Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are enclosed by a nanoscale phospholipid bilayer membrane and typically range in size from 30 to 200 nm. They contain a high concentration of specific proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, reflecting but not identical to the composition of the parent cell. The inherent characteristics and variety of EVs give them extensive and unique advantages in the field of cancer identification and treatment. Recently, EVs have been recognized as potential tumor markers for the detection of cancer. Aptamers, which are molecules of single-stranded DNA or RNA, demonstrate remarkable specificity and affinity for their targets by adopting distinct tertiary structures. Aptamers offer various advantages over their protein counterparts, such as reduced immunogenicity, the ability for convenient large-scale synthesis, and straightforward chemical modification. In this review, we summarized EVs biogenesis, sample collection, isolation, storage and characterization, and finally provided a comprehensive survey of analysis techniques for EVs detection that are based on aptamers.

Epidermoid cyst of the spleen is a rare disease, and relatively few cases were reported by literatures. Most published case reports provided inadequate information on the impact of splenic epidermoid cyst on tumor markers. A 32-year-old woman with a giant splenic epidermoid cyst was reported, for whom the serum concentration of a collection of tumor markers (CA19-9, CEA, CA125, CA242, and CA50) increased abruptly accompanied by left upper abdominal pain for 5 days. After comprehensive preoperative examination and multidisciplinary team discussion, we ruled out any concurrent malignancy and a laparoscopic total splenectomy was performed, during which the splenic cyst spontaneously ruptured unexpectedly. After surgery, the elevated serum tumor marker levels decreased sharply until reaching normal range 3 months later. Learning from the case, we conclude that interval monitoring of serum tumor markers is of critical value for patients with splenic epidermoid cyst. Abrupt elevation of tumor marker levels and abdominal pain may serve as signs of cyst rupture, which is strongly indicative of surgical intervention as soon as possible. Total removal of the splenic cyst is strongly suggested considering the recurrence and malignant potential of the splenic epidermoid cyst.

No sensitive tumor marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is available for patients with glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSDIa), in whom alpha-fetoprotein and carcino-embryonic antigen levels often remain normal. We describe increased levels of the HCC tumor marker des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) in GSDIa patients with HCC. In one case DCP levels normalized after liver transplantation. We recommend including DCP as a screening HCC tumor marker in the surveillance of patients with GSDIa.

BACKGROUND: Higher coffee intake has been associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer, particularly aggressive forms. The activation of the PI3K signaling pathway plays an important role in prostate carcinogenesis.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate associations between pre-diagnostic coffee intake and a PI3K activation score, the expression/presence of PI3K regulators, and downstream effectors in tumor tissue from men with prostate cancer in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a prospective cohort study conducted in the US.
METHODS: A case-only study design was applied. Coffee intake was assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires completed in 1986 and every four years thereafter until prostate cancer diagnosis.
METHODS: Study participants comprised 1,242 men diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1986 to 2009 and with tumor markers assessed from tissue microarrays constructed from tumor specimens.
METHODS: The outcomes include the PI3K activation score; expression of insulin receptor and IGF1 receptor; angiogenesis markers; and presence of the tumor suppressor PTEN, chronic and acute inflammation, simple atrophy, and post-atrophic hyperplasia.
METHODS: Multivariable linear or logistic regression was conducted to estimate associations between coffee intake and tumor marker expression/presence.
RESULTS: Among coffee drinkers (86.6% of the population), median (25th-75th) coffee intake was 2 (1-3) cups/day. The associations between coffee consumption and the tumor markers of interest were generally weak with modest precision. When comparing men who drank >3 cups/day of coffee with nondrinkers, the absolute percent difference in the PI3K activation score and angiogenesis markers ranged from 0.6% to 3.6%. The odds ratios for PTEN loss, IGF1 receptor and insulin receptor expression, and presence of chronic and acute inflammation, simple atrophy, and post-atrophic hyperplasia also were not statistically significant, were imprecise, and ranged from 0.82 to 1.58.
CONCLUSIONS: Coffee intake was not observed to be associated with PI3K activation, related regulators, and several effectors in prostate tumor tissue. Studies exploring alternative pathways or earlier steps in carcinogenesis are needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the coffee and prostate cancer association.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of plasma human cystatin-S (CST4) in patients with digestive system malignant tumors. CST4 and tumor markers, such as α-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA)199, CA125, CA153 and CA724, were detected in blood samples from 100 patients with a digestive system malignant tumor and 100 patients with benign digestive system diseases. The tumor markers AFP, CEA, CA199, CA125, CA153 and CA724 were detected using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay, and CST4 levels were detected using a human CST4 ELISA kit. The results demonstrated that the sensitivities of AFP and CA153 (both 5.00%) were significantly lower than that of CST4 (38.00%) in the diagnosis of digestive system malignancy (P<0.001), and CA724 (18.00%) was also less sensitive than CST4 (P<0.05). The sensitivities of CA199 (26.00%), CEA (31.00%) and CA125 (25.00%) were similar to that of CST4 (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the CEA, CA125, CA724 and CST4 specificities (P>0.05), which were 91.00, 95.00, 94.00 and 83.00%, respectively. The specificities of AFP (99.00%), CA199 (98.00%) and CA153 (100.00%) were significantly higher than that of CST4 (P<0.01). By constructing a receiver operating characteristic curve and comparing the area under the curve as well as sensitivity, the findings of the present study demonstrated that combining CST4 with AFP, CEA, CA199, CA125, CA153 and CA724 can significantly enhance the diagnostic sensitivity for malignancies of the digestive system. However, the introduction of CST4 into the traditional diagnostic groups (CEA + AFP, CA199 + CA125 + CA153 + CA724 and AFP + CEA + CA199 + CA125 + CA153 + CA724) resulted in an increased sensitivity and loss of specificity, thereby not offering significant advantages in terms of comprehensive diagnostic efficiency compared with the traditional diagnostic groups. In conclusion, CST4 detection may be a promising diagnostic tool. Nonetheless, the potential false positive results in tumor diagnosis should be taken into consideration when developing new diagnostic groups involving CST4.

