Placental site trophoblastic tumor: A review of 108 cases and their implications for prognosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To identify important prognostic factors and optimized treatment strategies through the analysis of the clinical and pathological characteristics of placental site trophoblastic tumor. METHODS: 108 patients with PSTT registered in two GTD centers or in six tertiary hospitals in China were analyzed retrospectively between the years 1998 and 2013. The computerized database of clinical and pathological reports was reviewed on this patient group. The data were subsequently analyzed retrospectively using SPSS software. RESULTS: Among 3581 patients with GTNs treated in GTD centers or in the tertiary hospitals between 1998 and 2013, 108 cases were histologically confirmed PSTT (3%). Only seven deaths and eleven relapse cases were observed. All seven of the deaths were disease related, due to chemotherapy-resistant or relapsed. 23 patients who received fertility preservation treatment did not experience poor outcome or high risk of relapse. In 71 patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I disease, the use of adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery (n=49) or not (n=22) made no significant difference in relapse rate (P=0.303) or survival (P=0.782). Univariate analysis revealed the interval between antecedent pregnancy and onset of PSTT, stage, prognosis score, and necrosis as significant predictors of poor survival but only stage remained significant on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with FIGO stage IV disease demonstrate the most critical risk indicator of PSTT in the current study. Preservation of fertility is considered in highly-selected patients with localized tumor; and surgery without chemotherapy is recommended as first line treatment for patients with stage I who are at low-risk.

Long noncoding RNA ITGB1 promotes migration and invasion of clear cell renal cell carcinoma by downregulating Mcl-1.

The article "Long noncoding RNA ITGB1 promotes migration and invasion of clear cell renal cell carcinoma by downregulating Mcl-1", by X.-L. Zheng, Y.-Y. Zhang, W.-G. Lv, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (5): 1996-2002-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201903_17238-PMID: 30915742 has been retracted by the author for the following reasons: After the publication of this article, the authors reviewed the process of the experiment and found there were mistakes in the study setting. Authors state that the cancer tissues of 60 inpatients collected in the article included cancer tissues and adjacent tissues. However, the registration and storage of the experiment were not careful, and the cancer tissues were confused with the adjacent tissues. For this reason, the results of this article are not accurate and complete. After consultation among the authors, in line with the rigorous attitude towards scientific research, authors agreed that it was necessary to withdraw the article and make further research and improvement. *After publication, the article was also questioned on PubPeer. Concerns were raised about Figures and in particular Figure 3 which shows overlapping images. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/17238.

Long noncoding RNA ITGB1 promotes migration and invasion of clear cell renal cell carcinoma by downregulating Mcl-1.

OBJECTIVE: Researchers have discovered the important role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis recently. In this work, we aimed to explore whether lncRNA linc-ITGB1 affected the development of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and to elucidate the possible underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Linc-ITGB1 expression in both ccRCC cells and tissue samples was detected by Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). Moreover, the association between linc-ITGB1 expression level and patients' disease-free survival rate was explored. Then, wound healing and transwell assays were conducted. Furthermore, the underlying mechanism was explored through RT-qPCR and Western blot assay. RESULTS: Linc-ITGB1 expression level in ccRCC samples was markedly higher than that of the adjacent ones. The expression of linc-ITGB1 was closely related to the disease-free survival time of ccRCC patients. Moreover, the migration and invasion of ccRCC cells were remarkably enhanced after linc-ITGB1 upregulation in vitro. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression of Mcl-1 were significantly downregulated after linc-ITGB1 overexpression. Furthermore, the expression level of Mcl-1 was negatively correlated with the linc-ITGB1 expression in ccRCC tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that linc-ITGB1 could enhance ccRCC cell migration and invasion via downregulating Mcl-1. In addition, linc-ITGB1 might be a potential therapeutic target for ccRCC.

Primary ovarian choriocarcinoma mimicking ectopic pregnancy managed with laparoscopy -- case report.

Nongestational ovarian choriocarcinomas are extremely rare and pose diagnostic challenges in reproductive-aged patients because of elevated human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). A 23-year-old nulliparous Chinese woman with nongestational ovarian choriocarcinoma escaped diagnostic testing and was initially treated for an ectopic pregnancy. Three months after her first visit, a diagnostic laparoscopy demonstrated a nongestational ovarian choriocarcinoma. Comprehensive surgical staging was performed by laparoscopy. The tumor was confined to the left ovary. The patient was categorized as FIGO Stage IA. She was given four courses of combined chemotherapy after laparoscopic surgery and has been disease-free for 36 months.