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The present study aimed to analyze the association between tumor budding index (TBI) and microvessel density (MVD) and selected clinicopathological features in female patients with endometrial cancer (EC). The present study included 137 patients, of whom 117 had endometrial endometrioid cancer and 3 had non-endometrioid EC (NEEC). Additionally, 8 cases of simple endometrial hyperplasia and 9 cases of atypical endometrial hyperplasia were included in the present study. Patient age, menopausal status, tumor histological type, grade and International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) clinical stage were investigated. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to detect MVD using a CD34 antibody, and a laminin-5γ2 antibody was used for TBI assessment. In nonmalignant endometrial lesions, the TBI was significantly lower than that in patients with EC and NEEC (P=0.002). Significant differences in median TBI (MD-TBI) were also observed between patients with low-grade EC (MD-TBI, 4.5) and high-grade EC (MD-TBI, 16.2; P=0.01). Age, body mass index and tumor FIGO stage were not indicated to be associated with the MD-TBI. Premenopausal patients with EC had lower MD-TBI values than postmenopausal patients (0.3 vs. 11.1; P

The aim of the present study was to explore the value of shear wave elastography (SWE) in the differential diagnosis of cervical disease and to evaluate the infiltration of cervical cancer. A total of 40 inpatients with cervical cancer, 40 inpatients with cervical benign lesion and 40 healthy volunteers encountered between October 2014 and January 2017 were enrolled. All patients and volunteers underwent conventional ultrasound (US) and SWE examinations. The malignancy and the size (including long, tranverse and anteroposterior diameter) of the lesion were assessed on US. The elastic score, strain ratio, shear wave speed (SWS) and the size of lesions were determined on SWE. Infiltration of the uterus and vaginal vault were also evaluated on US and SWE. The SWS values of cervical cancers, cervical benign lesions and normal cervixes groups were compared. The results suggested that the optimal cut-off elasticity score for predicting cervical cancers was 3 points. The strain ratio between the cervical cancers and the cervical benign lesions exhibited a significant difference (P0.05). Compared to the pathological diagnosis of focal infiltration of uterus and vaginal vault, the diagnostic accuracy of SWE was higher than that of US. In conclusion, SWE may be used to differentiate between cervical benign lesions and cervical cancers. The elastic score, strain ratio and SWS of cervical cancers were higher than those of cervical benign lesions. Furthermore, SWE is able to evaluate the infiltration of cervical cancer.

Early identification and classification of pulmonary nodules are essential for improving the survival rates of individuals with lung cancer and are considered to be key requirements for computer-assisted diagnosis. To address this topic, the present study proposed a method for predicting the malignant phenotype of pulmonary nodules based on weighted voting rules. This method used the pulmonary nodule regions of interest as the input data and extracted the features of the pulmonary nodules using the Denoising Auto Encoder, ResNet-18. Moreover, the software also modifies texture and shape features to assess the malignant phenotype of the pulmonary nodules. Based on their classification accuracy (Acc), the different classifiers were assigned to different weights. Finally, an integrated classifier was obtained to score the malignant phenotype of the pulmonary nodules. The present study included training and testing experiments conducted by extracting the corresponding lung nodule image data from the Lung Image Database Consortium-Image Database Resource Initiative. The results of the present study indicated a final classification Acc of 93.10±2.4%, demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. This method includes the powerful feature extraction ability of deep learning combined with the ability to use traditional features in image representation.

Ewing sarcoma is the second most common osseous disease in children and adolescents. It presents with a poor prognosis due to the high degree of malignancy and distant metastasis. In order to predict the disease prognosis and investigate a suitable therapeutic strategy for Ewing sarcoma, the present study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics, and to construct and validate nomograms for patients with non-metastatic Ewing sarcoma. A total of 627 cases of non-metastatic Ewing sarcoma were retrospectively collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 2005 and 2014. Survival analysis and a machine learning model were used to identify independent prognostic variables and establish nomograms to estimate overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS). The nomograms were bootstrap internally validated and externally validated using non-metastatic Ewing sarcoma cases from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. The accuracy was also assessed by comparing with current American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging systems. The total series consisted of 627 patients with non-metastatic Ewing sarcoma with a mean age of 20.14 years. Age, tumor extension, sex, International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd Edition histology, surgery and chemotherapy were identified as independent risk factors for OS and CSS. The aforementioned outcomes were incorporated to construct the nomograms, and the concordance indices (C-indices) for internal validation of OS and CSS prediction were 0.791 and 0.813, which were higher than those for AJCC sixth edition (OS, 0.531; CSS, 0.534) and seventh edition (OS, 0.547; CSS, 0.561), while the C-indices for external validation of OS and CSS prediction were 0.834 and 0.825, respectively. In conclusion, age, sex, tumor extension and surgery were independent prognostic factors for both OS and CSS. In addition, with regard to OS, the Ewing sarcoma subtype was a poor factor and chemotherapy was a favorable one. Nomograms based on reduced Cox models attained a satisfactory accuracy in predicting the survival of patients with non-metastatic Ewing sarcoma and could assist clinicians in evaluating survival more accurately.

