BA, the congenital absence or destruction of intra- or extra-hepatic biliary system, affects about 5 - 10/100 000 live births. End stage liver cirrhosis developed in some BA patients later in life.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered that the EBNA1 protein of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) disrupts structures in the nucleus of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, thereby interfering with cellular processes that normally prevent cancer development.

Clinicians could detect oral squamous cell carcinoma, a form of oral cancer, using a simple test that detects proteins in saliva, according to a report in the October 1, 2008, issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. This work was led by David T. Wong, D.M.D., D.M.Sc., professor and associate dean for research, at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry.

The depth of transmural tumor invasion along the rectal wall layers and involvement of the regional lymph nodes constitute major factors in the prognosis of rectal cancer.

Ampullary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma is extremely rare and has only been documented in few case reports and retrospective study. The patients with ampullary small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma usually presented after the age of 60 years, and a male predilection was observed.

Thirteen fluorescent labeled polymorphic microsatellite markers were analyzed in 83 cases of colorectal carcinoma and matched normal tissue DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR products were eletrophoresed on an ABI 377 DNA sequencer.

Apoptosis resistance has been shown to contribute to the development of different cancer entities, such as colorectal carcinoma (CRC). Moreover, apoptosis resistance of carcinoma cells provides an explanation for low response rates in patients with advanced cancer receiving chemotherapy.

The process of tumor invasion and metastasis is associated with alterations in the functions of several adhesion molecules. In general, tumor cells lose their capacity for normal adherence, which facilitates their detachment from their site of origin.

It is well known that local recurrence is the most important prognostic factor of rectal carcinoma. However, even after undergoing radical resection of primary tumors and lymph nodes, about 4%-50% of patients with rectal carcinoma were reportedly with local recurrence.

Primary carcinoma of the stomach is almost always adenocarcinoma or signet ring cell carcinoma and there are few reports of choriocarcinoma or neuroendocrine cell carcinoma.

Paraaortic lymph node metastasis in patients with pancreatico-biliary carcinoma has been reported as a definite predictor of early recurrence and shorter survival term.

The type 1 Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE1) is a transmembrane protein found in all eukaryotic cells. One of its functions is to evacuate excessive H+ in the cytoplasm by means of Na+-H+ exchange, resulting in stable intracellular pH value. Inhibition of the upregulation of NHE-1 gene expression in human gastric carcinoma cells can induce intracellular acidification, resulting in apoptosis of tumor cells, which is helpful for the treatment of tumors.