Backgrounds. Solute carrier 39A1 (SLC39A1) is an indirect zinc transporter which showed diverse tumor-related functions in different malignancies. Here, we aimed to investigate its expression and role in gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods. A retrospective gastric adenocarcinoma cohort (n = 154) was collected from our hospital to test their tissue expression of SLC39A1 through immunohistochemical staining method. After SLC39A1 overexpression or knockdown, proliferation and invasion assays were conducted for proliferation and invasion estimation, respectively. Xenograft in nude mice was used as the in vivo strategy to validate in vitro findings. Results. Compared with adjacent stomach tissues, gastric adenocarcinoma tissues showed significantly higher SLC39A1 on both mRNA and protein levels. Higher SLC39A1 was observed in patients with larger tumor size ( P = 0.003 ) and advanced tumor stages ( P < 0.001 ). Univariate ( P = 0.001 ) and multivariate analyses ( P = 0.035 ) confirmed the independent prognostic significance of SLC39A1 on gastric adenocarcinoma outcomes. The median survival time was 22.0 months in patients with high-SLC39A1 expression, while up to 57.0 months in those with low-SLC39A1 ( P = 0.001 ). In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated that overexpressing SLC39A1 could promote gastric cancer growth and invasion, while silencing SLC39A1 led to opposite effects. Conclusions. Aberrant high-SLC39A1 expression can serve as an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for gastric adenocarcinoma. High SLC39A1 is critical for a more aggressive tumor phenotype by promoting cell proliferation and invasion. Therefore, targeting SLC39A1 may provide novel therapeutic insights.

Background: Relatively few studies have reported quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial distress in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This study aims to assess the QoL and psychological distress and the impact from sociodemographic and clinical parameters in the Chinese context.Methods: Taking advantage of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 questionnaire with QLQ-CLL17 module and DASS-21 questionnaire, a total of 50 Chinese patients with CLL completed self-reported questionnaires, assessing the level of depression, anxiety, stress and QoL.Results: A significantly higher proportion of patients in the active-treatment group had impaired physical function than the “watch and wait” group (90% vs. 65%, P=0.03). Patients with active treatment reported a significantly lower QoL in the role functioning subscale (84.44±25.50 vs. 95.83±9.17, P=0.031) and cognitive functioning subscale (76.67±18.88 vs. 89.17±12.42, P=0.007). The symptom scales had a negative impact on the functioning subscale. A dramatically high proportion of patients reported psychological distress. With regard to sociodemographic parameters, gender, age, education background and income had certain impact on functional subscales. 5 patients retested the questionnaires after median 8（2-18）months. Compared to the initial assessment, they scored significantly worse on the emotional scales (P=0.0237).Conclusions: There are unique correlates of QoL and disease status among Chinese CLL patients. This finding illuminates individual differences that may be associated with QoL. Therefore, psychosocial interventions and survivorship care plans should be made in the management of CLL survivors.

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