DEXUE FAN^1,#, WEI SU^2,#, ZHAOWEN BI³, XINXING WANG¹, XIANWEN XU¹, MINGZE MA⁴, LICHAO ZHU⁵, ZHENHAI ZHANG^1,3,*, JUNLIN GAO^2,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.6, pp. 1459-1472, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2025.060407 - 29 May 2025

Abstract Objectives: Apatinib has been reported to be a promising treatment for sorafenib-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, the underlying mechanism remains ambiguous. The study aimed to explore the efficacy of apatinib in sorafenib-resistant HCC and the underlying mechanism both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: After observing epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) changes in HepG2 and HepG2/Sorafenib cells, we treated them with varying concentrations of apatinib to assess its impact on sorafenib-resistant HCC. Subsequently, specific inhibitors of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK, SP600125) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK, PD98059) were introduced to investigate whether apatinib influenced sorafenib-resistant HCC via modulation… More >

LIBO LIANG¹, XINYI WANG^2,3,4, YUPING ZENG^2,3,4, HAO CHEN^2,3,4, WEN ZHOU¹, HONGYING MU^2,3,4, GA LIAO^5,6,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.6, pp. 1405-1421, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.056708 - 29 May 2025

Abstract Objectives: Exosomal long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) might facilitate epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in liver cancer after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), thereby enhancing tumor cell invasiveness and migration. This study investigated the prognostic role of plasma exosomal long noncoding RNA-plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (lncRNA-PVT1) in TACE treated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Plasma exosomal lncRNA-PVT1 was evaluated via qPCR before and after TACE. Hepatoma cell behavior was investigated in different HCC cell lines. A lncRNA-PVT1 plasmid was synthesized and overexpressed, and si-lncRNA PVT1 was transfected into poorly invasive cells to reveal its influence on cell characteristics. The lncRNA-PVT1–FoxM1 interaction… More > Graphic Abstract

BIAO WU^1,#, XIANLIN GUO^2,#, ZHISHI WU¹, LIANG CHEN^1,*, SUQING ZHANG^3,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.4, pp. 975-988, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2025.058085 - 19 March 2025

Abstract Objectives: Although Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) is an important oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression, its nuclear localization prevents it from being considered a potential therapeutic target. Recently, studies have reported that coatomer protein complex subunit beta 2 (COPB2) also plays a critical role in HCC development; however its mechanism of action is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of COPB2 and YAP1 in the progression of HCC and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: COPB2 and YAP1 expression in HCC tissues were first analyzed by database searches and immunohistochemistry. Nomogram and artificial… More >

DONG JIANG¹, ZHI QI³, ZHIYING XU^2,*, YIRAN LI^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.3, pp. 709-722, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.050125 - 28 February 2025

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent liver malignancy. This study examined the roles of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and cytochrome b5 domain containing 2 (CYB5D2) in HCC etiology and their prognostic biomarker potential. Methods: Key modules and prognostic genes were identified by analyzing the GSE101685 dataset by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression. The expression levels of CYB5D2 and TGF-β in HCC cell lines were quantified using Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting (WB) assays. Effects of CYB5D2 overexpression on cell proliferation,… More >

KE TIAN¹, ZHIPENG LI², XIANGYU ZHAI^2,3, HUAXIN ZHOU², HUI YAO^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.3, pp. 617-630, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.049772 - 28 February 2025

Abstract Background: Primary liver cancer poses a significant global health burden, with projections indicating a surpassing of one million cases by 2025. Cuproptosis, a copper-dependent mechanism of cell death, plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis, progression, and prognosis of various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Purpose: This study aimed to develop a prognostic model for HCC based on cuproptosis-related genes, utilizing clinical data and gene expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Materials and Methods: Clinical features and gene expression data of HCC patients were collected from publicly available More >

NASSER MULLA^1,*, YOUSEF KATIB², ASIM M. ALMUGHAMSI³, DUAA S. ALKHAYAT¹, MOHAMED MOSAAD^1,4, SAMIR T. ALFOTIH⁵, RAWAN ALAOFI⁶

