Cancer cachexia: Focus on cachexia factors and inter-organ communication / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Cancer cachexia is a multi-organ syndrome and closely related to changes in signal communication between organs, which is mediated by cancer cachexia factors. Cancer cachexia factors, being the general name of inflammatory factors, circulating proteins, metabolites, and microRNA secreted by tumor or host cells, play a role in secretory or other organs and mediate complex signal communication between organs during cancer cachexia. Cancer cachexia factors are also a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment. The pathogenesis of cachexia is unclear and no clear effective treatment is available. Thus, the treatment of cancer cachexia from the perspective of the tumor ecosystem rather than from the perspective of a single molecule and a single organ is urgently needed. From the point of signal communication between organs mediated by cancer cachexia factors, finding a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer cachexia is of great significance to improve the level of diagnosis and treatment. This review begins with cancer cachexia factors released during the interaction between tumor and host cells, and provides a comprehensive summary of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment for cancer cachexia, along with a particular sight on multi-organ signal communication mediated by cancer cachexia factors. This summary aims to deepen medical community's understanding of cancer cachexia and may conduce to the discovery of new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cancer cachexia.

Prognostic and clinical value of circPRKCI expression in diverse human cancers / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Highly expressed in various human cancers, circular RNA Protein Kinase C Iota (circPRKCI) has been reported to play an important role in cancer development and progression. Herein, we sought to reveal the prognostic and clinical value of circPRKCI expression in diverse human cancers.@*METHODS@#We searched the Pubmed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases from inception until May 16, 2021. The relationship between circPRKCI expression and cancer patients' survival, including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), was assessed by pooled hazard ratios (HR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). The correlation between circPRKCI expression and clinical outcomes was evaluated using odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% CI. The data were analyzed by STATA software (version 12.0) or Review Manager (RevMan 5.3).@*RESULTS@#A total of 15 studies with 1109 patients were incorporated into our meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that high circPRKCI expression was significantly related to poor OS (HR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.61, 2.39, P <0.001) when compared with low circPRKCI expression in diverse human cancers. However, elevated circPRKCI expression was not associated with DFS (HR = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.95, P = 0.121). Furthermore, the patient with a higher circPRKCI expression was prone to have a larger tumor size, advanced clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis, but it was not significantly correlated with age, gender, and distant metastasis.@*CONCLUSION@#Elevated circPRKCI expression was correlated with worse OS and unfavorable clinical features, suggesting a novel prognostic and predictive role of circPRKCI in diverse human cancers.

Progress in Research and Application of CAR-T Cell Therapy in T-Lymphocyte Tumors --Review / 中国实验血液学杂志

T-lymphocyte tumors are a group of diseases containing various types of lymphatic system tumors, with strong heterogeneity and poor clinical outcomes. Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy, as a new immune cell therapy, has made a breakthrough in the field of B-lymphocyte tumors. People are interested in the application prospect of this technique in the field of T-lymphocyte tumors. Some studies have shown that CAR-T cell therapy has made some progress in the treatment of T-lymphocyte tumors, and CAR-T for some targets has entered the stage of clinical trials. However, due to the characteristics of T cells, there are also many challenges. This article reviews the research and application of CAR-T cell therapy in T-lymphocyte tumors.

Research Progress of Cancer-associated Fibroblasts in Hematolo- gic Malignancies --Review / 中国实验血液学杂志

Cancer-associated fibroblasts （CAF） are a key component of the tumor microenvironment, which can secrete a variety of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, directly and indirectly support cancer cells, also alter the immune cellular environment by inhibiting the activity of immune effector cells and recruiting immunosuppressive cells, thereby allowing cancer cells to evade immune surveillance. CAF has been proven to be associated with the development, progression, and poor prognosis of solid tumors. However, the role of CAF in hematological malignancies is still unclear. This article reviews the research progress of CAF in hematological malignancies.

T cell receptor-based immunotherapy: a review / 生物工程学报

T cells play central roles in anti-tumor immune responses. Immune checkpoint therapy, which is based on modulation of T cell reactivity, has achieved breakthrough in clinical treatment of multiple tumors. Moreover, adoptive T cell therapy, which includes mainly genetically engineered T cells, has shown substantial treatment efficacy in hematoma. Immune therapy has tremendously changed the scenario of clinical tumor treatment and become critical strategies for treating multiple tumors. T cell receptor (TCR) is the fundamental molecule responsible for the specificity of T cell recognition. TCRs could recognize peptides, which are derived from intracellular or extracellular tumor antigens, presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and are therefore highly sensitive to low antigen level. Thereby, TCRs are broadly recognized as promising molecules for the development of anti-tumor drugs. The approval of the first TCR drug in 2022 has initiated a new era for TCR-based therapeutics and since then, multiple TCR drugs have shown substantial treatment efficacy in multiple tumors. This review summarizes the progress of TCR-based immune therapeutic strategies, including T cell receptor-engineered T cell (TCR-T), TCR-based protein drugs, and other cell therapies based on TCR signaling, providing useful information for future design of immune therapeutics based on TCR.

Research progress on the effect of iron oxide nanoparticles in macrophage polarization / 生物医学工程学杂志

Macrophages are important immune effector cells with significant plasticity and heterogeneity in the body immune system, and play an important role in normal physiological conditions and in the process of inflammation. It has been found that macrophage polarization involves a variety of cytokines and is a key link in immune regulation. Targeting macrophages by nanoparticles has a certain impact on the occurrence and development of a variety of diseases. Due to its characteristics, iron oxide nanoparticles have been used as the medium and carrier for cancer diagnosis and treatment, making full use of the special microenvironment of tumors to actively or passively aggregate drugs in tumor tissues, which has a good application prospect. However, the specific regulatory mechanism of reprogramming macrophages using iron oxide nanoparticles remains to be further explored. In this paper, the classification, polarization effect and metabolic mechanism of macrophages were firstly described. Secondly, the application of iron oxide nanoparticles and the induction of macrophage reprogramming were reviewed. Finally, the research prospect and difficulties and challenges of iron oxide nanoparticles were discussed to provide basic data and theoretical support for further research on the mechanism of the polarization effect of nanoparticles on macrophages.

Recent Progress of Nano-drug Combined with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy in the Treatment of Soild Tumors / 中国肺癌杂志

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy has shown remarkable success in treating hematological malignancies. However, CAR-T therapy for solid tumors is still limited due to the unique solid-tumor microenvironment and heterogeneous target antigen expression, which leads to an urgent need of combining other therapies. At present, nano delivery system has become one of the most promising directions for the development of anti-tumor drugs. Based on the background of CAR-T and tumor treatment, we focus on the research progress of nanomedicine combined with CAR-T therapy, and systematically review the strategies and examples in recent years in the aspects of in vivo delivery of mRNA, regulation of tumor microenvironment, combination with photothermal therapy. And we also look forward to the future direction of this filed.
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Advances of structure and mechanisms of bromodomain-containing protein 4 and its related research in tumors / 生物工程学报

The bromodomain and extraterminal domain (Bet) family are the regulators of the epigenome and also the pivotal driving factors for the expression of tumor related genes that tumor cells depend on for survival and proliferation. Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (Brd4) is a member of the Bet protein family. Generally, Brd4 identifies acetylated histones and binds to the promoter or enhancer region of target genes to initiate and maintain expression of tumor related genes. Brd4 is closely related to the regulation of multiple transcription factors and chromatin modification and is involved in DNA damage repair and maintenance of telomere function, thus maintaining the survival of tumor cells. This review summarizes the structure and function of Brd4 protein and the application of its inhibitors in tumor research.

