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Shi Ying^*, Huang Jianjun^†, Yi Xue^*, Yu Shuwei^*, Zhang Liyuan^*, Wang Jie^*, Cheng Lixian^*
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1421-1430, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14826089198805
Abstract MicroRNAs are a class of small noncoding RNAs that function as critical gene regulators through targeting mRNAs for translational repression or degradation. In this study, we showed that the miR-133b expression level was decreased while the Sirt1 mRNA expression level was increased in osteosarcoma tissue and cell lines. A low expression of miR-133b was significantly associated with tumor size, distant metastasis, and advanced clinical stage. In addition, osteosarcoma patients with a low miR-133b expression showed a worse prognosis when compared to those with a high level of miR-133b expression. Thus, we identified Sirt1 as a More >

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Huimin Wang^*, Hexin Chen^†, Hang Zhou^*, Wenfa Yu^*, Zhenmin Lu^*
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1431-1440, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14835311718295
Abstract Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common malignancy of the head and neck that arises from the nasopharynx epithelium and is highly invasive. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 3 (CDKN3) belongs to the dualspecificity protein phosphatase family, which plays a key role in regulating cell division. Abnormal expression of CDKN3 has been found in numerous types of cancer. In the current study, we explored the possible role of CDKN3 in cell proliferation, ability to invade, and radiosensitivity in NPC cells. We reported that CDKN3 was upregulated and p27 was downregulated in NPC tissues and is associated with a… More >

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ARTICLE

Enrico Mini^*, Ida Landini^*, Laura Lucarini^†, Andrea Lapucci^*, Cristina Napoli^‡, Gabriele Perrone^*, Renato Tassi^*, Emanuela Masini^†, Flavio Moroni^†, Stefania Nobili^‡
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1441-1451, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14926854178616
Abstract The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes play a key role in the regulation of cellular processes (e.g., DNA damage repair, genomic stability). It has been shown that PARP inhibitors (PARPIs) are selectively cytotoxic against cells having dysfunctions in genes involved in DNA repair mechanisms (synthetic lethality). Drug-induced PARP inhibition potentiates the activity of anticancer drugs such as 5-fluorouracil in enhancing DNA damage, whose repair involves PARP-1 activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effects of a novel PARPI, HYDAMTIQ, on growth in human tumor cell lines characterized by different features with regard… More >

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ARTICLE

De-Zhong Zhang^*, Bing-He Chen^*, Lan-Fang Zhang^†, Ming-Kun Cheng^‡, Xiang-Jie Fang^*, Xin-Jun Wu^*
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1453-1462, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14886494526344
Abstract Gastric cancer (GC) is the most common epithelial malignancy worldwide. Basic transcription factor 3 (BTF3) plays a crucial role in the regulation of various biological processes. We designed experiments to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the role of BTF3 in GC cell proliferation and metastasis. We confirmed that BTF3 expression was decreased in GC tissues and several GC cell lines. Lentivirus-mediated downregulation of BTF3 reduced cell proliferation, induced S and G₂/M cell cycle arrest, and increased apoptosis. Knockdown of BTF3 significantly reduced the expression of Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1). Upregulation of FOXM1 significantly inhibited the decrease… More >

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Boda Ying^*, Hong Huang^†, Hongfei Li^*, Meng Song^*, Sizhan Wu^*, Hongliang Ying^†
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1463-1470, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14878518291077
Abstract Procaine (PCA) is a conventional chemotherapeutic agent for osteosarcoma. Recent studies have proposed that the growth-inhibitory effect of PCA is through regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs). miR-133b has been proven to be a tumor suppressor in osteosarcoma, but whether it is involved in the antitumor effects of PCA on osteosarcoma has not been investigated. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of PCA on osteosarcoma MG63 cells by regulation of miR-133b, as well as its underlying mechanisms. MG63 cells were treated with different concentrations of PCA, and cell viability, apoptosis, and miR-133b expression were… More >

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ARTICLE

Nan Qin^*1, Gui-Feng Tong^†1, Li-Wei Sun^‡, Xiao-Lin Xu^†
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1471-1478, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14886689179993
Abstract Glioma, with varying malignancy grades and histological subtypes, is the most common primary brain tumor in adults. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein-coding transcripts and have been proven to play an important role in tumorigenesis. Our study aims to elucidate the combined effect of lncRNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) and microRNA-19a (miR-19a) in human glioma U87 and U251 cell lines. Real-time PCR revealed that MEG3 was downregulated and miR-19a was upregulated in malignant glioma tissues and cell lines. Bioinformatics analyses (TargetScan, miRanda, and starBase V2.0) showed that phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is a… More >