Cervical cancer (CC) is the most common female genital tract malignancy, with repercussions on the psychophysiological health of female patients. Patients with CC are faced with a high risk of postoperative recurrence and metastases. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) combined with serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) in the diagnosis of postoperative recurrence/metastases in patients with early stage CC. This was a prospective follow-up study on 246 patients who received surgery for early stage CC. The results of clinical follow-up and pathological examination were taken as the gold standard. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were calculated for PET/CT, serum SCC-Ag determination and the combined PET/CT and serum SCC-Ag method. Results demonstrated that 90.11% patients completed the follow-up, and the median follow-up time was 22 months (range, 7-42 months). Tumor recurrence or metastasis was confirmed in a total of 137 patients (55.7%), including 18 deaths. The diagnostic sensitivity of PET/CT scan combined with serum SCC-Ag determination for postoperative metastases/recurrence in patients with early stage CC was 93.43% (95% CI, 0.875-0.967). The specificity was 92.67% (95% CI, 0.856-0.965), the positive predictive value was 94.12% (95% CI, 0.884-0.972), the negative predictive value was 91.81% (95% CI, 0.846-0.959) and the area under the ROC curve was 0.930±0.019 (95% CI, 0.893-0.968; P

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fourth most common tumor and the second most common cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Current tumor biomarkers for GC, such as serum carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9, are not ideal due to their limited role as prognostic indicators for GC. Proteasome subunit α7 (PSMA7) is a multifunctional protein, which has been revealed to be involved in the development and progression of various types of malignancy. However, little is known about the role of PSMA7 in GC. In the present study, PSMA7 was identified to be overexpressed at the mRNA and protein levels in GC tissues, compared with in non-tumor tissues, using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, PSMA7 expression is associated with tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis identified that PSMA7 expression is an independent prognostic factor for poor survival. Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that high PSMA7 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in patients with GC. Overall, the results of the present study suggested that PSMA7 may be a promising biomarker for the prognosis of GC, and may represent a new diagnostic marker and molecular therapeutic target for GC.

The occurrence of second primary tumor (SPT)following malignancy treatment is common. In patients with head and neck (H&N) cancer, SPTs principally occur in the H&N region, lungs or esophagus. Therefore, patient follow‑up after cancer treatment is important in order to detect recurrence, metastasis and new primary tumors. However, no standard guidelines on lifelong follow‑up imaging are available. Herein, we report a patient who presented with three metachronous primary tumors‑squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue, SCC of the lip and type A thymoma. The third tumor was incidentally detected during follow‑up using contrast‑enhanced computed tomography (CT) 9 years following resection of the second tumor. To the best of our knowledge, this specific combination of metachronous tumors has not yet been reported. Based on the literature review, we observed that thymoma occurs following H&N cancer treatment. Therefore, to ensure that the presence of subsequent thymomas is not overlooked, we suggest regular lifelong follow‑up using contrast‑enhanced CT in patients who had previously been diagnosed with H&N cancer. The literature review revealed that thymomas occur in patients with H&N cancer and should be detected at the earliest convenience., 論文

