Circulating IL-8 and anti-IL-8 autoantibody in patients with ovarian cancer

Elevated circulating IL-8 correlates with poor prognosis in urological cancers: a meta-analysis and bioinformatic validation

BACKGROUND

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a key cytokine that has been implicated in multiple aspects of cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. Elevated levels of circulating IL-8 (cIL-8) have been implicated in adverse clinical outcomes among patients with urological cancers. However, definitive evidence consolidating these observations remains lacking. The present study aims to synthesize the existing research findings to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based reference for clinical practice.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted to identify relevant studies that reported on the prognostic impact of cIL-8 levels in urological cancer patients. Hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were extracted and pooled to estimate the overall effect. Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier's survival analyses were conducted using RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) through the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA 2) online tool to validate the observed associations.

RESULTS

A total of 19 cohorts encompassing 2740 patients from 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The findings revealed that elevated cIL-8 levels were significantly associated with inferior OS (HR: 1.86; 95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.72-2.02) and PFS (HR: 1.59; 95%CI: 1.25-2.03) in patients with urological cancers. The consistency and validity of these results were further supported by survival analyses performed using the GEPIA 2 tool.

CONCLUSIONS

This study, which is the first meta-analysis to systematically examine the prognostic significance of cIL-8 in urological cancers, supported by bioinformatics validation, confirms that elevated cIL-8 levels serve as a potential biomarker for predicting adverse outcomes. Our findings underscore the importance of targeting IL-8 as a therapeutic strategy to overcome treatment resistance and improve outcomes for urological cancer patients. Further research into IL-8-targeted therapies and their integration into clinical practice is urgently needed to enhance the treatment landscape for urological cancers.

Inflammation and Immune Escape in Ovarian Cancer: Pathways and Therapeutic Opportunities

Ovarian cancer (OC) remains one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies, largely due to its late-stage diagnosis and high recurrence rates. Chronic inflammation is a critical driver of OC progression, contributing to immune evasion, tumor growth, and metastasis. Inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-8, as well as key signaling pathways such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), are upregulated in OC, promoting a tumor-promoting environment. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is characterized by immune cells like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs), which suppress anti-tumor immune responses, facilitating immune evasion. Furthermore, OC cells utilize immune checkpoint pathways, including PD-1/PD-L1, to inhibit cytotoxic T cell activity. Targeting these inflammatory and immune evasion mechanisms offers promising therapeutic strategies. COX-2 inhibitors, Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway blockers, and NF-kB inhibitors have shown potential in preclinical studies, while immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 have been explored with mixed results in OC. Additionally, emerging research on the microbiome and inflammation-related biomarkers, such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and exosomes, points to new opportunities for early detection and precision medicine. Future approaches to OC treatment must focus on personalized strategies that target the inflammatory TME, integrating anti-inflammatory therapies with immunotherapy to enhance patient outcomes. Continued research into the interplay between inflammation and immune evasion in OC is essential for developing effective, long-lasting treatments.

IFNγ-Induced Bcl3, PD-L1 and IL-8 Signaling in Ovarian Cancer: Mechanisms and Clinical Significance

IFNγ, a pleiotropic cytokine produced not only by activated lymphocytes but also in response to cancer immunotherapies, has both antitumor and tumor-promoting functions. In ovarian cancer (OC) cells, the tumor-promoting functions of IFNγ are mediated by IFNγ-induced expression of Bcl3, PD-L1 and IL-8/CXCL8, which have long been known to have critical cellular functions as a proto-oncogene, an immune checkpoint ligand and a chemoattractant, respectively. However, overwhelming evidence has demonstrated that these three genes have tumor-promoting roles far beyond their originally identified functions. These tumor-promoting mechanisms include increased cancer cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, resistance to chemotherapy and immune escape. Recent studies have shown that IFNγ-induced Bcl3, PD-L1 and IL-8 expression is regulated by the same JAK1/STAT1 signaling pathway: IFNγ induces the expression of Bcl3, which then promotes the expression of PD-L1 and IL-8 in OC cells, resulting in their increased proliferation and migration. In this review, we summarize the recent findings on how IFNγ affects the tumor microenvironment and promotes tumor progression, with a special focus on ovarian cancer and on Bcl3, PD-L1 and IL-8/CXCL8 signaling. We also discuss promising novel combinatorial strategies in clinical trials targeting Bcl3, PD-L1 and IL-8 to increase the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies.

Sensitivity and Specificity of Selected Biomarkers and Their Combinations in the Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer

One of the greatest challenges in modern gynecological oncology is ovarian cancer. Despite the numerous studies currently being conducted, it is still sometimes detected at late clinical stages, where the prognosis is unfavorable. One significant contributing factor is the absence of sensitive and specific parameters that could aid in early diagnosis. An ideal screening test, in view of the low incidence of ovarian cancer, should have a sensitivity of greater than 75% and a specificity of at least 99.6%. To enhance sensitivity and specificity, diagnostic panels are being created by combining individual markers. The drive to develop better screening tests for ovarian cancer focuses on modern diagnostic methods based on molecular testing, which in turn aims to find increasingly effective biomarkers. Currently, researchers' efforts are focused on the search for a complementary parameter to those most commonly used that would satisfactorily enhance the sensitivity and specificity of assays. Several biomarkers, including microRNA molecules, autoantibodies, cDNA, adipocytokines, and galectins, are currently being investigated by researchers. This article reviews recent studies comparing the sensitivity and specificity of selected parameters used alone and in combination to increase detection of ovarian cancer at an early stage.

The role of urine and serum biomarkers in the early detection of ovarian epithelial tumours

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the leading causes of gynaecological cancer mortality in women worldwide. If detected at an early stage (I, II), OC has a 90% 5-year survival rate; nevertheless, symptoms are often hidden, leading to late-stage (III, IV) diagnosis and a poor prognosis. The current diagnostic procedures, such as a pelvic exam, transvaginal ultrasound, CA-125 blood tests, serum HE4 tests and multivariate index assays (MIA), are insufficient. Sadly, surgery is frequently required to confirm a positive diagnosis. Therefore, there has been an increased interest in different biomarkers using a non-invasive test as a tool for the earlier diagnosis of OC to resolve the need for precise and non-invasive diagnostic methods. This review article aims to investigate how biomarkers influence early OC detection and to emphasise the role of using a combination of serum biomarkers panel rather than a single biomarker. In addition, this review provides insights into the current serum biomarkers, urine biomarkers and other emerging biomarkers in the early detection of OC for better specificity and sensitivity and to improve the overall survival (OS) rate.

