miR-140 and miR-196a as Potential Biomarkers in Breast Cancer Patients

Objective: MiR-140 and miR-196a were known to be correlated with cancer diagnosis and prognosis. The current study aimed at the analysis of miR-140 and miR-196a expression patterns and their clinical significance for breast cancer (BC) patients. Methods: Differentially expressed miR-140 and miR-196a were examined via quantitative PCR in 110 cases of BC and their adjacent non-tumor (ANT) tissues. Results: The results indicated that miR-140 and miR-196a, respectively, notably decreased and increased expression in BC samples in comparison with ANT (p<0.001). Reduced miR-140 expression was also related to Lymph node metastasis (LNM, P= 0.023) and stage (P = 0.009). Additionally, Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis illustrated that miR-140 had a significant diagnostic accuracy for stage and LNM of BC patients. We also discovered a strong negative correlation between miR-196a expression with histological grade (P = 0.038), LNM (P = 0.012) and stage (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Overall, exploring the miR-140 and miR-196a profiles not only can statistically different among BC and ANT samples, but it is also expected to become potential BC biomarkers.     

Role of miR-27a,miR-181a and miR-20b in gastric cancer hypoxia-induced chemoresistance

Despite the search for new therapeutic strategies for gastric cancer (GC), there is much evidence of progression due to resistance to chemotherapy. Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the ability of cancer cells to survive after exposure to chemotherapeutic agents. The involvement of miRNAs in the development of MDR has been well described but miRNAs able to modulate the sensitivity to chemotherapy by regulating hypoxia signaling pathways have not yet been fully addressed in GC. Our aim was to analyze miR-20b, miR-27a and miR-181a expression with respect to (epirubicin/oxaliplatin/capecitabine (EOX)) chemotherapy regimen in a set of GC patients, in order to investigate whether miRNAs deregulation may influence GC MDR also via hypoxia signaling modulation. Cancer biopsy were obtained from 21 untreated HER2 negative advanced GC patients, retrospectively analyzed. All patients received a first-line chemotherapy (EOX) regimen. MirWalk database was used to identify miR-27a, miR-181a and miR-20b target genes. The expression of miRNAs and of HIPK2, HIF1A and MDR1 genes were detected by real-time PCR. HIPK2 localization was assessed by immunohistochemistry. Our data showed the down-regulation of miR-20b, miR-27a, miR-181a concomitantly to higher levels of MDR1, HIF1A and HIPK2 genes in GC patients with a progressive disease respect to those with a disease control rate. Moreover, immunohistochemistry assay highlighted a higher cytoplasmic HIPK2 staining, suggesting a different role for it. We showed that aberrant expression of miR-20b, miR27a and miR-181a was associated with chemotherapeutic response in GC through HIF1A, MDR1 and HIPK2 genes modulation, suggesting a possible novel therapeutic strategy.     

miR-27a and miR-27a* contribute to metastatic properties of osteosarcoma cells

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone tumor in adolescents and young adults. The essential mechanisms underlying osteosarcomagenesis and progression continue to be obscure. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have far-reaching effects on the cellular biology of development and cancer. We recently reported that unique miRNA signatures associate with the pathogenesis and progression of OS. Of particular interest, we found that higher expression of miR-27a is associated with clinical metastatic disease. We report here that overexpression of miR-27a/miR-27a*, a microRNA pair derived from a single precursor, promotes pulmonary OS metastases formation. By contrast, sequestering miR-27a/miR-27a* by sponge technology suppressed OS cells invasion and metastases formation. miR-27a/miR-27a* directly repressed CBFA2T3 expression among other target genes. We demonstrated that CBFA2T3 is downregulated in majority of OS samples and its over expression significantly attenuated OS metastatic process mediated by miR-27a/miR-27a* underscoring CBFA2T3 functions as a tumor suppressor in OS. These findings establish that miR-27a/miR-27a* pair plays a significant role in OS metastasis and proposes it as a potential diagnostic and therapeutic target in managing OS metastases.     

