Inhibition of FBP1 expression by KMT5A through TWIST1 methylation is one of the mechanisms leading to chemoresistance in breast cancer.

Lysine methyltransferase 5A (KMT5A) is the sole mammalian enzyme known to catalyse the mono­methylation of histone H4 lysine 20 and non­histone proteins such as p53, which are involved in the occurrence and progression of numerous cancers. The present study aimed to determine the function of KMT5A in inducing docetaxel (DTX) resistance in patients with breast carcinoma by evaluating glucose metabolism and the underlying mechanism involved. The upregulation or downregulation of KMT5A­related proteins was examined after KMT5A knockdown in breast cancer (BRCA) cells by Tandem Mass Tag proteomics. Through differential protein expression and pathway enrichment analysis, the upregulated key gluconeogenic enzyme fructose­1,6­bisphosphatase 1 (FBP1) was discovered. Loss of FBP1 expression is closely related to the development and prognosis of cancers. A dual­luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that KMT5A inhibited the expression of FBP1 and that overexpression of FBP1 could enhance the chemotherapeutic sensitivity to DTX through the suppression of KMT5A expression. The KMT5A inhibitor UNC0379 was used to verify that DTX resistance induced by KMT5A through the inhibition of FBP1 depended on the methylase activity of KMT5A. According to previous literature and interaction network structure, it was revealed that KMT5A acts on the transcription factor twist family BHLH transcription factor 1 (TWIST1). Then, it was verified that TWSIT1 promoted the expression of FBP1 by using a dual­luciferase reporter gene experiment. KMT5A induces chemotherapy resistance in BRCA cells by promoting cell proliferation and glycolysis. After the knockdown of the KMT5A gene, the FBP1 related to glucose metabolism in BRCA was upregulated. KMT5A knockdown expression and FBP1 overexpression synergistically inhibit cell proliferation and block cells in the G2/M phase. KMT5A inhibits the expression of FBP1 by methylating TWIST1 and weakening its promotion of FBP1 transcription. In conclusion, KMT5A was shown to affect chemotherapy resistance by regulating the cell cycle and positively regulate glycolysis­mediated chemotherapy resistance by inhibiting the transcription of FBP1 in collaboration with TWIST1. KMT5A may be a potential therapeutic target for chemotherapy resistance in BRCA.

The roles of anti-Müllerian hormone in breast cancer.

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is produced and secreted by granulosa cells of growing follicles, and its main role is to inhibit the recruitment of primordial follicles, reduce the sensitivity of follicles to follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and regulate FSH-dependent preantral follicle growth. It has become an effective indicator of ovarian reserve in clinical practice. Research on AMH and its receptors in recent years has led to a better understanding of its role in breast cancer. AMH specifically binds to anti-Müllerian hormone receptor II (AMHRII) to activate downstream pathways and regulate gene transcription. Since AMHRII is expressed in breast cancer cells and triggers apoptosis, AMH/AMHRII may play an important role in the occurrence, treatment, and prognosis of breast cancer, which needs further research. The AMH level is a potent predictor of ovarian function after chemotherapy in premenopausal breast cancer patients older than 35 years, either for ovarian function injury or ovarian function recovery. Moreover, AMHRII has the potential to be a new marker for the molecular typing of breast cancer and a new target for breast cancer treatment, which may be a link in the downstream pathway after TP53 mutation.

Efficacy of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound in the treatment of COVID-19 pneumonia.

PURPOSE: As a public health emergency of international concern, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still lacks specific antiviral drugs, and symptomatic treatment is currently the mainstay. The overactivated inflammatory response in COVID-19 patients is associated with a high risk of critical illness or even death. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) can mitigate inflammation and inhibit edema formation. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of LIPUS therapy for COVID-19 pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 62 patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group (LIPUS treatment area - Group 1; self-control area - Group 2) and an external control group (Group 3). The primary outcomes were the volume absorption rate (VAR) and the area absorption rate (AAR) of lung inflammation in CT images. RESULTS: After an average duration of treatment 7.2 days, there were significant differences in AAR and VAR between Group 1 and Group 2 (AAR 0.25 vs 0.12, p=0.013; VAR 0.35 vs 0.11, p=0.005), and between Group 1 and Group 3 (AAR 0.25 vs 0.11, p=0.047; VAR 0.35 vs 0.19, p=0.042). Neither AAR nor VAR was statistically different between Group 2 and Group 3. After treatment, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, leukocyte, and fingertip arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) improved in Group 1, while in Group 3 only fingertip SaO2 increased. CONCLUSION: LIPUS therapy reduced lung inflammation and serum inflammatory factor levels in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, which might be a major advancement in COVID-19 pneumonia therapy.

