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Objective: To detect the expression of CD133, E-cadherin and WWOX in colorectal cancer, analyze the correlations and pathological significance of the biomarkers. Methods: Two hundred and ten patients with colorectal cancer treated surgically between January 2007 and December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had pathologic specimens and integrated clinical data. Pathologic specimens were retrieved for immunohistochemical examination of the expressions of CD133, WWOX and E-cadherin. The clinical data of these patients including gender, age, tumor location, tumor size, tumor differentiation, invasion depth, hepatic metastases, lymphatic metastasis, UICC stage and recurrence of tumor were retrieved to investigate their demographics and clinical characteristics. Results: In 210 specimens of colorectal cancer, the positive expression rate of CD133, E-cadherin and WWOX was 61.9%, 40.5% and 41.9%, respectively. The expression of CD133, E-cadherin and WWOX was significantly correlated with lymphatic metastasis, hepatic metastases and UICC stage (p

Objective: To compare the effects and safety of immunotherapy using different methods to load DC-CIK cells for MDA-MB-231 breast cancer stem cells. Methods: A breast cancer model was established in BALB/c nude mice using breast cancer stem cells. All mice were randomly divided into six groups, and each group had three nude mice: the blank control group, the DC-CIK group (group D), the MDA-MB-231 CSC whole-cell lysate DC-CIK group (group L-D), the MDA-MB-231 CSC RNA DC-CIK group (group R-D), the THP DC-CIK group (group T-D) and group THP. Nude mice in groups D, L-D, R-D and T-D were injected with CSCs; 4 days later, the mice were inoculated with 1 × 106 DC-CIK cells via the tail vein. This injection was repeated 2 times a week for three weeks. The mice in groups THP and T-D were injected with a 5 mg/Kg dose of THP chemotherapeutic agents via the tail vein the day before DC-CIK injection, which was repeated one time a week for three weeks. Nude mice in the blank control group were injected with normal saline. The weights and sizes of the tumors were measured after the mice were euthanized. The expression of c-Myc, a key proto-oncogene associated with the Akt signaling pathway, was detected with RT-PCR. Results: The tumor growth rates in each group were as follows: group L-D < group R-D < group D < group T-D < blank control group < group THP. The nude mice in groups L-D, R-D and D were normal, active and had a healthy appetite. The mice in groups T-D and THP were lethargic, less active and showed loss of appetite, and their caudal vein was easy to stimulate. The mice in the blank control group were sacrificed during the third week or when their tumors developed ulceration. Compared with the blank control group, c-Myc gene expression was reduced in the tumors of the five experimental groups. Conclusion: The results showed that DC-CIK cells stimulated by different methods were highly effect against MDA-MB-231 breast cancer stem cells in nude mice in all groups, especially in group L-D. DC-CIK immunotherapy may provide a new strategy for the clinical treatment of breast cancer.