Integrated Staging System Research Articles

Expression and activity of angiotensin-regulating enzymes is associated with prognostic outcome in clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients.

The discovery of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (iRAS), which regulates angiogenesis, cell differentiation and proliferation, has opened new perspectives in the knowledge of kidney carcinogenesis. In this study we analyzed the immunohistochemical expression and fluorimetric activity of four key peptidases of iRAS in tumor tissue (n = 144) and serum samples (n = 128) from patients with renal neoplasms. Neutral endopeptidase (NEP/CD10), Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), and aminopeptidase A (APA) were expressed in tumor cells whilst Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) was expressed in the endothelial cells of intratumor blood vessels. The expression of ACE, ACE2 and NEP/CD10 was highest in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) and papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). The expression of these enzymes correlated with CCRCC aggressiveness. In addition, NEP/CD10 correlated with 15-year overall survival. On the other hand, APA expression was decreased in CCRCC with higher grade and stage. The loss of expression of APA independently correlated with a worse 15-year overall survival. Serum activity of ACE2, NEP/CD10 and APA was significantly higher in renal tumor patients than in healthy subjects. Serum ACE activity was lower in high grade and metastatic CCRCC patients, and NEP/CD10 activity was negatively correlated with UISS (UCLA Integrated Staging System) and SSIGN (Mayo Clinic stage, size, grade and necrosis model) scores and with overall survival of CCRCC patients. These results suggest a metabolic imbalance of iRAS in renal tumors. This finding should be taken into account in the search of new diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tools for this disease.

Enhancement of Siglec-8 expression predicts adverse prognosis in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma

PurposeSialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (siglecs) family has important functions in tumor progression. The purpose of our study is to figure out the correlation between the expression level of Siglec-8 and prognosis of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and then to predict the overall survival (OS) via a novel nomogram. Materials and methodsA group of patients (n = 267) histologically diagnosed with ccRCC from Zhongshan Hospital were included into our study. Immunohistochemistry of Siglec-8 was performed in the tissue microarray, and the staining intensity was divided into high/low according to the median value of the H-score grading. Survival analyses including Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between Siglec-8 expression and the survival of patients in different risk groups. Stage, size, grade, and necrosis score and University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System score were used in the risk stratification. A nomogram incorporating Siglec-8 and several other clinical parameters was plotted for predicting the 5-year and 8-year OS. ResultsSiglec-8 was observed dominantly on the membrane of tumor cells. The enhanced expression level of Siglec-8 had significant correlation with adverse overall and disease-free survival of patients (P<0.0001 and P = 0.0186, respectively). The association was more significant in patients with lower risk. Cox regression analyses defined Siglec-8 as an independent prognostic factor of OS (P<0.001 for univariate analysis, P = 0.003 for multivariate analysis). The new nomogram integrating Siglec-8 with several traditional prognostic factors proved to be more accurate than conventional prognostic system using tumor node metastasis stage only (Harrell c-index: 0.801, 95% CI: 0.755–0.847 vs. 0.717, 95% CI: 0.662–0.772). ConclusionOur study has found that the elevated expression level of Siglec-8 was correlated with poor prognosis of patients with ccRCC. Siglec-8, incorporation with other clinical parameters, could perform better in prediction of patients׳ OS.

Decreased expression of JMJD3 predicts poor prognosis of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Previous studies have demonstrated abnormal H3K27 methylation status during clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) carcinogenesis, and have suggested that the histone H3K27 demethylases, jumonji domain-containing protein 3 (JMJD3) and ubiquitously-transcribed TPR gene on the X chromosome, are important regulatory factors that alter H3K27 methylation status. The present study aimed to explore the prognostic value of JMJD3 in patients with ccRCC. A total of 331 ccRCC samples were stained for JMJD3 by immunohistochemistry. Stage, Size, Grade and Necrosis (SSIGN) and University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System (UISS) scores were applied to stratify risks. Survival analyses were performed through the Kaplan-Meier estimator method and Cox proportional hazard model. The results revealed that JMJD3 expression in ccRCC was significantly increased compared with that in the peritumoral tissue (P<0.001) and negatively associated with a number of other clinicopathological characteristics. Kaplan-Meier estimator and multivariate analyses revealed that decreased tumoral JMJD3 expression was associated with OS (hazard ratio, 2.141; P=0.003), and DFS prediction (hazard ratio, 1.737; P=0.033). In addition, following stratification of patients into three risk levels using the SSIGN and UISS scores, decreased tumoral JMJD3 expression was associated with shorter OS (P=0.003 for SSIGN and UISS scores) and DFS (P=0.007 for SSIGN and P=0.041 for UISS score) in the intermediate risk groups. The results from the present study suggest that JMJD3 is a novel prognostic marker for patients with ccRCC and is of particular significance in patients with intermediate-risk disease.

