Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre

About: Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre is a healthcare organization based out in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Cancer & Population. The organization has 489 authors who have published 1031 publications receiving 41277 citations. The organization is also known as: Beatson Oncology Centre.

Cervical amyloidoma successfully treated with bortezomib and dexamethasone.

Abstract: Introduction We read with interest the recent article by Kastritis et al describing the use of the proteosome inhibitor bortezomib to successfully treat systemic amyloidosis. We recently had success treating localized cervical amyloidoma with bortezomib and dexamethasone, with significant improvement of established neurologic impairment. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating clinical utility of this agent in this rare but potentially devastating condition.

Redefining adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage III colon cancer: X-ACT trial.

Abstract: The current standard adjuvant chemotherapy for suitable patients with stage III colon cancer is the combination of oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid (5-FU/LV). However, until recently and for many years prior to this, the accepted standard adjuvant chemotherapy was 6-8 months of bolus 5-FU/LV. However, bolus treatment was associated with significant toxicity, namely stomatitis, diarrhea and neutropenia, in addition to multiple hospital visits for drug administration for patients. The X-ACT trial (Xeloda in Adjuvant Colon Cancer Therapy) compared traditional bolus 5-FU/LV (as per the Mayo Clinic regimen) with capecitabine, in the adjuvant treatment of 1987 stage III colon cancer patients. The main safety, efficacy and pharmacoeconomic results have all been published, and the updated 5-year efficacy results have also recently been presented. This trial demonstrated that capecitabine was at least as effective as bolus 5-FU/LV in terms of disease-free and overall survival, with trends towards superiority for both. Moreover, there was much less toxicity associated with capecitabine, apart from hand-foot syndrome which was significantly more prevalent. On the basis of the X-ACT trial, capecitabine was approved by the US FDA, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the Scottish Medicines Consortium as monotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of stage III colon cancer.

Variants in genes encoding small GTPases and association with epithelial ovarian cancer susceptibility

Abstract: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality in American women Normal ovarian physiology is intricately connected to small GTP binding proteins of the Ras superfamily (Ras, Rho, Rab, Arf, and Ran) which govern processes such as signal transduction, cell proliferation, cell motility, and vesicle transport We hypothesized that common germline variation in genes encoding small GTPases is associated with EOC risk We investigated 322 variants in 88 small GTPase genes in germline DNA of 18,736 EOC patients and 26,138 controls of European ancestry using a custom genotype array and logistic regression fitting log-additive models Functional annotation was used to identify biofeatures and expression quantitative trait loci that intersect with risk variants One variant, ARHGEF10L (Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 10 like) rs2256787, was associated with increased endometrioid EOC risk (OR = 133, p = 446 x 10-6) Other variants of interest included another in ARHGEF10L, rs10788679, which was associated with invasive serous EOC risk (OR = 107, p = 000026) and two variants in AKAP6 (A-kinase anchoring protein 6) which were associated with risk of invasive EOC (rs1955513, OR = 090, p = 000033; rs927062, OR = 094, p = 000059) Functional annotation revealed that the two ARHGEF10L variants were located in super-enhancer regions and that AKAP6 rs927062 was associated with expression of GTPase gene ARHGAP5 (Rho GTPase activating protein 5) Inherited variants in ARHGEF10L and AKAP6, with potential transcriptional regulatory function and association with EOC risk, warrant investigation in independent EOC study populations