Current and Emerging Methods for Ovarian Cancer Screening and Diagnostics: A Comprehensive Review

With a 5-year survival rate of less than 50%, ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is one of the most highly aggressive gynecological malignancies affecting women today. The high mortality rate of HGSC is largely attributable to delays in diagnosis, as most patients remain undiagnosed until the late stages of -disease. There are currently no recommended screening tests for ovarian cancer and there thus remains an urgent need for new diagnostic methods, particularly those that can detect the disease at early stages when clinical intervention remains effective. While diagnostics for ovarian cancer share many of the same technical hurdles as for other cancer types, the low prevalence of the disease in the general population, coupled with a notable lack of sensitive and specific biomarkers, have made the development of a clinically useful screening strategy particularly challenging. Here, we present a detailed review of the overall landscape of ovarian cancer diagnostics, with emphasis on emerging methods that employ novel protein, genetic, epigenetic and imaging-based biomarkers and/or advanced diagnostic technologies for the noninvasive detection of HGSC, particularly in women at high risk due to germline mutations such as BRCA1/2. Lastly, we discuss the translational potential of these approaches for achieving a clinically implementable solution for screening and diagnostics of early-stage ovarian cancer as a means of ultimately improving patient outcomes in both the general and high-risk populations.

Transmissible cancer influences immune gene expression in an endangered marsupial, the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Understanding the effects of wildlife diseases on populations requires insight into local environmental conditions, host defence mechanisms, host life‐history trade‐offs, pathogen population dynamics, and their interactions. The survival of Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) is challenged by a novel, fitness limiting pathogen, Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease (DFTD), a clonally transmissible, contagious cancer. In order to understand the devils’ capacity to respond to DFTD, it is crucial to gain information on factors influencing the devils’ immune system. By using RT‐qPCR, we investigated how DFTD infection in association with intrinsic (sex and age) and environmental (season) factors influences the expression of 10 immune genes in Tasmanian devil blood. Our study showed that the expression of immune genes (both innate and adaptive) differed across seasons, a pattern that was altered when infected with DFTD. The expression of immunogbulins IgE and IgM:IgG showed downregulation in colder months in DFTD infected animals. We also observed strong positive association between the expression of an innate immune gene, CD16, and DFTD infection. Our results demonstrate that sampling across seasons, age groups and environmental conditions are beneficial when deciphering the complex ecoevolutionary interactions of not only conventional host‐parasite systems, but also of host and diseases with high mortality rates, such as transmissible cancers.

Protein detection in blood with single-molecule imaging

The ability to characterize individual biomarker protein molecules in patient blood samples could enable diagnosis of diseases at an earlier stage, when treatment is typically more effective. Single-molecule imaging offers a promising approach to accomplish this goal. However, thus far, single-molecule imaging methods have not been translated into the clinical setting. The detection limit of these methods has been confined to the picomolar (10^-12 M) range, several orders of magnitude higher than the circulating concentrations of biomarker proteins present in many diseases. Here, we describe single-molecule augmented capture (SMAC), a single-molecule imaging technique to quantify and characterize individual protein molecules of interest down to the subfemtomolar (<10^-15 M) range. We demonstrate SMAC in a variety of applications with human blood samples, including the analysis of disease-associated secreted proteins, membrane proteins, and rare intracellular proteins. SMAC opens the door to the application of single-molecule imaging in noninvasive disease profiling.

Engineered EV-Mimetic Nanoparticles as Therapeutic Delivery Vehicles for High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

Simple Summary

In this review, we begin with the role of natural extracellular vesicles (EVs) in high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Then, we narrow our focus on the advantages of using EV-mimetic nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle for RNAi therapy and other chemotherapeutics. Furthermore, we discuss the challenges of the clinical translation of engineering EV mimetic drug delivery systems and the promising directions of further development.

Abstract

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy among women. Several obstacles impede the early diagnosis and effective treatment options for ovarian cancer (OC) patients, which most importantly include the development of platinum-drug-resistant strains. Currently, extensive efforts are being put into the development of strategies capable of effectively circumventing the physical and biological barriers present in the peritoneal cavity of metastatic OC patients, representing a late stage of gastrointestinal and gynecological cancer with an extremely poor prognosis. Naturally occurring extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been shown to play a pivotal role in progression of OC and are now being harnessed as a delivery vehicle for cancer chemotherapeutics. However, there are limitations to their clinical application due to current challenges in their preparation techniques. Intriguingly, there is a recent drive towards the use of engineered synthetic EVs for the delivery of chemotherapeutics and RNA interference therapy (RNAi), as they show the promise of overcoming the obstacles in the treatment of OC patients. This review discusses the therapeutic application of EVs in OC and elucidates the potential use of engineered EV-mimetic nanoparticles as a delivery vehicle for RNAi therapy and other chemotherapeutics, which would potentially improve clinical outcomes of OC patients.

DGAT1 Expression Promotes Ovarian Cancer Progression and Is Associated with Poor Prognosis

Background

Ovarian cancer is the most fatal gynecological malignancy. Owing to its insidious onset, rapid development, and poor prognosis, ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of death in women. Although immunotherapy-related drugs, such as Olaparib, can alleviate ovarian cancer progression, there are no remarkable breakthroughs for its effective treatment. It is considered that the transformation of normal cells to cancerous ones involves “recoding” of certain metabolic pathways. Diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1) can synthesize triglycerides by transferring acyl-CoA to diacylglycerol, which plays a key role in lipid synthesis. However, the role of DGAT1 in ovarian cancer is not yet elucidated.

Materials and Methods

We analyzed the correlation between DGAT1 and ovarian cancer staging, grading, vascular invasion, and prognosis by collating the information of ovarian cancer specimens from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Furthermore, the effects of DGAT1 expression on proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor growth were studied using ovarian cancer cell lines. GSEA was used to analyze the KEGG pathways and biological function enriched because of DGAT1 expression in ovarian cancer.

Results

The expression of DGAT1 was elevated in advanced (p = 0.0432), poorly differentiated (p = 0.0148), and vascular invaded (p = 0.0002) ovarian cancer specimens. Prognosis among patients with high expression of DGAT1 was poor. After DGAT1 expression was interfered, proliferation, migration, invasion, colony forming, and tumor growth of ovarian cancer cells were inhibited. In addition, GSEA showed that DGAT1 may be involved in the immune process.

Conclusion

DGAT1 expression is associated with the clinical phenotype of ovarian cancer. We suggest that DGAT1 has potential implications in the treatment of ovarian cancer.