Prognostic nomogram for hepatocellular carcinoma in adolescent and young adult patients after hepatectomy

BackgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was rarely discussed in adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients. This study aimed to discuss the character of AYA HCC patients and establish an effective prognostic nomogram for patients after hepatectomy.ResultsFor all of the patients, the median OS was 57 months with 5-year OS rate 60.4%, and DFS was 48 months with 5-year DFS rate 51.4%. The tumor size, vascular invasion status and the pathological differentiation were the independent predictors for both OS and DFS. Except for that, gender, Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, HbeAg, and α-Fetoprotein were the predictors for OS. The c-index for OS prognostic nomogram was 0.75 (95% CI, 0.71 to 0.79), and c-index was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.66 to 0.74) for DFS prognostic nomogram, which was better than American Joint Commission on Cancer 2002 and 2010, Okuda staging system, the Japanese Integrated Staging system, and Tokyo staging system.Materials And MethodsThis study was based on 423 AYA HCC patients (younger than 40 years old) undergoing hepatectomy in West China Hospital between 2008 to 2014. Based on the multivariate risk factors, the nomogram was constructed for predict the possibility for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rate. Harrel’s concordance index (c-index) was used to compare the predictive accuracy and discriminative ability between the nomogram and eight contemporary staging systems.ConclusionsOur prognostic nomogram could accurately and preciously provide individual prediction for AYA HCC patients in OS and DFS after hepatectomy.

A novel preoperative inflammatory marker prognostic score in patients with localized and metastatic renal cell carcinoma

ObjectiveSeveral inflammatory markers have been studied as potential biomarkers in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), however few reports have analyzed their prognostic value in aggregate and in non-clear cell histologies. We hypothesize that a combination of specific inflammatory markers into an RCC Inflammatory Score (RISK) could serve as a rigorous prognostic indicator of overall survival (OS) in patients with clear cell and non-clear cell RCC. MethodsCombination of preoperative C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), corrected calcium, and aspartate transaminase to alanine transaminase (AST/ALT) ratio was used to develop RISK. RISK was developed using grid-search methodology, receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analysis, and sensitivity-specificity trade-off analysis. Prognostic value of RISK was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional regression models. Predictive accuracy was compared with RISK to Size, Size, Grade, and Necrosis (SSIGN) score, University of California-LOS Angeles (UCLA) Integrated Staging System (UISS), and Leibovich Prognosis Score (LPS). ResultsAmong 391 RCC patients treated with nephrectomy, area under the curve (AUC) for RISK was 0.783, which was comparable to SSIGN (AUC 0.776, p = 0.82) and UISS (AUC 0.809, p = 0.317). Among patients with localized disease, AUC for RISK and LPS was 0.742 and 0.706, respectively (p = 0.456). On multivariate analysis, we observed a step-wise statistically significant inverse relationship between increasing RISK group and OS (all p < 0.001). ConclusionRISK is an independent and significant predictor of OS for patients treated with nephrectomy for clear cell and non-clear cell RCC, with accuracy comparable to other histopathological prognostic tools.

