S100A7 as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma promotes M2 macrophage infiltration and angiogenesis

Purpose Emerging evidence indicates that circulating microRNAs (miRs) might act as noninvasive biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. We examined the expression pattern and clinical significance of plasma miR-9 in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods Venous blood samples (6 mL) were collected from 131 patients with ESCC and 131 healthy controls, and the plasma miR-9 concentration was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The association of plasma miR-9 expression with clinicopathologic factors and survival of patients with ESCC was evaluated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to evaluate the clinical value of plasma miR-9 for ESCC diagnosis. Results The plasma miR-9 expression levels in patients with ESCC were significantly upregulated compared with normal controls. High plasma miR-9 concentrations were significantly correlated with poor tumor differentiation, large tumor size, deep local invasion, lymph node metastasis, advanced clinical stage, and poor survival. ROC curve analysis showed that the plasma miR-9 concentration could efficiently distinguish patients with ESCC from healthy controls. Multivariate survival analysis confirmed plasma miR-9 as an independent prognostic factor for ESCC. Conclusions Plasma miR-9 expression was upregulated in ESCC and might act as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker.

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A prognostic biomarker study in patients with clinical stage I esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: JCOG0502‐A1

Cancer Science ◽

10.1111/cas.15251 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kotoe Oshima ◽

Ken Kato ◽

Yoshinori Ito ◽

Hiroyuki Daiko ◽

Isao Nozaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Prognostic Biomarker ◽

Clinical Stage ◽

Stage I

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Ferroptosis Driver SOCS1 and Suppressor FTH1 Independently Correlate With M1 and M2 Macrophage Infiltration in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology ◽

10.3389/fcell.2021.727762 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Zhang-Wei Hu ◽

Yi-Hui Wen ◽

Ren-Qiang Ma ◽

Lin Chen ◽

Xue-Lan Zeng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Prognostic Factors ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Head And Neck ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Macrophage Infiltration ◽

M2 Macrophage ◽

Expression Levels

ObjectiveTo investigate the role of ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of non-apoptotic cell death, in the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) immune microenvironment.Materials and MethodsA list of ferroptosis-related genes was obtained from the FerrDb database. Gene expression data were acquired from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and analyzed using the R language. Protein–protein interaction analysis was conducted using STRING and GeneMANIA. The correlations between gene expression levels and a patient’s survival were analyzed using GEPIA, the Kaplan–Meier estimate, and a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. The expression results were verified using Oncomine and Human Protein Atlas data. We used the TIMER, GEPIA2, GEPIA2021, and TIMER2 databases to investigate the relationships between gene expression and infiltrating immune cells.ResultsAnalysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified nine each ferroptosis drivers and ferroptosis suppressors, among which four genes correlated with survival as follows: two drivers (SOCS1, CDKN2A) associated with better survival and two suppressors (FTH1, CAV1) associated with poorer survival. Multivariate Cox survival analysis identified SOCS1 and FTH1 as independent prognostic factors for HNSCC, and their higher expression levels were verified using Oncomine and HPA data. The results acquired using TIMER, GEPIA2, GEPIA2021, and TIMER2 data revealed that the driver SOCS1 and the suppressor FTH1 independently correlated with M1 and M2 macrophage infiltration.ConclusionsThe ferroptosis driver SOCS1 and suppressor FTH1 are independent prognostic factors and that correlate with M1 and M2 macrophage infiltration in HNSCC. Targeting ferroptosis-immunomodulation may serve as a strategy to enhance the activity of immunotherapy.

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