Review of biomarker systems as an alternative for early diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma

Early diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma is bound to boost the long-term endurance rate of the patients. Most ovarian tumors happen post menopause when the ovaries have no vital operation and therefore irregular ovarian role causes no signs. According to Muinao T. et al. (Heliyon. 5(12):e02826, 2019), if we consider the frequency of ovarian carcinoma to be moderate, a screening technique must accomplish a base specificity of 99.6% and sensitivity of over 75%. The classification and approval of early diagnostic biomarkers explicit to ovarian carcinoma are essentially required. Prevailing methods for early diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma incorporate TVS, biological marker examination, or a blend of the two or other. In recent years, it has been revealed that a combination of at least two biomarkers has beaten single biomarkers in measures for early diagnosis of the illness. In the present document, we survey the ongoing exploration of innovative characteristic methodologies and possible panels of carcinoma biological markers for the early diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma and discuss biomarkers as the plausible apparatus for model improvement and other progressed approaches as an effective alternative to the prevailing methods for early diagnosis of this dreadful disease to evade bogus analysis and inordinate expense.

Biomarkers and Strategies for Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer

Early detection of ovarian cancer remains an important unmet medical need. Effective screening could reduce mortality by 10%-30%. Used individually, neither serum CA125 nor transvaginal sonography (TVS) is sufficiently sensitive or specific. Two-stage strategies have proven more effective, where a significant rise above a woman's baseline CA125 prompts TVS and an abnormal sonogram prompts surgery. Two major screening trials have documented that this strategy has adequate specificity, but sensitivity for early-stage (I-II) disease must improve to have a greater impact on mortality. To improve the first stage, different panels of protein biomarkers have detected cases missed by CA125. Autoantibodies against TP53 have detected 20% of early-stage ovarian cancers 8 months before elevation of CA125 and 22 months before clinical diagnosis. Panels of autoantibodies and antigen-autoantibody complexes are being evaluated with the goal of detecting >90% of early-stage ovarian cancers, alone or in combination with CA125, while maintaining 98% specificity in control subjects. Other biomarkers, including micro-RNAs, ctDNA, methylated DNA, and combinations of ctDNA alterations, are being tested to provide an optimal first-stage test. New technologies are also being developed with greater sensitivity than TVS to image small volumes of tumor.See all articles in this CEBP Focus section, "NCI Early Detection Research Network: Making Cancer Detection Possible."

Adipocytes: active facilitators in epithelial ovarian cancer progression?

There is growing evidence that adipocytes play important roles in the progression of multiple cancers. Moreover, in obesity, adipocytes alter their original functions and contribute to the metabolic and inflammatory changes of adipose tissue microenvironment, which can further enhance tumor development. At present, the roles of adipocytes in the pathogenesis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are far from being fully elucidated. Herein, we summarized the recent advances in understanding the roles of adipocytes in EOC progression. Adipocytes, close neighbors of EOC tissue, promote EOC growth, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis through adipokine secretion, metabolic remodeling and immune microenvironment modulation. Moreover, adipocytes are important therapeutic targets and may work as useful anticancer drug delivery depot for EOC treatment. Furthermore, adipocytes also act as a therapeutic obstacle for their involvement in EOC treatment resistance. Hence, better characterization of the adipocytes in EOC microenvironment and the crosstalk between adipocytes and EOC cells may provide insights into EOC progression and suggest novel therapeutic opportunities.

Cathepsin D in the Tumor Microenvironment of Breast and Ovarian Cancers

Cancer remains a major and leading health problem worldwide. Lack of early diagnosis, chemoresistance, and recurrence of cancer means vast research and development are required in this area. The complexity of the tumor microenvironment in the biological milieu poses greater challenges in having safer, selective, and targeted therapies. Existing strategies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and antiangiogenic therapies moderately improve progression-free survival; however, they come with side effects that reduce quality of life. Thus, targeting potential candidates in the microenvironment, such as extracellular cathepsin D (CathD) which has been known to play major pro-tumorigenic roles in breast and ovarian cancers, could be a breakthrough in cancer treatment, specially using novel treatment modalities such as immunotherapy and nanotechnology-based therapy. This chapter discusses CathD as a pro-cancerous, more specifically a proangiogenic factor, that acts bi-functionally in the tumor microenvironment, and possible ways of targeting the protein therapeutically.

Multi-biomarker panel signature as the key to diagnosis of ovarian cancer

Early detection of ovarian cancer has been a challenge to manage the high mortality rate caused by this deadly disease. The trends in mortality have been reduced by the scientific contributions from the corners across the globe, however accounting for the fifth leading cause of gynecological mortality. The complexities in the clinical presentation, origin of tumor, and gene expression profiles had added to much difficulty in understanding and diagnosis of the disease. Stage 1 diagnosis of ovarian cancer improves the 5-year survival rate to around 92%. Cancer antigen-125 (CA-125) is the gold standard tumor marker found at abnormally high levels in the blood of many women in ovarian cancer. However, many non-cancerous conditions exhibit high levels of CA-125 and several women have normal CA-125 level in the early stage of ovarian cancer, suggesting CA-125 biomarker is not specific enough for the screening of early stage ovarian cancer. In addition, several other biomarkers, including HE4 have been added in the diagnostic field for higher sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis and progression of ovarian cancer. HE4 is a prospective single serum biomarker which has been approved by the FDA to monitor the disease progression in epithelial ovarian cancer. However, owing to low sensitivity and specificity, combination of a panel of biomarkers has been proposed in the diagnosis of the disease. Based on extensive biomarkers research findings, here we discuss current trends in diagnostic approaches and updated potential several panels of cancer biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer. It has been recently reported that CA125 in combinations with two or more biomarkers have outperformed single biomarker assays for early detection of the disease. Moreover, CA-125 with CA 19–9, EGFR, G-CSF, Eotaxin, IL-2R, cVCAM, MIF improved the sensitivity with 98.2 % and specificity of 98.7% in early stage detection of ovarian cancer. Overall, this review demonstrates a panel of biomarkers signature as the potential tool for prototype development in future and other advanced approaches for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer to avoid false-diagnosis and excessive cost.

Ovarian cancer screening in the general population

Background Ovarian carcinoma is a poor prognosis cancer mainly due to its late diagnosis. Its incidence is relatively low but mortality is high. The symptomatology is only slightly specific, which complicates diagnostic management. It would therefore be interesting to be able to establish a diagnosis as early as possible in order to improve the prognosis of patients suffering from ovarian cancer. Materials and methods Currently, the combination of an ultrasound examination with a cancer antigen (CA)-125 assay is the most effective diagnostic technique, but not already admitted as a screening method. Therefore, we realized an exhaustive analysis of the most important studies in the last 15 years, in order to find new approaches in ovarian cancer screening. Results The age for initiating screening and its frequency are issues that are not fully resolved. The false positives and morbidity that result from screening are currently notable limitations. Conclusions The latest data do not support effective screening in the general population.