miR-19a和miR-19b在骨肉瘤中的表达及其临床意义

目的：探讨miR-19a和miR-19b在骨肉瘤组织及配对瘤旁组织中的表达及其与临床病理特征的相关性。方法：收集32对骨肉瘤和配对的瘤旁组织,运用实时荧光定量PCR（qPCR）检测骨肉瘤组织及其瘤旁组织中miR-19a和miR-19b的表达,分析其与骨肉瘤临床病理特征的相关性及其临床意义。结果：qPCR结果显示骨肉瘤组织中miR-19a和miR-19b的平均表达量较瘤旁组织中均明显上调（P均 < 0.05）。二者的表达水平呈正相关（r=0.685,P=0.000）。miR-19a和miR-19b的表达与骨肉瘤病理分级之间存在正相关（r=0.478,P=0.027）;miR-19a的表达与临床分期呈正相关（r=0.365,P=0.031）且与预后相关。Cox回归多因素分析发现miR-19a可作为骨肉瘤患者预后的影响因子（P=0.037）。结论：miR-19a和miR-19b在骨肉瘤中表达上调,在骨肉瘤的发生发展中可能发挥重要的作用,其中miR-19a可能作为骨肉瘤独立的预后标志物。     

Association of miR-193b Down-regulation and miR-196a up-Regulation with Clinicopathological Features and Prognosis in Gastric Cancer

Dysregulated expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been shown to be closely associated with tumordevelopment, progression, and carcinogenesis. However, their clinical implications for gastric cancer remainelusive. To investigate the hypothesis that genome-wide alternations of miRNAs differentiate gastric cancer tissuesfrom those matched adjacent non-tumor tissues (ANTTs), miRNA arrays were employed to examine miRNAexpression profiles for the 5-pair discovery stage, and the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRTPCR)was applied to validate candidate miRNAs for 48-pair validation stage. Furthermore, the relationshipbetween altered miRNA and clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer was explored. Amonga total of 1,146 miRNAs analyzed, 16 miRNAs were found to be significantly different expressed in tissues fromgastric cancer compared to ANTTs (p<0.05). qRT-PCR further confirmed the variation in expression of miR-193band miR-196a in the validation stage. Down-expression of miR-193b was significantly correlated with Laurentype, differentiation, UICC stage, invasion, and metastasis of gastric cancer (p<0.05), while over-expression ofmiR-196a was significantly associated with poor differentiation (p=0.022). Moreover, binary logistic regressionanalysis demonstrated that the UICC stage was a significant risk factor for down-expression of miR-193b (adjustedOR=8.69; 95%CI=1.06-56.91; p=0.043). Additionally, Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that patientswith a high fold-change of down-regulated miR-193b had a significantly shorter survival time (n=19; mediansurvival=29 months) compared to patients with a low fold-change of down-regulated miR-193b (n=29; mediansurvival=54 months) (p=0.001). Overall survival time of patients with a low fold-change of up-regulated miR-196a (n=27; median survival=52 months) was significantly longer than that of patients with a high fold-changeof up-regulated miR-196a (n=21; median survival=46 months) (p=0.003). Hence, miR-193b and miR-196a maybe applied as novel and promising prognostic markers in gastric cancer.     

非小细胞肺癌中miR-19a和miR-19b的表达及临床意义

目的:分析miR-19a、miR-19b在非小细胞肺癌中的表达及其与临床病理特征的关系。方法:非小细胞肺癌手术标本61例及其癌旁正常组织,提取总RNA,采用实时定量PCR方法检测miR-19a、miR-19b在非小细胞肺癌及其癌旁正常组织中的表达,并分析其与临床病理特征的关系。结果:miR-19a、miR-19b在非小细胞肺癌组织中的表达高于对应的癌旁正常肺组织,其表达与临床分期、病理类型及淋巴结有无转移相关（P<0.05）。而在不同年龄、性别和吸烟史患者间差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论:miR-19a、miR-19b高表达与非小细胞肺癌的临床分期、病理分型及有无淋巴结转移密切相关,miR-19a、miR-19b有可能成为非小细胞肺癌的重要肿瘤标志物之一。     

Response of Triple Negative Breast Cancer to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: Correlation between Ki-67 Expression and Pathological Response

Triple-negative breast cancers constitute about 15% of all cases, but despite their higher response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the tumors are very aggressive and associated with a poor prognosis as well as a higher risk of early recurrence. This study was retrospectively performed on 101 patients with stage II and III invasive breast cancer who received 6–8 cycles of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Out of the total, 23 were in the triple negative breast cancer subgroup. Nuclear Ki-67 expression in both the large cohort group (n=101) and triple negative breast cancer subgroup (n=23) and its relation to the pathological response were evaluated. The purpose of the study was to identify the predictive value of nuclear protein Ki-67 expression among patients with invasive breast cancers, involving the triple negative breast cancer subgroup, treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in correlation to the rate of pathological complete response. The proliferation marker Ki-67 expression was highest in the triple negative breast cancer subgroup. No appreciable difference in the rate of Ki-67 expression in triple negative breast cancer subgroup using either a cutoff of 14% or 35%. Triple negative breast cancer subgroup showed lower rates of pathological complete response. Achievement of pathological complete response was significantly correlated with smaller tumor size and higher Ki-67 expression. The majority of triple negative breast cancer cases achieved pathological partial response. The study concluded that Ki-67 is a useful tool to predict chemosensitivity in the setting of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for invasive breast cancer but not for the triple negative breast cancer subgroup.     

