Early decline in serum phospho-CSE1L levels in vemurafenib/sunitinib-treated melanoma and sorafenib/lapatinib-treated colorectal tumor xenografts.

BACKGROUND: Although targeted therapies have improved the clinical outcomes of cancer treatment, tumors resistance to targeted drug are often detected too late and cause mortality. CSE1L is secreted from tumor and its phosphorylation is regulated by ERK1/2. ERK1/2 is located downstream of various growth factor receptors and kinases, the targets of most targeted drugs. Serum phospho-CSE1L may be a marker for monitoring the efficacy of targeted therapy. METHODS: We used mice tumor xenograft model to study the assay of serum phosphorylated CSE1L for early detecting the efficacy of targeted drugs. The phosphorylation status of CSE1L in vemurafenib and sorafenib treated tumor cells were assayed by immunoblotting with antibody against phosphorylated CSE1L. RESULTS: Ras activation increased phospho-CSE1L expression in B16F10 melanoma cells. Vemurafenib and sorafenib treatment did not significantly reduce the total CSE1L levels; however, they inhibited ERK1/2 and CSE1L phosphorylation in A375 melanoma cells and HT-29 colorectal cancer cells. In the melanoma xenograft model, serum phospho-CSE1L level declined 5 days after vemurafenib/sunitinib treatment and 3 days after sorafenib/lapatinib treatment in the HT-29 colon cancer xenograft model. Vemurafenib/sunitinib and sorafenib/lapatinib treatments resulted in tumor regression. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that serum phospho-CSE1L is useful for early detecting the efficacy of targeted therapy in initial treatment and for monitoring emerging secondary drug resistance to facilitate timely therapeutic decision making.

High expression of cytoplasmic phosphorylated CSE1L in malignant melanoma but not in benign nevi: phosphorylated CSE1L for the discrimination between melanoma and benign nevi.

Melanoma is difficult to treat when it has metastasized. Discrimination between melanoma and benign nevi in melanocytic lesions is crucial for identifying melanomas and consequently improving melanoma treatment and prognosis. The chromosome segregation 1-like (CSE1L) protein has been implicated in cancer progression and is regulated by phosphorylation by extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling, a critical pathway in melanoma progression. We studied phosphorylated CSE1L expression in human melanoma and benign nevi specimens. Immunohistochemistry with tissue microarray using antibody against phosphorylated CSE1L showed that melanomas exhibited considerable staining for phosphorylated CSE1L (100%, 34/34), whereas the benign nevi showed only faint staining (0%, 0/34). Melanomas mainly exhibited cytoplasmic phospho-CSE1L distribution, whereas the benign nevi mainly exhibited nuclear phospho-CSE1L distribution. Moreover, immunohistochemistry with anti-CSE1L antibody revealed that CSE1L mainly exhibited cytoplasmic/nuclear distribution and nuclear distribution was the dominant. Immunofluorescence with B16F10 melanoma cells showed cytoplasmic distribution of phospho-CSE1L and nuclear distribution of CSE1L. Our results indicated that nuclear CSE1L is mainly non-phosphorylated CSE1L and is involved in gene regulation and cytoplasmic CSE1L is mainly phosphorylated CSE1L and is involved in cytoplasmic signaling regulation in melanocytic tumorigenesis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis of cytoplasmic phospho-CSE1L may aid in the diagnosis of melanoma.

A simple therapeutic approach to pincer nail deformity using a memory alloy: measurement of response.

BACKGROUND: Pincer nail deformity (PND) is a dystrophy characterized by transverse overcurvature of the nail plate that may cause intractable pain and decrease the quality of life of patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluated the efficacy of a superelastic nickel-titanium (SE NiTi) wire for the treatment of PND using transverse curvature improvement and subjective assessment of pain relief during and after the treatment. METHODS: SE NiTi wire was implanted over the distal tip of the nail for the treatment of PND in 43 patients (28 female, 15 male), with a total of 73 digits receiving treatment. Evaluations of improvement included measuring changes in transverse curvature of the nail and subjective assessment of pain relief throughout the follow-up period. RESULTS: In all patients, treatment of the pincer nail with implantation of SE NiTi wire achieved satisfactory results. Significant improvement (p < .05) of the transverse overcurvature of the nail was seen in all patients at 2 months, and relief of pain was determined in 100% of cases throughout our follow-up period. CONCLUSION: This simple SE NiTi wire insertion method is noninvasive and inexpensive, leaves no cosmetic disfigurement, and leads to excellent therapeutic results. Patients achieved great satisfaction. Thus, this technique should be considered the first line of treatment in the correction of mild to moderate PND.