Report on the first year of the activity of the National Oncological RD Consortium

The project focuses on cancer types with outstanding publich health importance (breast-, colorectalhead and neck cancers and childhood tumors). Epidemiological studies revealed significant regional differences in the mobidity/mortality of these cancer types in Hungary. Molecular epidemiological studies revealed characteristic BRCA1 mutation patterns of familiar breast cancer and DNA repair enzyme polymorphism in head and neck cancer. New methods have been developed for the screening (lactoferrin), prognostication (c-met expression) or the prediction of therapeutic sensitivity (TS expression) of colorectal cancer. In the pediatric oncology program alternative way of MRD monitoring (WT1 expression) and a potential new therapeutic modality (IFN-alpha) of ALL was developed. Experimental studies demonstrated that the tumoral matrix significantly influences the effects of the classic chemotherapeutic agents. We have identified several genes the expression of which could serve efficiently as markers or targets for therapy of the progression of melanoma (alphaIIbbeta3 integrin, CD44v3 and decorin proteoglycans, AMF receptor).