Inflammatory cytokines in bladder cancer

The presence of inflammatory cells and their products in the tumor microenvironment plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of a tumor. Releasing the cytokines from a host in response to infection and inflammation can inhibit tumor growth and progression. However, tumor cells can also respond to the host cytokines with increasing the growth/invasion/metastasis. Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers in the world. The microenvironment of a bladder tumor has been indicated to be rich in growth factors/inflammatory cytokines that can induce the tumor growth/progression and also suppress the immune system. On the contrary, modulate of the cancer progression has been shown following upregulation of the cytokines-related pathways that suggested the cytokines as potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we provide a summary of cytokines that are involved in BC formation/regression with both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties. A more accurate understanding of tumor microenvironment creates favorable conditions for cytokines targeting to treat BC.

Novel Approaches to Ovarian Cancer Screening

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Both conventional and novel approaches to early detection of ovarian cancer are reviewed in the context of new developments in our understanding of ovarian cancer biology.

RECENT FINDINGS

While CA125 as a single value lacks adequate specificity or sensitivity for screening, large studies have shown that a 2-stage strategy which tracks CA125 change over time and prompts transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) for a small subset of women with abnormally rising biomarker values achieves adequate specificity and detects a higher fraction of early-stage disease. Sensitivity could clearly be improved in both blood tests and in imaging. Metastasis can occur from ovarian cancers too small to increase blood levels of protein antigens and a significant fraction of ovarian cancers arise from the fimbriae of fallopian tubes that cannot be imaged with TVS. Autoantibodies, miRNA, ctDNA, DNA methylation in blood, and cervical mucus might improve sensitivity of the initial phase and magnetic relaxometry and autofluorescence could improve imaging in the second phase. Enhancing the sensitivity of two-stage strategies for early detection could reduce mortality from ovarian cancer.

Osteopontin, Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and Anti-Interleukin-8 Autoantibodies Complement CA125 for Detection of Early Stage Ovarian Cancer

Early detection of ovarian cancer promises to reduce mortality. While serum CA125 can detect more than 60% of patients with early stage (I–II) disease, greater sensitivity might be observed with a panel of biomarkers. Ten protein antigens and 12 autoantibody biomarkers were measured in sera from 76 patients with early stage (I–II), 44 patients with late stage (III–IV) ovarian cancer and 200 healthy participants in the normal risk ovarian cancer screening study. A four-biomarker panel (CA125, osteopontin (OPN), macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF), and anti-IL-8 autoantibodies) detected 82% of early stage cancers compared to 65% with CA125 alone. In early stage subjects the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the panel (0.985) was significantly greater (p < 0.001) than the AUC for CA125 alone (0.885). Assaying an independent validation set of sera from 71 early stage ovarian cancer patients, 45 late stage patients and 131 healthy women, AUC in early stage disease was improved from 0.947 with CA125 alone to 0.974 with the four-biomarker panel (p = 0.015). Consequently, OPN, MIF and IL-8 autoantibodies can be used in combination with CA125 to distinguish ovarian cancer patients from healthy controls with high sensitivity. Osteopontin appears to be a robust biomarker that deserves further evaluation in combination with CA125.

Prognostic value of serum IL-8 and IL-10 in patients with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Prognostic value of serum interleukin-8 (IL-8) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in patients with ovarian cancer undergoing chemotherapy was evaluated. The clinical data of ovarian tumor patients in Yidu Central Hospital of Weifang treated from January 2012 to December 2014 was retrospectively analyzed, 92 cases of which were malignant group, 64 cases were benign group, and 58 healthy subjects were selected as control group. Serum expression levels of IL-8 and IL-10 of the three groups were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum expression levels of IL-8 and IL-10 in benign and malignant groups both were higher than those in healthy control group (P<0.001). Serum expression levels of IL-8 and IL-10 of patients with ovarian cancer at III+IV stage were higher than that at I+II stage (P<0.001). Serum expression levels of IL-8 and IL-10 of patients with malignant ovarian tumors before chemotherapy were higher than those after chemotherapy (P<0.001). Serum levels of IL-8 and IL-10 of patients with malignant ovarian tumors in stable condition after chemotherapy were lower than those with recurrence and metastasis after chemotherapy (P<0.001). The median of serum expression levels of IL-8 and IL-10 was divided into low expression group and high expression group. The survival time of patients in high serum IL-8 and IL-10 expression group was significantly shorter than that in serum IL-8 and IL-10 low expression group (P<0.05). The survival time was negatively correlated with the expression levels of IL-8 and IL-10. Serum expression levels of IL-8 and IL-10 are closely related to the stages and prognosis of ovarian cancer. IL-8 and IL-10 may be involved in the occurrence and development of ovarian cancer. There are certain reference values on the changes of IL-8 and IL-10 levels, which may reflect the biological behavior and prognosis of ovarian cancer.

Clinical Relevance of Autoantibodies against Interleukin-2 in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Background:

Increased serum autoantibodies against interleukin-2 (anti-IL-2 autoantibodies) were reported in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and in patients receiving IL-2 therapy. This study aimed to explore the clinical relevance of serum anti-IL-2 autoantibodies and the interactions between low-dose IL-2 therapy and serum anti-IL-2 autoantibodies.

Methods:

Serum samples were collected from 152 SLE patients and 100 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HCs). Among them, 75 SLE patients were followed up for 10 weeks, and all of them were treated with corticosteroids, antimalarials, and/or immunosuppressants. Forty-six out of the 75 SLE patients received low-dose IL-2 therapy additionally. Clinical and laboratory parameters were collected at baseline and week 10. Serum anti-IL-2 autoantibodies were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results:

Compared with HCs, median levels and positive rates of serum anti-IL-2 autoantibodies were higher in SLE patients (32.58 [23.63, 45.23] arbitrary unit [AU] vs. 37.54 [27.88, 60.74] AU, P = 0.006, and 5.0% vs. 18.4%, P = 0.002, respectively). Compared to those without the corresponding disorders, serum anti-IL-2 autoantibody was increased in patients with alopecia (49.79 [36.06, 64.95] AU vs. 35.06 [25.40, 58.46] AU, P = 0.033), but it was decreased in those with lupus nephritis (31.71 [22.60, 43.25] AU vs. 44.15 [31.43, 68.52] AU, P = 0.001). Moreover, serum anti-IL-2 autoantibody was positively correlated with serum IgA (r = 0.229, P = 0.005), total IgG (r = 0.327, P < 0.001), and total IgM (r = 0.164, P = 0.050). Treatment with exogenous IL-2 was not significantly associated with serum anti-IL-2 autoantibody. In addition, no significant difference was found in serum anti-IL-2 autoantibody between responders and nonresponders to low-dose IL-2 therapy.

Conclusions:

Serum anti-IL-2 autoantibody was increased and associated with disease severity in SLE. Exogenous low-dose IL-2 did not significantly induce anti-IL-2 autoantibody production.

