Construction and validation of chemoresistance-associated tumor- infiltrating exhausted-like CD8+ T cell signature in breast cancer: cr-TILCD8TSig.

Background: Accumulating evidence has revealed that CD8+ T cell exhaustion (Tex) results in worse immunotherapy outcomes. However, the molecular functions and mechanisms of action of Tex in chemoresistance needed to be elucidated. Methods: The populations of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells (TILCD8Ts) in chemoresistant and chemosensitive groups of the GSE25066 dataset were calculated using CIBERSORT. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between TILCD8Ts and other immune cells were explored by integrating 16 immune cell datasets downloaded from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. Gene ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression of TILCD8T-specific upregulated genes were used to construct a chemoresistant TILCD8T signature (cr-TILCD8TSig). Clinical prognostic data, genomic alterations, chemotherapy response, and immunotherapy response were compared between the different cr-TILCD8TSig subgroups in the GSE25066 and the cancer genome atlas breast cancer (TCGA-BRCA) cohorts. Results: A cr-TILCD8TSig with exhausted features was identified, consisting of seven genes (TCF7, RARRES3, ARL4C, ITK, CDH3, GZMB, and KLRD1), which were identified from 104 TILCD8Ts-specific DEGs. Our results showed that compared to the cr-TILCD8TSig-low subgroup, the -high subgroup had a poorer distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) in the GSE25066 cohort and worse progression-free survival (PFS) in the TCGA-BRCA cohort. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses also demonstrated that cr-TILCD8TSig was an independent prognostic factor in the two independent cohorts. Furthermore, cr-TILCD8TSig-low patients benefited more from chemotherapy and immunotherapy than cr-TILCD8TSig-high patients. Besides, we found cell transmembrane signal transduction and the ECM may provide the molecular basis for resistance to antitumor agents in the cr-TILCD8Sig-high subgroup. For genomic alterations, we revealed that mutations in PIK3CA, DMD, and APOB were more common in the cr-TILCD8Sig-high subgroup than in the cr-TILCD8Sig-low subgroup. A nomogram was finally constructed with good discrimination and calibration. Conclusions: cr-TILCD8TSig is a useful tool to independently predict prognosis, chemotherapy response, and immunotherapy outcomes in patients with breast cancer.

Nomogram Based on Inflammatory Biomarkers to Predict the Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma-A Multicentre Experience.

Purpose: Our study aimed to identify inflammatory biomarkers and develop a prediction model to stratify high-risk patients for hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC) recurrence after curative resection. Patients and Methods: A total of 583 eligible HBV-HCC patients with curative hepatectomy from Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (GDPH) and Sun Ya-sen University Cancer Centre (SYSUCC) were enrolled in our study. Cox proportional hazards regression was utilized to evaluate potential risk factors for disease-free survival (RFS). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was utilized to assess the discrimination performance. Calibration plots and decision curve analyses (DCA) were used to evaluate the calibration of the nomogram and the net benefit, respectively. Results: Based on the systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), aspartate aminotransferase to neutrophil ratio index (ANRI), China Liver Cancer (CNLC) stage and microvascular invasion, a satisfactory nomogram was developed. The AUC of our nomogram for predicting 1-, 2-, and 3-year RFS was 0.767, 0.726, and 0.708 in the training cohort and 0.761, 0.716, and 0.715 in the validation cohort, respectively. Furthermore, our model demonstrated excellent stratification as well as clinical applicability. Conclusion: The novel nomogram showed a higher prognostic power for the RFS of HCC patients with curative hepatectomy than the CNLC, AJCC 8th edition and BCLC staging systems and may help oncologists identify high-risk HCC patients.

Expression of ALG3 in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Its Clinical Implication.