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Ping Wu, Huatao Quan, Jing Kang, Jian He, Shi Luo, Chubo Xie, Jing Xu, Yaoyun Tang, Suping Zhao
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1479-1488, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14886420642823
Abstract Hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) frequently presents at an advanced stage and displays early submucosal spread, resulting in a poor prognosis. It is among the worst of all cancers in the head and neck subsites. Therefore, detection of HPC at an earlier stage would be beneficial to patients. In this study, we used differential in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE) and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE) proteomics analysis to identify the potential biomarkers for HPC. Among the differential proteins identified, calcium-binding protein S100A9 was overexpressed in HPC tissues compared with normal adjacent tissues, and S100A9 expression in metastatic tissues and… More >

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ARTICLE

Vesna Vetma^*†‡, Jan Rožanc^§, Emilie M. Charles^*†, Christian T. Hellwig^*†‡¶, Leonidas G. Alexopoulos^§#, Markus Rehm^*†‡#
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1489-1494, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14897145996933
Abstract Antagonists of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), alone or in combination with genotoxic therapeutics, have been shown to efficiently induce cell death in various solid tumors. The IAP antagonist birinapant is currently being tested in phase II clinical trials. We herein aimed to investigate the antitumor efficacy of dacarbazine in vitro, both as a single agent and in combination with birinapant, in melanoma cell lines. Covering clinically relevant drug concentration ranges, we conducted a total of 5,400 measurements in a panel of 12 human melanoma cell lines representing different stages of disease progression. Surprisingly, functionally More >

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ARTICLE

Ruoting Ma^*†, Yu Yang^*, Qiuyun Tu^†, Ke Hu^‡
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1495-1504, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14883287513729
Abstract T-box transcription factor 5 (TBX5), a member of the conserved T-box transcription factor family that functions in organogenesis and embryogenesis, has recently been identified as a critical player in cancer development. The aim of this study was to determine the role of TBX5 in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the correlation between levels of TBX5 and clinicopathological features of NSCLC patients in tissue microarray. Expression of TBX5 in NSCLC tissues and cell lines was evaluated by quantitative PCR and Western blot. The role of TBX5 in regulating proliferation, colony formation,… More >

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ARTICLE

Shaokun Zhang^*, Lidi Liu^*, Zhenshan Lv^*, Qiao Li^*, Weiquan Gong^*, Hong Wu^†
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1505-1515, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14886485417426
Abstract Recent studies suggest that microRNAs (miRNAs) are critical regulators in many types of cancer, including osteosarcoma. miR-342-3p has emerged as an important cancer-related miRNA in several types of cancers. However, the functional significance of miR-342-3p in osteosarcoma is unknown. The aims of this study were to investigate whether miR-342-3p is dysregulated in osteosarcoma and to explore the biological function of miR-342-3p in regulating cellular processes of osteosarcoma cells. We found that miR-342-3p expression was significantly decreased in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-342-3p inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma cells. In… More >

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ARTICLE

Juntao Wang, Guodong Sun
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1517-1527, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14859934460780
Abstract miR-26a has been found to be downregulated in osteosarcoma (OS) when compared with normal control tissues and has been shown to suppress the malignant behaviors of OS cells. The underlying mechanism, nevertheless, remains unknown. In our study, the long noncoding RNA MALAT1, confirmed to be significantly upregulated in OS, is first shown to be capable of promoting proliferation and migration by directly suppressing miR-26a-5p in OS cells. In addition, we have identified forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) as a transcriptional factor of MALAT1 that can negatively regulate MALAT1. We have shown that MALAT1 promoted growth and More >

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ARTICLE

Xiaobo Zhang^*, Feng Gao^*, Lei Zhou^*, Huaitao Wang^*, Gang Shi^†, Xiaodong Tan^*
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1529-1541, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14888987683152
Abstract Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating malignant disease with a poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the role of urothelial carcinoma associated 1 (UCA1) in the progression of PC. Our results revealed that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) UCA1 was overexpressed in PC tissues compared with adjacent histologically normal tissues. A downregulated level of UCA1 was also detected in five human PC cell lines (SW1990, BxPC-3, MiaPaCa-2, PANC-1, and CAPAN-1) compared with normal pancreatic duct epithelial HPDE cells. The proliferation of PC cells was inhibited after UCA1 was suppressed by a lentiviral vector. The cell… More >

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ARTICLE

Wenliang Tan^*†1, Sicong Zhu^*†1, Jun Cao^*†, Lei Zhang^*†, Wenda Li^*†, Kairui Liu^*†, Jinyi Zhong^†, Changzhen Shang^*†, Yajin Chen^*†
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1543-1553, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14886444100783
Abstract Sorafenib has been globally approved as the standard treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the response rate of HCC patients to sorafenib is limited because of tumor recurrence and metastasis. Therefore, seeking combined therapeutic strategies with sorafenib is necessary to improve the antitumor efficiency. Here we demonstrated that expression of MMP-2 is positively correlated with the migration ability of HCC cells. Cells with a higher MMP-2 expression (SK-HEP-1 cells) were less sensitive to sorafenib than those with lower MMP-2 expression (HepG2 cells). Cotreatment of cells with SB-3CT and sorafenib more strongly inhibited… More >

