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SUMMARY: Esophageal cancer is one of the most aggressive gastrointestinal cancers. Invasion and metastasis are the main causes of poor prognosis of esophageal cancer. SPRY2 has been reported to exert promoting effects in human cancers, which controls signal pathways including PI3K/AKT and MAPKs. However, the expression of SPRY2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and its underlying mechanism remain unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the detailed role of SPRY2 in the regulation of cell proliferation, invasion and ERK/AKT signaling pathway in ESCC. It was identified that the expression level of SPRY2 in ESCC was remarkably decreased compared with normal tissues, and it was related to clinicopathologic features and prognosis ESCC patients. The upregulation of SPRY2 expression notably inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of Eca-109 cells. In addition, the activity of ERK /AKT signaling was also suppressed by the SPRY2 upregulation in Eca-109 cells. Our study suggests that overexpression of SPRY2 suppress cancer cell proliferation and invasion of by through suppression of the ERK/AKT signaling pathways in ESCC. Therefore, SPRY2 may be a promising prognostic marker and therapeutic target for ESCC.
El cáncer de esófago es uno de los cánceres gastrointestinales más agresivos. La invasión y la metástasis son las principales causas de mal pronóstico del cáncer de esófago. Se ha informado que SPRY2 ejerce efectos promotores en los cánceres humanos, que controla las vías de señales, incluidas PI3K/AKT y MAPK. Sin embargo, la expresión de SPRY2 en el carcinoma de células escamosas de esófago (ESCC) y su mecanismo subyacente aún no están claros. En el presente estudio, nuestro objetivo fue investigar el papel detallado de SPRY2 en la regulación de la proliferación celular, la invasión y la vía de señalización ERK/AKT en ESCC. Se identificó que el nivel de expresión de SPRY2 en ESCC estaba notablemente disminuido en comparación con los tejidos normales, y estaba relacionado con las características clínico-patológicas y el pronóstico de los pacientes con ESCC. La regulación positiva de la expresión de SPRY2 inhibió notablemente la proliferación, migración e invasión de células Eca-109. Además, la actividad de la señalización de ERK/AKT también fue suprimida por la regulación positiva de SPRY2 en las células Eca-109. Nuestro estudio sugiere que la sobreexpresión de SPRY2 suprime la proliferación y la invasión de células cancerosas mediante la supresión de las vías de señalización ERK/AKT en ESCC. Por lo tanto, SPRY2 puede ser un marcador de pronóstico prometedor y un objetivo terapéutico para la ESCC.
Subject(s)
Humans , Esophageal Neoplasms/metabolism , Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism , Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/metabolism , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Immunohistochemistry , Biomarkers, Tumor , Blotting, Western , Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases , Cell Proliferation , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktABSTRACT
SUMMARY: This study is to investigate the effect of survivin down-regulation by Egr1-survivin shRNA combined with radiotherapy on the apoptosis and radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma ECA109 and KYSE150 cells. ECA109 and KYSE150 cells were transfected with Egr1-survivin shRNA, and then treated with radiotherapy. After 24 h, the mRNA and protein levels of Egr1-survivin were detected by qPCR and Western-Blot. Cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. Western blot also detected levels of cleavaged Caspase 3 and Caspase 9. YM155 was used as a positive control to inhibit survivin expression. The levels of survivin mRNA and protein in ECA109 and KYSE150 cells treated with Egr1-survivin shRNA combined with radiotherapy were significantly lower than those of the blank control group, the empty vector control group, and, the YM155 + radiotherapy group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, after survivin down-regulation, the ratio of G2 to S phase of ECA109 and KYSE150 cells increased significantly, leading to significant G2 and S phase arrest. Additionally, apoptosis of ECA109 and KYSE150 cells increased significantly (P <0.01). Further, protein levels of cleavaged Caspase 3 and Caspase 9 significantly increased in Egr1-survivin shRNA combined with radiotherapy group. Egr1-survivin shRNA combined with radiotherapy can down-regulate survivin expression, which further increases the apoptosis, and enhances the radiosensitivity of ECA109 and KYSE150 cells.
Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar el efecto de la regulación negativa de survivina por el shRNA de Egr1-survivina combinado con radioterapia sobre la apoptosis y la radiosensibilidad del carcinoma de células escamosas de esófago Células ECA109 y KYSE150. Las células ECA109 y KYSE150 se transfectaron con shRNA de survivina Egr1 y luego se trataron con radioterapia. Después de 24 h, los niveles de ARNm y proteína de Egr1-survivina se detectaron mediante qPCR y Western-Blot. El ciclo celular y la apoptosis se detectaron mediante citometría de flujo. La transferencia Western también detectó niveles de Caspasa 3 y Caspasa 9 escindidas. Se usó YM155 como control positivo para inhibir la expresión de survivina. Los niveles de ARNm y proteína de survivina en células ECA109 y KYSE150 tratadas con shRNA de survivina Egr1 combinado con radioterapia fueron significativamente más bajos que los del grupo control en blanco, el grupo control de vector vacío y el grupo de radioterapia YM155 + (P <0,05). Mientras tanto, después de la regulación negativa de survivina, la proporción entre las fases G2 y S de las células ECA109 y KYSE150 aumentó significativamente, lo que llevó a una detención significativa de las fases G2 y S. Además, la apoptosis de las células ECA109 y KYSE150 aumentó significativamente (P <0,01). Además, los niveles de proteína de Caspasa 3 y Caspasa 9 escindidas aumentaron significativamente en el shRNA de Egr1- survivina combinado con el grupo de radioterapia. El shRNA de survivina de Egr1 combinado con radioterapia puede regular negativamente la expresión de survivina, lo que aumenta aún más la apoptosis y mejora la radiosensibilidad de las células ECA109 y KYSE150.
Subject(s)
Humans , Esophageal Neoplasms/therapy , Survivin , Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/therapy , Radiation-Sensitizing Agents , Radiation Tolerance , RNA, Messenger , Esophageal Neoplasms/genetics , Esophageal Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Transfection , Down-Regulation , Blotting, Western , Apoptosis , Combined Modality Therapy , RNA, Small Interfering , Cell Line, Tumor/radiation effects , Early Growth Response Protein 1 , Caspase 3 , Caspase 9 , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Flow Cytometry , Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/genetics , Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma/radiotherapyABSTRACT
@#Objective To investigate the short-term therapeutic effect of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in the locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods The clinical data of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant treatment in Gaozhou People's Hospital from August 2019 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the different treatments, the patients were divided into two groups: a neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy group (NIC group) and a neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy group (NC group). The baseline data, incidence of adverse events during treatment, perioperative indicators, postoperative pathological remission rate and incidence of postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. Results Totally 33 patients were enrolled, including 15 males and 18 females, with an average age of 62.37±7.99 years. There were 17 patients in the NIC group and 16 patients in the NC group. In the NIC group, the carcinoma was mainly located in the middle and lower esophagus, with 5 paitents in stage Ⅱ, 9 patients in stage Ⅲ, and 3 patients in stage Ⅳa. In the NC group, the carcinoma was mainly located in the upper-middle esophagus, with 1 patient in stage Ⅱ and 15 patients in stage Ⅲ. During the neoadjuvant treatment, there was no significant difference in the occurrence of bone marrow suppression or gastrointestinal reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). There were 4 immune-related rashes in the NIC group and 1 esophageal perforation in the NC group. Fourteen (82.35%) patients in the NIC group and 12 (75.00%) patients in the NC group completed the operation on schedule. The postoperative ICU stay time and chest tube indwelling time in the NIC group were shorter than those in the NC group (P<0.05). There were 5 patients of complete remission in the NIC group, and 6 patients in the NC group. There was no significant difference in the pathological regression grade or residual tumor cells between the two groups (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of anastomotic fistula, thoracic gastric fistula, bronchial mediastinal fistula, abdominal distension, pulmonary infection, stroke, or hoarseness during the perioperative period between the two groups of patients who completed the operation (P>0.05). In the NC group, 2 patients died during the perioperative period because of thoracic gastric fistula complicated by severe infection. Conclusion Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy dose not significantly increase the occurrence of adverse events and shows a good rate of pathological remission, which indicates that the neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy is a safe, feasible and potential new treatment model.