Background: Recent studies have shown that alpha-1,3-mannosyltransferase (ALG3) promoted tumorigenesis and progression in multiple cancer types. Our study planned to explore the clinical implication and potential function of ALG3 in hepatocellular carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Data from public databases were used to analyze the ALG3 expression and its impact on the clinical significance of patients with HCC. The ALG3 expression was confirmed by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Immunohistochemistry was used to confirm the ALG3 expression and explore its clinical implication in HCC. KEGG, GO, and GSEA enrichment analyses were utilized to explore the biological pathways related to ALG3 in HCC. TIMER2.0 was applied to assess the association between ALG3 and immune infiltration. CCK8, MTT, and transwell assays were used to investigate the role of ALG3 downregulation in HCC cell lines. Results: qRT-PCR, WB, and IHC proved ALG3 was highly overexpressed in HCC tissues. The Kaplan-Meier analysis verified the overexpression of ALG3 was related to poor overall survival (p < 0.001). Multivariate cox regression analysis showed that the high ALG3 expression was an independent risk prognostic factor. GSEA and TIMER2.0 predicted that ALG3 participates in cell differentiation and cycle and correlates with immune cell infiltration. Transwell assay results showed that ALG3 silencing also impaired the invasion ability of HCC cells. Conclusion: ALG3 was overexpressed and considered a potential indicator of survival in HCC, and our findings provided a novel therapeutic target for HCC.

Microvascular Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Review of Its Definition, Clinical Significance, and Comprehensive Management.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of malignancies in the world, and most HCC patients undergoing liver resection relapse within five years. Microvascular invasion (MVI) is an independent factor for both the disease-free survival and overall survival of HCC patients. At present, the definition of MVI is still controversial, and a global consensus on how to evaluate MVI precisely is needed. Moreover, this review summarizes the current knowledge and clinical significance of MVI for HCC patients. In terms of management, antiviral therapy, wide surgical margins, and postoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) could effectively reduce the incidence of MVI or improve the disease-free survival and overall survival of HCC patients with MVI. However, other perioperative management practices, such as anatomical resection, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and immune therapy, should be clarified in future investigations.

circRPS16 Promotes Proliferation and Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Sponging miR-876-5p to Upregulate SPINK1.

The roles of serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1) in multiple types of cancers have been significantly documented. However, its specific roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain to be investigated. This study found that SPINK1 is upregulated in HCC and its upregulation correlates with poor prognosis. Besides, functional assays revealed that SPINK1 promotes cell proliferation, cell cycle, and invasion in vitro. Through bioinformatics analysis, we speculate that circRPS16 regulates SPINK1 expression by sponging miR-876-5p. This was further verified by the dual-luciferase reporter and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assays. Subsequently, rescue assays verified that circRPS16 promotes cell proliferation, cell cycle, and invasion through miR-876-5p. Importantly, silencing circRPS16 inhibited tumor growth by downregulating SPINK1 expression in vivo. Collectively, our results confirm that SPINK1 is a downstream target of circRPS16. Besides, circRPS16 and SPINK1 are oncogenic factors in HCC progression; they provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for HCC patients.

Bone-targeted erythrocyte-cancer hybrid membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles for enhancing photothermal and hypoxia-activated chemotherapy of bone invasion by OSCC.

BACKGROUND: Jaw bones are the most common organs to be invaded by oral malignancies, such as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), because of their special anatomical relationship. Various serious complications, such as pathological fractures and bone pain can significantly decrease the quality of life or even survival outcomes for a patient. Although chemotherapy is a promising strategy for bone invasion treatment, its clinical applications are limited by the lack of tumor-specific targeting and poor permeability in bone tissue. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a smart bone and cancer dual targeting drug delivery platform. RESULTS: We designed a dual targeting nano-biomimetic drug delivery vehicle Asp8[H40-TPZ/IR780@(RBC-H)] that has excellent bone and cancer targeting as well as immune escape abilities to treat malignancies in jaw bones. These nanoparticles were camouflaged with a head and neck squamous cell carcinoma WSU-HN6 cell (H) and red blood cell (RBC) hybrid membrane, which were modified by an oligopeptide of eight aspartate acid (Asp8). The spherical morphology and typical core-shell structure of biomimetic nanoparticles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. These nanoparticles exhibited the same surface proteins as those of WSU-HN6 and RBC. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy showed a greater uptake of the biomimetic nanoparticles when compared to bare H40-PEG nanoparticles. Biodistribution of the nanoparticles in vivo revealed that they were mainly localized in the area of bone invasion by WSU-HN6 cells. Moreover, the Asp8[H40-TPZ/IR780@(RBC-H)] nanoparticles exhibited effective cancer growth inhibition properties when compared to other TPZ or IR780 formulations. CONCLUSIONS: Asp8[H40-TPZ/IR780@(RBC-H)] has bone targeting, tumor-homing and immune escape abilities, therefore, it is an efficient multi-targeting drug delivery platform for achieving precise anti-cancer therapy during bone invasion.

