Combined detection of estrogen and tumor markers is an important reference factor in the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer.

The correlation between lung cancer tumor markers and sex differences in lung cancer remains a clinical problem that is worthy of further study. This study investigated the significance of the combined detection of 17ß-estrogen (E2) and tumor markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer. A total of 174 patients, including 117 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 57 patients with benign pulmonary lesions (BPL), were enrolled. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the expression of E2, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21-1) in patients with NSCLC and BPL to analyze the correlation between E2 and CEA, NSE or CYFRA21-1 expression, and its correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis. The expression of tumor markers was then examined in different lung cancer cells (A549, H1795, H460, and SK-MES-1). The expression of tumor markers was detected by a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis. The expressions of p-p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phospho-AKT (p-AKT) were detected by Western blot analysis. The expression levels of E2, CEA, NSE, and CYFRA21-1 in patients with NSCLC were significantly higher than those in patients with BPL ( P < .05); E2 was positively correlated with tumor markers ( P < .01). Patients with a high expression of E2 and tumor markers showed a poor prognosis ( P < .05). RT-quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of CEA, NSE, CYFRA21-1, p-p44/42 MAPK, and p-AKT in the E2 group were higher than those in the other groups ( P < .05). These studies indicate that the interaction of E2 and tumor markers can significantly improve the role of tumor markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer.

[Research progress on interleukin-6 in lung cancer].

As the core of cellular immunotherapy, T cells are important aspects of research and treatment of lung cancer. IL-6 is a costimulatory signal factor of T cells that is directly targeted by lung cancer stem cells. As a highly expressed cytokine in lung cancer cells, IL-6 plays an important role in variety of biological activities such as tumor occurrence, development, invasion and metastasis. This article reviews the research progress on IL-6 in lung cancer, including cancer development and progression, and the therapeutic sensitivity of lung cancer.

Anastomosis of the thoracic duct and the azygos vein for the treatment of recurrent chylothoraxes.

Thoracic duct ligation is a widely accepted treatment option for chylothorax. This case report describes another treatment approach for recurrent chylothoraxes after thoracic duct ligation. A 40-year-old woman had chylothoraxes after thoracic duct ligation. She underwent a secondary surgery to ligate the thoracic duct. Three days later, the number of chylothoraxes increased compared with presurgery, and we anastomosed the thoracic duct and azygos vein after releasing the thoracic duct ligation. The patient recovered smoothly and was followed up for 2 years. This case shows that anastomosis of the thoracic duct and azygos vein is an alternative surgical approach to treat recurrent chylothoraxes.

Oestrogen receptor ß5 and epidermal growth factor receptor synergistically promote lung cancer progression.

Oestrogen receptor beta (ERß) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway can synergistically promote the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. ERß has five subtypes, and the selective splicing of exon 8 in ERß5 transcription translational phase makes its biological function different from other subtypes. The following study investigates whether ERß5 interacts with EGFR pathway in lung cancer. Briefly, we found that the overexpression of ERß5 and EGFR is associated with poor prognosis and decreased overall survival in NSCLC patients. Furthermore, the effects of ERß5 and EGFR on cell biological behaviour were investigated in vitro. These results indicated that the combination of ERß5 and EGF induces cell proliferation and invasion, while the combination of ERß5 and Gefitinib (EGFR inhibitors, Gef) induces cell apoptosis and promotes cell mitosis in A549 cell line. In addition, the combination of ERß5 and EGF increases the expression of ERß5, EGFR, and p-ERK1/2 in lung cancer cells. To sum up, the obtained results suggest that ERß5 and EGFR synergistically promote the progression of lung cancer by activating MEK/ERK signalling pathway, which provides a theoretical basis for more accurate combined targeted therapy.

Clinical significance of combined detection of interleukin-6 and tumour markers in lung cancer.

Tumour markers play an important role in the early diagnosis and guidance of prognosis of lung cancer. This study focused on the significance of combined monitoring of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumour markers in improving the specificity and sensitivity of lung cancer diagnosis and disease. The expression of IL-6, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21-1) in serum of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (n = 138) was significantly higher compared to patients with benign pulmonary lesions (BPL) (n = 60) and was associated with the clinicopathological features of NSCLC patients. The simultaneous increase in the expression of IL-6 and tumour markers worsened the prognosis of patients. Lung cancer cells were grouped into the blank control group, IL-6 group, niclosamide group (IL-6 pathway inhibitor, NIC) and IL-6 + NIC group. The expression of CEA, NSE, CYFRA21-1, p-Erk1/2 and p-AKT in the IL-6 group was significantly higher compared to the other groups. Therefore, the combined detection of IL-6 and tumour markers is critical to improve the specificity and sensitivity of lung cancer diagnosis. This in-depth study not only helped to elucidate the mechanism of how IL-6 promotes lung cancer but also provided new ideas and entry points to resolve the low specificity and sensitivity of lung cancer-related tumour markers.