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As no reliable diagnostic methods are available, gallbladder cancer (GBC) is often diagnosed until advanced stages, resulting in a poor prognosis. In the present study, we assessed whether volatile organic compounds (VOCs) could be used as a diagnostic tool for GBC. The VOCs in bile samples collected from 32 GBC patients were detected by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), and 54 patients with benign gallbladder diseases (BGD) were used as controls. Both principal component analysis and unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis gave a clear separation of GBC and BGD based on the bile VOC data collected from GC-IMS. A total of 12 differentially expressed VOCs were identified, including four upregulated (cyclohexanone, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, acetophenone, and methyl benzoate) and eight downregulated [methyl acetate, (E)-hept-2-enal, hexanal, (E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-pentenal, pentan-1-ol, 1-octen-3-one, and (E)-2-octenal] in GBC compared with BGD. ROC analysis demonstrated a 12-VOC panel con-structed by four machine learning algorithms, which was superior to the traditional tumor marker, CA19-9. Among them, support vector machines and linear discriminant analysis provided the highest AUCs of 0.972, with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 94.4% in the diagnosis of GBC. Collectively, VOCs might be used as a potential tool for the diagnosis of GBC.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors globally, ranking fifth in incidence and fourth in mortality among all tumor types. 1 The pathophysiology of GC is a multistep and multifactorial process. It is often diagnosed in the progressive stage, and the prognosis of GC patients still remains poor. Therefore, it is urgent to investigate the molecular mechanisms of GC progression and to identify novel therapeutic targets for GC patients.Pathogenic microbe infection is one of the most important epigenetic factors in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Helicobacter pylori is recognized as a primary risk factor for GC. However, approximately only 1%-2% of HP-positive patients go on to develop GC, and the abundance of HP is decreased in patients with GC. 2

BackgroundCervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) is common in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC); however, the efficiency to distinguish CLNM before surgery is limited. T cell exhaustion, characterized by the overexpression of immune checkpoints, plays a critical role in the immune evasion of tumors. The aim of this study is to analyze the association between serum levels of soluble immune checkpoints (sICs) and CLNM in DTC patients.MethodsLevels of sICs in serum of 71 DTC patients and 56 healthy volunteers were analyzed by ELISA. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells and cervical lymph nodes of DTC patients were isolated and their expression of sICs were analyzed. Lymphocytes in cervical lymph nodes were analyzed for immune checkpoints expression and transcription of exhaustion‐associated factors. 30 out of 71 DTC patients were followed up from 3 to 9 months after the operation, and postoperative sTIM‐3 were analyzed.ResultsFour sICs, including LAG‐3, PD‐1, PD‐L1, and TIM‐3, were increased in DTC patients. All four sICs exhibited higher sensitivity at discriminating CLNM than cervical ultrasound. In the patient‐matched comparison, higher sTIM‐3 levels were observed in tumor‐involved lymph nodes (TILNs) than in normal lymph nodes (nLNs). T lymphocytes in TILNs had higher TIM‐3 surface expression and increased secretion of sTIM‐3 than those in patient‐matched nLNs. Finally, postoperative serum sTIM‐3 levels were decreased in DTC patients with CLNM compared to their preoperative levels.ConclusionSerum levels of sICs, especially sTIM‐3, could help to predict CLNM and provide evidence for surgical decision‐making in DTC.