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Zhi-Gang Shen^*1, Xiao-Zhou Liu^†1, Chang-Xiu Chen^‡, Jing-Min Lu^§
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1555-1566, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14897158009178
Abstract E2F3a, as a member of the E2F family, is essential for cell division associated with the progression of many cancers. However, the biological effect of E2F3a on glioma is not understood as well. To investigate the functional mechanism of E2F3a in glioma, we examined the expression of E2F3a in glioma tissue and cell lines. We found that E2F3a was upregulated in glioma tissue compared with adjacent tissue, and this was associated with a poor survival rate. E2F3a was highly expressed in glioma cell lines compared with normal HEB cell lines. Knockdown of E2F3a significantly inhibited… More >

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ARTICLE

Guanling Chen¹, Zhaoze Guo¹, Minfeng Liu, Guangyu Yao, Jianyu Dong, Jingyun Guo, Changsheng Ye
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1567-1578, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14897173032733
Abstract Capecitabine has consistently demonstrated high efficacy and acceptable tolerability in salvage chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer. However, there remains no consensus on its role in adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer (EBC). To estimate the value of capecitabine-based combination adjuvant treatment in EBC, eight randomized controlled trials with 14,072 participants were analyzed. The efficacy and safety outcomes included disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), relapse, breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS), and grades 3–5 adverse events. Capecitabine-based combination adjuvant chemotherapy demonstrated a 16% increase in BCSS (HR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.71–0.98, p = 0.03) in the… More >

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ARTICLE

Hua Tao, Pudong Qian, Feijiang Wang, Hongliang Yu, Yesong Guo
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1579-1587, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14900505020895
Abstract Esophageal squamous cell cancer is a highly aggressive cancer with a dismal 5-year survival rate. CD47 is a cell transmembrane protein that is involved in cell apoptosis, proliferation, adhesion, migration, and antigen presentation in the immune system. By interacting with signal regulatory protein-a expressed in antigenpresenting cells (APCs), CD47 acts as an antiphagocytic mechanism to inhibit APC-dependent antigen presentation. Overexpression of CD47 was found in various types of cancer. However, its role in esophageal squamous cell cancer is not yet clear. Anti-CD47 is an antagonist of CD47 signaling pathways by competing with its ligand. In… More >

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ARTICLE

Yuqiang Shan¹, Rongchao Ying¹, Zhong Jia, Wencheng Kong, Yi Wu, Sixin Zheng, Huicheng Jin
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1589-1599, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14897896412027
Abstract Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive system. The etiology of GC is complex, and much more attention should be paid to genetic factors. In this study, we explored the role and function of LINC00052 in GC. We applied qRT-PCR and Northern blot to detect the expression of LINC00052 and found it was highly expressed during GC. We also investigated the effects of LINC00052 on tumor prognosis and progression and found that LINC00052 indicated poor prognosis and tumor progression. By performing MTT, colony formation, and Transwell assays, we… More >

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ARTICLE

Baohong Yang^*1, Aiying Qin^†1, Kongyuan Zhang^‡, Haipeng Ren^*, Shuzhen Liu^*, Xiaolei Liu^§, Xiangpo Pan^¶, Guohua Yu^*
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1601-1606, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14928634401178
Abstract Epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are present in 10%–26% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors and are associated with the response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). This study aimed to detect and quantify the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients and investigate their possible role in providing prognostic information. Enrolled patients received erlotinib (150 mg) or gefitinib (250 mg) orally once daily as the first-line treatment. Serial blood samples were taken at baseline (CTC-d0) and on day 28 (CTC-d28) following the initiation of erlotinib/gefitinib for detection of CTCs using… More >

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Ling Liu, Nianfeng Li, Qi Zhang, Jixiang Zhou, Ling Lin, Xinxin He
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1607-1616, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14938093512742
Abstract Transforming growth factor-b (TGF-β) and ERK signaling have been implicated in various human cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of ERK1/2 in the regulation of TGF-β’s promoting and suppressive activities in HCC cells. Our data showed that treatment with TGF-β1 enhanced invasion and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC HepG2 cells, accompanied with increased MMP9 production and activation of Smad2/3 and ERK1/2, but inhibited tumor cell proliferation. These effects were eliminated by treatment with SB431542, a TGF-β inhibitor. Afterward, treatment with the… More >

