Xiuhua Weng^*1, Shaohong Luo^*1, Shen Lin^*, Lixian Zhong^†, Meiyue Li^*, Rao Xin^*, Pinfang Huang^*, Xiongwei Xu^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.2, pp. 117-125, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15707883083132

Abstract To evaluate the cost–utility of pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy as the first-line setting for metastatic nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the US health care system perspective, a Markov model was developed to compare the lifetime cost and effectiveness of pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy for untreated metastatic NSCLC, based on the clinical data derived from phase III randomized controlled trial (KEYNOTE- 042; ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT02220894). Weibull distribution was fitted to simulate the parametric survival functions. Drug costs were collected from official websites, and utility values were obtained from published literature. Total costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and incremental… More >

Ya-Sian Chang^*†‡§, Chieh-Min Chang^†‡, Chien-Yu Lin^¶#, Dy-San Chao^†, Hsi-Yuan Huang^†, Jan-Gowth Chang^{*†‡**††}

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.2, pp. 107-116, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15698362825407

Abstract The genomic landscape of breast cancer (BC) is complex. The purpose of this study was to decipher the mutational profiles of Taiwanese patients with BC using next-generation sequencing. We performed whole-exome sequencing on DNA from 24 tumor tissue specimens from BC patients. Sanger sequencing was used to validate the identified variants. Sanger sequencing was also performed on paired adjacent nontumor tissues. After genotype calling and algorithmic annotations, we identified 49 deleterious variants in canonical cancer-related genes in our BC cohort. The most frequently mutated genes were PIK3CA (16.67%), FKBP9 (12.5%), TP53 (12.5%), ATM (8.33%), CHEK2 (8.33%), FOXO3 (8.33%), NTRK1… More >

Ping Yin^*, Wei Wang^*, Jian Gao^†, Yu Bai^*, Zhuo Wang^*, Lei Na^*, Yu Sun^*, Chenghai Zhao^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 273-284, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15783052025051

Abstract Cancer cell stemness is responsible for cancer relapse, distal metastasis, and drug resistance. Here we identified that Frizzled 2 (Fzd2), one member of Wnt receptor Frizzled family, induced human breast cancer (BC) cell stemness via noncanonical Wnt pathways. Fzd2 was overexpressed in human BC tissues, and Fzd2 overexpression was associated with an unfavorable outcome. Fzd2 knockdown (KD) disturbed the mesenchymallike phenotype, migration, and invasion of BC cells. Moreover, Fzd2 KD impaired BC cell mammosphere formation, reduced Lgr5+ BC cell subpopulation, and enhanced sensitivity of BC cells to chemical agents. Mechanistically, Fzd2 modulated and bound with More >

Zhiyi Peng^*1, Guohong Cao^†1, Qinming Hou^‡, Ling Li^§, Shihong Ying^*, Junhui Sun^¶, Guanhui Zhou^¶, Jian Zhou^#, Xin Zhang^*, Wenbin Ji^**, Zhihai Yu^††, Tiefeng Li^‡‡, Dedong Zhu^§, Wenhao Hu^§§, Jiansong Ji^¶¶, Haijun Du^##, Changsheng Shi^***, Xiaohua Guo^†††, Jian Fang^‡‡‡, Jun Han^§§§, Wenjiang Gu^¶¶¶, Xiaoxi Xie^###, Zhichao Sun^****, Huanhai Xu^††††, Xia Wu^‡‡‡‡, Tingyang Hu^§§§§, Jing Huang^¶¶¶¶, Hongjie Hu^‡‡‡‡, Jiaping Zheng^####, Jun Luo^####, Yutang Chen^####, Wenqiang Yu^§§§§, Guoliang Shao^####

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 249-271, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15766663541105

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the efficacy, safety, and prognostic factors of drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) in treating Chinese patients with liver cancer. A total of 367 liver cancer patients from 24 medical centers were consecutively enrolled in this multiple-center, prospective cohort study, including 275 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases, 37 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) cases, and 55 secondary liver cancer cases. All the patients received CalliSpheres^® DEB-TACE treatment. Treatment response, overall survival (OS), change of liver function, and adverse events (AEs) were assessed. DEB-TACE treatment achieved 19.9% complete response (CR) and 79.6% objective response rate (ORR),… More >

Stefania Nobili^*, Daniele Lavacchi^†, Gabriele Perrone^*, Giulio Vicini^†, Renato Tassi^‡1, Ida Landini^*, AnnaMaria Grosso^§, Giandomenico Roviello^*¶, Roberto Mazzanti^‡, Carmine Santomaggio^¶2, Enrico Mini^*¶