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@#Objective To construct a prognostic model of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) based on immune checkpoint-related genes and explore the potential relationship between these genes and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Methods The transcriptome sequencing data and clinical information of immune checkpoint genes of samples from GSE53625 in GEO database were collected. The difference of gene expression between ESCC and normal paracancerous tissues was evaluated, and the drug sensitivity of differentially expressed genes in ESCC was analyzed. We then constructed a risk model based on survival-related genes and explored the prognostic characteristics, enriched pathway, immune checkpoints, immune score, immune cell infiltration, and potentially sensitive drugs of different risk groups. Results A total of 358 samples from 179 patients were enrolled, including 179 ESCC samples and 179 corresponding paracancerous tissues. There were 33 males and 146 females, including 80 patients≤60 years and 99 patients>60 years. 39 immune checkpoint genes were differentially expressed in ESCC, including 14 low expression genes and 25 high expression genes. Drug sensitivity analysis of 8 highly expressed genes (TNFRSF8, CTLA4, TNFRSF4, CD276, TNFSF4, IDO1, CD80, TNFRSF18) showed that many compounds were sensitive to these immunotherapy targets. A risk model based on three prognostic genes (NRP1, ICOSLG, HHLA2) was constructed by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analysis. It was found that the overall survival time of the high-risk group was significantly lower than that of the low-risk group (P<0.001). Similar results were obtained in different ESCC subtypes. The risk score based on the immune checkpoint gene was identified as an independent prognostic factor for ESCC. Different risk groups had unique enriched pathways, immune cell infiltration, TME, and sensitive drugs. Conclusion A prognostic model based on immune checkpoint gene is established, which can accurately stratify ESCC and provide potential sensitive drugs for ESCC with different risks, thus providing a possibility for personalized treatment of ESCC.
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@#Objective To investigate the relationship between DDX46 genes and invasion and migration of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Methods Human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells TE-1 were transfected by fluorescent marker shRNA lentivirus (shDDX46 group), and an empty vector was transfected as a control (shCtrl group). The expression rate of green fluorescent protein under the microscope was used to evaluate the cell transfection efficiency. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RTFQ-PCR) and Western blotting (WB) detected the knockdown efficiency of the target gene at the mRNA and protein expression levels. Wound healing, invasion assay and migration assay detected the changes of invasion and metastasis ability. Classical pathway analysis was used to explore signaling pathway changes and the possible mechanism of DDX46 in the invasion and metastasis was explored by detecting fibronectin expression. Results DDX46 gene at mRNA and protein levels was significantly inhibited after lentiviral transfection. Wound healing showed that after 8 h the cell mobility of TE-1 cells decreased significantly (P=0.001). Invasion assay showed that after 24 h the average cell metastasis rate of TE-1 cells was lower in the shDDX46 group than that in the shCtrl group (P<0.001). The cell metastasis rate in the shDDX46 group corresponding to observation points in the transwell assay was lower than that in the shCtrl group (P<0.001) after 24 h culture. The results of the classical pathway analysis showed that the integrin signaling pathway activity was inhibited, further exploration of the mechanism of action found that the expression of fibronectin associated with cell adhesion was decreased. Conclusion DDX46 gene is related to the invasion and migration ability of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells. Knockdown of DDX46 genes may reduce cell adhesion by downregulating the integrin pathway signaling.
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@#Objective To investigate the effects of exosome-derived miR-1246 on metastasis and autophagy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC).Methods The exosomes of ESCC cells were extracted by exosome extraction kit,the morphology was observed under electron microscope,the particle size was detected by nano-particle size analyzer,and the expression of exosome markers TSG101 and Calnexin was detected by Western blot.The RNA of exosomes of ESCC cells and normal esophageal epithelial cells were sequenced to analyze the differentially expressed miRNAs,which were analyzed by KEGG Pathway enrichment.The expression of miR-1246 in tumor tissues and paracancer tissues of 155 patients with ESCC was evaluated by transcriptome sequencing.The effect of miR-1246 on the migration ability of ESCC cells was detected by Transwell assay and the effect on autophagy was detected by Western blot.Results The exosomes derived from ESCC cells were intact in shape and similar to spherical vesicle-like structure with the particle size of 50～80 nm.The exosome marker TSG101 protein was positive and Calnexin protein was negative.There were 59 common differentially expressed miRNAs between exosomes of ESCC cells and normal esophageal epithelial cells.Exosome miR-1246 was highly expressed in ESCC cells,and the differentially expressed miRNAs were mainly enriched in autophagy metabolic pathway.Exosome miR-1246 was highly expressed in cancer tissues of patients with ESCC.Overexpression of miR-1246 significantly promoted the migration and autophagy of ESCC cells(t=4.119 and 48.150,P <0.05 and <0.001,respectively).Inhibition of miR-1246 expression inhibited the migration and autophagy of ESCC cells(t=9.067 and 51.270,P <0.01 and <0.001,respectively).Conclusion miR-1246 derived from exosomes can significantly affect the metastasis and autophagy of ESCC cells.
