Targeted demethylation at ZNF154 promotor upregulates ZNF154 expression and inhibits the proliferation and migration of Esophageal Squamous Carcinoma cells.

Zinc finger protein 154 (ZNF154) is hypermethylated at the promoter in many epithelial-derived solid tumors. However, its methylation status and function in esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC) are poorly understood. We found that the ZNF154 promoter is hypermethylated in ESCC and portends poor prognosis.

A Model Based on Artificial Intelligence Algorithm for Monitoring Recurrence of HCC after Hepatectomy.

Background: There is no satisfactory indicator for monitoring recurrence after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This retrospective study aimed to design and validate an HCC monitor recurrence (HMR) model for patients without metastasis after hepatectomy.

Methods: A training cohort was recruited from 1179 patients with HCC without metastasis after hepatectomy between February 2012 and December 2015.

Smoking status combined with tumor mutational burden as a prognosis predictor for combination immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of tumor mutational burden (TMB) combined with smoking status in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy (anti PD-1/PD-L1 therapy) combined with chemotherapy or anti-angiogenesis therapy.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of NSCLC patients who underwent next-generation sequencing test (either 295-gene panel NGS or 1021-gene panel NGS) from September 2017 to November 2020. The relationship between TMB and smoking status was investigated.

Diagnostic and Prognostic Characteristics of Circulating Free DNA Methylation Detected by the Electrochemical Method in Malignant Tumors.

Prior research has established an electrochemical method based on the differential adsorption capacity of gold surfaces with different methylated DNA degrees and found that this method might be valuable for cancer diagnosis by detecting circulating free DNA methylation. However, further investigation on the underlying mechanism and validation of its diagnostic and prognostic values in a large cohort of malignant tumors was limited. We found that DNA with different methylation levels formed particles of diverse sizes on the gold surface.

Performance of common genetic variants in risk prediction for colorectal cancer in Chinese: A two-stage and multicenter study.

The efficacy of susceptible variants derived from genome-wide association studies (GWAs) optimizing discriminatory accuracy of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Chinese remains unclear. In the present validation study, we assessed 75 recently identified variants from GWAs. A risk predictive model combining 19 variants using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) statistics offered certain clinical advantages.

Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram for the pre-treatment prediction of early metachronous metastasis in endemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a big-data intelligence platform-based analysis.

Background: Early failure of cancer treatment generally indicates a poor prognosis. Here, we aim to develop and validate a pre-treatment nomogram to predict early metachronous metastasis (EMM) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: From 2009 to 2015, a total of 9461 patients with NPC (training cohort:  = 7096; validation cohort:  = 2365) were identified from an institutional big-data research platform.

Development of a Nomogram Model for Treatment of Nonmetastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Importance: Because of tumor heterogeneity, overall survival (OS) differs significantly among individuals with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), even among those with the same clinical stage. Relying solely on TNM staging to guide treatment remains imperfect.

Objectives: To establish a comprehensive nomogram to estimate individualized OS and to explore stratified treatment regimens for risk subgroups in nonmetastatic NPC.

Plasma SGIP1 methylation in diagnosis and prognosis prediction in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aberrant methylation of some genes can serve as promising biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of plasma SGIP1 methylation in HCC. The study included a total of 269 subjects, of which 129 were with HCC, 45 with liver cirrhosis (LC), 45 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 50 were healthy controls (HCs).

Germline mutational profile of Chinese patients under 70 years old with colorectal cancer.

Background: Inherited susceptibility accounts for nearly one-third of colorectal cancer (CRC) predispositions and has an 80%-100% lifetime risk of this disease. However, there are few data about germline mutations of hereditary CRC-related genes in Chinese patients with CRC. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of gene mutations related to cancer susceptibility among Chinese patients with CRC, differences between Chinese and Western patients, and the phenotype-genotype correlation.

Risk stratification for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a real-world study based on locoregional extension patterns and Epstein-Barr virus DNA load.

Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the combined value of locoregional extension patterns (LEPs) and circulating cell-free Epstein-Barr virus (cf EBV) DNA for risk stratification of locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LA-NPC) to better guide therapeutic strategies.

Methods: A total of 7227 cases of LA-NPC were reviewed retrospectively and classified into six groups according to their LEP (ascending, descending, or mixed type) and pre-treatment cf EBV-DNA load (⩾ <4000 copy/ml). Using a supervised statistical clustering approach, patients in the six groups were clustered into low, intermediate, and high-risk clusters.

Classification of gastric cancer by EBV status combined with molecular profiling predicts patient prognosis.

Purpose: To identify how Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status combined with molecular profiling predicts the prognosis of gastric cancer patients and their associated clinical actionable biomarkers.

Experimental Design: A next-generation sequencing assay targeting 295 cancer-related genes was performed in 73 EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) and 75 EBV-negative gastric cancer (EBVnGC) specimens and these results were compared with overall survival (OS).

Results: PIK3CA, ARID1A, SMAD4, and PIK3R1 mutated significantly more frequently in EBVaGC compared with their corresponding mutation rate in EBVnGC.

Identification of a Gene-Related Risk Signature in Melanoma Patients Using Bioinformatic Profiling.

