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Abstract: Background. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a brain tumour with a very high patient mortality rate, with a median survival of 47 weeks. This might be improved by the identification of novel diagnostic, prognostic and predictive therapy-response biomarkers, preferentially through the monitoring of the patient blood. The aim of this study was to define the impact of GBM in terms of alterations of the plasma protein levels in these patients. Materials and methods. We used a commercially available antibody array that includes 656 antibodies to analyse blood plasma samples from 17 healthy volunteers in comparison with 17 blood plasma samples from patients with GBM. Results. We identified 11 plasma proteins that are statistically most strongly associated with the presence of GBM. These proteins belong to three functional signalling pathways: T-cell signalling and immune responses; cell adhesion and migration; and cell-cycle control and apoptosis. Thus, we can consider this identified set of proteins as potential diagnostic biomarker candidates for GBM. In addition, a set of 16 plasma proteins were significantly associated with the overall survival of these patients with GBM. Guanine nucleotide binding protein alpha (GNAO1) was associated with both GBM presence and survival of patients with GBM. Conclusions. Antibody array analysis represents a useful tool for the screening of plasma samples for potential cancer biomarker candidates in small-scale exploratory experiments; however, clinical validation of these candidates requires their further evaluation in a larger study on an independent cohort of patients.
Keywords: glioblastoma, proteomics, biomarker
Published in DiRROS: 02.08.2024; Views: 214; Downloads: 161
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Abstract: Zaradi možnih negativnih zdravstvenih posledic presejalnih programov in velikih sredstev, vloženih vanje, je pomembno spremljati njihovo učinkovitost. Umrljivost v ciljni populaciji je eden od kazalnikov, ki služi za prikaz dolgoročne učinkovitosti organiziranih populacijskih presejalnih programov – po 10 do 20 letih se pričakuje padec umrljivosti v ciljni populaciji za 20 % do 30 %. Ena od glavnih omejitev kazalnika umrljivosti je, predvsem pri rakih z dobrim preživetjem, da pokaže učinkovitost presejanja šele v daljšem časovnem obdobju. Mnogokrat se zato za oceno učinkovitosti populacijskih presejalnih programov za raka uporablja analiza preživetja, pri kateri so rezultati dostopni prej. Tudi analiza preživetja ima svoje omejitve, saj se lahko v rezultate prikradejo številne pristranosti (npr. pristranost časa trajanja, prednosti in prediagnosticiranja). Nedavno smo slovenski raziskovalci predlagali nov analitični pristop, ki omogoča primerjavo preživetja pri rakih, ki so oz. niso odkriti v presejalnem programu, z upoštevanjem vseh pomembnih pristranosti. Izračunana preživetja so osnova za izračun pridobljenih let življenja, to je mere, ki izraža dodatno število let življenja, ki bi jih osebe preživele zaradi vključitve v presejalni program.V testnem primeru smo ocenili učinke uvedbe Državnega prese-jalnega program za raka dojk DOR A, ki smo ga prvim prebival-kam ponudili leta 2008, na celotno populacijo pa je bil razširjen leta 2018. Ženske, ki so bile povabljene v program DOR A v obdobju 2008–2018, so do leta 2022 pridobile skupaj 90,6 leta življenja, če bi bile v program DOR A že od leta 2008 vključene vse ženske, pa bi pridobile 552,7 leta življenja. Z vsakim dodatnim letom opazovanja, ko posamezne ženske od vključitve v program DOR A preživijo, se seštevek pridobljenih let življenja poveča.Nova metoda bo v pomoč pri upravljanju obstoječih presejalnih programov za raka, njihovi promociji in vrednotenju učinkov pri spremembah presejalnih politik.