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@#ObjectiveTo detect the gene variation and expression of PLCH1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC),analyze the function of PLCH1 gene in ESCC and explore its mechanism.MethodsThe copy number variation of PLCH1 in ESCC was analyzed by GISTIC,and the expression of PLCH1 in ESCC and normal esophageal tissues was detected by TCGA database and immunohistochemistry method. The expression of PLCH1 in ESCC cell lines was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qPCR) and Western blot,and the effects of PLCH1 silencing on the proliferation and migration of ESCC cells were detected by MTT assay,colony formation assay and Transwell assay.Results There was significant copy number amplification of PLCH1 in ESCC(G-scores > 0. 1,P < 0. 05),and the expression levels of PLCH1 mRNA and protein in ESCC were significantly higher than those in normal tissues(F = 36. 00 ～ 1 101. 00respectively,each P < 0. 000 1). After PLCH1 silencing,the ability of proliferation,clone formation and migration of ESCC cells KYESE180 and TE-9 decreased significantly(F = 35. 49 ～ 634. 00 respectively,each P < 0. 001).Conclusion PLCH1 plays an oncogenic role in ESCC,which is of great significance for the metastasis and proliferation of ESCC,and can be used as a potential target for the treatment of ESCC.
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@#Objective To investigate the influencing factors for the clinical remission of advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, establish an individualized nomogram model to predict the clinical remission of advanced ESCC with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and evaluate its efficacy, providing serve for the preoperative adjuvant treatment of ESCC. Methods The clinical data of patients with esophageal cancer who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nedaplatin 80 mg/m2, day 3+docetaxel 75 mg/m2, day 1, 2 cycles, 21 days per cycle interval) in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from February 2016 to August 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. According to the WHO criteria for efficacy assessment of solid tumors, tumors were divided into complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR), stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD). CR and PR were defined as effective neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and SD and PD were defined as ineffective neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze the influencing factors for the short-term efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The R software was used to establish a nomogram model for predicting of the model. C-index, calibration curve and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to evaluate the predictive performance of the nomogram. Results Finally 115 patients were enrolled, including 93 males and 22 females, aged 40-75 (64.0±8.0) years. After receiving docetaxel+nedaplatin neoadjuvant chemotherapy for 2 cycles, there were 9 patients with CR, 56 patients with PR, 43 patients with SD and 7 patients with PD. Among them, chemotherapy was effective (CR+PR) in 65 patients and ineffective (SD+PD) in 50 patients, with the clinical effective rate of about 56.5%(65/115). Univariate analysis showed that there were statistical differences in smoking history, alcoholism history, tumor location, tumor differentiation degree, and cN stage before chemotherapy between the effective neoadjuvant chemotherapy group and the ineffective neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that low-differentiation advanced ESCC had the worst clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, moderately-highly differentiated ESCC responded better (P<0.05). Stage cN0 advanced ESCC responded better to neoadjuvant chemotherapy than stage cN1 and cN2 (P<0.05). The C-index and the area under the ROC curve of the nomogram were both 0.763 (95%CI 0.676-0.850), the calibration curve fit well, the best critical value of the nomogram calculated by the Youden index was 70.04 points, and the sensitivity and specificity of the critical value were 80.0% and 58.0%, respectively. Conclusion The established clinical prediction model has good discrimination and accuracy, and can provide a reference for individualized analysis of the clinical remission of advanced ESCC with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and the screening of new adjuvant treatment subjects.
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Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma （ESCC）， the predominant histological strain of esophageal cancer in China， is complex in pathogenesis and may be associated with mutations in several genes and dysregulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） pathway， the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K） pathway， etc. MAPK signaling pathway can be activated by growth factors， proto-oncogenes， and oxidative stress， thus participating in biological functions such as cell proliferation， differentiation， migration， and apoptosis. More evidence shows that the MAPK signaling pathway plays an important role in the occurrence and development of ESCC and is expected to become an effective target for the treatment of ESCC. The classical MAPK family consists of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 （ERK1/2）， c-Jun N-terminal kinases 1/2/3 （JNK1/2/3）， p38 α/β/γ/δ， and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 （ERK5）. Each pathway consists of three cascade sequentially phosphorylated and activated protein kinase systems. The activation of the ERK1/2 pathway is related to the proliferation， migration， drug resistance， and apoptosis inhibition of ESCC. JNK， p38， and ERK5 pathways seem to show bidirectional regulation， and there is signal integration between MAPK internal pathways. Chemotherapeutic drugs for esophageal cancer often have side effects and are prone to drug resistance， so it has become a new idea to find effective and low-toxic drug alternatives. Studies have found that flavonoids， terpenoids， alkaloids， saponins， phenols， and other active ingredients in Chinese medicine can play an anti-ESCC effect by targeting the MAPK pathway， which is mainly reflected in inhibiting proliferation， migration， and invasion， inducing cycle arrest， promoting apoptosis， reversing drug resistance， etc. Therefore， this paper reviewed the regulatory role of the MAPK signaling pathway in ESCC and the research progress in active ingredients of Chinese medicine in regulating MAPK pathway against ESCC to provide references for the mechanism research and new drug development of Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of esophageal cancer.
