[Advances in serum biomarkers for early diagnosis of gastric cancer]

Emerging roles of circ_NRIP1 in tumor development and cancer therapy (Review)

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a class of endogenous non-coding RNA, a type of single-stranded covalently closed RNA molecule formed by alternative splicing of exons or introns. Previous studies have demonstrated that circRNA participates in modulating biological processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and plays key roles in tumor occurrence and development. CircRNA nuclear receptor interacting protein 1 (circ_NRIP1), a form of circRNA, is abnormally expressed in certain human tumor types. It is present at a higher abundance compared with cognate linear transcripts and can regulate malignant biological behaviors such as tumor proliferation, invasion and migration, revealing a currently unexplored frontier in cancer progression. The present review presents a pattern of circ_NRIP1 expression in various malignant tumor types and highlights its significance in cancer development, in addition to its potential as a disease indicator or future therapeutic agent.

Prognosis of patients with early gastric carcinoma treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection and risk factors for additional postoperative surgery

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prognosis of patients with early gastric carcinoma (EGC) treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and the risk factors for additional postoperative surgery.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on 100 patients with EGC admitted to our hospital from January 2017 to May 2019. According to different surgical methods, patients were divided into the ESD (n=60) and endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) groups (n=40). Clinical efficacy, perioperative indexes, incidence of complications and risk factors for additional postoperative surgery were compared.

RESULTS

The ESD group had evidently prolonged operation time (P<0.01) but similar intraoperative blood loss (P>0.05) as compared with the EMR group. In comparison to the EMR group, the gastrointestinal recovery time and length of stay in the ESD group were notably shorter (P<0.01), the rates of en bloc resection and complete resection of lesions were markedly higher (P<0.05), and the postoperative fever/infection rate was noticeably lower (P<0.05). The two surgical methods had no significant difference on the overall survival rate of patients (P=0.302). It was identified that the infiltration depth and the positive surgical margin were independent risk factors for postoperative additional surgery (all P<0.05). ROC analysis revealed that positive surgical margin was quite valuable in judging the need for additional postoperative surgery.

CONCLUSION

ESD can accelerate the postoperative recovery of patients with EGC, and positive surgical margin is independently tied to additional postoperative surgery in patients after ESD.

Efficacy of Apatinib plus S-1 Therapy in the Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients and the Effect on the Levels of Tumor Markers and Th1 and Th2-Like Cytokines

Objective

To assess the efficacy of apatinib plus S-1 therapy in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer patients and the effect on the levels of tumor markers and Th1 and Th2-like cytokines.

Methods

From October 2019 to December 2020, 100 patients with advanced gastric cancer assessed for eligibility were recruited and assigned at a ratio of 1 : 1 to receive either S-1 regimen (tegafur, gimeracil, and oteracil potassium capsules) (observation group) or apatinib plus S-1 therapy (experimental group). Outcome measures included clinical efficacy serum tumor marker levels, Th1 and Th2-like cytokine levels, time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and adverse events.

Results

The S-1 therapy plus apatinib was associated with a significantly higher efficacy versus S-1 therapy alone (P < 0.05). The eligible patients given S-1 therapy plus apatinib showed significantly lower levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), glycoantigen 199 (CA199), and glycoantigen 125 (CA125) versus those receiving S-1 therapy (P < 0.05). S-1 therapy plus apatinib outperformed the single therapy of S-1 therapy in mitigating the levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05). S-1 therapy plus apatinib was associated with a significantly shorter TTP (5.2 ± 0.7 months) and a longer OS (9.3 ± 2.5 months) versus S-1 therapy alone (7.1 ± 1.3, 5.1 ± 1.3 months) (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The efficacy of apatinib plus S-1 therapy showed better improvement in lowering the serum tumor marker levels and ameliorating the Th1 and Th2-like cytokine levels versus S-1 therapy alone, so it is worthy of clinical application.