¿Cuándo el patólogo debe solicitar inmunomarcación con B-Catenina?: una revisión de la literatura a propósito de dos casos / When should the pathologist request immunostaining with B-catenin?: a review of the literature on two cases

For more than 20 years, immunohistochemistry has represented an auxiliary test of great relevance to support pathological work, however, it should be noted that the pillar of diagnosis continues and will continue to be the classic morphological description based on hematoxylin eosin and the trained eye of the specialist. In neoplastic pathologies, whether benign or malignant, it is becoming increasingly necessary to incorporate new tissue biomarkers that help objectify or confirm the diagnosis of each patient, in order to provide better treatment or a more precise diagnosis about the biological nature of their illness. In this line, there has been intense research in relation to the participation of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in the development of various types of tumors, including colon adenocarcinoma, some pancreatic neoplasms and even some tumors of mesenchymal origin, as will be seen. in this work. In this context and based on two clinical cases of special interest, we have prepared a brief review of the literature considering the biological aspects of ß-catenin, tumors where there is currently a true relative consensus that its immunolabeling offers a real contribution to the confirmation of the entity and finally a limited exposition regarding the future of this biomarker in the pathology discipline.

Desde hace más de 20 años la inmunohistoquímica ha representado una prueba auxiliar de gran relevancia para apoyar el trabajo anatomopatológico, no obstante, cabe señalar que, aún el pilar del diagnóstico sigue y seguirá siendo la descripción morfológica clásica basada en hematoxilina eosina y el ojo entrenado del especialista. En las patologías neoplásicas, ya sea benignas, como malignas, se hace cada vez más necesario la incorporación de nuevos biomarcadores tisulares que ayuden a objetivar o confirmar el diagnóstico de cada paciente, con objeto de entregar un mejor tratamiento o un diagnóstico más preciso de la naturaleza biológica de su enfermedad. En esta línea, ha habido intensa investigación en relación con la participación de la vía Wnt/ß-catenina en el desarrollo de varios tipos de cáncer, entre ellos el adenocarcinoma de colon, algunas neoplasias pancreáticas e incluso algunos tumores de origen mesenquimal como se verá en este trabajo. En este contexto y partir de dos casos clínicos de especial interés, hemos preparado una breve revisión de la literatura considerando los aspectos biológicos de la ß-catenina, los tumores donde en la actualidad existe verdadero consenso de que su inmunomarcación ofrece un aporte real a la confirmación de la entidad y finalmente una exposición acotada respecto al futuro de este biomarcador en la disciplina de la anatomía patológica.

Antitumor effect and mechanism of different extracts of cultivated Phellinus vaninii on H22 tumor bearing mice / 生物工程学报

In order to explore the antitumor effect and mechanism of different extracts of cultivated Phellinus vaninii fruit body on H22 tumor bearing mice, 150 ICR mice were randomly divided into blank group, model group, CTX group, P. vaninii water extract group, ethanol extract group, petroleum ether extract group and crude polysaccharide group. H22 liver cancer cells were used to establish a solid tumor model and the mice were sacrificed on the 10th day after administration. The spleen and thymus organ index and tumor inhibition rate were calculated, the serum levels of TNF-α, INF-γ, VEGF, and hematoxylin-eosin were detected, and the immunohistochemical staining method was used to observe the pathological changes of tumor tissues, while Western blotting was used to detect the expression of tumor-related proteins. The high-dose petroleum ether extract group showed the best tumor inhibition rate (73.21%), increased serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, and VEGF, as well as significantly promoted tumor necrosis and ablation. The immunohistochemistry of the water extract group showed negative regulation, indicating an insignificant tumor suppression. Western blotting showed the apoptosis genes Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and pathway genes NF-κB and JAK were all highly expressed in each administration group compared with the model group, and their expression levels gradually decreased with increasing doses. In summary, the petroleum ether extract of P. vaninii fruit body showed a significant anti-tumor effect which is presumably mediated through the mitochondrial pathway. The metabolism of drug in the body induces activation of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 apoptotic proteins by Bax, Bcl-2, and TNF, which further caused nuclear chromatin or DNA to condense or degrade, and subsequently destroy the normal proliferation of tumor cells, thereby inducing their apoptosis and inhibiting tumor growth.

