Thyroid hormone receptor α1 acts as a new squamous cell lung cancer diagnostic marker and poor prognosis predictor

Unravelling the role of tumor microenvironment responsive nanobiomaterials in spatiotemporal controlled drug delivery for lung cancer therapy

Design and development of efficient drug delivery technologies that impart site-specificity is the need of the hour for the effective treatment of lung cancer. The emergence of materials science and nanotechnology partially helped drug delivery scientists to achieve this objective. Various stimuli-responsive materials that undergo degradation at the pathological tumor microenvironment (TME) have been developed and explored for drug delivery applications using nanotechnological approaches. Nanoparticles (NPs), owing to their small size and high surface area to volume ratio, demonstrated enhanced cellular internalization, permeation, and retention at the tumor site. Such passive accumulation of stimuli-responsive materials helped to achieve spatiotemporally controlled and targeted drug delivery within the tumors. In this review, we discussed various stimuli-physical (interstitial pressure, temperature, and stiffness), chemical (pH, hypoxia, oxidative stress, and redox state), and biological (receptor expression, efflux transporters, immune cells, and their receptors or ligands)-that are characteristic to the TME. We mentioned an array of biomaterials-based nanoparticulate delivery systems that respond to these stimuli and control drug release at the TME. Further, we discussed nanoparticle-based combinatorial drug delivery strategies. Finally, we presented our perspectives on challenges related to scale-up, clinical translation, and regulatory approvals.

Association between thyroid disorders and extra-thyroidal cancers, a review

Thyroid hormone has been shown to have both tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing actions, which has led to significant debate over its involvement in the development of cancer. Proliferation, apoptosis, invasiveness, and angiogenesis are all aspects of cancer that are affected by the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, according to research conducted in animal models and in vitro experiments. The effects of thyroid hormones on cancer cells are mediated by many non-genomic mechanisms, one of which involves the activation of the plasma membrane receptor integrin αvβ3. Typically, abnormal amounts of thyroid hormones are linked to a higher occurrence of cancer. Both benign and malignant thyroid disorders were found to be associated with an increased risk of extra-thyroidal malignancies, specifically colon, breast, prostate, melanoma, and lung cancers. The purpose of this review was to shed light on this link to define which types of cancer are sensitive to thyroid hormones and, as a result, are anticipated to respond favorably to treatment of the thyroid hormone axis.

Decreased levels of sex hormones in females with solitary pulmonary nodules were risk factors for malignancy

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this research was to detect the relationship between the levels of sex hormones in females with solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) and their potential malignancies.

METHODS

A total of 187 consecutive patients with pathologically confirmed SPNs by chest CT were enrolled in our study. They were divided into two groups based on the pathologic findings of SPNs after surgery: benign and malignant SPNs. Progesterone (P), estradiol (E2), and testosterone (T) levels in the two groups were measured. Meanwhile, we used binary logistic regression analysis to analyze the risk factors for SPNs.

RESULTS

Of these 187 patients, 73 had benign SPNs, while 114 had malignant SPNs. We found that the levels of progesterone (P), estradiol (E2), and testosterone (T) were decreased significantly in patients with malignant SPNs compared to patients with benign SPNs (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that second-hand smoke, burr sign, lobulation sign, pleural traction sign, vascular convergence sign, vacuole sign, and ≥ 1 cm nodules were independent risk factors for malignant pulmonary nodules in females.

CONCLUSIONS

Decreased levels of sex hormones in females were associated with malignant pulmonary nodules, suggesting that they can contribute to the diagnosis of lung cancer.

Cytoplasmic Localization of Thyroid Hormone Receptor (TR) Alpha and Nuclear Expression of Its Isoform TRα2 Determine Survival in Breast Cancer in Opposite Ways

The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the respective prognostic values of cytoplasmic and nuclear TRα, TRα1, and TRα2 expression in breast cancer (BC) tissue samples and correlate the results with clinico-pathological parameters. In 249 BC patients, the expression patterns of general TRα and the α1 and α2 isoforms were evaluated via immuno-histochemistry. Prognosis-determining aspects were calculated via univariate, as well as multivariate, analysis. Univariate Cox-regression analysis revealed no association between nuclear TRα expression and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.126), whereas cytoplasmic TRα expression was significantly correlated with a poor outcome for both OS (p = 0.034) and ten-year survival (p = 0.009). Strengthening these results, cytoplasmic TRα was found to be an independent marker of OS (p = 0.010) when adjusted to fit clinico-pathological parameters. Analyses of the TRα-subgroups revealed that TRα1 had no prognostic relevance, whereas nuclear TRα2 expression was positively associated with OS (p = 0.014), ten-year survival (p = 0.029), and DFS (p = 0.043). Additionally, nuclear TRα2 expression was found to be an independent positive prognosticator (p = 0.030) when adjusted to fit clinico-pathological parameters. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that subcellular localization of TRα and its isoforms plays an important role in the carcinogenesis and prognosis of breast cancer. Cytoplasmic TRα expression correlates with more aggressive disease progression, whereas nuclear TRα2 expression appears to be a protective factor. These data may help us to prioritize high-risk BC subgroups for possible targeted tumor therapy.

Targeting Nuclear Receptors in Lung Cancer—Novel Therapeutic Prospects

Lung cancer, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer, is the major cause of fatalities worldwide for both men and women, with an estimated 2.2 million new incidences and 1.8 million deaths, according to GLOBOCAN 2020. Although various risk factors for lung cancer pathogenesis have been reported, controlling smoking alone has a significant value as a preventive measure. In spite of decades of extensive research, mechanistic cues and targets need to be profoundly explored to develop potential diagnostics, treatments, and reliable therapies for this disease. Nuclear receptors (NRs) function as transcription factors that control diverse biological processes such as cell growth, differentiation, development, and metabolism. The aberrant expression of NRs has been involved in a variety of disorders, including cancer. Deregulation of distinct NRs in lung cancer has been associated with numerous events, including mutations, epigenetic modifications, and different signaling cascades. Substantial efforts have been made to develop several small molecules as agonists or antagonists directed to target specific NRs for inhibiting tumor cell growth, migration, and invasion and inducing apoptosis in lung cancer, which makes NRs promising candidates for reliable lung cancer therapeutics. The current work focuses on the importance of various NRs in the development and progression of lung cancer and highlights the different small molecules (e.g., agonist or antagonist) that influence NR expression, with the goal of establishing them as viable therapeutics to combat lung cancer.

Current advances in prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for solid cancers: Detection techniques and future challenges

Solid cancers are one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths, characterized by rapid growth of tumour, and local and distant metastases. Current advances on multimodality care have substantially improved local control and metastasis-free survival of patients by resection of primary tumour. The major concern in disease prognosis is the timely detection of resectable or metastatic tumour, thus reinforcing the need for identification of biomarkers for premalignant lesions of solid cancer. This ultimately improves the outcome for the patients. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to update the recent advancements on prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers to enhance early detection of common solid cancers including, breast, lung, colorectal, prostate and stomach cancer. We also provide an insight into Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved solid cancers biomarkers; various conventional techniques used for detection of prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers and discuss approaches to turn challenges in this field into opportunities.