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 237-248, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15755437099308

Abstract The use of vinorelbine as a single agent or in combination regimens in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is associated with satisfactory clinical activity. However, the role of vinorelbine-based chemotherapy in chemonaive locally advanced unresectable or metastatic NSCLC patients, according to real-world treatment patterns, has still not been widely explored. Eighty-one patients treated at a single institution were retrospectively analyzed. Thirty-seven received standard first-line single-agent vinorelbine, and 44 received vinorelbine plus platinum drugs, based on physician’s choice; 61.7% were older than 70 years, and 60.5% were affected by 2 comorbidities. Sixty-three patients were evaluable for… More >

Huifang Lv, Honglin Hou, Huijun Lei, Caiyun Nie, Beibei Chen, Liangyu Bie, Lili Han, Xiaobing Chen

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 225-236, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15753718797664

Abstract S100 binding protein A16 (S100A16) expression levels are closely associated with microRNA (miRNA) processing. Higher levels of S100A16 are reported during the progression of many cancers. Our study mainly explored the interaction between S100A16 and miR-6884-5p in gastric cancer (GC). Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to determine the level of S100A16 and miR-6884-5p in GC tissues and cell lines. The si-S100A16, pcDNA-S100A16, miR-6884-5p mimic or inhibitor was transfected into GC cells, and the effects of S100A16 and miR-6884-5p on the proliferation, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) were explored by qRT-PCR and Western… More >

Yangmei Zhang^*1, Xichang Zhou^†1, Long Cheng^†, Xiang Wang^*, Qinglin Zhang^‡, Youwei Zhang^*, Sanyuan Sun^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 213-223, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15668125347026

Abstract PRKAA1 (protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit 1) is a catalytic subunit of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which plays a key role in regulating cellular energy metabolism through phosphorylation, and genetic variations in the PRKAA1 have been found to be associated with gastric cancer risk. However, the effect and underlying molecular mechanism of PRKAA1 on gastric cancer tumorigenesis, especially the proliferation and apoptosis, are not fully understood. Our data showed that PRKAA1 is highly expressed in BGC- 823 and MKN45 cells and is expressed low in SGC-7901 and MGC-803 cells in comparison with the other gastric… More >

Dongling Zou^*, Qi Zhou^†, Dong Wang^†, Lili Guan^*, Li Yuan^*†, Shaolin Li^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.4, pp. 447-449, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15970683241756

Abstract It has been demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) act as oncogenes or tumor suppressors in a variety of cancers. Our previous work suggested that miR-10a/b functioned as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer, and miR-10b was also reported to be significantly downregulated in advanced stage cervical cancer tissues. However, the aberrant expression of miR-10b in cervical cancer and its possible role in cervical carcinogenesis was largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of miR-10b in cervical cancer tissues, carcinoma in situ tissues, mild dysplasia, moderate dysplasia, severe dysplasia tissues, and normal controls. We found More >

Wei Wei^*1, Xiao-Dong Ma^†1, Guan-Min Jiang^‡, Bin Shi^§, Wen Zhong^¶, Chun-Lei Sun^§, Liang Zhao^*, Yan-Jiao Hou^*, Hao Wang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.4, pp. 423-438, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15877284857868

Abstract Although oxaliplatin serves as one of the first-line drugs prescribed for treating colorectal cancer (CRC), the therapeutic effect is disappointing due to drug resistance. So far, the molecular mechanisms mediating oxaliplatin resistance remain unclear. In this study, we found the chemoresistance in oxaliplatin-resistant HCT116 cells (HCT116/OXA) was mediated by the upregulation of ERCC1 expression. In addition, the acquisition of resistance induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) as well as the Slug overexpression. On the contrary, Slug silencing reversed the EMT phenotype, decreased ERCC1 expression, and ameliorated drug resistance. Further mechanistical studies revealed the enhanced Slug expression resulted More >

Ming Jia^*1, Yulin Xiong^†1, Maoshi Li^*, Qing Mao^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.4, pp. 371-383, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15853075736554

Abstract Chemotherapy is critical for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the proapoptotic effects of corosolic acid (CA) treatment, its underlying mechanism is not completely clear. The aim of this study was to determine the molecular mechanism of CA in HCC treatment. MTT assay was used to determine the IC50 of CA. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence were used to detect the interaction and subcellular localization of Yes-associated protein (YAP) and mouse double minute 2 (MDM2). In addition, in vivo xenotransplantation was performed to assess the effects of CA, YAP, and MDM2 on tumorigenesis. The IC50 of… More >