Innovative pharmaceutical strategies for niclosamide repositioning / Estratégias farmacêuticas inovadoras para o reposicionamento da niclosamida

The antiparasitic niclosamide has shown promising anticancer activity in preclinical studies against several types of cancer, such as colorectal and prostate. Thus, the objective of this work was to develop innovative formulations for the repositioning of niclosamide as an anticancer agent. In chapter I, a critical review of the literature on the physicochemical properties of the drug was carried out, in addition the results of clinical studies against colorectal and prostate cancer. Besides, a review was carried out on studies that developed formulations containing this drug, as well as hypotheses to improve the biopharmaceutical performance of this molecule. In chapter II, the development of solid amorphous dispersion containing niclosamide was carried out. Drug/polymer solutions were acoustic levitated and characterized by synchrotron X-ray light. This set allowed fast, high quality measurements, as well as the identification of niclosamide recrystallization. Plasdone® and Soluplus® demonstrated better properties to form amorphous dispersions, with the latter showing superior solubility enhancement. The study showed that the developed formulation increased the apparent saturation solubility of niclosamide in water by two times. In chapter III the objective was the development, physicochemical characterization and in vitro anticancer activity of a niclosamide nanoemulsion, having HCT-116 cells as a cellular model. Preliminary results indicated Capmul® MCM C8 as the best liquid lipid for the system, but the first nanoemulsions containing this lipid were not stable to justify its usage. On the other hand, Miglyol® 812 indicated to be a suitable liquid lipid for the system. The niclosamide nanoemulsion (~200 nm) with Miglyol® 812 and poloxamer 188 was stable for 56 days, with a monomodal particle size distribution. Cell viability assay against HCT-116 cells demonstrated that niclosamide cytotoxicity is time and concentration dependent. Results herein obtained encourage further research to understand and optimize niclosamide performance as an anticancer drug substance

O antiparasitário niclosamida tem apresentado promissora atividade anticâncer em estudos pré- clínicos contra diversos tipos de câncer, como coloretal e próstata. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver formulações inovadoras para o reposicionamento da niclosamida como agente anticâncer. No capítulo I foi realizada revisão crítica da literatura sobre as propriedades físico-químicas do fármaco, além de resultados de estudos clínicos da niclosamida contra câncer de coloretal e de próstata. Além disso, foi feita revisão sobre estudos que desenvolveram formulações contendo esse fármaco, bem como hipóteses para melhorar o desempenho biofarmacêutico dessa molécula. No capítulo II foi realizado o desenvolvimento de dispersão solida amorfa contendo niclosamida. Soluções de fármaco/polímero foram levitadas em levitador acústico e caracterizadas por raios-X de luz síncrotron. Este conjunto permitiu medições rápidas e de alta qualidade, bem como identificação de recristalização da niclosamida. Plasdone® e Soluplus® demonstraram melhores propriedades para formar as dispersões amorfas, com o último apresentando aumento de solubilidade superior. O estudo mostrou que a formulação desenvolvida aumentou em duas vezes a solubilidade aparente de saturação da niclosamida em água. No capítulo III o objetivo foi o desenvolvimento, a caracterização físicoquímica e atividade anticâncer in vitro de uma nanoemulsão de niclosamida, tendo células HCT-116 como modelo celular. Resultados preliminares indicaram o Capmul® MCM C8 como o melhor lipídio líquido para o sistema, mas as primeiras nanoemulsões contendo este lipídio não foram estáveis para justificar seu uso. Por outro lado, Miglyol® 812 indicou ser um lipídio líquido adequado para o sistema. A nanoemulsão de niclosamida (~200 nm) com Miglyol® 812 e poloxâmero 188 foi estável por 56 dias, com distribuição monomodal do tamanho de partícula. O ensaio de viabilidade celular contra células HCT-116 demonstrou que a citoxicidade da niclosamida é dependente do tempo e da concentração. Os resultados aqui obtidos encorajam mais pesquisas para entender e otimizar o desempenho da niclosamida como uma substância anticancerígena