Prostate cancer malignancy detection and localization from mpMRI using auto-deep learning as one step closer to clinical utilization.

Automatic diagnosis of malignant prostate cancer patients from mpMRI has been studied heavily in the past years. Model interpretation and domain drift have been the main road blocks for clinical utilization. As an extension from our previous work we trained on a public cohort with 201 patients and the cropped 2.5D slices of the prostate glands were used as the input, and the optimal model were searched in the model space using autoKeras. As an innovative move, peripheral zone (PZ) and central gland (CG) were trained and tested separately, the PZ detector and CG detector were demonstrated effective in highlighting the most suspicious slices out of a sequence, hopefully to greatly ease the workload for the physicians.

Ovarian reserve in premenopausal women with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: As a special reproductive hormone and ovarian reserve indicator, the role of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in premenopausal women with breast cancer deserves further study. METHODS: We conducted an in-depth analysis of the data from the EGOFACT study (NCT02518191), a phase Ⅲ, randomized, controlled trial involving premenopausal female breast cancer patients in two parallel groups: chemotherapy with or without gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa). Three hundred thirty premenopausal women aged 25-49 years with operable stage I to III breast cancer were included in this study. The characteristics of ovarian reserve changes marked by AMH in the EGOFACT study and the factors affecting ovarian function in premenopausal women with breast cancer were analyzed. RESULTS: The AMH level of the chemotherapy alone group decreased gradually within one year, while the AMH level of the GnRHa group was significantly higher as early as 6 months after chemotherapy and recovered to close to the baseline level 12 months after chemotherapy (F = 34.991, P < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed that the factors affecting AMH levels mainly included age, menarche age, body mass index (BMI), reproductive history, baseline follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level, pathological stage and GnRHa application, but they had different effects on the incidence of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) at different periods. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that menarche age younger than 14 years (OR 0.470 [0.259, 0.852], P = 0.013), baseline AMH level higher than 0.5 ng/mL (OR 9.590 [3.366, 27.320], P < 0.001), pathological stage Ⅰ(OR 0.315 [0.124, 0.798], P = 0.015) and GnRHa application (OR 0.090 [0.045, 0.183], P < 0.001) were independent factors conducive to protection of ovarian reserve, as well as to recovery of ovarian reserve. CONCLUSIONS: Age, menarche age, baseline AMH level, and GnRHa application are the most important influencing factors for ovarian reserve in premenopausal women with breast cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02518191, registered on Aug 5, 2015.

Effects of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Analogs on Ovarian Function Against Chemotherapy-Induced Gonadotoxic Effects in Premenopausal Women With Breast Cancer in China: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE: Studies of the use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) to protect ovarian function have shown mixed results. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether administering GnRHa during chemotherapy in premenopausal women with breast cancer can reduce ovarian impairment. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This randomized clinical trial, conducted at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital and Zhejiang Cancer Hospital in China, was an open-label trial involving premenopausal women aged 18 to 49 years with operable stage I to III breast cancer for which treatment with adjuvant or neoadjuvant cyclophosphamide-containing chemotherapy was planned in 2 parallel groups: treatment with chemotherapy with or without GnRHa. Enrollment occurred from September 2015 to August 2017, and follow-up ended December 2020. The data were analyzed in March 2021. A total of 405 patients were enrolled in the study, among whom 27 patients (6.7%) quit participation voluntarily, 33 (8.1%) did not meet the inclusion criteria and were excluded, and 15 (3.7%) were lost to follow-up. Ultimately 330 patients were included in the primary analysis, including 29 patients with baseline anti-Müllerian hormone levels less than 0.5ng/ mL. INTERVENTIONS: Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive chemotherapy with (n = 165) or without (n = 165) GnRHa. In patients randomized to receive GnRHa, 3.6 mg of goserelin or 3.75 mg of leuprorelin was injected subcutaneously once every 28 days from 1 to 2 weeks before the first cycle of chemotherapy to 4 weeks after the last cycle of chemotherapy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary end point was the rate of premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) at 12 months after chemotherapy. Premature ovarian insufficiency was defined as anti-Müllerian hormone levels of less than 0.5 ng/mL in this study. The secondary end point was overall survival (OS) and tumor-free survival (TFS). RESULTS: A total of 330 eligible patients could be evaluated with complete data, among whom 301 patients (91.2%; GnRHA group: mean [SD] age, 40.6 [6.7] years; control group: mean [SD] age, 40.2 [5.9] years) were eligible for primary end point analysis. At 12 months after the completion of chemotherapy, the POI rate was 10.3% (15 of 146) in the GnRHa group and 44.5% (69 of 155) in the control group (odds ratio, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.14-0.39; P < .001). Anti-Müllerian hormone resumption in the GnRHa group was significantly better than that in the control group (15 of 25 vs 6 of 44; odds ratio, 4.40; 95% CI, 1.96-9.89; P < .001). After a median follow-up of 49 months (range, 25-60 months), the differences in 4-year OS and TFS between the 2 groups were not significant. A post hoc analysis showed that in patients younger than 35 years, the TFS was higher in the GnRHa group than in the control group (93% vs 62%; P = .004; hazard ratio, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.03-0.82; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This randomized clinical trial found that administering GnRHa in treatment with chemotherapy for premenopausal patients with breast cancer reduces the risk of POI, which promotes the recovery of ovarian function. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02518191.

