Endocrine Abstracts

The von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) syndrome is an inherited multi-tumor disorder characterized by clinical heterogeneity and high penetrance. Pheochromocytoma (Pheo) is present in 10-15% of cases. It can be isolated or associated with other lesions such as hemangioblastomas, kidney cysts or cancer, and pancreatic lesions. Pheos secrete norepinephrine and are generally located in the adrenals. While performing genetic testing in patients affected by apparently sporadic pheos or PGLs, ...

The metabolic interplay occurring between the tumor microenvironment and cancer cells may represent a potential target for novel anti-cancer approaches. Among stromal components, adipocytes and adipose precursors have been shown to actively participate in tumor progression in several solid malignancies. In adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare endocrine neoplasia with a poor prognosis, cancer cells often infiltrate the fat mass surrounding the adrenal organ, enabling a possib...

Objective: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy, whose prognosis is mainly dependent on the stage at diagnosis. The identification of disease-associated markers representing solid biomarkers for early diagnosis and drug monitoring is mandatory to improve survival rate and life quality of patients. CTC are tumor cells originating from primary tumor or metastases. The tumor-induced angiogenesis and invasion allow aggressive tumors to release CTC into blood stream ...

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of tumor death in Western countries. Modifications in expression and functional alterations that involve the androgen receptor (AR) have been implicated in the progression of PCa and in the development of androgen independence; however, the role of AR in these processes is still debated, as contrasting results have been reported in several studies evaluating the relation between AR expression and disease progression (Tamburrin...

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive tumour with a poor prognosis, characterized by radio/chemotherapy resistance. The lack of an effective medical treatment is due to the poor knowledge of the mechanisms underlying malignant tumour transformation and aggressiveness. In vitro studies on the ACC H295R cell model have demonstrated that RGZ, an antidiabetic drug belonging to the thiazolidinedione ligands of PPARgamma, blocks cell proliferation/migration ...

Fascin-1(FSCN1) is an actin-bundling protein expressed in several solid carcinomas and often associated to an invasive and aggressive phenotype as it is involved in cytoskeleton rearrangement and filopodia formation. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy characterized by a poor prognosis, particularly when metastatic at diagnosis. Complete surgical resection of the tumor mass is the main therapy for ACC patients in addition to the adjuvant administratio...

Adrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a rare aggressive malignancy, with poor prognosis when metastaic at diagnosis. Recent ACC pan-genomics analysis contributed to redefine the risk groups on molecular bases, including tumor micro RNA (miR), which can be detectable not only in the primary lesion but also in the bloodstream.We develop a quantitative real-time assay for the measurement of absolute levels in plasma samples of miR483 and its mature miR483-5p form....

The recent discovery of the presence of brown adipose tissue (BAT) also in human adults is pivotal for development of anti-obesity therapies. This type of fat, in fact, mainly consists of brite cells (brown adipocytes appearing for a browning process in white fat) which are involved in adiposity control. The origin of brite cells in adult white adipose tissue (WAT) is still unclear as human cell models are lacking.Our study demonstrated the presence of B...

The adipose tissue (AT) is an important endocrine organ. Upon energy imbalance, the adipose cells become dysfunctional, supporting the development of metabolic pathologies and tumours. The adipose cell is among the main actor of the tumor microenvironment, and is able to establish a crosstalk with the cancer cell resulting in a reciprocal reprogramming. Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy affecting the adrenal cortex. In the most aggressive forms, can...

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) are often comorbid. Chronic inflammation, a determinant pathogenic factor for BPH, is a putative link between the two conditions.Methods: In a multi-center cohort of BPH patients (n=244) who underwent prostatectomy, we evaluated whether MetS is associated with prostatic inflammation in BPH specimens. In addition, we investigated the in vitro inflammatory effects...