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@#Objective To study the expression of FAM84B in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC) and its regulatory mechanism on cell growth by p53 pathway.Methods A total of 508 ESCC tumor samples and their adjacent normal tissue samples were collected from Shanxi Cancer Hospital and Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University,which are high incidence areas of ESCC in China.Using whole genome sequencing(WGS) and whole exome sequencing(WES),FAM84B gene with significantly amplified copy number were screened.In ESCC cell line KYSE150with high expression of FAM84B,the effect of FAM84B on cell growth was detected by MTT and hard clone formation assay after interfering with FAM84B by small interfering RNA infection;In ESCC cell line KYSE450 with low expression of FAM84B,FAM84B was overexpressed with plasmid pCMV-3 ×flag-FAM84B,and the effect of FAM84B on cell growth was detected by MTT and hard clone formation assay.The effects of FAM84B knock-down on the expression of CDK4,CDK6and CCND1 were detected by Western blot.Results WGS analysis of 508 ESCC paraffin sections showed 109 cases of FAM84B copy number amplification(21.45%);FAM84B gene existed near 8q24.21 and was a significantly enlarged lesion peak.Knockdown of FAM84B inhibited the proliferation of ESCC cells,while overexpression of FAM84B promoted that.The low expression of FAM84B promoted the cell cycle progression mediated by p53.Conclusion FAM84B can promote cell proliferation by promoting the cell cycle transition from G1 phase to S phase via inhibiting the expression of p53 pathway proteins in ESCC cells.
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@#Objective To establish the gene-based esophageal cancer (ESCA) risk score prediction models via whole transcriptome analysis to provide ideas and basis for improving ESCA treatment strategies and patient prognosis. Methods RNA sequencing data of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and adjacent tissues were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The edgeR method was used to screen out the differential genes between ESCA tissue and normal tissue, and the key genes affecting the survival status of ESCC and EAC patients were initially identified through univariate Cox regression analysis. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to further screen genes and establish ESCC and EAC risk score prediction models. Results The risk score prediction models were the independent prognostic factors for ESCA, and the risk score was significantly related to the survival status of patients. In ESCC, the risk score was related to T stage. In EAC, the risk score was related to lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and clinical stage. The constructed nomogram based on risk score showed good predictive ability. In ESCC, the risk score was related to tumor immune cell infiltration and the expression of immune checkpoint genes. However, this feature was not obvious in EAC. Conclusion 聽 聽The ESCC and EAC risk score prediction models have shown good predictive capabilities, which provide certain inspiration and basis for optimizing the management of ESCA and improving the prognosis of patients.
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Objective:To investigate the efficacy of camrelizumab combined with second-line therapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the real-world settings.Methods:Clinical data of 48 patients with esophageal cancer who met the inclusion criteria were retrospectively analyzed. The types of failure after first-line treatment, clinical efficacy, side effects and prognostic factors of second-line treatment were analyzed. SPSS 25.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Count data were expressed by composition ratio and analyzed by Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Survival analysis was conducted by Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test. Non-normally distributed data were recorded with the median, range and quartile. Results:There were 26, 14, and 4 cases of combined chemoradiotherapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the treatment of second-line camrelizumab, and 4 cases received immunotherapy alone. The median duration of immunotherapy was 6 cycles (range, 2-39 cycles). After second-line treatment, the short-term efficacy of 17, 27 and 4 cases was partial remission (PR), stable disease (SD) and progressive disease (PD), respectively. The overall response rate (ORR) was 35.4% and disease control rate (DCR) was 91.7%. The 1- and 2-year OS rates were 42.9% and 22.5%, and 1- and 2-year PFS rates were 29.0% and 5.8%. The median OS and PFS were 9.0 months (95% CI=6.4-11.7) and 8.5 months (95% CI=1.5-5.6), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that combined immunotherapy mode, number of cycles of immunotherapy and short-term efficacy were the independent prognostic indicators affecting OS in this group of patients ( HR=2.598, 0.222, 8.330, P=0.044, <0.001, <0.001). Lymphocyte count, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), combined immunotherapy mode and short-term efficacy were the independent prognostic indicators affecting PFS in this group ( HR=3.704, 3.598, 6.855, 2.159, 2.747, P=0.009, 0.008, <0.001, 0.049, 0.012). Conclusions:Camrelizumab combined with second-line therapy can bring survival benefit to patients with recurrent or metastatic ESCC after first-line therapy, especially immunotherapy combined with chemoradiotherapy can significantly provide survival benefit. Peripheral blood inflammatory biomarkers are independent indicators affecting clinical prognosis of patients. Patients with better short-term efficacy also achieve better prognosis. The final conclusion remains to be validated by a large number of randomized controlled studies.
