As a pivotal microRNA (miRNA), miR-4284 exhibits noteworthy aberrant expression levels across various cancers and diseases, exerting a crucial role in modulating cancer progression and prognosis. This article endeavors to comprehensively elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of miR-4284 in cancer, delving deeply into its impact on tumor cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis by intervening in key signaling pathways such as p65, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). Moreover, this article examines the potential associations of miR-4284 with diverse current therapeutic strategies, such as cancer prediction models, synergistic effects of chemotherapeutic agents, mechanisms of ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction technology, and enhancement of radiotherapy. However, despite the significant strides made in miR-4284 research, certain limitations persist. Looking ahead, we anticipate that larger-scale and more in-depth studies will further unveil the functional mechanisms of miR-4284 and elucidate its role in therapeutic drug efficacy, thus furnishing robust theoretical underpinnings for the clinical application of miR-4284.

Objective: Weight loss in colorectal cancer (CRC) surgical patients is widespread and often associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine whether pre-surgery nutrition intervention in CRC patients can reduce post-surgery weight loss and improve nutritional status and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: Sixty CRC patients undergoing elective surgery from November 2018 to February 2021 were recruited. They were compared to a control group of 60 CRC patients extracted retrospectively from 2014. The intervention group received pre-surgery nutrition counselling and was followed up at 1, 2, and 3 months after surgery, where their weights were taken and nutritional status was assessed using Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Health-related QoL was assessed using the 3-level Euro-Quality of Life 5 Domain (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire before surgery and at 3 months after surgery. The control group did not receive pre-surgery nutrition counselling.

Results: At 3 months after surgery, the intervention group lost significantly less weight compared to the control group (p < 0.001). Similar significant results were observed at 1 and 2 months after surgery (p < 0.001). Fifty-two patients (91%) in the control group lost weight compared to 31 patients (53%) in the intervention group at 3 months after surgery (p < 0.001). Within the intervention group, the post-surgery Quality of Life Visual Analogue Scale improved significantly from baseline (80% versus 75%, p = 0.043). The SGA score at 3 months after surgery was similar to that of baseline (p = 0.109).

Conclusion: Pre-surgery nutrition intervention in patients with CRC and elective surgery has resulted in a significant reduction in post-surgery weight loss, improvement in QoL, and maintenance of nutritional status.

Background: Chemotherapy is the mainstay to treat metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). However, a sizeable proportion of patients do not respond to treatment, which leads to the recurrence of disease. This study was carried out to identify reliable gene expression-based marker(s) to predict the response to chemotherapy and the risk of recurrence.

Methods: This prospective study involved the collection of tumor tissues (n = 100) and normal tissues (n = 10) from CRC patients who primarily underwent surgical treatment. Global gene expression profiles were generated on microarray (Affymetrix; n = 5) and the next-generation sequencing (NGS) (Illumina; n = 20) platforms. Patients were classified as responders (n = 13; complete response with no relapse) or non-responders (n = 12; recurrence of disease leading to death). Common dysregulated genes identified from both platforms were replicated in an independent set (n = 75; quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)). The area under the curve (AUC) was generated, and a combinatorial analysis was performed.

Results: A total of 193 and 1351 genes were dysregulated in microarray and NGS datasets, respectively. Of the top common genes (PTGIS, LYVE1, C3, C7, CXCL12, CEACAM6, MUC13, and ST14) that were selected for replication, upregulation of five genes (PTGIS, C3, C7, LYVE1, and CXCL12) were associated with the non-responder group in validation set. Combinatorial analysis and comparison of AUC identified a significant increase (p = 0.03) in AUC by 15.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01-0.29) for two genes (PTGIS and LYVE1). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were 88.9%, 100%, 100%, and 95.6%, respectively.

Conclusion: Assessing upregulation of the PTGIS and LYVE1 genes enables identification of individuals who may not respond to adjuvant chemotherapy and the risk of recurrence. The addition of drugs targeting these genes may improve response and benefit the patients.

Objective: Maintenance treatment with rituximab has been used in some nodal lymphomas, such as follicular and diffuse large cell lymphoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival of extra nodal lymphoma patients under maintenance treatment.

Materials and methods: From July 2008 to December 2017, after induction treatment in patients with extra nodal lymphoma, if the patients consented and the drug was available, they were treated with rituximab every 3 months for 2 years.

Results: A total of 112 patients with extra nodal lymphoma met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 89 patients had high-grade lymphomas and 23 patients were in the group of low-grade lymphomas. The group of patients with high-grade lymphoma who received the rituximab-containing regimen as a maintenance treatment had lower rates of recurrence and death compared to the group that received rituximab only in the induction phase. In patients with low-grade lymphoma, the recurrence rate and mortality were also lower in the group receiving maintenance treatment compared to other groups, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusion: The use of rituximab in patients with extra nodal lymphoma as maintenance can increase the survival of the patients.

Objective: The incidence of primary tracheal neoplasm is extremely rare. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most prevalent histological type of tracheal malignancy. Postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy can be considered as a curative management option. However, there are limited data available on the use of radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy for tracheal cancer, particularly intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

Patient and methods: Herein, we present a case report of a young adult male diagnosed with primary SCC of the trachea who underwent postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy utilizing intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The treatment included 50.4 Gy radiation in 28 fractions and two cycles of chemotherapy.

Results: The patient experienced grade Ⅰ dermatitis and grade Ⅱ granulocytosis. Follow-up showed no evidence of recurrence or significant adverse effects. The patient achieved 5-year long-term survival with good quality of life.

Conclusion: Postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy using IMRT is effective for primary tracheal carcinoma, offering long-term survival and quality of life benefits.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors among women worldwide. Chemotherapeutic and targeted agents, as important adjuvant therapy for breast cancer, can also cause cardiotoxicity, leading to cardiac dysfunction. It is essential to recognize cardiotoxicity early, cease drug exposure when appropriate, and initiate heart failure therapy. Currently, echocardiography is routinely used to monitor cardiac function during treatment. However, normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measured by echocardiography cannot exclude cardiotoxicity. Therefore, more sensitive cardiac monitoring tools are needed. Optical pumped magnetometer-magnetocardiography (OPM-MCG) has been proved to be a noninvasive and effective means to detect and monitor myocardial injury.

Case description: In this case, we presented a patient diagnosed with early breast cancer with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression, following adjuvant therapy with paclitaxel liposomes, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) occurred after five cycles of anti-HER2 therapy, which improved with chronic heart failure (CHF) treatment. The MCG scan of this patient was significantly abnormal when she developed symptomatic HFrEF, which improved gradually during CHF treatment.

Conclusion: The patient's heart failure was most likely caused by HER2-targeted agents, which was reversible and could be improved with the administration of angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i). In the future, OPM-MCG may act as a safe, accurate, and efficient evaluation tool for cardiotoxicity monitoring to detect early myocardial injury in cancer patients.