• Recent delineation of the complete sequence of the mitochondrial DNA of a heterotrophic flagellate (Reclino-monas americana) provides clues on ancient mitochondrion and its evolution.

• The more times a woman ovulates over her lifetime, the greater the chance that the tumor suppressor gene p53 will mutate and lead to ovarian cancer in this subgroup of women.

• The antiAIDS drug AZT is found to have specific attraction to breast cancer cells and effectively inhibits their growth in cell culture as well as in animal model. The drug does not show any toxic effect on internal organs.

• The emotional and physical impact of having cancer is often devastating and contributes to the adverse course and outcome of the disease. At times, the unbearable suffering from various treatment modalities and their only too frequent eventual failure makes the search for "alternative" therapy understandable. If current, mainstream cancer treatment were satisfactory, there would be no room for questionable or unproven methods of management.

• A potent chemical carcinogen has been identified in cervical mucus samples of women who smoke cigarette as well as, to a much lesser level, in those who do not. This observation supports an already suspected link between cigarette smoking, including exposure to second hand smoke, and cervical cancer.

• In breast cancer patient with coronary heart problems, tamoxifen treatment reduces the heart disease. Continued follow-up of the patients and participants in the ongoing chemoprevention trial in healthy but high risk women will produce definitive information regarding the benefits of tamoxifen in preventing heart disease.

• Adenosine, a nucleoside present in all cells, is known to possess immunosuppressive effects. Solid tumors show higher concentration of this nucleoside in the extracellular space compared to that found in the adjacent non-cancerous tissue. By inhibiting the antitumor effect of immune system adenosine may release a restraint on tumor growth.

• A subset of herpesvirus stimulate the growth of multiple myeloma, cancer of bone marrow plasma cell, not by infecting the cancer cells, but by invading the neighboring noncancerous cells. This infection causes production of a cytokine, interleukin-6 that is a growth factor for myeloma cells.

• A new radioimmunodiagnostic test known as CEA-ScanR is comparable to mammography for the detection of malignant breast lesions but superior to mammography in specificity. Adenovirus-mediated p53 gene therapy to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was shown to be well tolerated, and safe. In the treatment of low-grade follicular lymphoma the chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab, also known as IDEC-C2B8, has been shown to be safe and effective as a single agent. Capecitabine, a new chemotherapeutic agent with a novel mechanism of action, is tested to treat colorectal cancer. This prodrug is converted to the active agent 5-fluorouracil by an enzyme found predominantly in tumor tissue but not in normal, healthy cells. The cytokine, interleukin-11 is found to prevent severe decrease in blood platelets induced by chemotherapy.

Glossary

• A glossary of unfamiliar words and jargons in Cancer Watch, July 1997.