Birt‐Hogg‐Dubé syndrome‐associated renal cell carcinoma: Histopathological features and diagnostic conundrum

Birt‐Hogg‐Dubé (BHD) syndrome is associated with the development of hereditary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and is caused by a germline mutation in the folliculin gene. Most cases of BHD syndrome‐associated RCC (BHD‐RCC) are less aggressive than sporadic clear cell RCC and multifocal. Therefore, it is critical to distinguish BHD‐RCC from its sporadic counterparts to identify and monitor affected families and to preserve renal function for as long as possible. The World Health Organization/International Society of Urological Pathology consensus classification defined distinct entities for certain hereditary RCC; however, BHD‐RCC was not included in this classification. Although the clinical features and molecular mechanisms of BHD‐RCC have been investigated intensively over the last two decades, pathologists and urologists occasionally face difficulties in the diagnosis of BHD‐RCC that require genetic testing. Affected patients usually have miscellaneous benign disorders that often precede renal carcinogenesis. In the present review, we summarize the current understanding of the histopathological features of BHD‐RCC based on our epidemiological studies of Japanese families and a literature review. Pathological diagnostic clues and differential diagnosis of BHD‐RCC from other hereditary RCC are also briefly discussed.     

Monosomy of Chromosome 9 Is Associated With Higher Grade,Advanced Stage,and Adverse Outcome in Clear-cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

BackgroundClear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most common malignancies in humans and is usually associated with poor outcomes. Cancers are considered to be genetic diseases. Therefore, a better understanding of genetic alterations that are related to disease progression or poor prognosis can help to more precisely identify high-risk patients and treat them more effectively. The aim of this study was to examine the frequency of whole chromosome 9 loss (monosomy of chromosome 9) and its prognostic value in patients with ccRCC.Materials and MethodsSingle nucleotide polymorphism-based chromosome microarray (CMA) analysis was performed on 103 resected specimens from patients with ccRCC who had undergone partial or radical nephrectomy between January 2002 and March 2017 at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Monosomy 9 was correlated with clinicopathologic parameters and recurrence-free survival.ResultsChromosome 9 loss was detected in 31 (30%) of 103 tumors. Tumors with chromosome 9 loss had higher histologic grade (3 and 4; P < .001) and pathologic stage (P < .001). In 59 patients with non-metastatic ccRCC, chromosome 9 loss was also associated with higher recurrence rate and shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) (12-month RFS, 77.8%; 95% confidence interval, 36.5%-93.9% for chromosome 9 loss vs. 95.7%; 95% confidence interval, 84.0%-98.9% for no loss; P = .002).ConclusionsChromosome 9 loss was found in 30% of patients with ccRCC and correlated with higher grade, advanced stage, and shorter RFS in patients with Stage I to III ccRCC.     

Apatinib Monotherapy or Combination Therapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients With Brain Metastases

Apatinib, an oral small molecular receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) developed first in China, exerts antiangiogenic and antineoplastic function through selectively binding and inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). In this study, we aimed to explore the efficacy and safety profile of apatinib monotherapy, or combined with chemotherapy or endothelial growth factor receptor (EGFR)-TKI in heavily pretreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with brain metastases. We performed a retrospective analysis for relapsed NSCLC patients with brain metastases from our institute, who received apatinib (250 mg or 500 mg p.o. qd) monotherapy, or combination with EGFR-TKI or chemotherapy as second or more line systemic therapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred. The objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), median progression-free survival (mPFS), median overall survival (mOS), and safety were analyzed. A total of 26 eligible patients were included: 24 patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, 2 with squamous carcinoma, and 14 patients harboring EGFR sensitizing mutations. The mPFS and mOS were 4.93 (range, 0.27−32.91; 95% CI 3.64−6.22) and 14.70 (range, 0.27−32.91; 95% CI 0.27−43.60) months for the whole group. The ORR and DCR were 7.7% (2/26) and 69.2% (18/26) for the entire lesions, and 7.7% (2/26) and 79.6% (20/26) for brain metastases, respectively. Compared with patients who received apatinib monotherapy, patients who received apatinib combination treatment had more favorable mPFS (11.77 vs. 2.27 months, p<0.05) and mOS (24.03 vs. 6.07 months, p<0.05). Treatment-related toxicities were tolerable including grade 1/2 hypertension, hand-and-foot syndrome, fatigue, nausea, liver dysfunction, myelosuppression, skin rash, and palpitation. In conclusion, apatinib exhibited high activity and good tolerance for NSCLC patients with brain metastasis, and it might become a potential choice for metastatic brain tumors in NSCLC patients.     