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.1, pp. 149-160, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.050903 - 20 December 2024

Abstract Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common cause of cancer-related death in Saudi Arabia. Our study aimed to investigate the patterns of HCC and the effect of TNM staging, Alfa-fetoprotein (AFP), and Child-Turcotte Pugh (CTP) on patients’ overall survival (OS). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 43 HCC patients at a single oncology center in Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2020. All patients had to fulfill one of the following criteria: (a) a liver lesion reported as definitive HCC on dynamic imaging and/or (b) a biopsy-confirmed diagnosis. Results: The mean patient age of all… More >

SAM SON¹, AKSHAAR BRAHMBHATT¹, KEN ZHAO¹, BRETT MARINELLI¹, JAMES HARDING², WILLIAM JARNAGIN³, GHASSAN K. ABOU-ALFA², HOOMAN YARMOHAMMADI^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.12, pp. 1831-1836, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.052985 - 13 November 2024

Abstract Background: This article aims to present the single-institution outcomes of patients with Fibrolamellar Carcinoma (FLC) treated with liver-directed therapies (LDT). Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, all patients diagnosed with FLC who underwent LDT were identified. Between July 2012 and July 2023, six patients were identified. One patient was excluded due to bleeding. Demographic and clinical parameters were recorded. Complications within 30 days of the LDT were evaluated. Radiological treatment responses at 1, 6, and 12 months were assessed per mRECIST. Results: A total of five patients, which included three females and two males, were reviewed.… More >

XINFENG ZHANG^1,2,#, SHUANG LI^2,#, MEIRU SONG^1,2, YUE CHEN³, LIANGZHENG CHANG³, ZHERUI LIU⁴, HONGYUAN DAI³, YUTAO WANG⁴, GANGQI YANG³, YUN JIANG^5,6,*, YINYING LU^1,2,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.4, pp. 679-690, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.046231 - 20 March 2024

Abstract Liver cancer is a prevalent malignant cancer, ranking third in terms of mortality rate. Metastasis and recurrence primarily contribute to the high mortality rate of liver cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has low expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which increases the risk of metastasis and recurrence. Nevertheless, the efficacy of FAK phosphorylation inhibitors is currently limited. Thus, investigating the mechanisms by which FAK affects HCC metastasis to develop targeted therapies for FAK may present a novel strategy to inhibit HCC metastasis. This study examined the correlation between FAK expression and the prognosis of HCC. Additionally,… More >

LU ZHANG^*, JINGUO CHU^*, YUSHAN YU

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.4, pp. 703-716, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.030988 - 20 March 2024

Abstract Background: Limited research has been conducted on the influence of autophagy-associated long non-coding RNAs (ARLncRNAs) on the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We analyzed 371 HCC samples from TCGA, identifying expression networks of ARLncRNAs using autophagy-related genes. Screening for prognostically relevant ARLncRNAs involved univariate Cox regression, Lasso regression, and multivariate Cox regression. A Nomogram was further employed to assess the reliability of Riskscore, calculated from the signatures of screened ARLncRNAs, in predicting outcomes. Additionally, we compared drug sensitivities in patient groups with differing risk levels and investigated potential biological pathways through enrichment analysis, using… More >

YAO XU^1,#, BIN WU^2,#, JING YANG³, SHENG ZHANG², LONGGEN LIU⁴, SUOBAO XU^2,*, JIAKAI JIANG^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.6, pp. 1483-1491, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017745 - 07 February 2022

Abstract To study the roles and association of murine double minute gene 2 (MDM2) and fructose-1,6-biphosphatase (FBP1) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), growth response of human HCC cells was assessed using proliferation and apoptosis assay. Pro-survival AKT signaling associated proteins (p-AKT, survivin and cleaved caspase 3) were assessed using western blotting. The correlation between MDM2 and FBP1 was assessed using co-immunoprecipitation combined with ubiquitination assay. Our data suggested that low expression of FBP1 was correlated with high levels of MDM2 in HCC cell lines (Huh7 and Hep3B). Overexpression of FBP1 resulted in anti-proliferation, pro-apoptosis, the up-regulation… More >