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Breast cancer constitutes a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women in China and worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether CUGBP Elav-like family member 2 (CELF2) could inhibit breast cancer cell invasion and angiogenesis by downregulating nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1) expression. The expression of CELF2 and NFATc1 in breast cancer cells and tissues was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR analysis. H&E staining was used to assess the number of microvessels in tumor tissue. The expression of proteins associated with invasion and angiogenesis and NFATc1 in tumor tissues and transfected cells was examined by western blotting. RNA pull-down assay was used to verify the interaction between CELF2 and NFATc1. Cell proliferation, invasion and tube-forming ability was analyzed using Cell Counting Kit-8, Transwell and HUVEC tube formation assays, respectively. CELF2 expression was found to be decreased in breast cancer cells, whereas CELF2 overexpression suppressed the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells and inhibited tumor growth and angiogenesis. Furthermore, CELF2 overexpression decreased the expression of N-cadherin (N-cad), CD34 and NFATc1 in tumor tissues, whereas NEAFc1 overexpression increased the expression of N-cad and NFATc1 in MCF cells transfected with OverExp-CELF2. CELF2 was found to be inversely associated with NFATc1, and NFATc1 overexpression reversed the effects of CELF2 overexpression. In conclusion, the findings of the present study demonstrated that CELF2 may inhibit breast cancer cell invasion and angiogenesis by downregulating NFATc1.

Brain metastases (BM) of colorectal cancer (CRC) are rare but lethal, and an understanding of their genomic landscape is lacking. We conduct an analysis of whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data on 19 trios of patient-matched BMs, primary CRC tumors, and adjacent normal tissue. Compared with primary CRC, BM exhibits elevated mutational signatures of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) and mismatch repair deficiency (MMRD). Further analysis reveals two DNA damage response (DDR) signatures could emerge early and are enhanced in BM tissues but are eliminated eventually in matched primary CRC tissues. BM-specific mutations in DDR genes and elevated microsatellite instability (MSI) levels support the importance of DDR in the brain metastasis of CRC. We also identify BM-related genes (e.g., SCN7A, SCN5A, SCN2A, IKZF1, and PDZRN4) that carry frequent BM-specific mutations. These results provide a better understanding of the BM mutational landscape and insights into treatment., The development of brain metastases is a lethal yet poorly understood event in the evolution of many cancers. Here, the authors perform whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing on matched normal, primary and metastatic tissue samples to explore the genomic features of brain metastases in colorectal cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in females worldwide, and metastasis to bone is an important characteristic of malignancy. The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism of breast cancer to bone metastasis of secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC). Immunohistochemistry was performed to examine the expression of SPARC in primary breast tumors and bone metastatic foci. Western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction were performed to detect the expression level of SPARC in several types of breast cancer cell. A Transwell filter assay was used to assess the effect of SPARC on breast cancer cell invasion ability, and an osteoblast differentiation assay was employed to analyze the effect of SPARC on the differentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells. Clinical data revealed that decreased stromal SPARC expression is associated with breast cancer to bone metastasis. Gain- and loss-of-function studies reveal that SPARC inhibits the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells, and suppresses osteoclast activation in the breast cancer microenvironment. SPARC serves an important role in breast cancer bone metastasis and may be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer bone metastasis.

Asymptomatic intrapelvic meningocele is rare. Here, we report the case of a 30-year-old Chinese man who underwent sigmoidectomy due to megacolon. During the operation, an intrapelvic cyst was found and resected. Meningocele was confirmed by histological examination. The patient recovered well postoperatively with the exception of liquorrhoea. Conservative therapy was initiated, including draining, anti-infection and specific posture maintenance. During the following week, liquorrhoea was generally relieved and the patient was discharged. This is the first known report of liquorrhoea associated with intrapelvic meningocele resection successfully treated by conservative therapy. Our case indicates that conservative treatment may be considered for similar cases so that a second surgery is avoided.

Chylous leakage is a rare occurrence after breast surgery. Trauma to the thoracic duct and its main distribution may be the main cause of chylous leakage, but the cause of such an injury during breast surgery is unknown. We herein report the first case of chylous leakage from many minimal lymph ducts in a skin flap. In all, four cases of chylous leakage were observed out of 1 096 breast cancer patients who underwent axillary lymph node dissection. Of these four cases, three cases were successfully treated conservatively; however, surgical exploration was performed in the fourth case because of the large drainage volume. Furthermore, we reviewed the recently published studies on chylous leakage after breast surgery; 20 cases (our 4 cases included) have been reported in all. Of the 20 pooled cases, most were cured with conservative treatment and only three cases were cured with surgical treatment.