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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Tumor-associated antigen arrays to enhance antibody detection for cancer diagnosis.

Cancer sera contain antibodies which react with a unique group of autologous cellular antigens called tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Cancer has long been recognized as a multi-step process which involves not only genetic changes conferring growth advantage but also factors which disrupt regulation of growth and differentiation. It is possible that some of these factors could be identified and their functions evaluated with the aid of autoantibodies arising during tumorigenesis. The multi-factorial and multi-step nature in the molecular pathogenesis of human cancers must be taken into account in both the design and interpretation of studies to identify biomarkers which will be useful for early detection of cancer. Our recent studies suggest that the combination of antibodies against a group of TAAs might acquire higher sensitivity for diagnosis of cancer. It is conceivable that autoantibody profiles involving different panels or arrays of TAAs might be developed in the future and the results could be useful for cancer diagnosis.

Antibodies, Neoplasm↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Anxiety symptoms and panic attacks preceding pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Cancer of the pancreas is a highly malignant disease with a very poor prognosis. Depression and anxiety occur more frequently in cancer of the pancreas than they do in other forms of intra-abdominal malignancies and other cancers in general. Yet, the etiology of psychiatric symptoms in patients with cancer of the pancreas may not be traced solely to poor prognosis, pain, or existential issues related to death and dying. In as many as half of patients that go on to be diagnosed with the disease, symptoms of depression and anxiety precede knowledge of the diagnosis. This observation has raised speculation that mood and anxiety syndromes are related to disruption in one of the physiologic functions of the pancreas. In this paper, we present a patient who had no prior psychiatric history and developed panic attacks just prior to diagnosis of her cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature where panic attacks, not simply anxiety, presented prior to a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Her symptoms resolved following resection of the tumor. Implications of such phenomena for the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety and depression in pancreas cancer are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

[Current status of nuclear medicine. Clinical application of FDG-PET for cancer diagnosis. Esophageal cancer].

Positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a tool for the imaging and evaluation of glucose metabolism. This technique has recently become available in more than thirty hospitals and has been approved under Japan's national health insurance program. FDG uptake correlates with glucose utilization in tissue and is widely used for evaluating malignant tumors as well as brain function and myocardial viability. FDG-PET is useful for the diagnosis of lung cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, malignant lymphoma, malignant melanoma, head and neck cancer, myocardial viability, and epileptic focus. A brief summary of the application and utility of FDG-PET for esophageal carcinoma is described in this article. Because of its limited spatial resolution, FDG-PET is not able to evaluate the invasiveness of primary tumors and small lesions. However, the uptake of FDG correlates with the aggressiveness of the tumor and the prognosis of patients with esophageal carcinoma. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of lymph node staging is higher than that with CT. FDG-PET has the advantage of being able to detect distant metastases on a single occasion. Evaluation of the response to therapy and of recurrence is also possible by means of FDG-PET. There is some normal uptake and physiological distribution of FDG in many organs. Physiological status has an effect on the uptake of FDG in normal organs, and, consequently, on lesion uptake. Understanding of these characteristics makes this procedure a useful diagnostic modality for the management of patients with esophageal carcinoma.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Hippocampal volume and first major depressive episode after cancer diagnosis in breast cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVE: Patients experiencing their first major depressive episode after receiving a diagnosis of cancer are frequently seen in clinical oncology settings; however, little is known about the neurobiological basis of the first episode. In previous studies, a smaller hippocampus than in healthy comparison subjects has been observed in patients with a history of recurrent and prolonged major depressive episodes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether there is an association between hippocampal volume and a first major depressive episode after cancer diagnosis in cancer survivors. METHOD: The subjects were 68 female cancer survivors who had undergone breast cancer surgery 3 or more years earlier (mean interval=4.3 years, SD=0.9). The hippocampal volume and delayed recall function of the 17 cancer survivors who had their first major depressive episode after receiving their cancer diagnosis and the 51 with no history of major depressive episode at any time during their lives were measured by magnetic resonance imaging and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, respectively. RESULTS: The mean duration of the major depressive episode after cancer diagnosis was 11.9 weeks (SD=14.2). There were no significant differences in left or right hippocampal volume or in delayed recall function between the cancer survivors with and without a major depressive episode after cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: First major depressive episodes after cancer diagnosis in female cancer survivors do not appear to be associated with hippocampal volume. However, a longitudinal study with healthy comparison subjects is needed to draw a definite conclusion.

