Prognostic value of genetic detection using CEA and MAGE in peritoneal washes with gastric carcinoma after curative resection: result of a 3-year follow-up

High expression of MAGE-C1 gene in colorectal cancer is associated with its poor prognosis

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between melanoma antigen gene C1 (MAGE-C1) expression and the prognosis for colorectal cancer (CRC), and to establish a mathematical model to comprehensively evaluate the prognosis of patients with CRC.

METHODS

MAGE-C1 was selected by bioinformatics for its greater expression differences in CRC patients. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression level of MAGE-C1 in tissue samples of 156 patients with CRC. Kaplan-Meier analysis was employed to assess the relationship between MAGE-C1 and the prognosis of patients with CRC. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models analyzed the factors affecting the prognosis of CRC patients. Also, the clinicopathological characteristics of patients and genes with clinical concern were integrated to establish a model to comprehensively predict the prognosis of patients with CRC.

RESULTS

MAGE-C1 was found to be highly expressed in 28.8% of CRC patients. MAGE-C1 expression was associated with tumor size, number, and metastasis. Survival analysis showed that CRC patients with high expression of MAGE-C1 had a poor prognosis. Regression analysis demonstrated that MAGE-C1 protein status, T stage, differentiation, Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS) status, and v-RAF murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) status were the independent factors influencing the overall survival of patients with CRC. Meanwhile, MAGE-C1 combined with clinicopathological characteristics and hotspot gene mutations could be used to evaluate the prognosis of CRC.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows that MAGE-C1 is differentially expressed in patients with CRC and affects the prognosis of patients. The combination of MAGE-C1, clinicopathological characteristics, and genes with clinical concern can be used to assess the prognosis of CRC.

Pathogenicity of the MAGE family

The melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) protein family is a group of highly conserved proteins that share a common homology domain. Under normal circumstances, numerous MAGE proteins are only expressed in reproduction-related tissues; however, abnormal expression levels are observed in a variety of tumor tissues. The MAGE family consists of type I and II proteins, several of which are cancer-testis antigens that are highly expressed in cancer and serve a critical role in tumorigenesis. Therefore, this review will use the relationship between MAGEs and tumors as a starting point, focusing on the latest developments regarding the function of MAGEs as oncogenes, and preliminarily reveal their possible mechanisms.

Prognostic Value of Melanoma-Associated Antigen-A (MAGE-A) Gene Expression in Various Human Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 7428 Patients and 44 Studies

BACKGROUND

Members of the melanoma-associated antigen-A (MAGE-A) subfamily are overexpressed in many cancers and can drive cancer progression, metastasis, and therapeutic recurrence.

OBJECTIVE

This study is the first comprehensive meta-analysis evaluating the prognostic utility of MAGE-A members in different cancers.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Web of Science. The pooled hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated to evaluate the prognostic significance of MAGE-A expression in various cancers.

RESULTS

In total, 44 eligible studies consisting of 7428 patients from 11 countries were analysed. Univariate and multivariate analysis for overall survival, progression-free survival, and disease-free survival showed a significant association between high MAGE-A expression and various cancers (P < 0.00001). Additionally, subgroup analysis demonstrated that high MAGE-A expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis for lung, gastrointestinal, breast, and ovarian cancer in both univariate and multivariate analysis for overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Overexpression of MAGE-A subfamily members is linked to poor prognosis in multiple cancers. Therefore, it could serve as a potential prognostic marker of poor prognosis in cancers.

Prognostic value of CEA/CA72-4 immunohistochemistry in combination with cytology for detecting tumor cells in peritoneal lavage in gastric cancer

Aim: To study the value and efficiency of CEA/CA72-4 immunohistochemistry in detecting free tumor cells from peritoneal lavage, in order to provide reliable lab information for subsequent intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Methods: A total of 112 progressive gastric cancer patients were enrolled from Oct. 2016 to Oct 2017, who were pathologically diagnosed as gastric cancer after surgery. Peritoneal lavage was respectively collected during operation. Cytology and CEA/CA72-4 immunohistochemistry of peritoneal lavage samples was performed. Overall survival and recurrence free survival was analyzed. Results: Cytology showed 16 positive cases (14.29%), CEA immunohistochemistry showed 29 positive cases (25.89%), CA72-4 immunohistochemistry showed 33 positive cases (29.46%). McNemar's test showed significant difference in positivity between cytology (CY+) and CEA/CA72-4 immunohistochemistry (IHC+). Kappa test showed consistency between immunohistochemistry of CEA and CA72-4 with cytology. Patients with CY+/IHC+ had the poorest overall survival (OS) as well as recurrence free survival (RFS), followed by those with CY+ or IHC+, while those with CY-/IHC- had higher OS and RFS. The differences of OS and RFS in IHC+ group were worse than that in IHC- group. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that positive CEA/CA72-4 IHC revealed poorer prognosis than the negative cases. Conclusions: Due to the limitation of cytology, combination of cytology and immunohistochemistry appears to be more efficient for predicting prognosis of progressive gastric cancer.