Erratum: Macrophages activating chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8/miR-17 cluster modulate hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth and metastasis.

[This corrects the article on p. 2403 in vol. 9, PMID: 28559990.].

Meta-analysis of the prognostic value of pretreatment serum ferritin in hepatobiliary and pancreas (HBP) cancers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Studies have shown that serum ferritin (SF) has unfavourable prognostic value in hepatobiliary and pancreas (HBP) cancers. This meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively assess the prognostic role of pretreatment SF in patients with HBP cancers. METHODS: Eligible studies published before January 2020 were obtained through a comprehensive search in the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and EMBASE databases. Pooled HRs and 95% CIs were then employed as effect sizes. RESULTS: Seven studies comprising 1244 patients were pooled. Elevated pretreatment SF was associated with worse overall survival (OS) (HR 1.60, 95% CI 1.36 to 1.88, p<0.001) and recurrence-free survival/progression-free survival/time to recurrence (HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.52, p=0.008). Significant prognostic value of elevated pretreatment SF on OS was detected in the subgroups regardless of the cancer type, race, SF cut-off value, tumour-node-metastasis stage and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score. CONCLUSION: Elevated pretreatment SF was associated with worse survival outcome of patients with HBP cancers. As such, it may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for HBP cancers.

Functional anatomical hepatectomy guided by indocyanine green fluorescence imaging in patients with localized cholestasis: Report of four cases.

BACKGROUND: Liver cancer is a malignant tumor with a high incidence. At present, the most effective treatment is laparoscopic hepatectomy (LH). Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging (ICG-FI) has become an important tool in LH, and the most common fluorescent types of tumors are total fluorescence, partial fluorescence, and rim fluorescence. CASE SUMMARY: We presented four cases of LH guided by ICG-FI in which we also observed the fourth special fluorescent type. When the tumor or intrahepatic stone compresses the adjacent bile duct to cause local cholestasis, the liver segment or subsegment with obstructed bile drainage will show strong fluorescence. Complete removal of the lesion together with the fluorescent liver parenchyma may help reduce the risk of tumor or stone recurrence. CONCLUSION: This type of partial fluorescence can indicate local biliary compression, and the resection method is related to bile drainage, which may be called functional anatomical hepatectomy and ensures radical resection of the lesion.

Clinicopathological and prognostic value of preoperative lymphocyte to monocyte ratio for hepatocellular carcinoma following curative resection: A meta-analysis including 4,092 patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported that lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) had novel prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The purpose of this meta-analysis was to synthetically evaluate the prognostic role of preoperative LMR in HCC patients following curative resection. METHODS: Eligible studies were acquired through searching Pubmed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and EMbase update to September 2019. Merged hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied as effect sizes. RESULTS: A total of ten studies containing 4,092 patients following liver resection were enrolled in this meta-analysis. The pooled results demonstrated that preoperative elevated LMR indicated superior survival outcome (HR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.34-0.96, P = .035) and recurrence-free survival (RFS)/disease-free survival/time to recurrence (HR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58-0.98, P = .034). The significant prognostic role of preoperative LMR was detected in the subgroup of all publication year, country of origin, sample sizes <300, TNM stage of I-IV and LMR cut-off value ≤4. Furthermore, high LMR was significantly associated with male, high AFP, large tumor size, incomplete tumor capsule, advanced TNM stage and BCLC stage, and presence of PVTT. CONCLUSION: Elevated preoperative LMR indicated superior survival outcome in HCC patients following curative resection, and might serve as a novel prognostic biomarker.

Development of a Nomogram to Predict Disease-Specific Survival for Patients After Resection of a Non-Metastatic Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreatic Body and Tail.

BACKGROUND: Models for predicting patient survival after resection of a non-metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic body and tail (APBT) are scarce. We wished to establish and validate a nomogram to predict disease-specific survival (DSS) of these patients. METHODS: A total of 1,435 patients screened from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were included and divided randomly into a training set (TS; n = 1,007) and internal validation set (IVS; n = 428) at a ratio of 7:3. Cox regression analyses were conducted to select independent predictors in the TS, and a nomogram was constructed. The model was subjected to the IVS and an external validation set (EVS) comprising 151 patients from two tertiary hospitals. RESULTS: Five independent risk factors (age at the diagnosis, chemotherapy, tumor grade, T stage, and the lymph node radio) were identified and integrated into the nomogram. Calibration curves indicated that the nomogram could predict DSS at 1, 2, and 3 years accurately. The nomogram had a higher concordance index for predicting DSS compared with that using the 8th edition of the American Joint 23 Committee on Cancer (AJCC8) stage (TS: 0.681 vs. 0.606; IVS: 0.662 vs. 0.590; and EVS: 0.675 vs. 0.608). The nomogram had better discrimination ability and clinical utility than the AJCC8 stage for predicting 1-, 2-, and 3-year DSS. CONCLUSION: Our developed nomogram could accurately predict DSS in patients after resection of a non-metastatic APBT.