Predictive Nomogram for Recurrence following Surgery for Nonmetastatic Renal Cell Cancer with Tumor Thrombus

Following surgery for nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus the risk of recurrence is significant but variable among patients. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a predictive nomogram for individual estimation of recurrence risk following surgery for renal cell carcinoma with venous tumor thrombus. Comprehensive data were collected on patients with nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma and thrombus treated at a total of 5 institutions from 2000 to 2013. Independent predictors of recurrent renal cell carcinoma from a competing risks analysis were developed into a nomogram. Predictive accuracy was compared between the development and validation cohorts, and between the nomogram and the UISS (UCLA Integrated Staging System, SSIGN (Stage, Size, Grade and Necrosis) and Sorbellini models. A total of 636 patients were analyzed, including the development cohort of 465 and the validation cohort of 171. Independent predictors, including tumor diameter, body mass index, preoperative hemoglobin less than the lower limit of normal, thrombus level, perinephric fat invasion and nonclear cell histology, were developed into a nomogram. Estimated 5-year recurrence-free survival was 49% overall. Five-year recurrence-free survival in patients with 0, 1, 2 and more than 2 risk factors was 77%, 53%, 47% and 20%, respectively. Predictive accuracy was similar in the development and validation cohorts (AUC 0.726 and 0.724, respectively). Predictive accuracy of the thrombus nomogram was higher than that of the UISS (AUC 0.726 vs 0.595, p = 0.001), SSIGN (AUC 0.713 vs 0.612, p= 0.04) and Sorbellini models (AUC 0.709 vs 0.638, p = 0.02). We present a predictive nomogram for postoperative recurrence in patients with nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma with venous thrombus. Improving individual postoperative risk assessment may allow for better design and analysis of future adjuvant clinical trials.

MP55-13 COMPARING PREDICTIVE ACCURACY FOR FOUR PROGNOSTIC MODELS OF RECURRENCE FOLLOWING SURGERY IN NON-METASTATIC RENAL CELL CARCINOMA WITH THROMBUS USING CONTEMPORARY DATA FROM SIX INSTITUTIONS

You have accessJournal of UrologyKidney Cancer: Localized: Surgical Therapy III1 Apr 2017MP55-13 COMPARING PREDICTIVE ACCURACY FOR FOUR PROGNOSTIC MODELS OF RECURRENCE FOLLOWING SURGERY IN NON-METASTATIC RENAL CELL CARCINOMA WITH THROMBUS USING CONTEMPORARY DATA FROM SIX INSTITUTIONS Shivashankar Damodaran, Jose A. Karam, Timothy A. Masterson, Viraj A. Master, Vitaly Margulis, Datta Patil, Tyler Bauman, Michael Blute, Jr., Evan Bloom, Haley Robyak, Matthew Kaag, Jay D. Raman, Christopher G. Wood, and E. Jason Abel Shivashankar DamodaranShivashankar Damodaran More articles by this author , Jose A. KaramJose A. Karam More articles by this author , Timothy A. MastersonTimothy A. Masterson More articles by this author , Viraj A. MasterViraj A. Master More articles by this author , Vitaly MargulisVitaly Margulis More articles by this author , Datta PatilDatta Patil More articles by this author , Tyler BaumanTyler Bauman More articles by this author , Michael Blute, Jr.Michael Blute, Jr. More articles by this author , Evan BloomEvan Bloom More articles by this author , Haley RobyakHaley Robyak More articles by this author , Matthew KaagMatthew Kaag More articles by this author , Jay D. RamanJay D. Raman More articles by this author , Christopher G. WoodChristopher G. Wood More articles by this author , and E. Jason AbelE. Jason Abel More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2017.02.1706AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Predictive models for recurrence in non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have been developed from general populations of RCC patients, including very few high risk patients. According, these models may not be ideal to stratify high risk patients for enrollment in adjuvant clinical trials such as patients with venous tumor thrombus. The purpose of this study was to compare predictive accuracy for a nomogram developed from non-metastatic RCC patients with venous tumor thrombus with 3 existing prognostic models for RCC recurrence following surgery. METHODS A nomogram was developed from independent predictors after multivariable modeling of common clinical and pathologic variables. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to compare predictive accuracy of the nomogram with the University of California-Los Angeles Integrated Staging System(UISS), Stage Size Grade Necrosis (SSIGN) and Sorbellini models. RESULTS A total of 669 consecutive non-metastatic RCC patients with tumor thrombus were treated surgically from 2000-2014 at 6 institutions. Variables independently associated with RCC recurrence were increased tumor diameter per centimeter, body mass index per point, preoperative hemoglobin < lower limit of normal, IVC thrombus level above hepatic vein, perinephric fat invasion, and non-clear cell histology. Estimated overall 5-year RFS was 49%. A nomogram was developed using weighted variables in a development cohort (n=465) and validated in a separate cohort (n=204). The AUC for the thrombus nomogram was 0.738, which was significantly higher than AUC for the Sorbellini model (0.623), UISS model (0.615) and SSIGN model (0.584). CONCLUSIONS A nomogram developed specifically for non-metastatic RCC patients with venous tumor thrombus has significantly greater predictive accuracy than general prognostic models in this high risk population. © 2017FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 197Issue 4SApril 2017Page: e735-e736 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2017MetricsAuthor Information Shivashankar Damodaran More articles by this author Jose A. Karam More articles by this author Timothy A. Masterson More articles by this author Viraj A. Master More articles by this author Vitaly Margulis More articles by this author Datta Patil More articles by this author Tyler Bauman More articles by this author Michael Blute, Jr. More articles by this author Evan Bloom More articles by this author Haley Robyak More articles by this author Matthew Kaag More articles by this author Jay D. Raman More articles by this author Christopher G. Wood More articles by this author E. Jason Abel More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Novel microvascular invasion-based prognostic nomograms to predict survival outcomes in patients after R0 resection for hepatocellular carcinoma.

