Adjuvant chemotherapy of bladder cancer

Identifying stage-associated hub genes in bladder cancer via weighted gene co-expression network and robust rank aggregation analyses

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer (BC) is among the most frequent cancers globally. Although substantial efforts have been put to understand its pathogenesis, its underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.

METHODS

The robust rank aggregation approach was adopted to integrate 4 eligible bladder urothelial carcinoma microarray datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus. Differentially expressed gene sets were identified between tumor samples and equivalent healthy samples. We constructed gene co-expression networks using weighted gene co-expression network to explore the alleged relationship between BC clinical characteristics and gene sets, as well as to identify hub genes. We also incorporated the weighted gene co-expression network and robust rank aggregation to screen differentially expressed genes.

RESULTS

CDH11, COL6A3, EDNRA, and SERPINF1 were selected from the key module and validated. Based on the results, significant downregulation of the hub genes occurred during the early stages of BC. Moreover, receiver operating characteristics curves and Kaplan-Meier plots showed that the genes exhibited favorable diagnostic and prognostic value for BC. Based on gene set enrichment analysis for single hub gene, all the genes were closely linked to BC cell proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

These results offer unique insight into the pathogenesis of BC and recognize CDH11, COL6A3, EDNRA, and SERPINF1 as potential biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic roles in BC.

Hypomethylation of PlncRNA-1 promoter enhances bladder cancer progression through the miR-136-5p/Smad3 axis

Apart from being potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) modulate the development and progression of multiple cancers. PlncRNA-1 is a newly discovered lncRNA that exhibits the above properties through multiple regulatory pathways. However, the clinical significance and molecular mechanisms of PlncRNA-1 in bladder cancer have not been established. PlncRNA-1 was found to be overexpressed in 71.43% of bladder cancer tissues. Moreover, the expression level correlated with tumor invasion, T stage, age, and number of tumors, but not with gender, recurrent status, preoperative treatment, pathological grade, and tumor size. The expression level of PlncRNA-1 can, to a certain extent, be used as a predictor of the degree of tumor invasion and T stage among BC patients. Inhibiting PlncRNA-1 expression impaired the proliferation, migration, and invasion of T24 and 5637 bladder cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, PlncRNA-1 promoter in BC tissues was found to be hypomethylated at position 131 (36157603 on chromosome 21). PlncRNA-1 promoter hypomethylation induces the overexpression of PlncRNA-1. In addition, PlncRNA-1 modulated the expression of smad3 and has-miR-136-5p (miR-136). Conversely, miR-136 regulated the expression of PlncRNA-1 and smad3. PlncRNA-1 mimics competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in its regulation of smad3 expression by binding miR-136. Rescue analysis further revealed that modulation of miR-136 could reverse the expression of smad3 and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker proteins impaired by PlncRNA-1. In summary, PlncRNA-1 has important clinical predictive values and is involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of smad3. The PlncRNA-1/miR-136/smad3 axis provides insights into the regulatory mechanism of BC, thus may serve as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker for cancer.

Long non-coding RNA CASC9 promotes tumor growth and metastasis via modulating FZD6/Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence have highlighted the importance of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in multiple cancers development and progression. Cancer susceptibility candidate 9 (CASC9) is a novel long non-coding RNA and plays important regulatory role in diverse biological processes of cancers. However, the clinical significance and molecular mechanism of CASC9 in bladder cancer is still unknown.

METHODS

Comprehensive lncRNAs profiling analysis were conducted to identify lncRNAs profile alterations and uncover valuable lncRNA candidates for bladder cancer. The expression level of CASC9 was determined in a total of 106 patients with bladder cancer. Loss-of-function experiments were performed to identify the functions of CASC9 in tumor growth and metastasis of bladder cancer in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatics analysis and further experiments were performed to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying the functions of CASC9.

RESULTS

This study found that CASC9 expression was markedly upregulated in bladder cancer and related to histological grade, TNM stage and prognosis. Knockdown of CASC9 inhibited tumor growth and metastasis of bladder cancer in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that CASC9 functions as a miRNA sponge to positively regulate FZD6 expression and subsequently activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thus playing an oncogenic role in bladder cancer pathogenesis.

CONCLUSION

In summary, lncRNA CASC9 plays a critical regulatory role in bladder cancer. The CASC9/miR-497-5p/ FZD6 axis provides insights for regulatory mechanism of bladder cancer, and new strategies for clinical practice.

