Prognostic Factors for Survival in Patients with Malignant Giant Cell Tumor of Bone: A Risk Nomogram Analysis Based on the Population.

BACKGROUND Malignant giant cell tumor of bone (MGCTB) is a rare histological type of malignant tumor that has a high tendency for local relapse and distant metastasis and ultimately leads to a poor prognosis. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiological features, identify the prognostic factors, and construct nomograms for patients with MGCTB. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients with MGCTB that was histologically diagnosed between 1973 and 2014 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database as a training set. Survival analysis, Lasso regression, and random forests were used to identify the prognostic variables and establish the nomograms for patients with MGCTB, while an external cohort of 37 patients from our own institution and an external cohort of 163 patients from the SEER database in 2016 were used to validate the generalization performance of the nomograms. RESULTS In total, univariate and multivariable analysis indicated that age, International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, historical stage, primary site, surgery information, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were independent prognostic variables for overall survival or cause-specific survival. Nomograms based on the multivariable models were built to predict survival, and we achieved a higher C-index in subsequent multidimensional validation. CONCLUSIONS Age, historical stage, and chemotherapy were independent prognostic variables for overall survival and cause-specific survival of MGCTB patients, and radiotherapy and primary site were independent prognostic variables for overall survival. Nomograms based on significant clinicopathological features and clinical experience can be effective in predicting the probability of survival for MGCTB patients.

The association of CASC16 variants with breast Cancer risk in a northwest Chinese female population.

PURPOSE: Genetic variants play a critical role in the development of breast cancer. This investigation aimed to explore the association between CASC16 polymorphisms and breast cancer susceptibility. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of 681 patients and 680 healthy individuals to investigate the correlation of five SNPs with breast cancer in a Northwest Chinese female population. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association. RESULTS: Our study found that rs4784227 and rs12922061 were significantly related to an increased susceptibility to breast cancer (OR 1.22, p = 0.022; OR 1.21, p = 0.026). While rs3803662 was a protective role in breast cancer risk (OR 0.69, p = 0.042). Stratified analyses indicated that rs4784227 and rs12922061 would increase breast cancer susceptibility at age >  50 years. Rs3803662 was a reduced factor of breast cancer risk by age ≤ 50 years. Rs4784227 was significantly increased risk of breast cancer in stage III/IV. The rs45544231 and rs3112612 had a protective effect on breast cancer with tumor size > 2 cm. Rs4784227 and rs12922061 could enhance breast cancer risk in lymph node metastasis positive individuals. CASC16 rs12922061 and rs4784227 polymorphisms correlated with an increased risk of breast cancer in BMI >  24 kg/m2. Haplotype analyses revealed that Grs45544231 Trs12922061 Ars3112612 and Grs45544231 Crs12922061 Ars3112612 haplotypes decreased breast cancer risk. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that CASC16 genetic variants were significantly related to breast cancer susceptibility, which might give scientific evidence for exploring the molecular mechanism of breast cancer.

Transcription Factor GLI1 Induces IL-6-Mediated Inflammatory Response and Facilitates the Progression of Adamantinomatous Craniopharyngioma.

Adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma (ACP) is a neuroendocrine tumor whose pathogenesis remains unclear. This study investigated the role of glioma-associated oncogene family zinc finger 1 (GLI1), a transcription factor in the sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway, in ACP. We discovered that GLI1 regulates the expression of IL-6, thereby triggering inflammatory responses in ACP and influencing the tumor's progression. Analyzing the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database chip GSE68015, we found that GLI1 is overexpressed in ACP, correlating positively with the spite of ACP and inflammation markers. Knockdown of GLI1 significantly inhibited the levels of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1ß in ACP cells, as well as cell proliferation and migration. We further identified a binding site between GLI1 and the promoter region of IL-6, demonstrating that GLI1 can enhance the expression of IL-6. These findings were verified in vivo, where activation of the SHH pathway significantly promoted GLI1 and IL-6 expressions in nude mice, inducing inflammation and tumor growth. Conversely, GLI1 knockdown markedly suppressed these processes. Our study uncovers a potential molecular mechanism for the occurrence of inflammatory responses and tumor progression in ACP.