To propose a novel histopathological classification system for microvascular invasion (MVI) and to establish nomograms to predict postoperative survival and early tumor recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after R0 liver resection. The clinicopathological and follow-up data of 686 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent R0 liver resection in our hospital between December 2009 and April 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. A classification system was established based on histological characteristics of MVI. Nomograms were then formulated using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model to analyze. The results were validated using bootstrap resampling and a new 225-patient validation cohort operated in May and June 2010 at the same institution. A 4-stratification classification system of MVI was established, which satisfactorily determined the risk of survival and early tumor recurrence. Then, an eight-factor nomogram for survival prediction and a seven-factor nomogram for prediction of early tumor recurrence were established. The concordance indices were 0.78 for the survival-prediction nomogram and 0.72 for the recurrence-prediction nomogram. These indices were both significantly higher than the following three commonly used staging systems: tumor-node-metastasis staging system (seventh edition, 0.67/0.65), Japan Integrated Staging System (0.58/0.58) and Chinese University Prognostic Index (0.52/0.51). The calibration curves showed good agreement between predictions by the nomograms and actual survival outcomes. These results were confirmed in the validation cohort. The novel classification system of MVI and the nomograms enabled more accurate predictions of risk of tumor recurrence and overall survival in patients with HCC after R0 liver resection.

High CLEC-2 expression associates with unfavorable postoperative prognosis of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

We enrolled a total of 277 patients who received nephrectomy due to clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) in Zhongshan Hospital from Jan 2005 to Jun 2007. Immunohistochemistry was performed to evaluate the impact of CLEC-2 positive cell infiltration on the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with ccRCC. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that high CLEC-2 positive cell infiltration in tumor tissue indicated poorer OS and RFS (OS, p < 0.001; RFS, p = 0.002). High CLEC-2 positive cell infiltration is also an independent risk factor for OS and RFS in multivariate analyses (OS, p = 0.004; RFS, p = 0.009). CLEC-2 positive cell infiltration could also stratify ccRCC patients' survival with University of California Integrated Staging System (UISS) stratum in the mediate-risk and high-risk groups. We constructed two nomograms incorporating parameters derived from multivariate analyses to predict patients' OS and RFS (OS, c-index 0.813; RFS, c-index 0.716). In conclusion, high CLEC-2 positive cell infiltration in ccRCC is an independent adverse prognostic factor for patients, and established nomograms based on this information could help predict ccRCC patients' OS and RFS.