Melanoma is a rare malignancy in China and the treatment outcomes are generally satisfactory. However, postoperative recurrence can be life-threatening. The current study aimed to investigate the involvement of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1638 (LINC01638) long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in the recurrence of melanoma. Expression of LINC01638 lncRNA in skin biopsies and plasma of patients with melanoma, patients with benign skin lesions and healthy controls was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Diagnostic values of LINC01638 lncRNA for melanoma were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The association between LINC01638 lncRNA and clinicopathological data of patients with melanoma was analyzed by χ2 test. All patients were followed up for five years to record recurrence. LINC01638 lncRNA expression vectors and shRNAs were transfected into human melanoma cell lines and the effects of LINC01638 lncRNA overexpression and knockdown on cell proliferation were analyzed by cell counting kit-8 assay. LINC01638 lncRNA was significantly upregulated in patients with melanoma compared with the other two groups of patients, and upregulation of LINC01638 lncRNA distinguished patients with melanoma from patients with benign skin lesions and healthy controls. LINC01638 lncRNA expression was significantly associated with tumor size but not with other patient clinical data. Plasma levels of LINC01638 lncRNA were further increased during follow-up in patients with local recurrence but not in patients without recurrence. LINC01638 lncRNA overexpression promoted, while knockdown inhibited proliferation of cells of melanoma cell lines, C32 and SK-MEL-28, in vitro. The upregulation of LINC01638 lncRNA was likely associated with the local recurrence of melanoma following surgical resection.

Effect of miR-21 and miR-138 on the proliferation of colon cancer cells and their association with prognosis were investigated. Expression levels of miR-21 and miR-138 in colorectal cancer and normal adjacent tissues were compared. Differential expression of miR-21 and miR-138 in colon cancer tissues with different clinicopathological features were analyzed. miR-21 and miR-138 expression vectors were established and transfected into cells of colon cancer cell line SW480. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to detect the proliferation of SW480 cells. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to study the relationship between miR-21 and miR-138 expression and prognosis. Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the factors related to prognosis of colon cancer. Expression level of miR-21 in colon cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues, and expression level of miR-138 was lower in cancer tissues than in adjacent tissues (P

Gastrointestinal schwannoma is a rare, slow-growing and benign tumor that mostly originates in the Auerbach myenteric nerve plexus in the gastrointestinal tract. The clinical manifestations may be associated with the location, size, differentiation type, and degree of malignancy of the tumor. Endoscopy, ultrasound and imaging examinations serve an important auxiliary role in the clinical identification, diagnosis and differential diagnosis of lesions; assessment of risk; and preparation for surgery. S-100 positivity is a hallmark of schwannoma. CD34, CD117, discovered on GIST-1, P53, ALK, β-catenin, smooth muscle actin and Desmin negativity are helpful for the identification of other gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Surgical removal of the tumor is the main treatment for schwannoma. Benign gastrointestinal schwannoma has a good prognosis without recurrence and metastasis; malignant transformation is extremely rare and has a poor prognosis.

The initial diagnostic distinction between benign and malignant soft tissue tumors is critical for decisions regarding the appropriate course of treatment. The current study aimed to evaluate the vascularity and elasticity of soft tissue tumors by superb microvascular imaging and shear wave elastography using ultrasonography (US), to determine their usefulness in distinguishing malignant soft tissue tumors, and to further establish the diagnostic accuracy and usefulness of a scoring system (SS) based on these evaluations. The present study used 167 lesions of soft tissue tumors examined by US prior to biopsy, surgery and pathological tissue diagnosis. The vascularity index (VI) and the maximal shear velocity (MSV), as indices of vascularity and elasticity respectively, were evaluated using US. The tumor size and depth were also evaluated via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Based on the odds ratio of these parameters determined by multivariate logistic regression analysis, an original SS was established to identify the malignancy of soft tissue tumors. VI and MSV exhibited significantly high values for malignant tumors. Tumor size was also significantly larger for malignant than benign tumors. The areas under the curves (AUCs) of the receiver operating characteristic analysis for VI, MSV and tumor size were 0.75, 0.84 and 0.69, respectively, indicating that these methods were effective for the diagnosis of malignancy. An original SS consisting of VI, MSV and tumor size, excluding tumor depth, was established, and revealed an AUC value of 0.90, with 93.6% sensitivity and 79.2% specificity for malignancy distinction. US evaluation of vascularity and elasticity was an effective technique to distinguish malignant soft tissue tumors, and the current SS based on US evaluations including tumor size via MRI demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy for malignant soft tissue tumors.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of malignancy of the head and neck. In the present study, the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) was evaluated in 55 OSCC tissues and their corresponding adjacent tissues using immunohistochemistry and reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. The results indicated that TLR4 and MyD88 were overexpressed in OSCC. Furthermore, high expression of MyD88 was negatively associated with a poor degree of differentiation, recurrence and metastasis of the tumor and was positively associated with underlying disease, including hypertension, heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, high expression of TLR4 was positively associated with a long growth time of the tumor. In conclusion, the present study evaluated the expression levels of TLR4 and MyD88 in OSCC, as well as the association between them and clinicopathological factors, to provide markers for the prognosis and treatment of OSCC. These two genes may serve as biomarkers to optimize OSCC treatment, setting a new direction for stratifying patients and developing precise and personalized treatment regimens; the TLR4/MyD88 pathway may serve as a potential therapeutic target in the future.