Amygdala↗
PubMed2002

[Current status of nuclear medicine. Clinical application of FDG-PET for cancer diagnosis. Colorectal cancer].

In Japan, colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of death from cancer. The recurrence rate after curative surgical treatment for colorectal cancer has been estimated at 30-40%, most frequently occurring within 3 years. Therefore, more accurate staging of recurrent colorectal cancer is required for more appropriate management decisions. This article focuses on the clinical value of PET with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in the diagnosis of recurrent and primary colorectal cancers. The technical issues in clinical practice and the cost-effectiveness of FDG-PET in staging recurrent colorectal cancer will be covered.

Colorectal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2002

[Current status of nuclear medicine clinical application of FDG-PET for cancer diagnosis. Lung cancer].

Recent advances in small cyclotrons, PET scanners, and image-processing software have made it possible to apply FDG-PET for clinical use, especially for tumor imaging. Although the efficacy of FDG-PET for several tumors remains a problem under discussion, the efficacy of PET for lung cancer has been studied in great detail and has already been established. The roles of FDG-PET for lung cancer management are, roughly speaking, 1) characterization of pulmonary nodules, 2) staging of lung cancer, 3) monitoring therapeutic effect, and 4) early diagnosis of tumor recurrence. We examined the usefulness of FDG-PET for lung cancer by analyzing our own data and reviewing recent reports. Two image-processing techniques, the image fusion technique and the respiratory-gated data-acquisition method, are also introduced in this article. FDG-PET is a promising method of anatomical imaging that is complementary to such techniques as CT and MRI. It may obtain a more important position among imaging modalities in the future.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed2006

Application of the theory of planned behavior to understand intentions to engage in physical and psychosocial health behaviors after cancer diagnosis.

A cancer diagnosis can trigger change in both lifestyle behaviors and mental health outcomes such as 'growth' and 'benefit-finding'. Assuming changes in mental health outcomes are based upon changes in specific behaviors, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) may facilitate understanding of post-diagnosis change in physical and psychosocial 'health' behaviors. Adults (n = 130) < or =2 years post-cancer diagnosis completed an internet survey. Current performance and future behavior intentions for two physical (e.g. eating a healthy diet) and four psychosocial (e.g. spending quality time with family/friends; engaging in spiritual or religious activities) health behaviors were assessed. TPB constructs (subjective norm, behavior attitudes, perceived behavioral control) for each of the six behaviors were also assessed. Multiple regression analyses indicated the set of TPB constructs accounted for an increment of 25-53% of variance in behavioral intentions beyond that accounted for by clinical and demographic variables. Among individual TPB constructs, behavioral attitude was most consistently associated with behavioral intentions while subjective norm was least consistently associated with behavioral intentions. The TPB could serve as a comprehensive model for understanding change in both physical and psychosocial health behaviors after cancer diagnosis and could suggest innovative approaches to developing interventions to enhance post-diagnosis 'growth' and 'benefit finding'.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1988

Psychological response to cancer diagnosis--II. Evidence for coping styles (coping styles and cancer diagnosis).

One hundred and seventy-eight newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer, non-Hodgkin's or Hodgkin's lymphoma were studied with respect to their cognitive responses to cancer diagnosis. These were examined in relation to anxiety, depression and health locus of control as well as to clinical-pathological variables. Data analysis of cognitive responses alone did not confirm the existence of mutually exclusive categories of response. Analysis of cognitive responses and the other psychological variables combined, however, revealed that four broad coping 'styles' could be delineated: 'positive/confronting', 'fatalistic', 'hopeless-helpless' and 'denial/avoidance', which corresponded to our previously described categories. Lower psychological morbidity was associated with a positive/confronting response to diagnosis and with high internal locus of control, while higher anxiety and depression scores were associated with a hopeless-helpless response to diagnosis and with low internal locus of control. The evidence for coping 'styles' is discussed as well as the implications of the results for the psychological management of cancer patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2004

A comprehensive evaluation of multicategory classification methods for microarray gene expression cancer diagnosis.