Comparison of a new prognostic system and other three current staging systems in predicting the survival rate of patients with HBV-associated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

347 Background: HBV infection is one of the main reasons for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). Patients with advanced HBV-associated HCC have poor prognosis. Life expectancy more than 3 months is one inclusion criteria for molecular targeted drugs in clinical trials. Prediction of 3-month OS and OS survival rate of advanced HCC patients is very important. A new prognostic system called PS-JIS system (proposed Performance Status combined Japan Integrated Staging system, variables and risk classification criteria are listed below) was established in 2015 and now we want to compare this new prognostic system and other three current staging systems in predicting the survival rate of patients with advanced HBV-associated HCC. Methods: From September 2008 to June 2010, 220 patients with advanced HCC who didn’t receive anti-cancer therapy recommended by NCCN guidelines were analyzed. Data were collected to classify patients according to CLIP (Cancer of the Liver Italian Program), PS-JIS, GETCH(Groupe d’étude et de Traitement du Carcinome Hepatocellulaire) and TNM staging system at diagnosis. OS and 3-month OS were the end points used in the analysis. Results: When predicting 3-month survival, ROC analysis show AUC of CLIP, PS-JIS, GETCH and TNM is 0.806, 0.761, 0.654 and 0.643. AUC of CLIP and PS-JIS is similar (P=0.1174), both significantly higher than the other two staging system (P&lt;0.01). When predicting overall survival, likelihood ratio test show χ2 of CLIP, PS-JIS, GETCH and TNM is 74.00, 39.71, 23.09, 21.40. AIC of CLIP, PS-JIS, GETCH and TNM is 1601.46, 1635.80, 1655.06, 1654.77. The CLIP system has best performance in terms of discriminatory ability, homogeneity and monotonicity. Conclusions: The PS-JIS and CLIP systems were both the best score system in prediction of 3-month OS among the 4 systems and CLIP was still the best to predict OS analyzed for Chinese advanced HBV-associated HCC patients. [Table: see text]

Comparison of five staging systems in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib: A single-center experience.

To the best of our knowledge, none of the prognostic staging systems for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent sorafenib therapy is universally adopted or preferred. In the present study, we aimed to compare prognostic ability among five prognostic systems, including the Japan Integrated Staging (JIS) system, the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classification system, the tumor-node-metastasis classification system, the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program scoring system and the Chinese University Prognostic Index (CUPI) scoring system for HCC patients who received sorafenib therapy. A total of 143 HCC patients treated with sorafenib were analysed. We compared prognostic ability among the five prognostic systems using the likelihood ratio (LR) χ2 test, linear trend χ2 test and concordance index (c-index). Our cohort included 114 men and 29 women. The median patient age was 71 years (range, 45-89 years). A total of 102 patients were classified as Child-Pugh A and 41 as Child-Pugh B, whereas 31 patients (21.7%) had portal vein invasion and 63 (44.1%) extrahepatic metastases. The median survival time was 6.9 months. In the LR χ2 test, the CUPI scoring system had the highest value (35.804), followed by the JIS system (17.469). In the linear trend χ2 test, the CUPI scoring system had the highest value (17.523), followed by the JIS system (15.819). In addition, the JIS system had the highest value in the 6-month c-index (0.659) as well as in the 1-year c-index (0.674). However, the CUPI classification system had the lowest value in the 1-year c-index (0.590). In conclusion, the JIS system may be an appropriate staging system for HCC patients undergoing sorafenib therapy.

Prognostic value of interleukin-6 and interleukin-6 receptor in organ-confined clear-cell renal cell carcinoma: a 5-year conditional cancer-specific survival analysis.

Background:Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is the major cytokine that induces transcriptional acute and chronic inflammation responses, and was recently incorporated as a recurrence prognostication signature for localised clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). As the prognostic efficacy of initial risk factors may ebb during long-term practice, we aim to report conditional cancer-specific survival (CCSS) of RCC patients and evaluate the impact of IL-6 as well as its receptor (IL-6R) to offer more relevant prognostic information accounting for elapsing time.Methods:We enrolled 180 histologically proven localised ccRCC patients who underwent nephrectomy between 2001 and 2004 with available pathologic information. Five-year CCSS was determined and stratified by future prognostic factors. Constant Cox regression analysis and Harrell's concordance index were used to indicate the predictive accuracy of established models.Results:The 5-year CCSS of organ-confined ccRCC patients with both IL-6- and IL-6R-positive expression was 52% at year 2 after surgery, which was close to locally advanced patients (48%, P=0.564) and was significantly poorer than organ-confined patients with IL-6- or IL-6R-negative expression (89%, P<0.001). Multivariate analyses proved IL-6 and IL-6R as independent predictors after adjusting for demographic factors. Concordance index of pT-IL-6-IL-6R risk stratification was markedly higher compared with the stage, size, grade and necrosis prognostic model (0.724 vs 0.669, P=0.002) or UCLA Integrated Staging System (0.724 vs 0.642, P=0.007) in organ-confined ccRCC population during the first 5 years.Conclusions:Combined IL-6 and IL-6R coexpression emerges as an independent early-stage immunologic prognostic factor for organ-confined ccRCC patients.

