New Insights on Old Biomarkers Involved in Tumor Microenvironment Changes and Their Diagnostic Relevance in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

Effect of lung rehabilitation training combined with nutritional intervention on patients after thoracoscopic resection of lung cancer

Thoracoscopic lobectomy is the main type of surgical treatment for lung cancer. Postoperative patients have complications and decreased pulmonary function, which affects their discharge time and quality of life. Lung ventilator training has been shown to promote the postoperative recovery of patients; however, no specific treatment plan has been approved to enhance lung rehabilitation. Therefore, it is necessary to explore methods to promote the postoperative rehabilitation of patients with lung cancer. The patients with lung cancer who were admitted to Banan Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University (Chongqing, China) between January 2022 and January 2023, and who planned to undergo a thoracoscopic lobectomy, were randomly categorized into two groups. The experimental group began lung rehabilitation training 2 weeks before the operation and received individualized nutrition programs. The control group did not receive lung rehabilitation training and nutrition programs. The quality of life, lung function, 6-min walking distance (6MWD), nutritional status, postoperative complications, hospital expenses and hospital stay between the two groups were compared. Finally, 86 and 83 patients were included in the test and control groups, respectively. Regarding the postoperative indicators, the patients in the test group scored higher in all areas of quality of life, exhibited higher lung function and 6MWD, and had significantly higher serum total protein, albumin and hemoglobin levels, and body mass index, compared with the control group. Furthermore, the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications, the duration of hospitalization and the hospitalization costs were lower in the experimental group. In conclusion, lung rehabilitation training combined with nutritional intervention can promote the postoperative rehabilitation of patients with lung cancer. The research has been duly registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Register platform (registration no. ChiCTR2300078681; registered Dec 15, 2023).

Mechanism of non-small cell lung cancer cell-derived exosome miR-196b-5p promoting pyroptosis of tumor T cells and tumor cell proliferation by downregulating ING5

In the world, lung cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers and has become the leading cause of death of cancers in China, among which non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for a relatively high proportion, but there is a lack of effective treatment at present. An animal model of NSCLC was established, and BEAS-2b, H1299, Lewis, and T cells were used for subsequent experimental verification. The level of miR-196b-5p was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Growth inhibitor 5 (ING5), CD9, CD63, HSP70, Caspase-1, NLRP3, and GSDMD-NT were detected by western blot. The level of ING5 was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, the location of miR-196b-5p was analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), cell viability was investigated by Cell Counting Kit-8 kit, and interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 were confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. In addition, the binding site was verified by dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments. Tumor volume was measured. TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis. Flow cytometry was used to measure the levels of CD8 T, CD4 T, and Treg cells in tumors. miR-196-5p was highly expressed in exosomes secreted by tumor cells. miR-196-5p negatively targeted ING5 to promote the growth of tumor cells. Cancer-derived exosomes promote pyroptosis of T cells to further aggravate the development of cancer. Exosome-derived miR-196b-5p promoted pyroptosis of T cells. Exosome-derived miR-196b-5p inhibited the level of ING5 to promote tumor growth and accelerate the process of NSCLC.

Biosensors for the detection of lung cancer biomarkers: A review on biomarkers, transducing techniques and recent graphene-based implementations

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death. In addition to chest X-rays and computerised tomography, the detection of cancer biomarkers serves as an emerging diagnostic tool for lung cancer. This review explores biomarkers including the rat sarcoma gene, the tumour protein 53 gene, the epidermal growth factor receptor, the neuron-specific enolase, the cytokeratin-19 fragment 21-1 and carcinoembryonic antigen as potential indicators of lung cancer. Biosensors, which utilise various transduction techniques, present a promising solution for the detection of lung cancer biomarkers. Therefore, this review also explores the working principles and recent implementations of transducers in the detection of lung cancer biomarkers. The transducing techniques explored include optical techniques, electrochemical techniques and mass-based techniques for detecting biomarkers and cancer-related volatile organic compounds. Graphene has outstanding properties in terms of charge transfer, surface area, thermal conductivity and optical characteristics, on top of allowing easy incorporation of other nanomaterials. Exploiting the collective merits of both graphene and biosensor is an emerging trend, as evidenced by the growing number of studies on graphene-based biosensors for the detection of lung cancer biomarkers. This work provides a comprehensive review of these studies, including information on modification schemes, nanomaterials, amplification strategies, real sample applications, and sensor performance. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges and future outlook of lung cancer biosensors, including scalable graphene synthesis, multi-biomarker detection, portability, miniaturisation, financial support, and commercialisation.

