Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most deadly gynecological cancer and it is urgently needed to find a new marker for the progress of OC. Many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be aberrantly expressed in ovarian carcinoma, and may serve as prognostic markers. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to gain a better understanding of the prognostic value of lncRNAs in patients with varian carcinoma. We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science. A total of 13 eligible studies, including 10 on clinicopathological features, 13 on prognosis were identified. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated using random- or fixed-effects models. Our results revealed that the increased expressions of 8 lncRNAs were associated with poor prognosis and the decreased expressions of 5 lncRNAs were related to poor prognosis in ovarian carcinoma. High HOTAIR expression was associated with shorter overall survival in ovarian cancer (pooled HR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.51-2.77, P < 0.001). In conclusion, our meta-analysis suggested that LncRNAs could function as potential prognostic markers for ovarian cancer patients and high expression HOTAIR was associated with shorter overall survival in ovarian cancer.

Fatigue is one of the most common and distressing symptoms, leading to markedly decreased quality of life among a large subset of patients with a variety of disorders. Susceptibility to fatigue may be influenced by genetic factors including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), especially in the regulatory regions, of relevant genes. To further investigate the association of SNPs with fatigue in various patient populations, a systematic search was conducted on Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts Database for fatigue related-terms in combination with polymorphisms or genetic variation-related terms. Fifty papers in total met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this analysis. These 50 papers were further classified into three subgroups for evaluation: chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and other disease-related fatigue. SNPs in regulatory pathways of immune and neurotransmitter systems were found to play important roles in the etiologies of CFS, CRF and other disease-related fatigue. Evidence for associations between elevated fatigue and specific polymorphisms in TNFα, IL1b, IL4 and IL6 genes was revealed for all three subgroups of fatigue. We also found CFS shared a series of polymorphisms in HLA, IFN-γ, 5-HT and NR3C1 genes with other disease-related fatigue, however these SNPs (excluding IFN-γ) were not found to be adequately investigated in CRF. Gaps in knowledge related to fatigue etiology and recommendations for future research are further discussed.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, and life expectancy after diagnosis is often short. Most pancreatic tumours appear sporadically and have been highly related to habits such as cigarette smoking, high alcohol intake, high carbohydrate, and sugar consumption. Other observational studies have suggested the association between pancreatic cancer and exposure to arsenic, lead, or cadmium. Aside from these factors, chronic pancreatitis and diabetes have also come to be considered as risk factors for these kinds of tumours. Studies have found that 10% of pancreatic cancer cases arise from an inherited syndrome related to some genetic alterations. One of these alterations includes mutation in BRCA2 gene. BRCA2 mutations impair DNA damage response and homologous recombination by direct regulation of RAD51. In light of these findings that link genetic factors to tumour development, DNA damage agents have been proposed as target therapies for pancreatic cancer patients carrying BRCA2 mutations. Some of these drugs include platinum-based agents and PARP inhibitors. However, the acquired resistance to PARP inhibitors has created a need for new chemotherapeutic strategies to target BRCA2. The present systematic review collects and analyses the role of BRCA2 alterations to be used in early diagnosis of an inherited syndrome associated with familiar cancer and as a prognostic and predictive biomarker for the management of pancreatic cancer patients.

ERBB2 (erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 or HER2) is currently the only biomarker established for selection of a specific therapy for patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA). However, there are no comprehensive guidelines for the assessment of HER2 in patients with GEA.

Microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) is a crucial biotransformation enzyme that has capability to metabolize a large number of structurally divergent, highly reactive epoxides, and numerous environmentally exposed carcinogens. It catalyzes the conversion of xenobiotic epoxide compounds into more polar diol metabolites and may play important part of the enzymatic defense against adverse effects of foreign compounds. Most commonly, two functional polymorphisms affecting mEH enzyme activity have been identified: One in exon 3 and other in exon 4 of the mEH gene, which results in His113Tyr and Arg139His amino acid substitutions, respectively. Recent reports have shown that polymorphisms in mEH gene loci may an important risk factor for susceptibility of prostate cancers (PCs), worldwide, but inconsistent finding were also be illustrated. To the best of our knowledge, globally, there is no any systematic review has been published related to mEH gene polymorphisms and PC risk. Thus, in the current review, we have discussed the association between mEH gene polymorphisms, gene-environmental interaction, and PC risk.

