Impact of fellowship training for specialists on thyroidectomy outcomes of patients with thyroid cancer.

We aimed to evaluate the impact of fellowship training (FT) for thyroid specialists on the outcomes of patients with thyroid cancer. We reviewed surgeries performed for thyroid cancer before (non-FT group) and after (FT group) fellowship training and compared several variables, including length of stay of patients, tumor diameter, surgical method, lymph node dissection, parathyroid implantation, surgical duration, intraoperative blood loss, and postoperative complications. Compared with the non-FT group, the FT group had a shorter hospital stay, more adequate fine needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid, less intraoperative blood loss, higher rate of parathyroid implantation, higher lymph node dissection rate, and lower nerve injury and hypoparathyroidism rates. When the surgical duration was < 200 min and/or only central lymph node dissection was performed, the FT group had a lower incidence of postoperative complications than the non-FT group. When, the incidence of postoperative complications, including postoperative nerve injury and hypoparathyroidism. In conclusion, FT for thyroid specialists is beneficial for patients with thyroid cancer and may allow a shorter hospital stay and reduced incidence of postoperative complication. Accordingly, FT may facilitate a more appropriate surgical approach with a preoperative pathological diagnosis.

Expression and clinical significance of lncRNA-SChLAP1 in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-SChLAP1 in breast cancer (BCa) tissues and its clinical significance in the progression of this cancer. METHODS: 100 pairs of surgically resected BCa tissue samples and normal breast tissues were collected from BCa patients, and SChLAP1 expression in above tissues was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Meanwhile, the receiver operating curve (ROC) was plotted to analyze the efficacy of SChLAP1 in the diagnosis of BCa. In addition, the interplay between SChLAP1 expression and clinical features as well as the pathological features of BCa patients was analyzed. RESULTS: The expression level of SChLAP1 in BCa tissue samples was remarkably higher than that in normal ones. When the area under the ROC curve (AUC)=0.8639 and p<0.001, BCa could be diagnosed by SChLAP1; meanwhile, when the cut-off value was 3.26, the sensitivity was 80% and the specificity was 72%. Moreover, it was uncovered that the SChLAP1 expression was associated with patients' menarche, menopause, age of first pregnancy, or whether breastfeeding is administrated and whether oral contraceptives is taken; in addition, alcohol consumption, body mass index or tumor size and clinical stage were also the factors affecting the expression of SChLAP1. CONCLUSIONS: SChLAP1 is highly expressed in BCa tissues and can serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of this cancer.

MiR-323-3p Targeting Transmembrane Protein with EGF-Like and 2 Follistatin Domain (TMEFF2) Inhibits Human Lung Cancer A549 Cell Apoptosis by Regulation of AKT and ERK Signaling Pathways.

BACKGROUND Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is predominant and has low 5-year relative survival rate. Therefore, the mechanisms of NSCLC tumorigenesis must be comprehensively elucidated. MicroRNA-323-3p (miR-323-3p) has been widely explored and found to exert functions in tumorigenesis of several cancer types. However, the expression pattern and biological function of miR-323-3p and the molecular mechanism underlying NSCLC development and progression remain unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS Quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of miR-323-3p and TMEFF2 in NSCLC cell lines (A549, NCI-H3255, and H1299) and normal cell line (BEAS-2B). Methylthiazolyl tetrazolium, colony formation, and flow cytometry assays were performed to evaluate the effects of miR-323-3p and TMEFF2 on cell proliferation. Transwell assay was conducted to determine the effects of TMEFF2 on cell migration and invasion. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify whether TMEFF2 is a target of miR-323-3p. Western blot analysis was performed to analyze protein expression. RESULTS The expression of miR-323-3p increased in the 3 NSCLC cell lines (A549, NCI-H3255, and H1299). miR-323-3p regulated cellular progression by directly suppressing TMEFF2 expression and indirectly prohibited the activation of AKT and ERK pathways in NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS Overall, miR-323-3p was considered a lung cancer oncogene and could be a valuable target for NSCLC therapy.

Long non-coding RNA ANRIL promotes carcinogenesis via sponging miR-199a in triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a complex breast cancer subtype characterized by the absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2). Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) has been verified as oncogenic molecular in series of tumors, however, the role of ANRIL in TNBC carcinogenesis is still unclear. The purpose of present study is to investigate the expression and in-depth regulation of ANRIL on TNBC tumorigenesis. Expression level of ANRIL was up-regulated in TNBC tumor tissue and cell lines compared to noncancerous tissue and non-TNBC cells. Besides, the up-regulated ANRIL expression was closely correlated to poor prognosis. In vitro, loss-of-function experiments showed that ANRIL knockdown interfered by interference oligonucleotide could markedly suppress TNBC cells proliferation and enhance apoptosis. In vivo, ANRIL knockdown inhibited the tumor growth. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed that miR-199a targeted ANRIL at 3'-UTR. Rescue experiments showed that miR-199a inhibitor could reverse the tumor-suppressing role of ANRIL knockdown on TNBC proliferation and apoptosis. Overall, present study demonstrated that ANRIL overexpression modulated TNBC tumorigenesis through acting as molecular 'sponge' for miR-199a, providing a novel insight and therapeutic target for TNBC.

Effect of Interval between Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy and Surgery on Oncological Outcome for Rectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Aim. To evaluate the influence of interval between neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) and surgery on oncological outcome. Methods. A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase databases for publications reporting oncological outcomes of patients following rectal cancer surgery performed at different NCRT-surgery intervals. Relative risk (RR) of pathological complete response (pCR) among different intervals was pooled. Results. Fifteen retrospective cohort studies representing 4431 patients met the inclusion criteria. There was a significantly increased rate of pCR in patients treated with surgery followed 7 or 8 weeks later (RR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.18-1.78; and P < 0.01 and RR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.15-1.92; and P = 0.002, resp.). There is no consistent evidence of improved local control or overall survival with longer or shorter intervals. Conclusion. Performing surgery 7-8 weeks after the end of NCRT results in the highest chance of achieving pCR. For candidates of abdominoperineal resection before NCRT, these data support implementation of prolonging the interval after NCRT to optimize the chances of pCR and perhaps add to the possibility of ultimate organ preservation.

Plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate compared with open prostatectomy for prostates larger than 100 grams: a randomized noninferiority controlled trial with long-term results at 6 years.

BACKGROUND: Studies have demonstrated that plasmakinetic enucleation of the prostate (PKEP) and open prostatectomy (OP) have equivalent short-term efficacy for large prostates, but no comparison concerning their long-term results was reported. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the noninferiority of PKEP to OP concerning maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) at 1 yr postoperatively and to compare the long-term results of both procedures. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: From 2004 to 2007, 160 patients with prostates >100g were randomized to receive PKEP or OP. A total of 153 patients (95.6%) completed the noninferiority study, and 123 patients (76.9%) finished a 6-yr follow-up assessment. INTERVENTION: The PKEP procedures were performed with 27F Karl Storz continuous flow resectoscopy and the Gyrus PlasmaKinetic device. OP was performed by a suprapubic transvesical approach. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The primary end point was Qmax at 1 yr postoperatively. Secondary end points included other perioperative parameters and postoperative micturition variables. The student t test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, or Fisher exact probability test was used as appropriate. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: PKEP was noninferior to OP regarding Qmax at 1 yr postoperatively. Compared with OP, PKEP was associated with less perioperative hemoglobin decrease, shorter catheterization time, and shorter postoperative hospital stay (1.0 vs 3.2g/dl, 40 vs 148h, and 3 vs 8 d, respectively; p<0.001 for all), as well as fewer short-term complications (22.5% vs 42.5%, p=0.031). On intention-to-treat analysis, both the PKEP and OP groups had equivalent Qmax (25.2±7.0ml/s vs 25.7±7.6ml/s, respectively; p=0.688), International Prostate Symptom Score (3.5 [2-5] vs 3 [2-5], respectively p=0.755), quality of life (2 [1-3] vs 2 [1-3], respectively; p=0.950), and postvoid residual urine (20 [9-33.5] vs 16.5 [7-31] ml, respectively; p=0.469) at 72 mo postoperatively. No patients required reoperation because of recurrence of BPH. The relatively small sample size is the limitation. CONCLUSIONS: PKEP is a durable procedure with short- to long-term micturition improvement equivalent to OP and significantly lower perioperative morbidity. PATIENT SUMMARY: We compared PKEP with OP for large prostates and found that PKEP is less invasive, with short- to long-term micturition improvement equivalent to OP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Plasmakinetic Enucleation of the Prostate and Open Prostatectomy to Treat Large Prostates. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01952912. http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01952912?term=NCT016301952912&rank=1.