微小RNA(microRNA)在肝细胞肝癌发生发展中的作用研究进展

MicroRNA是近几年发现的一种非编码小分子RNA,其主要功能体现在参与调节生物个体发育、细胞增殖与分化、肿瘤细胞的发生等多种病理过程中。MicroRNA在调控癌基因和抑癌基因的表达过程中,以及在肝细胞肝癌发生和发展中发挥着关键性的作用。本综述对microRNA在肝细胞肝癌发生发展中的作用进行汇总,以期为肝细胞肝癌的临床诊断以及治疗提供理论参考。     

A single-institutional experience with low dose stereotactic body radiation therapy for liver metastases

AimThis study reports a single-institutional experience treating liver metastases with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).Materials and methods107 patients with 169 lesions were assessed to determine factors predictive for local control, radiographic response, and overall survival (OS). Machine learning techniques, univariate analysis, and the Kaplan-Meier method were utilized.ResultsPatients were treated with a relatively low median dose of 30 Gy in 3 fractions. Fractions were generally delivered once weekly. Median biologically effective dose (BED) was 60 Gy, and the median gross tumor volume (GTV) was 12.16 cc. Median follow-up was 7.36 months. 1-year local control was 75% via the Kaplan-Meier method. On follow-up imaging, 43%, 40%, and 17% of lesions were decreased, stable, and increased in size, respectively. 1-year OS was 46% and varied by primary tumor, with median OS of 34.3, 25.1, 12.5, and 4.6 months for ovarian, breast, colorectal, and lung primary tumors, respectively. Breast and ovarian primary patients had better OS (p < 0.0001), and lung primary patients had worse OS (p = 0.032). Higher BED values, the number of hepatic lesions, and larger GTV were not predictive of local control, radiographic response, or OS. 21% of patients suffered from treatment toxicity, but no grade ≥3 toxicity was reported.ConclusionRelatively low-dose SBRT for liver metastases demonstrated efficacy and minimal toxicity, even for patients with large tumors or multiple lesions. This approach may be useful for patients in whom higher-dose therapy is contraindicated or associated with high risk for toxicity. OS depends largely on the primary tumor.     

The role of EMT-related lncRNA in the process of triple-negative breast cancer metastasis

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most malignant and fatal subtype of breast cancer, which has characterized by negativity expression of ER, PR, and HER2. Metastasis is the main factor affecting the prognosis of TNBC, and the process of metastasis is related to abnormal activation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) plays an important role in regulating the metastasis and invasion of TNBC. Therefore, based on the metastasis-related EMT signaling pathway, great efforts have confirmed that LncRNA is involved in the molecular mechanism of TNBC metastasis, which will provide new strategies to improve the treatment and prognosis of TNBC. In this review, we summarized many signal pathways related to EMT involved in the transfer process. The advances from the most recent studies of lncRNAs in the EMT-related signal pathways of TNBC metastasis. We also discussed the clinical research, application, and challenges of LncRNA in TNBC.     

GJA1在结直肠癌组织中表达及促进侵袭转移的研究

摘要 目的：间隙连接Alpha-1蛋白（Gap Junction Alpha-1,GJA1）是间隙连接中分布最广泛的蛋白,并在多种肿瘤中起促癌作用,但其在结直肠癌发生、发展的作用研究甚少。本实验旨在探究GJA1在结直肠癌组织中的表达情况及其对结直肠癌细胞系侵袭、转移能力的影响,以期为结直肠癌的诊断和预后寻找新的生物标志物。方法：收集92对结直肠癌及其癌旁组织样本,提取组织RNA,利用qRT-PCR检测GJA1相对表达量,并分析GJA1表达与临床病理特征及预后的相关性。在HCT116和HCT8两种结直肠癌细胞系中分别构建GJA1过表达载体和敲减载体,利用qRT-PCR和、Western Blot检测上皮间充质转化（epithelial-mesenchymal transition, EMT）相关蛋白E-Cadherin、N-Cadherin、Vimentin和Snail的表达变化,利用Wound healing和Transwell实验观察其迁移、侵袭能力的变化。结果：相对于癌旁组织,GJA1在结直肠癌组织中显著低表达。并且结直肠癌中低表达的GJA1与肿瘤分化程度、浸润深度、淋巴血管转移相关,低表达GJA1结直肠癌患者显示更差的总体生存率和更低的无病生存率。此外,过表达GJA1后,结直肠癌细胞E-cadherin的表达升高,N-cadherin、Vimentin和Snail的表达降低,划痕愈合减慢,Transwell转移细胞减少;而敲减GJA1后,结直肠癌细胞E-Cadherin的表达降低,N-Cadherin、Vimentin和Snail的表达升高,划痕愈合加快,Transwell转移细胞增多。结论：GJA1在结直肠癌中低表达,其表达降低可通过EMT促进结直肠癌的侵袭、转移并影响病人预后。     

