Current status of and barriers to the treatment of advanced-stage liver cancer in China: a questionnaire-based study from the perspective of doctors

The regulatory effect of lncRNA LINC00943 on the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and its relationship with clinicopathological features

BACKGROUND

The risk factors for the pathogenesis of HCC are highly variable, and the prognosis of patients is very unsatisfactory. In this study, we investigated the regulatory effect of LINC00943 on HCC progression and its relationship with clinicopathological features.

METHODS

LINC00943 level in HCC tissues and cell specimens was verified by RT-qPCR. The pathologic significance of LINC00943 in the prognosis of HCC was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. The behavioral function of LINC00943 in HCC cells was evaluated via CCK-8 and Transwell assays. The specific targeting relationship between LINC00943 and miR-195-5p was investigated by luciferase activity assay.

RESULTS

LINC00943 was highly expressed in HCC tissues and cell specimens. Clinical data analysis showed that elevated LINC00943 indicated poor prognosis in patients with HCC and was related to TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Cell experiments demonstrated that silencing LINC00943 sponge miR-195-5p suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells. Mechanistically, miR-195-5p inhibitor remedied the suppressive effect of silencing LINC00943 on the biological functions of HCC cells.

CONCLUSION

LINC00943 may be an independent prognostic factor of HCC, which provides new thinking for the prognosis and treatment of HCC patients.

What are the changes in the hotspots and frontiers of microRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma over the past decade?

BACKGROUND

Emerging research suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A comprehensive analysis of recent research concerning miRNAs in HCC development could provide researchers with a valuable reference for further studies.

AIM

To make a comprehensive analysis of recent studies concerning miRNAs in HCC.

METHODS

All relevant publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometrix software, VOSviewer software and CiteSpace software were used to visually analyze the distribution by time, countries, institutions, journals, and authors, as well as the keywords, burst keywords and thematic map.

RESULTS

A total of 9426 publications on this topic were found worldwide. According to the keywords analysis, we found that the studies of miRNAs focused on their expression level, effects, and mechanisms on the biological behaviour of HCC. Keywords bursting analysis showed that in the early years (2013-2017), "microRNA expression", "gene expression", "expression profile", "functional polymorphism", "circulating microRNA", "susceptibility" and "mir 21" started to attract attention. In the latest phase (2018-2022), the hot topics turned to "sorafenib resistance", "tumor microenvironment" and so on.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a comprehensive overview of the role of miRNAs in HCC development based on bibliometric analysis. The hotspots in this field focus on miRNAs expression level, effects, and mechanisms on the biological behavior of HCC. The frontiers turned to sorafenib resistance, tumor microenvironment and so on.

Homologous cancer cell membrane-camouflaged nanoparticles target drug delivery and enhance the chemotherapy efficacy of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common digestive tract malignancy that seriously threatens human life and health. Early HCC may be treated by intervention, surgery, and internal radiotherapy, while the choice for late HCC is primarily chemotherapy to prolong patient survival. Lenvatinib (LT) is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved frontline drug for the treatment of advanced liver cancer and has achieved excellent clinical efficacy. However, its poor solubility and severe side effects cannot be ignored. In this study, a bionic nanodrug delivery platform was successfully constructed. The platform consists of a core of Lenvatinib wrapped with a pH-sensitive polymer, namely, poly(β-amino ester)-polyethylene glycol-amine (PAE-PEG-NH₂), and a shell formed by a cancer cell membrane (CCM). The prepared nanodrugs have high drug loading capacity, long-term stability, good biocompatibility, and a long retention time. In addition, the targeting effect of tumor cell membranes and the pH-responsive characteristics of the polymer materials enable them to precisely target tumor cells and achieve responsive release in the tumor microenvironment, which makes them suitable for effective drug delivery. In vivo experiments revealed that the nanodrug showed superior tumor accumulation and therapeutic effects in subcutaneous tumor mice model and could effectively eliminate tumors within 21 days. As a result, it opens up a new way to reduce side effects and improve the specific therapeutic effect of first-line clinical medications to treat tumors.