Down-regulation of miR-489 contributes into NSCLC cell invasion through targeting SUZ12.

microRNAs are small, non-coding RNAs that contribute into various biological processes during cancer progression. However, the potential role of miR-489 in the development of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is not demonstrated. In present study, miR-489 was down-regulated both in tumor tissues and cells. Inhibition of miR-489 promoted cells invasion by using an invasion assay. Furthermore, miR-489 could regulate SUZ12 as shown by luciferase reporter and Western blot assays. Aberrant miR-489 expression could regulate the molecular changes (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Vimentin) of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). In conclusion, our study revealed that miR-489 may play an essential role in the progression of NSCLC.

Factors affecting major morbidity after video-assisted thoracic surgery for lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) has been widely applied in the treatment of lung cancer. However, few studies have focused on the clinical factors predicting the major postoperative complications. METHODS: Clinical data from 525 patients who underwent resection of primary lung cancer with VATS from January 2007-August 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Risk factors related to major postoperative complications were assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses with logistic regression. RESULTS: Major complications occurred in 36 (6.86%) patients, of which seven died (1.33%) within 30 d, postoperatively. Major complications included respiratory failure, hemothorax, myocardial infarction, heart failure, bronchial fistula, cerebral infarction, and pulmonary embolism. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that age >70 y (odds ratio [OR], 2.105; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.205-3.865), forced expiratory volume during the first second expressed as a percentage of predicted ≤70% (OR, 2.106; 95% CI 1.147-3.982) combined with coronary heart disease (OR, 2.257; 95% CI 1.209-4.123) were independent prognostic factors for major complications. CONCLUSIONS: Age >70 and forced expiratory volume during the first second expressed as a percentage of predicted ≤70% combined with coronary heart disease are independent prognostic factors for postoperative major complications. Patients in these groups should undergo careful preoperative evaluation and perioperative management.

[Correlation of tenascin-C degradation fragment with recurrence and/or metastasis in early non-small-cell lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation of tenascin-c (TN-C) degradation with relapse and/or metastasis in stage-I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in order to search for a potential biomarker for predicting recurrence, and also to investigate the molecular mechanism of TN-C degradation. Methods The fragment of TN-C in 63 surgically treated stage-I NSCLC was detected by Western blotting, and the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was also examined by gelatin zymography. RESULTS: TN-C degradation fragment was positively detected in 12 of 63 patients, and 9 of these 12 patients (75.0%) were found to develope recurrence during follow-up. The recurrence-free survival at 4 years was 28.1% in patients with positive TN-C degradation versus 82.1% in those without (P < 0.001), and which was 76.6% at 10 years in the patients without TN-C degradation. The activity of MMP-2 in the patients with positive TN-C degradation was also found to be significantly higher than that in the patients without (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Tenascin-c degradation fragment may be a reliable biomarker for predicting recurrence and/or metastasis in the early NSCLC, and matrix metalloproteinase-2 may be a responsible proteinase for degradation of tenascin-c.

Circulating MACC1 as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for nonsmall cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1) is a newly identified gene that plays an important role in cancer progression and metastasis. MACC1 has important functions in the differentiation, invasion, and metastasis of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the value of circulating MACC1 as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for NSCLC remains unknown. METHODS: Plasma MACC1 mRNA levels were examined in 272 patients with NSCLC, 61 with benign lung disease, and 80 healthy volunteers using reverse transcription quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: MACC1 was more highly expressed in NSCLC patients than in patients with benign disease (P < 0.001) or in healthy volunteers (P < 0.001). High MACC1 expression was significantly associated with NSCLC stage (P = 0.013) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.016). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.766, and the optimal cutoff value was 0.105, providing a sensitivity of 71.4 % and a specificity of 89.1 %. The diagnostic capability of circulating MACC1 mRNA was higher than that of carcinoembryonic antigen (P = 0.025) or cytokeratin-19 (P = 0.010). Furthermore, high MACC1 expression was associated with poor overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) and predicted poor survival in NSCLC patients. Consequently, MACC1 mRNA was an independent prognostic factor of OS and DFS. CONCLUSION: We concluded that circulating MACC1 mRNA represents a potential noninvasive, diagnostic and prognostic marker for NSCLC.

miR-625 down-regulation promotes proliferation and invasion in esophageal cancer by targeting Sox2.

miR-625 has been reported to exhibit abnormal expression in esophageal cancer (EC), but the mechanism and functions of miR-625 in esophageal cancer remain unclear. miR-625 down-regulation and Sox2 up-regulation were validated by qRT-PCR in 158 EC samples. Low expression of miR-625 promotes cell proliferation and invasion, while high expression of miR-625 has the opposite effect. Sox2, a target gene of miR-625, was examined by luciferase assay and western blot. Our data suggest that miR-625 may regulate the biological processes of EC via controlling Sox2 expression.