MOTIVATION: Cancer diagnosis is one of the most important emerging clinical applications of gene expression microarray technology. We are seeking to develop a computer system for powerful and reliable cancer diagnostic model creation based on microarray data. To keep a realistic perspective on clinical applications we focus on multicategory diagnosis. To equip the system with the optimum combination of classifier, gene selection and cross-validation methods, we performed a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of several major algorithms for multicategory classification, several gene selection methods, multiple ensemble classifier methods and two cross-validation designs using 11 datasets spanning 74 diagnostic categories and 41 cancer types and 12 normal tissue types. RESULTS: Multicategory support vector machines (MC-SVMs) are the most effective classifiers in performing accurate cancer diagnosis from gene expression data. The MC-SVM techniques by Crammer and Singer, Weston and Watkins and one-versus-rest were found to be the best methods in this domain. MC-SVMs outperform other popular machine learning algorithms, such as k-nearest neighbors, backpropagation and probabilistic neural networks, often to a remarkable degree. Gene selection techniques can significantly improve the classification performance of both MC-SVMs and other non-SVM learning algorithms. Ensemble classifiers do not generally improve performance of the best non-ensemble models. These results guided the construction of a software system GEMS (Gene Expression Model Selector) that automates high-quality model construction and enforces sound optimization and performance estimation procedures. This is the first such system to be informed by a rigorous comparative analysis of the available algorithms and datasets. AVAILABILITY: The software system GEMS is available for download from http://www.gems-system.org for non-commercial use. CONTACT: alexander.statnikov@vanderbilt.edu.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2003

Effect of genetic cancer risk assessment on surgical decisions at breast cancer diagnosis.

HYPOTHESIS: Breast cancer gene (BRCA) mutation status affects patients' surgical decisions when genetic cancer risk assessment is offered at the time of breast cancer diagnosis, prior to definitive treatment. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTIONS: Outcomes following genetic cancer risk assessment were studied for women newly diagnosed as having breast cancer who were prospectively enrolled in an institutional review board-approved hereditary cancer registry during a 1-year sampling frame. BRCA gene analysis was offered to subjects with a calculated mutation probability of 10% or higher. Review of medical records and telephone survey were used to document surgical treatment decisions following genetic cancer risk assessment. RESULTS: Thirty-seven of 233 women in the registry were enrolled at the time of a breast cancer diagnosis. The interval from diagnosis to genetic cancer risk assessment ranged from 3 to 60 days. The mean calculated probability of a BRCA gene mutation was 21% across the cohort. Two women were not tested because of low prior probabilities of mutation detection, and 3 declined owing to intercurrent psychological stressors. Of the remaining 32 patients, no BRCA gene mutation was detected in 22 (69%), 3 (9%) were found to carry a variant of uncertain significance, and 7 (22%) had a deleterious mutation. All 7 subjects with a deleterious mutation opted for bilateral mastectomy, whereas 20 of 22 patients with negative test results chose stage-appropriate treatment (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic cancer risk assessment at the time of breast cancer diagnosis significantly affected women's treatment decisions. Although need and feasibility are demonstrated, the logistics of genetic cancer risk assessment during breast cancer diagnosis prove challenging.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

ROC analysis of ultrasound tissue characterization classifiers for breast cancer diagnosis.

Breast cancer diagnosis through ultrasound tissue characterization was studied using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of combinations of acoustic features, patient age, and radiological findings. A feature fusion method was devised that operates even if only partial diagnostic data are available. The ROC methodology uses ordinal dominance theory and bootstrap resampling to evaluate A(z) and confidence intervals in simple as well as paired data analyses. The combined diagnostic feature had an A(z) of 0.96 with a confidence interval of at a significance level of 0.05. The combined features show statistically significant improvement over prebiopsy radiological findings. These results indicate that ultrasound tissue characterization, in combination with patient record and clinical findings, may greatly reduce the need to perform biopsies of benign breast lesions.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1998

Narratives of breast symptom discovery and cancer diagnosis: psychologic risk for advanced cancer at diagnosis.