食管癌组织miR-21、miR-182表达与临床病理特征及预后的关系

目的:探讨食管癌组织微小RNA-21(miR-21)、微小RNA-182(miR-182)表达与临床病理特征及预后的关系。方法:选择2010年10月至2014年2月期间在我院治疗的120例食管癌患者为研究对象,采集患者的食管癌组织及癌旁组织,采用荧光定量PCR检测组织中miR-21、miR-182表达量,采用Kaplan-Meier法分析患者生存情况。结果:与癌旁组织相比,食管癌组织中miR-21、miR-182表达量明显升高(P<0.05)。食管癌组织中miR-21、miR-182表达均与TNM分期和淋巴结转移相关(P<0.05)。miR-21低表达患者的5年生存率明显高于高表达患者(P<0.05),miR-182低表达患者的5年生存率明显高于高表达患者(P<0.05)。结论:miR-21、miR-182表达量在食管癌中上调,与食管癌TNM分期和淋巴结转移相关。miR-21高表达以及miR-182高表达患者5年生存率下降,检测miR-21、miR-182表达量在食管癌患者预后预测中具有一定临床意义。     

Understanding the function of the tumor microenvironment,and compounds from marine organisms for breast cancer therapy

The pathology and physiology of breast cancer(BC),including metastasis,and drug resistance,is driven by multiple signaling pathways in the tumor microenvironment(TME),which hamper antitumor immunity.Recently,long non-coding RNAs have been reported to mediate pathophysiological developments such as metastasis as well as immune suppression within the TME.Given the complex biology of BC,novel personalized therapeutic strategies that address its diverse pathophysiologies are needed to improve clinical outcomes.In this review,we describe the advances in the biology of breast neoplasia,including cellular and molecular biology,heterogeneity,and TME.We review the role of novel molecules such as long non-coding RNAs in the pathophysiology of BC.Finally,we provide an up-to-date overview of anticancer compounds extracted from marine microorganisms,crustaceans,and fishes and their synergistic effects in combination with other anticancer drugs.Marine compounds are a new discipline of research in BC and offer a wide range of anti-cancer effects that could be harnessed to target the various pathways involved in BC development,thus assisting current therapeutic regimens.     

Amplification of RAD54B promotes progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling

Liver cancer was reported to be the sixth most frequently diagnosed cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 75%-85% of primary liver cancer. Nevertheless, the concrete molecular mechanisms of HCC progression remain obscure, which is essential to elucidate. The expression profile of RAD54B in HCC was measured using qPCR and western blotting. Moreover, the levels of RAD54B in paraffin-embedded samples were evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The effect of RAD54B on HCC progression was testified by in vitro experiments, and in vivo orthotopic xenograft tumor experiments. The mechanisms of RAD54B promoting HCC progression were investigated through molecular and function experiments. Herein, RAD54B are dramatically upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines both on mRNA and protein levels, and RAD54B can servers as an independent prognostic parameter of 5-year overall survival and 5-year disease-free survival for patients with HCC. Moreover, up-regulation of RAD54B dramatically increases the capacity for in vitro cell viability and motility, and in vivo intrahepatic metastasis of HCC cells. Mechanistically, RAD54B promotes the HCC progression through modulating the wnt/β-catenin signaling. Notably, blocking the wnt/β-catenin signaling axis can counteract the activating effects of RAD54B on motility of HCC cells. Besides, further analysis illustrates that DNA amplification is one of the mechanisms leading to mRNA overexpression of RAD54B in HCC. Our findings indicate that RAD54B might be a promising potential prognostic marker and a candidate therapeutic target to therapy HCC.     

