Cancer Biomarkers - Volume 28, issue 4

Authors: Barsoum, Ihab | Elgohary, Marwan N. | Bassiony, Mohamed A.A.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Viral hepatitis, alcoholism and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis are the most common risk factors. Despite the advances in HCC screening and treatment options, HCC still has a high mortality rate and a high rate of recurrence after treatment. Lipocalin-2 (LCN-2) is a glycoprotein transporter that is highly expressed in HCC tissues. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serum LCN-2 as a diagnostic marker for HCC. METHODS: The study was carried out in Zagazig university hospitals. It included 210 HCC patients (subdivided in three subgroups), 72 …liver cirrhosis patients without HCC and 18 normal control persons (the total is 300 subjects). All the study subjects were evaluated by history taking, physical examination, routine laboratory investigations, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and LCN-2 in addition radiology. RESULTS: In comparison between HCC and control, there was a statistically significant difference in hemoglobin percent (HB%), platelet count, serum ALT, AST, ALP, bilirubin, albumin and creatinine. In comparison to AFP, LCN-2 > 225 ng/ml had a higher diagnostic performance in HCC patients and was more accurate in differentiation between cirrhosis and HCC patients. CONCLUSION: LCN-2 is a good candidate for HCC diagnosis and screening. Show more

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, alpha-fetoprotein, lipocalin-2, screening, cirrhosis, hepatitis

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-190084

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 523-528, 2020

Authors: Pi, Hongquan | Huang, Libing | Liu, Huifang | Liang, Shulan | Mei, Juanjuan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of the programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) signaling pathway on the intestinal flora in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: A total of 30 CRC patients treated with PD-1 monoclonal antibody therapy in the Oncology Department of our hospital from January 2018 to January 2019, and another 30 patients treated with routine non-immune therapy were enrolled. The feces specimens were collected for sequencing, the CRC model was established, and the 16S rRNA gene sequences in intestinal flora in feces specimens of mice were analyzed. RESULTS: The 3-month progression-free survival …could not be predicted through the gene count or abundance of metagenomic species (MGS) in intestinal microflora of patients. The gene count or MGS abundance was related to the clinical progression-free response. There were abundant unclassified Escherichia coli, s_lactobacillus and s_unclassified parasutterella in patients treated with PD-1. The reflection curve of microbiota had an obvious difference in richness (Chao1), but had no apparent difference in diversity (Shannon). CONCLUSION: The PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway can regulate the metabolic activity of intestinal flora, thereby promoting immune surveillance of tumors. Show more

Keywords: PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway, colorectal cancer, intestinal flora

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-201606

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 529-535, 2020

Authors: Wang, Lei | Zhou, Yehui | Xia, Suhua | Lu, Linlin | Dai, Tiantian | Li, Aoshuang | Chen, Yan | Gao, Erli

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The new systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) constructed based on neutrophil, monocyte and lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood is considered to be related to the prognosis of a variety of tumours. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of the SIRI in operable breast cancer patients and establish a nomogram to predict the survival of breast cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 949 patients with operable breast cancer were enrolled in the present study. RESULTS: The overall survival (OS) of breast cancer patients with SIRI ⩽ 0.65 …was significantly higher than that of breast cancer patients with SIRI > 0.65 (P < 0.001). A nomogram generated based on SIRI, grade and TNM stage and SIRI predicted the 5- and 10-year survival rates of breast cancer patients more accurately than TNM stage alone. In addition, the change in SIRI relative to baseline at 4 weeks after surgery was closely related to the survival of breast cancer patients. Compared with those with no SIRI changes (absolute value of variation < 25%), breast cancer patients with an increase in SIRI > 75% or 25–75% had worse OS (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The SIRI before and after surgery is closely related to the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Show more

Keywords: SIRI, breast cancer, prognosis

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-201682

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 537-547, 2020

Authors: Wang, Guoan | Zhou, Yingyan | Chen, Weizhuang | Yang, Yiming | Ye, Jiankui | Ou, Huilin | Wu, Hongcheng

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Studies have suggested that miR-21-5p and WWC2 are key players in most cancer types, yet the underlying mechanisms in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remain elusive. This study made in-depth research on the two factors-dependent mechanisms underlying LUAD occurrence and development. METHODS: Bioinformatics methods were employed to identify the miRNA and its target gene of interest. In all, 20 pairs of LUAD tumor tissue samples and matched adjacent normal samples along with 5 LUAD cell lines were collected for evaluating the aberrant expression of miR-21-5p and WWC2. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to validate the targeted relationship …between miR-21-5p and WWC2. A series of in vitro experiments including colony formation assay, EdU, wound healing assay and Transwell were conducted for assessment of the LUAD cell biological behaviors. In addition, Western blot was carried out to determine the protein expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins. RESULTS: miR-21-5p was found to be considerably increased in LUAD tissue and cells relative to that in the adjacent tissue and the human bronchial epithelial cells, whereas WWC2 was significantly decreased. Dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-21-5p targeted WWC2 and down-regulated its expression. Besides, silencing miR-21-5p or overexpressing WWC2 played an inhibitory role in PC-9 cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but such effect was suppressed when miR-21-5p was overexpressed. Furthermore, Western blot uncovered that WWC2 overexpression impeded the EMT process in LUAD cells. CONCLUSION: miR-21-5p facilitates LUAD cell proliferation, migration and invasion through targeting WWC2, which provides a novel therapeutic target for LUAD treatment. Show more

Keywords: Lung adenocarcinoma, WWC2, miR-21-5p, proliferation, migration, invasion

DOI: 10.3233/CBM-201489

Citation: Cancer Biomarkers, vol. 28, no. 4, pp. 549-559, 2020