Expression of the HCRP1 mRNA in HCC as an independent predictor of disease-free survival after surgical resection

The role of macrophage scavenger receptor 1 (MSR1) in inflammatory disorders and cancer

Macrophage scavenger receptor 1 (MSR1), also named CD204, holds key inflammatory roles in multiple pathophysiologic processes. Present primarily on the surface of various types of macrophage, this receptor variably affects processes such as atherosclerosis, innate and adaptive immunity, lung and liver disease, and more recently, cancer. As highlighted throughout this review, the role of MSR1 is often dichotomous, being either host protective or detrimental to the pathogenesis of disease. We will discuss the role of MSR1 in health and disease with a focus on the molecular mechanisms influencing MSR1 expression, how altered expression affects disease process and macrophage function, the limited cell signalling pathways discovered thus far, the emerging role of MSR1 in tumour associated macrophages as well as the therapeutic potential of targeting MSR1.

Concurrent depletion of Vps37 proteins evokes ESCRT-I destabilization and profound cellular stress responses

Molecular details of how endocytosis contributes to oncogenesis remain elusive. Our in silico analysis of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients revealed stage-dependent alterations in the expression of 112 endocytosis-related genes. Among them, transcription of the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT)-I component VPS37B was decreased in the advanced stages of CRC. Expression of other ESCRT-I core subunits remained unchanged in the investigated dataset. We analyzed an independent cohort of CRC patients, which also showed reduced VPS37A mRNA and protein abundance. Transcriptomic profiling of CRC cells revealed non-redundant functions of Vps37 proteins. Knockdown of VPS37A and VPS37B triggered p21 (CDKN1A)-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation and sterile inflammatory response driven by the nuclear factor (NF)-κB transcription factor and associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. Co-silencing of VPS37C further potentiated activation of these independently induced processes. The type and magnitude of transcriptional alterations correlated with the differential ESCRT-I stability upon individual and concurrent Vps37 depletion. Our study provides novel insights into cancer cell biology by describing cellular stress responses that are associated with ESCRT-I destabilization.

HCRP-1 regulates cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis via Src/ FAK signaling in human prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the third leading malignancy engendering mortality among men globally. The present study aimed at determining the expression of hepatocellular carcinoma-related protein-1 (HCRP-1) in PCa, to explore its potential role in prostate tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. We evaluated HCRP-1 protein with immunohistochemistry (IHC) technology and found HCRP-1 expression was significantly low in PCa tissues (PCTs); In addition, the decreased HCRP-1 was significantly associated with TNM (tumor node metastasis) stage, advanced histology grade and gleason score. Transwell, tube formation, Western blot and co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assays were utilized to determine the role of down-regulating HCRP-1 in PCa cell migration, invasion and angiogenesis. Meanwhile, we found HCRP-1 depletion induced Src and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation, which could be reversed by Src inhibitor PP2 or FAK inhibitor. Furthermore, down-regulated HCRP-1 evidently induced lung metastasis of PCa cells in xenograft mode. Taken together, our study indicates HCRP-1 plays an important role in PCa metastasis. HCRP-1 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for PCa.

HCRP1 inhibits cell proliferation and invasion and promotes chemosensitivity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma related protein 1 (HCRP1), which is essential for internalization and degradation of ubiquitinated membrane receptors, was reported to play crucial roles in cancer pathogenesis and progression. However, the functional roles of HCRP1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of HCRP1 on ESCC cells and the underlying mechanism. Our results demonstrated that HCRP1 was lowly expressed in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of HCRP1 significantly suppressed ESCC cell proliferation and invasion as well as the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Furthermore, HCRP1 increased the sensitivity of ESCC cells towards cisplatin/fluorouracil. Mechanistically, HCRP1 inhibited the activity of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in ESCC cells. In conclusion, these findings indicated that HCRP1 suppressed ESCC cell proliferation and invasion through regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Therefore, HCRP1 may function as a tumor suppressor in ESCC progression.

Carboxypeptidase E is a prediction marker for tumor recurrence in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma

Tumor recurrence and metastasis are the major causes of death for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who are able to receive curative resection. Identifying the predicting biomarkers for tumor recurrence would improve their survival. RNA extracted from fresh frozen tumors and adjacent non-tumor liver tissues of 120 HCC patients were obtained from Taiwan Liver Cancer Network (TLCN) in year 2010 for determination of the carboxypeptidase E (CPE) expression level (including its splicing mutant CPE-ΔN) in the tumor tissue (T) and paired non-tumor liver tissue (N) by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. All patients were male, had chronic hepatitis B virus infection, were in the early pathology stage, and received curative resection. The T/N ratio of the CPE expression level was correlated with the updated survival data from TLCN in 2015. The CPE expression level in the 120 HCC patients was divided into three groups according to the T/N ratio: <1, ≥1 and ≤2, and >2, respectively. By multivariate analyses, the recurrence-free survival (RFS) was only significantly associated with the pathology stage and the CPE expression level. For overall survival (OS), only the CPE expression level was the significant prognostic factor. The CPE expression level was also significantly correlated with the tumor recurrence for both stage I (p = 0.0106) and stage II patients (p = 0.0006). The CPE mRNA expression level in HCC can be a useful biomarker for predicting tumor recurrence in HCC patients who are in the early pathology stage and able to receive curative resection.