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Neoadjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy combined with surgery is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer, which has been widely applied in clinical practice. Clinical efficacy has also been recognized by clinicians. However, even after the completion of neoadjuvant radiotherapy and subsequent surgical treatment, some patients still have local regional recurrence or distant metastasis in a short period of time. Among them, distant metastasis has become the main failure mode of patients undergoing surgery after neoadjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy, indicating that this treatment remains to be further improved. Based on the experience of patients with rectal cancer benefiting from total neoadjuvant therapy, the feasibility and implementation of total neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced esophageal cancer were discussed in this article.
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Objective:To evaluate the effects of high mobility group protein box 1 (HMGB1) on clinical prognosis of esophagus squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients treated with chemoradiotherapy and the radiosensitivity of xenograft in nude mice.Methods:A total of 90 endoscopic biopsy specimens were obtained from ESCC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. The expression level of HMGB1 was determined by immunohistochemical staining. High expression level was defined when staining was observed on ≥50% of the tumor cells. All patients were divided into the high expression group ( n=48) and low expression group ( n=42), and their survival information was retrospectively analyzed. Cell transfection was performed with the plasmid carrying human HMGB1-shRNA to knockdown HMGB1 expression in ECA109 cells and xenograft mouse models were established. The tumor volume and mass were calculated after irradiation with a dose of 15 Gy. The cell apoptosis in xenograft tissues were detected. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate prognostic analysis was conducted by log-rank test. Intergroup comparison was performed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results:The expression level of HMGB1 was significantly associated with gross tumor volume, longest diameter of tumor, T staging and distant metastasis ( χ2=9.663, 5.625, 4.068, 7.146, all P<0.05). In the low expression group, the overall survival (OS) ( χ2=4.826, P=0.028), progression-free survival (PFS) ( χ2=4.390, P=0.036) were longer compared with that in the high expression group. Further analysis of HMGB1-high expression patients showed that the radiation dose and the combination of chemoradiotherapy did not significantly affect the OS or PFS of ESCC patients. We observed that knockdown of HMGB1 slowed the growth rate of xenograft, decreased the tumor volume and increased the apoptosis rate after irradiation. Conclusions:ESCC patients with high expression level of HMGB1 obtain poor prognosis after chemoradiotherapy, which can be enhanced by increasing the sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. HMGB1 knockdown can effectively increase the radiosensitivity of xenograft in ESCC nude mice.
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Objective:To analyze the local recurrence patterns after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) through image fusion, and to explore the risk factors of local recurrence and its relationships with dosimetric indices.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted for 209 thoracic ESCC patients who received radical CCRT in Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University during 2016-2019. For the patients diagnosed as the local recurrence of esophageal lesions, their CT images were fused with the original planning CT images using image registration software to identify the recurrence sites. Through 1∶1 propensity score matching (PSM) of the clinal data of patients with local recurrence (the recurrence group, nbefore = 81, nafter = 62) and those without local recurrence (the recurrence-free group, nbefore = 128, nafter=62), the dose and volume parameters of the treatment plans for the two groups were compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox regression model to analyze the factors affecting the overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Results:All patients had 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates of 80.9%, 42.6%, and 33.0%, respectively, 1-, 3-, and 5-year PFS rates of 67.9%, 34.0%, and 27.9%, respectively, and 1-, 3-, and 5-year RFS rates of 71.3%, 39.2%, and 30.5%, respectively. T stage, N stage, and radiation dose were independent prognostic factors for the OS, PFS, and RFS ( HR = 1.42-1.87, P < 0.05) of the patients, respectively. Among 68 patients with local recurrence, 62 cases (91.2%) suffered recurrence within the gross tumor volume (GTV). The dose and volume parameters of patients with local recurrence, such as GTV- D95%, clinical target volume (CTV)- D95%, GTV- D50%, CTV- D50%, and planning target volume (PTV)- D50%, GTV- V60, CTV- V60, and PTV- V60, were significantly lower than those of patients free from the local recurrence ( t=1.90-2.15, P < 0.05). Conclusions:Local recurrence of patients with thoracic ESCC after radical CCRT occurs mainly within the GTV. Increasing radiation doses may contribute to their survival benefits. The D50% for each target volume in the radiotherapy plan may be related to local recurrence, and it is necessary to conduct further research.