Evodiamine-inspired dual inhibitors of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and topoisomerase 2 (TOP2) with potent antitumor activity

A great challenge in multi-targeting drug discovery is to identify drug-like lead compounds with therapeutic advantages over single target inhibitors and drug combinations. Inspired by our previous efforts in designing antitumor evodiamine derivatives, herein selective histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and topoisomerase 2 (TOP2) dual inhibitors were successfully identified, which showed potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor potency. Particularly, compound 30a was orally active and possessed excellent in vivo antitumor activity in the HCT116 xenograft model (TGI = 75.2%, 150 mg/kg, p.o.) without significant toxicity, which was more potent than HDAC inhibitor vorinostat, TOP inhibitor evodiamine and their combination. Taken together, this study highlights the therapeutic advantages of evodiamine-based HDAC1/TOP2 dual inhibitors and provides valuable leads for the development of novel multi-targeting antitumor agents.     

糖尿病小鼠小肠绒毛杯状细胞分泌黏原颗粒的变化

目的：观察糖尿病小鼠小肠绒毛杯状细胞分泌的黏原颗粒是否改变,为进一步研究糖尿病的消化系统并发症提供形态学基础。方法分别选取3,5,8,10月龄db/db糖尿病小鼠及相应年龄段的db/+m正常小鼠,每组6只,标本用4%多聚甲醛灌流固定后,从距Treitz韧带约10 cm处切下一段空肠,用PAS染色方法对小肠杯状细胞分泌的黏原颗粒进行观察。结果糖尿病组小肠绒毛易被破坏,糖尿病组中杯状细胞的分泌物比同月份正常对照组显著增加(P<0.05)；糖尿病组中3月龄的杯状细胞分泌物最多,8月龄最少,并且8月龄分别与3月龄、5月龄比较均存在着显著差异(P<0.05)；正常对照组随月龄增长无显著性差异(P>0.05)。结论糖尿病时杯状细胞分泌物增多可能对小肠绒毛有保护作用。     

Determinants of anti-PD-1 response and resistance in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

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热疗对肿瘤免疫微环境中免疫细胞及免疫相关细胞因子的影响

随着对肿瘤热疗和肿瘤免疫微环境(TIME)的深入研究,近年来热疗对TIME的作用越来越受到学者们的重视。本文就目前国内外研究进展,对热疗与TIME中几类主要免疫细胞和免疫相关细胞因子的影响及作用机制作一综述。全面而透彻的了解热疗对TIME的调控作用,有助于为肿瘤治疗提供新的思路和方法。     

miR-9通过靶向E盒结合锌指蛋白2调控小细胞肺癌的恶性生物学行为及其可能的机制

目的：探讨 miR-9 通过靶向 E 盒结合锌指蛋白 2（zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2，ZEB2）对小细胞肺癌（small cell lung cancer，SCLC）细胞生物学行为的调控作用，分析miR-9在SCLC中的作用及其工作机制。方法：采用qPCR、WB和免疫组化方法检测于2018年2月至2019年11月于河北医科大学第四医院肿瘤内科接受手术治疗的67例SCLC患者癌组织及癌旁组织中ZEB2的表达。采用TargetScan预测miR-9的潜在靶基因并通过双荧光素酶报告基因试验、qPCR和WB法进行验证。CCK-8法、流式细胞术和Transwell实验检测miR-9和ZEB2 过表达对 NCI-H446 的生物学行为影响，WB法检测对细胞中E-cadherin，N-cadherin和Vimentin蛋白表达的影响。利用miR-9过表达NCI-H446细胞构建SCLC裸鼠移植瘤模型，观察miR-9对裸鼠移植瘤生长的影响。结果：SCLC组织中ZEB2的mRNA和蛋白表达水平明显高于癌旁正常组织（P<0.01）。miR-9在ZEB2的3'' UTR上具有潜在的结合位点，与对照组相比，miR-9过表达组NCI-H446细胞中ZEB2的mRNA和蛋白表达水平明显降低（P<0.01），细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭能力均显著下降（P<0.05或P<0.01），促EMT蛋白表达减少，而同时过表达ZEB2能够逆转上述影响。体内实验中，miR-9过表达组移植瘤体积、重量均明显低于对照组（P<0.05或P<0.01）。miR-9组裸鼠肿瘤组织中和ZEB2蛋白的表达均较对照组明显降低（P<0.01）。结论：miR-9通过靶向调控ZEB2从而抑制SCLC细胞的生物学行为以及NCI-H446裸鼠移植瘤的生长。