Role of adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy following radical cystectomy in locally advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials

Purpose

We purposed to assess the effects of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACH) on survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who are treated with radical cystectomy (RC).

Materials and Methods

Literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases for all articles that were published until February 2018. Systematic review and meta-analysis were performed by pooling the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared patients with locally advanced MIBC who received ACH after RC to those who underwent cystectomy alone. Endpoints were progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

Four RCTs with a total of 490 patients were selected for the analysis. These four trials included patients with locally advanced MIBC. Pooled HRs for PFS and OS across the studies were 0.48 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39–0.60; p<0.00001) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.48–0.83; p=0.0009), respectively. Absolute increases in PFS and OS for locally advanced MIBC were 17% and 10%, respectively (i.e., equivalent to numbers needed to treat of 5.9 and 10).

Conclusions

ACH following RC may improve the survival outcomes of locally advanced MIBC patients. Beneficial effect of ACH might be more marked in patients with locally advanced MIBC when comparing the previously reported meta-analysis with all MIBC patients.

A rare case of for synchronous advanced cancer of ascending colon and urinary bladder with simultaneous laparoscopic resection: A case report

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The case of synchronous primary colorectal cancer and bladder cancer remains rare.

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Multidisciplinary treatment is required for synchronous advanced colorectal cancer and bladder cancer.

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Simultaneous laparoscopic resection may be proposed for postoperative multidisciplinary treatment.

Introduction

Advances in diagnostic techniques have resulted in an increase in the diagnosis of numerous patients with multiple primary cancers. However, the diagnosis of synchronous primary colorectal cancer and bladder cancer remains rare.

Presentation of case

A 69-year-old man diagnosed with synchronous advanced cancer of the ascending colon and urinary bladder underwent simultaneous laparoscopic resection. His postoperative course was similar to that of routine colorectal cancer. The patient refused adjuvant therapy. The patient was diagnosed as having recurrence of bladder cancer 3 months after surgery; he died 9 months after surgery.

Discussion

For multiple primary malignant tumors, simultaneous tumor resection is preferred. Simultaneous laparoscopic resection may be proposed for postoperative multidisciplinary treatment. If an established regimen is determined in the future, neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be an option for the treatment of synchronous advanced cancer.

Conclusion

Simultaneous laparoscopic surgery is a greatly beneficial approach for synchronous cancer requiring multidisciplinary treatment. Additionally, an appropriate support system for patients is indispensable for completing multidisciplinary treatment.

Wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1 is a prognostic marker and therapeutic target in bladder transitional cell carcinoma

Wild-type p53-induced phosphatase (Wip1) is an established oncogene and is associated with development of multiple forms of human cancer. However, the expression and role of Wip1 in human bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) remains to be elucidated. In the present study, immunohistochemistry demonstrated that Wip1 was overexpressed in bladder TCC tissues compared with corresponding normal bladder tissues in 106 bladder TCC cases (P<0.0001). Furthermore, high expression levels of Wip1 were significantly associated with increasing tumor size (P=0.002), pathological grade (P=0.025), clinical T stage (P=0.001) and lymph nodal metastasis (P=0.003). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis identified that patients with high Wip1 expression levels exhibited a lower overall survival time (P<0.0001), and Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis demonstrated that Wip1 expression was an independent prognostic factor in patients with bladder TCC (P=0.025). In addition, downregulation of Wip1 expression by transfection with small interfering RNA in bladder cancer cells inhibited cell proliferation, invasion and migration (P<0.05), along with the upregulation of p53 protein levels (P<0.05). These findings suggest that Wip1 may function as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target in bladder cancer.

Adjuvant chemotherapy after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer: a comparative study using inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting

OBJECTIVES

The role of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer remains unclear. This study evaluated the benefits of cisplatin-based AC plus surgery versus surgery alone in patients with bladder cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The medical records of 746 patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer were reviewed. The association between AC and survival was analyzed using Cox regression models. To reduce the impact of treatment selection bias and potential confounding in an observational study, significant differences in patient characteristics were rigorously adjusted using inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting (IPTW).

