Consistent liver metastases in animal models is generally observed only with certain cancer cell lines. With the aim of improving on existing animal models of liver metastases, we hypothesized that cancer cells encased in 300 microm microcapsules, mimicking micrometastatic foci, might be effective seeds of liver metastases. A total of 3,000 microcapsules, containing 700 to 1,500 viable cells/ca...

BACKGROUND The development of endocrine tumours of the duodenopancreatic area (ETDP) is thought to be slow, but their natural history is not well known. The aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence survival of patients with ETDP. PATIENTS/METHODS Eighty two patients with ETDP (44 non-functioning tumours, 23 gastrinomas, seven calcitonin-secreting tumours, four glucagonoma...

PURPOSE Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a protein tyrosine kinase that functions in signaling events between cells and their extracellular matrix, is overexpressed in a variety of human solid tumors. To determine whether FAK expression is up-regulated in colorectal cancer, we analyzed FAK mRNA and protein levels in primary colorectal tumors and colorectal liver metastases. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN p1...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this review is to demonstrate the clinical indications, technical developments, and outcome of liver-directed therapies in interventional oncology of non-colorectal liver metastases. METHODS Liver-directed therapies are classified into vascular transarterial techniques such as chemoperfusion (TACP), chemoembolization (TACE), radioembolization (selective internal radi...

We described previously (H. Imamura, et al., Cancer Res., 54: 3620-3624, 1994) a quantitative and reproducible 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for tumor cell invasiveness that uses a water-repellent, paraffin-treated Chemotaxicell chamber to produce a uniform Matrigel layer. In the present experiments, we studied 71 human gastrointestinal carcinomas, inc...

Liver metastases are the most frequent malignant liver lesions. Besides colorectal carcinoma, gastric carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, and neuroendocrine tumors are the most common entities that metastasize to the liver. The morphology of these metastases depends on the primary tumor. For morphologic and functional imaging of non-colorectal liver metastases, multiple...

PURPOSE To explore the role of natural killer T (NKT) cells in the development of liver metastases in mice harboring intraocular melanomas. METHODS Cells derived from the cutaneous B16 melanoma cell line (B16LS9) were transplanted either into the vitreous body or under the spleen capsules of wild-type C57BL/6 mice and NKT-cell-deficient Jα18(-/-) and CD1d(-/-) mice. The development of liver m...

UNLABELLED Liver metastases are diagnosed synchronously with the primary tumour in 25% of patients with colorectal cancer. A half of the remaining patients develop liver metastases within 3 years following colectomy. At present, the only radical treatment of metastases is liver resection. Only 2.6% of patients survive 3 years if such treatment is not implemented. The aim of the study was to ass...

Background There are few population-based studies of the sites of distant metastasis (DM) and survival from esophageal cancer (EC). The aim of this study was to assess the patterns and survival outcomes for site-specific DM from EC using a population-based approach. Methods Patients diagnosed with de novo stage IV EC between 2010 and 2014 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, a...

Plasma alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme activities were determined in patients with breast cancer to diagnose and monitor bone and liver metastases. Bone alkaline phosphatase activity was increased in 21 of 50 patients (42%) with radiologically confirmed bone metastases, while total alkaline phosphatase activity was increased in only 10 of 50 (20%); liver alkaline phosphatase activity was raised ...