Cervical cancer is the third most common malignancy worldwide, accounting for 250,000 mortalities annually. Notch1, an important regulator of cell-fate decisions and differentiation, has been found to be overexpressed in certain types of cancer. However, the role of Notch1 in cervical carcinogenesis remains unclear. In the present study, immunohistochemical staining and western blot analysis revealed that Notch1 expression was significantly higher in cervical cancer tissues than that in normal cervical tissues. Furthermore, statistical analysis revealed that Notch1 expression was significantly associated with tumor differentiation and tumor stage. These findings indicated that Notch1 expression was associated with the progression of cervical cancer. The western blot assay also identified a positive correlation between Notch1 and Ki67 expression in cervical cancer tissues, which suggested that Notch1 expression may be associated with the proliferation of cervical cancer. In order to further evaluate the specific role of Notch1 in cervical cancer progression, its expression in SiHa and C33A cells was knocked down using small interfering RNA. It was revealed that the knockdown of Notch1 in SiHa and C33A cells resulted in significant inhibition of cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro. These results indicated that Notch1 was able to promote cell proliferation in cervical cancer. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that Notch1 may function as a promoter in cervical carcinogenesis.

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most prevalent malignancy in the world and China has a high incidence of esophageal cancer. Previous studies have identified that LINC00488 is an oncogene; however, its role in esophageal cancer remains unclear. The present study detected the expression and biological functions of LINC00488 in the progression of esophageal cancer. LINC00488 levels in 45 esophageal cancer and matched paracancerous tissues were detected. The association between LINC00488 level, clinical indexes and overall survival rate of patients with esophageal cancer was analyzed. Using Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell and wound healing assays, the influence of LINC00488 on the biological functions of OE19 and OE33 cells were assessed. The target gene of LINC00488, microRNA-485-5p (miRNA-485-5p), was predicted using bioinformatics databases. In addition, the role of miRNA-485-5p in the progression of esophageal cancer was evaluated using rescue experiments. LINC00488 was upregulated in esophageal cancer tissues and cell lines. A high level of LINC00488 was associated with lymphatic and distant metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer. Silencing LINC00488 attenuated the viability, migration and wound healing of OE19 and OE33 cells. miRNA-485-5p was downregulated in esophageal cancer and low expression levels predicted a poor prognosis in these patients. In addition, miRNA-485-5p level was negatively correlated with that of LINC00488. Rescue experiments showed that knockdown of miRNA-485-5p reversed the attenuated proliferation and migration of esophageal cancer cells with LINC00488-knockdown. In conclusion, LINC00488 aggravated the malignant progression of esophageal cancer by targeting miRNA-485-5p.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy with a 5-year-survival rate of

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and microRNA-768-3p (miR-768-3p) is abnormally expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, non-small cell lung carcinomas and melanoma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic value and biological function of miR-768-3p in breast cancer. The expression of miR-768-3p in tumor tissues and adjacent tissues of 116 patients with breast cancer obtained by surgery and normal breast cell lines MCF-10A and breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, T-47D and SK-BR-3) were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The association between miR-768-3p expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients was analyzed using the χ2 test. In addition, the Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. A Cox regression model was used to examine the effect of miR-768-3p on the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Hemocytometer cell counting and Transwell assays were used to detect the effects of miR-768-3p on the characteristics of breast cancer cells. The target genes of miR-768-3p in breast cancer were identified by bioinformatics software and detected by luciferase reporter assay. Compared with normal tissues and normal breast cancer cells, miR-768-3p was significantly decreased in breast cancer tissues and cancer cells (P