Triptolide Inhibits Breast Cancer Cell Metastasis Through Inducing the Expression of miR-146a,a Negative Regulator of Rho GTPase

Triptolide, an extract of Tripterygium wilfordii, has been shown to have a potent anticancer activity. In the present study, it was found that triptolide could effectively induce apoptosis and inhibit proliferation and invasion in malignant MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The study focused on its effect on inhibiting invasion, which has not been extensively reported to date. We predicted that triptolide may change invasion activity via microRNAs (miRNAs), which have been recognized as important regulators of gene expression. miRNAome variation in MDA-MB-231 cells with or without triptolide treatment demonstrated that miR-146a was upregulated following treatment with triptolide. Our previous studies have shown that miR-146a can inhibit migration and invasion by targeting RhoA in breast cancer. This time, we found that miR-146a can target Rac1, another key member of the Rho GTPase family. Luciferase reporter containing Rac1 3′-UTR was constructed to prove this hypothesis. In addition, following treatment with triptolide, the expression of RhoA and Rac1 was found to be decreased. These results indicated that triptolide exerts its anti-invasion activity through a miRNA-mediated mechanism, which indirectly regulates the expression of Rho GTPase. Triptolide combined with miR-146a could improve the effect of triptolide treatment on breast cancer.     

结肠癌患者血清中miR-30a、miR-106b的表达及其临床意义

目的:探讨结肠癌患者血清miR-30a、miR-106b的表达及其在结肠癌进展及预测患者预后中的价值。方法:选取2012年06月至2013年02月本院收治的接受结肠癌手术治疗的患者80例为研究对象,20例同期健康人群作为对照组。逆转录 PCR法检测外周血血清中 miR-30a、miR-106b的表达水平,分析患者血清miR-30a、miR-106b表达与结肠癌临床病理及预后的关系。Spearman分析miR-30a、miR-106b表达的相关性。采用多因素logistic回归模型对结肠癌患者的预后影响因素进行分析,采用Kaplan-Meier生存分析miR-30a低表达组、miR-30a高表达组,miR-106b低表达组、miR-106b高表达组患者中位生存时间。结果:结肠癌患者血清miR-30a表达水平（1.03±0.02）低于正常人群（5.15±0.06）,差异具有统计学意义（t=16.38,P=0.01）;结肠癌患者血清miR-106b表达水平（2.62±0.35）高于正常人群（1.15±0.06）,差异具有统计学意义（t=10.17,P=0.03）。miR-30a、miR-106b表达与患者的组织分化类型、浆膜侵犯、淋巴结转移、远处转移、TNM分期有显著相关性(P＜0.05)。多因素logistic回归模型对结肠癌患者预后影响因素进行分析,TNM分期（Ⅲ+Ⅳ）、miR-106b高表达及miR-30a低表达是结肠癌患者预后不良的危险因素。miR-30a低表达组患者总体生存时间（55.3±4.1）个月低于miR-30a高表达组（76.4±2.4）个月（P=0.000）;miR-106b低表达组患者的总体生存时间（75.1±7.3）个月高于miR-106b高表达组（51.8±3.1）个月（P=0.000）。结论:miR-30a在结肠癌患者血清中低表达,miR-106b在结肠癌患者血清中高表达,二者的表达与肿瘤的进展、预后不良有关。     

槐耳颗粒在三阴性乳腺癌根治术后化疗中辅助治疗的临床效果

目的 观察槐耳颗粒在三阴性乳腺癌根治术后化疗中辅助治疗的临床效果.方法 选取行根治术的三阴性乳腺癌患者,符合术后化疗标准,共61例,随机分为对照组和试验组.对照组采用常规乳腺癌化疗方案,共30例;试验组在化疗基础上增加槐耳颗粒口服,共31例.治疗结束后,评估患者的KPS评分,过程中观察并记录毒副作用.定期门诊或电话随访患者,观察患者3年生存率及复发率.结果 化疗后,2组KPS评分均有所下降,对照组评分为(73.5±4.3),试验组为(83.9±5.1),差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05);2组消化道反应比例基本一致,但试验组骨髓抑制明显较对照组少.随访结果表明对照组3年存活率为70.0%,试验组3年存活率达到74.2%,试验组略有升高;同时,试验组复发率为19.4%,较对照组(23.3%)有所下降.结论 三阴性乳腺癌根治术后化疗患者能从槐耳颗粒治疗中获益.     

