Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common malignant cancer that accounts for 5–10% of all cancers. This study aimed to identify essential genes associated with the prognosis of HNSCC and construct a powerful prognostic model for the risk assessment of HNSCC. RNAseq expression profile data for the patients with HNSCC were obtained from the TCGA database (GEO). A total of 500 samples with full clinical following-up were randomly divided into a training set and a validation set. The training set was used to screen for differentially expressed lncRNAs. Single-factor survival analysis was performed to obtain lncRNAs that associated with prognosis. A robust likelihood-based survival model was constructed to identify the lncRNAs that are essential for the prognosis of HNSCC. A co-expression network between genes and lncRNAs was also constructed to identify lncRNAs co-expressed with genes to serve as the final signature lncRNAs for prognosis. Finally, the prognostic effect of the signature lncRNAs was tested by multi-factor survival analysis and a scoring model for the prognosis of HNSCC was constructed. Moreover, the results of the validation set and the relative expression levels of the signature lncRNAs in the tumour and the adjacent tissue were consistent with the results of the training set. The 5 lncRNAs were distributed among 3 expression modules. Further KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that these 3 co-expressed modules participate in different pathways, and many of these pathways are associated with the development and progression of disease. Therefore, we proposed that the 5 validated lncRNAs can be used to predict the prognosis of HNSCC patients and can be applied in postoperative treatment and follow-up.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma is a rare malignancy characterized by a combination of epithelial and sarcoma or sarcoma-like components. In this study, we reported one case of pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma and evaluated the safety and efficacy of apatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor selectively targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, in treating this disease. The tumor mass was detected in the left lung of a 75-year-old man and showed positive immunostaining for cytokeratin (CK) 7, CK8, smooth muscle actin, CD31, and CD34. Next-generation sequencing analysis identified 4 mutations in NF1 (p.Q347Sfs*29), CDKN2A (p.G23V), ERBB3 (p.V104L), and TP53 (p.V157F) genes. The patient was given apatinib (250 mg) orally once per day. Sustained tumor regression was observed after apatinib treatment. There was no sever complication associated with apatinib therapy. In conclusion, apatinib-based targeted therapy may represent an important option for patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Kif18A in cancerous and paracancerous tissues from 100 patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This was a prospective study of 100 patients with pathologically confirmed NSCLC (adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma [SCC], n = 50/group) that were operated at the Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University between June 2015 and December 2016. Kif18A protein expression in cancerous and paracancerous normal tissues was detected by western blot and immunohistochemistry. The expression of the Kif18A protein was higher in adenocarcinoma and SCC tissues than in the corresponding paracancerous normal tissues. The expression of the Kif18A protein was higher in highly differentiated tumors, in patients with lymph node metastasis (vs no lymph node metastasis), adenocarcinoma, and in stage III NSCLC. There were no associations between Kif18A expression and age, gender, and pathologic type. The expression of the Kif18A protein by immunohistochemistry was higher in NSCLC tissues than in normal tissues, and was associated with tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and TNM staging. These results could provide a theoretical basis for novel molecular targeted therapies against NSCLC.