Effect of TIMP2/TIMP3 genes on the risk of osteosarcoma in Zhejiang population

Osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor that develops from a mesenchymal cell line and is caused by gene-environment interactions. This study aimed to explore whether TIMP2/TIMP3 polymorphisms influenced the osteosarcoma risk.The expression of the TIMP2 and TIMP3 genes in osteosarcoma histiocytes was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. In this case-control study, which includes samples from 499 patients and 500 healthy controls, 10 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TIMP2 and TIMP3 were selected. Furthermore, we used the Agena MassARRAY platform for genotyping. The statistical analysis was performed using χ2 test/Fisher exact test, and logistic regression analysis.The immunohistochemistry results showed that the expression of TIMP2 is obvious higher in osteosarcoma histiocytes than in the normal histiocytes. The association study indicated that the allele of rs2277698 and rs4789936 were protective SNPs reducing the risk of osteosarcoma (odds ratios  > 1, P < .05) by the χ2 test. In the genetic model, logistic regression analyses revealed that the rs2277698 and rs4789936 were associated with decreasing the risk of osteosarcoma under the codominant model, dominant model, and log-additive model. Stratification analysis revealed that 2 SNPs (rs2277698 and rs4789936) were significantly associated with a reduced risk of osteosarcoma in allele and genetic model after stratification by gender or age (P < .05). In addition, the haplotype "Trs2277698Crs2009169Crs7342880" of TIMP2 was associated with decreasing the osteosarcoma risk. The "Ars9609634Trs11547635" of TIMP3 was associated with reducing the osteosarcoma risk.This finding shed new light on the high expression of TIMP2 polymorphisms may contribute to decreasing the osteosarcoma risk in Zhejiang populations.

Prognostic factors to survival of patients with chondroblastic osteosarcoma

This study was aimed to reveal the changes in survival rates and prognostic factors to survival of chondroblastic osteosarcoma (COS).Patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were retrieved. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard model were used during analysis.There were significant differences on overall survival between subtypes of osteosarcoma (P < .001*). Overall survival of COS did not change significantly during last forty years (P = .610), and cancer-specific survival increased to a plateau in 1980s and then remained stable (P = .058). Younger onset age, patients of white race, well and moderately differentiated tumors, and surgery independently predicted better overall (Hazard ratio [HR]: 1.034, P < .001*; HR: 0.538, P = .004*; HR: 0.240, P = .020* and HR: 0.350, P < .001*, respectively) and cancer-specific (HR: 1.031, P = .002*; HR: 0.592, P = .036*; HR: 0.098, P = .027* and HR: 0.253, P < .001*, respectively) survival. Metastasis at diagnosis independently predicted worse overall (HR: 3.108, P < .001*) and cancer-specific (HR: 4.26, P < .001*) survival compared to no metastasis.Younger onset age, white race, well and moderately differentiated tumors, no metastasis at diagnosis and surgical resection can independently predict better overall and cancer-specific survival of COS.

Association of -308G/A and -238G/A polymorphisms of TNF-α and osteosarcoma risk

OBJECTIVE

As a proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-α is associated with increased risk of osteosarcoma (OS). Our study aimed to explore the association of TNF-α polymorphisms and OS susceptibility in the Han Chinese population.

METHODS

80 OS patients and 99 healthy people, matched on the age and sex, participated in the study. Genotyping was conducted by the method of polymerase chain reaction-restricted fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP). Then logistic regression was used to evaluate the effects of TNF-α polymorphisms (-308 G/A and -238 G/A) on the pathology of OS.

RESULTS

The frequency of AA genotype in -308 G/A locus in the cases was significantly higher than that of the healthy group (20.0% vs. 6.1%). Patients with OS were more likely to possess AA genotype of -308 G/A locus (OR=4.00, 95% CI=1.41-11.38). For the patients with A allele, the risk for OS increased 0.62 fold (OR=1.62, 95% CI=1.04-2.50). There was no remarkable relationship of -238 G/A polymorphisms and OS susceptibility. In addition, we found that patients with G-A and A-A haplotypes was much higher in the cases than that of control group (68.0% and 25.0%, 53.0% and 38.9%, respectively). A-G haplotype appeared to increase the risk for OS (OR=1.93, 95% CI=1.13-2.94).

CONCLUSION

The AA genotype of -308 G/A locus of TNF-α gene was a risk factor for OS, however there was no correlation between -238 G/A of TNF-α and OS.

Demographic determinants of survival in osteosarcoma

INTRODUCTION

Osteosarcoma treatment has experienced a renaissance in the last 3 decades with the institution of multimodality treatment involving multiagent chemotherapy and surgery. Yet globally, treatment success has stagnated at about 70% survival at 5 years in most single institution series. We performed survival analyses on 2 national databases in 2 countries and compared these with corresponding institution specific survival.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All patients with the diagnostic code of non-metastatic intramedullary osteosarcoma in the long bones of the upper and lower limbs less than 30 years of age were selected from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) database to ensure uniformity with respect to disease and treatment. We studied the factors: ethnicity, gender, age, grade, histology, size, site, surgery, compartmentalisation, number of primaries and venue of treatment for their contribution to survival. In addition, the data were stratified into 3 decades (seventies, eighties and nineties) to account for variations due to the evolution of treatment paradigms and imaging modalities.

RESULTS

Institution-specific survival was predictably better than national survival in the 4 databases. One thousand patients were selected from the SEER database. Oriental descent, state-specific treatment, female gender, treatment in the nineties, low-grade disease, intra-compartmental disease, small size, wide resections as opposed to forequarter or hindquarter amputations, and single primaries were good prognostic factors on univariate analysis as well as multivariate analysis (P <0.05). Survival was better in the more affluent states (P <0.05). Males were affected at an older age than females (P = 0.004). Blacks tended to have larger tumours although their overall survival was similar to whites. Orientals were more likely to be treated in the nineties with wide resections for smaller tumours and were located around states associated with good treatment. Orientals in Singapore and the United States had the same survival (P = 0.45). Survival in Orientals in Singapore was not significantly different from other races. The standard of healthcare for osteosarcoma varies greatly across the United States but is uniform in Singapore. Hence the observed differences in the United States were likely due to socioeconomic factors.

CONCLUSION

This analysis confirms the importance of a number of prognostic variables in osteosarcoma and suggests the possibility of an ethnic and economic bias for good survival.