Icaritin, a hydrolytic product of icaritin, is isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb epimedium. Icaritin inhibits the proliferation of several tumor cell lines, but its effect on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and underlying mechanisms remain to be identified. In the present study, we demonstrated that icaritin inhibits the proliferation of human AML cell lines NB4, HL60, and U937, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Importantly, icaritin showed anti-leukemia activity on bone marrow mononuclear cells from 15 newly diagnosed AML patients. Flow cytometry analyses indicated that icaritin induces AML cells apoptosis. Icaritin induced activation of caspase-9, -3, -7 and the cleavage of PARP as measured by Western blotting. Icaritin downregulates p-ERK and p-AKT and inhibits the expression of c-myc. These results suggest that icaritin is a promising candidate drug for the treatment of AML. The underlying mechanisms of icaritin anti-AML activity are associated with inhibition of the MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT signals and downregulation of c-myc.

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Extranodal natural killer/T‐cell lymphoma, nasal‐type (ENKTL) is a distinct subtype of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma and most of the patients presented localized disease. Combined modality therapy (CMT), namely chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy, has been recommended for patients with early‐stage ENKTL. However, the optimal CMT has not been fully clarified. This study reports the efficacy and toxicity of sequential P‐GEMOX (pegaspargase, gemcitabine and oxaliplatin) and radiotherapy in a large Chinese cohort comprising of 202 patients diagnosed with early‐stage ENKTL from six medical centers. The observed best overall response rate was 96.0% and 168 (83.2%) patients achieved complete remission. With a median follow‐up of 44.1 months, the 3‐year progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 74.6% and 85.2%, respectively. Multivariate analysis suggested that extensive primary tumor (PFS, hazard ratio [HR] 3.660, 95% CI 1.820–7.359, p <  0.001; OS, HR 3.825, 95% CI 1.442–10.148, p = 0.007) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥ 2 (PFS, 3.042, 95% CI 1.468–6.306, p = 0.003; OS, HR 3.983, 95% CI 1.678–9.457, p = 0.02) were independent prognostic factors for survival outcomes. Among the established prognostic models for ENKTL, the nomogram‐revised risk index model had optimal prognostic risk stratification ability (PFS, p < 0.001; OS, p < 0.001) and relatively balanced population distribution. The adverse events of this CMT were well‐tolerated and manageable. In conclusion, sequential P‐GEMOX and radiotherapy showed favorable efficacy with acceptable toxicity, and could be an effective treatment option for early‐stage ENKTL patients.

Prostate cancer is the second most frequent malignancy in men worldwide, and its incidence is increasing. Therefore, it is urgently required to clarify the underlying mechanisms of prostate cancer. Although the long non‐coding RNA LINC00115 was identified as an oncogene in several cancers, the expression and function of LINC00115 in prostate cancer have not been explored. Our results showed that LINC00115 was significantly up‐regulated in prostate cancer tissues, which was significantly associated with a poor prognosis for prostate cancer patients. Functional studies showed that knockdown LINC00115 inhibited cell proliferation and invasion. In addition, LINC00115 served as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) through sponging miR‐212‐5p to release Frizzled Family Receptor 5 (FZD5) expression. The expression of miR‐212‐5p was noticeably low in tumour tissues, and FZD5 expression level was down‐regulated with the knockdown of LINC00115. Knockdown LINC00115 inhibited the Wnt/β‑catenin signalling pathway by inhibiting the expression of FZD5. Rescue experiments further showed that LINC00115 inhibits prostate cancer cell proliferation and invasion via targeting miR‐212‐5p/ FZD5/ Wnt/β‐catenin axis. The present study provided clues that LINC00115 may be a promising novel therapeutic target for prostate cancer patients.