Nutritional status at diagnosis among children with cancer referred to a nutritional service in Brazil

ABSTRACT Introduction: Children and adolescents with cancer are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and require special attention on nutritional assessment. An adequate nutritional status during treatment is essential in reducing morbidity and mortality, being a modifiable risk factor for clinical outcomes. This study aims to determine the nutritional status of pediatric patients with cancer assessed by the nutrition team at diagnosis and evaluate its association with the overall survival. Method: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients at the time of cancer diagnosis who had nutritional assessments when hospitalized or referred to the nutrition outpatient clinic. Nutritional status was classified by the mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and body mass index for age z-score (zBMI/A). The Cox regression analysis was used to determine the association between the nutritional status and overall survival, adjusting for gender, tumor group and age. Results: The study included 366 patients. The prevalence of undernutrition varied from 8 to 23% and overweight, from 5 to 20%. The MUAC identified more children as undernourished than the zBMI/A in patients with solid and hematological tumors. There was no significant difference in the overall survival by malnutrition classified by the zBMI/A (p = 0.1507) or MUAC (p = 0.8135). When adjusted for gender, tumor group and age, the nutritional status classification by the zBMI/A (hazard ratio [HR], 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-1.83; p = 0.209) and MUAC (HR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.61-1.44; p = 0.773) did not impact overall survival. Conclusion: The nutritional status at diagnosis did not significantly impact the overall survival, which suggests there may have been a protective effect by successful nutritional intervention during the subsequent care.

Emerging relationship between RNA helicases and autophagy / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

RNA helicases, the largest family of proteins that participate in RNA metabolism, stabilize the intracellular environment through various processes, such as translation and pre-RNA splicing. These proteins are also involved in some diseases, such as cancers and viral diseases. Autophagy, a self-digestive and cytoprotective trafficking process in which superfluous organelles and cellular garbage are degraded to stabilize the internal environment or maintain basic cellular survival, is associated with human diseases. Interestingly, similar to autophagy, RNA helicases play important roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and are related to many types of diseases. According to recent studies, RNA helicases are closely related to autophagy, participate in regulating autophagy, or serve as a bridge between autophagy and other cellular activities that widely regulate some pathophysiological processes or the development and progression of diseases. Here, we summarize the most recent studies to understand how RNA helicases function as regulatory proteins and determine their association with autophagy in various diseases.

Role of cytoplasmic lncRNAs in regulating cancer signaling pathways / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Cancer remains a serious healthcare problem despite significant improvements in early detection and treatment approaches in the past few decades. Novel biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. In recent years, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be aberrantly expressed in tumors and show crosstalk with key cancer-related signaling pathways. In this review, we summarized the current progress of research on cytoplasmic lncRNAs and their roles in regulating cancer signaling and tumor progression, further characterization of which may lead to effective approaches for cancer prevention and therapy.

Updating the role of matrix metalloproteinases in mineralized tissue and related diseases

Abstract Bone development and healing processes involve a complex cascade of biological events requiring well-orchestrated synergism with bone cells, growth factors, and other trophic signaling molecules and cellular structures. Beyond health processes, MMPs play several key roles in the installation of heart and blood vessel related diseases and cancer, ranging from accelerating metastatic cells to ectopic vascular mineralization by smooth muscle cells in complementary manner. The tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) have an important role in controlling proteolysis. Paired with the post-transcriptional efficiency of specific miRNAs, they modulate MMP performance. If druggable, these molecules are suggested to be a platform for development of "smart" medications and further clinical trials. Thus, considering the pleiotropic effect of MMPs on mammals, the purpose of this review is to update the role of those multifaceted proteases in mineralized tissues in health, such as bone, and pathophysiological disorders, such as ectopic vascular calcification and cancer.

