Contribution of Endothelial Dysfunction to Cancer Susceptibility and Progression: A Comprehensive Narrative Review on the Genetic Risk Component

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a challenging clinical obstacle in oncological settings, marked by elevated incidence rates and resulting morbidity and mortality. In the context of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT), endothelial dysfunction (ED) plays a crucial role in promoting a pro-thrombotic environment as endothelial cells lose their ability to regulate blood flow and coagulation. Moreover, emerging research suggests that this disorder may not only contribute to CAT but also impact tumorigenesis itself. Indeed, a dysfunctional endothelium may promote resistance to therapy and favour tumour progression and dissemination. While extensive research has elucidated the multifaceted mechanisms of ED pathogenesis, the genetic component remains a focal point of investigation. This comprehensive narrative review thus delves into the genetic landscape of ED and its potential ramifications on cancer progression. A thorough examination of genetic variants, specifically polymorphisms, within key genes involved in ED pathogenesis, namely eNOS, EDN1, ACE, AGT, F2, SELP, SELE, VWF, ICAM1, and VCAM1, was conducted. Overall, these polymorphisms seem to play a context-dependent role, exerting both oncogenic and tumour suppressor effects depending on the tumour and other environmental factors. In-depth studies are needed to uncover the mechanisms connecting these DNA variations to the pathogenesis of malignant diseases.

Development and Validation of a Novel Nomogram to Predict the Impact of the Polymorphisms of the Variants of ICAM-1 Gene on the Prognosis of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Object

This study investigated the correlation between polymorphisms of the ICAM-1 gene and prognosis of Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM), and developed a prognostic model for predicting the prognosis ICM on the basis of ICAM-1 gene variants.

Methods

The current study included totally 576 patients with ICM. All patients are randomly divided into training group with 399 patients and validation group with 177 patients. The prognostic model was constructed by using the data of training group. Univariable Cox-regression analysis was performed, including clinical and gene variants, then used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model to optimize feature selection. Furthermore, multivariate Cox-regression was applied to build the prognostic nomogram model, which included clinical and gene features chosen by the LASSO regression model. Following that, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, C-index, calibration plot analyses and decision curve analysis (DCA) were carried out to evaluate the discrimination ability, consistency, and clinical utility of the prognostic model.

Results

Predicting factors rs281430, ventricular arrhythmia, treating by PCI or CABG, use of β-blockers, heart rate (HR), serum sodium level, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVDD) were the risk factors of the prognosis of ICM, incorporated these factors into the prognostic nomogram model. The constructed nomogram performed well in discrimination ability, as observed by the ROC and C-index. Furthermore, as shown by calibration curves, our nomogram's predicted probabilities were highly consistent with measured values. With threshold probabilities, DCA suggested that our nomogram could be useful in the clinic.

Conclusion

rs281430 mutation (from AA genotype to AG or GG genotype) is a risk factor for ICM patients to have a higher survival probability; the survival probability of ICM patients with the mutant genotype (AG or GG) is lower than those with the wild genotype (AA).

Development and validation of a predictive model of the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the ICAM-1 gene on the risk of ischemic cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVE

Previous research has linked single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ICAM-1 gene to an increased risk of developing ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM); however, a diagnostic model of ICM according to the ICAM-1 variant has not yet been developed. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the correlation between SNPs in ICAM-1 and the presence of ICM, along with developing a diagnostic model for ICM based on the variants of the ICAM-1 gene.

METHOD

This study recruited a total of 252 patients with ICM and 280 healthy controls. In addition, all the participants were genotyped for SNPs in the ICAM-1 gene by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Using the training dataset of 371 people, we constructed a nomogram model based on ICAM-1 gene variants and clinical variables. To optimize the feature choice for the ICM risk model, a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model was adopted. We also employed multivariable logistic regression analysis to build a prediction model by integrating the clinical characteristics chosen in the LASSO regression model. Following the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), a calibration plot and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the predictive model.

