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Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignancy of the central nervous system in adults. GBM has high levels of therapy failure and its prognosis is usually dismal. The phenotypic heterogeneity of the tumor cells, dynamic complexity of non-tumor cell populations within the GBM tumor microenvironment (TME), and their bi-directional cross-talk contribute to the challenges of current therapeutic approaches. Herein, we discuss the etiology of GBM, and describe several major types of non-tumor cells within its TME, their impact on GBM pathogenesis, and molecular mechanisms of such an impact. We also discuss their value as potential therapeutic targets or prognostic biomarkers, with reference to the most recent works on this subject. We conclude that unless all "key player" populations of non-tumor cells within the TME are considered, no breakthrough in developing treatment for GBM can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Based on a large public cohort, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of distant metastases in patients with osteosarcoma, to evaluate the survival of patients with different metastases and to reveal the related risk and prognostic factors for distant metastases. Methods: The information of osteosarcoma patients with or without distant metastases was retrospectively extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result database from January 2010 to December 2015. Patients were excluded if they were diagnosed at autopsy or via death certification. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate the overall survival in the entire cohort and across patients with metastases to different organs. The related prognostic factors were investigated by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. The logistic regression method was used to reveal the risk factors for the development of different metastases. The effects of different variables on the survival and prevalence of distant metastases were compared using subgroup analysis. Variables with P < 0.05 in the univariate regression analysis were further examined using multivariate regression analysis. Results: In total, 1470 osteosarcoma patients (mean age 30 ± 22 years) were included, among which 278 patients (18.9%) were initially diagnosed with distant metastasis. The median follow‐up duration was 33.0 (30.2–35.8) months. The lung was the most common metastatic site (83.8%), followed by the bone (21.9%), liver (2.9%), and brain (2.2%). A total of 232 patients (83.5%) presented only one distant metastatic site, while the other 46 patients showed two or more metastatic sites. A lower proportion of metastasis was observed in patients aged from 25 to 59 years [odds ratio (OR) = 0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.37–0.95]. More metastases were noted in patients with T2/T1 (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.28–2.84), T3/T1 (OR = 4.48; 95% CI: 1.78–11.30) and N1/N0 stages (OR = 6.66; 95% CI: 2.68–16.56). The 1‐, 3‐, and 5‐year overall survival rates for metastatic patients were 57.3% (95% CI: 50.8%–63.8%), 25.3% (95% CI: 18.8%–31.9%), and 18.1% (95% CI: 10.2%–26.0%), respectively. Metastatic patients older than 25 years were prone to have poor survival and a relatively better prognosis (hazard ratio = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.25–0.69) was noticed among those who underwent surgery on the primary site. Different metastatic organs have homogeneous and heterogeneous risk and prognostic factors. Conclusion: The high incidence of initial distant metastasis in osteosarcoma and the inconsistent predictive factors should be given more attention in the clinical management of patients with osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cancer burden, and prognosis is determined by many demographic and clinicopathologic factors. The present study aimed to construct a prognostic nomogram for colorectal cancer patients with distant metastasis.Methods: Colorectal cancer patients with distant metastasis diagnosed between 2010 and 2016 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify independent prognostic factors. A nomogram was constructed to predict survival, and validation was performed.Results: A total of 7099 stage IV colorectal cancer patients were enrolled in the construction cohort. The median overall survival was 20.0 (95% CI 19.3-20.7) months. Age at diagnosis, marital status, race, primary tumour site, tumour grade, CEA level, T stage, N stage, presence of bone, brain, liver and lung metastasis, surgery for primary site and performance of chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors. The nomogram was constructed and the calibration curve showed satisfactory agreement. The C-index was 0.742 (95% CI 0.726-0.758). In the validation cohort (7098 patients), the nomogram showed satisfactory discrimination and calibration with a C-index of 0.746 (95% CI 0.730-0.762).Conclusion: A series of factors associated with the survival of CRC patients with distant metastasis were found. Based on the identified factors, a nomogram was generated to predict the survival of stage IV colorectal cancer patients. The predictive model showed satisfactory discrimination and calibration, which can provide a reference for survival estimation and individualized treatment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the survival rate of patients with different bone sarcomas and to investigate homogenous and heterogenous prognostic factors for different types of bone sarcomas. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of records from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database. Clear information on the distant metastasis of cancer is provided in the SEER database for patients diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2016. Data for the four types of malignant bone sarcomas were extracted, including osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chordoma. Patients with bone sarcomas originated from other sites, diagnosed at autopsy, or indicated in death certification were excluded. The overall survival was calculated for the entire cohort and across different bone sarcomas using the Kaplan–Meier method. A subgroup analysis of the different survival rates of four types of bone sarcomas in various levels of each variable was conducted and the differences were tested with the log‐rank test. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to determine the prognostic factors. Variables with P < 0.05 in the univariate Cox regression analysis were further analyzed using a multivariate Cox regression analysis. The prognostic factors in four groups of bone sarcomas were compared to determine the homogenous and heterogenous factors. Results: A total of 4732 patients were included with a follow up of 25 (0–83) months. The mean age of patients was 39.7 ± 24.1 years. The 1‐year, 3‐year, and 5‐year overall survival rate for the entire cohort was 86.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 85.2%–87.2%), 70.5% (95% CI: 68.9%–72.1%), and 63.0% (95% CI: 61.2%–64.8%), respectively. Factors including age older than 40 years, higher grade, regional and distant stage, tumor in the extremities, T2 stage, bone and lung metastases, and non‐surgery were significantly associated with the poor survival of the entire cohort. The mean overall survival duration of patients with chordoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and osteosarcoma was 66.86 (95% CI: 64.06–69.66), 63.53 (95% CI: 61.81–65.25), 58.06 (95% CI: 55.49–60.62) and 54.91 (95% CI: 53.14–56.69) months, respectively. Compared with chordoma, the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI for patients with chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and osteosarcoma were 1.30 (95% CI: 1.04–1.62; P = 0.023), 1.69 (95% CI: 1.33–2.14; P < 0.001), and 2.00 (95% CI: 1.61–2.48; P <0.001), respectively. Different bone sarcomas showed homogenous and heterogenous prognostic factors. Conclusion: Different clinicopathological characteristics and prognoses were revealed in patients with osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chordoma. The risk factors can potentially guide prognostic prediction and sarcoma‐specific treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are a type of soft tissue sarcomas (STS) with recurrence and metastatic potential. We aimed to investigate the risk factors for developing distant metastases (DM) and to identify the prognostic factors in patients with DM. Methods: Based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database, MPNST patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2016 were extracted in our study. The logistic regression model was performed for predicting DM development while the Cox proportional hazard regression model was conducted for revealing the prognostic factors. Results: Eventually, 764 patients diagnosed with MPNSTs were included with 109 cases presenting with metastases at initial diagnosis. Larger tumor size and lymph node metastases were independent risk factors for developing DM. The median overall survival (OS) for patients with metastases was 8.0 (95% CI: 6.1–9.9) months. Multiple metastatic sites and no surgical treatment were prognostic factors for worse survival. Tumors located in non-head and neck region were related with better survival. Conclusions: The incidence of DM was 14.3% with a dismal median OS of 8.0 months for metastatic MPNSTs. More evaluation should be applied for patients with large tumor size and lymph metastases. Tumors located in head and neck region and the presence of multiple metastases predicted worse survival outcome. Surgical treatment can significantly improve the survival of MPNST patients with distant metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]