Lysyl oxidase (LOX) family genes, particularly lysyl oxidase-like protein 2 (LOXL2), have been implicated in carcinogenesis, metastasis, and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in various cancers. This study aimed to explore the clinical implications of LOXL2 expression in pancreatic cancer (PC) in the context of EMT status. LOX family mRNA expression was measured in PC cell lines, and LOXL2 protein levels were examined in surgical specimens resected from 170 patients with PC. Higher LOXL2 expression was observed in cell lines from mesenchymal type PC than in those from epithelial type PC. A significant correlation between LOXL2 expression and the EMT status defined based on the expression of E-cadherin and vimentin was observed in surgical specimens (P < 0.01). The disease-free survival and overall survival rates among patients with low LOXL2 expression were significantly better than those among patients with high LOXL2 expression (P < 0.001). According to the multivariate analysis, high LOXL2 expression (P = 0.03) was a significant independent prognostic factor for patients with PC. Additionally, LOX inhibition significantly decreased PC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. In conclusion, LOXL2 expression is potentially associated with PC progression, and LOXL2 expression represents a biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients with PC who have undergone complete resection.

Based on the result that reactivities against CENP-C and HP1α in patients with pSS differ from those in patients with SSc, we propose ACA-positive pSS as a clinical subset of SS that is independent of SSc.

Background A survival benefit of extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage (EIPL) has been reported in patients with gastric cancer with positive peritoneal cytology. The hypothesis of this study was that EIPL may reduce peritoneal recurrence in patients with advanced gastric cancer who undergo surgery with curative intent. Methods This was an open‐label, multi‐institutional, randomized, phase 3 trial to assess the effects of EIPL versus standard treatment after curative gastrectomy for resectable gastric cancer of T3 status or above. The primary endpoint was disease‐free survival (DFS); secondary endpoints were overall survival, peritoneal recurrence‐free survival and incidence of adverse events. Results Between July 2011 and January 2014, 314 patients were enrolled from 15 institutions and 295 patients were analysed (145 and 150 in the EIPL and no‐EIPL groups respectively). The 3‐year DFS rate was 63·9 (95 per cent c.i. 55·5 to 71·2) per cent in the EIPL group and 59·7 (51·3 to 67·1) per cent in the control group (hazard ratio (HR) 0·81, 95 per cent c.i. 0·57 to 1·16; P = 0·249). The 3‐year overall survival rate was 75·0 (67·1 to 81·3) per cent in the EIPL group and 73·7 (65·9 to 80·1) per cent in the control group (HR 0·91, 0·60 to 1·37; P = 0·634). Peritoneal recurrence‐free survival was not significantly different between the two groups (HR 0·92, 0·62 to 1·36; P = 0·676). No intraoperative complications related to EIPL were observed. Conclusion EIPL did not improve survival or peritoneal recurrence in patients who underwent gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer. Registration number: 000005907 (http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index.htm).

Background and AimA reliable classification for predicting postoperative prognosis and perioperative risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is required to make a precise decision for HCC treatment. In the present study, we assessed the perioperative and prognostic importance of indocyanine green (ICG) testing, tumor‐node‐metastasis (TNM) stage, albumin‐bilirubin (ALBI) grade, and ALBI‐TNM (ALBI‐T) score using consecutive resected HCC cases.MethodsBetween 1998 and 2011, 273 consecutive patients who underwent primary and curative hepatectomy for HCC were identified. Among these 273 cases, 235 Child‐Pugh class A patients were enrolled in the present study.ResultsCorrelation analysis showed that the value of linear predictor for ALBI grade was significantly correlated with ICG 15‐minute retention rates (r = 0.51, P < 0.0001). Survival analysis for both recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) showed there were significant differences between the two groups stratified by stage or ALBI‐T score (stage, RFS: P = 0.01, OS: P = 0.003; ALBI‐T, RFS: P < 0.0001, OS: P < 0.0001). In addition, Cox proportional hazard model identified ALBI‐T score was a significant predictor for both RFS and OS (RFS, P = 0.001; OS, P = 0.004). Furthermore, ALBI‐T score could predict perioperative risk in hepatectomy such as longer operation time and excessive intraoperative blood loss.ConclusionsThis study showed a robust association of ALBI‐T score with postoperative HCC patient survival and perioperative risk in hepatectomy. ALBI‐T score can be used as a simple and powerful tool for assessing HCC patients with further study.