Farmacogenética, tabaco, alcohol y su efecto sobre el riesgo de desarrollar cáncer / Pharmacogenetics, tobacco, alcohol and its effect on the risk development cancer

El cáncer es la segunda causa de muerte en el mundo, según datos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) en el año 2015 ocasionó 8,8 millones de muertes. Dentro de los factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de cáncer se encuentran el tabaquismo y el consumo de alcohol. En Chile el 33,6% de la población fuma y un 21,2 % de los jóvenes. El consumo de alcohol en la población chilena es de 74,5 % y en los jóvenes de un 12,2 %. Entre los factores fisiológicos que influyen en el desarrollo de cáncer, el factor genético juega un rol relevante, habiéndose demostrado que la presencia de polimorfismos genéticos alteran la capacidad del organismo de eliminar contaminantes y aumentan el riesgo de desarrollar cáncer. Lo mismo ocurre con polimorfismos que impiden la reparación de ADN debido a daños producidos por efecto de contaminantes ambientales como el humo de cigarrillo. El objetivo de esta revisión es analizar el estado del arte de la relación entre farmacogenética, tabaco y alcohol como factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de cáncer. Los resultados sugieren que la presencia de po limorfismos que alteran la función de enzimas de biotransformación fase I (CYP1A1, CYP1E1) y fase II (GST), además de polimorfismos en enzimas de reparación del ADN (ERCC1/ERCC2) aumentan el riesgo de cáncer inducido por el hábito tabáquico y alcohólico. Esta asociación es importante, si consideramos que en la población chilena el hábito de fumar y beber alcohol es altamente prevalente.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world, causing 8.8 million deaths in 2015 according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Risk factors for cancer include smoking and alcohol con sumption. In Chile, 33.6% of the population and 21.2% of young people smokes. Alcohol consump tion in the Chilean population is 74.5% and 12.2% in young people. Among the physiological factors that influence the development of cancer, the genetic factor plays a relevant role. It has been shown that the presence of genetic polymorphisms that alter the ability of the body to eliminate contami nants increase the risk of developing cancer. The same applies to polymorphisms that prevent DNA repair due to damage caused by environmental pollutants such as cigarette smoke. The objective of this review is to analyze the state of the art of the relationship between pharmacogenetics, smoking, and alcohol consumption as risk factors for the development of cancer. In conclusion, the results suggest that the presence of polymorphisms that alter the function of biotransformation enzymes phase I (CYP1A1, CYP1E1) and phase II (GST), as well as polymorphisms in DNA repair enzymes (ERCC1 / ERCC2), increase the risk of cancer induced by smoking and alcohol consumption. This association is important considering that smoking and drinking alcohol are highly prevalent among the Chilean population.

Combatiendo el metabolismo de las células cancerosas mediante la activación de SIRT3 y el ejercicio físico / Combating tumor cells through SIRT3 activation and exercise

One of the main features of cancer is the high rate of cell proliferation and growth. To do this, cancer cells need to redirect their metabolism mainly towards anaerobic glycolysis and an increased mitochondrial glutamine energy metabolism. Sirtuins are cellular proteins with regulatory functions on metabolic pathways, genomic stability, apoptosis, longevity, inflammation, energy metabolism and oxidative stress. Sirtuins have emerged recently as a potential therapeutic option to treat several chronic diseases including cancer. This review summarizes the tumor suppressor function of Sirtuin 3 (SIRT3), highlighting its repressor effect on glycolytic metabolism, promoting mitochondrial metabolism and oxidative stress reduction. SIRT3 activation by exercise is particularly described since it may represent a potent tool for several types of cancer treatment.

