During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in China, fear about COVID-19, together with worry about progression of cancer, caused strong emotional stress in patients with cancer. We evaluated patientreported outcome in 658 patients with breast cancer (BC) and survivors recruited from multiple BC centers in Hubei Province using 4 standardized assessment scales. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify potential affecting factors on mental health outcomes. High rates of anxiety, depression, distress, and insomnia were observed in patients with BC during the COVID-19 outbreak. Based on our results, living in Wuhan, poor general condition by self-identification, shorter duration after BC diagnosis, aggressive BC molecular subtypes, metastatic BC clinical stage, treatment discontinuation, central venous catheter flushing delay, or close contact with patients with COVID-19 are associated risk factors for poorer psychological status. Special attention should be paid to the psychological status of patients with BC, especially those with poor general condition, treatment discontinuation, aggressive molecular subtypes, and metastatic BC. Introduction: We aimed to analyze the psychological status in patients with breast cancer (BC) in the epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Patients and Methods: A total of 658 individuals were recruited from multiple BC centers in Hubei Province. Online questionnaires were conducted, and these included demographic information, clinical features, and 4 patient-reported outcome scales (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire [GAD-7], Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9], Insomnia Severity Index [ISI], and Impact of Events Scale-Revised [IES-R]). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was designed to identify potential factors on mental health outcomes. Results: Questionnaires were collected from February 16, 2020 to February 19, 2020, the peak time point of the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Of patients with BC, 46.2% had to modify planned necessary anti-cancer treatment during the outbreak. Severe anxiety and severe depression were reported by 8.9% and 9.3% of patients, respectively.

Circular RNA FOXO3 (CircFOXO3, also termed as Hsa_circ_0006404) is derived from exon 2 of forkhead box O3 (FOXO3) gene, and abnormal expression is shown in different diseases. However, whether circFOXO3 plays important roles in tumorigenesis and progression of prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. In this study, we found that circFOXO3 was up‐regulated in both PCa tissues and serum samples. Moreover, circFOXO3 was positively correlated with the Gleason score in PCa samples. CircFOXO3 was observed to be up‐regulated in Gleason score > 6 PCa samples compared with Gleason score = 6 PCa samples. Knock‐down circFOXO3 could remarkably inhibit PCa cell cycle, proliferation and promote cell apoptosis in vitro. Furthermore, we demonstrated circFOXO3 could act as miR‐29a‐3p sponge to up‐regulate SLC25A15 expression by bioinformatics analysis, dual‐luciferase reporter assays and biotinylated RNA pull‐down assays. SLC25A15 could reverse the tumour suppressing roles of knock‐down circFOXO3 in PCa. Of note, we found that miR‐29a‐3p was down‐regulated; however, SLC25A15 was overexpressed in PCa samples compared with normal tissues. In conclusion, circFOXO3 acts as a miR‐29a‐3p sponge to exhibit oncogenic activity that affects the cell cycle and cell apoptosis in PCa through transcriptional up‐regulation of SLC25A15. Our analysis suggests circFOXO3 could act as promising prostate cancer biomarkers.

In the present study, we examined the mechanisms of oxaliplatin-induced drug resistance in human colorectal cancer cell lines HT29 and HCT116. Our results demonstrate a significant autophagy expression in CRC cells after an oxaliplatin treatment. Administration of oxaliplatin to human CRC cells significantly enhanced the expression of HMGB1, which regulated the autophagy response and negatively regulate the cell apoptosis. Moreover, a decreased oxaliplatin -induced autophagy response and an increased apoptosis level were detected in stable CRC cells harboring HMGB1 shRNA. Then we noted that HMGB1 significantly induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/Extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEK) phosphorylation. Taken together, these data suggest that HMGB1-mediated autophagy modulates sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to oxaliplatin via MEK/ERK signaling pathway.