Qing Wei¹, Rui Zhu¹, Junying Zhu, Rongping Zhao, Min Li

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.7, pp. 827-834, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15462920753012

Abstract Emerging evidence suggests that 17β-estradiol (E2) and estrogen receptor (ER) signaling are protective against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In our previous study, we showed that E2 suppressed the carcinogenesis and progression of HCC by targeting NLRP3 inflammasome activation, whereas the molecular mechanism by which the NLRP3 inflammasome initiated cancer cell death was not elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of NLRP3 inflammasome activation on cell death pathways and autophagy of HCC cells. First, we observed an increasing mortality in E2-treated HCC cells, and then apoptotic and pyroptotic cell death were both detected. The mortality of HCC cells was… More >

Xinshan Cao^*, Ling Xu^†, Quanyuan Liu^*, Lijuan Yang^‡, Na Li^§, Xiaoxiao Li^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 301-309, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15213058045841

Abstract Our study aimed to investigate the roles and possible regulatory mechanism of miR-1277 in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC patients were identified from patients who were diagnosed with focal liver lesions using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The expression levels of miR-1277 in the serum of HCC patients and HepG2 cells were measured. Then miR-1277 mimic, miR-1277 inhibitor, or scramble RNA was transfected into HepG2 cells. The effects of miR-1277 overexpression and suppression on HepG2 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were then investigated. Additionally, the expression levels of epithelial– mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers, including E-cadherin, -catenin, and vimentin, were… More >

Hong Ye^*, Qing Yang^†, Shujie Qi^*, Hairong Li^‡

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 613-621, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15410353669149

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has high morbidity and mortality rates, and the number of new cases and deaths from liver cancer are increasing. However, the details of the regulation in HCC remain largely unknown. Plant homeodomain finger protein 8 (PHF8) is a JmjC domain-containing protein. Recently, PHF8 was reported to participate in several types of cancer. However, the biological function and clinical significance of PHF8 in HCC remain unknown. In this study, we investigate the role of PHF8 in HCC growth and metastasis. We used bioinformatics analysis and identified the differentially expressed PHF8 in primary HCC and metastasis HCC. Immunohistochemistry analysis… More >

Ping Wen^*, Sheng-Duo Chen^*, Jia-Rui Wang^†, Ying-He Zeng^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 583-592, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15368325811545

Abstract This study evaluated the difference in treatment response and survival profiles between drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) and conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) treatments in Chinese hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. A total of 120 HCC patients were consecutively enrolled in this prospective cohort study, which showed that DEB-TACE achieved higher complete response (CR) (30.8%) compared with cTACE (7.4%) with no difference in overall response rate (ORR) for patients treated with DEB-TACE and cTACE (80.8% vs. 73.5%). In addition, DEB-TACE was associated with a lower rate of progressive disease (PD) compared with cTACE (1.9% vs. 11.8%). With respect to survival, patients in… More >

Xiaoying Han^*1, Jing Yang^†1, Dong Li^‡, Zewei Guo^§

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 533-540, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15199489058224

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Although the mechanisms of HCC progression are not well understood, recent studies demonstrated the potential contribution of uric acid transporter SLC2A9 to tumor suppression. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms are still unknown. We aimed to study the roles and mechanisms of SLC2A9 in HCC. The present study showed that SLC2A9 expression was decreased in human HCC tissues and cell lines. In addition, overexpression of SLC2A9 inhibited HCC cell proliferation. SCL2A9 induced HCC cell apoptosis by inhibiting the expression of caspase 3. Our study also revealed that upregulation… More >

Qiaodong Xu¹, Songgang Gu¹, Jiahong Liang, Zhihua Lin, Shaodong Zheng, Jiang Yan

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 509-514, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15278771272963

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major malignant tumors that lead to death. Chronic hepatitis B virus infection is an important risk factor for HCC initiation. HBx protein, encoded by the HBV X gene, is a significant factor that promotes HBV-related HCC, although the exact molecular mechanism remains unclear. This article summarizes the pathological roles and related mechanisms of HBx in HCC. HBx plays a carcinogenic role by promoting cell proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis and inhibiting apoptosis in HCC. A detailed study of the biological functions of HBx will help to elucidate the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis and lead to… More >

Guoyun Li, Wei Zhang, Li Gong, Xiaoping Huang

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 449-458, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504017X15016337254623

Abstract MicroRNAs, a class of endogenous noncoding RNAs, regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and thus take part in multiple biological processes. An increasing number of miRNAs have been found to be dysregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and are involved in liver tumorigenesis. In this study, miR- 125a-5p was found to be obviously downregulated much more in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC. To investigate the effects of miR-125a-5p, miR-125a-5p was overexpressed in HepG2.2.15 and HepG3X cells. The findings have indicated that overexpression of miR-125a-5p dramatically inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-125a-5p could significantly decrease the… More >

Jihong Sun^*†1, Jingjing Li^†1, Zhixian Guo^†, Lu Sun^†‡, Chenghui Juan^§, Yubing Zhou^¶, Hongli Gu^†, Yan Yu^†, Qiuyue Hu^†, Quancheng’ Kan^¶, Zujiang Yu^†

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 407-417, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15180451872087

Abstract Most cancers rely disproportionately on glycolysis for energy even in the presence of an adequate oxygen supply, a condition known as “aerobic glycolysis,” or the “Warburg effect.” Pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 subunit (PDHA1) is one of the main factors for the metabolic switch from oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to aerobic glycolysis and has been suggested to be closely associated with tumorigenesis. Here we observed that the PDHA1 protein was reduced in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, which was significantly associated with poor overall survival. To further analyze the function of PDHA1 in cancer cells, PDHA1 was upregulated in… More >

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

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.1, pp. 75-94, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15662966719585

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) treatment in Chinese hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and the prognostic factors for treatment response as well as survival. A total of 275 HCC patients were included in this prospective study. Treatment response was assessed by modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST), and progression-free survival (PFS) as well as overall survival (OS) were determined. Liver function and adverse events (AEs) were assessed before and after DEB-TACE operation. Complete response (CR), partial response (PR), and objective response rate (ORR) were 22.9%, 60.7%,… More >

Minhua Wu^*1, Xubin Deng^†1, Yu Zhong^‡1, Li Hu^*, Xiujuan Zhang^§, Yanqin Liang^*, Xiaofang Li^¶, Xiaoxia Ye^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 299-309, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15796890809840

Abstract MafF is a member of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor Maf family and is commonly downregulated in multiple cancers. But the expression and function of MafF in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between endogenous MafF expression and HCC progression and explored the regulatory mechanism of MafF expression in HCC. We found that MafF decreased in HCC tissues and cells. Lentivirus-mediated MafF overexpression inhibited HCC cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assay identified MafF as a direct target of miR-224-5p. RNA pull-down assay demonstrated that circular RNA circ-ITCH… More >