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Objective:To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab in the treatment of patients with inoperable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 503 patients with inoperable ESCC who underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Changzhou No. 2 People′s Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University and Department of Radiation Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University from 2014 to 2020. Among these patients, 69 received concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab (the combined therapy group) and 434 received concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone (the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group). Patients of both groups were matched at a ratio of 1∶2 using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. As a result, 168 patients were determined for clinical analysis, including 61 in the combined therapy group and 107 in the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group. The short-term efficacy and adverse reactions of both groups were compared. The overall survival (OS) curves and progression-free survival (PFS) curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method for the Log-rank test.Results:The two groups showed no statistical difference ( P > 0.05) in clinical baseline characteristics after the PSM. The objective response rate (ORR) of the combined therapy group was significantly higher than that of the concurrent chemoradiotherapy group with statistically significant differences (85.2% vs. 71.0%, χ2 = 4.33, P = 0.037). There was no statistical difference (98.4% vs. 91.6%, P > 0.05) in the disease control rate (DCR) between the two groups. The combined therapy group had median PFS of 28.07 months and 1-, 3-, and 5-year PFS ratios of 78.2%, 37.5% and 29.1%, respectively. The concurrent chemoradiotherapy group had mPFS of 19.54 months and 1-, 3-, and 5-year PFS ratios of 72.9%, 28.3% and 21.3%, respectively. Both groups showed statistically significant differences in PFS ( χ2 = 4.49, P = 0.034). The combined group had median OS of 34.93 months and 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS ratios of 88.5%, 46.8% and 37.4%, respectively. The concurrent chemoradiotherapy group had mOS of 24.30 months and 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS ratios of 81.3%, 35.2% and 28.0%, respectively. Both groups showed statistically significant differences in OS (χ 2= 5.11, P = 0.024), but did not show statistical differences ( P > 0.05) in the severity degree of each adverse effect during the treatment. Conclusions:Concurrent chemoradiotherapy combined with nimotuzumab can improve the ORR and prolong the PFS and OS of patients with inoperable ESCC compared with concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone. Furthermore, combining with nimotuzumab does not increase adverse effects and can be tolerated by patients with high safety.
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Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with a poor prognosis. 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) is a water-soluble quinoline derivative that can successfully induce the production of squamous cell carcinoma in vivo. Establishing and optimizing experimental methods for 4NQO induced ESCC formation in mice can provide a more suitable in situ model for the study of ESCC.
