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Radiation therapy is one of the most important methods for the treatment of malignant tumors. However, in radiotherapy for thoracic tumors such as breast cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and mediastinal lymphoma, the heart, located in the mediastinum, is inevitably affected by the irradiation, leading to pericardial disease, myocardial fibrosis, coronary artery disease, valvular lesions, and cardiac conduction system injury, which are considered radiation-induced heart diseases. Delayed cardiac injury especially myocardial fibrosis is more prominent, and its incidence is as high as 20–80%. Myocardial fibrosis is the final stage of radiation-induced heart diseases, and it increases the stiffness of the myocardium and decreases myocardial systolic and diastolic function, resulting in myocardial electrical physiological disorder, arrhythmia, incomplete heart function, or even sudden death. This article reviews the pathogenesis and prevention of radiation-induced myocardial fibrosis for providing references for the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced myocardial fibrosis., (Creative Commons Attribution License)

Background: To investigate the change of frequency and immuno-inhibitory function of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) after treatment of cisplatin (DDP) in A375 human melanoma model., Materials and Methods: BALB/c nude mice were inoculated with A375 cells to establish the human melanoma model and randomly divided into control group given normal saline (NS) and experimental group treated with DDP (5 mg/ kg). The percentages of MDSCs in the tumor tissue and peripheral blood after DDP treatment were detected by flow cytometry. The proliferation and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) secretion of T cells co-cultured with MDSCs were analyzed through carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) labeling assay and enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay, respectively., Results: In A375 human melanoma model, DDP treatment could significantly decrease the percentage of MDSCs in the tumor tissue, but exerted no effect on the level of MDSCs in peripheral blood. Moreover, DDP treatment could attenuate the immuno-inhibitory function of MDSCs. T cells co-cultured with DDP-treated MDSCs could dramatically elevate the proliferation and production of INF-γ., Conclusions: DDP can decrease the frequency and attenuate immuno-inhibitory function of MDSCs in A375 melanoma model, suggesting a potential strategy to augment the efficacy of combined immunotherapy.

Background: Rosa Roxburghii Tratt is a promising wild fruit crop in Southwest China. Its extracts have been used as traditional Chinese medicine, which benefit immune responses and cure various health disorders. However, whether Rosa Roxburghii Tratt polysaccharides could inhibit metastasis and invasion of ovarian cancer cells remains unknown., Materials and Methods: Effects of crude polysaccharides from Rosa Roxburghii Tratt on the viability of ovarian cancer A2780 cells were detected by MTT assay. Ovarian carcinoma cell migration and invasion after exposure to Rosa Roxburghii Tratt polysaccharides were quantified by wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Western blotting was applied to assess protein levels of MMP-9., Results: The results indicated that Rosa Roxburghii Tratt polysaccharides significantly reduced wound closure rate of A2780 cells, inhibited their migration and invasion, and suppressed the expression of MMP-9., Conclusions: Our findings indicated that Rosa Roxburghii Tratt polysaccharides have potential for develop as anti-metastatic cancer drug preparations for ovarian cancer patients.

Objective: Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with greatest morbidity and mortality around the world. The keys to targeted therapy are discovery of lung cancer biomarkers to facilitate improvement of survival and quality of life for the patients with lung cancer. Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is one of the most overexpressed proteins in human lung cancer cells by comparison to the normal cells, suggesting that it might be a good biomarker for lung cancer., Materials and Methods: In the present study, the targeted efficacy of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on TCTP expression in the A549 lung cancer cell model was explored., Results and Conclusions: DHA could inhibit A549 lung cancer cell proliferation, and simultaneously up-regulate the expression of TCTP mRNA, but down-regulate its protein expression in A549 cells. In addition, it promoted TCTP protein secretion. Therefore, TCTP might be used as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancers.