Constructing a prognostic model for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma based on glucose metabolism related genes.

Background: Glucose metabolism (GM) plays a crucial role in cancer cell proliferation, tumor growth, and survival. However, the identification of glucose metabolism-related genes (GMRGs) for effective prediction of prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is still lacking. Methods: We conducted differential analysis between HNSC and Normal groups to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Key module genes were obtained using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Intersection analysis of DEGs, GMRGs, and key module genes identified GMRG-DEGs. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to screen prognostic-associated genes. Independent prognostic analysis of clinical traits and risk scores was implemented using Cox regression. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore functional pathways and genes between high- and low-risk groups. Immune infiltration analysis compared immune cells between the two groups in HNSC samples. Drug prediction was performed using the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) database. Quantitative real-time fluorescence PCR (qRT-PCR) validated the expression levels of prognosis-related genes in HNSC patients. Results: We identified 4973 DEGs between HNSC and Normal samples. Key gene modules, represented by black and brown module genes, were identified. Intersection analysis revealed 76 GMRG-DEGs. Five prognosis-related genes (MTHFD2, CDKN2A, TPM2, MPZ, and DNMT1) were identified. A nomogram incorporating age, lymph node status (N), and risk score was constructed for survival prediction in HNSC patients. Immune infiltration analysis showed significant differences in five immune cell types (Macrophages M0, memory B cells, Monocytes, Macrophages M2, and Dendritic resting cells) between the high- and low-risk groups. GDSC database analysis identified 53 drugs with remarkable differences between the groups, including A.443654 and AG.014699. DNMT1 and MTHFD2 were up-regulated, while MPZ was down-regulated in HNSC. Conclusion: Our study highlights the significant association of five prognosis-related genes (MTHFD2, CDKN2A, TPM2, MPZ, and DNMT1) with HNSC. These findings provide further evidence of the crucial role of GMRGs in HNSC.

The Effect of Endoscopy on Patients with Malignant Esophageal Cancer after Medical Treatment and Chemotherapy.

The esophagus is one of the most commonly used parts in a person's life, and its importance is self-evident. With the unhealthy food diet, people are more and more likely to suffer from esophageal cancer, and there is an urgent need for breakthroughs in the treatment of esophageal cancer. This article is aimed at studying the effects of medical treatment and chemotherapy for patients with malignant esophageal cancer. To this end, this article proposes a treatment method based on endoscopy and improves the image imaging of the endoscopy and the image quality of the image and the edge processing of the image. At the same time, this article designs an experiment to conduct statistical analysis of the situation during the treatment process. The experimental results in this article show that the improved treatment method has a 21% increase in success rate compared with the existing treatment method. And the optimized image quality has increased by 27%. It can very well help the attending doctor to improve the efficiency of treatment in the actual treatment process. Its most important contribution is that through the edge optimization and image enhancement processing technology, the success rate of endoscopic treatment has been better improved, and the treatment efficiency has also been improved.

Targeting Neuregulin 1 (NRG1): A Novel Biomarker for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

The aim of this study was to identify the roles of neuregulin 1 (NRG1) during the tumor progression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). NSCLC patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma and lung adenocarci-noma were enrolled in this study. The expression of NRG1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and surviving in clinical specimens was examined using immunohistochemistry analysis. The cytokine production in plasma was evaluated by ELISA. The levels of NRG1-associated molecules were determined using western blotting. The proliferation and apoptosis of cells with NRG1 knockdown were accessed by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. Upregulation of NRG1 as well as tumor-associated angiogenesis markers VEGF and survivin was detected in tissue and serum samples of NSCLC patients compared with the control. Furthermore, positive correlation with NSCLC levels and VEGF/survivin was also found in NSCLC specimens. In addition, upregulation of NRG1, VEGF and survivin was associated with poor overall survival in NSCLC patients. Moreover, enhanced production of NRG1 was detected in serum samples from NSCLC patients compared with healthy donors, and ROC analysis revealed the importance of NRG1 levels on distinguishing NSCLC samples and the controls. These findings suggested the novel diagnostic value of NRG1 in NSCLC. Additionally, upregulated protein levels of NRG1 and its target genes were also found in tissues samples of NSCLC patients compared with normal controls. These data indicated that NRG1 was a promising marker NSCLC, and it could be involved in tumor progression by targeting its downstream target including ErbB-Akt axis. Furthermore, the growth of lung cancer cells was suppressed by the knockdown of NRG1. Our findings could provide guidance for more accurate diagnosis for NSCLC, and future therapeutic approaches might be developed by better understanding of NRG-1-modulated molecular mechanisms during the tumor development in NSCLC.

Prognostic significance of NANOG expression in solid tumors: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: NANOG is a tumor marker and indicates poor prognosis in various neoplasms; however, the evidence is controversial. This meta-analysis investigated the association of NANOG expression and clinicopathological features, and it impact on survival of patients with malignant tumors. METHODS: Studies published through May 31, 2018 were retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Two researchers independently screened the content and quality of studies and extracted data. Correlations of NANOG expression, clinicopathological variables, and survival were analyzed and the combined odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated. RESULTS: Thirty-three articles including 35 data sets of 3,959 patients were analyzed. Overall, elevated NANOG expression was associated with poor overall survival (HR = 2.19; 95% CI: 1.87-2.58, P<0.001) and poor disease-free survival (HR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.54-3.18, P<0.001). Subgroup analysis found that NANOG expression was associated with worse overall survival in non-small cell lung (HR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.26-2.76, P = 0.002), head and neck (HR = 2.29; 95% CI: 1.75-3.02, P<0.001), and digestive system (HR = 2.38; 95% CI: 1.95-2.91, P<0.001) cancers. Moreover, we found that high NANOG expression was associated with poor tumor differentiation (OR = 2.63; 95% CI: 1.59-4.55, P = 0.001), lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.59; 95% CI: 1.50-4.47, P = 0.001), advanced TNM stage (OR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.42-3.45, P<0.001), and T stage (OR = 0.44; 95% CI: 0.20-0.93, P = 0.031). CONCLUSION: The evidence supports NANOG as a tumor biomarker to guide clinical management and indicate prognosis. Additional studies are needed to further validate these results.

The association between diabetes/hyperglycemia and the prognosis of cervical cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The predictive roles of diabetes in the prognosis of many types of cancer have been well studied, but its role in predicting the prognosis of cervical cancer is still controversial. The aim of the study is to evaluate the association between diabetes/hyperglycemia and the prognosis of cervical cancer. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review for peer-reviewed studies indexed in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Wanfang published before December 2016. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were pooled in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: This systematic review identified 13 studies with a total of 11,091 cervical cancer patients, of which 11 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The study indicated that diabetes was related to poorer overall survival (HR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.35-1.87, P < .001) and poorer recurrence-free survival (HR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.47-2.66, P < .001) in cervical cancer patients. The meta-analysis of adjusted HRs also indicated that diabetes was independently associated with poor overall survival (HR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.38-2.05, P < .001) and poor recurrence-free survival (HR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.47-2.66, P < .001) in cervical cancer patients. Sensitivity analysis and subgroup analyses showed similar results. No significant heterogeneity was observed for the included studies. CONCLUSIONS: The meta-analysis suggests that diabetes is an important predictive factor for cervical cancer prognosis, and it is linked to poorer survival of cervical cancer patients. Diabetes can serve as a useful index in the prognostic evaluation for patients with cervical cancer.