人乳腺癌组织中miR-34a的表达及其在乳腺癌细胞系中的功能研究

目的 探讨miR-34a在人乳腺癌组织和细胞中的表达情况及对乳腺癌细胞系MDA-MB-231增殖、迁移侵袭和凋亡等生物学行为的影响,为研究乳腺癌组织中miR-34a的作用及深入了解乳腺癌发生发展的分子机制奠定理论基础。方法 通过实时荧光定量PCR（qRT-PCR）法检测miR-34a在20例人乳腺癌组织和癌旁正常组织中表达量的差异并比较其在人乳腺癌细胞系MDA-MB-231、MCF-7和正常乳腺上皮细胞MCF-10A中的表达差异;体外利用脂质体转染技术,转染miR-34a的模拟物（miR-34a mimic）和标记FAM（绿色荧光）的阴性对照(negative control ,miR-NC)进入MDA-MB-231细胞,研究miR-34a对细胞增殖活性、迁移和侵袭能力以及凋亡和周期分布的影响。结果 miR-34a在乳腺癌组织中的表达量较正常癌旁组织下调(P＜0.01);在MDA-MB-231、MCF-7和MCF-10A中的表达呈依次增高的趋势(P＜0.01);转染miR-34a mimic与转染miR-NC的MDA-MB-231相比,其增殖活力、迁移和侵袭能力均下降(P＜0.01),凋亡增加(P＜0.01),细胞周期被阻滞在G1/G0期（P＜0.01）。结论 miR-34a在乳腺癌组织和细胞系MDA-MB-231及MCF-7中的表达较正常组织和MCF-10A中都明显下调;miR-34a能够抑制肿瘤细胞MDA-MB-231的增殖、侵袭迁移,增加细胞凋亡率,使细胞周期阻滞在G0/G1;miR-34a可能起到抑癌作用,其表达水平与乳腺癌的发生发展密切相关。     

肝细胞癌患者外周血中miR-30a、miR-106b的表达及其与预后的关系

目的:探讨肝细胞癌(hepatocellular carcinoma,HCC)患者血清miR-30a、miR-106b的表达及其与 预后的关系。方法:选取2015年6月-2017年2月本院收治的HCC患者80例为研究对象,20例同期健康人群作为对照组。荧光定量PCR检测外周血中miR-30a、miR-106b的表达水平,分析患者血清miR-30a、miR-106b水平与HCC临床病理的关系。分析HCC患者预后的影响因素以及血清miR-30a、miR-106b水平与HCC患者预后的相关性。结果:HCC患者血清miR-30a表达水平（1.03±0.02）低于正常人群（5.15±0.06）（P=0.00）;血清miR-106b表达水平（2.62±0.35）高于正常人群（1.15±0.06）（P=0.00）。miR-30a、miR-106b表达与患者肿瘤直径、组织分化类程度、肝内转移、淋巴结转移、甲胎蛋白（AFP）水平、门静脉癌栓、肿瘤数目及TNM分期有显著相关性(P＜0.05) 。miR-30a低表达组患者3年总生存率（39.8%）低于miR-30a高表达组（64.6%）（P=0.002）;miR-106b低表达组患者3年总生存率（75.8%）高于miR-106b高表达组（51.2%）（P=0.003）。二元Logistic回归分析提示,淋巴结转移、TNM分期、miR-106b及miR-30a水平是患者预后的重要影响因素。结论:miR-30a在HCC患者血清中低表达,miR-106b在HCC患者血清中高表达,与肿瘤的进展、预后不良有关。     