HCRP-1 regulates cell migration and invasion via EGFR-ERK mediated up-regulation of MMP-2 with prognostic significance in human renal cell carcinoma

Previous studies indicated a role of hepatocellular carcinoma-related protein-1(HCRP-1) in human cancers, however, its expression pattern in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and the molecular mechanism of HCRP-1 on cancer progression have not been characterized. In the present study, HCRP-1 expression was examined in a RCC tissue microarray. The negative expression of HCRP-1 was significantly correlated with tumor grade (P = 0.002), TNM stage (P = 0.001) and pT status (P = 0.003). Furthermore, we showed a strong correlation between negative HCRP-1 expression and worse overall and disease-specific survival (P = 0.0003 and P = 0.0012, respectively). Knockdown of HCRP-1 promoted cell migration and invasion in 786-O and OS-RC-2 cell lines. HCRP-1 depletion increased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 protein level, with increased extracellular signal-regulatedkinase (ERK) phosphorylation, which could be reversed by ERK siRNA or ERK inhibitor, PD98059. Further analysis showed that HCRP-1 knockdown induced epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) phosphorylation. Treatment with EGFR inhibitor or EGFR siRNA blocked HCRP-1-mediated up-regulation of EGFR, ERK phosphorylation and MMP-2 expression. In summary, our results showed that negative HCRP-1 expression is an independent prognostic factor for RCC patients and promotes migration and invasion by EGFR-ERK-mediated up-regulation of MMP-2. HCRP-1 may serve as a therapeutic target for RCC.

HCRP1 expression status is a significant prognostic marker in oral and oropharyngeal cancer

OBJECTIVE

The hepatocellular carcinoma-related protein 1 (HCRP1) is a key factor in the degradation of the epidermal growth factor receptor. In this study, we assessed the prognostic significance of HCRP1 expression in patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC).

METHODS

HCRP1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry on tissue biopsy sections of 111 patients with locally advanced OOSCC undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression models were used for survival analyses.

RESULTS

Low HCRP1 expression was associated with poor recurrence-free survival (P = 0.046) and overall survival (P = 0.03). Multivariate analysis revealed that low HCRP1 expression remained an independent risk factor for relapse (HR 2.98, 95% CI 1.19-7.49, P = 0.02) and death (HR 3.04, 95% CI 1.19-7.79, P = 0.02).

CONCLUSION

Low HCRP1 expression was found to be of adverse prognostic significance in patients with OOSCC who received preoperative chemoradiotherapy.

Validation of the Japanese version of the EORTC hepatocellular carcinoma-specific quality of life questionnaire module (QLQ-HCC18)

BACKGROUND

This Study Examined The Measurement Properties Of The Japanese Version Of The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ-HCC18).

METHODS

EORTC quality of life (QOL) translation guidelines were followed to create a Japanese version of the EORTC QLQ-HCC18. This was then administered to 192 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma along with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and FACT-Hep questionnaires. Tests for reliability and validity were conducted including comparison of scores between the EORTC and FACT questionnaire and detailed assessment of the new scales and items in clinically distinct groups of patients.

RESULTS

Multi-trait scaling analysis confirmed three putative scales in the QLQ-HCC18, fatigue, fever and nutrition. Cronbach's alpha for these scales were between 0.68 and 0.78. The QLQ-HCC18 scales correlated with scales measuring similar items in the FACT-Hep and the questionnaire was stable over time with an intra-class correlation score of 0.70 for almost all scales. The questionnaire had the ability to distinguish between patients with different Karnofsky Performance Status, and Child-Pugh liver function class.

CONCLUSIONS

The Japanese version of EORTC QLQ-HCC18 is a reliable supplementary measure to use with EORTC QLQ-C30 to measure QOL in Japanese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

A cluster of cooperating tumor-suppressor gene candidates in chromosomal deletions

The large chromosomal deletions frequently observed in cancer genomes are often thought to arise as a "two-hit" mechanism in the process of tumor-suppressor gene (TSG) inactivation. Using a murine model system of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in vivo RNAi, we test an alternative hypothesis, that such deletions can arise from selective pressure to attenuate the activity of multiple genes. By targeting the mouse orthologs of genes frequently deleted on human 8p22 and adjacent regions, which are lost in approximately half of several other major epithelial cancers, we provide evidence suggesting that multiple genes on chromosome 8p can cooperatively inhibit tumorigenesis in mice, and that their cosuppression can synergistically promote tumor growth. In addition, in human HCC patients, the combined down-regulation of functionally validated 8p TSGs is associated with poor survival, in contrast to the down-regulation of any individual gene. Our data imply that large cancer-associated deletions can produce phenotypes distinct from those arising through loss of a single TSG, and as such should be considered and studied as distinct mutational events.

