Tian Run Liu

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Nasopharynx: 27-Year Experience

Objective/Hypothesis: Nasopharyngeal adenoid cystic carcinoma (NACC) is a rare malignancy with special biological features. Clear consensus is not available regarding the clinical characters, management approaches, and prognostic factors. We presented one institutions experience with this tumor and the outcomes of treatment.

Decreased expression of SATB2: A novel independent prognostic marker of worse outcome in laryngeal carcinoma patients

Background To investigate the expression and role of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein-2 (SATB2) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) tissue and cell line (HEp2), and to evaluate the clinical and prognostic significance of SATB2 protein in patients with LSCC. Methods The expression of SATB2 was examined in LSCC tissue and HEp2 cells by Western-blotting, Real-time PCR and immunohistochemical staining. Cell growth curve assay and colony formation assay were used to verify the effect of SATB2 on the proliferation and tumor progression ability of HEp2 cells. Tumor formation assay in nude mice was used to analyze the effect of SATB2 on the tumorigenicity of HEp2 cells. Results The status of SATB2 protein in carcinoma tissues is much lower than that in paracarcinoma tissues. The overall survival of the patients with high SATB2 expression was significantly higher than the low SATB2 expression group. Lower or negative SATB2 expression was significantly correlated with advanced clinical staging, histological grade and tumor recurrence. In vitro experiments demonstrated that over-expression of SATB2 in HEp2 cells inhibited cell proliferation and tumor progression ability, and down-regulation of SATB2 showed the opposite effects. Over-expression of SATB2 repressed the tumorigenicity of HEp2 cells by in vivo experiments. Moreover, multivariate analysis suggested that SATB2 expression might be an independent prognostic indicator for the survival of LSCC patients after curative surgery. Conclusions SATB2 might involve in the development and progression of LSCC as a tumor suppressor, and thereby may be a valuable prognostic marker for LSCC patients.

COX-2 Gene increases tongue cancer cell proliferation and invasion through VEGF-C pathway

COX-2 induces the proliferation and invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma. In the present study, the role of the COX-2 gene in the tongue cancer cell proliferation and invasion was investigated. A short hairpin RNA (shRNA)method was used to knock down COX-2 gene expression and investigate the relationship between COX-2 and VEGF-C, and the role of the COX-2 gene for proliferation and invasion was also investigated in the tongue cancer cell Tca8113. COX-2 gene overexpressed in tongue cancer cell line. Suppressing the expression of COX-2 by shRNA could decrease cell proliferation comparing with control shRNA. Nevertheless, depressing COX-2 gene expression by shRNA reduced VEGF-C expression on both mRNA and protein levels. VEGF-C gene expression could be regulated by COX-2 gene. Our results suggested that COX-2 played essential roles in the proliferation and metastasis of tongue cancer, and COX-2 could serve as a potential chemotherapy target for tongue cancer.

Primary salivary gland type carcinoma of the nasopharynx: Therapeutic outcomes and prognostic factors

Primary salivary gland type nasopharyngeal carcinoma (SNPC) is a rare malignancy with diverse clinical behavior and different prognoses. Previous studies have reported on limited patient populations, and few long‐term studies have outlined outcomes and prognostic factors. Furthermore, controversy exists as to the treatment policy of SNPC. The aim of this study was to define management approaches, therapeutic outcomes, and prognostic factors of SNPC.

Elective neck dissection in clinical stage I squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue: Does it improve regional control or survival time?

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether elective neck dissection could improve regional control or survival time in clinical stage I squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (OTSCC). This was a retrospective study of patients with surgical treatment between January 1991 and December 2003. A total of 131 patients were included in the study, and all of them received operation of the primary site, while 88 cases underwent selective neck dissection simultaneously including level I-III neck dissection in 49 patients and level I-V neck dissection in 39 patients. In all these cases, the rate of occult neck metastases was 23.7%. The 4-year local control rates in patients with only primary site treatment, patients with level I-III neck dissection and patients with level I-V neck dissection were 81.0%, 83.6% and 89.1%, respectively. By univariate analyse, neck dissection did not increase regional control rate, disease free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS). Multivariate analyses showed that neck dissection was not an independent factor for DFS or OS. This study showed that the occult neck metastases rate was 23.7% in clinical stage I OTSCC. Elective neck dissection did not significantly improve regional control, DFS and OS in clinical stage I patients. There is a need for accurate and valid methods to select the patients who would benefit from elective neck treatment.

Different therapeutic strategies in primary salivary gland-type nasopharyngeal carcinomas.

Purpose of reviewPrimary salivary gland-type nasopharyngeal carcinoma (PSGT-NPC) is an uncommon malignancy with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Its optimal treatment policy remains debated, even though recent evidence provides support for a multimodality approach. The aim of this study was to summarize the optimal management approaches and treatment outcomes of PSGT-NPCs. Recent findingsAs most of the PSGT-NPCs, such as adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma and low-grade (well-differentiated) adenocarcinoma, have low sensitivity to radiation, combined surgical treatment and radiotherapy are still the main treatment approach for limited or resectable lesions. As a result of the fact that in well-differentiated PSGT-NPCs the occult neck metastasis rate is low (less than 20%), elective neck dissection is not recommended in patients with a node-negative neck. Since high-grade (poorly-differentiated) PSGT-NPCs are relatively sensitive to radiation, radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy is currently considered as the main treatment policy for such patients. There is no evidence to indicate that chemotherapy would improve overall survival. Cranial nerve infiltration, residual tumor, and distant metastases are independent predictive factors of overall survival. SummaryIn most patients with PSGT-NPCs, especially for well-differentiated tumors, combined surgical treatment and radiotherapy should be recommended. For poorly-differentiated or unresectable tumors, radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy is still considered the main treatment approach. Because of the rare incidence of PSGT-NPCs, the number of cases available for analysis is relatively small, and large multicentric studies should be conducted to further evaluate their optimal treatment policy.

Treatment and Prognosis of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma: A Clinical Study of 50 Cases.

Introduction Although anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is rare, it is one of the most aggressive human cancers. The optimal multimodal therapy policy of ATC is still debated, and a standardized treatment strategy remains to be established. This study aimed to evaluate the management aspect and prognosis of ATC. Materials and Methods The data were analyzed retrospectively for 50 patients with ATC to evaluate the clinical characters, management and factors influencing survival. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Merier method and log-rank test, and multivariate analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazard model. Results The 1-year and 2-year overall survival rates (OS) were 48.0% and 26.0% respectively in all patients, with the 2-year OS of 40.0% and 31.0% and 6.3% for stage IVA, IVB and IVC respectively (P <0.05). In stage IVA and IVB patients, combined surgery with radiotherapy improved overall survival, and the 2-year OS were 50.0% and 35.7% respectively in the group with combined surgery with radiotherapy and the group with surgery with only (P <0.05). Postoperative radiotherapy improved local control rate in stage IVA and IVB patients (P <0.05). However, surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy could not improve the survival of stage IVC patients. Multivariate analysis showed that distant metastases, surgery, radiotherapy and tumor residue could predict the prognosis. Conclusion Combined surgery and radiotherapy could improve overall survival in stage IVA and IVB patients. Patients with ATC have a bad prognosis. Distant metastases, surgery, radiotherapy and tumor residue are the most important factors affecting the prognosis.