The levels of SYT13 and CEA mRNAs in peritoneal lavages predict the peritoneal recurrence of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND

Although peritoneal lavage cytology often serves as a sensitive method to detect free cancer cells in the abdominal cavity, some patients experience peritoneal recurrence despite negative cytology. The aim of this study was to evaluate mRNAs in peritoneal lavage fluid as potential markers for predicting the peritoneal recurrence of gastric cancer (GC).

METHODS

Peritoneal lavage fluid samples were obtained during surgery conducted on 187 patients with GC and from 30 patients with non-malignant disease (controls). The mRNA levels of nine candidate markers were quantified, and analysis of a receiver-operating characteristic curve compared their accuracies. The cutoff was defined as the highest value of the controls.

RESULTS

Synaptotagmin XIII (SYT13) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) mRNA levels were analyzed further. SYT13 levels were significantly associated with shorter peritoneal recurrence-free survival (PRFS) and overall survival. Among patients with negative peritoneal lavage cytology, those positive for either SYT13 or CEA mRNA experienced significantly shorter peritoneal recurrence-free survival compared with those with negative fluid (hazards ratio [HR] 4.21, P = 0.0114; HR 3.53; P = 0.0426, respectively). Univariate analysis revealed that SYT13 and CEA mRNA levels were significant predictors of peritoneal recurrence. Positive levels of both SYT13 and CEA mRNA demonstrated the highest HR for peritoneal recurrence (HR 12.27, P = 0.0064). Multivariable analysis revealed that SYT13 positivity was a significant independent prognostic factor (HR 3.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-12.74; P = 0.0246).

CONCLUSIONS

Combined measurement of SYT13 and CEA mRNA levels in peritoneal lavage fluid could serve as a promising approach to predict peritoneal recurrence of GC.

The Levels of Tumor Markers in Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma and Their Values in Differentiation Between Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Carcinoma and Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

The levels of tumor markers in pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma (PNEC) are unknown, and imaging findings of PNEC and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) have overlaps. In this study, we show the tumor markers in PNEC and evaluate their values for distinguishing PNEC from PDAC.

METHODS

Thirty-three cases of PDAC and 21 cases of PNEC were retrospectively evaluated. The demographic information and clinical data were reviewed.

RESULTS

Pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma was usually misdiagnosed (57.1%) as PDAC based on imaging findings. Abnormal carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and α-fetoprotein (AFP) were observed in 19.0% to 28.6% of PNECs. Abnormal CA 19-9 and CA 125 levels were more common in PDAC than in PNEC (P < 0.05). Higher level of AFP was more common in PNEC than in PDAC (33.3% vs 3.0%, P < 0.05). The cutoff value of CA 19-9 for detecting PNEC was calculated as 38.5 U/mL or less with 0.788 sensitivity and 0.800 specificity. Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (odds ratio [OR], 22.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.94-179.3), AFP (OR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.012-0.564), and CA 125 (OR, 17.4; 95% CI, 1.13-267.3) were predictors in differentiating PDAC from PNEC.

CONCLUSIONS

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9, AFP, and CA 125 have potential for distinguishing hypovascularized PNEC from PDAC.

