The Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score Predicts Survival in Gastric Cancer Patients with Normal CEA and CA19-9

A novel tRNA-derived fragment tRF-17-18VBY9M works as a potential diagnostic biomarker for gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors worldwide. The low effectiveness of common biomarkers for the detection of early GC makes it essential to seek new biomarkers to improve diagnostic efficacy. tsRNAs (transfer RNA-derived small RNAs) are related to the growth of malignant tumors. In this article, we focused on whether tsRNAs may be employed as biomarkers for GC.

METHODS

tRF-17-18VBY9M was screened in the tsRFun database as a research object. The methodological efficacy of tRF-17-18VBY9M was evaluated using Sanger sequencing, agarose gel electrophoresis assays, and gradient dilution. The χ2 test was applied to assess the interaction between tRF-17-18VBY9M expression and clinicopathologic characteristics. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to investigate the clinical efficiency of tRF-17-18VBY9M in GC.

RESULTS

The Chi-square test demonstrated that high-expressed tRF-17-18VBY9M was closely associated with the T stage, tumor node metastasis stage (TNM), lymph node metastasis, and neurological/vascular invasion. ROC curve analysis revealed that the diagnostic value of tRF-17-18VBY9M in GC was superior to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), and carbohydrate antigen 724 (CA724).

CONCLUSION

tRF-17-18VBY9M is up-regulated in both GC sera and tissues. Differential tRF-17-18VBY9M expression distinguishes GC patients from healthy donors and gastritis patients, which suggests tRF-17-18VBY9M could act as a diagnostic biomarker in GC.

The Clinical Benefit of the Modified Neutrophil-Platelet Score as a Surrogate Prognostic Marker in Patients With Resectable Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIM

Gastric cancer is a common cause of cancer death worldwide, especially in East Asia. This study evaluated the impact of preoperative modified Neutrophil-Platelet Score (mNPS) on the survival and recurrence of patients with resectable gastric cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The study analyzed 168 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy and subsequently received adjuvant treatment for gastric cancer between 2015 and 2021. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS).

RESULTS

Patients were divided into two groups: 76 patients with an mNPS of 0 were classified into the low-mNPS group, whereas 92 patients with an mNPS of ≥1 were classified into the high-mNPS group. The 3- and 5-year OS rates in the low-mNPS group were 65.6% and 56.2%, respectively, and those in the high-mNPS group were 45.3% and 36.9%, respectively. The difference in OS between the two groups was statistically significant (p=0.007). The 3- and 5-year RFS rates in the low-mNPS group were 45.6% and 38.7%, respectively, whereas those in the high-mNPS group were 33.4% and 28.1%, respectively. The difference in RFS between the two groups was statistically significant (p=0.043). A multivariate analysis showed that the mNPS was a significant independent prognostic factor for OS and RFS.

CONCLUSION

mNPS is a potential prognostic marker for patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative gastrectomy. Higher mNPS values were associated with lower 3- and 5-year OS and RFS rates, indicating a potential correlation between elevated mNPS and worse outcomes.

Prognostic significance of the CFA ratio for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia: A multicenter retrospective study

The CFA ratio, calculated using pretreatment C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and albumin levels (CRP × fibrinogen/albumin), was previously reported to be a significant prognostic factor for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This multicenter retrospective study evaluated the prognostic value of the CFA ratio in 328 adult patients with newly diagnosed AML from April 2000 to March 2018. The median age was 49.5 years (range, 15-75 years), and 60.7% of the population were males. According to the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) risk classification, 67 patients (20.4%) were in the favorable-risk group, 197 patients (60.1%) in the intermediate-risk group, and 58 patients (17.7%) in the adverse-risk group. The median CFA ratio was 1.07 (0-67.69). Based on the calculated cutoff CFA ratio of 1.44, the cohort included 176 and 152 patients with low and high CFA ratios, respectively. At a median follow-up of 91.2 months, the 7-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 51.2% and 48.6%, respectively, in the overall cohort. The 7-year OS rates were 61.7% and 39.0% in the low and high CFA ratio groups, respectively (p < 0.001). The 7-year DFS rates were 58.1% and 37.0% in the low and high CFA ratio groups, respectively (p = 0.004). In univariate analysis, age ≥50 years, male sex, ELN risk class, and comorbidities were associated with poor OS. Age, ELN risk class, comorbidities, and high CFA ratio were associated with poor OS in multivariate analysis. Subgroup analysis revealed that the CFA ratio was significant in the intermediate and adverse ELN risk classes. These findings indicate the prognostic significance of the CFA ratio in AML.