GnRHa protects the ovarian reserve by reducing endoplasmic reticulum stress during cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy-induced ovarian dysfunction is a serious adverse effect in premenopausal patients with cancer. Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogs (GnRHa) protect ovarian function, but its molecular mechanisms have not yet been determined. In this study, we attempted to determine the previously unknown molecular mechanism by which such protection occurs. Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels were tested in tumor-bearing nude mice, a series of exploratory experiments were conducted. We discovered that GnRHa protects granulosa cells from chemotherapeutic toxicity in vivo and in vitro. We also showed that CTX-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibits the secretion of AMH, and treatment with GnRHa relieves ER stress and the subsequent unfolded-protein response by modulating mTOR signaling to induce autophagy. The results of mechanistic studies indicated that GnRHa-modulated mTOR signaling to induce autophagy, which alleviated CTX-induced ER stress and promoted the secretion of AMH.

Can Anti-Müllerian Hormone Be a Reliable Biomarker for Assessing Ovarian Function in Women Postchemotherapy?

PURPOSE: The predictive value of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) for ovarian dysfunction postchemotherapy is controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the value of serum AMH levels clinically and theoretically. PATIENTS ANIMALS AND METHODS: We detected the serum estradiol, follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and AMH levels in 144 premenopausal women with breast cancer receiving cyclophosphamide-based chemotherapy. The hormone levels before and postchemotherapy were compared; the correlations among the hormones and amenorrhea and menstrual recovery were analyzed. In addition, the serum AMH levels were detected randomly in 177 normal healthy women and 36 normal female C57BL/6J mice of different ages; meanwhile, the status of ovarian follicles was also examined. Furthermore, 72 Balb/c nude mice with breast cancer were randomly assigned to three groups that received different doses of cyclophosphamide (CTX) (control, 100 mg/kg, and 200 mg/kg), and the alterations in serum AMH levels and ovarian follicles were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Chemotherapy-induced amenorrhea was associated with prechemotherapy AMH levels, E2 levels, and FSH levels (P < 0.0001). The recovery of menstruation was associated with prechemotherapy AMH levels (P < 0.0001), but not with E2 and FSH levels (P > 0.05). In patients with breast cancer treated with chemotherapy, the serum AMH levels did not differ significantly between the pre- and post-chemotherapy periods in patients aged <35 years (P > 0.05), whereas a dramatic reduction was detected in patients aged >35 years (P < 0.0001). In healthy women, the serum AMH levels declined sharply after 35 years of age (P < 0.0001) and remained relatively stable at a younger age. Similar results were obtained in experiments using normal mice. The cancer-bearing mice exposed to 200 mg/kg CTX exhibited a significant decline in AMH levels and a remarkable decrease in the number of primordial and growing follicles (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that AMH is an efficient marker for predicting postchemotherapy ovarian function exclusively in premenopausal female patients with breast cancer aged >35 years.

Metabolic Symbiosis in Chemoresistance: Refocusing the Role of Aerobic Glycolysis.