Anterior gradient 2 is a novel pro-tumor factor in pancreatic cancer under NF-κB subunit RelA trans-regulation that can be suppressed by eugenic acid.

This study aimed to examine eugenic acid (EA) as an alternative therapeutic approach against pancreatic cancer. The pancreatic cancer xenograft mouse model was employed to determine the impacts of treatment with EA on the growth of tumors. Expressions of NF-κB subunit RelA as well as Anterior gradient 2 (AGR2) were quantified in pancreatic cells treated with EA. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase report assay were performed to examine the regulation of AGR2 by RelA. The function of AGR2 as a downstream effector EA treatment was further assessed through overexpression of AGR2 in pancreatic cells. EA suppressed the growth of xenograft pancreatic tumor, and promoted the overall survival of animals with xenograft tumors. Furthermore, EA downregulated the expression of AGR2 in pancreatic cancer cells via the RelA binding site. Ectopic AGR2 overexpression attenuated the EA-elicited inhibition on the growth of xenograft pancreatic tumor, and negated the EA-induced enhancement of mouse survival. EA ameliorates pancreatic cancer through suppression of AGR2 expression, and future studies in clinical settings are needed to further assess the anti-cancer efficacy of EA.

CDK1, CCNB1, and CCNB2 are Prognostic Biomarkers and Correlated with Immune Infiltration in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Orderly G2/M transition in the cell cycle is controlled by the cyclin-dependent kinase 1/cyclin B (CDK1/CCNB) complex. We aimed to comprehensively investigate the roles of CDK1, CCNB1, and CCNB2 via multi-omics analysis and their relationships with immune infiltration in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS The transcriptional data and the epigenetic and genetic alterations of CDK1, CCNB1, and CCNB2, as well as their impacts on prognosis in HCC patients, were identified using multiple databases. The correlations between expression of these genes and immune infiltration in HCC were then explored using the TIMER database. RESULTS Overall, mRNA expression of CDK1, CCNB1, and CCNB2 was up-regulated in various tumor tissues including HCC. Higher expression of these genes was associated with poorer prognosis in HCC patients. Lower promoter methylation of these genes might cause higher expression levels in tumor tissues of HCC. Genetic alterations and several methylated-CpG sites in these genes were significantly associated with survival. Notably, expression levels of CDK1, CCNB1, and CCNB2 were positively correlated with infiltrating levels of CD4⁺ T cells, CD8⁺ T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells in HCC. In addition, significant correlations between the expression of these genes and various immune markers in HCC, such as PD-1, PDL-1, and CTLA-4, were also observed. CONCLUSIONS CDK1, CCNB1, and CCNB2 are potential prognostic biomarkers and associated with immune cell infiltration in HCC. The genes may be utilized to predict the reaction of immunotherapy. Combining inhibitors of these genes with immunotherapy may improve the survival time of HCC patients.

Identification of Aberrantly Methylated Differentially CpG Sites in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Their Association With Patient Survival.

This study aimed to identify aberrantly methylated differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCs) and investigate their prognostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 2,404 DMCs were selected from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and validated by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The TCGA cohort was divided into a training cohort and a validating cohort. First, the prognostic model based on six DMCs, including cg08351331, cg02910574, cg09947274, cg17589341, cg24652919, and cg26545968, was constructed based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression Cox analysis. The area under the curve (AUC) of the DMC-based model was 0.765 in the training cohort and 0.734 in the validating cohort. The accuracy of a model combining the DMC signature and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, with an AUC of 0.795, was better than that of the DMCs or AJCC stage alone. Second, further analysis revealed that the methylation rate of cg08351331 was negatively associated with the expression of its relative gene, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP). Besides, the gene expression of LBP was significantly associated with poor overall survival in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Finally, these findings were confirmed by GSE57956 data and our own cohort. In conclusion, we established an accurate DMC-based prognostic model that could be combined with AJCC stage to improve the accuracy of prognostic prediction in HCC. Moreover, our preliminary data indicate that LBP may be a new key factor in HBV-induced HCC initiation through the regulation of its methylation.