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor and the most aggressive type of glioma, characterized by strong invasive potential and rapid recurrence despite severe treatment methods, such as maximal tumor resection followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thrombospondin-1 (THBS1) was first discovered in platelets and subsequent studies have indicated its functions in the development of several cancers, including breast cancer, melanoma, gastric cancer, cervical cancer and GBM. However, to the best of our knowledge, the expression profiles of THBS1 in GBM subtypes remain unknown, and the underlying mechanism by which THBS1 expression is regulated, and its effect on the local immune response in GBM, remains unclear. The present study used public datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas, the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas, the Gene Expression Omnibus, the Ivy Glioblastoma Atlas Project, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissues using Expression data and the Human Protein Atlas to investigate the prognostic value of THBS1 and its expression profiles, as well as its correlation with the local immune response in GBM. The results demonstrated that THBS1 was a biomarker of the pathological malignancy of glioma, and predicted the mesenchymal subtype of GBM. Furthermore, DNA methylation of THBS1 may be an important mechanism by which THBS1 expression is regulated in GBM. The hypomethylation or overexpression of THBS1 predicted an unfavorable prognosis in patients with GBM. Additionally, THBS1 was correlated with immune and inflammatory responses in GBM. Thus, the findings of the present study provide insight into the potential value of THBS1 in the treatment of GBM.

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) of the kidney is a rare and polymorphic tumor, which has been previously considered to be a low-grade malignancy, predominantly occurring in women. To the best of our knowledge, MTSCC with bladder metastasis has never been reported. The current study presents five adult cases of MTSCC that included three male and two female patients. Among the male cases, two were of advanced stage, one with MTSCC and renal chromophobe cell carcinoma with bladder metastasis and the other with MTSCC with invasion of the renal vein. The other three cases with small masses were at an early stage. All five cases had a good prognosis and were without recurrence after several years of follow-up. A 70-year-old male with intermittent gross hematuria, intermittent renal colic, and groin radiation pain for a year (case 1), was incidentally detected to have a left renal density mass by total abdominal enhanced computed tomography scans. In the other four cases, renal masses were found by B-ultrasound. The patient in case 1 underwent a retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff resection and transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, and received gemcitabine hydrochloride via intravesical instillation therapy plus cisplatin chemotherapy every 3 months. The patient in case 2 underwent an open left radical nephrectomy and renal pedicle lymph node dissection. The other three patients underwent a laparoscopic radical nephrectomy. All five patients had no recurrence or new metastasis in other organs after follow-up. In conclusion, the incidence of MTSCC in men and women is not as disparate as reported in previous publications. The characteristics of the images of the five adult cases in the present study showed a considerable consistency, with only minor differences. The malignancy and prognosis of MTSCC are still controversial, and thus inclusion and review of more cases is required to reach a definite final conclusion. Sunitinib and gemcitabine chemotherapy in combination with cisplatin may be effective for the therapy of MTSCC patients with metastasis, but a larger range of treatments needs to be identified.

Ovarian cancer is a common malignancy and the second leading cause of mortality among females with genital tract cancer. At present, postoperative platinum drugs and paclitaxel-based chemotherapy is the gold standard treatment for ovarian cancer. However, patients who receive this chemotherapy often develop cumulative toxic effects and are prone to chemotherapy resistance. Therefore, it is necessary to determine more effective treatment options that would be better tolerated by patients. Recent studies have reported the therapeutic effects of numerous natural products in patients with ovarian cancer. Notably, these natural ingredients do not induce adverse effects in healthy cells and tissues, suggesting that natural products may serve as a safe alternative treatment for ovarian cancer. The antitumor effects of natural products are attributed to suppression of cell proliferation and metastasis, stimulation of autophagy, improved chemotherapy sensitivity, and induction of apoptosis. The present review focused on the antitumor effects of several natural products, including curcumin, resveratrol, ginsenosides, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate and quercetin, which are increasingly being investigated as therapeutic options in ovarian cancer, and discussed the molecular mechanisms involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, autophagy, metastasis and sensitization.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), characterized by a high recurrence rate, a poor prognosis and high morbidity, is the most prevalent malignancy of the oral cavity. The aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) may lead to the development of various diseases, including cancer. Delayed diagnosis is the main reason for the poor prognosis. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the differential expression profiles of plasma lncRNAs in OSCC in order to screen target lncRNAs as biomarkers for the early diagnosis and staging of OSCC. The expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in OSCC were analyzed by microarray analysis. A total of 14 candidate lncRNAs were selected and analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) using the array homologous samples. Subsequently, 4 target lncRNAs were measured by RT-qPCR in a large cohort, including 28 cases with TNM I/II [early-stage squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) group], 36 cases with TNM III/IV [advanced-stage squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) group], 16 cases with dysplasia [oral premalignant lesion (OPL) group] and 16 healthy controls (H group). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the diagnostic effects of the combined lncRNAs. In total, 6,606 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 4,196 mRNAs were identified in OSCC. The expression trend of the 14 candidate lncRNAs was consistent with the microarray data. The expression level of ENST00000412740, NR_131012, ENST00000588803 and NR_038323 exhibited significant differences in the H, OPL, ESCC and ASCC groups (P

