Revealing molecular mechanisms of early-onset tongue cancer by spatial transcriptomics.

Tongue cancer at a young age demonstrates an increase in incidence, aggressiveness, and poor response to therapy. Classic etiological factors for head and neck tumors such as tobacco, alcohol, and human papillomavirus are not related to early-onset tongue cancer. Mechanisms of development and progression of this cancer remain unclear.

Characterization of EpCAM-Positive and EpCAM-Negative Tumor Cells in Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Most studies on CTCs have focused on isolating cells that express EpCAM. In this study, we emphasize the presence of EpCAM-negative and EpCAM CTCs, in addition to EpCAM CTCs, in early BC. We evaluated stem cell markers (CD44/CD24 and CD133) and EMT markers (N-cadherin) in each subpopulation.

The Association of Integrins β3, β4, and αVβ5 on Exosomes, CTCs and Tumor Cells with Localization of Distant Metastasis in Breast Cancer Patients.

Integrins are cell adhesion receptors, which play a role in breast cancer invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Moreover, it has been shown that exosomal integrins provide organotropic metastasis in a mouse model. In our study, we aimed to investigate the expression of integrins β3, β4, and αVβ5 on exosomes and tumor cells (circulating tumor cells and primary tumor) and their association with the localization of distant metastasis.

LIMCH1 as a New Potential Metastasis Predictor in Breast Cancer.

Background And Objective: High LIMCH1 expression in lung and renal cancer is determined as a favorable prognostic factor. However, prognostic value of LIMCH1 expression in breast cancer has not been studied yet. Therefore, this study was performed to determine the prognostic value of LIMCH1 expression in breast cancer patients.

The Novel Association of Early Apoptotic Circulating Tumor Cells with Treatment Outcomes in Breast Cancer Patients.

Stemness and epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity are widely studied in the circulating tumor cells of breast cancer patients because the roles of both processes in tumor progression are well established. An important property that should be taken into account is the ability of CTCs to disseminate, particularly the viability and apoptotic states of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Recent data demonstrate that apoptosis reversal promotes the formation of stem-like tumor cells with pronounced potential for dissemination.

Premalignant Changes in the Bronchial Epithelium Are Prognostic Factors of Distant Metastasis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Background: The study assessed the possibility of dividing patients into groups based on the assessment of morphological changes in the epithelium of small-caliber bronchi located near the primary tumor in order to predict high and low risks of distant metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer.

Methods: In 171 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (TNM) in small-caliber bronchi taken at a distance of 3-5 cm from the tumor, various variants of morphological changes in the bronchial epithelium (basal cell hyperplasia (BCH), squamous cell metaplasia (SM), and dysplasia (D)) were assessed. Long-term results of treatment, namely, distant metastasis, were assessed after 2 and 5 years.

Heterogeneous Manifestations of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity of Circulating Tumor Cells in Breast Cancer Patients.

To date, there is indisputable evidence of significant CTC heterogeneity in carcinomas, in particular breast cancer. The heterogeneity of CTCs is manifested in the key characteristics of tumor cells related to metastatic progression - stemness and epithelial-mesenchymal (EMT) plasticity. It is still not clear what markers can characterize the phenomenon of EMT plasticity in the range from epithelial to mesenchymal phenotypes.

Prognosis of Different Types of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Progression: Current State and Perspectives.

Despite advances in diagnostics and therapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the problem of prognosis and prevention of tumor progression is still highly important. Even if NSCLC is diagnosed in the early stages, almost a quarter of patients develop relapse; most of them die from recurrent disease. A large number of different markers have been proposed to predict the risk of NSCLC progression; however, none of them are used in clinical practice.

The Activity of KIF14, Mieap, and EZR in a New Type of the Invasive Component, Torpedo-Like Structures, Predetermines the Metastatic Potential of Breast Cancer.

Intratumor morphological heterogeneity reflects patterns of invasive growth and is an indicator of the metastatic potential of breast cancer. In this study, we used this heterogeneity to identify molecules associated with breast cancer invasion and metastasis. The gene expression microarray data were used to identify genes differentially expressed between solid, trabecular, and other morphological arrangements of tumor cells.

Heterogeneity of Stemlike Circulating Tumor Cells in Invasive Breast Cancer.

The presence of stem and epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) features in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) determines their invasiveness, adaptability to the microenvironment, and resistance to proapoptotic signals and chemotherapy. It also allows them to fulfil the role of metastatic "seeds". We evaluated the heterogeneity of stem CTCs by their CD44, ALDH1, and CD133 expression depending on N-cadherin expression in breast-cancer patients.

Single Tumor Cells With Epithelial-Like Morphology Are Associated With Breast Cancer Metastasis.

The identification of tumor cells that can be potential metastatic seeds would reach two key aims-prognosis of metastasis risk and appointment of the optimal adjuvant therapy to prevent metastatic disease. Single tumor cells (STCs) located out of multicellular structures can most likely demonstrate features that are needed to initiate metastasis. One-hundred-and-thirty-five patients with invasive breast carcinoma of no special type have been enrolled.

Markers of Cancer Cell Invasion: Are They Good Enough?

Invasion, or directed migration of tumor cells into adjacent tissues, is one of the hallmarks of cancer and the first step towards metastasis. Penetrating to adjacent tissues, tumor cells form the so-called invasive front/edge. The cellular plasticity afforded by different kinds of phenotypic transitions (epithelial-mesenchymal, collective-amoeboid, mesenchymal-amoeboid, and ) significantly contributes to the diversity of cancer cell invasion patterns and mechanisms.

Mechanisms behind prometastatic changes induced by neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the breast cancer microenvironment.

Chemotherapy, along with surgery and radiotherapy, is a key treatment option for malignant tumors. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) reduces the tumor size and enables total tumor resection. In addition, NACT is believed to be more effective in destroying micrometastases than the same chemotherapy performed after surgery.

