Precision drugs for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (Review).

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignancy that is common in Southern China, South-East Asia and North Africa. Platinum-based chemotherapy is currently the main treatment option for the first-line therapy of recurrent and/or metastatic NPC (RM-NPC). However, the outcome of patients with advanced disease remains poor after treatment with standard chemotherapy, as patients eventually became resistant to chemotherapy.

Depicting the Implication of miR-378a in Cancers.

MicroRNA-378a (miR-378a), including miR-378a-3p and miR-378a-5p, are encoded in gene. miR-378a is essential for tumorigenesis and is an independent prognostic biomarker for various malignant tumors. Aberrant expression of miR-378a affects several physiological and pathological processes, including proliferation, apoptosis, tumorigenesis, cancer invasion, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance.

Clinical Significance of Pim-1 in Human Cancers: A Meta-analysis of Association with Prognosis and Clinicopathological Characteristics.

Background: Pim-1 is overexpressed in cancer tissues and plays a vital role in carcinogenesis. However, its clinical significance in cancers is not fully verified by meta-analysis, especially in relation to prognosis and clinicopathological features.

Methods: Four databases, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, were searched.

Prognostic Role of EGFR/p-EGFR in Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: The prognostic value of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/phosphorylated EGFR (p-EGFR) expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma remains controversial. A meta-analysis was performed to investigate prognostic significance of EGFR/p-EGFR expression in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Methods: Literatures published before November 2020 were systematically searched in relevant databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wan fang databases.

Nimotuzumab, an Anti-EGFR Monoclonal Antibody, in the Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in most of Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) samples and is associated with poor outcomes. Therefore, targeting EGFR may be a promising strategy to improve patient prognosis. Nimotuzumab is a humanized anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody.

UC2288 induces cell apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via inhibiting EGFR/ERK pathway.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the standard care for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). These treatments cause some severe toxicity and about 30% of patients develop recurrence and metastases after treatment. UC2288 is structurally similar to sorafenib, a multikinase inhibitor.

CD166 promotes cancer stem cell-like phenotype via the EGFR/ERK1/2 pathway in the nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE-2R.

Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of CD166 in cancer stem cell-like (CSCs) phenotype of the radioresistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell CNE-2R.

Main Methods: Established CD166-shRNA- CNE-2R cell line by lentivirus-mediated silencing CD166. Then, CSC-related genes mRNAs and proteins, and EGFR/ERK1/2 signaling pathway were detected using RT-PCR and western blot.

VEGF promotes migration and invasion by regulating EMT and MMPs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important pro-angiogenic factor. Accumulating data have indicated that VEGF is involved in tumour metastasis. However, the mechanism through which VEGF regulates nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) metastasis is largely unknown.

Comment on: an orally antitumor chalcone hybrid inhibited HepG2 cells growth and migration as the tubulin binding agent.

Recently we read a paper in Investigational New Drugs "An orally antitumor chalcone hybrid inhibited HepG2 cells growth and migration as the tubulin binding agent". Chalcone hybrid 9, a novel chalcone derivative, may be a promising agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, there are some problems in this paper that are worthy of comment.

VEGF knockdown enhances radiosensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by inhibiting autophagy through the activation of mTOR pathway.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important pro-angiogenic factor. VEGF was reported to promote the occurrence of autophagy, which enhanced the radioresistance of tumors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of VEGF silencing on the radiosensitivity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells and the underlying mechanisms.

Anti-EGFR therapies in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignant tumor in Southern China and South-East Asia. Regardless of initiative high response to radiotherapy, parts of patients still have relapses and metastases. It is reported that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in most of NPC and is a poor prognostic factor.

Deciphering the Roles of IFITM1 in Tumors.

Interferon (IFN)-induced transmembrane protein 1 (IFITM1), a member of the IFN-induced transmembrane protein family, is reported to be highly expressed in tumor tissues as well as cancer cell lines, and it is an independent prognostic biomarker for patients with certain tumor types, such as gallbladder carcinoma, esophageal adenocarcinoma, colorectal cancer, and gastric cancer. Moreover, overexpression of IFITM1 promotes tumor cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and therapeutic resistance, including endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy resistance. Due to these diverse functions of IFITM1 in tumors, targeting IFITM1 may provide a novel strategy for cancer treatment and be highly desirable to improve cancer patient outcomes.

The Double-Edge Role of the Addition of Adjuvant Chemotherapy to Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in the Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: To construct a prognostic index (PI) for overall survival (OS) to stratify nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) into high-risk and low-risk groups. We also applied the model to investigate the role of the addition of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) regimens for the treatment of NPC.

Methods: A prognostic model was established based on a retrospective study of 362 patients from January 2008 to June 2011.

A positive feedback loop between Wnt/β-catenin signaling and hTERT regulates the cancer stem cell-like traits in radioresistant nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Radioresistance may be induced by cancer stem cells (CSCs), while the biological traits of CSCs need to be retained by telomerase. The telomerase activity mainly depends on the transcriptional regulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Moreover, Wnt/β-catenin signaling is also considered essential for maintaining the CSC phenotypes.

STAT3 signaling in ovarian cancer: a potential therapeutic target.

Accumulating evidence has shown that Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is thought to be a promising target for cancer therapy as STAT3 is frequently overexpressed in a wide range of cancer cells as well as clinical specimens, promoting tumor progression. It is widely accepted that STAT3 regulates a variety of cellular processes, such as tumor cell growth, survival, invasion, cancer stem cell-like characteristic, angiogenesis and drug-resistance. In this review, we focus on the role of STAT3 in tumorigenesis in ovarian cancer and discuss the existing inhibitors of STAT3 signaling that can be promisingly developed as the strategies for ovarian cancer therapy.

Exosomes overexpressing miR-34c inhibit malignant behavior and reverse the radioresistance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Malignant behavior and radioresistance, which severely limits the efficacy of radiation therapy (RT) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), are associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are used as a therapeutic tool in a variety of tumors. The aim of this study was to reveal the effect of tumor suppressor microRNA-34c-5p (miR-34c) on NPC development and radioresistance, as well as to confirm that exosomes derived from MSCs overexpressing miR-34c restore the sensitivity to radiotherapy in NPCs.