A Combinatorial Proteomic Biomarker Assay to Detect Ovarian Cancer in Women

Ovarian cancer is often fatal and incidence in the general population is low, underscoring the necessity (and the challenges) for advancements in screening and early detection. The goal of this study was to design a serum-based biomarker panel and corresponding multivariate algorithm that can be used to accurately detect ovarian cancer. A combinatorial protein biomarker assay (CPBA) that uses CA125, HE4, and 3 tumor-associated autoantibodies resulted in an area under the curve of 0.98. The CPBA Ov algorithm was trained using subjects who were suspected to have gynecological cancer and were scheduled for surgery. As a surgical rule-out test, the clinical performance achieves 100% sensitivity and 83.7% specificity. Although sample size (n = 60) is a limiting factor, the CPBA Ov algorithm performed better than either CA-125 alone or the Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm.

GRO-α and IL-8 enhance ovarian cancer metastatic potential via the CXCR2-mediated TAK1/NFκB signaling cascade

Intraperitoneal metastasis is a common occurrence and is usually involved in the poor prognosis of ovarian cancer. Its specific metastatic pattern implies that certain indispensable microenvironmental factors secreted in the peritoneal cavity can direct metastatic ovarian cancer cells to permissive niches for secondary lesion formation. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are ill defined. Herein, we report that GRO-α and IL-8 are predominately upregulated in culture media derived from either normal or cancerous omenta and are associated with increased ovarian cancer aggressiveness. Methods: OCM was established from culture medium of fresh human omental tissues. Primary and metastatic ovarian cancer cell lines were generated from human tumor tissues and verified by specific antibodies. The functional roles of GRO-α, IL-8, and their specific receptor CXCR2 were examined by neutralizing antibodies, shRNA gene knockdown, CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout and pharmaceutical CXCR2 inhibitor SB225002. The oncogenic properties of ovarian cancer cells were examined by in vitro and in vivo mouse models. Results: Both GRO-α and IL-8 can activate TAK1/NFκB signaling via the CXCR2 receptor. Intriguingly, TAK1/NFκB signaling activity was higher in metastatic ovarian cancer cells; this higher activity makes them more susceptible to OCM-induced tumor aggressiveness. Treatment of ovarian cancer cells with GRO-α and IL-8 neutralizing antibodies or ablation of CXCR2 by shRNA gene knockdown, CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockout, or CXCR2 inhibitor SB225002 treatment significantly attenuated TAK1/NFκB signaling and decreased in vitro and in vivo oncogenic and metastatic potential, suggesting CXCR2 plays a key role in the GRO-α and IL-8-governed metastatic spreading of ovarian cancer cells in the intraperitoneal cavity. Conclusion: This study highlights the significance of GRO-α and IL-8 as the key chemokines in the peritoneal tumor microenvironment and suggests the utility of targeting their receptor CXCR2 as a potential target-based therapy for peritoneal metastases of ovarian cancer.

Systematic review: Tumor-associated antigen autoantibodies and ovarian cancer early detection

OBJECTIVES

Tumor-associated autoantibodies (AAbs), produced as an immune response to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), are a novel pathway of early detection markers.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review on AAbs and ovarian cancer to summarize the diagnostic performance of individual AAbs and AAb panels. A total of 29 studies including 85 AAbs were included; 27 of the studies were conducted in prevalent cases and cancer-free controls and 2 investigations included pre-diagnosis samples. The majority of studies were hypothesis-driven, evaluating AAbs to target TAAs; 10 studies used screening approaches such as serological expression cloning (SEREX) and nucleic acid-programmable protein arrays (NAPPA).

RESULTS

The highest sensitivities for individual AAbs were reported for RhoGDI-AAbs (89.5%) and TUBA1C-AAbs (89%); however, specificity levels were relatively low (80% and 75%, respectively). High sensitivities at high specificities were reported for HOXA7-AAbs for detection of moderately differentiated ovarian tumors (66.7% sensitivity at 100% specificity) and IL8-AAbs in stage I-II ovarian cancer (65.5% sensitivity at 98% specificity). A panel of 11 AAbs (ICAM3, CTAG2, p53, STYXL1, PVR, POMC, NUDT11, TRIM39, UHMK1, KSR1, and NXF3) provided 45% sensitivity at 98% specificity for serous ovarian cancer, when at least 2 AAbs were above a threshold of 95% specificity. Twelve of the AAbs identified in this review were investigated in more than one study. Data on diagnostic discrimination by tumor histology and stage at diagnosis are sparse. Limited data suggest select AAb markers improve diagnostic discrimination when combined with markers such as CA125 and HE4.

CONCLUSIONS

AAbs for ovarian cancer early detection is an emerging area, and large-scale, prospective investigations considering histology and stage are required for discovery and validation. However, data to date suggests panels of AAbs may eventually reach sufficient diagnostic discrimination to allow earlier detection of disease as a complement to existing markers and transvaginal ultrasound.

Autoantibodies: Opportunities for Early Cancer Detection

Cancer cells can induce an immunological response resulting in the production of tumor-associated (TA) autoantibodies. These serum immunobiomarkers have been detected for a range of cancers at an early stage before the development of clinical symptoms. Their measurement is minimally invasive and cost effective using established technologies. TA autoantibodies are present in a clinically significant number of individuals and could supplement current screening modalities to aid early diagnosis of high-risk populations and assist the clinical management of patients. Here we review their production, discovery, and validation as biomarkers for cancer and their current and future potential as clinical tools.

Chemokines in tumor proximal fluids

Chemokines are chemotactic cytokines produced by leukocytes and other types of cells including tumor cells. Their action is determined by the expression of cognate receptors and subsequent signaling in target cells, followed by the modulation of cytoskeletal proteins and the induction of other responses. In tumors, chemokines produced by neoplastic/stroma cells control the leukocyte infiltrate influencing tumor growth and progression. Tumor cells also express functional chemokine receptors responding to chemokine signals, promoting cell survival, proliferation and metastasis formation. Chemokines may be detected in serum of cancer patients, but due to the paracrine nature of these molecules, more significant concentrations are found in the tumor adjacent, non-vascular fluids, collectively called tumor proximal fluids. This review summarizes the expression of CC and CXC chemokines in these fluids, namely in interstitial fluid, pleural, ascitic, and cyst fluids, but also in urine, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, cervical secretions and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Most comparative clinical studies reveal increased chemokine levels in high-grade tumor proximal fluids rather than in low-grade tumors and benign conditions, indicating shorter survival periods. The data confirm peritumoral fluid chemokines as sensitive diagnostic and prognostic markers, as well as offer support for chemokines and their receptors as potential targets for antitumor therapy.

