The prognostic and therapeutic potential of vimentin in colorectal cancer.

Several cells and molecules in the tumor microenvironment have been introduced as effective factors in the prognosis and progression of colorectal cancer. As a key element of the intermediate filament family, vimentin is expressed by mesenchymal cells in a ubiquitous manner and contributes significantly to cellular integrity and stress resistance in colorectal cancer. Recent studies have shown that alterations in the expression patterns of intermediate filaments are significantly related to cancer progression, especially in phenotypes associated with cellular migration and invasion. In addition to its multiple biological roles, vimentin also has a substantial function in mediating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Therefore, evaluating vimentin as an effective factor involved in the prognosis of colorectal cancer and targeting it as a novel approach to cancer therapy have become one of the main goals of many researchers worldwide. In this article, we will review the various biological functions of vimentin, as well as its relationship with colorectal cancer with the aim of providing novel insights into its clinical importance in the prognosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.

The Prognostic and therapeutic value and clinical implications of fibroblast activation protein-α as a novel biomarker in colorectal cancer.

The identification of contributing factors leading to the development of Colorectal Cancer (CRC), as the third fatal malignancy, is crucial. Today, the tumor microenvironment has been shown to play a key role in CRC progression. Fibroblast-Activation Protein-α (FAP) is a type II transmembrane cell surface proteinase expressed on the surface of cancer-associated fibroblasts in tumor stroma. As an enzyme, FAP has di- and endoprolylpeptidase, endoprotease, and gelatinase/collagenase activities in the Tumor Microenvironment (TME). According to recent reports, FAP overexpression in CRC contributes to adverse clinical outcomes such as increased lymph node metastasis, tumor recurrence, and angiogenesis, as well as decreased overall survival. In this review, studies about the expression level of FAP and its associations with CRC patients' prognosis are reviewed. High expression levels of FAP and its association with clinicopathological factors have made as a potential target. In many studies, FAP has been evaluated as a therapeutic target and diagnostic factor into which the current review tries to provide a comprehensive insight. Video Abstract.

Association of future cancer metastases with fibroblast activation protein-α: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Fibroblast activation protein-α (FAP-α) is a vital surface marker of cancer-associated fibroblasts, and its high expression is associated with a higher tumor grade and metastasis. A systematic review and a meta-analysis were performed to associate future metastasis with FAP-α expression in cancer. Methods: In our meta-analysis, relevant studies published before 20 February 2024 were systematically searched through online databases that included PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The association between FAP-α expression and metastasis, including distant metastasis, lymph node metastasis, blood vessel invasion, vascular invasion, and neural invasion, was evaluated. A pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was reported as the measure of association. Results: A total of 28meta-analysis. The random-effects model for five parameters showed that a high FAP-α expression was associated with blood vessel invasion (OR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.54-5.99, I 2 = 63%, P = 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (OR: 3.56, 95% CI: 2.14-5.93, I 2 = 0.00%, P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (OR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.96-3.81, I 2 = 65%, P < 0.001), and distant metastasis (OR: 2.59; 95% CI: 1.16-5.79, I 2 = 81%, P < 0.001). However, our analysis showed no statistically significant association between high FAP-α expression and neural invasion (OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 0.84-2.93, I 2 = 38%, P = 0.161). Conclusions: This meta-analysis indicated that cancer cells with a high FAP-α expression have a higher risk of metastasis than those with a low FAP-α expression. These findings support the potential importance of FAP-α as a biomarker for cancer metastasis prediction.

Study on association between H-ras gene polymorphism and gastric adenocarcinoma risk.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate relation between H-ras T81C polymorphism and some of the important risk factors in gastric adenocarcinoma (GA). BACKGROUND: GA is one of the leading causes of cancer death in most countries. RAS gene is an important member in the PI3K-AKT signaling and the single nucleotide polymorphism at H-rasc DNA position 81 has been demonstrated has an important role in tumor genesis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, we carried out single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis in an Iranian population. A total of 100 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma and 100 controls were examined for the presence of T81C H-ras polymorphism using PCR- RFLP assay. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed no relationship significant between TT, TC, CC and risk of GA, but, there was a poorly relation between male patient with C-carrier genotype and increasing risk of GA (P=0.07). Also, we investigate effect of four important risk factors for GA. There was a statistically significant difference between increasing of age and susceptibility for GA (OR=1.106, 95%CI=1.073-1.139, P < 0.001). We observed a statistically significant between smoking and T81C polymorphism C-carrier genotypes (OR=3.98, 95%CI=1.831-8.68, P < 0.001) as this individual had three-time risk for GA. We did not show a significant association between three main genotypes and H. pylori infection for risk of GA. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that there is no relationship between T81C-HRAS polymorphism and gastric cancer risk in Iranian patients. But, gender (male in our study) and the other risk factor described above have an important role in developing of GA.