A novel marker ADAM17 for clear cell renal cell carcinomas: Implication for patients’ prognosis

Analysis of A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) Expression as a Prognostic Marker in Ovarian Cancer Patients Undergoing First-Line Treatment Plus Bevacizumab

To find prognostic factors for advanced ovarian cancer patients undergoing first-line therapy with carboplatin, paclitaxel and bevacizumab, we investigated the expression of a disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) in cancer tissues. ADAM17 has been involved in ovarian cancer development, progression and cell resistance to cisplatin. Tissue microarrays from 309 ovarian cancer patients enrolled in the MITO16A/MANGO-OV2 clinical trial were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for ADAM17 protein expression. Intensity and extent of staining were combined into a semi-quantitative visual grading system (H score) which was related to clinicopathological characteristics of cases and the clinical outcome of patients by univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. ADAM17 immunostaining was detected in most samples, mainly localized in the tumor cells, with variable intensity across the cohort. Kaplan–Meier survival curves, generated according to the best cut-off value for the ADAM17 H score, showed that high ADAM17 expression was associated with worse prognosis for PFS and OS. However, after the application of a shrinkage procedure to adjust for overfitting hazard ratio estimates, the ADAM17 value as prognostic factor was lost. As subgroup analysis suggested that ADAM17 expression could be prognostically relevant in cases with no residual disease at baseline, further studies in this patient category may be worth planning.

Role of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 in malignant tumors of the digestive system

A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17), also known as tumor necrosis factor-alpha converting enzyme, is widely distributed in mammalian cells and closely related to cell adhesion, migration, leukocyte recruitment, proteolysis, and other functions. ADAM17 plays an important role in the development of malignant tumors. On the one hand, it activates signaling pathways by mediating membrane protein shedding to participate in cell proliferation and angiogenesis. On the other hand, it plays an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis by degrading the cell basement membrane and extracellular matrix. Therefore, ADAM17 may be used as a potential target for tumor therapy. This article reviews the role of ADAM17 in malignant tumors of the digestive system.

Betel nut chewing and the risk of chronic kidney disease: evidence from a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To investigate and quantify the potential association between betel nut chewing and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

METHODS

We searched five online databases including PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, Wanfang and CNKI to identify observational studies that published prior to May, 1, 2017. The primary outcome was the association between betel nut chewing and CKD expressed as odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI) after adjustment for other covariates. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software; the leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was used to confirm the stability of drawn conclusion.

RESULTS

Five studies comprising a total of 10,562 CKD patients and 34,038 subjects without CKD that analyzed the relationship between betel nut chewing and CKD were included in our study; all the included studies were performed in Taiwan. After the adjustment for covariates, the combined adjusted ORs showed that betel nut used had 1.44 times higher risk to develop CKD compared with non-chewers (OR 1.44, 95%CI 1.08-1.92).

CONCLUSIONS

Betel nut chewing could significantly increase the risk of CKD, indicating that betel nut chewing may exist as an independent risk factor for CKD. Further investigation should be warranted.

Predictive values of Notch signalling in renal carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

Notch signalling, an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of cellular differentiation and tissue remodelling, is frequently deregulated in several human malignancies, including renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, the prognostic value of individual Notch pathway members in RC subtypes remains indefinable. The present study investigates whether the differential expression of Notch members has a contrary effect on disease-free survival (DFS) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (KIRC), papillary cell renal cell carcinoma (KIRP) and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (KICH) patients.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The predictive value of 19 Notch members was evaluated in KICH, KIRC and KIRP patient cohorts from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Results in the form of Kaplan-Meier survival plots with the p-value calculated (log-rank test, p < 0.05) enabled the patients to be split into favourable/unfavourable prognosis groups regarding expression of Notch members.

RESULTS

More specifically, lowered expression of ADAM17 correlated with good prognosis in KICH, KIRC and KIRP (HR = 7.79, p = 0.03; HR = 3.98, p = 0.051; HR = 11.24, p < 0.001, respectively). Additionally, HES4 differentiated KICH and KIRC, as its higher expression correlated with good prognosis in KICH and favourable lowered expression in KIRC (HR = 0.11, p = 0.015; HR = 2.42, p < 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Our analysis could be valuable for better understanding of the molecular mechanism of renal carcinoma. The expression of Notch pathway members could be a useful biomarker for predicting favourable/unfavourable prognosis in patients with RCC.

Biomarkers of Renal Tumors: the Current State and Clinical Perspectives

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) ranks the first death rate among the urogenital tumors, whereas its incidence follows the incidences of prostate and bladder cancer. The diagnosis of RCC at early stages allows immediately undertaking appropriate treatment, which significantly increases patients' survival rate. Early and accurate diagnosis avoids inadequate treatment, provides the disease progression forecast, and permits to apply more efficient therapy. Unfortunately, the small renal tumors are usually asymptomatic resulting in the late diagnosis and, therefore, low efficacy of treatment. Thus, sensible and preventive biomarkers are essential for early RCC detection and monitoring of its progression. So far, many attempts were performed aimed at recognizing novel informative kidney tumor biomarkers applicable for early detection of the disease and possessing prognostic and predictive capabilities. This review summarizes recent advances in renal tumor biomarkers recognition, their diagnostic and prognostic values, and clinical feasibility.

Changes in expressions of ADAM9, 10, and 17 as well as α-secretase activity in renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

ADAM9, 10, and 17 are a class of disintegrins and metallproteinases with α-secretase activity. There are conflicting results regarding the role(s) of ADAM9, 10, and 17 in carcinogenesis, and only a few studies have examined their levels and cellular localization in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Studies examining changes in α-secretase activity in RCC compared to enzymatic activity of the uninvolved kidney are lacking.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 56 patients undergoing radical nephrectomy after the diagnosis of RCC. α-Secretase activity was determined using flourogenic substrate in freshly frozen tumor tissues as well as similarly treated tissues from the neighboring kidney. Immunohistochemical analyses of ADAM9, 10, and 17 were also performed.

RESULTS

α-Secretase activity decreased markedly in all types of RCC as compared to neighboring uninvolved kidney tissue having 5 to 10 times higher levels of α-secretase activity. Although type-dependent variations were observed, tumoral expressions of ADAMs, except for ADAM17, were lower in the tumors compared to that of neighboring tissues, but the changes in α-secretase activity were greater. In RCC tissue, ADAM9 expressions were localized in nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments, whereas ADAM10 and 17 were present predominately in the cytoplasm potentially explaining the markedly decreased enzyme activity. Membranous localization of ADAMs was noted in uninvolved kidney tissue.

CONCLUSIONS

The loss of α-secretase activity observed here in conjunction with previous findings argue against tumorigenic effects of ADAM9, 10, and 17 supporting that increased nuclear and cytoplasmic expression may be an attempt to compensate for loss of function.