Plexin domain-containing 1 may be a biomarker of poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, may mediate immune evasion.

BACKGROUND: For the first time, we investigated the oncological role of plexin domain-containing 1 (PLXDC1), also known as tumor endothelial marker 7 (TEM7), in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AIM: To investigate the oncological profile of PLXDC1 in HCC. METHODS: Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we analyzed the expression of PLXDC1 in HCC. Using immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting, we validated our results. The prognostic value of PLXDC1 in HCC was analyzed by assessing its correlation with clinicopathological features, such as patient survival, methylation level, tumor immune microenvironment features, and immune cell surface checkpoint expression. Finally, to assess the immune evasion potential of PLXDC1 in HCC, we used the tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) website and immunohistochemical staining assays. RESULTS: Based on immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and Western blot assays, overexpression of PLXDC1 in HCC was associated with poor prognosis. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses indicated that PLXDC1 might be an independent prognostic factor. In HCC patients with high methylation levels, the prognosis was worse than in patients with low methylation levels. Pathway enrichment analysis of HCC tissues indicated that genes upregulated in the high-PLXDC1 subgroup were enriched in mesenchymal and immune activation signaling, and TIDE assessment showed that the risk of immune evasion was significantly higher in the high-PLXDC1 subgroup compared to the low-PLXDC1 subgroup. The high-risk group had a significantly lower immune evasion rate as well as a poor prognosis, and PLXDC1-related risk scores were also associated with a poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: As a result of this study analyzing PLXDC1 from multiple biological perspectives, it was revealed that it is a biomarker of poor prognosis for HCC patients, and that it plays a role in determining immune evasion status.

Breast metastasis from lung cancer: a report of two cases and literature review.

Breast metastasis from extra-mammary malignancy is rare. An incidence of 0.4% to 1.3% has been reported in literature. The primary malignancies that most commonly metastasize to the breast are leukemia, lymphoma, and malignant melanoma. In this report, two cases of pulmonary metastasis to the breast were presented. A 40-year-old female manifested a right breast mass of 2-month duration. After physical examination was performed, a poorly defined mass was noted in the upper outer quadrant of the right breast. Another 49-year-old female manifested right breast mass of 5-day duration. A poorly defined mass was noted in the lower inner quadrant of the right breast. Mammography results also revealed breast cancer. The patients underwent local excision. After histological and immunohistochemical analyses were conducted, a primary lung carcinoma that metastasized to the breast was diagnosed. An accurate differentiation of metastasis to the breast from primary breast cancer is very important because the treatment and prognosis of the two differ significantly.