Introduction: Gene signature has been used to predict prognosis in melanoma patients. Meanwhile, the efficacy of immunotherapy was correlated with particular genes expression or mutation. In this study, we systematically explored the gene expression pattern in the melanoma-immune microenvironment and its relationship with prognosis.

Comparison of Mismatch Repair Status Between Primary and Matched Metastatic Sites in Patients With Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Differences between the features of primary cancer and matched metastatic cancer have recently drawn attention in research. This study investigated the concordance in microsatellite instability (MSI) and mismatch repair (MMR) status between primary and corresponding metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Consecutive patients with metastatic CRC who had both primary and metastatic tumors diagnosed at our institution in January 2008 through December 2016 were identified.

The Percentage of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Positive Tumor Cells Has Clinical Implications for Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is one of the leading therapeutic targets in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the clinical importance that the percentage of ALK-positive tumor cells has on NSCLC remains unclear. A total of 344 ALK-positive patients were enrolled in this study.

Prognostic Implications of Tripartite Motif Containing 24 Expression Levels in Patients with Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To systematically investigate the prognostic implications of tripartite motif containing 24 () expression levels in Patients with solid tumors. Pubmed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases were searched through December 2017 to identify studies examining the relationship between expression levels and outcomes in solid tumor patients. The hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were used to evaluate the association between and overall survival (OS).

Neoadjuvant or Adjuvant Chemotherapy Plus Concurrent CRT Versus Concurrent CRT Alone in the Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Study Based on EBV DNA.

Background: The goal of this study was to explore the value of adding neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) or adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with different risks of treatment failure.

Patients And Methods: A total of 2,263 eligible patients with stage III-IVb NPC treated with CCRT ± NACT or ACT were included in this retrospective study. Distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), overall survival, and progression-free survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and differences were compared using the log-rank test.

Prospective observation: Clinical utility of plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA load in EBV-associated gastric carcinoma patients.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric carcinomas (EBVaGCs) may account for 8-9% of all gastric cancer (GC) patients. All previous reports on EBVaGC were retrospective. Prospective study is warranted to evaluate the exact role of EBV status in predicting the prognosis of GC.

Past and Recent Salted Fish and Preserved Food Intakes Are Weakly Associated with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Risk in Adults in Southern China.

Background: Chinese-style salted fish intake in early life is considered an established risk factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, results for adult intakes of salted fish and preserved foods are inconsistent.

Objective: The aim of this study was to ascertain the relations of Chinese-style hard and soft salted fish and preserved food intakes with NPC risk.

Mutation spectrum of germline cancer susceptibility genes among unselected Chinese colorectal cancer patients.

Genetic factors play an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, yet the prevalence and spectrum of germline cancer susceptibility gene mutations among unselected Chinese CRC patients is largely undetermined. We performed next-generation sequencing with a 73-genes panel and analyzed the prevalence and spectrum of germline mutations in 618 unselected Chinese CRC patients. We classified all identified germline alterations for pathogenicity and calculated the frequencies of pathogenic mutations.

Interfering Expression of Chimeric Transcript Promotes Cell Proliferation in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Introduction: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a distinct type of head and neck cancer which is mostly prevalent in southern China. The development of NPC involves accumulation of multiple genetic changes. Chromosomal translocation is always thought to be accompanied with the fusion chimeric products.

Prognostic implications of a molecular classifier derived from whole-exome sequencing in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The aim of this study was to use whole-exome sequencing to derive a molecular classifier for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and evaluate its clinical performance. We performed whole-exome sequencing on 82 primary NPC tumors from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou cohort) to obtain somatic single-nucleotide variants, indels, and copy number variants. A novel molecular classifier was then developed and validated in another NPC cohort (Hong Kong cohort, n = 99).

Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Load After Induction Chemotherapy Predicts Outcome in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: To investigate whether plasma Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA load at induction chemotherapy (ICT) completion (post-DNA) is a useful outcome predictor in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and to compare the prognostic value of post- DNA and post-chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) DNA (post-DNA).

Methods And Materials: We retrospectively reviewed 278 patients with stage III-IV NPC treated with ICT followed by concurrent CCRT. The EBV DNA load was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction pre-ICT (pre-DNA), at ICT completion (post-DNA), and 1 week after CCRT completion (post-DNA).

Hypermethylation of APC2 Is a Predictive Epigenetic Biomarker for Chinese Colorectal Cancer.

Objective: To investigate methylation of the adenomatosis polyposis coli homologue (APC2) promoter and its correlation with prognostic implications in Chinese colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: The mRNA expression of APC2 in colorectal tissues was evaluated using the database of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Methylation analysis of APC2 in tumor ( = 66) and corresponding adjacent formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues ( = 44) was performed by Sequenom EpiTYPER® and verified by cloning-based bisulfite sequencing analysis.

Pretreatment quality of life as a predictor of survival for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with IMRT.

Background: To evaluate the prognostic significance of pretreatment quality of life for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

Methods: We performed a prospective, longitudinal study on 554 newly diagnosed patients with NPC from April 2011 to January 2015. A total of 501 consecutive NPC patients were included.