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Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies and bone is the commonest site of distant metastases. Evidences indicate that adequate supply of vitamin D will decrease the morbidity and mortality of breast cancer. However, the main role of vitamin D deficiency in breast cancer bone metastases remains unclear. In this study, the relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer bone metastases were evaluated. Results showed that 1,25(OH)2D3 can not only inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of breast cancer cell TM40D in vitro, but also attenuate the breast cancer cell TM40D-induced bone destruction in vivo, whose underlying mechanism was at least partially through decreasing the number of the osteoclasts. To our knowledge, this is the first to use 1-alpha-hydroxylase [1α(OH)ase] knockout mice which characterized vitamin D deficiency to establish the breast cancer bone metastases model. Based on this model, we also found that vitamin D deficiency will accelerate the osteolytic lesions, and 1,25(OH)2D3 supplement will restrain osteolytic lesions. Therefore, these findings suggest that vitamin D has the potential capacity to be a therapeutic agent for the breast cancer bone metastases.

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and is characterized by invasion and metastasis. Increasing attention is being focused on discovering molecular markers for diagnosis and prognosis. Our objective was to evaluate PI3K, Akt and survivin protein expression in gastric cancer, and their correlations with clinicohistological features and prognosis in patients with gastric cancer.Tissue samples were obtained from 70 patients with gastric cancer patients and 20 patients with normal gastric mucosa. The protein levels of PI3K, Akt and survivin were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analyses were performed to establish the correlations between their expressions and patients' clinicopathologic characteristics.The positive expression rates of PI3K, Akt and survivin were significantly higher in the gastric cancer tissues compared to normal gastric mucosa (P0.05). Expression levels of PI3K, Akt and survivin proteins were significantly correlated with TNM stage, differentiation grade, lymph node metastasis and metastases to other organs (P0.05). Cooperative relationships were identified between PI3K and Akt, and PI3K and survivin (P0.01), suggesting the involvement of the PI3K/Akt/survivin signaling pathway in the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer.Protein expression of PI3K, Akt and survivin were significantly associated with the development, progression and metastasis of gastric cancer and may have value as diagnostic and prognostic markers in gastric cancer.