Oncology Letters最新文献

Circular (circ)RNA, a type of non-coding RNA, serves a critical role in several diseases, including cancer. The present study aimed to elucidate the involvement of hsa_circ_0006522 (circEFR3A) in the advancement of breast cancer (BC) and uncover the molecular mechanisms behind its function. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed on a tissue microarray to assess the expression and intracellular localization of circEFR3A. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model were utilized to evaluate the potential prognostic significance of circEFR3A in relation to the overall survival of patients with BC. The biological function was assessed through gain- and loss-of-function experiments. In addition, dual luciferase reporter assays, RNA immunoprecipitation, FISH and western blotting were performed to identify the interaction between circEFR3A, microRNA (miR)-590-3p and androgen receptors (ARs). Rescue experiments were performed to identify the hypothetical regulatory role of circEFR3A on BC progression in vivo and in vitro. The results of the present study demonstrated that circEFR3A was significantly upregulated in BC tissues and was associated with a poor prognosis in patients. Findings from the Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation and Transwell assays revealed that increased circEFR3A expression notably promoted BC cell proliferation, invasion and migration, as well as tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, circEFR3A was demonstrated to act as a molecular sponge for miR-590-3p in vitro and in vivo, thereby regulating AR expression and functioning as an oncogene. In summary, the findings of the present study indicate that circEFR3A acts as a novel oncogene in BC by sponging miR-590-3p, leading to the upregulation of AR expression and consequently driving BC progression.

Urachal carcinoma is a rare and aggressive malignancy with an unknown aetiology and poor prognosis. The present case report described a 31-year-old male patient who initially presented with a 5-day history of haematuria. FDG-PET/CT demonstrated nodules in the anterior wall of the bladder with increased glucose metabolism, which were suggestive of malignancy. A cystoscopic biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of urachal carcinoma. The patient underwent en bloc robot-assisted laparoscopic modified partial cystectomy, along the umbilicus and urachus resection, and pelvic lymph node dissection. The patient recovered within 2 weeks postoperatively, with complete tumour resection confirmed by pathological analysis, which showed negative margins and no recurrence was detected during a 5-month follow-up. The current case highlighted the potential of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery as an effective treatment option for urachal carcinoma, offering insights for further optimization and broader clinical application, and reviewed the currently available literature.

This study presents a novel case of gastric carcinoma (GC) with diverse histological features and unique molecular alterations. A 62-year-old man with hematemesis was diagnosed with advanced GC and hepatic metastasis. Despite palliative gastrectomy to control bleeding, the patient succumbed within 6 months. Histological examination revealed three distinct tumour components: Gastric adenosquamous carcinoma (GASC), GC with lymphoid stroma (GCLS) and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (PDAD). Immunohistochemical staining, next-generation sequencing and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in situ hybridisation were performed to characterise the tumour. The GASC component revealed diffuse p40 and p63 immunoreactivity, while the GCLS and PDAD components were negative for both markers. All components harboured a missense mutation in the phosphoinositide-3-kinase regulatory subunit 1 gene and deletions in the ATRX and RNA binding motif protein 10 genes. Additionally, the GCLS component was EBV positive and the PDAD component demonstrated concurrent EBV infection and TP53 inactivation. The present case highlights the importance of thorough molecular and histological evaluation, as distinct molecular alterations and heterogenous EBV status in histologically diverse components may significantly influence patient prognosis and treatment strategies.

Malignant tumors of the smooth muscle of the ureter are extremely rare, with ~13 cases of leiomyosarcoma of the ureter being reported to date. A 59-year-old Caucasian woman presented to 'Umberto I' Hospital (Nocera Inferiore, Italy) with acute abdominal pain, predominantly in the right lumbar fossa. The patient exhibited a functional single kidney, due to left renal atrophy for a long-standing stenosis of the pyelo-ureteric joint. With the exception of this condition and hypertension (under medical therapy), the patient was in excellent clinical condition. Furthermore, the patient was not a smoker. Computed tomography indicated a stricture with a peri-ureteral soft tissue mass of 45×52 mm at the middle third of the ureter at the level of common iliac vessels. Laparoscopic excision with safety margin and a right tension free end-to-end anastomosis between the two stumps of the ureter was performed. The diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma of the right ureter was made by pathological examination. Although leiomyosarcoma is rarely noted in the urinary tract, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of ureteral stricture disease and retroperitoneal tumors.

Exosomes can be used to mediate the delivery of nucleic acids such as microRNA-125b-5p (miR-125b-5p), a tumor-suppressor in certain types of cancer, into tumor cells. The present study investigated the use of bone mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosome (BMSCs-Exo) delivery of miR-125b-5p in ovarian cancer (OC). BMSCs were transfected with miR-125b-5p mimic, from which exosomes termed Exo-miR-125b-5p mimic were extracted. The expression levels of miR-125b-5p in OC tissue samples, BMSCs, exosomes and SKOV3 cells were quantified using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The influence of Exo-miR-125b-5p mimic on the biological functions of OC was evaluated through cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis assays. The targeting relationship between miR-125b-5p and DEAD-box helicase 5 (DDX5) was verified, and the expression levels of DDX5 in OC samples and SKOV3 cells were quantified using western blotting. miR-125b-5p was downregulated in tumor tissue samples from patients with OC. BMSCs-Exo reduced the malignant properties of SKOV3 cells in vitro, and these effects were be advanced by miR-125b-5p upregulation. miR-125b-5p targeted and inhibited DDX5 expression. DDX5 overexpression inhibited Exo-miR-125b-5p-induced suppression of OC development. Overall, this study highlights that BMSCs-Exo-encapsulated miR-125b-5p inhibited OC progression via DDX5 downregulation, providing insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying OC.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2021.13018.].

