Liquid biopsy: Comprehensive overview of circulating tumor DNA (Review).

Traditional tumor diagnosis methods rely on tissue biopsy, which can be invasive and unsuitable for long-term monitoring of tumor dynamics. The advent of liquid biopsy has notably improved the overall management of patients with cancer. Liquid biopsy techniques primarily involve detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).

MicroRNA-561 Affects Proliferation and Cell Cycle Transition Through PTEN/AKT Signaling Pathway by Targeting P-REX2a in NSCLC.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. miR-561 has been reported to be downregulated in gastric cancer and affects cancer cell proliferation and metastasis. However, the role and underlying molecular mechanism of miR-561 in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unknown and need to be further elucidated.

In vitro synergistic antitumor efficacy of sequentially combined chemotherapy/icotinib in non‑small cell lung cancer cell lines.

The concurrent administration of chemotherapy and epidermal growth factor receptor‑tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR‑TKIs) has previously produced a negative interaction and failed to confer a survival benefit to non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients compared with first‑line cytotoxic chemotherapy. The present study aimed to investigate the optimal schedule of the combined treatment of cisplatin/paclitaxel and icotinib in NSCLC cell lines and clarify the underlying mechanisms. HCC827, H1975, H1299 and A549 human NSCLC cell lines with wild‑type and mutant EGFR genes were used as in vitro models to define the differential effects of various schedules of cisplatin/paclitaxel with icotinib treatments on cell growth, proliferation, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, and EGFR signaling pathway.

Expression and significance of the novel tumor-suppressor gene SMG-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Recent studies have demonstrated that SMG-1, a newly characterized member of the family of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-related protein kinases (PIKKs), is involved in tumorigenesis as a new tumor suppressor. However, its expression and significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain obscure. The present study investigated SMG-1 expression in HCC tissue specimens, aimed at defining the association with clinicopathological significance.

Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor is a robust enhancer of anticancer agents against hepatocellular carcinoma multicellular spheroids.

Purpose: Celecoxib, an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2), was investigated for enhancement of chemotherapeutic efficacy in cancer clinical trials. This study aimed to determine whether celecoxib combined with 5-fluorouracil or sorafenib or gefitinib is beneficial in HepG2 multicellular spheroids (MCSs), as well as elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: The human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 MCSs were used as in vitro models to investigate the effects of celecoxib combined with 5-fluorouracil or sorafenib or gefitinib treatment on cell growth, apoptosis, and signaling pathway.

Increased LEF1 expression and decreased Notch2 expression are strong predictors of poor outcomes in colorectal cancer patients.

Background/objective: We aimed to examine the expression of lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (LEF1) and Notch2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and their association with clinicopathologic variables and CRC patients' prognosis.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot analysis were performed to assess the expression of LEF1 and Notch2 in 184 patients with CRC.

Results: We observed a strong negative correlation between LEF1 expression and Notch2 expression (P < 0.

Knockdown of lymphoid enhancer factor 1 inhibits colon cancer progression in vitro and in vivo.

Expression of lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (LEF1) is frequently altered in different human cancers. This study aimed to assess LEF1 expression in colon cancer tissues and to explore changed phenotypes, gene expressions, and the possible mechanism after knocked down LEF1 expression in colon cancer cell lines. A total of 106 colon cancer and matched paratumorous normal tissues were used to assess LEF1 expression using immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR.

Helicobacter pylori promotes invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cells through activation of AP-1 and up-regulation of CACUL1.

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is important in the development and progression of gastric cancer. However, the mechanisms that regulate this activation in gastric tumors remain elusive. CACUL1 has been cloned and identified as a novel gene that is expressed in many types of cancer and is involved in cell cycle regulation and tumor growth.