Highlights of This Issue

To develop molecular markers of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, Huang and colleagues reanalyzed 8 nasopharyngeal cancer gene expression studies to identify the most common dysregulated genes in this disease. The authors found a total of 962 dysregulated genes in nasopharyngeal cancer. Four of the upregulated genes (BUB1B, CCND2, CENPF, and MAD2L1) and 2 of the downregulated genes (LTF and SLPI) were reported in 6 of the 7 studies. Interestingly, the high expression of BUB1B and CENPF was associated with poor overall patient survival. The identification of genes that are dysregulated in nasopharyngeal cancer should improve our understanding of the disease and reveal new therapeutic targets.

In an effort to increase the screening rate for colorectal cancer among low-income and minority populations, Katz and colleagues examined whether encouraging (or activating) patients to ask their health-care providers for colorectal cancer screening tests would increase completion of the screen, compared with only giving them colorectal cancer screening information. The authors found that more people in the activation group completed the colorectal cancer screening test. In addition, more individuals from the activated group reported discussing screening with their providers, and more screening tests were ordered. The results of this study reinforce the importance of facilitating dialogue between patients and providers regarding colorectal cancer screening in low-income populations.

Although the presence of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) is well established in most Merkel cell carcinoma tissues, the presence of MCV in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is less certain. To help resolve this question, Rollison and colleagues conducted a study comparing MCV seroreactivity in cases and controls. The authors report that MCV DNA was detected in 38% of SCC tumor tissues. In addition, an association was shown between MCV seropositivity and MCV DNA-positive SCC. This finding is the first from a serologic case–control study of MCV in SCC and suggests that exposure to MCV is a risk factor for nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Data from laboratory studies suggest that vitamin D may inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth, but results from epidemiologic studies investigating the risk of developing pancreatic cancer have been conflicting. Wolpin and colleagues performed a nested case–control study and logistic regression to compare the odds of pancreatic cancer with respect to plasma levels of 25(OH)D. The authors found that mean plasma 25(OH)D levels were lower in cases versus controls and that plasma 25(OH)D was inversely associated with odds of pancreatic cancer. The results from this large study indicate that higher plasma 25(OH)D levels are associated with a lower risk of pancreatic cancer and low 25(OH)D levels may predispose individuals to the development of pancreatic cancer.