Discrimination of Metastatic from Non-metastatic Mesorectal Lymph Nodes in Rectal Cancer Using Quantitative Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Preoperative detection of lymph nodes（LNs） metastasis is always highly challenging for radiologists nowadays. The utility of quantitative dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging（QDCE-MRI） in identifying LNs metastasis is not well understood. In the present study, 59 patients with histologically proven rectal carcinoma underwent preoperative QDCE-MRI. The short axis diameter ratio, long axis diameter ratio, short-to-long axis diameter ratio and QDEC-MRI parameters（Ktrans, Kep, fPV and Ve） values were compared between the non-metastatic（n=44） and metastatic（n=35） LNs groups based on pathological examination. Compared with the non-metastatic group, the metastatic group exhibited significantly higher short axis diameter（7.558±0.668 mm vs. 5.427±0.285 mm）, Ktrans（0.483±0.198 min-1 vs. 0.218±0.116 min^-1） and Ve（0.399±0.118 vs. 0.203±0.096） values（all P〈0.05）. The short-to-long axis diameter ratio, long axis diameter ratio, Kep and fPV values did not show significant differences between the two groups. In conclusion, our results showed that for LNs larger than 5 mm in rectal cancer, there are distinctive differences in the Ktrans and Ve values between the metastatic and non-metastatic LNs, suggesting that QDCE-MRI may be potentially helpful in identifying LNs status.

Altered glycosylation in cancer: molecular functions and therapeutic potential

Glycosylation,a key mode of protein modification in living organisms,is critical in regulating various biological functions by influencing protein folding,transportation,and localization.Changes in glycosylation patterns are a significant feature of cancer,are associated with a range of pathological activities in cancer-related processes,and serve as critical biomarkers providing new targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment.Glycoproteins like human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)for breast cancer,alpha-fetoprotein(AFP)for liver cancer,carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)for colon cancer,and prostatespecific antigen(PSA)for prostate cancer are all tumor biomarkers approved for clinical use.Here,we introduce the diversity of glycosylation structures and newly discovered glycosylation substrate—glycosylated RNA(glycoRNA).This article focuses primarily on tumor metastasis,immune evasion,metabolic reprogramming,aberrant ferroptosis responses,and cellular senescence to illustrate the role of glycosylation in cancer.Additionally,we summarize the clinical applications of protein glycosylation in cancer diagnostics,treatment,and multidrug resistance.We envision a promising future for the clinical applications of protein glycosylation.