.61 pg/ml) than the control subjects and EGC group patients (87.95 pg/ml for the control subjects and 84.50 pg/ml for the EGC group, p<0.0001). Moreover, the mean serum BMP-2 level from patients with a bone metastasis was significantly higher than the mean serum BMP-2 level from patients without a bone metastasis (204.73 pg/ml versus 173.33 pg/ml, p=0.021).
BMP-2 seems to have a role in progression to metastatic disease in gastric cancer, especially in the late stage of tumorigenesis, including invasion and metastasis. BMP-2 may facilitate bone metastasis in gastric cancer. To confirm these findings, further studies are required with tissue specimens and the use of a cancer cell line.
Citations
Annatto-Derived Tocotrienol Promotes Mineralization of MC3T3-E1 Cells by Enhancing BMP-2 Protein Expression via Inhibiting RhoA Activation and HMG-CoA Reductase Gene Expression