Combined preoperative concentrations of CEA, CA 19-9, and 72-4 for predicting outcomes in patients with gastric cancer after curative resection

In many cancers, prognostic factors are useful for identifying high-risk patients and in individualizing treatment. We sought to determine whether a combination of tumor markers (CTM) would improve prognostic accuracy in patients with gastric cancer (GC). The CTM score, which is derived from serum concentrations of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), and carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA 72-4), was tested retrospectively in 1134 patients with GC undergoing curative resection between October 2000 and December 2012. The CTM score was 2 for patients with two or three elevated markers, 1 for those with one elevated marker, and 0 for those no elevated markers. Overall survival (OS) in patients with CTM scores 0, 1, and 2 was 61.8%, 31.4%, and 15.1%, respectively (P<.001). The CTM score independently predicted OS on multivariate analysis (HR, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.73 to 2.21; P<.001). Moreover, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of the CTM score (0.67; 95% CI, 0.64 to 0.70) was higher than the values of any individual marker (0.63, 0.57, 0.57; P<.001 for all comparisons). The CTM score independently predicted postoperative survival in GC, and it may have better clinical utility than individual tumor markers for identifying high-risk patients with GC.

MAGE-A family is involved in gastric cancer progression and indicates poor prognosis of gastric cancer patients

BACKGROUND

As the best characterized CTA family members, melanoma-associated antigens (MAGE) have been reported to express in various malignant tumors. However, the expression pattern of MAGE-A family in gastric cancer (GC) specimens and their prognostic and therapeutic significance for GC patients is still unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Tissue microarray - based immunohistochemistry analysis was used to examine the expression of MAGE-A family members (including MAGE-A1, -A2, -A3, -A4, -A6, -A10, and -A12) in 86 cases of GC specimens, 20 cases of the corresponding adjacent normal gastric specimens, and 9 cases of intraepithelial neoplasia specimens. The association between MAGE-A expression and the clinicopathological parameters as well as the 5-year overall survival of GC patients was analyzed.

RESULTS

54.7% of GC specimens showed positive MAGE-A expression. In the adjacent normal gastric specimens, MAGE-A was not expressed in the normal surface mucous cells, but expressed in some normal fundic glands. In addition, MAGE-A expression was also detected in intraepithelial neoplasia specimens. In GC specimens, MAGE-A expression was associated with lymph node metastasis, poor differentiation, and high clinical TNM stage. MAGE-A expression was also correlated with the poor 5-year overall survival of GC patients. However, MAGE-A expression is not an independent prognostic factor for GC patients.

CONCLUSIONS

MAGE-A family may be involved in the gastric cancer progression, and their expression could be considered to improve the prognostic evaluation for GC patients.

Detection value of free cancer cells in peritoneal washing in gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Intraperitoneal free cancer cells in gastric adenocarcinoma are associated with a poor outcome. However, the true prognostic value of intraperitoneal free cancer cells is still unclear, leading to a lack of consensus in the management of gastric cancer. The aim of the present study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze intraperitoneal free cancer cells-positive patients with regard to tumor oncologic stage, recurrence, grade of cellular differentiation, and survival rates and to analyze the clinical significance of intraperitoneal free cancer cells with regard to prognosis. Databases were searched up to January 2016 for prognostic factors associated with intraperitoneal free cancer cells, including oncologic stage, depth of neoplasm invasion, lymph nodal spread, differentiation grade of the tumor, and recurrence and survival rates. A total of 100 studies were identified. Meta-analysis revealed a clear association between intraperitoneal free cancer cells and a poor prognosis. intraperitoneal free cancer cells -positive patients had higher rates of nodal spread (risk difference: 0.29; p<0.01), serosal invasion (risk difference: 0.43; p<0.01), recurrence (after 60 months of follow-up, risk difference: 0.44; p<0.01), and mortality (after 60 months of follow-up, risk difference: 0.34; p<0.01). Intraperitoneal free cancer cells are associated with a poor outcome in gastric cancer. This surrogate biomarker should be used to guide therapy both prior to and after surgery.

Regional but fatal: Intraperitoneal metastasis in gastric cancer

Peritoneal carcinomatosis appears to be the most common pattern of metastasis or recurrence and is associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients. Many efforts have been made to improve the survival in patients with peritoneal metastasis. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy remains a widely accepted strategy in the treatment of peritoneal dissemination. Several phase II-III studies confirmed that the combined cytoreducitve surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy resulted in longer survival in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. In addition, proper selection and effective regional treatment in patients with high risk of peritoneal recurrence after resection will further improve prognosis in local advanced gastric cancer patients.

