Background: Inspired by nature, the biomimetic approach has been incorporated into drug nanocarriers for cancer targeted chemotherapy. The nanocarriers are cloaked in cell membranes, which enables them to incorporate the functions of natural cells.Key scientific concepts of review: Nanocarriers surface engineered with cell membranes have emerged as a fascinating source of materials for cancer targeted chemotherapy. A distinctive characteristic of cell membrane-coated nanocarriers (CMCNs) is that they include carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, in addition to being biocompatible. CMCNs are capable of interacting with the complicated biological milieu of the tumor because they contain the signaling networks and intrinsic functions of their parent cells. Numerous cell membranes have been investigated for the purpose of masking nanocarriers with membranes, and various tumor-targeting methods have been devised to improve cancer targeted chemotherapy. Moreover, the diverse structure of the membrane from different cell sources broadens the spectrum of CMCNs and offers an entirely new class of drug-delivery systems.Aim of review: This review will describe the manufacturing processes for CMCNs and the therapeutic uses for different kinds of cell membrane-coated nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems, as well as addressing obstacles and future prospects.Graphical

Chronic infection of Mycoplasma hyorhinis (M. hyorhinis) has been postulated to be associated with several types of cancer, but its effect on patients' survival and host factors mediating its infection remain unclear. Herein, we demonstrated that M. hyorhinis p37 protein expression in gastric cancer tissues predicts poor survival and associates with metastasis. M. hyorhinis infects mammalian cells and promotes gastric cancer cell invasiveness via its membrane protein p37. Synthesized peptide corresponding to the N-terminus of p37 prevents M. hyorhinis infection. Host Annexin A2 (ANXA2) interacts with the N-terminus of p37. In addition, EGFR forms a complex with p37 and ANXA2, and is required for M. hyorhinis–induced phosphorylation and membrane recruitment of ANXA2. M. hyorhinis infection is inhibited by siRNA-mediated knockdown of ANXA2 or EGFR, but is enhanced by expression of ectopic ANXA2 or EGFR. Downstream of ANXA2 and EGFR, the NF-κB pathway is activated and mediates M. hyorhinis–driven cell migration. In conclusion, our study unveils the effect of M. hyorhinis infection on gastric cancer survival and uncovers the mechanisms by which M. hyorhinis infects mammalian cells and promotes cancer cell migration. Cancer Res; 74(20); 5782–94. ©2014 AACR.

Background: Epidemiologic evidence suggests that chronic inflammation and/or chronic infection is associated with cancer development, and the inflammatory process may play a crucial role in the carcinogenesis and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Substance P (SP) belongs to the family of tachykinins and acts as an immunomodulator, binding to the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) to initiate tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and migration, steps that are critical for tumor cell invasion and metastasis. It is suggested that SP/NK1R signaling may play an important role in cancer progression and metastasis. However, the exact involvement and significance of SP and NK1R in CRC pathologies remain to be adequately deciphered. Patients and methods: We performed immunohistochemistry staining on tissue microarrays containing 267 pairs of CRC and adjacent normal tissues to evaluate the clinical significance of SP or NK1R in the progression and prognosis of CRC. We also explored the potential correlation between SP and NK1R in CRC development. Results: Expression levels of SP and NK1R were upregulated in CRC compared with their expressions in adjacent normal tissues (P<0.001). High expression of SP in CRC was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (P<0.001). We also found that high expression of NK1R in CRC was significantly related to TNM (tumor node metastasis) stage (P=0.010) and lymph node metastasis (P=0.019). A high correlation between SP and NK1R expression was also observed (r=0.419, P<0.001). Survival analysis showed that CRC patients with high expression of SP or NK1R have a poor prognosis when compared to patients with low SP or NK1R expression (log rank test, P<0.05). Multivariate analysis using Cox regression model showed that survival was independently correlated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and SP expression (P<0.05). Conclusion: Upregulation of SP-NK1R may play a crucial role in CRC progression. Moreover, SP-NK1R expression may also be used as a predictor for CRC prognosis.

Purpose: To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, diagnosis and key points in the differential diagnosis of patients with gastric cancer (GC) with features of a submucosal tumour (GCSMT).Methods: The clinical presentation and imaging findings of four GCSMT cases diagnosed at our centre from 2016 to 2021 were observed and their clinicopathological outcomes were analysed. The related literature was reviewed. Based on our collected data and the related literature, a total of 31 cases of GCSMT can be summarized.Results: 22 out of 31 cases did not present obvious symptoms and were accidentally discovered during gastroscopic examination. Only 10 patients experienced symptoms such as gastric discomfort, upper abdominal swelling and pain, haematemesis, or haematochezia. The male to female ratio was 22:9 and the age of onset ranged from 40 to 81 years (median age: 63 years). Tumours were located in the upper and middle third of the stomach (24/31), and in the lower third(7/31). The tumour diameter ranged from 0.6 to 7.3 cm, with an average value of 2.5 cm. Endoscopically, the disease manifested as SMTs, with the gastric mucosal surface appearing normal. Most patients underwent radical gastrectomy for GC (80.6%, 25/31). The pathological diagnoses of the 31 cases of GCSMT included well- and moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma (6/31), poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or signet ring cell carcinoma 6/31), mucinous adenocarcinoma (9/31), lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (7/31), gastric adenocarcinoma of the fundic gland type (3/31). Stage T1b and T2 tumours accounted for 56.7% (17/30) and 26.7% (8/30) of all cases. Lymph node metastases were found in six cases (20.0%, 6/30), whereas distant metastasis was not observed in any of the cases. For the 16 patients whose follow-up data were available, the follow-up time was 5–66 months, during which recurrence or metastasis was not observed.Conclusion: GCSMT is a rare disease that is often difficult to accurately diagnose through endoscopic biopsy. The importance of gaining an understanding of this disease lies in differentiating it from other SMTs (mostly mesenchymal tumours) to avoid misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis and enable the early diagnosis and treatment of patients.

The number of studies reporting lymphoma as a secondary tumor has gradually increased. However, few studies have reported that occurrence of lymphoma as a secondary tumor following treatment for penile carcinoma, particularly cases in which the lymphoma was diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology and flow cytometry. The present study reports the case of a 62-year-old male patient who was troubled with frequent urination and repeated chest tightness for 5 years. The diagnosis upon admission was penile carcinoma. Two months subsequent to the tumor removal surgery, enlarged lymph nodes were extracted from the patient using fine-needle biopsy, to be analyzed using light microscopy and flow cytometry. Smear results indicated a large number of abnormal cells scattered in the right axillary lymph node. Flow cytometry immunophenotyping of fine-needle aspiration samples indicated the increased expression of cluster of differentiation (CD)79a, CD19, CD20, CD38, κ chain and human leukocyte antigen-DR, which supported a diagnosis of B-cell lymphoma. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma based on the results of the fine-needle aspiration biopsy and flow cytometry. The method of diagnosis and causes of therapy-related leukemia are discussed in the present report.