NSE and ProGRP Are Promising Markers for Diagnosis, Efficacy Evaluation, Follow-Up Monitoring, and Prognosis of Small Cell Esophageal Carcinoma.

Background: To investigate the clinical implications of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron specific enolase (NSE), and pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) in small cell esophageal carcinoma (SCEC).

Methods: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of serum markers for differentiating SCEC from patients with esophageal squamous carcinoma (ESCC), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and healthy subjects.

Results: The combination of ProGRP and NSE demonstrated significant diagnostic efficacy in distinguishing SCEC from ESCC, EAC, and healthy individuals.

PD-1 suppresses human CD38 circulating Tfr cells and regulates humoral immunity.

Background: Anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) antibodies have achieved revolutionary success in cancer therapy. However, the impact of anti-PD-1 therapy on host humoral immunity in humans during cancer immunotherapy requires further investigation.

Methods: We evaluated immunoglobulin titers by ELISA and screened the immune landscape of immune cells from 25 healthy donors and 50 cases including 25 new-onset hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients prior to systemic treatment and 25 HCC patients undergoing anti-PD-1 therapy by multicolor flow cytometry.

Calpain 2 promotes Lenvatinib resistance and cancer stem cell traits via both proteolysis-dependent and independent approach in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Lenvatinib, an approved first-line regimen, has been widely applied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, clinical response towards Lenvatinib was limited, emphasizing the importance of understanding the underlying mechanism of its resistance. Herein, we employed integrated bioinformatic analysis to identify calpain-2 (CAPN2) as a novel key regulator for Lenvatinib resistance in HCC, and its expression greatly increased in both Lenvatinib-resistant HCC cell lines and clinical samples.

Changes in sST2 and NT-proBNP levels predict early cardiac arrhythmia in breast cancer patients treated with anthracycline-containing chemotherapies.

Background: Cardiovascular biomarkers are crucial for monitoring cancer therapy-related cardiac toxicity, but the effects on early stage are still inadequate. To screen biomarkers in patients with breast cancer who receive anthracycline-containing chemotherapy, we studied the behavior of six biomarkers during chemotherapy and their association with chemotherapy-related cardiac toxicity.

Methods: In a prospective cohort of 73 patients treated with anthracycline-containing chemotherapy, soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2), high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), myoglobin, creatine kinase isoenzyme MB, and heart-fatty acid binding protein were measured at baseline, during chemotherapy cycle (C1-C6).

SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 Reference Intervals for Apparently Healthy Chinese Adults: a Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: This study aimed to establish reference intervals for two biomarkers actively utilized in routine annual medical check-ups in China: squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) and cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYRFA 21-1), and to understand the influence of age, gender, and benign nodule(s) on their levels.

Methods: This prospective multicenter cross-sectional study continuously enrolled apparently healthy adults attending annual medical check-ups at three sites in 2019. Serum SCCA and CYFRA 21-1 levels were measured using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays.

HBx integration in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma inhibits Caspase-3-PARP related apoptosis.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common pathological type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and is closely associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection status and hepatitis B X (HBx) gene integration. This project investigated the cellular biological effects and molecular mechanisms responsible for lymphomagenesis and the progression of HBx integration in DLBCL. The data showed that clinical DLBCL cells demonstrated HBx integration, and the sequencing analysis of integrated sites validated HBx integration in the constructed HBx-transfected cells.

Germ cell-specific gene 2 accelerates cell cycle in epithelial ovarian cancer by inhibiting GSK3α-p27 cascade.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is one of the most common malignant gynecological tumors with rapid growth potential and poor prognosis, however, the molecular mechanism underlying its outgrowth remained elusive. Germ cell-specific gene 2 (GSG2) was previously reported to be highly expressed in ovarian cancer and was essential for the growth of EOC. In this study, GSG2-knockdown cells and GSG2-overexpress cells were established through lentivirus-mediated transfection with Human ovarian cancer cells HO8910 and SKOV3.

A novel CSN5/CRT O-GlcNAc/ER stress regulatory axis in platinum resistance of epithelial ovarian cancer.

High levels of COP9 signalosome subunit 5 (CSN5) in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are associated with poor prognosis and are implicated in mediating platinum resistance in EOC cells. The underlying mechanisms, however, remained undefined. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular process and identify potential therapeutic targets.

IFN-γ in ovarian tumor microenvironment upregulates HLA-E expression and predicts a poor prognosis.

Background: Inflammation and immunity are two main characteristics of tumor microenvironment (TME). Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is generally considered as a pro-inflammatory cytokine which mediates anti-tumor immune response. Recently, IFN-γ was also reported to play a protumorigenic role.

ASAP2 interrupts c-MET-CIN85 interaction to sustain HGF/c-MET-induced malignant potentials in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Sustained activation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-MET signaling is a major driver of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression, but underlying mechanism is unclear. ArfGAP With SH3 Domain, Ankyrin Repeat And PH Domain 2 (ASAP2) can reportedly activate GTPases and promote receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. However, the exact role of ASAP2 in HCC, especially for c-MET activation, also remains elusive.

TPX2 promotes ovarian tumorigenesis by interacting with Lamin A/C and affecting its stability.