Cellular metabolic reprogramming is now recognized as a hallmark of tumors. Altered tumor metabolism determines the malignant biological behaviors and phenotypes of cancer. More recently, studies have begun to reveal that cancer cells generally exhibit increased glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) for Adenosine Triphosphate(ATP)generation, which is frequently associated with drug resistance. The metabolism of drug-resistant cells is regulated by the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway which ultimately confer cancer cells drug resistance phenotype. The key enzymes involved in glycolysis and the key molecules in relevant pathways have been used as targets to reverse drug resistance. In this review, we highlight our current understanding of the role of metabolic symbiosis in therapeutic resistance and discuss the ongoing effort to develop metabolic inhibitors as anti-cancer drugs to overcome drug resistance to classical chemotherapy.

Locoregional surgical treatment improves the prognosis in primary metastatic breast cancer patients with a single distant metastasis except for brain metastasis.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to validate the clinical significance of locoregional surgery in improving the prognosis of primary metastatic breast cancer (pMBC). METHODS: We conducted a population-based retrospective study by analyzing clinical data obtained from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Stratification analysis was employed to assess the effect of breast surgery on breast cancer-specific survival and overall survival. Then propensity score matching and COX regression models were employed to evaluate the survival advantages of breast surgery, if any in patients with pMBC. RESULTS: The median BCSS and OS in the surgery group were almost twice of that in the group without surgery. Breast surgery provided a survival advantage for patients with a single metastasis in the bone, liver or lung, but not in the brain. We found that axillary lymph node dissection performed in combination with specific breast surgical procedures did not result in a significant improvement in survival. Additionally, when combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, surgery significantly improved the survival and was not influenced by the molecular subtype and tumor size. Finally, using COX regression models before and after propensity score matching, breast surgery was found to reduce the risk of mortality in patients with MBC by more than 40%. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of locoregional surgery has been underestimated in pMBC patients. Surgical procedures should be seriously considered when planning combination treatments for pMBC patients with a single metastasis except for brain metastasis.

SETD7 is a prognosis predicting factor of breast cancer and regulates redox homeostasis.

SETD7 is a methyltransferase that specifically catalyzes the monomethylation of lysine 4 on histone H3. A variety of studies has revealed the role of SETD7 in posttranslational modifications of non-histone proteins. However, the prognostic value of SETD7 on breast cancer and the ability of SETD7 of regulating intrinsic redox homeostasis has never been investigated. In this study, using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, we revealed that SETD7 was a potential prognostic marker of breast cancer. Median survival time of patients with low SETD7 expression (18.1 years) was twice than that of SETD7 low-expressed patients (9.5 years). We demonstrated that SETD7 promoted tumor cell proliferation and prevented cell apoptosis and that SETD7 delicately maintained the redox homeostasis through regulating the levels of GSH/GSSG and ROS. Further studies indicated that SETD7 was a positive activator of KEAP1-NRF2 pathway. Using dual luciferase assay, we revealed the role of SETD7 as a transcriptional activator of antioxidant enzymes. Downregulation of SETD7 in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells impaired the expression of antioxidant enzymes and induces imbalance of redox status. Together, we proposed SETD7 as a prognostic marker of breast cancer and a novel antioxidant promoter under oxidative stress in breast cancer.

Aberrant cancer metabolism in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer metastasis: Mechanisms in cancer progression.

Cancer metastasis is a prominent feature of cancer cells, which is responsible for most cancer -associated mortality. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an essential role in the initiation and development of cancer metastasis. Studies have shown that EMT can induce cancer metastasis by promoting tumor malignances, reprograming cancer metabolism, and disrupting extracellular matrix. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that aberrant cancer metabolism can induce EMT through multiple pathological pathways. Conversely, EMT exacerbates dysregulation of glucose metabolism by EMT transcriptional factors such as Snail and Twist. Furthermore, the crosstalk network between aberrant glucose metabolism and EMT synergistically triggers cancer metastasis. Therefore, aberrant cancer metabolism can be used for the prediction, diagnosis, monitoring, and intervention of EMT, as well as cancer metastasis. To conclude, aberrant cancer metabolism plays a key role in the development of EMT and cancer metastasis, suggesting its clinical promise for the management of EMT and cancer metastasis.

Monomethyltransferase SETD8 regulates breast cancer metabolism via stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factor 1α.

