Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer death all over the world. E-cadherin encoded by human CDH1 gene plays important roles in tumorigenesis as well as in tumor progression, invasion and metastasis. Full-length E-cadhrin tethered on the cell membrane mainly mediates adherens junctions between cells and is involved in maintaining the normal structure of epithelial tissues. After proteolysis, the extracellular fragment of the full-length E-cadhein is released into the extracellular environment and the blood, which is called soluble E-cadherin (sE-cadherin). sE-cadherin promots invasion and metastasis as a paracrine/autocrine signaling molecule in the progression of various types of cancer including gastric cancer. This review mainly summarizes the dysregulation of E-cadherin and the regulatory roles in the progression, invasion, metastasis, and drug-resistance, as well as its clinical applications in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics of gastric cancer.

Introduction The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib monotherapy or combination therapy for patients with advanced or recurrent biliary tract cancer (BTC). Methods Twenty-eight patients with advanced or recurrent BTC who progressed after prior systemic therapies and treated with apatinib from January 2017 to June 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective and observational study. The primary end point was progression free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and toxicity. Results A total of 28 patients with advanced or recurrent BTC who progressed after prior systemic therapies received apatinib monotherapy or combination therapy (with capecitabine, S-1, oxaliplatin, irinotecan or PD-1 inhibitor), including 9 cases of gallbladder cancer and 19 cases of cholangiocarcinoma. Six patients achieved PR, 15 patients had SD and 7 patients had PD. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was 4.3 months (95%CI = 1.8–6.8) and 6.2 months (95% CI = 4.6–7.8) respectively. The ORR and DCR were 21.4% (6/28) and 75.0% (21/28), respectively. Most of the adverse events were grade 1–2 in severity, apatinib treatment was well tolerated. Conclusions Apatinib monotherapy or combination therapy can improve PFS in patients with advanced or recurrent BTC who progressed after prior systemic therapies, and adverse reactions can be well tolerated. Our study support apatinib therapy as a feasible therapeutic strategy in advanced or recurrent BTC.

Background The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib monotherapy or combination therapy for patients with advanced or recurrent biliary tract cancer(BTC). Methods Twenty-eight patients with advanced or recurrent BTC who progressed after prior systemic therapies and treated with apatinib from January 2017 to June 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective and observational study. The primary end point was progression free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), and toxicity. Results A total of 28 patients with advanced or recurrent BTC who progressed after prior systemic therapies received apatinib monotherapy or combination therapy, including 9 cases of gallbladder cancer and 19 cases of cholangiocarcinoma. 6 patients achieved PR, 15 patients had SD and 7 patients had PD. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was 4.3 months(95%CI = 1.8–6.8) and 6.2 months(95% CI = 4.6–7.8) respectively. The ORR and DCR were 21.4% (6/28) and 75.0% (21/28), respectively. Most of the adverse events were grade 1–2 in severity, apatinib treatment was well tolerated. Conclusions Apatinib monotherapy or combination therapy can improve PFS in patients with advanced or recurrent BTC who progressed after prior systemic therapies, and adverse reactions can be well tolerated. Our study support apatinib therapy as a feasible therapeutic strategy in advanced or recurrent BTC.

Background: Yolk sac tumor (YST), also known as endodermal sinus tumor, is a highly malignant germ cell-derived tumor. As a rare disease, the diagnosis, prognostic factors, and optimal management of yolk sac tumor are difficult. The present study aims to investigate the clinicopathological features and optimal management strategies of yolk sac tumor. Results: We retrospectively investigated seventeen patients with yolk sac tumor in our institute between January 2010 to December 2019. The median age of the study population was 24 years (range 6–50 years). Most cases were female (11/17, 64.7%). Among the seventeen cases of YSTs, 8 cases were ovarian YSTs, 3 cases were mediastinum YSTs, 2 cases were testis YSTs. 94.1% patients had a markedly raised AFP. Surgery and chemotherapy were the main treatment methods for YST and improved the prognosis of patients. Conclusions: YST is a highly malignant and rare germ cell tumor, ovarian YST is the most common type. Early diagnosis and reasonable treatment can improve the prognosis of YST. These cases highlight the tumor’s characteristics. As more experience is gathered with this rare malignant tumor, the more likely we are to cure this disease.