Paclitaxel promotes mTOR signaling-mediated apoptosis in esophageal cancer cells by targeting MUC20.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of paclitaxel on the apoptosis of esophageal cancer cells in relation to MUC20. METHODS: RT-qPCR analysis, a CCK-8 assay, western blotting, and flow cytometry were used to analyze the anticancer effects of paclitaxel treatment or OE-MUC20 in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: The in vitro results showed that paclitaxel significantly induced MUC20 upregulation and that paclitaxel treatment or OE-MUC20 significantly decreased esophageal cancer cell viability and increased mTOR signaling activation and apoptosis. In addition, PKM2, a key downstream molecule of mTOR signaling, similarly showed significant upregulation after paclitaxel treatment in cells with OE-MUC20, and its expression was attenuated after treatment with mTOR inhibitors. In a nude mouse model, tumor growth was slow in the OE-MUC20 group and accelerated after inhibition of mTOR signaling. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that MUC20 is an important target of paclitaxel in esophageal cancer and promotes apoptosis through activation of mTOR signaling.

Division of the intersegmental demarcation using the "modified hand-tearing method" is safe and feasible in thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy.

BACKGROUND: The accurate and safe division of the intersegmental demarcation (ISD) is critical and challenging during thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy. Here, we provide an improved technique which emphasizes the application of an electric hook and blunt division of ISD. The technique is termed as the "modified hand-tearing method" (MHT method) with combined application of an electric hook and staplers. The study aimed to review the outcomes of patients who underwent thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy, with or without the MHT method in our institute and assess its feasibility and safety. In addition, we compared the feasibility between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) using the MHT method. METHODS: From 2018 July to 2021 June, we retrospectively analyzed 701 patients who underwent segmentectomy. Using propensity score matching, data of two well-matched pairs of 276 cases in the MHT method and non-MHT method groups, and two well-matched pairs of 40 cases in the VATS and RATS subgroups were obtained. The clinical and perioperative characteristics of patients were compared between groups. RESULTS: Compared with the non-MHT method group, the MHT method group had shorter operation time and shorter postoperative hospital stay. Period of chest tube drainage and postoperative total drainage and postoperative complications had no between-group difference. Compared with VATS, the RATS subgroup had less intraoperative bleeding and shorter postoperative hospital stay. CONCLUSION: Division of ISD using the MHT method has advantages in precision and ease of operation, so it has the potential to become a feasible and effective method for thoracoscopic anatomical segmentectomy.

Expression and clinical significance of CD31, CD34, and CD105 in pulmonary ground glass nodules with different vascular manifestations on CT.

Blood vessel passage on CT exerts a vital part in early diagnosis as well as treatment of carcinoma of the lungs. Intratumoral microvascular density (iMVD) has gradually become the focus of research on biological behavior, appearance, and evolution of malignant tumors nowadays. The aim of this paper was to verify whether there is a correlation between the iMVD and the vascular morphology of ground glass nodules (GGNs). A total of 109 patients with pulmonary GGN were classified into three groups (I,II, and III) according to the vascular morphology on CT, and their expression of CD31-, CD34-, and CD105-labeled iMVD was detected by the streptoavidin-biotin method, statistically analyzing the iMVD values of each group. The expression of CD31, CD34, and CD105 in different lung tissues was significantly different, with remarkably higher iMVD in lung cancer tissues than in adjacent normal lung tissues. In the imaging sort of types I, II, and III according to the means of vascular passage, the iMVD expression of CD31, CD34, and CD105 was significantly different between groups. These data suggest that the presence and the abnormal morphology of vessels seen within GGNs indicate the occurrence and progression of lung cancer in pathology. It offers a strong theoretical foundation for early diagnosis of carcinoma of the lungs, thus providing a more precise clinical diagnosis and prognosis of early-stage lung cancer.

Correlation between CT imaging characteristics and pathological diagnosis for subcentimeter pulmonary nodules.

BACKGROUND: Advances in chest computed tomography (CT) have resulted in more frequent detection of subcentimeter pulmonary nodules (SCPNs), some of which are non-benign and may represent invasive lung cancer. The present study aimed to explore the correlation between pathological diagnosis and the CT imaging manifestations of SCPNs. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients who underwent pulmonary resection for SCPNs at Shandong Provincial Hospital in China. Lesions were divided into five categories according to their morphological characteristics on CT: cotton ball, solid-filled with spiculation, solid-filled with smooth edges, mixed-density ground-glass, and vacuolar. We further analyzed lesion size, enhancement patterns, vascular aggregation, and SCPN traversing. Chi-square tests, Fisher's exact tests, and Welch's one-way analysis of variance were used to examine the correlation between CT imaging characteristics and pathological type. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in the morphological distributions of SCPNs with different pathological types, including benign lesions and malignant lesions at different stages (p < 0.01). The morphological distributions of the four subtypes of invasive lung adenocarcinoma also exhibited significant differences (p < 0.01). In addition, size and enhancement patterns differed significantly among different pathological types of SCPNs. CONCLUSION: Different pathological types of SCPNs exhibit significant differences based on their morphological category, size, and enhancement pattern on CT imaging. These CT characteristics may assist in the qualitative diagnosis of SCPNs.

Correlation between computed tomography imaging and pathological stages and subtypes in early lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Detection of early-stage lung cancers has increased due to computed tomography (CT). The pathological stages and subtypes of early lung cancer determine the treatment strategy. We aimed to investigate the correlation between CT characteristics and pathological status in early lung adenocarcinoma (ADC). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Between June 2018 and December 2019, 415 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for lung ADC with pathological atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) and ADC in situ (AIS), T1a (mi) N0M0, and T1a-cN0M0 were analyzed. The relationship between CT imaging and pathological status was investigated using Chi-squared or Kruskal-Wallis test and binary logistic regression. RESULTS: When cases of AAH, AIS, and T1a (mi) N0M0 were used as the control group, the lesion size, solid component ratio (SCR), and spiculation were significantly and independently associated with T1a-cN0M0 (P < 0.01). SCR >50% (P < 0.01) and spiculation (P < 0.05) were significantly and independently associated with T1aN0M0. In cases of pathological T1a-cN0M0, SCR >50% was significantly different between adherent wall growth ADC and mucinous ADC (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Some CT characteristics are related to the pathological stage and subtypes of early lung ADC. Larger diameter, spiculation, and SCR >50% are associated with invasive ADC. SCR >50% is positively correlated with mucinous ADC and negatively with adherent growth ADC.