Dan Cui

Efficacy, safety and feasibility of ultrasound‐guided percutaneous microwave ablation for large hepatic hemangioma

To evaluate the efficacy, safety and feasibility of microwave ablation (MWA) for large (5–10 cm in diameter) hepatic hemangioma.

Long noncoding RNA ZNFX1-AS1 suppresses growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating the methylation of miR-9

Many long noncoding RNAs have been reported to play pivotal roles in cancer biology. Among them, the long noncoding RNA ZNFX1-AS1 has been confirmed to function in breast cancer progression, but the role of ZNFX1-AS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth and the related molecular mechanisms still remains unknown. In the present study, we first identified the expression of ZNFX1-AS1 in HCC patients’ specimens and HCC cell lines through quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Next, the effects of ZNFX1-AS1 on HCC cell growth and apoptosis were analyzed. MTT assay was used to measure the cell numbers, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis was performed to evaluate cell apoptosis. Finally, the relationship between ZNFX1-AS1 and miR-9 in HCC was studied. Our results suggest that ZNFX1-AS1 was markedly downregulated in HCC samples and cell lines. Overexpression of ZNFX1-AS1 inhibited the cell proliferation and colony formation in HCC cell lines and also induced HCC cell apoptosis. Additionally, miR-9 was lowly expressed in HCC tissues and positively correlated with ZNFX1-AS1 expression. Meanwhile, significant upregulation of miR-9 and downregulation of the methylation of miR-9 promoter CpG island were observed when ZNFX1-AS1 was overexpressed. In summary, our results indicate that ZNFX1-AS1 plays a vital role in HCC progression via regulating the methylation of miR-9 and may be a potential tumor suppressor.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: thyroid hormone promotes tumorigenicity through inducing cancer stem-like cell self-renewal

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) play a key role in maintaining the aggressiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the cell-biological regulation of CSCs is unclear. In the study, we report that thyroid hormone (TH) promotes cell self-renewal in HCC cells. TH also increases the percentage of CD90 + HCC cells and promotes drug resistance of HCC cells. By analyzing primary human HCC samples, we found that TRα transcript level is significantly elevated in primary liver cancer and portal vein metastatic tumor, compared to that of adjacent normal liver tissue. Knocking down TRα not only inhibits HCC self-renewal in vitro but also suppresses HCC tumor growth in vivo. Interestingly, treatment of TH leads to activation of NF-κB, which is required for the function of TH on inducing HCC cell self-renewal. We also found TRα and p65 cooperatively drive the expression of BMI1 by co-binding to the promoter region of BMI1 gene. In summary, our study uncovers a novel function of TH signaling in regulating the CSCs of HCC, and these findings might be useful for developing novel therapies by targeting TH function in HCC cells.

Is Adjuvant Cellular Immunotherapy Essential after TACE-Predominant Minimally-Invasive Treatment for Hepatocellular Carcinoma? A Systematic Meta-Analysis of Studies Including 1774 Patients.

Purpose Cellular immunotherapy has appeared to be a promising modality for the treatment of malignant tumor. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cellular immunotherapy combined with minimally invasive therapy. Methods We searched PubMed, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library through March 2016 for relevant studies. Short-term efficacy (the disease control rate, the control rate of quality life and the AFP descent rate) and long-term efficacy (overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rate) were compared as the major outcome measures. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3. Results A total of 1174 references in 3 databases were found of which 19 individual studies with 1774 HCC patients enrolled in this meta-analysis. Meta-analysis results showed that cellular immunotherapy combined with minimally-invasive treatment significantly improved the measures of short-term response (the disease control rate (OR = 5.91, P = 0.007), the control rate of quality lift (OR = 3.38, P = 0.003) and the AFP descent rate (OR = 4.48, P = 0.02)). Also higher 6-month PFS (OR = 2.78, P = 0.05), ≥12-month PFS (OR = 3.56, P<0.00001) rate and 6-month OS (OR = 2.81, P = 0.0009), 12-month OS (OR = 3.05, P<0.00001) and 24-month OS (OR = 3.52, P<0.0001) rate were observed in patients undergoing cellular immunotherapy. Conclusions This meta-analysis suggested that cellular immunotherapy is a feasible adjuvant treatment that could be beneficial for the improvement of the clinical outcomes for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after minimally invasive treatment, including short-term response and long-term survival.

