Cell adhesion molecule 4 suppresses cell growth and metastasis by inhibiting the Akt signaling pathway in non-small cell lung cancer

Clinicopathological Significance of Cell Adhesion Molecule 4 Expression in Gallbladder Cancer and Its Prognostic Role

Cell adhesion molecule 4 (CADM4) is involved in intercellular interactions and is a tumor-suppressor candidate. The role of CADM4 in gallbladder cancer (GBC) has not been reported. Therefore, the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of CADM4 expression in GBC were evaluated in the present study. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on 100 GBC tissues to assess CADM4 expression at the protein level. The association between CADM4 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of GBC was analyzed, and the prognostic significance of CADM4 expression was evaluated. Low CADM4 expression was significantly associated with advanced T category (p = 0.010) and high AJCC stage (p = 0.019). In a survival analysis, low CADM4 expression was associated with shorter overall survival (OS; p = 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (RFS; p = 0.018). In univariate analyses, low CADM4 expression was associated with shorter OS (p = 0.002) and RFS (p = 0.023). In multivariate analyses, low CADM4 expression was an independent prognostic factor of OS (p = 0.013). Low CADM4 expression was associated with tumor invasiveness and poor clinical outcomes in patients with GBC. CADM4 may play an important role in cancer progression and patient survival and can be used as a potential prognostic marker of GBC.

Recent Developments and Challenges in Molecular-Targeted Therapy of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Treatment of lung cancer with conventional therapies, which include radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy results in multiple undesirable adverse or side effects. The major clinical challenge in developing new drug therapies for lung cancer is resistance, which involves mutations and disturbance in various signaling pathways. Molecular abnormalities related to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (B-RAF) Kirsten rat sarcoma virus (KRAS) mutations, translocation of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene, mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) amplification have been studied to overcome the resistance and to develop new therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). But, inevitable development of resistance presents limits the clinical benefits of various new drugs. Here, we review current progress in the development of molecularly targeted therapies, concerning six clinical biomarkers: EGFR, ALK, MET, ROS-1, KRAS, and B-RAF for NSCLC treatment.

Decreased Expression of Cell Adhesion Molecule 4 in Gastric Adenocarcinoma and Its Prognostic Implications

Cell adhesion molecule 4 (CADM4) is a novel tumor suppressor candidate. The prognostic implications of CADM4 in gastric cancer have not been conclusively elucidated. Therefore, we evaluated the clinicopathological significance and prognostic value of CADM4 expression in a large series of patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical staining for CADM4 was performed on 534 gastric adenocarcinomas. We evaluated the associations between CADM4 expression and the clinicopathological and molecular characteristics of the adenocarcinomas. The prognostic effect of CADM4 expression was evaluated by survival analyses. Low CADM4 expression was significantly associated with young age (p = 0.046), aggressive histological type (p < 0.001), high pT category (p < 0.001), nodal metastasis (p < 0.001), high stage (p = 0.002), lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.001), and perineural invasion (p = 0.001). Low CADM4 expression was more frequently observed in tumors without human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) amplification (p = 0.002). Low CADM4 expression was associated with worse overall survival (p = 0.007) and recurrence-free survival (p = 0.005) in the survival analyses. Low CADM4 expression was associated with aggressive clinicopathological features and poor clinical outcomes. CADM4 can act as a tumor suppressor in gastric adenocarcinoma and can be considered a prognostic biomarker.

Determining the immune environment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma lesions through the assessment of lesional blood drops

Detailed analysis of the cells that infiltrate lesional skin cannot be performed in skin biopsy specimens using immunohistochemistry or cell separation techniques because enzyme treatments applied during the isolation step can destroy small amounts of protein and minor cell populations in the biopsy specimen. Here, we describe a method for isolating T cells from drops of whole blood obtained from lesions during skin biopsy in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Lesional blood is assumed to contain lesional resident cells, cells from capillary vessels, and blood overflowing from capillary vessels into the lesion area. The lesional blood showed substantial increases in distinct cell populations, chemokines, and the expression of various genes. The proportion of CD8+CD45RO+ T cells in the lesional blood negatively correlated with the modified severity-weighted assessment tool scores. CD4+CD45RO+ T cells in the lesional blood expressed genes associated with the development of cancer and progression of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In addition, CD8+CD45RO+ T cells in lesional blood had unique T-cell receptor repertoires in lesions of each stage. Assessment of lesional blood drops might provide new insight into the pathogenesis of mycosis fungoides and facilitate evaluation of the treatment efficacy for mycosis fungoides as well as other skin inflammatory diseases.

The metastasizing mechanisms of lung cancer: Recent advances and therapeutic challenges

Lung cancer is one of the common malignant tumors that threaten human life with serious incidence and high mortality. According to the histopathological characteristics, lung cancer is mainly divided into non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSCLC accounts for about 80-85% of lung cancers. In fact, lung cancer metastasis is a major cause of treatment failure in clinical patients. The underlying reason is that the mechanisms of lung cancer metastasis are still not fully understood. The metastasis of lung cancer cells is controlled by many factors, including the interaction of various components in the lung cancer microenvironment, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) transformation, and metastasis of cancer cells through blood vessels and lymphatics. The molecular relationships are even more intricate. Further study on the mechanisms of lung cancer metastasis and in search of effective therapeutic targets can bring more reference directions for clinical drug research and development. This paper focuses on the factors affecting lung cancer metastasis and connects with related molecular mechanisms of the lung cancer metastasis and mechanisms of lung cancer to specific organs, which mainly reviews the latest research progress of NSCLC metastasis. Besides, in this paper, experimental models of lung cancer and metastasis, mechanisms in SCLC transfer and the challenges about clinical management of lung cancer are also discussed. The review is intended to provide reference value for the future research in this field and promising treatment clues for clinical patients.

CircDENND2A Promotes Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Progression via Regulating MiR-34a/CCNE1 Signaling

The mechanism regulating non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) is unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the roles of DENN domain containing 2A (circDENND2A) in the progression of NSCLC. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are composited by “head to tail” splicing of coding or non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), whose crucial roles in human cancers had been revealed. CircDENND2A, a new circRNA, was revealed to induce cell proliferation and migration. Our data indicated that circDENND2A was a probable oncogene in human cancers. However, the roles of circDENND2A in NSCLC remained unknown. Here, we demonstrated that circDENND2A was down-regulated in NSCLC samples. Loss-of-function assays showed circDENND2A knockdown suppressed cell growth via inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and inhibited cell migration and invasion. Bioinformatics analysis and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network analysis revealed that circDENND2A was involved in regulating cell cycle and tumor protein p53 (TP53) signaling via miR-34a/CCNE1 (cyclin E1). Further validation showed that circDENND2A could directly bind to miR-34a, promoting CCNE1 expression in NSCLC. In addition, rescue assays demonstrated that restoration of CCNE1 significantly impaired the suppressive effects of circDENND2A silencing in terms of NSCLC growth, migration, and invasion. We thought this study indicated that circDENND2A/miR-34a/CCNE1 may be a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC.