Cancer Science & Therapy

Refractory isolated thrombocytopenia (RIT) is an uncommon variant of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) that initially presents as chronic pure thrombocytopenia. Because of the lack of distinguishable dysplasia, RIT has often been misdiagnosed as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. We describe a patient with RIT and mosaic trisomy 8 for whom a bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMNC) culture was done for cytogenetic study. This patient exhibited a special pattern of MDS. We suggest that RIT be classified as a subtype of MDS on the basis of its specific molecular property.

Globally, lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer among men and women. The overall 5-year survival rate of lung cancer is around 16-19%. The emergence of targeted therapy and immunotherapy have changed the treatment paradigm of advanced NSCLC.

Colorectal cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Once the disease spreads and becomes less responsive to conventional treatments, the 5-year survival rates drops to 13%. Thus, new therapeutic targets will help to exert anti-tumor effects or improve the effective treatment of aggressive colorectal cancer. Ideal clinical management tools include Toll-like receptor-related markers (e.g., TLR3, TLR5, TLR7, TLR8, TLR9, MyD88) due to their capacity to alter numerous cancer-related pathways, including innate/adaptive immune/inflammation signaling, cell death, cell proliferation, DNA repair, cell migration, angiogenesis, and metastasis. This review sheds light on the immune boosting and anti-carcinogenic effects of TLR agonist/antagonist alone or combined with conventional therapy (radiation, chemotherapy, antibiotics) against colorectal cancer based on pre-clinical and clinical studies. Additional research is needed on the therapeutic potential of other TLR-related markers (e.g., TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR6, TLR10) in relation to aggressive colorectal cancer. This article will lead the development of the next generation of TLR-targeted therapeutics for the effective treatment of aggressive colorectal cancer.