Cancer Team

Overview

The mission of the Cancer Research team is to enhance our understanding of the cancer landscape in Cyprus by fostering collaborations among researchers with varied expertise and educating the public and health professionals about cancer prevention and management. This aims to improve the quality of life for cancer patients and ultimately save lives.

Our Objectives

  • Collaborate to secure funding for research by developing joint research proposals for local and international submission.
  • Promote and enhance the impact of our research through participation in scientific and public seminars on cancer.
  • Enhance our knowledge of the latest cancer research findings through information exchanges with the scientific community.
  • Improve the visibility and impact of our work through collaborative publication of relevant articles.
  • Train new researchers in cancer research by mentoring graduate and medical students interested in cancer-related projects.
  • Bridge the gap between basic science, clinical science, and public health by promoting translational research and an interdisciplinary approach.

Primary Research Areas

  • Molecular Biology
    • Identify molecular factors responsible for tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer and investigate the role of natural compounds in cancer treatment and prevention.
  • Pharmacognosy
    • Evaluate the anticancer activities of understudied natural sources, such as plant species, to utilise them or their constituents as potential novel therapeutics or preventatives against cancers.
  • Cancer Biology and Oncology
    • Understand the molecular pathways involved in tumourigenesis.
  • Lifestyle Medicine
    • Investigate how various lifestyle factors influence cancer prevention and management, emphasising the importance of lifestyle medicine in the prevention of cancer and the quality of life of cancer survivors.
  • Medical Statistics and Cancer Epidemiology
    • Investigate the pathways involved in the protective association between the Mediterranean diet and cancer, and examine cancer incidence and survival trends in Cyprus using data from the Cyprus Cancer Registry. Research also focuses on reducing delays in cancer diagnoses, particularly multiple myeloma, by developing diagnostic tools to alert clinicians to its possibility based on presenting symptoms.
  • Health Promotion and Implementation Science
    • Promote early detection and prevention of breast and cervical cancers through the development, implementation, and evaluation of community-based interventions, guided by behavioural and community-based theoretical frameworks.
  • Cytopathology
    • Maintain quality control of cytological and histological samples related to cervical cancer diagnosis.

Coordinator

Members

Selected Publications

  1. Alexander, K., Lee, C., Georgiades, S., and Constantinou, C. (2023). The ‘not so good thyroid cancer: a scoping review on risk factors associated with anxiety, depression and quality of life. Journal of Medicine and Life 16(3):348-371. doi: 10.25122/jml-2022-0204.
  2. Thrastardottir, T. O., Copeland, V.J. and Constantinou, C. (2023). The association between nutrition, obesity, inflammation and endometrial cancer: a Scoping Review. Current Nutrition Reports 12(1):98-121. doi: 1007/s13668-022-00447-8.
  3. Bogdanova, A., and Andrawos, C. and Constantinou, C. (2022). Cervical cancer, geographical inequalities and recent developments in screening: a narrative review. Oncology Letters 23, 113. doi: 10.3892/ol.2022.13233.
  4. Thrastardottir, T. O., Copeland, V.J. and Constantinou, C (2022). The association between the gut microbiome, nutritional habits, antibiotics and gastric cancer: a Scoping Review. Current Nutrition Reports 11, 19-38. doi:10.1007/s13668-021-00391-z.
  5. Vasincu A, Luca SV, Charalambous C, Neophytou CM, Skalicka-Woźniak K, Miron A (2022). “LC-HRMS/MS phytochemical profiling of Vernonia kotschyana Sch. Bip. ex Walp.: Potential involvement of highly-oxygenated stigmastane-type saponins in cancer cell viability, apoptosis and intracellular ROS production”. South African Journal of Botany, Vol. 144, pp. 83-91.
  6. Constantinou C, Charalambous C, Kanakis D, Kolokotroni O, Constantinou AI (2021). “Update on the Anti-Cancer Potency of Tocotrienols and α-Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol 1000 Succinate on Leukemic Cell Lines”. Nutr Cancer, Vol. 73 No.8, pp. 1302-1308.
  7. Charalambous C, Pitta CA and Constantinou AI. (2013). Equol enhances tamoxifen’s anti-tumor activity by induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. BMC Cancer.13:238-248. (Paper under category highly accessed).
  8. Charalambous C, Pen L, Su Y, Milan J, Chen TC, Hofman FH (2005). IL-8 differentially regulates migration in tumor-derived and normal human brain endothelial cells. Cancer Research. 65:10347-54.
  9. Tolma EL, Stoner JA, Li J, Kim Y, Engelman KK. Predictors of regular mammography use among American Indian women in Oklahoma: a cross-sectional study. BMC Womens Health. 2014;14:101. Published 2014 Aug 28. doi:10.1186/1472-6874-14-101
  10. Tolma EL, Engelman K, Stoner JA, et al. The Design of a Multi-component Intervention to Promote Screening Mammography in an American Indian Community: The Native Women’s Health Project. AIMS Public Health. 2016;3(4):933-955. Published 2016 Nov 18. doi:10.3934/publichealth.2016.4.933
  11. Tolma EL, Stoner JA, Thomas C, et al. Conducting a formative evaluation of an intervention promoting mammography screening in an American Indian community: The Native Women’s Health Project. Am J Health Educ. 2019;50(1):52-65. doi:10.1080/19325037.2018.1552216
  12. Shi A, Fong KHA, Rodomar C, Demetriou CA, Kolokotroni O, Philippou E, Salameh P, Mosquera MC, Papageorgiou E, Critselis E, Marcou Y, Constantinou C, Quattrocchi A. Barriers and facilitators for adopting healthy lifestyles in breast cancer survivors: a scoping review protocol. JBI Evid Synth. 2023 Nov 1;21(11):2218-2226. doi: 10.11124/JBIES-22-00395. PMID: 37395535.
  13. Beeks VV, Achilleos S, Quattrocchi A, Pallari CT, Critselis E, Salameh P, Rahmanian Haghighi MR, Rodriguez-Llanes JM, Ambrosio G, Artemiou A, Gabel J, Bennett CM, Cuthbertson J, Zimmermann C, Schernhammer ES, Costa AJL, de Carvalho LF, Lobato JCP, Athanasiadou M, Critchley JA, Goldsmith LP, Kandelaki L, Glushkova N, Davletov K, Semenova Y, Erzen I, Verstiuk O, Alekkou D, Polemitis A, Charalambous A, Demetriou CA; C-MOR Consortium. Cause-Specific Excess Mortality During the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-2021) in 12 Countries of the C-MOR Consortium. J Epidemiol Glob Health. 2024 Jun;14(2):337-348. doi: 10.1007/s44197-024-00242-4. Epub 2024 May 22. PMID: 38775902; PMCID: PMC11176135.
  14. Demetriou CA, Raaschou-Nielsen O, Loft S, Møller P, Vermeulen R, Palli D, Chadeau-Hyam M, Xun WW, Vineis P. Biomarkers of ambient air pollution and lung cancer: a systematic review. Occup Environ Med. 2012 Sep;69(9):619-27. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2011-100566. Epub 2012 Jul 7. PMID: 22773658.
  15. Van Eyssen SR, Samarkina A, Isbilen O, Zeden MS, Volkan E. FimH and Type 1 Pili Mediated Tumor Cell Cytotoxicity by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli In Vitro. Pathogens. 2023 May 23;12(6):751. doi: 10.3390/pathogens12060751. PMID: 37375441; PMCID: PMC10304368.
  16. Isbilen O, Volkan E. Allium willeanum Holmboe exerts anticancer activities on metastatic breast cancer cells MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Heliyon. 2021 Aug 6;7(8):e07730. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07730. PMID: 34401594; PMCID: PMC8358164.
  17. Isbilen O, Rizaner N, Volkan E. Anti-proliferative and cytotoxic activities of Allium autumnale P. H. Davis (Amaryllidaceae) on human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018 Jan 25;18(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s12906-018-2105-0. PMID: 29370794; PMCID: PMC5785833.
  18. Nicholson B D, Virdee P, Aveyard P, Price S J, Hobbs F D R, Koshiaris C, Willie Hamilton. Prioritising primary care patients with unexpected weight loss for cancer investigation: diagnostic accuracy study (update) BMJ 2024; 387 :e080199 doi:10.1136/bmj-2024-080199
  19. Koshiaris C, Van den Bruel A, Oke JL, Nicholson BD, Shephard E, Braddick M, Hamilton W. Early detection of multiple myeloma in primary care using blood tests: a case-control study in primary care. Br J Gen Pract. 2018 Sep;68(674):e586-e593. doi: 10.3399/bjgp18X698357. Epub 2018 Aug 13. PMID: 30104326; PMCID: PMC6104875.
  20. Koshiaris C, A Van den Bruel, BD Nicholson, S Lay-Flurrie, FR Hobbs, JL Oke. Clinical prediction tools to identify patients at highest risk of myeloma in primary care: a retrospective open cohort study Br J Gen Pract, 71 (706) (2021), pp. e347-e355 doi: 10.3399/BJGP.2020.0697. PMID: 33824161; PMCID: PMC8049204.
  21. Nicholson BD, Hamilton W, Koshiaris C, Oke JL, Hobbs FDR, Aveyard P. The association between unexpected weight loss and cancer diagnosis in primary care: a matched cohort analysis of 65,000 presentations. Br J Cancer. 2020 Jun;122(12):1848-1856. doi: 10.1038/s41416-020-0829-3. Epub 2020 Apr 15. PMID: 32291391; PMCID: PMC7283307.
  22. Koshiaris C, Aveyard P, Oke J, Ryan R, Szatkowski L, Stevens R, Farley A. Smoking cessation and survival in lung, upper aero-digestive tract and bladder cancer: cohort study. Br J Cancer. 2017 Oct 10;117(8):1224-1232. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2017.
  23. Fatemi M, Niyyati M, Rouhani S, Karamati SA, Mirjalali H, Karanis P. Contamination of fresh vegetables in municipal stores with pathogenic Acanthamoebagenotypes; a public health concern. Int J Environ Health Res. 2023;33(10):1010-1021. doi:10.1080/09603123.2022.2067328
  24. Mahmoudi MR, Zebardast N, Masangkay FR, Karanis P. Detection of potentially pathogenic free-living amoebae from the Caspian Sea and hospital ward dust of teaching hospitals in Guilan, Iran. J Water Health. 2021;19(2):278-287. doi:10.2166/wh.2021.240
  25. Mahmoudi MR, Hasani H, Tsiami A, et al. Intestinal protozoan and helminthic infections among hemodialysis and cancer patients. Parasitol Res. 2020;119(9):3053-3059. doi:10.1007/s00436-020-06774-5

Selected Research Projects

  • University of Nicosia Medical School Research Seed Fund

Prognostic significance of Estrogen receptor-β as a novel biomarker with a role in tamoxifen resistance in Cypriot breast cancer patients

Funding organisation: University of Nicosia Medical School

Project duration/dates: 1 year (1/9/2021- 31/8/2023; received extension for 6 months until 29/2/2024)

Role: Primary investigator (Christiana Charalambous)

Description: In collaboration with the UNIC Medical School, the Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre (BOCOC), and two private histopathology laboratories, this project investigates Estrogen receptor-β as a novel biomarker in the development of tamoxifen resistance in Cypriot breast cancer patients.

  • Participation in Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC) Genomics and Precision Medicine Project

Shriners Children’s Hospital Genomics and Precision Medicine Project

Funding organisation: Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC)

Project duration/dates: 10 years (postponed due to the pandemic; expected start in January 2023)

Role: Participant (Cyprus partner) (Christiana Charalambous)

Description: This project aims to perform molecular analysis of the paediatric disorders identified in SCH patients.

Stage at Diagnosis and Cancer Survival in Cyprus: A population-based study of patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2017 (STADICAN)

Description: A collaboration with the Cyprus Cancer Registry under the Health Monitoring Unit of the Ministry of Health, aiming to provide a better understanding of the cancer profile and cancer survival by tumour stage at diagnosis in Cyprus.

Website link: Stage at Diagnosis and Cancer Survival in Cyprus

  • University of Nicosia Medical School Research Seed Fund

Healthy lifestyle practices of Breast Cancer Survivors in Cyprus (HEROES)

Funding Organisation: University of Nicosia Medical School

Project duration/dates: 2021-current

Role: Primary investigator (Constantina Constantinou)

Description: The study investigates the association between adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research recommendations and Life Medicine pillars with the quality of life and biological health status indicators in breast cancer survivors in Cyprus. It also reviews literature to identify barriers, facilitators, and health literacy gaps affecting healthy lifestyle habits adoption by breast cancer survivors.

  • Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre and Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society

Health Empowerment and Lifestyle Themes for Healthy Youth Research Project (HEALTHY TEENS)

Funding organisation: Bank of Cyprus Oncology Centre

Duration: June 2023 – current

Role: Prof Constantina Constantinou, Dr Haris Charalambous (Co-primary investigators)

Description: The HEALTHY TEENS Research Project is designed to enhance adolescents’ well-being through research and intervention strategies.

  • Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS)

Eliminating breast cancer in Kuwait: Why don’t Kuwaiti women get screening mammograms?

Funding Organisation: Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS)

Duration: 2021-2025

Role: Partner (Co-investigator) (Eleni Tolma)

Description: To identify socio-cultural factors relating to Kuwaiti women’s decision-making about screening mammograms through interviews using the PEN-3 framework.