Prognostic factors and survival in metastatic breast cancer: A single institution experience

Background

The current retrospective study aims to identify some determinants of survival in metastatic breast cancer.

Methods

The study concerned 332 patients with synchronous (SM) or metachronous (MM) metastatic breast cancer treated between January 2000 and December 2007. Statistical comparison between subgroups of patients concerning survival was carried out employing log-rank test for the invariable analysis and Cox model for the multivariable analysis. Factors included: age group (≤50 years vs. >50; ≤70 years vs. >70; ≤35 years vs. >35), menopausal status, presentation of metastatic disease (SM vs. MM), disease free interval (DFI) (≤24 months vs. >24 months; ≤60 months vs. >60 months), performance status at diagnosis of metastatic disease (PS) (0–1 vs. >1), hormone receptors (HR), number of metastatic sites (1 site vs. >1), nature of the metastatic site (visceral vs. non visceral), first line therapy, surgery of the primary tumor (SPT), locoregional radiotherapy (LRRT) and use or not of bisphosphonates.

Results

Overall survival at 5 years was 12%. Positive prognostic factors in univariate analysis were: age ≤ 70 years, hormono-dependence of the tumor, good PS (PS 0–1), less than two metastatic sites, no visceral metastases, DFI ≥ 24 months, SPT or LRRT. In multivariate analysis, favorable independent prognostic factors included: good PS (PS 0–1), absence of visceral metastases (liver, lung, brain) and age ≤ 70 years.

Conclusion

Many of the prognostic factors in metastatic breast cancer found in our study are known in the literature but some of them, like the application of locoregional treatment (radiotherapy or surgery) and the use of bisphosphonates, need to be further investigated in randomized clinical trials.     

Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is associated with prostate cancer metastasis and chemo/radioresistance via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway

Prostate cancer (CaP) is the second leading malignancy in men. The role of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), also known as CD326, in CaP progression and therapeutic resistance is still uncertain. Here, we aimed to investigate the roles of EpCAM in CaP metastasis and chemo/radioresistance. Expression of EpCAM in CaP cell lines and human CaP tissues was assessed using immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry, respectively. EpCAM was knocked down (KD) in PC-3, DU145 and LNCaP-C4-2B cells using small interfering RNA (siRNA), and KD results were confirmed by confocal microscope, Western blotting and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Cell growth was evaluated by proliferation and colony formation assays. The invasive potential was assessed using a matrigel chamber assay. Tumorigenesis potential was measured by a sphere formation assay. Chemo-/radiosensitivity were measured using a colony formation assay. Over-expression of EpCAM was found in primary CaP tissues and lymph node metastases including cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells. KD of EpCAM suppressed CaP proliferation and invasive ability, reduced sphere formation, enhanced chemo-/radiosensitivity, and down-regulated E-cadherin, p-Akt, p-mTOR, p-4EBP1 and p-S6K expression in CaP cells. Our findings suggest that EpCAM plays an important role in CaP proliferation, invasion, metastasis and chemo-/radioresistance associated with the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and is a novel therapeutic target to sensitize CaP cells to chemo-/radiotherapy.     

Roles of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 5A2 in Human Cancer

Eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF5A), the only known cellular protein containing the amino acid hypusine, is an essential component of translation elongation. eIF5A2, one of the two isoforms in the eIF5A family, is reported to be a novel oncogenic protein in many types of human cancer. Both in vitro and in vivo studies showed that eIF5A2 could initiate tumor formation, enhance cancer cell growth, and increase cancer cell motility and metastasis by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Accumulatied evidence suggests that eIF5A2 is a useful biomarker in the prediction of cancer prognoses and serves as an anticancer molecular target. In this review, we will focus on updating current knowledge of the EIF5A2 gene in human cancers. The molecular mechanisms of EIF5A2 related to tumorigenesis will also be discussed.