Knockdown of the differentially expressed gene TNFRSF12A inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and migration in vitro

Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been reported to be highly insensitive to conventional chemotherapy. In the current study, the Agilent Whole Human Genome Oligo Microarray (4×44 K) was used in order to identify the differentially expressed genes between HCC and adjacent tissues, and the top 22 differentially expressed genes were confirmed through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Among the identified differences in gene expression, expression of tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 12A (TNFRSF12A) was markedly higher in HCC tissue than in adjacent tissue. Previous studies have suggested that TNFRSF12A may serve a role in tumor growth and metastasis, thus in the current study, TNFRSF12A was knocked down in the SMMC7721 cell line through siRNA. This demonstrated that cells exhibited reduced reproductive and metastatic capacity ex vivo. Thus, the results of the current study suggest that TNFRSF12A may be a candidate therapeutic target for cancer including HCC, and additional genes that exhibited significantly different expression from normal adjacent tissues require further study.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation for treating benign thyroid nodules

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a relatively new procedure for treating benign thyroid nodules. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RFA for treating benign thyroid nodules so as to serve as a reference for future clinical practice. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients receiving percutaneous RFA for treating thyroid nodules from November 2014 to July 2015 in our medical center. One hundred and eight patients with a total of 380 nodules received ultrasound-guided RFA for treating thyroid nodules. Comparisons of the volume change of thyroid nodules before and after RFA treatment, post-treatment complication, and change of thyroid function, were carried out afterwards. Results: Before treatments, all patients received fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) which supported the diagnosis of benign tumor. There were 13 males and 95 females included in the study. Twenty-six cases (24.07%) had single nodule, and 82 cases (75.93%) had multiple nodules. Before treatments, the thyroid functions (FT3, FT4, and TSH) were normal originally or adjusted to normal range by endocrinology treatment. The preoperative nodules had minimum volume of 0.01mL, maximum volume of 70.89 mL, and mean volume of 1.02 ± 4.24mL. The volume of nodules one month and three months after RFA were 0.29 ± 0.72mL and 0.15 ± 0.87mL, respectively. In addition, volume reduction ratio (VRR) of nodules one month and three months after RFA were 64.12% and 85.54%, respectively. Both volume of nodules and VRR had statistically significant differences for pre-operative and post-operative comparison (P<0.05). Thyroid functions were in normal range after treatments, and there was no serious complications. Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided RFA treating benign thyroid nodules had the advantages of definite efficacy, safety, strong in control ability, no incision, less damage to surrounding normal tissues and no effect on thyroid function. It can be used as one of the main treatment methods for treating benign thyroid nodules.

Comparison study of computed tomography-guided radiofrequency and microwave ablation for pulmonary tumors: A retrospective, case-controlled observational study: RFA and MWA for pulmonary tumors

The aim of this study was to compare the safety, efficacy, and prognostic value of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) for lung tumors.

Oliguric acute kidney injury after microwave ablation of large liver tumors: incidence and preventive measures

Abstract Purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI), especially oliguric AKI, is a recognized complication following microwave ablation (MWA) of large liver tumors. This study evaluated the clinical features, mechanisms, risk factors and prevention strategies for oliguric AKI after MWA of large liver tumors. Methods: From March 2011 to May 2015, 441 patients with liver tumors ≧5 cm received MWA in our hospital. The clinical features, prevention strategies, further mechanisms and possible risk factors for oliguric AKI after MWA were analyzed. Results: One hundred four (23.6%) patients had AKI after MWA; 11 (10.6%) patients had oliguric AKI, and 93 (89.4%) patients had nonoliguric AKI. All patients with nonoliguric AKI recovered without any special treatments. The eleven patients with oliguric AKI received appropriate treatments and had completely normal renal function three months later. Using double needles for ablation was a risk factor for nonoliguric AKI, while high preoperative levels of red blood cells (RBC), hemoglobin (HGB) and albumin (Alb) were risk factors for oliguric AKI. The decrease levels of hemoglobin were significantly high in oliguric AKI patients (p < .05). Patients with oliguric AKI had abnormally high postoperative transaminase and renal function indicators. Compared to postoperative prevention, intraoperative prevention significantly lowered the occurrence of oliguric AKI (0% vs. 3.7%, p = .018) and shortened the hospital stay. Conclusions: Patients who underwent MWA for large liver tumors are prone to develop oliguric AKI. Implementation of intraoperative strategies during MWA can effectively prevent the occurrence of this severe complication.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for treating multiple breast fibroadenoma

BACKGROUND This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for multiple breast fibroadenoma as an alternative to surgical resection. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-five patients with multiple breast fibroadenoma accepted general anesthesia and US-guided percutaneous RFA in our hospital from September 2014 to January 2016. Contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) was used immediately after operation to determine whether the tumor was ablated completely. The complete ablation rate (CAR) and the change of focal volume were evaluated by CEUS at the 1st month and the 3rd month after operation. RESULTS All the patients were diagnosed by needle biopsy. Among all the patients, 256 nodules were found. Forty-six nodules (17.96%) were located <5 mm from epidermis; 26 nodules (10.15%) were located below areola. Complete ablation was achieved for 251 nodules (98.04%) after the 1st month of operation. The volume reduce rate was 39.06% and 75.99% at the 1st and the 3rd month after operation, respectively, of which 45 nodules were completely absorbed (17.58%). There was a statistically significant difference of the volume reduction rate (VRR) after operation (P < 0.01) compared with preoperative breast nodules volume. There were no complications such as skin burn, hemorrhage, and hematoma, nipple discharge in the process during and after RFA. CONCLUSION Given advantages of high CAR, mild injury, rapid recovery, and cosmetic outcome desired by the patients, RFA has the potential to become the preferred method in the treatment of breast fibroadenoma.