In spite of cancer screening programs, women continue to present with advanced breast cancer. How do women decide whether and when to seek an evaluation for self-discovered symptoms? This study examined 104 narratives told by 80 Anglo-, Latina-, and African-American women who participated in 1 of 16 community-based focus groups. The women's narratives contained powerful thematic messages about breast cancer and their expected behavior in the event of a self-discovered breast symptom. Narrative explanations that predicted an increased likelihood of advanced disease at diagnosis included these factors: incorrect symptom attributions and risk estimations; reluctance to consider the threat posed by the symptom; failure to tell another person about the symptom; and expectations of abandonment by male partners, deportation, prejudice, and refusal of treatment due to poverty. Stories of advanced breast cancer also told of reliance on alternative healing, concerns about overwhelming family resources, and extreme modesty that inhibited obtaining a physical examination. Interventions aimed at earlier detection of breast cancer must connect with the beliefs and assumptions embedded in these narratives, provide pragmatic solutions for perceived constraints on seeking evaluations of self-discovered symptoms, and explore the use of community narratives to confirm the value of early detection of breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Research on cancer diagnosis in Malaysia: current status.

Cancer is a major morbidity and mortality concern in Malaysia. Based on National Cancer Registry data, the Malaysian population is estimated to bear a cancer burden of about 40,000 new cases per year, and a cumulative lifetime risk of about 1:4. Cancer research in Malaysia has to consider needs relevant to our population, and resources constraints. Hence, funding bodies prioritise cancers of high prevalence, unique to our community and posing specific clinical problems. Cancer diagnosis is crucial to cancer management. While cancer diagnosis research largely aims at improvements in diagnostic information towards more appropriate therapy, it also impacts upon policy development and other areas of cancer management. The scope of cancer diagnosis upon which this paper is based, and their possible impact on other R&D areas, has been broadly categorized into: (1) identification of aetiological agents and their linkages to the development of precancer and cancer (impact on policy development, cancer prevention and treatment), (2) cancer biology and pathogenesis (impact on cancer prevention, treatment strategies and product development), (3) improvements in accuracy, sensitivity and specificity in cancer detection, monitoring and classification (impact on technology development) and (4) prognostic and predictive parameters (impact on treatment strategies). This paper is based on data collected by the Working Group on Cancer Diagnosis Research for the First National Conference on Cancer Research Coordination in April 2004. Data was collated from the databases of Institutions/Universities where the authors are employed, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and targeted survey feedback from key cancer researchers. Under the 7th Malaysia Plan, 76 cancer projects were funded through the Intensified Research in Priority Areas (IRPA) scheme of MOSTI, amounting to almost RM15 million of grant money. 47(61.8%) of these projects were substantially in cancer diagnosis, accounting for 65.6% (RM 9.7 million) of cancer project funds. The 8th Malaysia Plan saw a change in research strategy. The IRPA agency fielded several top-down projects which encouraged a multicentre and multidisciplinary approach. This resulted in larger funding per project i.e. RM32 million for 49 projects. There was also a surge of interest in drug development and natural products. Because of this shift in direction, cancer diagnosis projects constituted only 51% of IRPA-funded cancer projects. Nonetheless funding for cancer diagnosis research has exceeded that of the 7th Malaysia Plan, being RM12.5 million by March 2004. The majority of such research is carried out at the Universities, engaging a large number of young scientists and postgraduate students (51 MSc and 21 PhD). A lot of research findings presented at scientific meetings have not yet been published and there is a glaring shortage of patents and commercialization of research findings (such as creation of test kits). Because diagnosis is very much a part of clinical practice, many researchers felt satisfied and confident that their work will be translated into practice and will significantly improve diagnostic services in Malaysia. National guidelines and consensus development on at least three malignancies i.e. breast cancer, oral cancer and lymphoma, have substantial basis in local R&D work. Problems encountered in research included (1) insufficient funding to realize research objectives, (2) lack of local expertise (most research assistants are inexperienced BSc graduates with no or minimal research experience), (3) inadequate technical support from vendors during equipment failure, (4) inexperienced Institutional development units to assist in product development, (5) lack of venture capital for commercialization of findings, and (6) inadequate incentives to undertake research. Researchers pointed out that plans to promote research should include the establishment of (1) regional and national cancer tissue banks, (2) a National Cancer Research Institute, (3) a dedicated cancer research fund, (4) a registry of cancer researchers, (5) national research coordinators, (6) improved coverage by the National Cancer Registry, (7) more international collaboration, (8) a better career structure for researchers, (9) improved Institutional support for product realization, and (10) better recognition for cancer researchers.