Erlotinib augmentation with dapsone for rash mitigation and increased anti-cancer effectiveness

BACKGROUND

The epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib has failed in many ways to be as potent in the anti-cancer role as pre-clinical studies would have suggested. This paper traces some aspects of this failure to a compensatory erlotinib-mediated increase in interleukin-8. Many other-but not all- cancer chemotherapeutic cytotoxic drugs also provoke a compensatory increase in a malignant clone's interleukin-8 synthesis. Untreated glioblastoma and other cancer cells themselves natively synthesize interleukin-8. Interleukin-8 has tumor growth promoting, mobility and metastasis formation enhancing, effects as well as pro-angiogenesis effects.

FINDINGS

The old sulfone antibiotic dapsone- one of the very first antibiotics in clinical use- has demonstrated several interleukin-8 system inhibiting actions. Review of these indicates dapsone has potential to augment erlotinib effectiveness. Erlotinib typically gives a rash that has recently been proven to come about via an erlotinib triggered up-regulated keratinocyte interleukin-8 synthesis. The erlotinib rash shares histological features reminiscent of typical neutrophilic dermatoses. Dapsone has an established therapeutic role in current treatment of other neutrophilic dermatoses.

CONCLUSION

Thus, dapsone has potential to both improve the quality of life in erlotinib treated patients by amelioration of rash as well as to short-circuit a growth-enhancing aspect of erlotinib when used in the anti-cancer role.

Pre-diagnostic serum levels of inflammation markers and risk of ovarian cancer in the prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancer (PLCO) screening trial

OBJECTIVE

Pro-inflammatory mechanisms may explain the increased ovarian cancer risk linked to more lifetime ovulations, endometriosis, and exposure to talc and asbestos, as well as decreased risk with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Limited data are available to estimate ovarian cancer risk associated with levels of circulating inflammatory markers.

METHODS

We conducted a nested case-control study within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Pre-diagnostic serum levels of 46 inflammation-related biomarkers (11 with a priori hypotheses; 35 agnostic) were measured in 149 incident ovarian cancer cases and 149 matched controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression and adjusted for identified covariates.

RESULTS

Increased ovarian cancer risk was associated with elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) [tertile (T)3 vs. T1: OR (95% CI) 2.04 (1.06-3.93), p-trend=0.03], interleukin (IL)-1α [detectable vs. undetectable: 2.23 (1.14-4.34)] and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) [T3 vs. T1: 2.21 (1.06-4.63), p-trend=0.04]. Elevated IL-8 was non-significantly associated with risk [T3 vs. T1: 1.86 (0.96-3.61), p-trend=0.05]. In analyses restricted to serous ovarian cancer (n=83), the associations with CRP and IL-8 remained or strengthened [CRP T3 vs. T1: 3.96 (1.14-11.14), p-trend=0.008; IL-8 T3 vs. T1: 3.05 (1.09-8.51), p-trend=0.03]. Elevated levels of CRP and TNF-α remained positively associated with ovarian cancer risk in analysis restricted to specimens collected at least 5years before diagnosis (n=56).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that CRP, IL-1α, IL-8, and TNF-α are associated with increased risk of subsequently developing ovarian cancer.

Polymorphism of the IL-8 gene and the risk of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer still represents a challenge in gynecological oncology. Most patients are diagnosed in an advanced tumor stage. No specific screening or prevention strategies for ovarian cancer exist as of yet. Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is a pro-inflammatory chemokine known for its angiogenetic activity, and is supposedly responsible for tumor-associated angiogenesis in several malignant tumors. The aim of the study was to investigate the susceptibility of patients with an IL-8 gene polymorphism to developing ovarian cancer. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (IL-8 -251, IL-8 +781, IL-8 +1633 and IL-8 +2767) of the IL-8 gene were screened, using the PCR method in 268 patients with ovarian cancer and 426 healthy women as a control group. Significant associations were noted in patients with the IL-8 +781 (T/T) genotype (p=0.0048) with increased frequencies of ovarian cancer, while women with the IL-8 +781 (C/C) allele suffer from ovarian cancer significantly less frequently (p=0.0003). Furthermore, the IL-8 +2767 (T/T) genotype is also associated with a higher risk of ovarian cancer (p=0.0177). Our results indicate, for the first time, that IL-8 polymorphism is associated with ovarian cancer.

Early inflammatory response in epithelial ovarian tumor cyst fluids

Mortality rates for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are high, mainly due to late-stage diagnosis. The identification of biomarkers for this cancer could contribute to earlier diagnosis and increased survival rates. Given that chronic inflammation plays a central role in cancer initiation and progression, we selected and tested 15 cancer-related cytokines and growth factors in 38 ovarian cyst fluid samples. We used ovarian cyst fluid since it is found in proximity to the pathology and mined it for inflammatory biomarkers suitable for early detection of EOC. Immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sample fractionation were obtained by using tandem antibody libraries bead and mass spectrometry. Two proteins, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) and interleucin-8 (IL-8/CXCL8), were significantly (P < 0.0001) higher in the malignant (n = 16) versus benign (n = 22) tumor cysts. Validation of MCP-1, IL-8, and growth-regulated protein-α (GROα/CXCL1) was performed with ELISA in benign, borderline, and malignant cyst fluids (n = 256) and corresponding serum (n = 256). CA125 was measured in serum from all patients and used in the algorithms performed. MCP-1, IL-8, and GROα are proinflammatory cytokines and promoters of tumor growth. From 5- to 100-fold higher concentrations of MCP-1, IL-8 and GROα were detected in the cyst fluids compared to the serum. Significant (P < 0.001) cytokine response was already established in borderline cyst fluids and stage I EOC. In serum a significant (P < 0.01) increase of IL-8 and GROα was found, but not until stage I and stage III EOC, respectively. These findings confirm that early events in tumorigenesis can be analyzed and detected in the tumor environment and we conclude that ovarian cyst fluid is a promising source in the search for new biomarkers for early ovarian tumors.

Ovarian cancer biology and immunotherapy

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive system and the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. In the year 2012 alone, United States had 22,280 new ovarian cancer cases and 15,500 deaths were reported. About 7%-10% of ovarian cancers result from an inherited tendency to develop the disease. Ovarian cancer has the ability to escape the immune system because of its pathological interactions between cancer cells and host immune cells in the tumor microenvironment create an immunosuppressive network that promotes tumor growth, protects the tumor from immune system. The levels of immune suppressive elements like regulatory T cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells and cytokines such as IL-10, IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β are elevated in the tumor microenvironment. Vascular endothelial growth factor is known to have an immune suppressing role besides its angiogenic role in the tumor microenvironment. Ovarian cancer is associated with high mortality partly due to difficulties in early diagnosis and development of metastases. These problems may overcome by developing accurate mouse models that should mimic the complexity of human ovarian cancer. Such animal models are better suited to understand pathophysiology, metastases, and also for preclinical testing of targeted molecular therapeutics. Immunotherapy is an area of active investigation and off late many clinical trials is ongoing to prevent disease progression. The main aim of dendritic cells vaccination is to stimulate tumor specific effector T cells that can reduce tumor size and induce immunological memory to prevent tumor relapse.

