Genetic Biomarkers and Their Clinical Implications in B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Children.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a heterogeneous group of hematologic malignancies characterized by abnormal proliferation of immature lymphoid cells. It is the most commonly diagnosed childhood cancer with an almost 80% cure rate. Despite favorable survival rates in the pediatric population, a significant number of patients develop resistance to therapy, resulting in poor prognosis. ALL is a heterogeneous disease at the genetic level, but the intensive development of sequencing in the last decade has made it possible to broaden the study of genomic changes. New technologies allow us to detect molecular changes such as point mutations or to characterize epigenetic or proteomic profiles. This process made it possible to identify new subtypes of this disease characterized by constellations of genetic alterations, including chromosome changes, sequence mutations, and DNA copy number alterations. These genetic abnormalities are used as diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers that play an important role in earlier disease detection, more accurate risk stratification, and treatment. Identification of new ALL biomarkers, and thus a greater understanding of their molecular basis, will lead to better monitoring of the course of the disease. In this article, we provide an overview of the latest information on genomic alterations found in childhood ALL and discuss their impact on patients' clinical outcomes.

The Involvement of Human Papilloma Virus in Gastrointestinal Cancers.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. HPV infection has a strong relationship with the onset of cervix uteri, vagina, penis, anus, and oropharynx, but also tonsils and tongue cancers. Some epidemiological data indicate that except for gynecologic cancers, HPV infection can be one of the risk factors associated with a greater risk of induction and progression of gastrointestinal cancers. Data, however, remain contradictory and definite conclusions cannot be drawn, so far. The following review aims to organize recent evidence and summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the association between HPV infection and gastrointestinal tumors primarily focusing on esophageal, liver, gastric, colorectal, and anal cancers.

Essentiality of Trace Elements in Pregnancy, Fertility, and Gynecologic Cancers-A State-of-the-Art Review.

Gynecological neoplasms pose a serious threat to women's health. It is estimated that in 2020, there were nearly 1.3 million new cases worldwide, from which almost 50% ended in death. The most commonly diagnosed are cervical and endometrial cancers; when it comes to infertility, it affects ~48.5 million couples worldwide and the number is continually rising. Ageing of the population, environmental factors such as dietary habits, environmental pollutants and increasing prevalence of risk factors may affect the reproductive potential in women. Therefore, in order to identify potential risk factors for these issues, attention has been drawn to trace elements. Trace mineral imbalances can be caused by a variety of causes, starting with hereditary diseases, finishing with an incorrect diet or exposure to polluted air or water. In this review, we aimed to summarize the current knowledge regarding trace elements imbalances in the case of gynecologic cancers as well as female fertility and during pregnancy.