First report on establishment and characterization of the extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma cell line CBC2T-2

BACKGROUND Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma is extremely rare in clinical practice.These cells consist of both epithelial and mesenchymal cells.Patient-derived cell lines that maintain tumor characteristics are valuable tools for studying the molecular mechanisms associated with carcinosarcoma.However,cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma cell lines are not available in cell banks.AIM To establish and characterize a new extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma cell line,namely CBC2T-2.METHODS We conducted a short tandem repeat(STR)test to confirm the identity of the CBC2T-2 cell line.Furthermore,we assessed the migratory and invasive properties of the cells and performed clonogenicity assay to evaluate the ability of individual cells to form colonies.The tumorigenic potential of CBC2T-2 cells was tested in vivo using nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient(NOD/SCID)mice.The cells were injected subcutaneously and tumor formation was observed.In addition,immunohistochemical analysis was carried out to examine the expression of epithelial marker CK19 and mesenchymal marker vimentin in both CBC2T-2 cells and xenografts.The CBC2T-2 cell line was used to screen the potential therapeutic effects of various clinical agents in patients with cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma.Lastly,whole-exome sequencing was performed to identify genetic alterations and screen for somatic mutations in the CBC2T-2 cell line.RESULTS The STR test showed that there was no cross-contamination and the results were identical to those of the original tissue.The cells showed round or oval-shaped epithelioid cells and mesenchymal cells with spindle-shaped or elongated morphology.The cells exhibited a high proliferation ratio with a doubling time of 47.11 h.This cell line has migratory,invasive,and clonogenic abilities.The chromosomes in the CBC2T-2 cells were polyploidy,with numbers ranging from 69 to 79.The subcutaneous tumorigenic assay confirmed the in vivo tumorigenic ability of CBC2T-2 cells in NOD/SCID mice.CBC2T-2 cells and xenografts were positive for both the epithelial marker,CK19,and the mesenchymal marker,vimentin.These results suggest that CBC2T-2 cells may have both epithelial and mesenchymal characteristics.The cells were also used to screen clinical agents in patients with cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma,and a combination of paclitaxel and gemcitabine was found to be the most effective treatment option.CONCLUSION We established the first human cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma cell line,CBC2T-2,with stable biogenetic traits.This cell line,as a research model,has a high clinical value and would facilitate the understanding of the pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma.

Associations between serum uric acid and hepatobiliary-pancreatic cancer:A cohort study

BACKGROUND Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism.Previous studies have found that serum uric acid(SUA)levels are associated with the total cancer risk.However,due to the dual effect of uric acid on cancer,the relationship between the SUA levels and most specific-site cancer remains unclear.AIM To investigate the associations between the SUA levels and incidence of hepatobiliary-pancreatic cancer.METHODS In this prospective cohort study,444462 participants free of cancer from the UK Biobank were included.The SUA levels were measured at baseline,and the incidence of hepatobiliary-pancreatic cancer was determined by contacting the cancer registry.The hazard ratios(HRs)and 95%confidence intervals(CIs)between the SUA levels and hepatobiliary-pancreatic cancer were investigated using multiple adjusted Cox regression models adjusted for potential confounders.RESULTS In total,920 participants developed liver,gallbladder,biliary tract or pancreatic cancer during a median of 6.6 yrs of follow-up.We found that the HR of pancreatic cancer in the highest SUA group was 1.77(95%CI:1.29-2.42)compared with that in the lowest group.After stratifying by gender,we further found that SUA was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer only among the females(highest quartile vs lowest quartile HR 2.04,95%CI:1.35-3.08).Among the males,the SUA levels were positively associated with the gallbladder cancer risk(highest quartile vs lowest quartile HR 3.09,95%CI:1.28-7.46),but a U-shaped association with the liver cancer risk was observed(P-nonlinear=0.03).CONCLUSION SUA is likely to have gender-specific effects on hepatobiliary-pancreatic cancer.High SUA levels are a risk factor for pancreatic cancer in females and gallbladder cancer in males.A U-shaped association with the liver cancer risk was identified.

Cytokines predict virological response in chronic hepatitis B patients receiving peginterferon alfa-2a therapy

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis B virus infection remains a major global public health problem.Peginterferon-alpha-2a(PEG-IFN)has direct antiviral and immunoregulatory effects,and it has become one of the first choice drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B(CHB).Cytokines play an important role in immunity,and they directly inhibit viral replication and indirectly determine the predominant pattern of the host immune response.AIM To determine the correlation between cytokine/chemokine expression levels and response to PEG-IFN treatment in patients with CHB.METHODS Forty-six kinds of cytokines were analyzed before PEG-IFN therapy and at 24 wk during therapy in 26 CHB patients.RESULTS The monokine induced by INF-γ(CXCL9)and serum interferon-inducible protein 10(IP-10)levels at baseline were higher in virological responders than in nonvirological responders(NRs)and decreased during treatment,whereas the NRs did not exhibit significant changes.The macrophage inflammatory protein 1d(MIP-1d)levels at baseline and during treatment were significantly higher in the virological responders than in the NRs,while thymus and activation-regulated chemokine(TARC)levels at baseline and during treatment were significantly lower in the virological responders than in the NRs.The CXCL9,IP-10,MIP-1d,and TARC baseline levels exhibited the expected effects for interferon treatment.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values of CXCL9,IP-10,MIP-1d,and TARC for predicting virological responses were 0.787,0.799,0.787,and 0.77(P=0.01,0.013,0.01,and 0.021),respectively.CONCLUSION We found that cytokine levels before and during treatment may represent potential biomarkers to select CHB patients who can respond to PEG-IFN.Therefore,cytokines can be used as an indicator of antiviral drug selection before CHB treatment.