Retrospective comparison between a regular and a split-dose protocol of 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, and mitoxantrone for the treatment of far advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

In patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), combination chemotherapy using 5- fluorouracil, cisplatin, and mitoxantrone (FMP) could achieve a response rate > 20%, but the beneficial effect was compromised by formidable adverse events. Chemotherapy given in a split-dose manner was associated with reduced toxicities. In this retrospective study, we compared the efficacies and side effects between a regular and a split-dose FMP protocol approved in our medical center.

METHODS

From 2005 to 2008, the clinical data of 84 patients with far advanced HCC, who had either main portal vein thrombosis and/or extrahepatic metastasis, were reviewed. Of them, 65 were treated by either regular (n = 27) or split-dose (n = 38) FMP and had completed at least one therapeutic course. The remaining 19 patients were untreated. Clinical parameters, therapeutic responses, survivals and adverse events were compared.

RESULTS

The median overall survival was 6.0, 5.2, and 1.5 months, respectively, in patients receiving regular FMP, split-dose FMP, and no treatment (regular versus split-dose group, P = 0.447; regular or split-dose versus untreated group; P < 0.0001). Patients receiving split-dose treatment had a significantly lower risk of grade 3/4 neutropenia (51.9 versus 10.5%, P = 0.0005). When the two treated groups were combined, the median overall survival was 10.6 and 3.8 months respectively for patients achieving disease control and progressive disease (P < 0.001). Cox proportion hazard model identified Child-Pugh stage B (hazard ratio [HR], 2.216; P = 0.006), presence of extrahepatic metastasis (HR, 0.574; P = 0.048), and achievement of disease control (HR, 0.228; P < 0.001) as independent factors associated with overall survival. Logistic regression analysis revealed that anti-hepatitis C virus antibody (odds ratio [OR], 9.219; P = 0.002) tumor size (OR, 0.816; P = 0.036), and previous anti-cancer therapy (OR, 0.195; P = 0.017) were significantly associated with successful disease control.

CONCLUSIONS

Comparable overall survival was observed between patients receiving regular and split-dose FMP therapies. Patients receiving split-dose therapy had a significantly lower risk of grade 3/4 neutropenia. Positive anti-hepatitis C virus antibody, smaller tumor size, and absence of previous anti-cancer therapy were independent predictors for successful disease control.

CD133-positive hepatocellular carcinoma in an area endemic for hepatitis B virus infection

Background

CD133 was detected in several types of cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which raised the possibility of stem cell origin in a subset of cancers. However, reappearance of embryonic markers in de-differentiated malignant cells was commonly observed. It remained to be elucidated whether CD133-positive HCCs were indeed of stem cell origin or they were just a group of poorly differentiated cells acquiring an embryonic marker. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of CD133 expression in HCC in an area endemic for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection to gain insights on this issue.

Methods

154 HCC patients receiving total removal of HCCs were included. 104 of them (67.5%) were positive for HBV infection. The cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous liver tissues were subjected for Western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis for CD133 expression. The data were correlated with clinical parameters, patient survivals, and p53 expression.

Results

Of 154 patients, 24 (15.6%) had CD133 expression in HCC. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that CD133 expression was negatively correlated with the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios were 0.337 (95%CI 0.126 - 0.890) and 0.084 (95%CI 0.010 - 0.707), respectively. On the other hand, p53 expression was positively associated with the presence of HBsAg in univariate analysis. The unadjusted odds ratio was 4.203 (95%CI 1.110 - 18.673). Survival analysis indicated that both CD133 and p53 expression in HCC predicted poor disease-free survival (P = 0.009 and 0.001, respectively), whereas only CD133 expression predicted poor overall survival (P = 0.001). Cox proportional hazard model showed that p53 and CD133 expression were two independent predictors for disease-free survival. The hazard ratios were 1.697 (95% CI 1.318 - 2.185) and 2.559 (95% CI 1.519 - 4.313), respectively (P < 0.001 for both).

Conclusion

In area where HBV infection accounts for the major attributive risk of HCC, CD133 expression in HCC was negatively associated with the presence of HBsAg, implicating a non-viral origin of CD133-positive HCC. Additionally, CD133 expression predicted poor disease-free survival independently of p53 expression, arguing for two distinguishable hepatocarcinogenesis pathways.