Cytokeratin 7 and thyroid transcription factor - 1 levels in patients with lung cancer complicated with superior vena cava syndrome and their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to detect the levels of cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and thyroid transcription factor -1(TTF-1) in serum of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) complicated with superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS), and to explore their prognosis and relationship and correlation with pathological characteristics. METHODS: 68 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) complicated with SVCS treated in Shaoxing Second Hospital from July 2014 to May 2018 were selected as the experimental group, 60 normal healthy persons as the control group, and 60 patients with lung cancer as the lung cancer group. The levels of CK7 and TTF-1 in the three groups were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the differences were compared. The relationship between the expression levels of CK7 and TTF-1 and clinicopathological characteristics of patients, the correlation between CK7 and TTF-1 in lung cancer patients complicated with SVCS, and their 3-year survival rate were analyzed. RESULTS: CK7 and TTF-1 levels in experimental group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). The levels in lung cancer group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). In experimental group, the expression of CK7 and TTF-1 was not related to gender, age, weight, histological classification and tumor size (P>0.05)). CK7 expression was positively correlated with TTF-1 expression in lung cancer patients (P<0.001). The 3-year survival rate in CK7 and TTF-1 high expression group was significantly lower than that in low expression group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expressions of CK7 and TTF-1 are increased in patients with lung cancer complicated with SVCS, and are related to TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and differentiation degree. The high expressions of CK7 and TTF-1 in serum of patients are expected to be potential prognostic indicators for lung cancer complicated with SVCS.

Prognostic factors indicating survival with native liver after Kasai procedure for biliary atresia.

BACKGROUND: The number of the bile ducts in the portal canal/measured surface area of the portal canal (BDP ratio) indicates prognosis in biliary atresia (BA), as does an elevated cytokeratin 7 positivity percentage (PCK7). We compared these two markers. METHODS: We reviewed 32 BA cases undergoing Kasai operation from 1976 to 2016 with >5 portal canals in biopsy samples. Group I required liver transplantation or died within a year of operation (n = 8). Group II survived with their native liver (n = 24). We determined the BDP ratio (102/mm2) and PCK7 (%), subdividing patients into three groups by their age at operation: Group A ≤60 days (n = 6, 1 Group I), 60< Group B ≤90days (n = 16, 5 Group I), Group C >90 days (n = 10, 2 Group I). RESULTS: PCK7 (%) was 2.71 ± 1.87 in Group I and 4.25 ± 2.56 in Group II (p = 0.13). BDP ratio (102/mm2) was 1.19 ± 0.424 in Group I and 1.64 ± 0.534 in Group II (p = 0.04). Both markers were higher in Group C than in Group A or B (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The BDP ratio is a better prognostic indicator than PCK7 in BA.

Detection and Clinical Significance of Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy for Urothelial Bladder Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Estimation of prognosis is patients undergoing radical cystectomy is often unreliable, as occult disease remains undetected by conventional diagnostic tools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and the clinical significance of a polymerase chain reaction assay to detect cytokeratin 7 (CK7) mRNA expression in peripheral blood cells of patients undergoing radical cystectomy for clinically nonmetastatic bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 2005 to 2009, 59 patients undergoing radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection were prospectively investigated. Peripheral blood was collected prior to surgery, and a nested polymerase chain reaction assay was developed to identify patients with circulating cells expressing CK7 mRNA. Preoperative, histopathologic data and clinical outcome were compared with CK7 findings. RESULTS: CK7 expression was detected in 23 (38.9%) of 59 patients and correlated to T stage and lymph node status. After a median follow-up of 42 months, 29 patients experienced a recurrence, whereas 36 died. The presence of CK7-positive cells was significantly associated with an increased risk for recurrence and decreased survival as compared with patients who were CK7-negative (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively; hazard ratios of 8.77 and 5.2 for recurrence and overall death, respectively). The detection of CK7-positive cells was an independent predictor of recurrence and death in a multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: The detection of CK7 mRNA in the circulating cells of patients undergoing radical cystectomy for urothelial cancer identifies those with significantly increased risk of cancer recurrence and death.

Cell-Free RNA Content in Peripheral Blood as Potential Biomarkers for Detecting Circulating Tumor Cells in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been implicated in tumor progression and prognosis. Techniques detecting CTCs in the peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) may help to identify individuals likely to benefit from early systemic treatment. However, the detection of CTCs with a single marker is challenging, owing to low specificity and sensitivity and due to the heterogeneity and rareness of CTCs. Herein, the probability of cell-free RNA content in the peripheral blood as a potential biomarker for detecting CTCs in cancer patients was investigated. An immunomagnetic enrichment of real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) technology for analysis of CTCs in NSCLC patients was also developed. The mRNA levels of four candidate genes, cytokeratin 7 (CK7), E74-like factor 3 (ELF3), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma receptor B4 (EphB4) that were significantly elevated in tumor tissues and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were determined. The expression of CK7 and ELF3 in tumor tissues and EGFR in PBMCs was associated with lymph node metastasis (all p < 0.05). The expression of CK7 in PBMCs was correlated with age and EphB4 in PBMCs correlated with histopathological type, respectively (all p < 0.05). The expression of all four genes in tumor tissues and PBMCs was significantly correlated with the clinical stage (all p < 0.01). Survival analysis showed that the patients with enhanced expression of CK7, ELF3, EGFR, and EphB4 mRNA in PBMCs had poorer disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) than those without (all p < 0.0001). The present study showed that this alteration of cell-free RNA content in peripheral blood might have clinical ramifications in the diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC patients.