The cross-talk between DDR1 and STAT3 promotes the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the function of discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to further clarify the underlying mechanism. RESULTS: DDR1 was significantly increased in HCC tissues and cells, which was related to clinical staging and prognosis of HCC. Upregulation of DDR1 promoted EMT and glutamine metabolism in HCC cells, while loss of DDR1 showed the opposite effects. STAT3 bound with the promoter of DDR1, and facilitated the phosphorylation of STAT3. In turn, activation of STAT3 increased the expression of DDR1. Silencing of STAT3 removed the promoting effect of DDR1 on proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. The in vivo tumor growth assay showed that the cross-talk between DDR1 and STAT3 promoted HCC tumorigenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Our research revealed the positive feedback of DDR1 and STAT3 promoted EMT and glutamine metabolism in HCC, which provided some experimental basis for clinical treatment or prevention of HCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mRNA expression of DDR1 was detected by qRT-PCR. CCK8 assay, wound healing assay and transwell assay were used to detect the DDR1/ STAT3 function on proliferation, migration and invasion in HCC cells. Western blot was used to calculate protein level of DDR1, STAT3, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related proteins.

Prognostic value of lymphocyte to monocyte ratio in pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis including 3338 patients.

BACKGROUND: Recently, reports have classified lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) as an effective indicator for predicting the prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Nevertheless, the prognostic value of LMR for pancreatic cancer remains controversial. Through meta-analysis, this work intends to evaluate the potential prognostic role of pretreatment LMR in patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. METHODS: We reviewed and extracted eligible articles from Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase. A meta-analysis was conducted using hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the comparison between pretreatment LMR and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival/recurrence-free survival/time to progression (DFS/RFS/TTP). RESULTS: In total, 11 studies (16 cohorts) including 3338 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (PC) were enrolled in our meta-analysis. Notably, we revealed that high pretreatment LMR predicted better overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.58-0.80, P < 0.001, I-squared = 69.3%, Ph < 0.001) and DFS/RFS/TTP (HR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.31-0.96, P = 0.037, I-squared = 89.9%, Ph < 0.001) in patients with pancreatic cancer. Further, through subgroup analyses, we showed that high pretreatment LMR was significantly associated with the favorable OS regardless of ethnicity, study design, treatment method, variable type, the cut-off value for LMR, and disease stages of I-IV and III-IV. CONCLUSION: The findings from our study suggest that high pretreatment LMR is associated with better OS and DFS/RFS/TTP in patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. As such, it can potentially serve as a novel prognostic biomarker for patients with pancreatic cancer.

Circular RNA Gprc5a Promotes HCC Progression by Activating YAP1/TEAD1 Signalling Pathway by Sponging miR-1283.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNA (circRNA) plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Many studies indicate that circRNA Gprc5a is significantly upregulated and functions as an oncogene in a variety of cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of circGprc5a in liver cancer remains unclear. METHODS: qRT-PCR was used to measure the expression levels of circGprc5a, miR-1283, YAP1 and TEAD1 mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues or cells. YAP1 and TEAD1 protein levels were detected by Western blot. CCK-8 assay, cell colony formation, BrdU incorporation and Annexin V-FITC/PI assays were performed to analyze the effects of circGprc5a and miR-1283 on cell proliferation and apoptosis. The relationship between circGprc5a, miR-1283, YAP1 and TEAD1 was analyzed using bioinformatic analysis and luciferase. The tumor changes in mice were detected by in vivo experiments. RESULTS: CircGprc5a was highly expressed in liver cancer, and closely related poor survival of patients with liver cancer. Knockout of circGprc5a inhibited proliferation of HCC and induced apoptosis. CircGprc5a activated the YAP1/TEAD1 signaling pathway by acting as a sponge for miR-1283. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-1283 abolished the promotion of circGprc5a on HCC cells. Therefore, miR-1283 expression correlated negatively with circGprc5a expression yet positively with the expression of YAP1/TEAD1 in liver cancer. CONCLUSION: CircGprc5a promoted the development of HCC by inhibiting the expression of miR-1283 and activating the YAP1/TEAD1 signaling pathway.