Prognostic significance of ST3GAL-1 expression in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BackgroundAberrant sialylated carbohydrate synthesis is frequently noted in various cancers. Sialyltransferase ST3GAL-1, which adds a sialic acid in an α-2,3 linkage to Gal β1,3 GalNAc, preforms an important role in modulating cellular behaviors. However, little is known about prognostic significance of ST3GAL-1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of sialyltransferase ST3GAL-1 and its correlation with clinical outcomes in patients with ccRCC.MethodsA total of 286 patients who underwent nephrectomy between 2005 and 2007 in a single academic center were recruited. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on tissue microarrays to assess the expression level. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model were applied to assess the prognostic value of ST3GAL-1. Nomograms were generated as prediction model for overall survival and disease free survival at 5 and 8 years after nephrectomy.ResultsThe present results show high expression of ST3GAL-1 is associated with reduced overall survival (p = 0.013) and disease free survival (p = 0.004). In multivariate cox analyses, ST3GAL-1 was defined as an independent prognostic factor for overall survival (p = 0.006) and disease free survival (p = 0.001). After incorporation into the University of California Integrated Staging System (UISS) intermediate/high risk group for non-metastatic ccRCC, ST3GAL-1 could further distinguish patient with dismal prognosis (p = 0.015 and 0.002 for OS and DFS respectively). The nomograms revealed better predictive accuracy in predicting 5- and 8- year overall survival and disease free survival than the TNM stage alone.ConclusionsST3GAL-1 is an independent adverse prognostic factor for recurrence and survival of patients with ccRCC.

Decreased expression of CTR2 predicts poor prognosis of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma

PurposeClear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is well known for its hypervascularity due to the Von Hippel-Lindau/hypoxia-inducible factor dysregulation. Recent findings suggested that copper transporter 2 (CTR2) is also associated with angiogenesis through copper׳s modulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor pathway. Our group thus explored the prognostic role of CTR2 in patients with ccRCC. Materials and methodsA total of 331 patients with ccRCC who underwent nephrectomy were enrolled between February 2005 and June 2007 at a single institution. The median follow-up was 98.97 months (2.63–120.47mo). Patients׳ samples were collected and stained for CTR2 by immunohistochemistry. The staining intensity was analyzed quantitatively and defined as high/low expression using X-tile software. Stage, Size, Grade, and Necrosis score and University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System score were applied to stratify patients׳ risks. Survival analyses were performed through the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model. After integrating tumoral CTR2 expression with other clinical parameters, 2 nomograms were generated for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) prediction. ResultsCTR2 expression in ccRCC was decreased compared with that in the peritumoral tissue (P<0.001) and negatively correlated with many other clinical parameters. In survival analyses using the Kaplan-Meier method, low tumoral CTR2 expression displayed a dismal prognostic effect both in OS and DFS prediction (P<0.001). Multivariate analyses also revealed the same result after adjusted with other clinical parameters (P<0.001). Stratifying patients into 3 risk levels using the Stage, Size, Grade, and Necrosis score and University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System score, decreased CTR2 expression associated with shorter OS and DFS in the low- and intermediate-risk groups. Moreover, the generated nomogram integrating tumoral CTR2 expression performed better in predicting patients׳ OS than using TNM stages alone (c-index = 0.799; 95% CI: 0.752–0.846 vs. 0.691; 95% CI: 0.637–0.745). ConclusionsCTR2 is a novel prognostic marker for patients with ccRCC both in OS and DFS prediction, and could be incorporated with other clinical parameters for better patient risk stratification.

