The feasibility of detecting endometrial and ovarian cancer using DNA methylation biomarkers in cervical scrapings / 부인종양

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that DNA methylation of development-related genes may occur in endometrial cancer (EC)/ovarian cancer (OC) and may be detected in cervical scrapings. METHODS: We tested methylation status by quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction for 14 genes in DNA pools of endometrial and OC tissues. Tissues of EC/normal endometrium, OC/normal ovary, were verified in training set using cervical scrapings of 10 EC/10 OC patients and 10 controls, and further validated in the testing set using independent cervical scrapings in 30 EC/30 OC patients and 30 controls. We generated cutoff values of methylation index (M-index) from cervical scrapings to distinguish between cancer patients and control. Sensitivity/specificity of DNA methylation biomarkers in detecting EC and OC was calculated. RESULTS: Of 14 genes, 4 (PTGDR, HS3ST2, POU4F3, MAGI2) showed hypermethylation in EC and OC tissues, and were verified in training set. POU4F3 and MAGI2 exhibited hypermethylation in training set were validated in independent cases. The mean M-index of POU4F3 is 78.28 in EC and 20.36 in OC, which are higher than that in controls (6.59; p<0.001 and p=0.100, respectively), and that of MAGI2 is 246.0 in EC and 12.2 in OC, which is significantly higher that than in controls (2.85; p<0.001 and p=0.480, respectively). Sensitivity and specificity of POU4F3/MAGI2 were 83%–90% and 69%–75% for detection of EC, and 61% and 62%–69% for the detection of OC. CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate the potential of EC/OC detection through testing for DNA methylation in cervical scrapings.

Clinical and prognostic analysis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 44 children and adolescents / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the clinical effect and prognostic factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 44 children and adolescents.@*METHODS@#From June 1987 to December 2003,44 children and adolescents with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were treated by radiotherapy, and some patients also received chemotherapy. Kaplan-Meier method was used for the survival rate and univariate analysis, and Cox proportional hazard model was used in multivariate analysis.@*RESULTS@#The 3.5 year survival rate was 84.2% and 62.3%.In the univariate analysis, clinical stage, lymph node (N) stage, radiotherapy dose and chemotherapy were significant prognostic factors of survival.In the multivariate analysis, N stage and chemotherapy were the prognostic factors in the survival rate.@*CONCLUSION@#Most nasopharyngeal carcinomas belong to the advanced degree. These patients are sensitive to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Combined modality therapy can improve the clinical effect of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in children and adolescents.

Expression clinical significance of nm23-H1 and vessel endothelium growth factor protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the prognostic predictor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expressions of nm23-H1 and vessel endothelium growth factor (VEGF) protein were examined by immunohistochemistry S-P staining in 108 NPC tissues, the expression of nm23-H1 and VEGF protein in NPC tissues with clinical stage of NPC, radiosensitivity of tumor, survival rate of patients, relapse and metastasis of carcinoma were studied.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The positive rate of nm23-H1 and VEGF was 48.1% and 59.3% respectively. The clinical staging, metastatic potential of lymph nodes were correlated with low-level expression of nm23-H1 protein. The patients with negative nm23-H1 expression had worse prognosis than those with positive nm23-H1 expression. The clinical staging, metastatic potential and poor sensitivity of radiotherapy were correlated with high level expression of VEGF protein. The patients with positive VEGF expression had worse prognosis than those with negative VEGF expression. The expression of nm23-H1 protein was negatively correlated with the expression of VEGF protein (r = -0.577, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The low level expression of nm23-H1 protein and the high level expression of VEGF protein may be associated with the development and poor prognosis of NPC.</p>