BACKGROUND Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has proven to be one of the most chemo-resistant among all solid organ malignancies. Several mechanisms of resistance have been described, though few reports of strategies to overcome this chemo-resistance have been successful in restoring sensitivity to the primary chemotherapy (gemcitabine) and enter the clinical treatment arena. METHODS We examin...

There remains a lack of consensus on the optimal adjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer. In general, chemoradiation is favored in the United States and gemcitabine based chemotherapy is favored in Europe. Both of these approaches have been shown by large prospective, randomized trials to improve disease free survivals and in some studies overall survival. We present the summary of three abstrac...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Pancreatic cancer (PC) is ranked as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Despite recent advances in treatment options, a modest impact on the outcome of the disease is observed so far. Short-term fasting cycles have been shown to potentiate the efficacy of chemotherapy against glioma. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of fasting cycles on the...

Malaria is a critical public health issue in the tropical world, causing extensive morbidity and mortality. Infection by unicellular, obligate intracellular Plasmodium parasites causes malaria. The emergence of resistance to current antimalarial drugs necessitates the development of novel therapeutics. A potential novel drug target is the purine import transporter. Because Plasmodium parasites ...

Managing pancreatic cancer remains a big challenge due to its worse course and prognosis. However, therapeutic options and multimodal strategies are increasing nowadays, including new agents, new regimens and chemoradiation. Recently, the FOLFIRINOX regimen has been reported to be more active than gemcitabine in selected metastatic patients. In this setting, it will be of utmost interest to gui...

Gemcitabine is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent for advanced biliary tract carcinoma (BTC), although its efficacy is insufficient. Therefore, it is essential to establish new diagnostic methods, which can predict responders before the treatment. The aim of this study is to identify the most reliable chemoresistance marker to gemcitabine in BTC among the 4 molecules (hENT1, dCK, RRM1 and R...

Pancreatic cancer is associated with high rates of mortality especially due to advanced stages of diagnosis. Adjuvant chemotherapy role is thus essential in the attempt to downstage the tumoral grade. In cases of locally advanced tumors, this step could be followed by curative surgical resection. Characterization of predictor biomarkers for adjuvant chemotherapy has drawn increasing interest in...