Detection of anti-cytokine antibodies and their clinical relevance

Cytokines regulate many aspects of cell growth and differentiation and play pivotal roles in the orchestration of immune defence against invading pathogens. Though 'self' proteins, they are potentially immunogenic and can give rise to anti-cytokine autoantibodies (aCA). The main foci of the article are a critical summary of the various methodologies applied for detecting and measuring aCA and a broad review of studies of the occurrence, characterization and clinical relevance of aCA in normal healthy individuals, patients with autoimmune diseases or microbial infections and aCA in patients whose disease is treated with recombinant cytokine products. The need for technical and methodological improvement of assays, including validation and standardization, together with approaches to harmonize calculation and reporting of results is also discussed.

Glucocorticoid-induced reversal of interleukin-1β-stimulated inflammatory gene expression in human oviductal cells

Studies indicate that high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), the most common epithelial ovarian carcinoma histotype, originates from the fallopian tube epithelium (FTE). Risk factors for this cancer include reproductive parameters associated with lifetime ovulatory events. Ovulation is an acute inflammatory process during which the FTE is exposed to follicular fluid containing both pro- and anti-inflammatory molecules, such as interleukin-1 (IL1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and cortisol. Repeated exposure to inflammatory cytokines may contribute to transforming events in the FTE, with glucocorticoids exerting a protective effect. The global response of FTE cells to inflammatory cytokines or glucocorticoids has not been investigated. To examine the response of FTE cells and the ability of glucocorticoids to oppose this response, an immortalized human FTE cell line, OE-E6/E7, was treated with IL1β, dexamethasone (DEX), IL1β and DEX, or vehicle and genome-wide gene expression profiling was performed. IL1β altered the expression of 47 genes of which 17 were reversed by DEX. DEX treatment alone altered the expression of 590 genes, whereas combined DEX and IL1β treatment altered the expression of 784 genes. Network and pathway enrichment analysis indicated that many genes altered by DEX are involved in cytokine, chemokine, and cell cycle signaling, including NFκΒ target genes and interacting proteins. Quantitative real time RT-PCR studies validated the gene array data for IL8, IL23A, PI3 and TACC2 in OE-E6/E7 cells. Consistent with the array data, Western blot analysis showed increased levels of PTGS2 protein induced by IL1β that was blocked by DEX. A parallel experiment using primary cultured human FTE cells indicated similar effects on PTGS2, IL8, IL23A, PI3 and TACC2 transcripts. These findings support the hypothesis that pro-inflammatory signaling is induced in FTE cells by inflammatory mediators and raises the possibility that dysregulation of glucocorticoid signaling could contribute to increased risk for HGSOC.

Humoral autoimmune responses to insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding proteins IMP1 and p62/IMP2 in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women. There is an urgent need of better approaches for the identification of appropriate biomarkers in the early detection of ovarian cancer. The aim of this study was to elucidate the significance of autoantibodies against insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding proteins (IMPs) in patients with ovarian cancer. In this study, autoantibody responses to two members (IMP1 and p62/IMP2) of IMPs were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting, and indirect immunofluorescence assay in sera from patients with ovarian cancer and normal human individuals. The results have demonstrated that both IMP1 and p62/IMP2 can induce relatively higher frequency of autoantibody responses in patients with ovarian cancer (26.5% and 29.4%) compared to normal individuals (P<0.01). Our preliminary data suggest that IMP1 and p62/IMP2 can stimulate autoimmune responses in ovarian cancer, and anti-IMP1 and anti-p62/IMP2 autoantibodies could be used as potential biomarkers in immunodiagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Autoantibodies induced by chimeric cytokine-HIV envelope glycoprotein immunogens

Cytokines are often used as adjuvants to increase the immunogenicity of vaccines because they can improve the immune response and/or direct it into a desired direction. As an alternative to codelivering Ags and cytokines separately, they can be fused into a composite protein, with the advantage that both moieties act on the same immune cells. The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) spike, located on the outside of virus particles and the only relevant protein for the induction of neutralizing Abs, is poorly immunogenic. The induction of anti-Env Abs can be improved by coupling Env proteins to costimulatory molecules such as a proliferation inducing ligand (APRIL). In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity of chimeric molecules containing uncleaved Env gp140 fused to the species-matched cytokines IL-21 or GM-CSF in rabbits and mice. Each cytokine was either fused to the C terminus of Env or embedded within Env at the position of the variable loops 1 and 2. The cytokine components of the chimeric Env-GM-CSF and Env-IL-21 molecules were functional in vitro, but none of the Env-cytokine fusion proteins resulted in improved Ab responses in vivo. Both the Env-GM-CSF and the Env-IL-21 molecules induced strong anticytokine Ab responses in both test species. These autoimmune responses were independent of the location of the cytokine in the chimeric Env molecules in that they were induced by cytokines inserted within the variable loops 1 and 2 of Env or fused to its C terminus. The induction of undesired autoimmune responses should be considered when using cytokines as costimulatory molecules in fusion proteins.

Proteomic identification of fucosylated haptoglobin alpha isoforms in ascitic fluids and its localization in ovarian carcinoma tissues from Mexican patients

Background

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic disease due to delayed diagnosis, and ascites production is a characteristic of patients in advanced stages. The aim of this study was to perform the proteomic analysis of ascitic fluids of Mexican patients with ovarian carcinoma, in order to detect proteins with a differential expression pattern in the continuing search to identify biomarkers for this disease.

Methods

Samples were collected from 50 patients from the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología of México under informed consent and with approval of the bioethics and scientific committees. After elimination of abundant proteins (Albumin/IgGs) samples were processed for 2D electrophoresis and further protein identification by Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Molecules of interest were followed by western blot and lectin binding assays, and their tissue location by histo-immunofluorescence and confocal analysis.

Results and discussion

An area with a differential expression pattern among samples was located in the 2D gels. Identified proteins were 6 alpha 1 isoforms and 1 alpha 2 isoform of Haptoglobin, and 2 isoforms of Transthyretin. While Transthyretin isoforms were constitutively expressed in all samples, clear differences in the expression pattern of Haptoglobin alpha isoforms were found. Moreover, increased levels of fucosylation of Haptoglobin alpha isoforms analyzed in 40 samples by Aleuria aurantia lectin binding by 1D overlay assay showed a positive correlation with advanced stages of the disease. Tissue detection of Haptoglobin and its fucosylated form, by histo-immunofluorescence in biopsies of ovarian cancer, also showed a correlation with ovarian cancer progression. Moreover, results show that fucosylated Haptoglobin is produced by tumor cells.