SETD8 is a methyltransferase that specifically catalyzes the monomethylation of lysine 20 on histone H4. Previous studies have demonstrated that SETD8 is associated with proper cell cycle progression, DNA damage response, and transcriptional regulation. A recent study revealed that SETD8 played an important role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in association with TWIST and enhanced metastatic potential of breast cancer cells. However, the contribution of SETD8 to metabolism reprogramming, one hallmark of cancer, has never been reported. In this study, we report that SETD8 was a positive regulator of anabolic metabolism. SETD8 reprograms breast cancer cell metabolism through hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) mediated process. Mechanistic studies indicated that SETD8 stabilized HIF1α protein level through post-transcriptional regulation. Moreover, we demonstrated that SETD8 was a HIF1α transcription target. In clinical breast cancer patient tissues, we observed a positive correlation of SETD8 with HIF1α and HIF1α target genes. Taken together, we validated SETD8 as a novel metabolic reprogramming regulator, and our mechanistic studies shed light on a novel function of SETD8 in breast cancer malignant properties maintenance.

INFα-2b inhibitory effects on CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment of C57BL/6 J mice with melanoma xenografts.

BACKGROUND: Regulatory T cells (Tregs), particularly the CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Tregs, down regulate immunity and promote tumor cell growth by directly suppressing CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells. Alternatively they can promote tumor growth by generating interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor ß (TGFß) in situ, which help tumor cells to evade the immune system. METHODS: In vivo tumor models were prepared via subcutaneous injection with a suspension of B16 melanoma cells into the left upper flank of C57BL/6 J mice. The mice were randomized into five groups: radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy (CT), radiochemotherapy (RCT), Inteferon α (INFα) groups, and a control group. Flow cytometry was used to determine the Tregs levels in the spleen and peripheral blood, and immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the expression levels of TGFß and IL-10 in the tumor microenvironment. RESULTS: Tumor weight was significantly reduced in the CT or RCT groups (40.91 % and 41.83 %, respectively), while the reduction in tumor weight was relatively lower for the RT and IFNα groups (15.10 % and 13.15 %, respectively). The flow cytometry results showed that the ratios of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Tregs to lymphocytes and CD4(+) cells in the spleen and in peripheral blood were significantly decreased after treatment with IFNα (P < 0.05). Expression of TGFß and IL-10 in the tumor microenvironment in the CT and RT groups was higher compared with the control group (P < 0.01), while the expression of TGFß and IL-10 in the INFα group was not significantly different (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that INFα-2b inhibits cancer cell immune evasion by decreasing the levels of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Tregs and suppressing the expression of TGFß and IL-10 in the tumor microenvironment.

CDK2-AP1 inhibits growth of breast cancer cells by regulating cell cycle and increasing docetaxel sensitivity in vivo and in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Cell cycle regulatory pathway is a well-established pathway mainly dependent on cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which are regulated positively by cyclins and negatively by cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors(CKIs). Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 associate protein 1(CDK2-AP1) is a specific negative regulatory protein for CDK2, is important in the cancer cell cycle. However, the function of CDK2-AP1 in breast cancer remains unclear. We designed therefore explored the effects of CDK2-AP1 on breast cancer growth and its chemo-sensitivity. METHODS: Expression of CDK2-AP1, CDK2 and CyclinD1 in 209 cases of pathological specimens using IHC staining was measured. Lost-of-function and Gain-of-function assays were used in vivo and in vitro relating to the specific role of CDK2-AP1 in breast cancer. We analyzed in vivo and in vitro the impact of CDK2-AP1 on chemotherapy sensitivity in breast cancer. RESULTS: The positive ratio of CDK2-AP1 expression was reduced successively in normal breast tissue, DCIS, invasive breast cancer and relapsed breast cancer, however, with CDK2 and CyclinD1 it was suggested that CDK2-AP1 was correlated closely with the tumorigenesis and progress, and might work as a tumor suppressor. After down-regulating CDK2-AP1 in breast cancer cells, the cell cycle was accelerated and cell proliferation enhanced. The cell cycle was arrested in G0/G1 phase and G2/M phase after up-regulating CDK2-AP1 in breast cancer cells, inhibiting cell proliferation. The expression of CDK2 and CyclinD1 changed accordingly after downregulation or upregulation of CDK2-AP1 by western blot, suggesting a role of the CDK2-AP1/CDK2/CyclinD1 cell cycle pathway in the initiation and progression of breast cancer. Similar results were obtained in animal assays. The data indicates that CDK2-AP1 can induce sensitivity to docetaxel treatment in breast cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: CDK2-AP1 affects tumorigenesis, tumor growth and chemo-sensitivity by cell cycle regulation, which can potentially to be a therapeutical agent in breast cancer.