P2X7 receptor predicts postoperative cancer-specific survival of patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

The P2X7 receptor, an ATP-gated plasma membrane ion channel, is involved in inflammation, apoptosis and cell proliferation, and thereby plays a crucial role during oncogenic transformation in various malignancies. This study aims to evaluate the impact of P2X7 receptor expression on postoperative cancer-specific survival of patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). A total of 273 patients with ccRCC undergoing nephrectomy at a single institution were retrospectively enrolled in this study, among which 86 patients died of this disease and six patients died of other causes. Clinicopathologic features and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were recorded. P2X7 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry in clinical specimens. Kaplan–Meier method with log rank test was performed to compare survival curves. Cox regression models were used to evaluate the prognostic values of variables on CSS. Concordance index was calculated to assess prognostic accuracy of prognostic models. Median follow-up period was 90 months (range, 11–120 months). Intratumoral P2X7 expression was significantly lower than peritumoral tissues (P < 0.001). Moreover, high intratumoral P2X7 expression, which was significantly associated with shorten CSS (P < 0.001), high TNM stage (P = 0.038), Fuhrman grade (P = 0.035), SSIGN (stage, size, grade, and necrosis) score (P = 0.021) and University of California Integrated Staging System (UISS) score (P = 0.007), was indicated to be an independent prognostic factor for CSS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.693; P = 0.034). The prognostic accuracy of TNM stage, UISS and SSIGN scoring models was improved when intratumoral P2X7 expression was added. Intratumoral P2X7 expression is a potential independent adverse prognostic indicator for postoperative CSS of patients with ccRCC.

Proposal of the performance status combined Japan Integrated Staging system in hepatocellular carcinoma complicated with cirrhosis

The present study examined the prognostic ability of our proposed performance status combined Japan Integrated Staging (PS-JIS) system in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) comparing with other four prognostic systems including original JIS system, the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classification system, TNM classification system and the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) scoring system. A total of 1,170 HCC patients complicated with LC were analysed. The disease was staged for all analysed patients by means of the five staging systems. The cumulative overall survival (OS) rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and tested by log-rank test. We also examined prognostic factors associated with OS using univariate and multivariate analyses and compared the prognostic ability in each prognostic system using concordance index (c-index) at 1-, 3- and 5-year time-points. Overall significance in each prognostic system was P<0.001. In the multivariate analyses, tumor number, Child-Pugh classification, PS, initial treatment modality and several laboratory parameters were significant independent predictors linked to OS. For all cases, in each time-point, the c-index of PS-JIS system was the highest among five staging systems (0.847, 0.816 and 0.808, respectively), indicating that PS-JIS system has the best predictability among these staging systems. According to subgroup analyses stratified by initial treatment modality, in patients treated with surgical resection (n=205), CLIP scoring system had the highest c-index at every time-point, whereas in patients treated with percutaneous ablative therapies (n=632) at 3- and 5-year time-point and in those with transcatheter arterial therapies (n=281) at every time-point, the c-index of PS-JIS system was the highest. In conclusion, the proposed PS-JIS score can be a useful prognostic system for HCC patients complicated with liver cirrhosis.

Prognostic nomogram for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization

To establish an effective prognostic nomogram for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). The nomogram was constructed based on data obtained from a retrospective study on 2938 patients who received TACE as an initial therapy from 2000 to 2008. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram were compared with seven current commonly used staging systems on HCC by using data obtained from a prospective study on a cohort of 647 patients treated from January 2011 to December 2011 at the same institution. Additional external validation was performed using a data set (n=221) from another institution. Portal vein invasion, tumor number, tumor capsule, alpha fetoprotein, aspartate aminotransferase, and indocyanine green retention at 15 min formed the basis of the nomogram. The concordance index (C-index) of the nomogram was 0.755, which was significantly better than the American Joint Committee on Cancer seventh edition (0.612), the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer system (0.692), the Okuda system (0.579), the Japan Integrated Staging system (0.637), Cancer of the Liver Italian Program system (0.683), the Chinese University Prognostic Index (0.637) and the Groupe d'Etude et de Traitement du Carcinome Hepatocellulaire (0.577) (p<0.001 for all). The calibration curve for predicting probability of survival showed a good agreement between the nomogram and actual observation. The findings were supported by the external validation cohort. The nomogram gave better discrimination than the seven staging systems. The proposed nomogram gave accurate prognostic prediction in patients with unresectable HCC after treatment with TACE.

