The role of oncolytic virotherapy and viral oncogenes in the cancer stem cells: a review of virus in cancer stem cells.

Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) are the main "seeds" for the initiation, growth, metastasis, and recurrence of tumors. According to many studies, several viral infections, including the human papillomaviruses, hepatitis B virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and hepatitis C virus, promote the aggressiveness of cancer by encouraging the development of CSC features. Therefore, a better method for the targeted elimination of CSCs and knowledge of their regulatory mechanisms in human carcinogenesis may lead to the development of a future tool for the management and treatment of cancer. Oncolytic viruses (OVs), which include the herpes virus, adenovirus, vaccinia, and reovirus, are also a new class of cancer therapeutics that have favorable properties such as selective replication in tumor cells, delivery of numerous eukaryotic transgene payloads, induction of immunogenic cell death and promotion of antitumor immunity, as well as a tolerable safety profile that essentially differs from that of other cancer therapeutics. The effects of viral infection on the development of CSCs and the suppression of CSCs by OV therapy were examined in this paper. The purpose of this review is to investigate the dual role of viruses in CSCs (oncolytic virotherapy and viral oncogenes).

A 1-year randomized trial of deferasirox alone versus deferasirox and deferoxamine combination for the treatment of iron overload in thalassemia major.

AIM: Iron chelators are extensively used to reduce iron overload. Our purpose was to compare effects of deferasirox versus deferasirox and deferoxamine in patients with thalassemia major. METHODS: This randomized and double blind trial was performed on 62 patients. Patients were assigned 1:1 to oral 30 mg/kg deferasirox daily or oral 30 mg/kg deferasirox daily plus SC 50 mg/kg deferoxamine for 5 days a week. Treatment continued for 12 months in both groups. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients completed the 1 year of treatment. Mean age was 24.5 years with an excess of females. Combined therapy caused a significant increase in myocardial T2* from 23.1 ± 7.5 ms at baseline to 27.1 ± 7.0 ms at 12 months (P < 0.05). This difference was statistically significant between 2 groups at 12 months (P = 0.01). Combined therapy and monotherapy had no significant effect on liver T2*. At 12 months, serum ferritin levels were reduced in two groups; however, the difference was significant (737 ± 459 µg/ml vs 1085 ± 919 µg/ml, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that combined treatment with deferasirox and deferoxmaine is more effective than deferasirox for reduction of iron over load in patients with thalassemia major.