Predictive factors determining neoadjuvant chemotherapy outcomes in breast cancer - a single center experience.

From January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2010, 101 patients with stage II-III breast cancer were enrolled in this study and subjected to an anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen with or without docetaxel. Surgery was performed after 2-6 cycles of chemotherapy, and the clinical response was determined by pathological and histochemical assessments. The clinical response rate, as indicated by complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD), and progressive disease (PD), were 6.9, 52.5, 36.6, and 4.0%, respectively. A multivariable correlation analysis indicated that the overall clinical response rate correlated with the number of metastatic lymph nodes, number of chemotherapy cycles, and vessel invasion status. Importantly, the CR rate was only associated with the number of chemotherapy cycles. Nonparametric tests failed to detect a correlation between HER2 or Topo IIα status and clinical response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in these patients. When they were stratified by HER2 or HR status, for HER2-positive patients the CR rate was associated with vessel invasion and Topo IIα status. Based on our findings, we propose that HR, HER-2 and Topo IIα are not putative predictive biomarkers of chemotherapy outcome for breast cancer patients. Topo IIα expression level was only inversely correlated with CR rate among HR-positive patients. Importantly, the achievement of CR was largely related to the number of chemotherapy cycles.

Knockdown of vascular endothelial cell growth factor expression sensitizes U251 glioma cells to liposomal paclitaxel and radiation treatment in vitro.

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive malignancy of the human brain, accounting for 40% of all primary malignant brain tumors. However, there is no effective treatment for this disease. This study was designed to develop anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a novel adjuvant therapy for glioblastoma. A VEGF shRNA vector was constructed to silence VEGF expression in U251 glioma cells and these cells were treated with various concentrations of liposomal paclitaxel, 6 Gy radiation or liposomal paclitaxel plus radiation. The data demonstrated that the VEGF shRNA vector significantly knocked down VEGF expression, which synergistically sensitized U251 glioma cells to liposomal paclitaxel, radiation or liposomal paclitaxel plus radiation treatment in terms of cell viability, apoptosis, colony formation and morphological changes. Future studies are required to evaluate these effects in vivo.

Possible role of Pax-6 in promoting breast cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenesis.

Pax 6, a member of the paired box (Pax) family, has been implicated in oncogenesis. However, its therapeutic potential has been never examined in breast cancer. To explore the role of Pax6 in breast cancer development, a lentivirus based short hairpin RNA (shRNA) delivery system was used to knockdown Pax6 expression in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (MCF-7) and ER-negative (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cells. Effect of Pax6 silencing on breast cancer cell proliferation and tumorigenesis was analyzed. Pax6-RNAi-lentivirus infection remarkably downregulated the expression levels of Pax6 mRNA and protein in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Accordingly, the cell viability, DNA synthesis, and colony formation were strongly suppressed, and the tumorigenesis in xenograft nude mice was significantly inhibited. Moreover, tumor cells were arrested at G0/G1 phase after Pax6 was knocked down. Pax6 facilitates important regulatory roles in breast cancer cell proliferation and tumor progression, and could serve as a diagnostic marker for clinical investigation.

Oxaliplatin-dacarbazine combination chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma of the limbs.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to explore the feasibility, safety, and outcomes of pre-operative oxaliplatin-dacarbazine combination therapy for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of the limb. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between November 2005 and November 2008, 31 patients with advanced limb STS classified with stage IV STS were randomly assigned into experimental or control groups, and both were given 2 cycles of chemotherapy before undergoing surgery. The regimen for the experimental group was oxaliplatin (120 mg/m2, d1) in combination with dacarbazine (175 mg/m2, d13), while that for the control group was a standard vincristine, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide therapy. Operations were carried out four weeks after the second chemotherapy cycle, followed by another 24 more chemotherapy cycles of the previous regimen. RESULTS: Following preoperative chemotherapy, the experimental group exhibited a significant improvement in tumor regression compared to controls. Both regimens were well-tolerated, and no significant differences in adverse reactions were noted. At a median follow-up of 24 months, 28 patients were still alive and had normal limb function. The progression free survival rate of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (10/15 vs. 4/16, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Oxaliplatin- dacarbazine neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy improved the prognosis of patients with advanced limb STS in comparison with vincristine, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide combination therapy.