Lectins as a promising therapeutic agent for breast cancer: A review.

Efficient treatment of cancer has been a subject of research by scientists for many years. Current treatments for cancer, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery have been used in traditional combination therapy, but they have major setbacks like non-specificity, non-responsiveness in certain cancer types towards treatment, tumor recurrence, etc. Epidemiological data has shown that breast cancer accounts for 14% of cancer cases occurring in Indian women. In recent years, scientists have started to focus on the use of natural compounds like lectins obtained from various sources to counter the side effects of traditional therapy. Lectins like Sambucus nigra Agglutinin, Maackia amurensis lectin, Okra lectins, Haliclona caerulea lectin, Sclerotium rolfsii lectin, etc., have been discovered to have both diagnostic and therapeutic potential for breast cancer patients. Lectins have been found to have inhibitory effects on various cancer cell activities such as neo-angiogenesis, causing cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, and inducing apoptosis. The major idea behind the use of lectins in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics is their capability to bind to glycosylated proteins that are expressed on the cell surface. This review focuses on an exploration of the roles of post-translational modification in cancer cells, especially glycosylation, and the potential of lectins in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics.

Attenuated adiponectin, omentin, increased interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels with altered cognition and depression in non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Immune dysfunction is one of the risk factors which plays an important role in the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and inflammation may be involved in its etiology. Minimal data is available on the effect of cytokine levels on neurobehavioral function in lymphoma before the initiation of chemotherapy. Therefore, we aimed to explore the risk of NHL by assessment of cytokine and adipokine levels and their correlation with neurobehavioral changes. METHODS: This case-control study enrolled 62 subjects (age-sex matched: 31 cases and 31 controls). Neurobehavioral assessment was done using Montreal Cognitive Assessment questionnaire (MoCA) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). EORTC Core Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used to assess quality of life. Questionnaire assessment and sample collection were done after the patient enrolment and before first cycle of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Mean age of NHL patients and healthy controls was 51.9 ± 11.8 and 50 ± 10.9 years, respectively. NHL patients showed significantly higher levels of IL-6 (0.77 ± 0.11) and TNF- α (1.47 ± 1.31) than controls (0.55 ± 0.4 and 0.66 ± 0.89, respectively) with p-value<0.005. Also, NHL patients showed significantly lower levels of adiponectin (0.31 ± 0.24) and omentin (0.46 ± 0.1) than controls (0.42 ± 0.13 and 0.53 ± 0.11, respectively) with p-value<0.005. Lower MoCA and EORTC QLQ C-30 scores and higher PHQ-9 scores were observed in NHL patients in comparison to healthy control. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that adiponectin, omentin IL-6 and TNF-α may be used as pre-diagnostic markers of NHL risk. Neurobehavioral changes observed in NHL patients may alter the quality of life.

Clinical relevance of glycosylation in triple negative breast cancer: a review.

Glycosylation alterations in TNBC have significant implications for tumor behavior, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic strategies. Dysregulated glycosylation affects cell adhesion, signaling, immune recognition, and response to therapy in TNBC. Different types of glycosylation, including N-linked glycosylation, O-linked glycosylation, glycosphingolipid glycosylation, mucin-type glycosylation, and sialylation, play distinct roles in TNBC. The "barcoding" method based on glycosylation sites of the membrane type mannose receptor (MR) shows promise in accurately distinguishing breast cancer subtypes, including TNBC. Alpha-L-fucosidase 1 (FUCA1) and Monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) have been identified as potential diagnostic and prognostic markers for TNBC. The glycosylation status of PD-L1 impacts the response to immune checkpoint blockade therapy in TNBC. Inhibiting fucosylation of B7H3 enhances immune responses and improves anti-tumor effects. Targeting glycosylated B7H4 and modulating estrogen metabolism through glycosylation-related mechanisms are potential therapeutic strategies for TNBC. Understanding the role of glycosylation in TNBC provides insights into disease mechanisms, diagnosis, and potential therapeutic targets. Further research in this field may lead to personalized treatment approaches and improved outcomes for TNBC patients.

Sacituzumab Govitecan as a Second-Line Treatment in Relapsed/Refractory Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy, the only treatment option for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC), showed decreased survival rates. Trophoblast cell surface antigen-2 (Trop-2) could be a possible target for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). OBJECTIVE: Sacituzumab govitecan (SG), an anti-Trop-2 ADC for pretreating relapsed/refractory mTNBC patients, was studied to know the efficacy and safety profile of the drug in mTNBC. METHODS: The present review searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), WHO Clinical Trial Registry, Clinical Trials.gov, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials until December 25, 2022. The studies searched comprised randomized trials and observational studies (retrospective [case-control, cross-sectional] and prospective [cohort designs]). Efficacy assessment was performed in terms of complete response (CR), partial response (PR), objective response rate (ORR), stable disease (SD), progressive disease (PD), and clinical benefit rate (CBR), and safety in terms of adverse events. RESULTS: The overall random-effects pooled prevalence of CR was 4.9 (95% CI: 3.2-7.1), PR was 35.6 (95% CI: 31.5-39.9), ORR was 6.8 (95% CI: 5.9-7.8), SD was 8.0 (95% CI: 6.7-9.4), PD was 5.1 (95% CI: 4.1-6.3), and CBR was 13.4 (95% CI: 11.8-15.1). Adverse events associated with the drug were neutropenia, fatigue, anemia, nausea, and others. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: This is the first meta-analysis conducted in relapsed/refractory mTNBC patients and found that SG is efficacious but associated with some adverse effects that are related to exposure to the drug. The application of these results will allow clinicians to use SG in the management of patients with mTNBC.

Efficacy and safety of nelarabine in patients with relapsed or refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Nelarabine is approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) patients who relapse following at least two different chemotherapy regimens. Previous studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of nelarabine with chemotherapy in the treatment of R/R T-ALL. However, the results are inconsistent. This review aimed to summarize findings on efficacy and safety data in R/R T-ALL patients administered with the drug nelarabine. The present review conducted a comprehensive search of MEDLINE (via PubMed), WHO Clinical Trial Registry, Clinical Trials.gov, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials until 15 January 2022. Thirteen studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria with a total of 2508 patients. The efficacy of nelarabine was studied in terms of complete remission (CR) and partial remission (PR). Included studies reported overall random-effects pooled prevalence of CR and PR were 37.2 (95% CI: 22.8, 51.5) and 10.2 (95% CI: 4.9, 15.5), respectively. Most common adverse events associated with nelarabine were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, fatigue, infections, and reversible peripheral neuropathy. Nelarabine is being used as salvage therapy as a bridge to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and the findings of this meta-analysis indicate that it is an effective and safe treatment to be used in addition to the first-line treatment for R/R T-ALL.