Betel-nut chewing does not influence PD-L1 expression rates in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC): A prospective biomarker prevalence study.

This study explored the relationship between betel-nut chewing and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) patients in Taiwan. A total 280 R/M HNSCC patients, predominantly male, were evaluated; 75.4 % of whom chewed betel-nut. The prevalence of PD-L1 expression (combined positive score ≥1) was 94.3 % with similar PD-L1 expression rates between betel-nut-exposed and non-exposed groups. PD-L1 prevalence did not differ in those who received prior first-or second-line systemic therapy. In summary, betel-nut exposure did not notably affect PD-L1 expression rates in R/M HNSCC patients in Taiwan.

miR-103/107 prolong Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and colorectal cancer stemness by targeting Axin2.

Cancer stemness drives tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, recurrence, and therapy resistance. However, mechanisms that potentiate the acquisition and maintenance of stemness fate of cancer cells remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that miR-103/107 stimulate multiple stem-like features in colorectal cancer, including expression of stem-like markers, appearance of side-population cells, and capabilities in self-renewal, tumor initiation, recurrence, and chemoresistance. Mechanistically, these stemness-promoting functions are mediated by miR-103/107-dependent repression of Axin2, a negative feedback regulator of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. Through inhibiting Axin2, miR-103/107 trigger a prolonged duration of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and a sustained induction of Wnt responsive genes. In colorectal cancer patients, miR-103/107 expression correlates inversely with Axin2 expression and a signature of miR-103/107 high and Axin2 low expression profile correlates with poor prognosis. Together, our study identifies a novel function of miR-103/107 in promoting colorectal cancer stemness by targeting Axin2 and elucidates the clinical relevance and prognostic value of this axis in colorectal cancer.

Comparison of cofilin­1 and Twist­1 protein expression in human non­small cell lung cancer tissues.

Metastasis is the primary cause of mortality in patients with non­small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Actin cytoskeletal reorganization is usually accompanied by the epithelial­mesenchymal transition (EMT)­induced invasion and metastasis of cancer cells. In the present study, expression levels of the actin­associated protein cofilin­1 and of the pivotal EMT molecule Twist­1 were determined in NSCLC tissues. Using lung cancer tissue arrays, the identification of 67.4% of tissue spots that exhibited reciprocal levels of cofilin­1 and Twist­1 was achieved by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining. This reciprocal expression pattern was also detected in 21 out of 25 clinicopathological NSCLC tissue sections, and in 10 out of 15 NSCLC cell lines. In addition, high levels of cofilin­1 and low levels of Twist­1 accounted for 80 and 71.5% of the reciprocal expression pattern in tissue arrays and clinicopathological tissue samples, respectively. This pattern was also detected in normal lung tissues, stage I and II lung cancer tissues, and adenocarcinoma subtypes of NSCLC tissues. Although cofilin­1 and Twist­1 were expressed inversely, a positive correlation of these two proteins was present in normal lung tissues and lung tumor tissues. Furthermore, enforced expression of cofilin­1 suppressed the expression level of Twist­1 in NSCLC H1299 cells. An on­line Kaplan­Meier survival analytic tool allowed access to a public microarray dataset with a maximum of 1,926 NSCLC samples. The analysis revealed that high expression levels of both cofilin­1 (CFL1) and Twist­1 (TWIST1) genes were associated with decreased survival of NSCLC patients, notably with regard to the adenocarcinoma subtype. The analysis was conducted using the multivariate Cox regression model. Although the reciprocal association of the expression levels of cofilin­1 and Twist­1 with the survival rate of NSCLC patients requires additional information, it may be a significant indicator of the progression of NSCLC.

Effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from matched siblings or unrelated donors during the first complete remission in patients with cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia.

We retrospectively examined the impact of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) during the first complete remission (CR1) in 81 patients with cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML). Eligible patients were divided into three subgroups: HSCT recipients with allogeneic sibling or matched unrelated donors (MUD) (allogeneic HSCT, n = 47), recipients of autologous HSCT (n = 12), and patients receiving chemotherapy alone (n = 22). We examined factors associated with overall survival (OS) in these patients, focusing particularly on the effect of allogeneic HSCT. Comparing to those receiving chemotherapy alone, patients in the allogeneic HSCT group had significantly better OS, which was independent of the presence of comorbidities. Furthermore, patients who received allogeneic sibling HSCT had the best OS and disease-free survival (DFS). Patients who received MUD HSCT also had significant advantage in DFS but not in OS, when compared with patients in the chemotherapy group. The study results suggest that patients with CN-AML in CR1 who are eligible for HSCT may have a survival benefit from HSCT, especially the allogeneic HSCT. We suggest that future studies employ molecular classification of AML to better define the benefits of HSCT during CR1 in patients with CN-AML.

Clinical features and prognostic factors of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma in Taiwan: a single-institution experience.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a rare subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphoma that carries a poor prognosis. This study retrospectively analyzed patients with AITL from a single institution in Taiwan, aiming to define the clinical features and prognostic factors. Patients with AITL treated at our institution from February 1988 through January 2010 were enrolled. Factors associated with overall survival (OS) were determined by statistical methods. A total of 31 Taiwanese patients (21 males) were identified. The median age was 74 years (range, 27-90). Among all patients, 67.7% were Ann Arbor stage III or IV, 58.1% presented with B symptoms, 48.4% had hypoalbuminenia (<35 g/L), and 63.3% had elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) at diagnosis. First-line chemotherapy was mostly CHOP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and prednisolone)-based and complete response (CR) was achieved in 25% of patients. The actuarial 2-year survival rate was 38.7%, and the median OS was 14.9 months. In multivariate analysis, initial presentation with fever (p = 0.035), advanced stage (p = 0.024), and failure to achieve CR (p = 0.029) were independent adverse factors associated with poorer OS. Interestingly, OS did not differ whether chemotherapy regimens contained anthracycline or not. Taiwanese patients with AITL were usually elderly. Despite the prognosis being generally poor, patients with AITL should be treated with the goal of achieving CR, regardless of anthracycline- or non-anthracycline-based chemotherapy.