Hospitalizations for cancer in international migrants versus local population in Chile / Hospitalizaciones por cáncer en migrantes internacionales y población local en Chile

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To compare cancer hospital morbidity among the local population and the immigrant population in Chile. METHODS This is a prevalence study based on the analysis of hospital discharges of all the health centers of Chile. Cancer hospital discharges were characterized in 2012 according to the migratory status. The crude and specific rates of hospital morbidity for this cause were estimated for the analysis of their association with migratory status using zero-inflated negative binomial regression, adjusted for sociodemographic variables. RESULTS The neoplasms were the third cause of hospital discharges for immigrants and the seventh one for Chileans. The adjusted rate of cancer hospital discharges was higher for Chileans than immigrants, and the latter had fewer days of hospitalization and greater proportion of surgical interventions. In the group of immigrants, cancer hospital discharges mainly corresponded to patients belonging to the private system (46%), and in the group of Chileans they mainly corresponded to patients in the public system (71.1%). We observed a large difference in the proportion of cancer hospital discharges for patients with no health insurance between the two populations (22.6%: immigrants, 1.0%: Chileans). In both populations, the three most frequent types of cancer were: (i) lymphoid tissue, hematopoietic organs, and related tissues, (ii) digestive organs, and (iii) breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS Models of differentiated care should be considered for immigrants, with the creation of specific programs of information, coverage, and protection against cancer. More information on this problem must be generated at the local and international level.

RESUMEN OBJETIVO Comparar la morbilidad hospitalaria por cáncer entre población local e inmigrante en Chile. MÉTODOS Estudio de prevalencia basado en el análisis de egresos hospitalarios de todos los centros de Chile. Se caracterizaron los egresos hospitalarios por cáncer en 2012 según condición migratoria. Se estimaran las tasas brutas y específicas de morbilidad hospitalaria por esta causa, para finalmente analizar su asociación con el estatus migratorio mediante una regresión binomial negativa inflada por ceros ajustada por variables sociodemográficas. RESULTADOS Las neoplasias fueron la tercera causa de egresos hospitalarios en inmigrantes y la séptima en chilenos. La tasa ajustada de egresos hospitalarios por cáncer fue mayor en chilenos que en inmigrantes, y estos presentaron menor cantidad de días de hospitalización y mayor proporción de intervenciones quirúrgicas. En el grupo de inmigrantes, los egresos hospitalarios por cáncer corresponderán principalmente a pacientes pertenecientes al sistema privado (46%) y en chilenos a pacientes en el sistema público (71,1%). Se observó una amplia diferencia en la proporción de egresos hospitalarios por cáncer correspondientes a pacientes sin previsión de salud entre ambas poblaciones (22,6%: inmigrantes, 1,0%: chilenos). En ambas poblaciones, los tres cánceres que se presentaron con mayor frecuencia fueron: (i) tejidos linfáticos, órganos hematopoyéticos y tejidos afines, (ii) órganos digestivos y (iii) cáncer de mama. CONCLUSIONES Se deben considerar modelos de atención diferenciada en inmigrantes, creando programas específicos de información, cobertura y protección frente al cáncer. Es necesario generar más información sobre esta problemática a nivel local e internacional.

Autophagy and intermittent fasting: the connection for cancer therapy?

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and its incidence is continually increasing. Although anticancer therapy has improved significantly, it still has limited efficacy for tumor eradication and is highly toxic to healthy cells. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies to improve chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy are an important goal in cancer research. Macroautophagy (herein referred to as autophagy) is a conserved lysosomal degradation pathway for the intracellular recycling of macromolecules and clearance of damaged organelles and misfolded proteins to ensure cellular homeostasis. Dysfunctional autophagy contributes to many diseases, including cancer. Autophagy can suppress or promote tumors depending on the developmental stage and tumor type, and modulating autophagy for cancer treatment is an interesting therapeutic approach currently under intense investigation. Nutritional restriction is a promising protocol to modulate autophagy and enhance the efficacy of anticancer therapies while protecting normal cells. Here, the description and role of autophagy in tumorigenesis will be summarized. Moreover, the possibility of using fasting as an adjuvant therapy for cancer treatment, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying this approach, will be presented.