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Angelica Perna^*†, Angela Lucariello^*†, Carmine Sellitto^*, Iolanda Agliata^†, Maria Aurora Carleo^‡, Vincenzo Sangiovanni^‡, Vincenzo Esposito^§, Germano Guerra^†, Luigi Cobellis^¶, Antonio De Luca^*
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1617-1624, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14905635363102
Abstract Antiretroviral drugs used for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have proven to be effective even against cancer. Drawing from this background, the aim of our research project was to evaluate the effects of anti-HIV drugs that belong to the nucleoside and nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor [NRTI; abacavir (ABC) and tenofovir (TDF)], nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor [NNRTI; efavirenz (EFV) and etravirine (ETR)], and protease inhibitor [PI; darunavir (DRV)] categories on ovarian adenocarcinoma cell line SKOV-3. Using FACS analysis, we observed that treatment with NRTIs and NNRTIs showed a block in the G₀/G₁ phase. In particular,… More >

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Kazuyoshi Kawakami^*, Takashi Yokokawa^*, Kazuo Kobayashi^*, Takahito Sugisaki^*, Kenichi Suzuki^*, Mitsukuni Suenaga^†, Kensei Yamaguchi^†, Ayaka Inoue^‡, Yoshiaki Machida^‡, Toshiharu Yamaguchi^†, Toshihiro Hama^*
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1625-1631, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X15012905098071
Abstract Adherence has become an important issue in modern oncology treatment. Most studies have included heterogeneous target tumor types, regimens, and therapy settings. Our study focused on capecitabine during capecitabine plus oxaliplatin (XELOX) treatment as an adjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer. The main aims of this study were to evaluate real-life adherence to capecitabine and to investigate candidate factors that might decrease adherence. We studied 338 consecutive patients who received XELOX treatment between December 1, 2011, and April 30, 2015, at the Cancer Institute Hospital of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research. Our study assessed adherence… More >

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Sheqing Ji^*, Youxiang Zhang^†, Binhai Yang^‡
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1633-1641, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14878528144150
Abstract Increased expression of YEATS domain containing 4 (YEATS4) has been reported to have a correlation with progression in many types of cancer. However, the mechanism by which it promotes the development of gastric cancer (GC) is rarely reported. This study aimed to investigate the effect of YEATS4 on cell proliferation and tumor progression. The mRNA and protein expressions of YEATS4 in GC tissues and cell lines were analyzed. BGC-823 cells then overexpressed or silenced YEATS4 by transfection of different plasmids. The regulatory effect of YEATS on cell viability, colony formation, cell apoptosis, and tumor growth… More >

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Liyun Shen, Xingjun Du, Hongyan Ma, Shunxi Mei
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1643-1651, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14908284471361
Abstract miRNAs have been involved in various types of cancer, including T-cell leukemia. In this study, the role of miR-1193 in the proliferation and invasion of T-cell leukemia cells was explored. First, we found that miR-1193 was sharply downregulated in T-cell leukemia cells when compared with normal T cells. miR-1193 markedly decreased the proliferation and invasion in Jurkat human T-cell leukemia cells. Transmembrane 9 superfamily 3 (TM9SF3) was then predicted to be a potential target gene of miR-1193, the levels of which displayed a strongly negative correlation with miR-1193 levels in T-cell leukemia patients. We confirmed More >

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Dina Polosukhina^*, Harold D. Love^*†, Harold L. Moses^‡§¶#, Ethan Lee^**††, Roy Zent^{†§**‡‡}, Peter E. Clark^*‡
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1653-1664, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X14992942781895
Abstract Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common renal malignancy in children and the fourth most common pediatric solid malignancy in the US. Although the mechanisms underlying the WT biology are complex, these tumors most often demonstrate activation of the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway. We and others have shown that constitutive activation of β-catenin restricted to the renal epithelium is sufficient to induce primitive renal epithelial tumors, which resemble human WT. Here we demonstrate that pharmacologic inhibition of β-catenin gene transcription with pyrvinium inhibits tumor growth and metastatic progression in a murine model of WT. Cellular invasion More >

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ERRATUM

Ting Zhang¹, Lei Ye¹, Qizhi He, Jianlong Zhu
Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.9, pp. 1665-1665, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504017X15078984695565
Abstract Ovarian cancer is highly malignant with a gradually increasing incidence and a high mortality rate. Immunosuppression is induced in ovarian cancer, although the mechanism detail is not clear. It has been indicated that HVEM (herpesvirus entry mediator) B- and T-lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) negatively regulates the immune responses of T lymphocytes. Here, HVEM mRNA was found to be elevated in ovarian cancer tissue samples and primary ovarian cancer cells in comparison with benign tissue samples. We then knocked down HVEM expression in an ovarian cancer cell line, OVCAR3, by lentivirus-based small hairpin RNA (shRNA). Cell Counting… More >

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