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The pathogenesis and progression of follicular lymphoma (FL) depends on immune evasion mechanisms. The gut microbiota has been reported to be associated with the development and outcome of several human diseases by modulating host immunity. Thus, the present study investigated the characteristics and prognostic value of the gut microbiota in FL. Fecal samples from treatment-naïve patients with FL (n=28) and healthy controls (n=18) were prospectively collected. The gut microbiota diversity and composition were examined by 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. The results demonstrated that patients with FL had distinct microbiota compositions. The relative abundance of the Ruminococcaceae family was significantly increased in patients with FL (P=0.01). Furthermore, a high level of Ruminococcus was identified as a strong indicator of tumor burden (P=0.001), and was related to the FL International Prognostic Index score and serum lactate dehydrogenase levels. The present results indicated an association between the gut microbiota and FL prognosis. Findings from the present study may provide a rational foundation for further investigation of the role of gut microbiota in lymphoma management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent cancer for women worldwide. Recently, a spectrum of cell-free circulating microRNAs (miR) has been recognized as promising biomarkers for BC diagnosis and prognosis, among which miR-103a-3p has been reported in several types of human cancer. However, the role of miR-103a-3p in BC remains unknown. A total of 112 patients with BC and 59 healthy controls were recruited into the present study. The expression level of serum miR-103a-3p was evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Receiver operating characteristic curves were utilized to calculate diagnostic accuracy. Survival curves were generated to analyze survival outcomes. It was found that circulating miR-103a-3p level was upregulated in patients with BC compared with that in healthy controls, and its expression was decreased following surgery. In addition, miR-103a-3p expression level was also associated with advanced clinicopathological features, including positive epidermal growth factor receptor 2 status, metastasis and an advanced TNM stage. The circulating serum miR-103a-3p level could be used to discriminate between patients with BC and the healthy controls prior to surgery using an area under curve [(AUC), 0.697; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 0.615-0.778], and distinguish patients with BC and metastasis from those without metastasis (AUC, 0.936; 95% CI, 0.892-0.980). In addition, high expression level of miR-103a-3p was associated with worse survival outcomes in patients with BC. In conclusion, the present study suggests that miR-103a-3p could be a potential non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]