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      Potential role of probiotics on colorectal cancer prevention

      research-article
      1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 2 , , 5 , 1 , 2 , 3
      BMC Surgery
      BioMed Central
      XXV National Congress of the Italian Society of Geriatric Surgery
      10-11 May 2012

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          Abstract

          Background

          Colorectal cancer represents the most common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract. Owing to differences in dietary habits and lifestyle, this neoplasm is more common in industrialized countries than in developing ones. Evidence from a wide range of sources supports the assumption that the link between diet and colorectal cancer may be due to an imbalance of the intestinal microflora.

          Discussion

          Probiotic bacteria are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a healthy benefit on the host, and they have been investigated for their protective anti-tumor effects. In vivo and molecular studies have displayed encouraging findings that support a role of probiotics in colorectal cancer prevention.

          Summary

          Several mechanisms could explain the preventive action of probiotics against colorectal cancer onset. They include: alteration of the intestinal microflora; inactivation of cancerogenic compounds; competition with putrefactive and pathogenic microbiota; improvement of the host’s immune response; anti-proliferative effects via regulation of apoptosis and cell differentiation; fermentation of undigested food; inhibition of tyrosine kinase signaling pathways.

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          Most cited references91

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          Short-chain fatty acids and human colonic function: roles of resistant starch and nonstarch polysaccharides.

          Resistant starch (RS) is starch and products of its small intestinal digestion that enter the large bowel. It occurs for various reasons including chemical structure, cooking of food, chemical modification, and food mastication. Human colonic bacteria ferment RS and nonstarch polysaccharides (NSP; major components of dietary fiber) to short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), mainly acetate, propionate, and butyrate. SCFA stimulate colonic blood flow and fluid and electrolyte uptake. Butyrate is a preferred substrate for colonocytes and appears to promote a normal phenotype in these cells. Fermentation of some RS types favors butyrate production. Measurement of colonic fermentation in humans is difficult, and indirect measures (e.g., fecal samples) or animal models have been used. Of the latter, rodents appear to be of limited value, and pigs or dogs are preferable. RS is less effective than NSP in stool bulking, but epidemiological data suggest that it is more protective against colorectal cancer, possibly via butyrate. RS is a prebiotic, but knowledge of its other interactions with the microflora is limited. The contribution of RS to fermentation and colonic physiology seems to be greater than that of NSP. However, the lack of a generally accepted analytical procedure that accommodates the major influences on RS means this is yet to be established.
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            Colorectal cancer epidemiology: incidence, mortality, survival, and risk factors.

            In this article, the incidence, mortality, and survival rates for colorectal cancer are reviewed, with attention paid to regional variations and changes over time. A concise overview of known risk factors associated with colorectal cancer is provided, including familial and hereditary factors, as well as environmental lifestyle-related risk factors such as physical inactivity, obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
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              • Article: not found

              ErbB receptors and signaling pathways in cancer.

              The ErbB receptor tyrosine kinases play important roles in normal physiology and in cancer. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and ErbB2 in particular are mutated in many epithelial tumors, and clinical studies suggest that they play roles in cancer development and progression. These receptors have been intensely studied, not only to understand the mechanisms underlying their oncogenic potential, but also to exploit them as therapeutic targets. ErbB receptors activate a multiplicity of intracellular pathways via their ability to interact with numerous signal transducers. Furthermore, there are now many ErbB-targeted inhibitors used in the clinic. In this review we will concentrate on breast tumors with ERBB2 gene amplification/receptor overexpression and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating EGFR mutations. We will discuss data showing the important role that the PI3K/Akt pathway plays, not only in cancer development, but also in response to targeted therapies. Finally, mechanisms contributing to resistance to ErbB-targeted therapeutics will also be discussed.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                Conference
                BMC Surg
                BMC Surg
                BMC Surgery
                BioMed Central
                1471-2482
                2012
                15 November 2012
                : 12
                : Suppl 1
                : S35
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Senescence, Urological and Neurological Sciences, Cannizzaro Hospital Via Messina 829, 95125, University of Catania, Italy
                [2 ]International PhD programme in Neuropharmacology, University of Catania, Italy
                [3 ]Department of General Surgery, Section of General Surgery and Oncology, Vittorio Emanuele Hospital, Via Plebiscito 628 University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
                [4 ]Department of Biomedical Sciences, Via S. Sofia, 87, 95123, University of Catania, Italy. University of Catania, Italy
                [5 ]Department of Medical and Pediatric Sciences Via S. Sofia, 87, 95123, University of Catania, Italy
                Article
                1471-2482-12-S1-S35
                10.1186/1471-2482-12-S1-S35
                3499195
                23173670
                a8060c1b-84ea-4685-a726-a78d85201924
                Copyright ©2012 Uccello et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                XXV National Congress of the Italian Society of Geriatric Surgery
                Padova, Italy
                10-11 May 2012
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                Surgery
                Surgery

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