High Expression of Tumor Abnormal Protein Preoperatively Predicts Poor Prognosis of Patients With Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Clinical significance of tumor abnormal protein in patients with type 2 diabetes complicated with lung adenocarcinoma in situ

BACKGROUND

To investigate the application value of tumor abnormal protein in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with lung adenocarcinoma in situ.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 140 patients having type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with lung adenocarcinoma in situ (Group A), 160 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (Group B), and 120 healthy controls (Group C) were enrolled in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from November 2021 to December 2022.

RESULTS

The total cholesterol level was higher in Group A than in Group B (p < 0.05) and Group C (p < 0.01), and it was higher in Group B than in Group C (p < 0.01). The comparison results of cholesterol level were similar to those of tumor abnormal protein, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glycosylated hemoglobin among the three groups. The triglyceride level was higher in Group A than in Group B and Group C (both p < 0.01). Group A had a higher level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol than Group C (p < 0.01). The fasting plasma glucose level was higher in Group A than in Group B and Group C (both, p < 0.01). These findings indicated that tumor abnormal protein, glycosylated hemoglobin, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and fasting plasma glucose were independent factors for patients having type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with lung adenocarcinoma in situ.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, detecting tumor abnormal protein levels may help diagnose lung adenocarcinoma in situ in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Preoperative tumor abnormal protein is a promising biomarker for predicting hepatocellular carcinoma oncological outcome following curative resection

Introduction and Objectives

The objective of this study was to explore the potential relationship between tumor abnormal protein (TAP) and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after a radical hepatectomy.

Patients or Materials and Methods

This retrospective study included 168 HCC patients (tumor recurrence in 78 patients) who underwent a curative resection from January 2018 to June 2020. The whole population was categorized into a TAP high (≥224.6 μm²) or a TAP low group (<224.6 μm²).

Results

There was no correlation between maximum tumor size and TAP. In the whole population or subgroups stratified by maximum tumor size, the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate of the TAP low group was significantly higher than TAP high group (P < 0.05 for all). The multivariate analysis revealed that TAP (hazard ratio [HR], 3.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.18-5.51; P < 0.001), large tumor size (HR, 2.18; 95% CI, 1.36-3.49; P < 0.001), poor tumor differentiation (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.33-0.84; P = 0.007), and presence of microvascular invasion (MVI) (HR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.28-3.22; P = 0.003) were independently associated with RFS. The prognostic implication of the nomogram incorporating TAP, maximum tumor diameter, tumor differentiation, and MVI was stronger than the model without TAP.

Conclusion

The present study suggests that higher preoperative TAP is correlated with undesirable prognosis in HCC patients who underwent a radical hepatectomy. Our study provides a robust nomogram for RFS of postoperative HCC patients.

Quantification of Tumor Abnormal Proteins in the Diagnosis and Postoperative Prognostic Evaluation of Gastric Cancer

Background:

Abnormal glycosylation of proteins has been identified in almost all types of cancers and is closely related to the cancer progression, metastasis, and survival of cancer patients. This study was to explore the values of serum tumor abnormal protein (TAP), an abnormal glycochain protein, in the diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer (GC).

Methods:

A total of 335 GC patients were included as the study group, and another 335 subjects served as the control group. Tumor abnormal protein expression was compared between the 2 groups. Correlation analysis was used to assess the correlations of TAP with clinicopathological factors. Gastric cancer patients were divided into training set and test set at a ratio of 2:1. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses in training set were used to evaluate the prognostic significance of TAP in GC patients and explore the independent risk factors for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) to establish a prognostic model, followed by testing of the model. According to the median of TAP, 335 GC patients were divided into 2 groups to plot the survival curves of OS and DFS.

Results:

Tumor abnormal protein expression in the study group was significantly higher than in the control group. Taking the best cut-off value of TAP (110.128 μm²) as the diagnostic criteria for GC, the sensitivity and specificity of TAP were 83.58% and 97.61%, respectively, and the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was 0.935, which was not inferior to computed tomography (CT). Tumor abnormal protein expression was an independent risk factor for OS and DFS. The prognostic predictive value of TAP was better than that of pathological stage in GC patients. The model with TAP was effective in predicting prognosis.

Conclusion:

Tumor abnormal protein is an effective indicator for early screening and prognostic evaluation of GC and can also assist the clinical diagnosis and treatment of GC.

The potential of B7-H6 as a therapeutic target in cancer immunotherapy

Immune checkpoints are vital molecules that regulate T-cell function by activation or inhibition. Among the immune checkpoint molecules, the B7-family proteins are significantly involved in the immune escape of tumor cells. By binding to inhibitory receptors, they can suppress T-cell-mediated immunity. B7-family proteins are found at various stages of tumor microenvironment formation and promote tumorigenesis and tumor progression. B7-H6 (encoded by gene NCR3LG1) is a prominent member of the family. It has unique immunogenic properties and is involved in natural killer (NK) cell immunosurveillance by binding to the NKp30 receptor. High B7-H6 expression in certain tumor types and shortage of or low expression in healthy cells - except in cases of inflammatory or microbial stimulation - have made the protein an attractive target of research activities in recent years. The avoidance of NK-mediated B7-H6 detection is a mechanism through which tumor cells escape immune surveillance. The stimulation of tumorigenesis occurs by suppressing caspase cascade initiation and anti-apoptosis activity stimulation via the STAT3 pathway. The B7-H6-NKp30 complex on the tumor membrane activates the NK cells and releases both tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interferon gamma (IFN-γ). B7-H6 is highly expressed in a wide range of tumor cells, including glioma, hematologic malignant tumors, and breast cancer cells. Clinical examination of cancer patients indicated that the expression of B7-H6 is related to distant metastasis status and permits postoperative prognosis. Because of its unique properties, B7-H6 has a high potential be utilized as a biological marker for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, as well as a target for novel treatment options.

Clinical application of serum tumor abnormal protein combined with tumor markers in lung cancer patients

Aim: To explore the clinical application of tumor abnormal protein (TAP) combined with tumor markers in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Methods: Samples from 248 lung cancer patients and 59 patients with benign lung diseases were tested for TAP and tumor markers pro-gastrin-releasing peptide, carcinoembryonic antigen, NSE, CYFRA 21-1 and CA72-4. Results: The sensitivity of TAP and CYFRA 21-1 in the lung cancer group was significantly higher than that of the other indexes. TAP combined with NSE and CYFRA 21-1 or combined with NSE, CYFRA 21-1 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen detection could reduce detection indicators under the premise it does not reduce the sensitivity and accuracy of lung cancer diagnosis, and at the same time could improve the specificity, positive predictive value and positive likelihood ratio of detection. Conclusion: TAP detection represents a promising diagnostic tool. It is also suggested that combination with established tumor markers and comprehensive judgment could improve the accuracy of lung cancer auxiliary diagnosis.