Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. CHF can result from functional abnormalities such as ventricular dysfunction or arrhythmias, or structural disorders of the myocardium or valves.
Stroke is the second most common cause of death and a major cause of disability worldwide. A stroke occurs when there is a blockage or bleed in the cerebrovascular system that leads to either a neurological deficit persisting beyond 24 hours or death.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is one of a group of rare and life-threatening diseases collectively known as pulmonary hypertension (PH). Each PH subgroup shares similar pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and therapeutic approaches.
Head and neck cancers (HNCs) are defined as any cancer that begins in cells of the oral cavity, pharynx, nose, sinuses, or salivary glands. These cancers are grouped together due to historical similarities in etiology, disease presentation, and manifestation. The vast majority of these cases (90%), collectively referred to as head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), appear in squamous epithelial cells lining the mucous membranes of these regions. The exception to this is salivary gland cancer, which can appear in any of the salivary glands’ diverse cell types.
Amplification of the HER2/neu oncogene and related genetic elements on chromosome 17 increases HER2 expression and accelerates tumorigenesis. The natural disease progression meant that, historically, women with breast cancer who overexpressed HER2 were found to have significantly shorter disease-free survival and overall survival compared with women without HER2 amplification; however, the introduction of trastuzumab in 1998 drastically changed patient outcomes, to the point where HER2+ breast cancer patients now have the longest median survival of all breast cancer subtypes. HER2 is overexpressed in approximately 20% of breast cancers.
Hormone receptor-positive (HR+) is the most common breast cancer subtype, with approximately 70% of breast cancers presenting with overexpression of estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, or both (De Placido and Pronzato, 2015). Overexpression of the hormone receptors allows estrogen and progesterone to drive tumor growth and proliferation. Therefore, endocrine therapy remains the standard treatment for advanced patients with HR+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) breast cancer.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a relatively rare breast cancer subtype. It is characterized by the absence of estrogen and progesterone receptors and does not involve the overexpression of HER2. TNBC is associated with poor prognosis, a high risk of local recurrence, and poor disease-free and cancer-specific survival. It accounts for roughly 14% of breast cancers.
Ovarian cancer is defined as a group of tumors that originate in the ovaries. Most ovarian cancers are epithelial carcinomas which begin in the tissue surrounding the ovary. Other less common types of ovarian tumors include primary peritoneal, fallopian tube, and malignant germ cell tumors. Ovarian cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women, and is the leading cause of gynecological cancer-related death in women.
Colorectal (or bowel) cancer refers to carcinomas arising in the epithelium of the large intestine at any point between the cecal valve and the anus. CRC typically develops through the proliferation of mucosal epithelial cells of the gastrointestinal (GI) wall, eventually forming a polyp or adenoma. As with many other cancers of the GI tract, the vast majority (>95%) are adenocarcinomas.
Stomach or gastric cancer (GC) refers to any cancer arising in the lining of the stomach. The vast majority (95%) of these cancers are adenocarcinomas, and can be further grouped by anatomic origin. The clearest etiological distinction exists between adenocarcinomas of the gastric cardia (the anterior edge of the stomach surrounding the entry point of the esophagus), and those arising in the other anatomical subsites of the stomach – the fundus, body, pylorus, and the antrum. In most cases, gastric adenocarcinomas will begin in the muscularis mucosae and submucosa, then invading deeper lamina of the gastric wall.
Liver cancers can be differentiated based on the cell types they affect. The most common form of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which accounts for 80–90% of liver cancer cases. HCC affects hepatocellular cells, or hepatocytes, which are the most abundant cell type in the liver and are responsible for the liver’s primary functions, such as bile production, protein synthesis, and detoxification. This differentiates HCC from other types of liver cancer such as cholangiocarcinoma, which affects the epithelial cells lining the bile ducts, and angiosarcoma, which affects the endothelial cells lining blood vessels of the liver.
Melanoma accounts for just 1% of all skin cancer cases, but is responsible for the majority of skin cancer-related deaths. Melanoma occurs when melanocytes – pigment-producing cells of the skin that are intercalated in the basal cell layer – become malignant. Although surgical excision is a potentially curative option for many melanoma patients, the disease can disseminate rapidly. Currently, only 27.3% of patients diagnosed with distant metastatic melanoma survive for five years, compared to about 99.0% of those with localized disease. Although 83% of patients present with localized disease, approximately one quarter to one third of these patients will eventually experience disease recurrence.
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by the infiltration of malignant, antibody-producing plasma cells in the bone marrow. The disease represents approximately 1% of all cancers, and 10% of hematological cancers. The hallmarks of MM are high levels of monoclonal (M-) protein, high levels of clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow, and organ damage.
Prostate cancer occurs when malignant cells originate in the prostate gland. The vast majority of prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas, but other less common types include sarcomas, small cell carcinomas, neuroendocrine tumors, and transitional cell carcinomas. Some prostate cancers can grow and spread quickly, but many are relatively indolent. Because of this, depending on patient age and other co-morbidities, some prostate cancer patients may not receive active treatment for the disease during their lifetime.
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) specifically originating from centrocyte and centroblast B cells and usually beginning in the lymph nodes. The disease is among the most common forms of NHL alongside diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), accounting for approximately 35% of all NHLs.
Sign up to the Pharma Intelligence Report Store Newsletter to get the latest blogs, news, reports and discounts!