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Application of Cancer Physics in the Clinic
Published in Vittorio Cristini, Eugene J. Koay, Zhihui Wang, An Introduction to Physical Oncology, 2017
Vittorio Cristini, Eugene J. Koay, Zhihui Wang
In 2010, pancreatic cancer was the fourth leading killer among cancers in the United States, accounting for 7% of all cancer deaths (approximately 40,000 people this year) [296]. By 2030, it is projected to be the second most deadly cancer [297]. Despite two decades of research, treatment outcomes have not improved much; the five-year survival rate is only 6.7% [209]. Causes for these poor outcomes include difficulty in early detection, the ability of the cancer to spread rapidly to other organs in the body, a high rate of recurrence, and resistance to current therapies. While these characteristics contribute to this cancer’s ability to survive and spread, the reasons for the poor outcomes are not uniform. For example, significant variations in responses to therapy have been observed between different patients and even within individual tumors [242,298–300]. Preclinical and clinic studies suggest that this cancer’s ability to resist therapy may be partly attributed to ineffective chemotherapy delivery to the cancer cells [217,301].
Emerging Therapeutic Potential of Nanoparticles in Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials
Published in Raj Bawa, János Szebeni, Thomas J. Webster, Gerald F. Audette, Immune Aspects of Biopharmaceuticals and Nanomedicines, 2019
Minnie Au, Theophilus I. Emeto, Jacinta Power, Venkat N. Vangaveti, Hock C. Lai
Pancreatic cancer is a rare but aggressive disease that is plagued by a myriad of problems, including late diagnosis often when the cancer has metastasized, no early warning symptoms, and inadequate therapeutic options on diagnosis [1]. The incidence rate of pancreatic cancer for gender is close to 1, with approximate rates of 8 per 100,000 in men and 6 per 100,000 in women globally [2]. Worldwide, it is responsible for 331,000 deaths annually [2]. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer-related death in Australia and the fourth globally [3]. Despite years of research, the five-year survival rate remains at approximately 5% [1]. The median age of diagnosis has been reported to range between 66 and 68 years [4]; however, early onset pancreatic cancer occurring in patients under 50 years of age is associated with more advanced disease at presentation and a poorer prognosis [4, 5]. Currently 97% of the burden of disease from pancreatic cancer is due to years of life lost to premature death [6] with a median survival time of six to ten months for locally advanced disease, and three to six months for metastatic disease [7, 8]. Established risk factors for pancreatic cancer include a family history of the disease and smoking, which account for 5% to 10% of cases. Other weaker associations include obesity, diabetes mellitus, chronic pancreatitis, periodontal disease, Helicobacter pylori, and gallstones [4]. A challenge to the management of pancreatic cancer is the drug-resistant nature of pancreatic tumor cells to gemcitabine, a pyrimidine antagonist used as the first-line chemotherapeutic agent [9]. Unlike many other cancers, pancreatic cancer is characterized by several pathophysiological complications that make it hard to treat, specifically with drugs. Traditionally, complete surgical resection provides the most recognized form of treatment [10]. A complete analysis of the difficulties in treating pancreatic cancer is aptly reviewed by Oberstein and Olive [11].
A new acute leukaemia-automated classification system
Published in Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging & Visualization, 2018
Sos Agaian, Monica Madhukar, Anthony T. Chronopoulos
Generally, the most common types of cancer such as breast, leukaemia, prostate, lung and colorectal continue to increase in the world (Tang and Agaian 2014; Mosquera-Lopez et al. 2014 MedlinePlus: Leukemia xxx). The term Leukaemia (also spelled: Leukemia) comes from the Greek – leukos meaning ‘white’ and aima meaning ‘blood’ (MedlinePlus: Leukemia xxx). It refers to the cancer of the blood or the bone marrow (the tissue in the interior of bones, where blood cells are produced). Blood comprises many components such as red blood cells, white blood cells (WBC) and platelets. WBC are responsible for immunity of the human body against infectious diseases. In the case of leukaemia, these WBC are immature (Ongun et al. 2001; Piuri & Scotti 2004; Scotti 2005; Ramoser et al. 2006; Ghosh et al. 2010; Reta et al. 2010; Mohapatra et al. 2011; Subrajeet et al. 2011). These immature cells are termed ‘lymphoblasts’, which prevent healthy red cells, platelets and mature white cells (leukocytes) from being generated. Without treatment, this cancer is the cause of many deaths. It is been recognised that leukaemia is a leading cause of death (Jagadeesh et al. 2013). Leukemia can be generally classified as (Pedreira et al. 2009; Agaian et al. 2014; MedlinePlus: Leukemia xxx): Acute Leukaemia, which progresses quickly and Chronic Leukaemia, which progresses slowly. There are four key types of leukaemia. Depending on their clinical behaviour (by how quickly the disease develops), they can be classified as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL), Acute Myelogenous Leukaemia (AML), Chronic Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (CLL) and Chronic Myelogenous Leukaemia. The most general types of leukaemia in adults are CLL and AML. ALL is the most common and quickly progressing pediatric leukaemia. For children under the age of 15, it corresponds to approximately 80% of the cases of leukaemia and to 40% of all cases of cancer (Pedreira et al. 2009). Nowadays, the estimated five-year survival rate of ALL (i.e. the estimated rate of cure) is approximately 75–80%. Thus, despite the advancement of treatments, 20–25% of the patients will still relapse after a period of five years (Pedreira et al. 2009). As a result, ALL cases need to be cured immediately.