Search

Introduction: The underlying mechanisms of gastric cancer (GC) remain unknown. Therefore, in this study, we employed a comprehensive approach, combining computational and experimental methods, to identify potential key genes and unveil the underlying pathogenesis and prognosis of GC., Methods: Gene expression profiles from GEO databases (GSE118916, GSE79973, and GSE29272) were analyzed to identify DEGs between GC and normal tissues. A PPI network was constructed using STRING and Cytoscape, followed by hub gene identification with CytoHubba. Investigations included expression and promoter methylation analysis, survival modeling, mutational and miRNA analysis, gene enrichment, drug prediction, and in vitro assays for cellular behaviors., Results: A total of 83 DEGs were identified in the three datasets, comprising 41 up-regulated genes and 42 down-regulated genes. Utilizing the degree and MCC methods, we identified four hub genes that were hypomethylated and up-regulated: COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, and FN1. Subsequent validation of their expression and promoter methylation on clinical GC samples through targeted bisulfite sequencing and RT-qPCR analysis further confirmed the hypomethylation and overexpression of these genes in local GC patients. Furthermore, it was observed that these hub genes regulate tumor proliferation and metastasis in in vivo and exhibited mutations in GC patients., Conclusion: We found four potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, including COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, and FN1 that may be involved in the occurrence and progression of GC.

Background: Lung cancer has the highest incidence rate and mortality rate of all malignancies. In recent years, the therapeutic effect of lung cancer has been greatly improved, but the fear of disease progression still directly affects the quality of life (QOL) of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting the progression of fear of disease and its impact on the quality of life in patients with lung cancer., Methods: From December 2019 to February 2020, 102 patients with lung cancer in the Department of Thoracic Oncology of a top three hospital were investigated by using the simplified fear of disease progression scale (FoP-Q-SF) and the quality-of-life scale for cancer patients (FACT-G). Data were collected and statistically analyzed by SPSS25.0 software., Results: A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed and 102 valid questionnaires were recovered, indicating a recovery rate of 92.7%. The results of multiple stepwise regression analyses showed that blood group, monthly income, and mood state were the influencing factors for the progression of phobic diseases in cancer patients (P<0.05), and the score of progression of phobic disease was negatively correlated with the quality-of-life score (r=-0.382)., Conclusions: The progress of phobic diseases in patients with lung cancer seriously affects their QOL, and further attention by medical staff in providing health education, psychological counseling, social support, and other measures is required.

Background: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) of the lung is a rare type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and researches of it are still not enough., Methods: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed 36 patients with LELC diagnosed in the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Zhaoqing First People's Hospital from January 2014 to June 2021, to investigate the clinical manifestations, tumor markers, treatment, and prognosis of LELC. Clinical data including age, gender, smoking history, family history of cancers, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encoding RNA (EBER) status, gene mutations, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, treatment, and prognosis., Results: There was a total of 36 participants in this study, 16 males and 20 females, the median age was 57 years (37-76 years). A total of 22 cases (61.1%) were advanced (stage III and IV), and EBER was 94.4% positive. Most patients were treated with surgery, platinum chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. At the time of 31 June 2021, 33 participants had survived, and the longest survival time was 72 months. Lung LELC was more common in old participants (≥59 years) and was not associated with smoking history. Expression of PD-L1 was positive in the majority (27 cases, 75%) and participants with positive PD-L1 expression tended to have longer progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) time than those with negative PD-L1 expression., Conclusions: Pulmonary LELC usually occurs in non-smoking patients and is associated with EBV infection. Common treatments for tumors include multimodal therapy. The expression of PD-1 may be related to the prognosis of LELC, but more studies are needed to support further optimization of the treatment of LELC., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://dx.doi.org/10.21037/jtd-21-1369). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2021 Journal of Thoracic Disease. All rights reserved.)