Prospects of liquid biopsy in the prognosis and clinical management of gastrointestinal cancers.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers account for one-fourth of the global cancer incidence and are incriminated to cause one-third of cancer-related deaths. GI cancer includes esophageal, gastric, liver, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers, mostly diagnosed at advanced stages due to a lack of accurate markers for early stages. The invasiveness of diagnostic methods like colonoscopy for solid biopsy reduces patient compliance as it cannot be frequently used to screen patients. Therefore, minimally invasive approaches like liquid biopsy may be explored for screening and early identification of gastrointestinal cancers. Liquid biopsy involves the qualitative and quantitative determination of certain cancer-specific biomarkers in body fluids such as blood, serum, saliva, and urine to predict disease progression, therapeutic tolerance, toxicities, and recurrence by evaluating minimal residual disease and its correlation with other clinical features. In this review, we deliberate upon various tumor-specific cellular and molecular entities such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), tumor-educated platelets (TEPs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), exosomes, and exosome-derived biomolecules and cite recent advances pertaining to their use in predicting disease progression, therapy response, or risk of relapse. We also discuss the technical challenges associated with translating liquid biopsy into clinical settings for various clinical applications in gastrointestinal cancers.

Diagnostic significance of dysregulated miRNAs in T-cell malignancies and their metabolic roles.

T-cell malignancy is a broad term used for a diverse group of disease subtypes representing dysfunctional malignant T cells transformed at various stages of their clonal evolution. Despite having similar clinical manifestations, these disease groups have different disease progressions and diagnostic parameters. The effective diagnosis and prognosis of such a diverse disease group demands testing of molecular entities that capture footprints of the disease physiology in its entirety. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of noncoding RNA molecules that regulate the expression of genes and, while doing so, leave behind specific miRNA signatures corresponding to cellular expression status in an altered stage of a disease. Using miRNAs as a diagnostic tool is justified, as they can effectively distinguish expressional diversity between various tumors and within subtypes of T-cell malignancies. As global attention for cancer diagnosis shifts toward liquid biopsy, diagnosis using miRNAs is more relevant in blood cancers than in solid tumors. We also lay forward the diagnostic significance of miRNAs that are indicative of subtype, progression, severity, therapy response, and relapse. This review discusses the potential use and the role of miRNAs, miRNA signatures, or classifiers in the diagnosis of major groups of T-cell malignancies like T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-ALL), peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL), and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). The review also briefly discusses major diagnostic miRNAs having prominent metabolic roles in these malignancies to highlight their importance among other dysregulated miRNAs.

Current Challenges for the Effective Management of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Within a short period, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) spread all over the globe and became the first pandemic of the present century. Early diagnostic tools and effective drugs are urgently needed to effectively manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on current literature, we provide recent updates on SARS-CoV-2 biology, available diagnostic methods, and therapeutic options for the management of COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A literature survey was done using Google and PubMed and Web of Science to summarize the current updates on this topic. RESULTS: Current coronavirus diagnostic tests are reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), and reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) which detects the presence of specific genome sequence of virus. Existing antiviral drugs or new therapeutic options such as neutralizing antibody or plasma therapy are mostly used to restrict the virus growth with a limited success. CONCLUSION: As there is no specific treatment or vaccine available to limit the infection of SARS-CoV-2, we need to rely on the existing way to limit the disease. The first priority to fight COVID-19 is development of early diagnostic tools so that infected persons can be identified and further viral transmission can be blocked. Evaluation of existing drugs or identification of new therapeutic entities becomes the major challenge to deal with the present pandemic.

A Comprehensive Review of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies for the Management of Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the fastest-growing fatal solid tumors across the world. The challenges with pancreatic cancer are delayed diagnosis and lack of effective treatment strategies. Pancreatic cancer is expected to become the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality in high-income countries in the coming decade. In most cases, patients are diagnosed at advanced stages, due to a lack of early symptoms, whereby the tumor is unresectable. Imaging, histopathology, and biomarker approaches are currently used for pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Imaging modalities for pancreatic cancer diagnosis include endoscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography scanning. Along with imaging, histopathology helps in the identification of cancer stages and in therapeutic decisions. The multidisciplinary treatment option is the most common choice for pancreatic cancer and includes surgery, chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, and supportive care. Immunotherapy is the emerging approach for the treatment of pancreatic cancers. The present review summarizes the current literature and provides an overview of both the diagnostic and therapeutic options for the effective management of pancreatic carcinoma.

Epigenetic Modifiers and Their Potential Application in Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of mortality in western countries. Delayed diagnosis of CRC is among the major reasons for its high mortality rate and progression to advanced stages. Early diagnosis of CRC is considered very important for timely treatment. Therefore, identification of accurate biomarkers holds the potential of laying a structural foundation for successful clinical management. A multistep process including genetic and epigenetic alterations, drives the development of early premalignant lesions to advanced metastatic CRC. These genetic and epi-genetic alterations accumulated over the course of malignant transformation favor the growth of neoplastic cells and an aggressive phenotype of malignant cells. Several epigenetic modifications have been shown to play a critical role in regulating gene expression, not only causing belligerent malignant cells but also impelling the initial stages of oncogenesis. The present review discusses the diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive applications of epigenetic biomarkers along with therapeutic strategies targeting such epigenetic alterations.