Keywords: presejalni programi, kakovost, register raka
Published in DiRROS: 26.07.2024; Views: 229; Downloads: 130
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Abstract: In Slovenia, cancer care services were exempt from government decrees for COVID-19 containment. Nevertheless, cancer control can be impacted also by access to other health services and changes in health-seeking behaviour. In this follow up study, we explored changes in cancer burden and cancer care beyond the first months after the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic.Materials and methods. We analysed routinely collected data for the period January 2019 through July 2022 from three sources: (1) pathohistological and clinical practice cancer notifications from two major cancer centres in Ljubljana and Maribor (source: Slovenian Cancer Registry); (2) referrals issued for oncological services (source: e-referral system); and (3) outpatient appointments and diagnostic imaging performed (source: administrative data of the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana – IOL). Additionally, changes in certain clinical and demographic characteristics in patients diagnosed and treated during the epidemic were analysed using the Hospital-Based Cancer Registry of the IOL (period 2015–2021).Results. After a drop in referrals to follow-up cancer appointments in April 2020, in June-August 2020, there was an increase in referrals, but it did not make-up for the drop in the first wave; the numbers in 2021 and 2022 were even lower than 2020. Referrals to first cancer care appointments and genetic testing and counselling increased in 2021 compared to 2019 and in 2022 increased further by more than a quarter. First and follow-up outpatient appointments and cancer diagnostic imaging at the IOL dropped after the onset of the epidemic in March 2020 but were as high as expected according to 2019 baseline already in 2021. Some deficits remain for follow-up outpatients’ appointments in surgical and radiotherapy departments. There were more CT, MRI and PET scans performed during the COVID-19 period than before. New cancer diagnoses dropped in all observed years 2020, 2021 and until July 2022 by 6%, 3% and 8%, respectively, varying substantially by cancer type. The largest drop was seen in the 50−64 age group (almost 14% in 2020 and 16% in 2021), while for patients older than 80 years, the numbers were above expected according to the 2015–2019 average (4% in 2020, 8% in 2021).Conclusions. Our results show a varying effect of COVID-19 epidemic in Slovenia for different types of cancers and at different stages on the patient care pathway – it is probably a mixture of changes in health-seeking behaviour and systemic changes due to modifications in healthcare organisation on account of COVID-19. A general drop in new cancer cases reflects disruptions in the pre-diagnostic phase and could have profound long-term consequences on cancer burden indicators.
Keywords: cancer, covid-19, delay in diagnosis
Published in DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Views: 215; Downloads: 140
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Abstract: Background. Since the end of the previous century, there has not been a comprehensive review of European studies on socioeconomic inequality in cancer incidence. In view of recent advances in data source linkage and analytical methods, we aimed to update the knowledge base on associations between location-specific cancer incidence and individual or area-level measures of socio-economic status (SES) among European adults. Materials and methods. We systematically searched three databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) for articles on cancer incidence and SES. Qualitative synthesis was performed on the 91 included English language studies, published between 2000 and 2019 in Europe, which focused on adults, relied on cancer registry data and reported on relative risk (RR) estimates. Results. Adults with low SES have increased risk of head and neck, oesophagogastric, liver and gallbladder, pancreatic, lung, kidney, bladder, penile and cervical cancers (highest RRs for lung, head and neck, stomach and cervix). Conversely, high SES is linked with increased risk of thyroid, breast, prostate and skin cancers. Central nervous system and haematological cancers are not associated with SES. The positive gap in testicular cancer has narrowed, while colorectal cancer shows a varying pattern in different countries. Negative associations are generally stronger for men compared to women. Conclusions. In Europe, cancers in almost all common locations are associated with SES and the inequalities can be explained to a varying degree by known life-style related factors, most notably smoking. Independent effects of many individual and area SES measures which capture different aspects of SES can also be observed.
Keywords: socioeconomic status, socioeconomic inequality, cancer incidence
Published in DiRROS: 16.07.2024; Views: 230; Downloads: 101
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Keywords: obvladovanje raka, državni program, onkologija
Published in DiRROS: 06.06.2024; Views: 228; Downloads: 79
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