To systematically investigate the relationship between CT morphological features and the presence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) are associated with response and resistance to targeted therapy. The EGFR mutation status in patients with advanced oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC) was evaluated. A systematic literature review was undertaken to summarize current evidence and estimate the overall prevalence of EGFR TKD mutations in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer development have attracted much attention in recent years. miR-29 is known to critically affect cancer progression by functioning as a tumor suppressor. However, it may also act as an oncogene under certain situations. The prognostic value of the miR-29 family in cancer progression is still under debate and reported results are inconsistent. Therefore, we reported here a meta-analysis and systematic review to analyze the prognostic role of the miR-29 family in cancer. We screened 20 published studies and calculated pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival/recurrence-free survival (DFS/RFS). Our results showed that a low or absent expression of miR-29 family was significantly associated with poor OS (HR, 1.57; 95%CI, 1.18-2.08), and inferior to 5-year DFS/RFS (HR, 1.89; 95%CI, 1.47-2.44). Analysis of individual miR-29 subtypes indicated that the low expression of miR-29a/b/c subtypes correlated with poor 5-year OS (miR-29a: HR, 1.99; 95%CI, 1.41-2.80; miR-29b: HR, 1.60; 95%CI, 1.18-2.17; miR-29c: HR, 1.69; 95%CI, 1.00-2.86), as well as poor 5-year DFS/RFS (miR-29b: HR, 1.70; 95%CI, 1.27-2.27). Ethnicity analysis demonstrated Asian patients with low expression of miR-29 were significantly correlated with poor OS (HR, 1.61; 95%CI, 1.16-2.23) and 5-year DFS/RFS (HR, 2.03; 95%CI, 1.50-2.74). Taken together, our analysis indicates that the low expression of miR-29 is associated with aggressiveness and poor prognosis of malignant neoplasms. More importantly, miR-29 might serve as a key biomarker for predicting the recurrence and progression of human cancers.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality. Although advances have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of PDAC, the outcome still remains poor. The aim of this study is to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the precise association between SMAD4 loss and clinicopathological significance in PDAC. A literature search was made in PubMed, Web of Science, Google scholar, and EMBASE for related publications. The data were extracted and assessed by two reviewers independently. Analysis of pooled data was performed, Odds Ratio or Hazard Ratio with corresponding confidence intervals was calculated and summarized. 12 relevant articles were included for full review in detail and meta-analysis. The frequency of SMAD4 protein loss was significantly increased in PDAC than in nonmalignant pancreatic tissue, Odd Ratio was 0.05 with 95% confidence interval 0.01-0.23, p<0.0001. SMAD4 loss was significantly associated with poor overall survival in patients with PDAC, Hazard Ratio was 0.61 with 95% confidence interval 0.38-0.99, p=0.05. SMAD4 loss was not correlated with the size, grades, and lymph node metastasis of PDAC. In conclusion, SMAD4 is a biomarker for the diagnosis of PDAC. SMAD4 loss is significantly related to poor prognosis in patients with PDAC.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Since CRC is largely asymptomatic until alarm features develop to advanced stages, the implementation of the screening programme is very much essential to reduce cancer incidence and mortality rates. CRC occurs predominantly from accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes in colon epithelial cells, which later gets transformed into adenocarcinomas.

Recent development of cutting edge research found that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) plays important roles in carcinogenesis and progression. In Southeast Asia and North Africa, nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most common aggressive squamous cell carcinoma. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is most frequently occurring in males. However, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is caused by a combination of several factors as viral, environmental factors, and heredity. Till now, the potential pathway or mechanism of NPC is not well known. In our present review, we strongly emphasized on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and its significant role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It has been showed that lncRNAs regulate the development and progression of different types of cancers, including NPC. In addition, it has been found that chromatin organization, transcriptional and post-transcriptional events are regulated by lncRNAs. Our present review summarizes the roles of lncRNAs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and provides an overview of the feasibility of lncRNAs as diagnosis, prognosis and potential treatment for NPC patients.

Tat-interacting protein 30 (TIP30) is a tumor suppressor protein that has been found to be expressed in a wide variety of tumor tissues. TIP30 is involved in the control of cell apoptosis, growth, metastasis, angiogenesis, DNA repair, and tumor cell metabolism. The methylation of the TIP30 promoter is also associated with tumor prognosis. To evaluate this topic further, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis to explore the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of TIP30 for tumor patients.

Pediatric head and neck Squamous cell carcinoma (PHNSCC) is a rare disease. The optimum treatment and outcome remains poorly understood because of rarity.

Primary care providers (PCPs) can play a critical role in helping patients receive the preventive health benefits of cancer genetic risk information. Thus, the objective of this systematic review was to identify studies of US PCPs' knowledge, attitudes, and communication-related behaviors regarding genetic tests that could inform risk-stratification approaches for breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening in order to describe current findings and research gaps.