RESULT

The predictors involved in the prediction nomogram included age, smoking, diabetes, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, hemoglobin, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, ejection fraction, and the rs5491 SNP. The nomogram model exhibited good discrimination ability, with the AUC value of ROC of 0.978 (95%CI: 0.967-0.989, P < 0.001) in the training group and 0.983 (95% CI: 0.969-0.998, P < 0.001) in the validation group. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test demonstrated good model calibration with consistency (P training group = 0.937; P validation group = 0.910). The DCA showed that the ICM nomogram was clinically beneficial, with the threshold probabilities ranging from 0.0 to 1.0.

CONCLUSION

The AT genotype in rs5491 of the ICAM-1 gene was associated with having a higher frequency of ICM. Individuals carrying the mutant AT genotype showed a 5.816-fold higher frequency of ICM compared with those with the AA genotype. ICM patients with the AT genotype also had a higher rate of cardiogenic death. We, therefore, developed a nomogram model that could offer an individualized prediction of ICM risk factors.

Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 Gene Polymorphisms and Susceptibility to Cervical Cancer in the Northern Chinese Han Population

Many epidemiological studies have confirmed that ICAM-1 gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with susceptibility of various cancers, but there are relatively few studies on the relationship between ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms and the risk of cervical cancer. Therefore, we aimed to explore the potential role of ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms and the combined effect of SNPs in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer in Han women in northern China. This case–control group includes 488 cases of cervical cancer, 684 cases of cervical precancerous lesions, and 510 healthy females. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with the next-generation sequencing method was used for the determination of gene polymorphisms (rs5498, rs3093030, and rs281432). In our study, we divide cervical cancer into two subgroups: cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) group and cervical adenocarcinoma (CAC) group. We analyzed the alleles and genotypes of all research subjects using multivariate logistic regression analysis combined with 10,000 permutation tests. In addition, we also analyzed the distribution of haplotypes of the three SNPs in cervical cancer and cervical precancerous lesions. We found that the T allele and the dominant model of rs3093030 were associated with the susceptibility of cervical cancer (p = 0.042, p = 0.040, respectively). However, the significance disappeared after the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing (p > 0.05). For rs5498, its mutant gene G, the codominant model, and the dominant model could reduce the risk of CAC (p = 0.009, p = 0.028, p = 0.011, respectively). Significant differences remained after Bonferroni correction (p < 0.05, all). In addition, the frequency of haplotype “CTG” was significantly lower in the CAC group than in the controls. In conclusion, the study suggested that ICAM-1 gene polymorphisms may have a potential role in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer in the northern Chinese Han population.

Evaluation of ICAM-1 rs5498 and rs3093030 Polymorphisms in Chinese Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer threatening human health. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54) displays a key role in carcinogenesis and previous studies have suggested that ICAM-1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are predicted to increase the risk of CRC. However, the relationship of ICAM-1 SNPs with CRC susceptibility was controversial. We conducted a case-control study to clarify the association of ICAM-1 SNPs (rs5498 and rs3093030) with the CRC risk. A total of 1003 CRC patients and 1303 controls were recruited to determine ICAM-1 SNPs (rs5498 and rs3093030) by SNPscan method. In the case-control study, we found that ICAM-1 rs5498 polymorphism did not influence CRC risk (AG vs. AA: adjusted p = 0.179; GG vs. AA: adjusted p = 0.281, AG+GG vs. AA: adjusted p = 0.398; GG vs. AA+AG: adjusted p = 0.153), and ICAM-1 rs3093030 polymorphism did not influence CRC risk (CT vs. CC: adjusted p = 0.841; TT vs. CC: adjusted p = 0.175, CT+TT vs. CC: adjusted p = 0.574 and TT vs. CC+TT: adjusted p = 0.180). In a subgroup of age >61, ICAM-1 rs5498 decreased the risk of CRC (p = 0.047). Multivariate analysis revealed that smoking (p = 0.002; odds ratio [OR]: 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-2.63), alcohol intake (p < 0.001; OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.31-3.05), and body mass index <24 (p < 0.001; OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.06-2.26) increased the risk of CRC. Our findings showed that ICAM-1 rs3093030 was not correlated with the susceptibility of CRC, and ICAM-1 rs5498 increased the risk of CRC in the subgroup of age ≥61. In the future, larger and ethnically homogeneous populations are needed to confirm our results.