Background: We screened long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) specifically expressed in the serum of cervical squamous carcinoma (CESC) patient samples and investigated the role of these specific lncRNAs in the diagnosis of CESC and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Methods: The expression levels of the lncRNAs CCAT2, LINC01133, and LINC00511 in the serum of normal controls and patient with CESC and CIN were measured using reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Next, we analyzed the correlation between the serum lncRNAs levels and the clinical characteristics of CESC. Thereafter, we estimated their combined diagnostic value by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: The results showed that CCAT2, LINC01133, and LINC00511 were highly expressed in the serum of patients with CESC. When these lncRNAs and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen were combined, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) value reached 0.94. We also found that the AUC value of the diagnostic model combining CCAT2 and LINC01133 reached 0.894. Conclusion: The serum lncRNAs (CCAT2, LINC01133, and LINC00511) and SCC may be new non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of CESC.

Purpose: Despite selection based on human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression, not all HER2-positive patients benefit from trastuzumab therapy. Recent reports indicate that trastuzumab treatment failure may be associated with immune system dysfunction. We examined the prognostic relevance of the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who received trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy. Methods: Baseline ALC and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) data from trastuzumab-treated patients with MBC were studied retrospectively, and associations between baseline ALC and clinical characteristics evaluated. Kaplan–Meier analysis and the Cox regression hazard model were applied to assess effects on outcomes. Results: Of a total of 68 patients, 19.1% (13/68) had baseline ALCs ≤ 1 G/L. Baseline lymphopenia was correlated with increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and higher NLR. In univariate analysis, higher alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was associated with inferior overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001); higher LDH was associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.045) and OS (P = 0.010). We did not observe any differences in objective response rate or disease control rate between patients with lymphopenia and those with normal ALC. Importantly, patients with baseline lymphopenia had inferior PFS (0.60 years vs 1.17 years, P = 0.000009) and OS (1.88 years vs 3.80 years, P = 0.0003). In multivariable analysis, significance of ALCs was retained for lymphopenia (PFS: P = 0.0005; OS: P = 0.016). Conclusion: Our data indicate that baseline ALC value of ≤1 G/L is a predictor of poor outcomes, but not of response, in patients with MBC treated with trastuzumab.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has become less and less due to the use of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Although it may be common to assume that eradication of the virus should improve the survival of HCC patients, large-scale randomized clinical data to support the correlation between viral load and prognosis are still lacking in China. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of antiviral therapy for HCC patients with active HCV infection. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 80 HCC patients with active HCV infection. Active HCV infection was defined as positive for HCV antibody with detectable HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. Results: Forty-four patients (55.0%) received interferon combined with ribavirin treatment and 23 patients achieved sustained virological response (SVR). The 1-year survival rate in patients who achieved SVR was the highest, followed by those with non-SVR after antiviral treatment, and those without antiviral therapy (1-year survival rate were 91.3%, 88.4%, and 73.1%, respectively, P = 0.012). In the univariate analysis, alcohol intake and alpha-fetoprotein > 20 ng/mL were associated with lower overall survival (OS) (P = 0.025 and P = 0.044, respectively), while SVR after antiviral treatment was associated with longer OS (P = 0.016). In the multivariate analysis, only SVR after antiviral treatment was significantly associated with OS (P = 0.014). Conclusion: Our results ensured that the elimination of HCV substantially improved OS in HCC patients with active HCV infection, and the prognosis of those patients without antiviral therapy was poor.

Background: To evaluate whether the depth of response (DepRe) and early tumor shrinkage (ETS) are predictive factors of clinical outcomes in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients treated with trastuzumab. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 100 HER2-positive mBC patients who received trastuzumab combined with chemotherapy as first-line treatment. ETS and DepRe were calculated. We employed Youden’s index to determine the optimal cutoff value of ETS and DepRe for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We used Kaplan–Meier analysis, Log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards regression models to evaluate the impacts of ETS and DepRe on clinical outcomes. Results: The optimal cutoff values were 30% for ETS and 40% for DepRe; ETS and DepRe were observed in 51.0% (51/100) and in 56.0% (56/100) of patients, respectively. Both ETS≥ 30% and DepRe≥ 40% were significant tumor-size metrics for predicting PFS (ETS: median 1.43 vs 0.69 years, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.384; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.245 to 0.601; P=0.000030; DepRe: median 1.43 vs 0.59 years, HR = 0.390; 95% CI: 0.250 to 0.609; P=0.0000034), but only DepRe≥ 40% was a significant predictor for OS (median 4.02 vs 3.07 years, HR = 0.484; 95% CI: 0.255 to 0.919; P = 0.027). Multivariate analyses also identified DepRe as an independent prognostic factor for PFS (HR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29 to 0.93; P = 0.028) and OS (HR=0.37; 95% CI:0.15 to 0.90; P = 0.029). Conclusion: ETS≥ 30% and DepRe≥ 40% were significant predictors of better clinical outcomes in mBC patients treated with first-line trastuzumab-based chemotherapy. Further validation in prospective trials with larger patient populations is needed.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the one of the most common types of malignant tumor found in the head and neck area. Replication factor C subunit 4 (RFC4), an oncogene active in various human cancers, has been rarely studied in OSCC. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis identified RFC4 as a potential key target in OSCC progression. Additional experiments showed that RFC4 expression was significantly higher in OSCC tumor tissues than in normal tissues. Knockdown of RFC4 led to G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and inhibited the proliferation of OSCC cells both in vitro and in vivo . High RFC4 expression in OSCC tumors was linked to increased levels of MET, along with reduced levels of CD274 and CD160. Overall, the present study reveals that RFC4 may play a pivotal role in OSCC tumorigenesis and could serve as a potential predictive marker for the efficacy of immunotherapy.

Chemoresistance is a key obstacle in the clinical treatment and management of activated B cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL), which leads to the poor prognosis of patients. Exploring novel biomarkers to early warn drug resistance and ameliorate the patients outcome in ABC-DLBCL is urgent and crucial. Previously, we found that insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) was remarkably associated with immunochemotherapy treatment response through microarray screening. Based on a retrospective cohort (n=160) and a GEO cohort (n=292), here we determined the positive expression rate of IGFBP3 and analyzed the role of IGFBP3 in treatment response and prognostics in ABC-DLBCL. The results demonstrated that the complete response (CR) rate of R-CHOP treatment was higher in ABC-DLBCL with IGFBP3 positive expression than those with IGFBP3 negative expression (42.0 vs 26.4), and IGFBP3 positive expression in ABC-DLBCL was significantly correlated with enhanced therapeutic response (P=0.037). High level of IGFBP3 was negatively correlated with tumorigenesis and development and predicted favorable survival time in ABC-DLBCL. In conclusion, IGFBP3 may be utilized as a promising biomarker for prognosis evaluation and a potential therapy target in ABC-DLBCL patients.