Molecular mechanisms of peritoneal dissemination in gastric cancer

Peritoneal dissemination represents a devastating form of gastric cancer (GC) progression with a dismal prognosis. There is no effective therapy for this condition. The 5-year survival rate of patients with peritoneal dissemination is 2%, even including patients with only microscopic free cancer cells without macroscopic peritoneal nodules. The mechanism of peritoneal dissemination of GC involves several steps: detachment of cancer cells from the primary tumor, survival in the free abdominal cavity, attachment to the distant peritoneum, invasion into the subperitoneal space and proliferation with angiogenesis. These steps are not mutually exclusive, and combinations of different molecular mechanisms can occur in each process of peritoneal dissemination. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular events involved in peritoneal dissemination is important and should be systematically pursued. It is crucial to identify novel strategies for the prevention of this condition and for identification of markers of prognosis and the development of molecular-targeted therapies. In this review, we provide an overview of recently published articles addressing the molecular mechanisms of peritoneal dissemination of GC to provide an update on what is currently known in this field and to propose novel promising candidates for use in diagnosis and as therapeutic targets.

Challenge and thought on treatment of diffuse gastric cancer

Diffuse gastric cancer, which has a high degree of malignancy and is metastasis-prone, is a pathological type of Lauren classification. The incidence of diffuse gastric cancer shows an increasing trend in China, and it greatly threatens the human health. There have been many studies on diffuse gastric cancer, and its treatment and prognosis have been improved to some extent. In this paper, we systematically describe diffuse gastric cancer with regard to its epidemiology, diagnosis, biological behavior, and factors affecting the treatment and prognosis, and discuss problems and disputes in current diagnosis and treatment, with an aim to provide convenience for the further research and help for clinical work.

Prognostic Significance of Molecular Analysis of Peritoneal Fluid for Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Accurately distinguishing serosal invasion in patients with gastric cancer (GC) prior to surgery can be difficult. Molecular analysis of peritoneal fluid (MAPF) for free cancer cells with higher sensitivity than other methods; however, its prognostic value for GC remains controversial, precluding its application in clinical practice.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE and other databases were systematically searched. Thirty-one studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and peritoneal recurrence-free survival (PRF).

Results

The current meta-analysis focused on patients with GC and negative cytological diagnoses. The results showed that positive MAPF status (MAPF⁺) led to poorer prognoses for OS (HR 2.59, 95% CI 1.99–3.37), DFS (HR 4.92, 95% CI 3.28–7.37) and PRF (HR 2.81, 95% CI 2.12–3.72) compared with negative MAPF status (MAPF^-). Moreover, among the patients with GC who received curative treatment, the MAPF⁺ patients had poorer prognoses for OS (HR 3.27, 95% CI 2.49–4.29), DFS (HR 3.90, 95% CI 2.74–5.57) and PRF (HR 5.45, 95% CI 3.70–8.03). A meta-analysis of multivariate-adjusted HRs demonstrated that MAPF⁺ status was an independent prognostic factor for patients with GC who underwent curative treatment (OS: HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.47–3.28; PRF: HR 3.44, 95% CI 2.01–5.87). Using the identical target genes (CEA, CEA/CK20) as molecular markers, the patients with GC who were MAPF⁺ had significantly worse prognoses for OS (CEA: HR 3.03, 95% CI 2.29–4.01; CEA/CK20: HR 4.24, 95% CI 2.42–7.40), DFS (CEA: HR 3.99, 95% CI 2.24–7.12; CEA/CK20: HR 4.31, 95% CI 1.49–2.48) and PRF (CEA: HR 4.45, 95% CI 2.72–7.31; CEA/CK20: HR 6.46, 95% CI 3.62–11.55) than the patients who were MAPF^-.

Conclusion/Significance

The above results demonstrate that MAPF could be a prognostic indicator for patients with GC who have a negative cytological diagnosis and/or are receiving curative treatment. MAPF could provide clinicians with additional prognostic information that could aid in developing individualized treatment plans prior to surgery. The widely used target genes CEA, CEA/CK20 were confirmed to be valuable MAPF markers for predicting the prognosis of GC.