The association between fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) polymorphism and breast cancer (BC) susceptibility remains inconclusive. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the relationship between FGFR2 (rs2981582, rs2420946 and rs2981578) polymorphism and BC risk. PubMed, Web of science and the Cochrane Library databases were searched before October 11, 2015 to identify relevant studies. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate the strength of associations. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were conducted. Thirty-five studies published from 2007 to 2015 were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that there was significant association between all the 3 variants and BC risk in any genetic model. Subgroup analysis was performed on rs2981582 and rs2420946 by ethnicity and Source of controls, the effects remained in Asians, Caucasians, population-based and hospital-based groups. We did not carryout subgroup analysis on rs2981578 for the variant included only 3 articles. This meta-analysis of case-control studies provides strong evidence that FGFR2 (rs2981582, rs2420946 and rs2981578) polymorphisms were significantly associated with the BC risk. For rs2981582 and rs2420946, the association remained significant in Asians, Caucasians, general populations and hospital populations. However, further large scale multicenter epidemiological studies are warranted to confirm this finding and the molecular mechanism for the association need to be elucidated further.

Already the fourth most common cancer in women in the developed world, the incidence of endometrial cancer is increasing rapidly, in line with the increasing prevalence of obesity. Relatively few studies have been undertaken of risk-reducing interventions aimed at limiting the impact of the disease on both individuals and the health service. Those that have been performed have demonstrated only modest results due to their application in relatively unselected populations. A validated risk prediction model is therefore urgently required to identify individuals at particularly high risk of endometrial cancer who may benefit from targeted primary prevention strategies and to guide trial eligibility. On the basis of a systematic review of the literature, the evidence for inclusion of measures of obesity, reproduction, insulin resistance, and genetic risk in such a model is discussed, and the strength of association between these risk factors and endometrial cancer is used to guide the development of a pragmatic risk prediction scoring system that could be implemented in the general population. Provisional cutoff values are described pending refinement of the model and external validation in large prospective cohorts. Potential risk-reducing interventions are suggested, highlighting the need for future studies in this area if the increasing tide of endometrial cancer is to be stemmed. Cancer Prev Res; 10(1); 1-13. ©2016 AACR.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are playing important roles in cancer progression and metastasis. Recent studies have demonstrated that the lncRNA, nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1), was aberrantly up-regulated in various types of cancers and was reported to be associated with unfavorable prognosis in cancer patients. This study examined the relationship between NEAT1 and relevant clinical outcomes.

Oral verrucous carcinoma (OVC), a low-grade variant of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is most frequently seen in the oral cavity. No clear etiology has been found for this lesion, but human papilloma virus, chewing betel nuts, and ultraviolet radiation are suggested as probable causes. Differential diagnosis of OVC is challenging for oral pathologists. The aim of this study was to review the molecular-based approaches for differential diagnosis of OVC. An electronic search was conducted in Medline and Scopus from January 2004 to July 2015 limited to English language publications. Published papers on verrucous carcinoma (VC) were found according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and analyzed qualitatively. Data extraction were performed according to PRISMA statement. A total of 423 articles were reviewed; out of which, 26 articles completely fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Most of the included studies investigated proliferative and apoptotic biomarkers such as p53 and Ki67. No definite conclusion was drawn for cytoskeletal biomarkers due to variability of factors and lack of significant expression. However, it seems that cytokeratin10 (CK 10) can be useful for differentiation of OVC and benign squamous lesions. Among cell surface and extracellular matrix biomarkers tissue biomarkers, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, -9, CD31 and CD68 seem to be useful for differentiation of OVC and OSCC and glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) can help in differentiation of OVC from oral epithelial dysplasia. Differences among OVC, OSCC and normal epithelium in expression profiles of the investigated biomarkers help in their differential diagnosis; although, clinicohistopathological similarities among verrucous hyperplasia, noninvasive OVC and invasive well-differentiated OSCC make the diagnosis difficult. Further studies are required to better differentiate these oral lesions.

Thyroid nodules are usually diagnosed using fine-needle aspiration (FNA). The sensitivity limitations of FNA result in 10-30% of nodules being classified as "indeterminate". The BRAFV600E mutation is associated with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We conducted a systemic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the BRAFV600E mutation in indeterminate nodules.

Various literatures have demonstrated that overexpression of Metadherin (MTDH) is correlated with tumor metastasis and it can predict poor survival outcomes in female reproduction malignancies. In order to enhance the statistical power and reach a recognized conclusion, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to thoroughly investigate the association of MTDH expression with tumor metastasis and survival outcomes following PRISMA guidelines. Odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) were used to demonstrate the impact of MTDH on tumor metastasis and prognosis respectively. Data were pooled with appropriate effects model on STATA12.0. Our results indicated that high MTDH expression is significantly correlated with higher mortality for breast, ovarian and cervical cancer. High immunohistochemical expression of MTDH is remarkably associated with shorter disease-free survival (DFS) in breast cancer but not in ovarian cancer. The pooled results suggested that high level of MTDH significantly predicted distant metastasis and lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. Strong associations were observed between MTDH expression and lymph node metastasis in ovarian and cervical cancer. In conclusion, MTDH might be a novel biomarker which can effectively reflect metastasis status and prognosis of breast cancer. However, its application in clinical practice needs more prospective studies with large samples.