MicroRNA (miR)-216a expression is significantly downregulated in human pancreatic cancer, however, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In the present study, we aimed to identify and characterize the direct target gene and potential function of miR-216a in pancreatic cancer cells. Bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) was a direct target gene of miR-216a. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis demonstrated that miR-216a decreased the mRNA and protein levels of JAK2 in pancreatic cancer cells. Phosphorylation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was also downregulated by miR-216a, whereas the anti-miR-216a treatment had an opposite effect. Treatment of pancreatic cancer cells with miR-216a significantly inhibited cell growth and promoted cell apoptosis. In addition, the downstream genes of JAK2/STAT3, survivin and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein, which are anti‑apoptotic genes, were also decreased by miR-216a. Moreover, miR-216a overexpression markedly inhibited the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Compared with miR-216a treatment, anti-miR-216a treatment exhibited opposite effects throughout the entire experiment, confirming the inhibitory effect of miR-216a on pancreatic cancer by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. The results provided evidence that miR-216a targeting JAK2 negatively regulated the development of pancreatic cancer cells and may be used to develop a miRNA-based therapeutic strategy against pancreatic cancer.
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio on the prognosis of patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy. Methods: One hundred and twenty-five patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma (cT3-4 N0-3M0) treated with chemoradiotherapy were reviewed retrospectively. Chemoradiotherapy comprised external beam radiotherapy to the larynx (70 Gy) with three cycles of cisplatin at 3 week intervals. The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and a multivariate analysis was used to identify significant factors associated with prognosis, using a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: During the median (range) follow-up of 45 months, the median neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was 3.02. The high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio group (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio > 3.0) contained 69 patients and the low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio group (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio < 3.0) contained 46 patients. The low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio group patients had a significantly higher chemoradiotherapeutic disease control rate (86.96 vs. 69.57%, P = 0.031). Forty-six patients had a low neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (<3.0) before chemoradiotherapy and their progression-free survival and 75% overall survival were significantly better than that of the high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio patients (P = 0.015, P = 0.045). Multivariate analysis showed that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and N stage were independent prognostic indicators for progression-free survival (with a hazard ratio of 1.79, P = 0.003 and a hazard ratio of 1.28, P = 0.034) and overall survival (with a hazard ratio of 1.51, P = 0.029 and a hazard ratio of 1.21, P = 0.043), respectively. Conclusion: Pre-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is a useful prognostic marker in patients with locoregionally advanced laryngeal carcinoma treated with chemoradiotherapy.
Background. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most fatal malignancies worldwide. The JAK/STAT signaling pathway is involved in pancreatic cancer tumorigenesis. However, the prognostic value of JAK2 expression in resectable PDAC is unclear. Method. In this study, we performed a clinicopathological analysis of 62 resectable PDAC cases with a primary focus on survival. JAK2 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between JAK2 expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis was analyzed. Results. Survival curve analyses revealed that high levels of JAK2 expression predict a poor prognosis in resectable PDAC patients. Multivariate analysis confirmed that JAK2 expression can predict the prognosis of PDAC. Conclusions. Assessment of JAK2 protein expression may be a promising method to predict prognosis in patients with resectable PDAC.
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