Systemic inflammatory biomarkers as prognostic tools in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma

PURPOSE

Gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma is associated with poor prognosis, even in resectable stages. Systemic inflammation plays a key role in cancer progression. Yet, information on prognostic values of systemic inflammatory parameters in European cohorts is scarce.

METHODS

We analysed systemic inflammatory biomarkers (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), leucocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (LLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI) and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS)) at the time of cancer diagnosis and their association with overall survival (OS) in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma treated at the Medical University of Vienna between 1990 and 2020.

RESULTS

In this analysis of 769 patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, higher mGPS (0-2) scores were associated with shorter OS in the overall cohort (24.9 versus 11.9 versus 7.6 months; HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.549-1.056; p < 0.001), in locally advanced (31.1 versus 19.8 versus 13.9 months, HR 1.561, 95% CI 1.274-1.912; p < 0.001) and in advanced/metastatic settings (12.3 versus 7.3 versus 5.8 months; HR 1.377, 95% CI 1.777-1.611; p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, the association of mGPS with the OS stayed statistically significant in the locally advanced cohort (HR 1.397, 95% CI 1.068-1.828; p = 0.015), whereas NLR, LLR, PLR and SIRI did not. mGPS was associated with more advanced stages (p < 0.001) and weight loss (p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

mGPS poses a feasible prognostic tool in patients with locally advanced gastroesophageal cancer.

Serum circular RNA hsa_circ_0000702 as a novel biomarker for diagnosis of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

There is mounting evidence that Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are essential for the initiation and development of gastric cancer (GC). In this study, we further investigated the clinical importance and applicability of serum hsa_circ_0000702 in the diagnosis and treatment of GC.

METHODS

Sanger sequencing, agarose gel electrophoresis, and RNase R assay were used to confirm the origin, alterations, and stability of hsa_circ_0000702 in GC patients. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression level of hsa_circ_0000702 in GC cell lines, serum, and tissues. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were built to evaluate their prognostic value and how well they would work in conjunction with popular biochemical markers for GC. Finally, real-time dynamic monitoring was used to assess its prognostic usefulness.

RESULTS

Hsa_circ_0000702 exhibited the fundamental traits of circRNA. Hsa_circ_0000702 had good sensitivity, specificity, and stability. It was discovered that hsa_circ_0000702 was down-regulated in GC cell lines, serum, and tissues, and that the level of tumor differentiation and tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging were connected with serum hsa_circ_0000702. The area under the ROC curve of serum hsa_circ_0000702 was calculated to be 0.745 (95% CI: 0.669-0.821), indicating high diagnostic efficacy. The diagnostic value was greatly increased by combining serum CEA and CA19-9. Finally, preoperative and postoperative dynamic monitoring revealed serum hsa_circ_0000702 to be of clinical application.

CONCLUSION

Serum hsa_circ_0000702 was variably expressed in GC patients, indicating that serum hsa_circ_0000702 may be a novel biomarker for GC diagnosis and dynamic monitoring.

Development and Validation of Tumor Marker Indices in Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND

Tumor markers (TMs) are important for the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC). However, the prognostic importance of the tumor marker index (TMI) based on GC-specific TMs for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) still needs to be further explored.

METHODS

We retrospectively examined patients who underwent radical gastric cancer surgery between February 2014 and June 2016 at the Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital, Harbin Medical University. The patients were divided into training and validation groups. TMI was determined as the geometric mean of the standard cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. Patient overall survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Independent prognosis-associated risk factors were identified using Cox hazard regression models. A nomogram model incorporating TMI and clinicopathological factors was developed, and its performance was evaluated using a decision curve analysis, concordance index, and calibration plots.

RESULTS

In the TMI training cohort, the cutoff value was set at .439, categorizing patients into TMI-High and TMI-Low groups. The 5-year survival rate in the TMI-Low group significantly surpassed that in the TMI-High group (78.2% vs 58.1% and 49.7 vs 41.6, P < .001). TMI emerged as an independent prognostic factor. The nomogram accurately predicted patient prognosis by using TMI and clinicopathological characteristics. Validation of the TMI in the independent cohort yielded satisfactory results.

CONCLUSION

The TMI constructed based on specific TMs associated with gastric cancer can offer a precise prognostic prediction for patients.