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the genetic features of early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly the genetic mutations that may be regarded as prognostic and/or predictive markers in CRC and other malignancies. In total, 40 patients with non-polyposis CRC aged 35 or younger were selected. The formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumors acquired were subjected to mismatch repair (MMR) protein immunochemical staining and gene analysis with next-generation sequencing (44 exons, 17 genes; Ion Torrent Sequencing Platform). A total of 11 (27.5%) tumors presented with MMR protein deficiency (dMMR) and 26 (65%) tumors harbored one or more genetic mutations, including K-RAS proto-oncogene (35%), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA; 20%), B-Raf proto-oncogene (5%), erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (5%), discoidin domain receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (5%), N-RAS proto-oncogene (2.5%), KIT proto-oncogene (2.5%), TSC complex subunit 1 (2.5%), DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha (2.5%) and ABL proto-oncogene 1 (2.5%). Of the dMMR tumors, 81.8% (9/11) of cases presented with mutations in the tested genes, while only 58.6% (17/29) of the MMR-proficient (pMMR) tumors presented with these (P=0.158). PI3KCA was frequently mutated in dMMR tumors compared to pMMR tumors (P=0.025). In a subgroup with a family history of CRC, the dMMR status (P

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is among the most common types of cancer that threat the public health worldwide. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation is associated with cancer initiation and progression, and is dynamically regulated by m6A RNA methylation-associated genes. However, little is known about the expression status and the prognostic value of m6A-associated genes in HCC. The present study aimed to identify the expression profiling pattern and clinical significance of m6A-associated genes in HCC. Consensus clustering analysis was performed to identify the clusters of HCC with different clinical outcomes. A prognostic signature built by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression model was utilized to discover subtypes associated with different clinical outcomes of patients with HCC in the discovery cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The differences between subgroups were characterized in terms of epigenetic dysregulation and somatic mutation frequencies. The International Cancer Genome Consortium cohort and two independent cohorts from the meta-Gene Expression Omnibus database were used for external validation. Most of the m6A-associated genes were upregulated and involved in the prognosis and malignancy of HCC. A four-gene prognostic signature revealed two HCC subtypes (namely, high- and low-risk group) that was associated with different clinical outcomes. Patients in the high-risk group were accompanied with increased epigenetic silencing and significant mutations in TP53 and FLG, while ALB was frequently mutated in the low-risk group. In conclusion, an m6A-based signature was constructed to predict the prognosis of patients with HCC, which may provide a tool for reliable prognosis assessment for clinicians, and aid clinical treatment decision-making.