Analysis of MMP-2-735C/T (rs2285053) and MMP-9-1562C/T (rs3918242) Polymorphisms in the Risk Assessment of Developing Lung Cancer

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 are gelatinases which are capable of degrading type IV collagen and have been linked to cancer invasion and metastatic development. MMP-2 and MMP-9 gene polymorphisms may affect their biological function, and thus their role in cancer development and progression. We analyzed the association of the polymorphism frequencies of MMP-2-735C/T and MMP-9-1562C/T with MMP-2 and MMP-9 serum concentrations, as well as their potential effects in lung cancer patients. We conducted a retrospective, case-control study consisting of 112 lung cancer patients and 100 healthy individuals from a Caucasian population in Poland. Polymerase chain reaction with restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP) and electrophoresis was used to genotype genomic DNA from whole blood samples. MMP-2 and MMP-9 serum concentrations were then determined using ELISA. For statistical analysis, Statistica version 13 from TIBCO Software Inc. was utilized with a significance level <0.05. Logistic regression analysis revealed that MMP-2-735CC (OR = 5.39; 95% CI = 0.62-47.17; p = 0.238504) and -735CT genotype (OR = 7.22; 95% CI = 0.78-67.14; p = 0.072836), as well as MMP-9-1562CC (OR = 1.45; 95% CI = 0.31-6.70; p = 0.757914) and -1562CT genotype (OR = 1.60; 95% CI = 0.33-7.83; p = 0.548801) were associated with a higher risk of lung cancer. There were statistically significant differences observed in the MMP-2 concentration between individuals with the -735CC genotype and the -735CT genotype (non-smoking control: 204.04 ng/mL vs. 237.00 ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.041479; adenocarcinoma patients: 157.69 ng/mL vs. 126.37 ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.013222), as well as differences in the MMP-9 concentration between individuals with the -1562CC genotype and the -1562CT genotype (smoking control: 385.67 ng/mL vs. 562.80 ng/mL, respectively, p = 0.000936; patients with other lung neoplasms: 821.64 ng/mL vs. 928.88 ng/mL, respectively p = 0.023315). The role of MMP-2-735C/T and MMP-9 -1562C/T polymorphisms in an increased risk of lung cancer cannot be dismissed. Specific genotypes affect MMP-2 and MMP-9 concentrations in both lung cancer patients and healthy controls, which may thereby increase lung cancer risk, disease aggressiveness, and patient survival outcomes.

Hepcidin as a Diagnostic Biomarker in Anaemic Lung Cancer Patients

We aim to describe the characteristics of hepcidin, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in anaemia of lung cancer patients with operative tumour as well as to investigate the potential diagnostic capabilities of hepcidin in combination with IL-6, TNF-α, and acute phase proteins. We present a retrospective study of 112 lung cancer patients (41 women and 71 men) who were surgically treated at the Lower Silesian Centre for Lung Diseases in Wroclaw, Poland. Serum blood samples were collected from all these patients prior to any surgical treatment and used to determine hepcidin, IL-6, TNF-α, SAA₁, and CRP concentrations. Patients were also examined with a complete blood count several times during their hospitalization. The female and male groups were divided based on the occurrence of anaemia during their hospitalization. Patients who developed anaemia post-operatively had significantly lower hepcidin concentrations than non-anaemic patients (p = 0.000694 in females with ≥3 complete blood count examinations and p = 0.007905 in males with 2 complete blood count examinations), whereas patients with anaemia since hospital admission had higher hepcidin concentrations. We observed two hepcidin roles related to two cancer anaemia pathogeneses: (1) higher hepcidin concentrations in patients with anaemia since hospital admission (anaemia of inflammation) and (2) lower hepcidin concentrations in patients who developed anaemia after surgery (anaemia of iron deficiency). Our data support the role of hepcidin, IL-6, and TNF-α in cancer-related anaemia and provide diagnostic values for predicting post-operative anaemia in lung cancer patients.