Zhongyi Mu^*†1, Dan Dong^*1, Ning Wei^‡§, Mingli Sun^¶, Wei Wang^*, Yue Shao^*, Jian Gao^*, Ping Yin^*, Chenghai Zhao^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.6, pp. 653-661, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15420748671075

Abstract The lncRNA AFAP1-AS1, oriented from an antisense direction to the protein-coding gene AFAP1 in the opposite strand, was upregulated in a variety of tumors and associated with poor prognosis, including lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and so on. However, the biological role of AFAP1-AS1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is still unknown. We observed that AFAP1-AS1 expression was significantly upregulated in ccRCC tissues and that patients with high-level expression of AFAP1-AS1 had a shorter overall survival. Knockdown of AFAP1-AS1 markedly suppressed the progression of proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT in ccRCC cells. Downregulation of AFAP1-AS1 resulted in… More >

Qiang Li^*†1, Qi Liu^*1, Wanpeng Cheng^*, Huiyan Wei^*, Wenqian Jiang^*, Fang E^*, Yuan Yu^*, Jianfeng Jin^*, Chaoxia Zou^*‡

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.6, pp. 643-651, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15415906335771

Abstract Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) plays an important role in the progression of several malignancies including breast cancer. However, its role in breast cancer metastasis is still ambiguous. In this study, we observed the effect of HO-1 on mouse mammary carcinoma metastasis using the in vivo tumor metastasis model. Our results revealed that overexpression of HO-1 strongly inhibits the lung metastasis of 4T1 cells. In in vitro analysis, associated indices for epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and proliferation of 4T1 cells were evaluated. The results show that HO-1 inhibits EMT, migration, and proliferation of 4T1 cells. In addition, the Notch1/ Slug pathway is… More >

Jing Tang^*1, Xu Yong Li^†1, Jing Bo Liang^‡, De Wu^§, Li Peng^¶, Xiaobing Li^¶

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.6, pp. 635-641, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15288447760357

Abstract Apatinib is an oral TKI with antiangiogenic properties, and it is currently approved for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer in China. This agent has also been tested in other human solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Since the combination of chemotherapy and an antiangiogenic agent has been shown to be a feasible strategy in NSCLC, it is conceivable that a similar approach combining apatinib with chemotherapy may yield clinical activity. With this in mind, we investigated the efficiency of apatinib in combination with pemetrexed or docetaxel in advanced NSCLC. We treated a total of 20 patients with… More >

Li Zhu^*, Lijun Xue^†

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.6, pp. 629-634, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15228018559434

Abstract Kaempferol is a flavonoid that has been extensively investigated owing to its antitumor effects. Nevertheless, little is known about its underlying mechanisms of action. We aimed to explore the role of kaempferol in breast cancer (BC), and thus we investigated how kaempferol suppresses the growth of BC cells. The cells were treated with kaempferol, and the effects on multiple cancer-associated pathways were evaluated. The MTS assay was used to study the cell growth inhibition induced by kaempferol. The cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. Western blotting was used to analyze cellular apoptosis and DNA damage. We found that the… More >

Wanjun Yu^*, Weidong Peng^*, Hanyun Sha^†, Jipeng Li^‡

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 623-628, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15420734828058

Abstract Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a new class of noncoding RNAs that is involved in the development of cancer. However, little is known about their role in chemoresistance. In the present study, we found that hsa_circ_0003998 expression levels in lung adenocarcinoma (LAD) tissues and docetaxel-resistant cell lines (A549/DTX and H1299/DTX) were upregulated. Knockdown of hsa_circ_0003998 decreased chemoresistance, inhibited proliferation, and enhanced apoptosis in docetaxel-resistant LAD cells. Moreover, by using bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assays, we found that miR-326 was a direct target of hsa_circ_0003998. Functional analysis revealed that miR-326 mediated the effect of hsa_circ_0003998 on chemosensitivity. Our findings provide a molecular… 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 >

Jiandong Guo, Huihua You, Dong Li

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 601-611, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15399945637736

Abstract Baicalein, an active ingredient separated from Astragalus membranaceus, has shown its anticancer ability in various cancers. However, its effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma has not been explored yet. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of baicalein on the growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells, as well as transplanted nude mouse xenograft. The results showed that baicalein inhibited the growth and proliferation of CNE1 and CNE2 cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. It also caused a significant increase in the number of cells in the G₀/G₁ phase and a decrease in the G₂/M phase,… More >

Jun Shan Ruan^*†, Huan Zhou^*, Lin Yang^‡, Ling Wang^*, Zong Sheng Jiang^§, Hong Sun^*, Shao Ming Wang^*†

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 593-600, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504017X15051723858706

Abstract Transforming growth factor- 1 (TGF- 1)-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may contribute to tumor metastasis. TGF- 1-induced EMT in H1975 cells (a human NSCLC cell line) resulted in the adoption of mesenchymal responses that were predominantly mediated via the TGF- 1–integrin signaling pathway. Ursolic acid has been previously reported to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis in several cancers. However, whether ursolic acid can attenuate TGF- 1-induced EMT in H1975 cells and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, ursolic acid significantly attenuated the TGF- 1-induced decrease in E-cadherin level and elevated the level of… 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 >

Kai Zhang^*, Huajun Chen^†, Ye Wang^‡, Lin Yang^§, Chengzhi Zhou^¶, Weiqiang Yin^#, Guangsuo Wang^§, Xinru Mao^**, Jianxing Xiang^**, Bing Li^**, Tengfei Zhang^**, Shihong Fei^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.5, pp. 575-582, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15344979253618

Abstract RET rearrangement has been proven as an oncogenic driver in patients with lung cancer. However, the prevalence, clinical characteristics, molecular features, and therapeutic options in RET-rearranged patients remain unclear, especially in Chinese lung cancer patients. We retrospectively collected 6,125 Chinese lung cancer patients who have been profiled using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The clinical demographics and molecular features of RET rearrangement-positive patients were analyzed. RET rearrangements were identified in 84 patients with a proportion of 1.4% in our cohort. The median age at diagnosis was 58 years, and it mainly occurred in females with adenocarcinoma histology. KIF5B-RET was the most frequent… More >