Objective: Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the fatal gynecologic malignancies. However, there are no effective prognostic or therapeutic indicators for OC. Herein, we aim to reveal the potential function of targeting protein for Xklp2 (TPX2) in OC progression.

CD59-Regulated Ras Compartmentalization Orchestrates Antitumor T-cell Immunity.

T cell-mediated immunotherapy represents a promising strategy for cancer treatment; however, it has achieved satisfactory clinical responses in only a limited population. Thus, a broader view of the T-cell immune response is required. The Ras/MAPK pathway operates in many important signaling cascades and regulates multiple cellular activities, including T-cell development, proliferation, and function.

Identification of a novel Calpain-2-SRC feed-back loop as necessity for β-Catenin accumulation and signaling activation in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Rapid progression is the major cause of the poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the underlying mechanism remained unclear. Here, we found Calpain-2 (CAPN2), a well-established protease that accelerates tumor progression in several malignancies, is overexpressed in HCC and acts as an independent predictor for poor outcomes. Furthermore, CAPN2 promoted the proliferation and invasion of HCC, and showed a positive correlation with the levels of invasion-related markers.

Serology-Based Model for Personalized Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Risk Evaluation.

This study aimed to establish a prognosis-prediction model based on serological indicators in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Patients initially diagnosed as ovarian cancer and surgically treated in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from 2014 to 2018 were consecutively enrolled. Serological indicators preoperatively were collected.

Prevalence of elevated Anti-p53 in Chinese patients with upper gastrointestinal or colorectal cancer.

Background: The monitoring of anti-p53 auto-antibodies in the peripheral blood has been used in cancer management; however, their clinical significance alone is limited. This pilot study aimed to describe the prevalence of elevated anti-p53 in newly diagnosed or recurrent upper gastrointestinal cancer or colorectal cancer in Chinese subjects. It also evaluated whether the addition of anti-p53 to a set of established tumor markers would allow for the detection of additional cancer cases than when using these markers alone.

MYSM1 induces apoptosis and sensitizes TNBC cells to cisplatin via RSK3-phospho-BAD pathway.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality among women. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is responsible for a large percentage of all breast cancer deaths in women. This study demonstrated the function of Myb-like, SWIRM, and MPN domains 1 (MYSM1), an H2A deubiquitinase (DUB), in TNBC.

Liquid Biopsy and Tissue Biopsy Comparison with Digital PCR and IHC/FISH for HER2 Amplification Detection in Breast Cancer Patients.

Two hundred twenty-four breast cancer patients with paired tissue and plasma samples were enrolled from 3 clinical centers to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of a digital PCR HER2 amplification assay. All patients were histologically confirmed diagnosis of locally advanced and recurrent or metastatic breast cancer with stage III/IV and had tissue HER2 status determinations using IHC/FISH. For the whole 224 advanced breast cancer patients, the sensitivity between dPCR in plasma and IHC/FISH in tissue samples is 43.

Differentially Expressed Genes in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma as a Potential Marker for Prognostic and Immune Signatures.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by the inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau () gene. Of note, no other gene is mutated as frequently as in ccRCC, turning out that patients with inactivated constitute the majority of ccRCC-related character. Thus, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their molecular networks caused by mutation were considered as important factors for influencing the prognosis of ccRCC.

A Risk of Venous Thromboembolism Algorithm as a Predictor of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with Colorectal Cancer.

Cancer patients experience an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). In this study, we investigated a risk of venous thromboembolism algorithm (RVTA) in patients with colorectal cancer and evaluated its ability to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer. We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 345 patients with colorectal cancer from January 2015 to December 2018 at the Shanghai Cancer Center to develop the RVTA.

TTK is a potential therapeutic target for cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer.

Background: Drug resistance and recurrence are main contributors to the poor prognosis of ovarian cancer. Cisplatin is a platinum compound which is widely used in the treatment of various solid tumors including ovarian cancer. Up to now, the mechanism of cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer is unclear.

Up-regulation of GSTT1 in serous ovarian cancer associated with resistance to TAXOL / carboplatin.

Serous ovarian cancer (SOC) is the most common women cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among the gynaecological malignancies. Although effective chemotherapeutics combined with surgery are developed for the treatment, the five-year survival rate is unsatisfactory due to chemoresistance. To overcome this shortcoming of chemotherapy, we established taxol and carboplatin resistant SOC cell lines for the understandings of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of chemoresistance.

CALD1 is a prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in gastric cancers.

Background: Caldesmon gene (CALD1) plays an important role in many cellular functions. Some researchers have found the correlation between CALD1 expression and prognosis of gastrointestinal cancer (GI), but the association with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) still unclear.

Methods: The expression of CALD1 in different human tumor was analyzed by Oncomine and Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) databases.

Clinical observations of bone marrow transfusion for promoting bone marrow reconstruction after chemotherapy for AIDS-related lymphoma.

Background: This study investigates the effect of autologous bone marrow transfusion (BMT) on the reconstruction of both bone marrow and the immune system in patients with AIDS-related lymphoma (ARL).

Methods: A total of 32 patients with ARL participated in this study. Among them, 16 participants were treated with conventional surgery and chemotherapy (control group) and the remaining 16 patients were treated with chemotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow transfusion via a mesenteric vein (8 patients, ABM-MVI group) or a peripheral vein (8 patients, ABM-PI group).