P21-activated kinase 1 predicts recurrence and survival in patients with non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

To estimate the impact of p21-activated kinase 1 expression on recurrence and survival of patients with non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma after surgical resection. We retrospectively enrolled 254 patients (187 in the training cohort and 67 in the validation cohort) with non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma undergoing nephrectomy at a single institution. Clinicopathological features, overall survival and recurrence-free survival were recorded. p21-activated kinase 1 intensities were assessed by immunohistochemistry of patients' specimens. The Kaplan-Meier method was applied to compare survival curves. Cox regression models were used to analyze the impact of prognostic factors on overall survival and recurrence-free survival. The concordance index was calculated to assess predictive accuracy. In both cohorts, elevated p21-activated kinase 1 expression in tumor tissues positively correlated with advanced T stage and Fuhrman grade. High p21-activated kinase 1 expression indicated poor survival and early recurrence of patients with non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma, especially with early T1-2 stage disease. After backward elimination, p21-activated kinase 1 expression was identified as an independent adverse prognostic factor for survival and recurrence. The predictive accuracy of the traditional University of California Integrated Staging System and Mayo Clinic stage, size, grade and necrosis prognostic models was improved when p21-activated kinase 1 expression was added. Elevated expression of p21-activated kinase 1 seems to be an independent adverse prognostic biomarker for recurrence and survival in patients with non-metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma after nephrectomy.

Increased expression of colony stimulating factor-1 is a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

BackgroundThis study aims to evaluate the impact of colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) expression on recurrence and survival of patients with clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) following surgery.MethodsWe retrospectively enrolled 267 patients (195 in the training cohort and 72 in the validation cohort) with ccRCC undergoing nephrectomy at a single institution. Clinicopathologic features, cancer-specific survival (CSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were recorded. CSF-1 levels were assessed by immunohistochemistry in tumor tissues. Kaplan-Meier method was applied to compare survival curves. Cox regression models were used to analyze the impact of prognostic factors on CSS and RFS. Concordance index (C-index) was calculated to assess predictive accuracy.ResultsIn both cohorts, CSF-1 expression positively correlated with advanced Fuhrman grade and necrosis. High CSF-1 expression indicated poor survival and early recurrence of ccRCC patients after surgery, especially those with advanced TNM stage disease. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed CSF-1 expression was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for recurrence and survival. The predictive accuracy of the University of California Los Angeles Integrated Staging System (UISS) was significantly improved when CSF-1 expression was incorporated.ConclusionsHigh CSF-1 expression is a potential adverse prognostic biomarker for recurrence and survival of ccRCC patients after nephrectomy.

ST6Gal-I predicts postoperative clinical outcome for patients with localized clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

Hyperactivated α2-6-sialylation on N-glycans due to overexpression of the Golgi enzyme β-galactoside: α2-6- sialyltransferase (ST6Gal-I) often correlates with cancer progression, metastasis, and poor prognosis. This study was aimed to determine the association between ST6Gal-I expression and the risk of recurrence and survival of patients with localized clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) following surgery. We retrospectively enrolled 391 patients (265 in training cohort and 126 in validation cohort) with localized ccRCC underwent nephrectomy at a single center. Tissue microarrays were constructed for immunostaining of ST6Gal-I. Prognostic value and clinical outcomes were evaluated. High ST6Gal-I expression was associated with Fuhrman grade (p<0.001 and p=0.016, respectively) and the University of California Los-Angeles Integrated Staging System (UISS) score (p=0.004 and p=0.017, respectively) in both cohorts. Patients with high ST6Gal-I expression had significantly worse overall survival (OS) (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively) and recurrence free survival (RFS) (p<0.001 and p=0.002, respectively) than those with low expression in both cohorts. On multivariate analysis, ST6Gal-I expression remained associated with OS and RFS even after adjusting for the UISS score. Stratified analysis suggested that the association is more pronounced among patients with low and intermediate-risk disease defined by the UISS score. High ST6Gal-I expression is a potential independent adverse predictor of survival and recurrence in ccRCC patients, and the prognostic value is most prominent in those with low and intermediate-risk disease defined by the UISS score.