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X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis-associated factor 1 (XAF1) was identified as a novel X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP) binding partner that may reverse the anti-apoptotic effect of XIAP. Previous studies have revealed that XAF1 serves an important role in cancer angiogenesis. Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) describes the formation of fluid-conducting channels by highly invasive and genetically dysregulated tumor cells. VM is critical for tumor blood supply and is associated with aggressive actions and metastasis. The aim of present study was to investigate the potential association between XAF1 expression with VM of ovarian cancer, and evaluate the role of XAF1 in tumor cell migration and invasion of SKOV3 cells. VM structure and XAF1 expression were detected in 94 tissue samples of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Invasion and migration of the SKOV3 human ovarian carcinoma cell line were identified by Transwell assay. It was revealed that the presence of VM was associated with high grade advanced ovarian cancer. Reduced XAF1 expression was significantly associated with presence of VM. Overexpression of XAF1 significantly reduced invasion and migration of SKOV3 cells, and inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor protein expression. Furthermore, vasculature was suppressed by overexpression of XAF1 in vivo in xenograft models. In conclusion, XAF1 expression was associated with VM in ovarian cancer, suggesting a potential role of XAF1 in the formation of VM in EOC. These findings may facilitate the development of novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Markers associated with diagnosis, presentation and potential therapeutic targets have received widespread attention in ovarian cancer research in the past few years. However, the majority of these markers have been investigated individually, and the changes in expression and the association between them are rarely documented. Next-generation sequencing, also termed RNA-seq when the sequencing targets are cDNAs, can provide a whole blueprint of the transcriptome of a specific tissue. In the present study, RNA-seq data of human ovarian cancer samples were used to verify the expression of known markers and to identify the association between them. A total of 563 markers associated with ovarian cancer were retrieved from the database of the National Center of Biotechnology Information, and used as the target markers. The transcriptome of the ovarian tissue of four different tumors, containing tumor presentation and recurrence stages, were sequenced using the Illumina GAII platform. Approximately 85.97% markers were expressed of the total 563 markers, and the majority of them were involved in pathways associated with cancer, signaling and infection. In total, 85 markers were found to be aberrantly expressed in tumor cells from patients with ovarian cancer who had recurrences, including 33 upregulated markers at the recurrence stage. Therefore, they may have roles ovarian tumor due to their aberrant expression. Differentially expressed markers and the associations between them can be assessed by examining the RNA-seq data. These findings may provide novel information for further studies on ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is uncommon that fertility is preserved in young nulliparous females with low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS). Therefore, successful pregnancy following such conservative management has been rarely reported in previous literature. A 25-year-old female (gravida, 0; para, 0) underwent hysteroscopic surgery and was pathologically diagnosed with an endometrial stromal nodule. The patient underwent fertility-preserving local resection and uterine reconstruction, with a final pathological diagnosis of low-grade ESS. Endocrine therapy was then administered. Conservative management resulted in the complete remission of low-grade ESS. The patient naturally conceived and successfully delivered a healthy baby at 42 weeks' gestation by cesarean section, ~30 months following diagnosis with low-grade ESS. In conclusion, conservative management, including fertility-preserving local mass resection and endocrine therapy, can be effective for low-grade ESS and may yield a favorable outcome for young nulliparous females desiring fertility preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]