Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Ophir Loyola Hospital, Av. Governador Magalhães Barata 992, Belém, Pará, 66063-240, Brazil.
João de Barros Barreto University Hospital, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
Clin Exp Med. 2018 Nov;18(4):457-464. doi: 10.1007/s10238-018-0518-1. Epub 2018 Jul 13.
Cancer is a genetic disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and metastasis. Cancer can have a number of causes, such the activation of oncogenes, the inactivation of tumor-suppressing genes, mutagenesis provoked by external factors, and epigenetic modifications. The development of diagnostic tools and treatments using a molecular biological approach permits the use of sensitive, low-cost, noninvasive tests for cancer patients. Biomarkers can be used to provide rapid, personalized oncology, in particular the molecular diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia, and gastric, colon, and breast cancers. Molecular tests based on DNA methylation can also be used to direct treatments or evaluate the toxic effects of chemotherapy. The adequate diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of the response of cancer patients to treatment are essential to ensure the most effective therapy, reduce the damaging effects of treatment, and direct the therapy to specific targets, and in this context, molecular biology has become increasingly important in oncology. In this brief review, we will demonstrate the fundamental importance of molecular biology for the treatment of three types of cancer-chronic myeloid leukemia, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer, and astrocytomas (sporadic tumors of the central nervous system). In each of these three models, distinct biological mechanisms are involved in the transformation of the cells, but in all cases, molecular biology is fundamental to the development of personalized analyses for each patient and each type of neoplasia, and to guarantee the success of the treatment.
癌症是一种以细胞不受控制的生长和转移为特征的遗传疾病。癌症有许多原因，如癌基因的激活、肿瘤抑制基因的失活、外部因素引起的突变以及表观遗传修饰。使用分子生物学方法开发诊断工具和治疗方法，可以为癌症患者提供敏感、低成本、非侵入性的检测。生物标志物可用于提供快速、个性化的肿瘤学，特别是慢性髓性白血病、胃癌、结肠癌和乳腺癌的分子诊断。基于 DNA 甲基化的分子检测也可用于指导治疗或评估化疗的毒副作用。充分的诊断、预后和预测癌症患者对治疗的反应对于确保最有效的治疗、减少治疗的有害影响以及将治疗导向特定的目标至关重要，在这种情况下，分子生物学在肿瘤学中变得越来越重要。在这篇简短的综述中，我们将展示分子生物学对于治疗三种癌症（慢性髓性白血病、遗传性弥漫性胃癌和星形细胞瘤（中枢神经系统的散发性肿瘤））的基本重要性。在这三种模型中，细胞转化涉及不同的生物学机制，但在所有情况下，分子生物学对于为每个患者和每种类型的肿瘤发展个性化分析以及保证治疗的成功至关重要。