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal plasma cell malignancy characterized by bone marrow infiltration and the presence of monoclonal proteins in the blood and urine. However, despite the advances that have been made in terms of its treatment, relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM) remains a significant challenge. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which involves the engineering of T-cells to express CARs targeting specific antigens on tumor cells, has emerged as a promising therapeutic approach for RRMM. The present case report presents a patient with RRMM with liver extramedullary disease (EMD) who achieved stringent complete remission following CAR-T cell therapy. This case report highlights the efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy in treating RRMM, also discussing the patient's clinical course, treatment outcomes and side effects, and moreover, a review of the literature that focuses on the treatment of EMD using CAR-T cell therapy.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited targeted treatment options, making the identification of reliable prognostic markers crucial for improving patient outcomes. The present study aimed to assess the predictive ability of pre-chemotherapy and pre-surgery inflammatory status on the prognosis of patients with TNBC undergoing neoadjuvant therapy. A total of 422 patients with TNBC who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy at the Inner Mongolia People's Hospital between January 2017 and December 2022 were selected for analysis. Fasting venous blood samples were collected 1 day prior to chemotherapy and 1 day prior to surgery to assess and calculate inflammatory markers, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and systemic inflammation response index (SIRI). The optimal cut-off values of the inflammatory markers were determined using receiver operating characteristic curves. Survival analysis was used to evaluate the differences in survival and significant prognostic factors. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to further asses the prognostic value of the relevant factors. Survival analysis indicated that patients with high pre-chemotherapy and pre-surgery NLR, PLR, SII and SIRI scores exhibited shorter overall survival (OS) rates compared with those with low scores (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor-node-metastasis stage, pathological complete response and pre-surgery SII were independent prognostic factors for OS. Following PSM, the area under the curve for SII was 0.642 and patients with high SII scores exhibited shorter OS rates than those with low scores (χ²=8.452; P=0.004). Therefore, these results indicated that both pre-chemotherapy and pre-surgery inflammatory statuses are associated with the OS of patients with TNBC undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy, notably pre-surgery SII.

Despite advancements in immunotherapy, particularly regarding programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death-ligand 1 blockades, the clinical outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain variable with limited predictive biomarkers currently available. The present study investigated respiratory microbiota diversity as a potential biomarker to predict the efficacy of PD-1 blockades in patients with advanced NSCLC. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 60 patients treated with PD-1 blockades from May 2019 to May 2023. Clinical data were collected and respiratory microbiota from deep induced sputum specimens were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. An index of respiratory microbiota α diversity was applied and exploratory analysis was performed accordingly. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate among the 60 patients receiving PD-1 blockades was 23.3% (95% CI, 13.4-36.0%) and 58.3% (95% CI, 44.9-70.9%), respectively. Analysis of prognostic data of patients with advanced NSCLC receiving PD-1 blockades monotherapy demonstrated a median progression-free survival of 3.4 months (95% CI, 2.54-4.26) and a median overall survival (OS) of 12.3 months (95% CI, 6.29-18.31). Patients were stratified into high and low α diversity groups based on the Shannon diversity index of respiratory microbiota. The ORR was increased in the high diversity group (26.7%) compared with that of the low diversity group (20.0%), although the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.542). Notably, the high diversity group demonstrated a longer median PFS (3.9 vs. 2.8 months; P=0.017) and median OS (16.8 vs. 6.8 months; P=0.016) compared with that of the low diversity group. These findings suggested that PD-1 blockades demonstrate promising therapeutic activity for patients with previously treated advanced NSCLC in clinical practice. Respiratory microbiota α diversity might serve as a potential biomarker to predict the efficacy of PD-1 blockades monotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC in the future. Therefore, further prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings and to explore the underlying mechanisms by which respiratory microbiota might modulate the immune response to cancer therapy.

Chromosomal abnormalities are common characteristics of neuroblastoma, and have been associated with treatment, relapse and survival risk factors. The processes governing the incidence or advancement of chromosomal copy number abnormalities remain unclear, despite progress in understanding their prognostic implications. The present study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of genetic alterations, clinical implications, and the association between copy number aberrations (CNAs) and clinical parameters. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array analysis was performed on a set of 45 neuroblastoma samples to examine chromosomal CNAs and SNPs. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify SNPs associated with adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In the present study, numerous CNAs were observed in 92% of neuroblastoma tumors, while CNAs were found in 15% of ganglioneuroblastoma tumors. The segmental alterations were mainly observed in stage 3 or 4 neuroblastoma cases that had tumor sizes >10 cm. The present study concentrated on analyzing entire chromosome modifications and revealed that, in contrast to gain, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) mostly occurred during stages 3 and 4 of neuroblastoma. Only stage 3 and 4 neuroblastomas with tumor sizes >10 cm were found to exhibit loss of the Y chromosome, which was associated with similar clinical characteristics as segmental alterations. LOH of the whole chromosome might be a subgroup of whole chromosome alterations, and could be a novel prognosis and treatment marker. Using a regression model, 13 SNPs were identified to be strongly associated with ADRs following chemotherapy for neuroblastoma. Although validation studies in independent cohorts are required, the present findings support the use of CNAs and SNPs for predicting neuroblastoma treatment outcomes.