Role of genetic detection in peritoneal washes with gastric carcinoma: The past, present and future

The most frequent cause of treatment failure following surgery for gastric cancer is peritoneal dissemination, mainly caused by the seeding of free cancer cells from the primary gastric cancer, which is the most common type of spread. Unfortunately, there is no standard modality of intraperitoneal free cancer cells detection to predict peritoneal metastasis until now. We reviewed English literature in PubMed was done using the MeSH terms for gastric cancer, peritoneal wash, and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. All the articles were reviewed and core information was tabulated for reference. After a comprehensive review of all articles, the data was evaluated by clinical implication and predictive value of each marker for peritoneal recurrence. There are still many limitations to overcome before the genetic diagnosis for free cancer cells detection can be considered as routine assay. To make it a reliable diagnostic tool for detecting free cancer cells, the process and method of genetic detection with peritoneal washes should be standardized, and the development of simple diagnostic devices and easily available kits are necessary. Herein, we reviewed the past, present and future perspectives of the peritoneal lavage for the detection of intraperitoneal free cancer cells in patients with gastric cancer.

Free intraperitoneal tumor cells and outcome in gastric cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Despite continuously improving therapies, gastric cancer still shows poor survival in locally advanced stages with local recurrence rates of up to 50% and peritoneal recurrence rates of 17% after curative surgery. We performed a systematic review with meta-analyses to clarify whether positive intraperitoneal cytology (IPC) indicates a high risk of disease recurrence and poor overall survival in gastric cancer.

METHODS

Multiple databases were searched in December 2014 to identify studies on the prognostic significance of positive intraperitoneal cytology in gastric cancer, including: Medline, Biosis, Science Citation Index, Embase, CCMed and publisher databases. Hazard ratios (HR) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted from the identified studies. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model on overall survival, disease-free survival and peritoneal recurrence free survival.

RESULTS

A total of 64 studies with a cumulative sample size of 12,883 patients were included. Cytology, quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or both were performed in 35; 21 and 8 studies, respectively. Meta analyses revealed free intraperitoneal tumor cells (FITC) to be associated with poor overall survival in univariate (HR 3.27; 95% CI 2.82 - 3.78]) and multivariate (HR 2.45; 95% CI 2.04 - 2.94) analysis and poor peritoneal recurrence free survival in univariate (4.15; 95% CI 3.10 - 5.57) and multivariate (3.09; 95% CI 2.02 - 4.71) analysis. Subgroup analysis showed this effect to be independent of the detection method, Western or Asian origin or the time of publication.

CONCLUSIONS

FITC oder positive peritoneal cytology is associated with poor survival and increased peritoneal recurrence in gastric cancer.

The MAGE protein family and cancer

The Melanoma Antigen Gene (MAGE) protein family is a large, highly conserved group of proteins that share a common MAGE homology domain. Intriguingly, many MAGE proteins are restricted in expression to reproductive tissues, but are aberrantly expressed in a wide variety of cancer types. Originally discovered as antigens on tumor cells and developed as cancer immunotherapy targets, recent literature suggests a more prominent role for MAGEs in driving tumorigenesis. This review will highlight recent developments into the function of MAGEs as oncogenes, their mechanisms of action in regulation of ubiquitin ligases, and outstanding questions in the field.

The combination of preoperative serum C-reactive protein and carcinoembryonic antigen is a useful prognostic factor in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a combined ROC analysis

Background

The prognostic value of inflammatory index in esophageal cancer (EC) has not been established. In the present study, therefore, we initially evaluated a novel prognostic system, named the COCC (COmbination of C-reactive protein [CRP] and carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA]), for making a prognosis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

A total of 327 patients with ESCC between January 2006 and December 2008 were included in this retrospective study. The COCC was calculated by combined CRP and CEA according to the logistic equation. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate the cancer-specific survival (CSS), and the difference was assessed by the log-rank test. Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic factors.

Results

In our study, COCC was defined as CRP +0.71 CEA according to the logistic equation. Receiver operating characteristic curves for CSS prediction were plotted to verify the optimum cutoff points for CRP, CEA, and COCC, which were 9.8 mg/L, 4.2 ng/mL, and 8.0, respectively. Patients with COCC ≤8.0 had a significantly better CSS than patients with COCC >8.0 (53.1% vs 15.3%, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that COCC was an independent prognostic factor in patients with ESCC (P=0.006). In addition, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.722 for COCC, 0.645 for CRP, and 0.618 for CEA, indicating that COCC was superior to CRP or CEA for CSS prediction.

Conclusion

The COCC is an independent prognostic factor in patients with ESCC. We conclude that COCC was superior to CRP or CEA as a more precise prognostic factor in patients with ESCC.