Histone demethylase KDM4A plays an oncogenic role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by promoting cell migration and invasion.

Compelling evidence has indicated the vital role of lysine-specific demethylase 4 A (KDM4A), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) and the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether KDM4A affects NPC progression by regulating the HIF1α/DDIT4/mTOR signaling pathway. First, NPC and adjacent tissue samples were collected, and KDM4A protein expression was examined by immunohistochemistry. Then, the interactions among KDM4A, HIF1α and DDIT4 were assessed. Gain- and loss-of-function approaches were used to alter KDM4A, HIF1α and DDIT4 expression in NPC cells. The mechanism of KDM4A in NPC was evaluated both in vivo and in vitro via RT-qPCR, Western blot analysis, MTT assay, Transwell assay, flow cytometry and tumor formation experiments. KDM4A, HIF1α, and DDIT4 were highly expressed in NPC tissues and cells. Mechanistically, KDM4A inhibited the enrichment of histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) in the HIF1α promoter region and thus inhibited the methylation of HIF1α to promote HIF1α expression, thus upregulating DDIT4 and activating the mTOR signaling pathway. Overexpression of KDM4A, HIF1α, or DDIT4 or activation of the mTOR signaling pathway promoted SUNE1 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but inhibited apoptosis. KDM4A silencing blocked the mTOR signaling pathway by inhibiting the HIF1α/DDIT4 axis to inhibit the growth of SUNE1 cells in vivo. Collectively, KDM4A silencing could inhibit NPC progression by blocking the activation of the HIF1α/DDIT4/mTOR signaling pathway by increasing H3K9me3, highlighting a promising therapeutic target for NPC.

The Construction of Bone Metastasis-Specific Prognostic Model and Co-expressed Network of Alternative Splicing in Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BRCA) ranks among the top most common female malignancies and was regarded as incurable when combined with bone and distant metastasis. Alternative splicing events (ASEs) together with splicing factors (SFs) were considered responsible for the development and progression of tumors. METHODS: Datasets including RNA sequencing and ASEs of BRCA samples were achieved from TCGA and TCGASpliceSeq databases. Then, a survival model was built including 15 overall-survival-associated splicing events (OS-SEs) by Cox regression and Lasso regression. The co-expressed SFs of each bone-and-distant-metastasis-related OS-SE were discovered by Pearson correlation analysis. Additionally, Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) was performed to identify the downstream mechanisms of the key OS-SEs. Finally, the results were validated in different online platforms. RESULTS: A reliable survival model was established (the area under ROC = 0.856), and CIRBP was found co-expressed with FAM110B (R = 0.320, P < 0.001) associated with the fatty acid metabolism pathway. CONCLUSION: Aberrant SF, CIRBP, regulated a specific ASE, exon skip (ES) of FAM110B, during which the fatty acid metabolism pathway played an essential part in tumorigenesis and prognosis of BRCA.

The Role of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors (PPARs) in Pan-Cancer.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are members of nuclear transcription factors. The functions of the PPAR family (PPARA, PPARD, and PPARG) and their coactivators (PPARGC1A and PPARGC1B) in maintenance of lipid and glucose homeostasis have been unveiled. However, the roles of PPARs in cancer development remain elusive. In this work, we made use of 11,057 samples across 33 TCGA tumor types to analyze the relationship between PPAR transcriptional expression and tumorigenesis as well as drug sensitivity. We performed multidimensional analyses on PPARA, PPARG, PPARD, PPARGC1A, and PPARGC1B, including differential expression analysis in pan-cancer, immune subtype analysis, clinical analysis, tumor purity analysis, stemness correlation analysis, and drug responses. PPARs and their coactivators expressed differently in different types of cancers, in different immune subtypes. This analysis reveals various expression patterns of the PPAR family at a level of pan-cancer and provides new clues for the therapeutic strategies of cancer.