Tolerability of PLD/Oxaliplatin Regimen in Recurrent Ovarian Cancer Patients With Previous Fragility to Carboplatin/Paclitaxel Treatment

Frequency of Rearrangements Versus Small Indels Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Genes in Turkish Patients with High Risk Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Objective

The current rearrangement ratio of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes is not known in the Turkish population. Rearrangements are not routinely investigated in many Turkish laboratories. This creates problems and contradictions between clinics. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution and frequency of rearrangements in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in high-risk families and to clarify the limits of BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing in Turkey.

Materials and Methods

The study included 1809 patients at high risk of breast cancer or ovarian cancer. All patients were investigated for both small indels and rearrangements of BRCA genes using DNA sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) analysis.

Results

The overall frequency of rearrangements was 2% (25/1262). The frequency of rearrangements was 1.7% (18/1086) and 4% (9/206) in patients with breast cancer and ovarian cancer, respectively. The frequency of rearrangements was 3.7% (8/215) in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. The rearrangement rate was 7.7% (2/26) in patients with both breast and ovarian cancer.

Conclusions

Rearrangements were found with high rates and were strongly associated with bilateral and triple-negative status of patients with breast cancer, which are signs of high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. Analysis of rearrangements should definitely be included in routine clinical practice in Turkey for high-risk families and also for improved cancer risk prediction for families.

Protective effect of ocotillol against doxorubicin‑induced acute and chronic cardiac injury

Doxorubicin (Dox) has been clinically observed to exert marked anticancer activity. However, it is severely restricted by its associated dose‑dependent cardiotoxicity, which may be attenuated by decreasing the cumulative dosage via combining with a non‑toxic 'sensitizer'. We previously reported that ocotillol is capable of enhancing the antitumor activity of Dox; however, the effects of ocotillol on its cardiotoxicity remain unclear. In the current study, the effects of ocotillol on the toxicity of Dox were investigated, particularly its role in cardiotoxicity. In the acute injury model, pre‑administration of ocotillol prolonged the survival time. In the chronic animal model, pre‑administration of ocotillol decreased the elevated levels of plasma creatine kinase (CK) and CK‑MB, as well as attenuated the pathological changes that occurred. Pre‑treatment with ocotillol ameliorated the decreased glutathione level and reduced the cumulated malondialdehyde in the heart tissue. In addition, pre‑treatment with ocotillol restored the lowered white blood cell count. The results indicate that Dox co‑treatment with ocotillol may effectively alleviate its associated toxic injury, particularly cardiotoxicity. Thus, co‑administration of Dox with ocotillol may be a potential therapeutic strategy.