To evaluate the utility of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) for predicting the malignancy of anterior mediastinal tumors, the present study retrospectively examined a total of 105 consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection of anterior mediastinal tumors at Gunma University Hospital after undergoing a preoperative FDG-PET scan. Patients were divided into benign and malignant groups in accordance with the following three classification systems: i) Clinical classification, benign or malignant (thymoma and carcinoma); ii) recurrence-based classification, low-risk recurrence (benign and low-risk thymoma) or high-risk recurrence (high-risk thymoma and carcinoma); and iii) pathological classification, benign (benign and thymoma) or malignant (carcinoma). The present study analyzed the differences between the benign and malignant groups in terms of FDG-PET parameters, including maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG). The malignant group exhibited a significantly greater SUVmax than the benign group according to all classification systems. By contrast, there was only a slight difference between groups in volume-based metabolic parameters (MTV and TLG) using the clinical classification, and no intergroup differences using the recurrence-based and pathological classifications. The area under the curve in receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis for predicting malignancy was significantly greater for SUVmax than for volume-based metabolic parameters using all classification methods. The respective optimal cut-off value, sensitivity and specificity of SUVmax to predict malignancy were 1.77, 92.0 and 87.0% for the clinical classification, 2.54, 93.6 and 60.3% for the recurrence-based classification, and 5.15, 78.9 and 90.7% for the pathological classification. SUVmax was the most useful parameter for predicting the malignancy of anterior mediastinal tumors.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common malignancy in males. The current study assessed the clinical significance of bromodomain-containing protein 7 (BRD7) and its association with PCa tumor progression. Serum and tissue expression levels of BRD7 were analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of BRD7. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis were performed to assess the prognostic performance of BRD7. The association of BRD7 with cell behavior was investigated by transfection with a pcDNA3.1-BRD7 vector. The results revealed that serum and tissue BRD7 expression levels were significantly decreased in PCa samples compared with normal controls (P

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in diagnosing mediastinal and intra-abdominal lymphadenopathies. A total of 154 patients with mediastinal and intra-abdominal lymphadenopathies were included in this retrospective study between February 2010 and March 2015. Malignancy was suspected in the patients as a result of imaging findings and EUS-FNAs were performed to confirm the diagnoses. EUS and EUS-FNA data, as well as hospital medical records, were reviewed. The accuracy of EUS-FNA was 90.8% for diagnosing malignancy and 85.6% for diagnosing benign lymphadenopathy. In combination with flow cytometry (FCM), the accuracy of EUS-FNA to determine lymphoma was 94.2%. Among the malignant lymphadenopathy cases, 80 were caused by metastasis, 19 by lymphoma and 1 by myeloid leukemia. In the 53 benign cases, EUS-FNA revealed a nonspecific inflammatory condition in 27 patients, tuberculosis in 21 patients and Castleman's disease in 5 patients. The factors revealed to be associated with malignant lymphadenopathy included the sex and age of patients, as well as the location and size of the enlarged lymph node. In particular, celiac axis lymphadenopathy was associated with malignancy (23.0% of cases of malignancy, vs. 3.8% of benign lymphadenopathy). EUS-FNA results additionally suggested that the malignant lymph nodes observed in celiac axis were more likely to result from lymphoma (42.1%; 8/19 cases) than metastasis (18.8%; 15/80 cases; P=0.039). By contrast, malignant lymph nodes observed in the mediastinum were more likely to be caused by metastasis (47.5%; 38/80 cases) than lymphoma (10.5%; 2/19 cases; P=0.004). The results of the present study suggested that EUS-FNA is accurate for differentiating between malignancy and benign lymphadenopathy. Therefore, EUS-FNA in combination with FCM analysis, as a minimally invasive and highly sensitive tool, should be routinely performed for the identification of lymphoma. Additionally, examining the enlarged celiac axis lymph nodes of elderly males, who exhibit an increased risk of malignancy, may be beneficial.

Pleomorphic hyalinizing angiectatic tumors (PHATs) are rare mesenchymal soft tissue tumors of uncertain lineage and intermediate malignancy. The present study assesses two cases of PHAT and discusses the histological and immunophenotypical features, as well as the imaging appearance of these tumors on ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography/CT scans. The current study also reviews the literature and discusses the clinical management of these tumors. Wide local excision with tumor free margins is the current recommended treatment for PHAT. Surgical excision may be combined with low-dose radiation to reduce the risk of local recurrence. Patients should be followed up with serial imaging, as PHAT lesions tend to recur locally.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common types of malignancy worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms of cancer development remain unclear. Src-associated in mitosis of 68 kDa (Sam68) is involved in cell proliferation, transformation, tumorigenesis and metastasis in several types of cancer. The present study aimed to assess the expression and function of Sam68 in human gastric cancer. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry indicated that Sam68 expression was increased in tumor samples and the levels were associated with the grade of malignancy. High Sam68 expression was associated with the poor prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. In vitro, following knockdown of Sam68 by transfection of gastric cancer cells with small interfering RNA, the cell viability, cell cycle progress, migration and invasion were decreased. The results of the present study revealed that Sam68 may be a novel prognostic factor for, and is associated with cell growth, migration and invasion in, gastric cancer.

Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) are overexpressed and associated with the pathogenesis of multiple types of human malignancy. The aims of the present study were to investigate FOXM1 and uPA expression levels in human gastric cancer using tissue microarray techniques; determining their association with clinicopathological characteristics as well as their prognostic value. Tissue microarray blocks, comprising 436 gastric cancer cases and 92 non-cancerous adjacent normal gastric tissues, were analyzed for FOXM1 and uPA protein expression levels using immunohistochemistry. The results were analyzed statistically in association with various clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival rates. FOXM1 and uPA were detected in 78.67 (343/436) and 83.26% (363/436) of cancer samples, respectively. FOXM1 and uPA were not expressed in the 92 normal gastric tissue samples. In gastric cancer, FOXM1 and uPA levels were associated with tumor size, depth of invasion, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, lymph node metastasis, vessel invasion and distant metastases. The overall survival rate was significantly decreased in patients expressing FOXM1 and uPA compared with FOXM1- and uPA-negative patients. Coxs multivariate analysis revealed that age, depth of invasion and expression levels of FOXM1 and uPA are independent predictors of survival in patients with gastric cancer. These results indicated that increased FOXM1 and uPA expression levels are associated with the invasive and metastatic processes in human gastric cancer, and inversely associated with patient prognosis. Therefore, FOXM1 and uPA may serve as novel prognostic markers independent of, but supplementing, the TNM staging system.

Bilineage T lymphoid and myeloid (T/My) neoplasms are rare entities among the hematopoietic and lymphoid malignancies. The majority of patients present with leukemic symptoms in which blasts are observed in the peripheral blood (PB) or bone marrow (BM) at a percentage of >20% of nucleated cells. Only a minimal number of cases of T/My bilineage hematopoietic and lymphoid malignancy have been reported with extramedullary infiltration as the initial symptom. The origin of the neoplastic cells in T/My bilineage malignancy has been documented as the hematopoietic stem cells. The present study reports the case of a 31-year-old man with a T/My bilineage malignancy, which initially showed cervical lymph node enlargement beyond the diagnostic criteria of leukemia in the PB and in the BM. Two distinct malignant populations were detected in the cervical lymph node and pleural effusion, one of which was positive for MPO-staining, while the other was positive for cytoplasmic cluster of differentiation 3. Mutations in platelet-derived growth factor receptor α, platelet-derived growth factor receptor β, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 and other chromosome abnormalities were excluded. The patient obtained complete remission after conventional chemotherapy, but relapsed with bilineage leukemia within a short period of time. Lymphoid and myeloid lineages have been reported to be differentiated from multipotent progenitors asymmetrically. However, the cellular mutation stage in T/My bilineage malignancy remains unclear. The present study also reviews the origin, development and therapeutic strategies for extramedullary T/My bilineage malignancy.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive types of brain malignancy, with resistance to chemotherapy being a primary treatment obstacle. ATPase copper transporting β (ATP7B) is involved in multidrug resistance; however, its expression in GBM remains to be evaluated. In the present study, GBM specimens from 79 patients who underwent gross total tumor removal followed by concomitant temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy and radiotherapy were assessed immunohistochemically. The association between the overall survival times of patients and the expression of ATP7B in neoplastic cells was evaluated. In 12/79 tumors (15.2%) >10% of neoplastic cells were immunohistochemically-positive for ATP7B, and categorized as high-ATP7B GBM. In the remaining 67 tumors (84.8%) the rate of ATP7B-positive cells was

Zinc finger and BTB domain containing 7A (ZBTB7) is a ZBTB protein family member of transcriptional repressors that serves a critical role in cell transformation and malignancy. However, the association between ZBTB7 expression in bladder cancer tissues and the prognosis of patients remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to detect the expression of ZBTB7 in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder and normal bladder mucous tissues to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of ZBTB7 in TCC of the bladder. A total of 100 TCC specimens were analyzed and the expression of ZBTB7 mRNA was examined via reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The expression of ZBTB7 protein was examined by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The association between ZBTB7 expression and the clinical prognosis of patients from the TCGA database was analyzed. High expression of ZBTB7 mRNA and protein in TCC tissue was detected and TCC expression was significantly higher in TCC tissue than in normal bladder mucous tissues (P