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Objective:To analyze circRNAs specifically differentially expressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) based on high-throughput sequencing data.Methods:Six patients with pathologically confirmed ESCC in Tangdu Hospital of Air Force Medical University from March 2018 to March 2019 were selected as the research subjects, among which 3 were stage Ⅰ ESCC and 3 were stage Ⅲ ESCC. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the difference in the expression of circRNA in cancer tissues and adjacent tissues of patients. GO enrichment analysis, KEGG enrichment analysis and Venn analysis were performed on differentially expressed genes. The circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed using Cytoscape software. The most significantly differentially expressed genes in cancer tissues were verified in cells and tissues, and the relationships between circRNAs and clinical pathological indicators of patients were analyzed.Results:A total of 553 differentially expressed circRNAs were screened in paracancerous tissues and cancer tissues of 3 stage Ⅰ ESCC patients, of which 413 were up-regulated and 140 were down-regulated in cancer tissues; A total of 425 differentially expressed circRNAs were screened in paracancerous tissues and cancer tissues of 3 stage Ⅲ ESCC patients, of which 276 were up-regulated and 149 were down-regulated in cancer tissues. GO enrichment analysis showed that the host genes of differential circRNAs in patients with stage Ⅰ ESCC were mainly enriched in cell cycle-related biological processes such as mitotic G 2/M transition. The host genes of differential circRNAs in patients with stage Ⅲ ESCC were mainly enriched in biological processes related to cell division and tumor development, such as mitotic spindle checkpoint and cell matrix adhesion. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the differential circRNAs in cancer tissues of stage Ⅰ and stage Ⅲ ESCC patients were mainly enriched in cancer-related biological pathways such as cell adhesion. The results of Venn analysis showed that in stage Ⅰ ESCC patients and stage Ⅲ ESCC patients, 2 and 8 circRNAs that were only specifically expressed in paracancerous tissues and had significant differences were screened out respectively, and were only specifically expressed in cancer tissues with significant differences were 11 and 14 respectively. The circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network showed that the cancer tissue-related circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network in stage Ⅰ ESCC patients consisted of 7 circRNA nodes, 10 miRNA nodes and 28 mRNA nodes, and the cancer tissue-related circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network in stage Ⅲ ESCC patients consisted of 7 circRNA nodes, 9 miRNA nodes and 49 mRNA nodes. The most significantly differentially expressed hsa-circ-0060927 and hsa-circ-0109301 in cancer tissues of patients with stage Ⅰ ESCC and stage Ⅲ ESCC were selected for cytological and histological verification. The results showed that the relative expression levels of hsa-circ-0060927 in ESCC cell lines TE1, TE13, KYSE30, KYSE170, and human normal esophageal epithelial cell line HEEC were 7.82±1.96, 12.69±2.68, 12.78±2.74, 7.53±1.75, and 2.43±0.17, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=4.68, P=0.004). The relative expression levels of hsa-circ-0060927 in ESCC cell lines TE1, TE13, KYSE30, and KYSE170 were higher than that in human normal esophageal epithelial cell line HEEC, with statistically significant differences ( P=0.009; P=0.003; P=0.003; P=0.007). The relative expression levels of hsa-circ-0109301 in ESCC cell lines TE1, TE13, KYSE30, KYSE170, and human normal esophageal epithelial cell line HEEC were 5.16±1.32, 6.28±1.57, 4.89±1.13, 8.92±2.12, and 22.56±4.13, respectively, with a statistically significant difference ( F=4.31, P=0.022). The relative expression levels of hsa-circ-0109301 in ESCC cell lines TE1, TE13, KYSE30, and KYSE170 were lower than that in human normal esophageal epithelial cell line HEEC, with statistically significant differences ( P=0.027; P=0.015; P=0.024; P=0.008). The expression level of hsa-circ-0060927 in cancer tissues of 13 early ESCC patients was 12.89±2.67, significantly higher than 5.73±1.18 in paracancerous tissue, and there was a statistically significant difference ( t=15.02, P<0.001) ; the expression level of hsa-circ-0109301 in cancer tissues of 19 patients with advanced ESCC was 7.78±2.17, significantly lower than 16.32±3.15 in paracancerous tissue, and there was a statistically significant difference ( t=9.73, P<0.001). The expression of hsa-circ-0109301 was related to the degree of tumor differentiation in advanced ESCC patients ( P=0.023) . Conclusion:One circRNA (hsa-circ-0060927 and hsa-circ-0109301) with the most significanty differential expression is selected in early and advanced ESCC patients respectively, in which hsa-circ-0060927 is highly expressed in ESCC cancer tissues and hsa-circ-0109301 is lowly expressed in ESCC cancer tissues, and the expression of hsa-circ-0109301 is correlated with the degree of tumor differentiation.
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Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, an emerging immunotherapy, has achieved remarkable results in the treatment of hematologic tumors. However, it's limited in the treatment of solid tumors such as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma due to various factors. Clarifying the reasons for the limitation of CAR-T therapy and exploring the corresponding solutions can provide new ideas and insights for the treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
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Objective To investigate the difference in intestinal flora among patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and normal population and to provide a basis for the early diagnosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma as a marker. Methods DNA was extracted from biopsy tissue samples of 30 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (observation group) and 25 healthy people (control group) by microbial amplification sequencing. The integrity and quality of DNA were detected. The composition and abundance of intestinal flora in the samples of the two groups were determined. Results A great similarity in beta diversity was found between the two groups, but some differences were also observed. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The relative abundance of Megamonas in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (P=0.025). Conclusion Strengthening the study on the changes in intestinal flora among patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma may be of great significance for its prevention and treatment.