Associations between variants in the cyclooxygenase 2 enzyme gene (PTGS2) and development of benign prostate enlargement

Bisphenol A exposure triggers the malignant transformation of prostatic hyperplasia in beagle dogs via cfa-miR-204/KRAS axis

The prostatic toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA) exposure is mainly associated with hormonal disturbances, thus interfering with multiple signal pathways and increasing the susceptibility to prostatic lesions. This study concentrates predominantly on the potential effect and mechanisms of low-dose BPA exposure on prostates in adult beagle dogs. The dogs were orally given BPA (2, 6, 18 μg/kg/day) and vehicle for 8 weeks, followed by blood collection and dissection. The ascended organ coefficient and volume of prostates, thickened epithelium, as well as histopathological observation have manifested that BPA exposure could trigger the aberrant prostatic hyperplasia in beagle dogs. Hormone level detection revealed that the ratios of estradiol (E₂) to testosterone (T) (E₂/T) and prolactin (PRL) to T (PRL/T) were up-regulated in the serum from BPA group. Based on microRNA (miRNA) microarray screening and functional enrichment analysis, BPA might facilitate the progression of prostate tumorigenesis in beagle dogs via cfa-miR-204 and its downstream target KRAS oncogene. Subsequently, the overexpression of KRAS, CDKN1A, MAPK1, VEGFA, BCL2 and PTGS2 was validated. These findings provide a series of underlying targets for preventing the initiation and metastasis of BPA-induced prostatic hyperplasia and tumorigenesis, while the regulatory relationship headed with KRAS requires further investigation.

The role of circulating tumour cells and nucleic acids in blood for the detection of bladder cancer: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Blood-based biomarkers are a neglected resource in bladder cancer, where the mainstay of focus has been on urinary biomarkers. However, blood-based biomarkers are gaining popularity in other solid cancers, particularly circulating tumour cells (CTCs) and circulating nucleic acids. In this systematic review, we identify and discuss the diagnostic value of CTC, cell-free DNA and RNA based biomarkers in bladder cancer.

METHODS

A MEDLINE/Pubmed systematic search was performed using the following keywords: (bladder cancer) AND (blood OR plasma OR serum) AND biomarker AND (DNA OR RNA OR cfDNA OR cell-free DNA OR RNA OR CTC). All studies including blood-based biomarkers based on DNA, RNA and CTCs were reviewed. Of the included studies, studies reporting sensitivity, specificity and/or AUC/ROC values were further described.

RESULTS

Systematic searched yielded 47 studies that were eligible, of which 21, 19 and 3 studies reported DNA, RNA and CTC biomarkers respectively. 15 of these studies included sensitivity, specificity and/or AUC/ROC values. Biomarkers sensitivity and specificity ranged widely at 2.4-97.6% and 43.3-100% respectively. Median number of patients recruited in the studies was 56 (IQR 41-90). Only 3 studies included an independent validation cohort. The highest sensitivity and specificity pairing achieved in the validation cohort was 80.0% and 89.1% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the blood-based CTC and nucleic acid biomarkers that have been investigated. An overlap in interest of targets between studies suggests that these could be promising biomarkers, but few biomarkers achieve high sensitivity and specificity, and fewer still have been validated independently.

Cyclooxygenase 2 (rs2745557) Polymorphism and the Susceptibility to Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer in Egyptians

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an inducible isoform of cyclooxygenase, has been reported to be correlated with tumorigenesis, tumor progression, and metastasis. We aimed to evaluate the association between COX-2 (rs2745557) polymorphism and prostate cancer (PCa), benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) risk. We also assessed the influence of other risk factors such as obesity, smoking, diabetes in modulating the risk of PCa in Egyptian men. COX-2 (rs2745557) was genotyped in 112 PC patients, 111 BPH and 120 subjects as a control group. COX-2 and PSA levels were measured by ELISA. We found that GG genotype was associated with a 17-fold increased risk for PCa and 20-fold increased the risk for BPH more than AA genotype. Also, G allele carriers of COX-2 were associated with metastatic cancer (OR = 1.3, P < 0.05) and disease aggressiveness (OR = 3.5, P < 0.001). The coexistence of obesity, smoking, or diabetes with GG genotype may lead to increasing the risk of developing BPH (OR = 3.3, 4, and 2.7, respectively) and of developing PCa (OR = 2.9, 4.9, and 3.2, respectively). Our results showed evidence suggesting the involvement of the COX-2 (rs2745557) polymorphism and its protein in PCa or BPH initiation and progression. Also, the coexistence of COX-2 (rs2745557) and obesity, smoking, or diabetes may lead to the development of PCa or BPH.