Humans↗
PubMed2007

Targeting serum antibody for cancer diagnosis: a focus on colorectal cancer.

The ability of the immune system to magnify the appearance of disease by generating relatively large amounts of antibody in response to small amounts of disease makes it a natural biosensor, and serum antibodies have emerged as promising biomarkers for the detection of cancer. This review summarizes recent progress in targeting serum antibodies for cancer diagnosis, with a particular focus on colorectal cancer (CRC). Several serum antibodies have been detected at increased levels in CRC patients, including p53, carcinoembryonic antigen, Ras, topoisomerase II-alpha, histone deacetylase 3 and 5, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L3, tropomyosin and cyclin B1. As each antibody is only present in a limited proportion of patients (usually < 40%), a combination of serum antibodies that defines the 'immunological signature' of cancer needs to be developed. High-throughput methods to identify new serum antibodies for cancer diagnosis are also reviewed.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Decreasing age at prostate cancer diagnosis over successive generations in prostate cancer families.

BACKGROUND: The decline in age at prostate cancer diagnosis over the past decade is partially attributable to prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening. We examined age at diagnosis over successive generations within prostate cancer families. METHODS: Families with at least two affected men were selected from the University of Michigan Prostate Cancer Genetics Project. The 1,345 individuals from 489 families were grouped into three generations. RESULTS: Risk of prostate cancer diagnosis at a given age was estimated to increase 1.31 (95% CI: 1.13-1.51) times from one generation to the next. Among men diagnosed prior to the PSA era, inferences were similar (hazard ratio = 1.28, 95% CI: 0.97-1.68). No maternal versus paternal disease transmission effect was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Age at prostate cancer diagnosis was observed to decrease over successive generations in families from an ongoing familial prostate cancer study. This finding, if confirmed, may have important implications for familial prostate cancer risk assessment.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2007

The impact of a cancer diagnosis on the health behaviors of cancer survivors and their family and friends.

GOALS: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a cancer diagnosis on the health behaviors of cancer survivors and their family and friends, and to determine whether a cancer diagnosis could be a teachable moment for intervention. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of the health behaviors of individuals taking part in a cancer fundraising event. The questionnaire was completed by 657 participants. MAIN RESULTS: Participants were 81.4% women, had a mean age of 46 years, and comprised of 17.2% cancer survivors. For cancer survivors, 31.3% reported an increase in physical activity, 50% of smokers quit, and 59 to 72% reported dietary improvements within 1 month of diagnosis. Significant differences in behavior change were found by age, but not by gender or education. For individuals without cancer, 24.3% reported improved physical activity and the majority reported some dietary changes. A greater proportion of family and friends who perceived they were at greater risk of developing cancer increased physical activity and sun-smart behavior but did not improve dietary habits. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the cancer survivors made significantly more positive health behavior changes compared to the non-cancer group. For this sample, a personal diagnosis of cancer, or a diagnosis in a family member or friend, may have acted as a 'cue to action' to improve lifestyle health behaviors. This field of research is still at an early stage, and further studies are needed to confirm if this situation could be useful as a 'teachable moment' for intervention purposes.

Adult↗