Conclusions

Increased numbers of highly fucosylated Haptoglobin alpha isoforms in ascitic fluids and the presence of fucosylated Haptoglobin in tumor tissues of ovarian cancer Mexican patients associated with advanced stages of the disease, reinforce the potential of fucosylated Haptoglobin alpha isoforms to be characterized as biomarkers for disease progression.

Recent technical strategies to identify diagnostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among North American women. Regrettably, there is currently no reliable circulating biomarker that can detect ovarian cancer in its early stages. The CA125 biomarker is very useful for treatment response monitoring, but its sensitivity is very low for early detection. Thus, there is an urgent need for the identification of new circulating biomarkers/panel of biomarkers that could be used to diagnose ovarian cancer before it becomes clinically detectable and advanced. Unfortunately, the strategies used in the past years to identify such biomarkers have not led to any outstanding candidate. This review summarizes the different approaches used in the last decade and suggests which strategies should be adopted in the near future in order to lead to the successful identification of new ovarian cancer diagnostic biomarkers.

Analysis of key genes and pathways associated with colorectal cancer with microarray technology

OBJECTIVE

Microarray data were analyzed to explore key genes and their functions in progression of colorectal cancer (CRC).

METHODS

Two microarray data sets were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using corresponding packages of R. Functional enrichment analysis was performed with DAVID tools to uncover their biological functions.

RESULTS

631 and 590 DEGs were obtained from the two data sets, respectively. A total of 32 common DEGs were then screened out with the rank product method. The significantly enriched GO terms included inflammatory response, response to wounding and response to drugs. Two interleukin-related domains were revealed in the domain analysis. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the PPAR signaling pathway and the renin-angiotensin system were enriched in the DEGs.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study to systemically characterize gene expression changes in CRC with microarray technology revealed changes in a range of key genes, pathways and function modules. Their utility in diagnosis and treatment now require exploration.

Chemokine receptors in epithelial ovarian cancer

Ovarian carcinoma is the deadliest gynecologic malignancy with very poor rate of survival, and it is characterized by the presence of vast incurable peritoneal metastasis. Studies of the role of chemokine receptors, a family of proteins belonging to the group of G protein-coupled receptors, in ovarian carcinoma strongly placed this family of membrane receptors as major regulators of progression of this malignancy. In this review, we will discuss the roles that chemokine-receptor interactions play to support angiogenesis, cell proliferation, migration, adhesion, invasion, metastasis, and immune evasion in progression of ovarian carcinoma. Data regarding the role that the chemokine receptors play in the disease progression accumulated insofar strongly suggest that this family of proteins could be good therapeutic targets against ovarian carcinoma.

Biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy. However, effective screening strategies have not been established and continue to be elusive. A good screening test must adequately address validity, reliability, yield, cost, acceptance and follow-up services. An ideal screening test for ovarian cancer must have a high sensitivity in order to correctly diagnose all women with the disease and a high specificity to avoid false-positive results. The current screening modalities of bimanual examination, CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasonography together allow us to detect only 30-45% of women with early-stage disease. Recent developments in proteomic and genomic research have identified a number of potential biomarkers. Although panels of tumor markers and proteomic-based technologies may improve the positive predictive value, all markers require validation and interfacing with newly developed diagnostic imaging technologies. While a large amount of information on miRNAs has been promising, much remains to be elucidated. This review will examine the current status of biomarkers and technologies of interest in the effort of early detection of ovarian cancer.

Differential expression of IL-8 and IL-8 receptors in benign, borderline and malignant ovarian epithelial tumours

INTRODUCTION

Ovarian Cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological malignancy. The poor prognosis is mainly due to presentation at a late stage and poor response to therapy. Much research is needed to identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer. Interleukin-8 is expressed by many tumour types and is known to have mitogenic, motogenic and angiogenic effects on tumour cells.

AIMS

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of IL-8 and IL-8 receptors (IL-8RA and IL-8RB) in different histological subtypes of ovarian tumours, as potential prognostic biomarkers in ovarian tumours.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Immunohitochemistry was used to study the expression of IL-8 and IL-8 receptors in 115 ovarian tumours including 21 benign tumours, 25 borderline tumours and 69 carcinomas of serous, clear cell, endometrioid and mucinous types. The correlation of expression profile, tumour type, stage, and progression free survival and overall survival was statistically analysed.

RESULTS

IL-8 and IL-8 receptors were expressed in all types of tumours with variable intensity and subcellular distribution. There was a statistically significant correlation between levels of expression and tumour stage and tumour type, being mostly significant in serous tumours. No correlation with patient progression free survival or overall survival was found.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study investigating the expression of IL-8 and IL-8 receptors using immunohistochemistry in different types of ovarian tumours, including benign and borderline tumours. IL-8 and IL-8RA are potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in ovarian cancer, particularly in ovarian serous carcinoma.

Targeted blockade of interleukin-8 abrogates its promotion of cervical cancer growth and metastasis

Surgery and radiotherapy have been used for decades to treat cervical cancer; however, high recurrence and lymph node metastasis rates are observed after these procedures. New therapeutic agents are needed to improve survival rates of patients by reducing tumor growth and metastasis. We previously demonstrated that interleukin-8 (IL-8) was associated with lymph node metastasis of early cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The current study assessed the role of IL-8 in growth and metastasis of cervical SCC and evaluated the effects of targeting IL-8 with small hairpin RNA (shRNA) and a human anti-IL-8 antibody. The human cervical SCC cell lines CaSki (high IL-8 producers), SiHa, HeLa, and SiHa transfected with the IL-8 gene were used for the studies. IL-8 stimulated proliferation, migration, and invasion but prevented apoptosis of SCC cells in vitro. Suppressing IL-8 expression with shRNA reduced cell growth and invasion of SCC cells in vitro. In a xenograft model, SCC cells were inoculated subcutaneously into athymic mice to evaluate the effect of IL-8 and its antibody on tumor growth and metastasis and animal survival. IL-8 enhanced tumor growth and metastasis in vivo concomitant with reduced animal survival. IL-8 antibody treatment of tumor-bearing animals resulted in smaller tumor volume, decreased lymph node metastasis, and longer animal survival. Blockade of IL-8 with an antibody demonstrated significant anti-tumor effects in a xenograft model and may thus provide a potential alternative approach for the treatment of cervical cancer.