Risk assessment and triage strategy of cervical cancer primary screening on HPV integration status:5-year follow-up of a prospective cohort study

Objective:We investigated the relation between man papillomavirus(HPV)integration status and the immediate risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN),as well as the triage strategy based on HPV integration test.Methods:4086 women aged 20 to 65 years in China were enrolled in 2015 for a prospective,population-based,clinical observational study to evaluate the triage performance of HPV integration.Cervical exfoliated cells were collected for HPV testing and cytologic test.If high-risk HPV was positive,HPV integration test was performed at baseline,2-year and 5-year follow-up.Results:At baseline,HPV integration was positively correlated with the severity of cervical pathology,ranging from 5.0%(15/301)in normal diagnosis,6.9%(4/58)in CIN1,31.0%(9/29)in CIN2,70%(14/20)in CIN3,and 100%(2/2)in cervical cancer(P<0.001).Compared with cytology,HPV integration exhibits comparable sensitivity and negative predictive value for the diagnosis of CIN3+,higher specificity(92.8%[90.2%-95.4%]vs.75.5%[71.2%-79.8%],P<0.001)and higher positive predictive value(36.4%[22.1%-50.6%]vs.15.2%[8.5%-21.8%],P<0.001).HPV integration testing strategy yielded a significantly lower colposcopy referral rate than cytology strategy(10.7%[44/410]vs.27.3%[112/410],P<0.001).The HPV integration-negative group exhibited the lowest immediate risk for CIN3+(1.6%)and accounted for the largest proportion of the total population(89.3%),when compared with the normal cytology group(risk,1.7%;proportion,72.7%).Conclusion:As a key molecular basis for the development of cervical cancer,HPV integration might be a promising triage strategy for HPV-positive patients.

Overexpressed miR-9 promotes tumor metastasis via targeting E-cadherin in serous ovarian cancer

MicroRNAs （miRNAs） play critical roles in the development and progression in various cancers. Dysfunctional miR-9 expression remains ambiguous, and no consensus on the metastatic progression of ovarian cancer has been reached. In this study, results from the bioinformatics analysis show that the 3＇-UTR of the E- cadherin mRNA was directly regulated by miR-9. Luciferase reporter assay results confirmed that miR-9 could directly target this 3＇-UTR. miR-9 and E-cadherin expression in ovarian cancer tissue was quantified by qRT- PCR. Migration and invasion were detected by wound healing and Transwell system assay in SKOV3 and A2780. qRT-PCR and Western blot were performed to detect the epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated mRNA and proteins. Immunofluorescence technique was used to analyze the expression and subcellular localization of E- cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin. The results showed that miR-9 was frequently upregulated in metastatic serous ovarian cancer tissue compared with paired primary ones. Upregulation of miR-9 could downregulate the expression of E-cadherin but upregulate the expression of mesenchymal markers （N-cadherin and vimentin）. Overexpression of miR-9 could promote the cell migration and invasion in ovarian cancer, and these processes could be effectively inhibited via miR-9 inhibitor. Thus, our study demonstrates that miR-9 may promote ovarian cancer metastasis via targeting E-cadherin and a novel potential therapeutic approach to control metastasis of ovarian cancer.

Adjuvant chemotherapy versus adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy after radical surgery for early-stage cervical cancer:a randomized,non-inferiority,multicenter trial

We conducted a prospective study to assess the non-inferiority of adjuvant chemotherapy alone versus adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) as an alternative strategy for patients with early-stage (FIGO 2009 stage IB–IIA) cervical cancer having risk factors after surgery. The condition was assessed in terms of prognosis, adverse effects, and quality of life. This randomized trial involved nine centers across China. Eligible patients were randomized to receive adjuvant chemotherapy or CCRT after surgery. The primary end-point was progression-free survival (PFS). From December 2012 to December 2014, 337 patients were subjected to randomization. Final analysis included 329 patients, including 165 in the adjuvant chemotherapy group and 164 in the adjuvant CCRT group. The median follow-up was 72.1 months. The three-year PFS rates were both 91.9%, and the five-year OS was 90.6% versus 90.0% in adjuvant chemotherapy and CCRT groups, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the PFS or OS between groups. The adjusted HR for PFS was 0.854 (95% confidence interval 0.415–1.757;P = 0.667) favoring adjuvant chemotherapy, excluding the predefined non-inferiority boundary of 1.9. The chemotherapy group showed a tendency toward good quality of life. In comparison with post-operative adjuvant CCRT, adjuvant chemotherapy treatment showed non-inferior efficacy in patients with early-stage cervical cancer having pathological risk factors. Adjuvant chemotherapy alone is a favorable alternative post-operative treatment.

Chemotherapy initiation with single-course methotrexate alone or combined with dactinomycin versus multi-course methotrexate for low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: a multi-centric randomized clinical trial

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of single-course initial regimens in patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia(GTN).In this trial (NCT01823315),276 patients were analyzed.Patients were allocated to three initiated regimens:single-course methotrexate(MTX),single-course MTX+dactinomycin(ACTD),and multi-course MTX(control arm).The primary endpoint was the complete remission(CR)rate by initial drug(s).The primary CR rate was 64.4%with multi-course MTX in the control arm.For the single-course MTX arm,the CR rate was 35.8%by one course;it increased to 59.3%after subsequent multi-course MTX,with non-inferiority to the control(difference-5.1%,95%confidence interval(CI)-19.4%to 9.2%,P=0.014).After further treatment with multi-course ACTD,the CR rate(93.3%)was similar to that of the control(95.2%,P=0.577).For the single-course MTX+ACTD arm,the CR rate was 46.7%by one course,which increased to 89.1%after subsequent multi-course,with non-inferiority(difference 24.7%,95%CI 12.8%-36.6%,P<0.001)to the control.It was similar to the CR rate by MTX and further ACTD in the control arm(89.1%vs.95.2%,P=0.135).Four patients experienced recurrence,with no death,during the 2-year follow-up.We demonstrated that chemotherapy initiation with single-course MTX may be an alternative regimen for patients with low-risk GTN.