RESULTS

The cohort consisted of 746 patients (664 men and 82 women) of mean age 62.4 years and median follow-up of 64.3 months (range, 1-231.4 months). Of these patients, 176 (23.6%) received AC after cystectomy and 570 (76.4%) underwent cystectomy alone. Patients who received AC were significantly younger (60 vs. 63 years, p = 0.001) and significantly more likely to have high pathologic T stage (p = 0.001), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.001), high grade (p = 0.001), and lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.001) than patients who underwent cystectomy alone. Multivariable analysis showed a cancer-specific survival (CSS) benefit for AC [hazard ratio (HR) 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-0.80, p = 0.002], as did low pathologic T stage, absence of lymph node metastasis, and absence of lymphovascular invasion. After IPTW adjustment for baseline characteristics, AC remained an independent predictor of CSS (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.69-0.99, p = 0.043).

CONCLUSIONS

Cisplatin-based AC after radical cystectomy had survival benefits in patients with bladder cancer, even after IPTW adjustment for confounding variables.

Adjuvant chemotherapy for invasive bladder cancer: a 2013 updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials

CONTEXT

The role of adjuvant chemotherapy remains poorly defined for the management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The last meta-analysis evaluating adjuvant chemotherapy, conducted in 2005, had limited power to fully support its use.

OBJECTIVE

To update the current evidence of the benefit of postoperative adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy compared with control (ie, surgery alone) in patients with MIBC.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy with control for patients with MIBC. The search included the Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases, and abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology meetings up to May 2013. An updated systematic review and meta-analysis was performed.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

A total of 945 patients included in nine RCTs (five previously analyzed, one updated, and three new) were examined. For overall survival, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) across all nine trials was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59-0.99; p=0.049). For disease-free survival, the pooled HR across seven trials reporting this outcome was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.45-0.91; p=0.014). This disease-free survival benefit was more apparent among those with positive nodal involvement (p=0.010).

CONCLUSIONS

This updated and improved meta-analysis of randomized trials provides further evidence of an overall survival and disease-free survival benefit in patients with MIBC receiving adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy after radical cystectomy.

Adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine versus chemotherapy at relapse in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer submitted to radical cystectomy: an Italian, multicenter, randomized phase III trial

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) versus surgery alone in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

One hundred and ninety-four patients with pT2G3, pT3-4, N0-2 transitional cell bladder carcinoma were randomly allocated to control (92 patients) or to four courses of AC (102 patients). These latter patients were further randomly assigned to receive gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) days 1, 8 and 15 and cisplatin 70 mg/m(2) day 2 or gemcitabine as above plus cisplatin 70 mg/m(2) day 15, every 28 days.

RESULTS

At a median follow-up of 35 months, the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 48.5%, with no difference between the two arms [P = 0.24, hazard ratio (HR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84-1.99]. Mortality hazard was significantly correlated with Nodes (N) and Tumor (T) stage. The control and AC arms had comparable disease-free survival (42.3% and 37.2%, respectively; P = 0.70, HR 1.08, 95% CI 0.73-1.59). Only 62% of patients received the planned cycles. A significant higher incidence of thrombocytopenia was observed in patients receiving cisplatin on day 2 (P = 0.006). A similar global quality of life was observed in the two arms.

CONCLUSION

The study was underpowered to demonstrate that AC with cisplatin and gemcitabine improves OS and disease-free survival in patients with MIBC.

The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced (pT3, pT4a) and/or lymph node-positive bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

To report the long-term follow up of patients with locally advanced bladder cancer treated with either adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) or methotrexate, vinblastine, epirubicin, and cisplatin (MVEC) or no additional treatment after radical cystectomy, to examine various survival endpoints and factors associated with long-term survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Seventy-eight patients undergoing radical cystectomy for pathologic stage T3, T4 or lymph node-positive (N+) bladder cancer were divided to observation group (46 patients) and adjuvant chemotherapy group (32 patients). Data were obtained for recurrence free (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

One-, 2- and 5-year RFS rates were 74, 56.8 and 51.1% for chemotherapy arm, whereas these ratios were 50.6, 31 and 27.6% for control arm, respectively (P = 0.032). RFS rates were significantly better in patients with lymph node-negative disease than in those with positive lymph nodes for control arm (P = 0.007), but for the chemotherapy arm there was no statistical difference between patients with lymph node-negative and -positive disease (P = 0.28). Mean OS and RFS times were 31.03 and 28.4 months for chemotherapy arm, while they were 22.17 and 18.09 months for control arm, respectively (P = 0.142, P = 0.196). On multivariate analysis, lymph node metastasis and adjuvant chemotherapy remained significant independent prognostic factors for cancer-specific survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Bladder cancer is chemosensitive, and using adjuvant chemotherapy is likely to improve the outcome of local treatment and to decrease the rates of distant metastases.