Clinically relevant morphological structures in breast cancer represent transcriptionally distinct tumor cell populations with varied degrees of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and CD44CD24 stemness.

Intratumor morphological heterogeneity in breast cancer is represented by different morphological structures (tubular, alveolar, solid, trabecular, and discrete) and contributes to poor prognosis; however, the mechanisms involved remain unclear. In this study, we performed 3D imaging, laser microdissection-assisted array comparative genomic hybridization and gene expression microarray analysis of different morphological structures and examined their association with the standard immunohistochemistry scorings and CD44CD24 cancer stem cells. We found that the intratumor morphological heterogeneity is not associated with chromosomal aberrations.

Development of Novel Monoclonal Antibodies for Evaluation of Transmembrane Prostate Androgen-Induced Protein 1 (TMEPAI) Expression Patterns in Gastric Cancer.

Transmembrane prostate androgen-induced protein 1 (TMEPAI) is a single-span membrane protein, functionally involved in transforming growth factor beta signaling pathway. The particular protein presented in cells in three isoforms, which differs in the length of the soluble N-terminal extracellular domain, making it challenging for the immunochemical recognition. By using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, we identified significant upregulation of PMEPA1 gene expression in malignant tissues of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma.

Intratumoral heterogeneity of macrophages and fibroblasts in breast cancer is associated with the morphological diversity of tumor cells and contributes to lymph node metastasis.

Recent studies have highlighted the heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment (ME) and the importance of its analysis to the understanding of its impact on clinical outcomes. In this study, we aimed to analyze the intratumoral distribution of macrophages and fibroblasts in breast cancer (BC) based on the morphological diversity of tumor cells (tubular, alveolar, solid, trabecular and discrete structures) and the clinicopathological parameters of the disease. Thirty-six patients with invasive breast carcinoma of no special type were included in the study.

Functional state of the Hsp27 chaperone as a molecular marker of an unfavorable course of larynx cancer.

Background: The small heat shock protein 27 kDA (Hsp27) acts as an ATP-independent chaperone in protein folding, but is also implicated in architecture of the cytoskeleton, cell migration, metabolism, cell survival, growth/differentiation, mRNA stabilization, and tumor progression.

Objective: To study the intracellular localization of phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of Hsp27 in squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx (SCCL) and to evaluate their relationship with regional lymphatic metastasis and overall five-year survival.

Methods: Tumor biopsies of larynx tissue were collected from 50 patients who were between the ages of 30 to 80 years and had a confirmed diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx.

Relationship between the expression of phosphorylated heat shock protein beta-1 with lymph node metastases of breast cancer.

Background: Heat shock protein beta-1 (HspB1) is a chaperone of the sHsp (small heat shock protein). The common functions of sHsps are chaperone activity, inhibition of apoptosis, regulation of cell development, and cell differentiation, take part in signal transduction.

Objective: To study the intracellular localization of phosphorylated features and non-phosphorylated forms of HspB1 in primary breast cancer cells and to evaluate their relationship with regional lymphatic metastasis.

Intratumoral morphological heterogeneity of breast cancer: neoadjuvant chemotherapy efficiency and multidrug resistance gene expression.

In this study, the influence of intratumoral morphological heterogeneity of breast cancer on neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) efficiency was investigated. In particular, we analysed the association of NAC response and pre- and post-NAC expression of the main multidrug resistance (MDR) genes--ABCB1, ABCC1, ABCC5, ABCG1, and ABCG2, with the presence of different morphological structures in breast tumors. In addition, the expression of MDR genes was investigated in different morphological structures and in their microenvironment by comparing probes obtained using laser microdissection.

Expression of cyclophilin A in gastric adenocarcinoma patients and its inverse association with local relapses and distant metastasis.

The aim of this study was to identify new protein markers of the intestinal and diffuse type gastric adenocarcinoma and to determine their relation to local relapses and distant metastasis. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, we searched for proteins that are overexpressed in the intestinal and/or diffuse type gastric adenocarcinoma, as compared to matched normal mucosa samples with further change confirmation by Western blot. Expression of the selected proteins was further assessed by immunohistocemistry in a large panel of gastric adenocarcinoma with various clinicopathological features.

Phenotypic drift as a cause for intratumoral morphological heterogeneity of invasive ductal breast carcinoma not otherwise specified.

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) not otherwise specified (NOS), the most common type of breast cancer, demonstrates great intratumoral morphological heterogeneity, which encompasses the presence of different types of morphological structures-tubular, trabecular, solid, and alveolar structures and discrete groups of tumor cells, the origins of which remain unclear at present. In this study of 162 IDC NOS patients, we investigated whether the distribution of different types of morphological structures is related to the basic clinicopathological parameters of IDC NOS. Our results showed that in patients with only one type of tumor structure, the presence of any one of the five types was equally probable; however, cases with two types of structures were more likely to contain trabecular structures than the other four types.

Changing the expression vector of multidrug resistance genes is related to neoadjuvant chemotherapy response.

Purpose: We aimed to examine the association between alterations in multidrug resistance (MDR) gene expression, measured before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), and short-term response in a cohort of stage IIA-IIIC breast cancer patients (n = 84).

Methods: All patients were treated with two to four preoperative cycles of FAC (5-fluorouracil-adriamycin-cyclophosphamide), CAX (cyclophosphamide-adriamycin-xeloda) or taxane regimes. The expression levels of key MDR genes (ABCB1, ABCC1, ABCC2, ABCC3, ABCC5, ABCG1, ABCG2, GSTP1, and MVP) were evaluated in both tumor tissues obtained pre-therapy and in specimens removed by final surgery, using TaqMan-based quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR.