OCA2 rs4778137 polymorphism predicts survival of breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association study (GWAS) studies have showed that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in OCA2 gene were associated with the survival of breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. To further explain the association between OCA2 SNPs and breast cancer survival, we investigated the predictive value of rs4778137 located in OCA2 in local advanced breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A case-cohort with 150 breast cancer patients was performed to evaluate the effects of the OCA2 rs4778137 on breast cancer survival. The association between rs4778137 genotypes and pathological complete response (pCR, defined that the postoperative pathology indicating no residual invasive breast cancer in the breast or the axillary lymph node) were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the independent predictors of pCR. Survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis according to the rs4778137 genotypes. RESULTS: The differences between pCR and the rs4778137 genotypes were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The patients with genotype GG harbored a better disease-free survival (HR: 2.358, p = 0.000) and overall survival (HR: 1.578, p = 0.008) than the patients with genotype CC in rs4778137. The further Univariate and Multivariate survival analysis revealed that SNP rs4778137 was an independent predictive factor of disease-free survival (p = 0.000/p = 0.001) and overall survival (p = 0.006/p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: The OCA2 rs4778137 may be a predictor for the clinical response and survival in local advanced breast cancer patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

MicroRNA-370 suppresses proliferation and promotes endometrioid ovarian cancer chemosensitivity to cDDP by negatively regulating ENG.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally inhibit gene expression. In this study, we discovered that microRNA-370 (miR-370) was down-regulated in endometrioid ovarian cancer cells. In IGROV1 and TOV112D endometrioid ovarian cancer cells, miR-370 suppressed cellular viability and colony formation. miR-370 also enhanced endometrioid ovarian cancer cell chemosensitivity to cDDP. Endoglin (ENG) was directly and negatively regulated by miR-370. In addition, hypermethylation was a potential mechanism of miR-370 epigenetic silencing. We conclude that miR-370 acts as a tumor suppressor in endometrioid ovarian cancer via ENG regulation.

Analysis of HGF, MACC1, C-met and apoptosis-related genes in cervical carcinoma mice.

To understand the underlying pharmacological basis and the molecular mechanism of Taxol in therapy of cervical carcinoma (CC) disease, we need to explore the effect of Taxol on CC-related genes and pro-apoptosis and anti-apoptosis genes expression. Immunohistochemistry, western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction were applied to examine postive expression levels of Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3, HGF, MACC1, Caspase-3 and C-met proteins and MACC1 mRNA expression in tumour of CC mice. Results showed that treatment of Taxol could increase the inhibition rate of tumour growth, positive expression levels of Caspase-3, Bax and decrease positive expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax, expression levels of HGF, MACC1 and C-met proteins and MACC1 mRNA in tumour tissue of CC mice. It can be concluded that inhibitory activity of Taxol against tumour growth in CC mice is closely associated with its modulating positive expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Caspase-3, expression of HGF, MACC1, Caspase-3 and C-met proteins and MACC1 mRNA in tumour of CC mice. In conclusion, HGF, MACC1 and C-met genes involve into malignant cervical tumors occurrence, development and prognosis, and might become potential molecular target therapy site of cervical cancer. Taxol intervention may serve as a multi-targeted CC therapeutic capable of inducing selective cancer cell death.

[Clinicopathologic features, prognosis and etiology of primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of bone].

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinicopathologic features, prognostic indicators and possible etiology of primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of bone (PNHLB). METHODS: The clinicopathologic features of 17 cases of PNHLB were reviewed. In-situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus early RNA (EBER) and polymerase chain reaction for bcl-2/JH gene rearrangement were performed using paraffin-embedded materials. The correlation between serum lactic dehydrogenase level, treatment options, international prognostic indicator (IPI) and immunophenotype with clinical outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: The majority of the 17 cases studied was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (94.1%). The 5-year survival rate was 68.8%. Unfavorable prognostic factors included high-risk IPI (P = 0.031) and bcl-2 overexpression (P = 0.028). Treatment options and expression of CD10, MUM-1 or bcl-6 did not correlate with clinical outcome (P > 0.05). Only 1 patient was positive for EBER, as demonstrated by in-situ hybridization. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical outcome of PNHLB is relatively favorable. IPI and bcl-2 expression may serve as useful prognostic indicators. EBV is likely not related to pathogenesis of this type of lymphoma.