Recent advancements in contemporary therapeutic approaches have increased the survival rates of lung cancer patients; however, the long-term benefits remain constrained, underscoring the pressing need for novel biomarkers. Surfactant-associated 3 (SFTA3), a long non-coding RNA predominantly expressed in normal lung epithelial cells, plays a crucial role in lung development. Nevertheless, its function in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains inadequately understood.

Single-cell RNA sequencing data were utilized to identify novel cancer cell-intrinsic gene signatures associated with the progression of LUAD, and their roles in LUAD were comprehensively analyzed. Serum samples were collected to quantify the expression levels of SFTA3 in LUAD patients. Furthermore, a series of biological experiments, including cell viability assays, scratch wound healing assays, and colony formation assays, were conducted to demonstrate the tumor-suppressive effects of SFTA3. RNA sequencing was performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of SFTA3 in lung cancer cells.

We constructed a prognostic model comprising eight genes: ALDOA, ATP5MD, SERPINH1, SFTA3, SLK, U2SURP, SCGB1A1, and SCGB1A3. The model effectively stratified patients into high- and low-risk categories, revealing that low-risk patients experienced superior clinical outcomes, exhibited an immunologically hot tumor microenvironment (TME), and had a greater probability of responding to immunotherapy. In contrast, the high-risk group exhibited a cold TME and may benefit more from chemotherapy. Furthermore, our study revealed that a progressive decrease in SFTA3 expression in cancer cells was correlated with tumor advancement. Notably, the serum levels of SFTA3 significantly decreased in patients with LUAD, suggesting its potential utility in liquid biopsy for LUAD diagnosis. Additionally, the knockdown of SFTA3 enhances the proliferation and migration of lung cancer cells, whereas its overexpression inhibits these phenotypes. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathway was significantly enriched following SFTA3 silencing, suggesting that SFTA3 may impact tumor progression by modulating this process. We also identified key transcription factors and epigenetic mechanisms implicated in the downregulation of SFTA3 in LUAD.

We developed a robust prognostic model and identified SFTA3 as a novel biomarker with potential applications in the diagnosis, prognosis, and personalized treatment of LUAD. Additionally, our findings offer new insights into the mechanisms underlying LUAD tumorigenesis and immune evasion.

Early detection is warranted to improve prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) but remains challenging. Liquid biopsy combined with machine learning will provide new insights into diagnostic strategies of GC. Lipid metabolism reprogramming plays a crucial role in the initiation and development of tumors. Here, we integrated the lipidomics data of three cohorts (n = 944) to develop the lipid metabolic landscape of GC. We further constructed the serum lipid metabolic signature (SLMS) by machine learning, which showed great performance in distinguishing GC patients from healthy donors. Notably, the SLMS also held high efficacy in the diagnosis of early-stage GC. Besides, by performing unsupervised consensus clustering analysis on the lipid metabolic matrix of patients with GC, we generated the gastric cancer prognostic subtypes (GCPSs) with significantly different overall survival. Furthermore, the lipid metabolic disturbance in GC tissues was demonstrated by multi-omics analysis, which showed partially consistent with that in GC serums. Collectively, this study revealed an innovative strategy of liquid biopsy for the diagnosis of GC on the basis of the serum lipid metabolic fingerprints.

Early detection of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) will facilitate curative treatment. We aimed to establish a microRNA (miRNA) signature derived from salivary extracellular vesicles and particles (EVPs) for early ESCC detection and prognostication.

Salivary EVP miRNA expression was profiled in a pilot cohort (n = 54) using microarray. Area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC) and least absolute shrinkage and selector operation regression analyses were used to prioritize miRNAs that discriminated patients with ESCC from controls. Using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, the candidates were measured in a discovery cohort (n = 72) and cell lines. The prediction models for the biomarkers were derived from a training cohort (n = 342) and validated in an internal cohort (n = 207) and an external cohort (n = 226).

The microarray analysis identified 7 miRNAs for distinguishing patients with ESCC from control subjects. Because 1 was not always detectable in the discovery cohort and cell lines, the other 6 miRNAs formed a panel. A signature of this panel accurately identified patients with all-stage ESCC in the training cohort (AUROC = 0.968) and was successfully validated in 2 independent cohorts. Importantly, this signature could distinguish patients with early-stage (stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ) ESCC from control subjects in the training cohort (AUROC = 0.969, sensitivity = 92.00%, specificity = 89.17%) and internal (sensitivity = 90.32%, specificity = 91.04%) and external (sensitivity = 91.07%, specificity = 88.06%) validation cohorts. Moreover, a prognostic signature based on the panel was established and efficiently predicted the high-risk cases with poor progression-free survival and overall survival.

The salivary EVP-based 6-miRNA signature can serve as noninvasive biomarkers for early detection and risk stratification of ESCC. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR2000031507.

Neurodevelopmental disorders in children have an important impact on the quality of life in the whole life cycle. Severe neurodevelopmental disorders will become a serious social and family burden and an important social and economic problem. The early and middle childhood is the critical period of children's neurodevelopment. Early diagnosis of neurological disorders plays an important role in guiding children's neurological development. Existing monitoring tools lack prenatal and even early assessment of children's neurodevelopment, so reliable biomarkers are conducive to personalized care at an earlier stage. In this review, we will discuss different methods of neurodevelopmental monitoring at different times and the role and evaluation of liquid biopsy in neurodevelopmental monitoring.

The following letter to the editor highlights the review titled "Liquid biopsy in cholangiocarcinoma: Current status and future perspective" in World J Gastrointest Oncol 2021; 13: 332-350. It is necessary to realize individualized therapy to improve the clinical prognosis of patients with cholangiocarcinoma.

Resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy is a major clinical challenge in ovarian cancer, contributing to the high mortality-to-incidence ratio. Management of the platinum-resistant disease has been difficult due to diverse underlying molecular mechanisms. Over the past several years, research has revealed several novel molecular targets that are being explored as biomarkers for treatment planning and monitoring of response. The therapeutic landscape of ovarian cancer is also rapidly evolving, and alternative therapies are becoming available for the recurrent platinum-resistant disease. This review provides a snapshot of platinum resistance mechanisms and discusses liquid-based biomarkers and their potential utility in effective management of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in dogs, in part because many cases are identified at an advanced stage when clinical signs have developed, and prognosis is poor. Increased understanding of cancer as a disease of the genome has led to the introduction of liquid biopsy testing, allowing for detection of genomic alterations in cell-free DNA fragments in blood to facilitate earlier detection, characterization, and management of cancer through non-invasive means. Recent discoveries in the areas of genomics and oncology have provided a deeper understanding of the molecular origins and evolution of cancer, and of the "one health" similarities between humans and dogs that underlie the field of comparative oncology. These discoveries, combined with technological advances in DNA profiling, are shifting the paradigm for cancer diagnosis toward earlier detection with the goal of improving outcomes. Liquid biopsy testing has already revolutionized the way cancer is managed in human medicine - and it is poised to make a similar impact in veterinary medicine. Multiple clinical use cases for liquid biopsy are emerging, including screening, aid in diagnosis, targeted treatment selection, treatment response monitoring, minimal residual disease detection, and recurrence monitoring. This review article highlights key scientific advances in genomics and their relevance for veterinary oncology, with the goal of providing a foundational introduction to this important topic for veterinarians. As these technologies migrate from human medicine into veterinary medicine, improved awareness and understanding will facilitate their rapid adoption, for the benefit of veterinary patients.