miR-27a在三阴性乳腺癌中的表达及其对细胞耐药的影响

目的:探讨miR-27a在三阴性乳腺癌（triple-negative breast cancer,TNBC）中的表达及其对细胞耐药的影响。方法:首先通过QRT-PCR检测TNBC细胞株及非TNBC细胞株中miR-27a及P-gp的差异表达;上调TNBC细胞中的miR-27a的表达,通过CCK8检测细胞对化疗药物敏感性的变化。同时收集TNBC患者化疗前后血液标本,将其分为化疗敏感组和化疗耐药组,QRT-PCR检测患者血液标本中miR-27a及P-gp的表达,分析miR-27a与乳腺癌患者预后相关性。结果:miR-27a在TNBC细胞株中的表达明显低于非TNBC细胞株,上调TNBC细胞株中miR-27a的表达能够降低P-gp的表达,增加细胞对化疗药物的敏感性,此外TNBC组中miR-27a的表达与患者组织学分级、临床分期及淋巴结转移相关（P<0.05）;在非TNBC组中miR-27a的表达与患者临床病理特征无明显相关性（P均＞0.05）。结论:miR-27a参与调节TNBC细胞耐药,miR-27a可作为评估乳腺癌化疗敏感性及临床预后的潜在靶基因。     

Immunohistochemistry-Based Consensus Molecular Subtypes as a Prognostic and Predictive Biomarker for Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Stage II Colorectal Cancer

BackgroundFor stage II colorectal cancer (CRC), the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy remains controversial. Consensus molecular subtype (CMS) has been validated to be a prognostic tool for CRCs. In this study, CMS status was investigated as a prognostic biomarker for the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colorectal cancer.Materials and MethodsThe tissue microarray was retrospectively constructed of 165 nonconsecutive, primary, and sporadic stage II CRCs. CMS status was determined by immunohistochemistry staining of CDX2, HTR2B, FRMD6, and ZEB1, combining with microsatellite instability testing. The prognostic for adjuvant chemotherapy efficacy of CMS status was calculated by Kaplan‐Meier curves and Cox regression analysis. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to tumor location.ResultsKaplan‐Meier curves indicated that CMS was associated with overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival for stage II CRCs. Cox regression analysis showed that CMS was an independent risk factor for OS. Among high‐risk clinicopathological factors, patients with CMS2/3 (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.445, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.227–0.875), left‐sided tumors (HR: 0.488, 95% CI: 0.247–0.968), or fewer than 12 lymph nodes examined (HR: 0.307, 95% CI: 0.097–0.974) had survival benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Subgroup analysis showed that adjuvant chemotherapy only improved OS for patients with left‐sided tumors of CMS2/3 subtype. Regardless of CMS, right‐sided tumors had no benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.ConclusionCMS is a better prognostic factor for adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II CRCs. Together with tumor location, CMS classification will aid in personalized treatment for stage II CRCs.Implications for PracticeFor stage II colorectal cancer (CRC), the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy remains controversial, in that its minimal benefit (no more than 5% on average) is considered not worth the toxic effects of the drugs. There are still no effective prognostic and predictive biomarkers. This study showed that consensus molecular subtype (CMS) status is a predictive marker for adjuvant chemotherapy efficacy. Patients with left‐sided tumors of CMS2/3 subtype have survival benefit by receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, which will aid in personalized treatment for stage II CRCs. Moreover, this test of CMS based on immunohistochemistry is cheap, not time consuming, and easily conducted in the laboratories of most hospitals.     

Effectiveness of a Smartphone Application as a Support Tool for Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundOutpatients undergoing cancer chemotherapy experience anxiety related to adverse drug reactions that they can experience at home. We developed a breast cancer patient support system (BPSS) application (app). The BPSS app chronologically and quantitatively records patients’ subjective and objective symptoms during breast cancer chemotherapy, with the goal of providing supportive management for adverse drug reactions. The present study examined whether the BPSS app is an effective tool for supporting patients undergoing chemotherapy.Patients and MethodsA total of 102 patients undergoing chemotherapy at the Showa University Hospital (Tokyo, Japan) were enrolled in the present order- and age-controlled clinical trial and randomized into BPSS or no-BPSS app groups. The patients underwent 4 courses of chemotherapy. The primary outcome was the change in the hospital anxiety and depression scale score, which was assessed directly before and after the 4 courses of chemotherapy. Other outcomes included health literacy (measured using the 14-item health literacy scale (HLS-14), side effects, and app adherence.ResultsOf the 102 patients, 95 completed the present study. No significant improvement was seen in anxiety, depression, or health literacy at the end of treatment between the BPSS and no-BPSS app groups. Overall, 1868 side effects were reported. When the patients’ records were compared with the medical staff records, the analysis revealed that the medical staff had underestimated some grade 3 symptoms.ConclusionThe BPSS app is a feasible tool for patients with breast cancer and might be useful as a support tool for information sharing between patients and medical staff in an effort to optimize chemotherapy and deliver suitable patient care and support.