UNASSIGNED: To explore the relationship between baseline clinical characteristics and hematological parameters of patients undergoing radical resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and their prognosis, and to provide references for stratifying the patients\' clinical risks.
UNASSIGNED: We retrospectively collected clinical data from 445 patients who underwent radical surgical treatment for PDAC at West China Hospital, Sichuan University between January 2010 and February 2019. Then, we conducted retrospective clinical analysis with the collected data. Data on patients\' basic clinical characteristics, routine blood test results, and tumor indicators were collected to explore their effects on the postoperative overall survival (OS) of PDAC patients. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify factors affecting OS. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 23.0 software package.
UNASSIGNED: The postoperative median overall survival (mOS) was 17.0 months (95% CI: 15.0-19.0). The 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-year survival rates of the patients included in the study were 60.6%, 33.4%, 19.1%, 12.7%, and 9.6%, respectively. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis demonstrated that a number of factors independently affect postoperative survival in PDAC patients. These factors include tumor location (hazards ratio [HR]=1.574, 95% CI: 1.233-2.011), degree of tumor cell differentiation (HR=0.687, 95% CI: 0.542-0.870), presence of neural invasion (HR=0.686, 95% CI: 0.538-0.876), TNM staging (HR=1.572, 95% CI: 1.252-1.974), postoperative adjuvant therapy (HR=1.799, 95% CI: 1.390-2.328), preoperative drinking history (HR=0.744, 95% CI: 0.588-0.943), and high serum CA199 levels prior to the surgery (HR=0.742, 95% CI: 0.563-0.977).
UNASSIGNED: In PDAC patients, having tumors located in the head of the pancreas, moderate and high degrees of differentiated, being free from local neurovascular invasion, being in TNM stage Ⅰ, undergoing postoperative adjuvant therapy, no history of alcohol consumption prior to the surgery, and preoperative serum CA199 being less than or equal to 37 U/mL are significantly associated with a better prognosis.

Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) has been an integral part of a multimodal treatment strategy in testicular cancer. Surgeons, over the last decade, have advanced the understanding of RPLND by adopting perioperative care pathways, innovative biomarkers, surgical techniques, and developing algorithms for managing complications. This review summarizes updates on various aspects including the enhanced recovery after surgery pathway, imaging techniques, surgical approaches, dissection templates, and the management of complications. We conclude that RPLND has undergone significant evolution and refinement in the modern era and will continue to hold a critical role in the care of patients with testicular cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as highly sensitive and specific markers for testicular germ cell tumors (GCTs) across the spectrum of disease. However, their utility in specific clinical scenarios requires further study. Here, we review the current evidence for miRNAs as tumor markers for the evaluation of treatment response in patients undergoing chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced testicular GCT.

Electrochemical detection of miRNA biomarkers in complex physiological samples holds great promise for accurate evaluation of tumor burden in the perioperative period, yet limited by reproducibility and bias issues. Here, nanosensors installed with hybrid probes that responsively release catalytic DNAzymes (G-quadruplexes/hemin) were developed to solve the fidelity challenge in an immobilization-free detection. miRNA targets triggered toehold-mediated strand displacement reactions on the sensor surface and resulted in amplified shedding of DNAzymes. Subsequently, the interference background was removed by Fe3O4 core-facilitated magnetic separation. Binding aptamers of the electrochemical reporter (dopamine) were tethered closely to the catalytic units for boosting H2O2-mediated oxidation through proximity catalysis. The one-to-many conversion by dual amplification from biological-chemical catalysis facilitated sufficient homogeneous sensing signals on electrodes. Thereby, the nanosensor exhibited a low detection limit (2.08 fM), and high reproducibility (relative standard deviation of 1.99%). Most importantly, smaller variations (RSD of 0.51-1.04%) of quantified miRNAs were observed for detection from cell lysates, multiplexed detection from unprocessed serum, and successful discrimination of small upregulations in lysates of tumor tissue samples. The nanosensor showed superior diagnostic performance with an area under curve (AUC) of 0.97 and 94% accuracy in classifying breast cancer patients and healthy donors. These findings demonstrated the synergy of signal amplification and interference removal in achieving high-fidelity miRNA detection for practical clinical applications.

UNASSIGNED: Biomarkers play a role in identifying, managing, and predicting cancer outcomes. In lung cancer, they are used at various time points. Doubts remain regarding their accuracy for differential diagnosis and histological subtyping. A diagnostic test study was conducted. It included malignant lesions and controls with benign lesions. Before lung biopsy, all patients had the following biomarkers measured in serum (Pro-GRP,NSE,CYFRA21-1,SCC-Ag,CEA).
UNASSIGNED: The predictive capacity of serum biomarkers was evaluated to discriminate between lung cancer and benign pathology. The accuracy was also assessed for distinguishing between SCLC and NSCLC and explored their ability to perform histological subtyping.
UNASSIGNED: 93 patients were included, 60 with lung cancer, 33 with benign pathology. Pro-GRP and NSE were elevated in SCLC compared with NSCLC or nonmalignant disease. The most accurate for differentiating between malignant and benign pathology were CEA and CYFRA21-1. Pro-GRP had a poor predictive capacity for distinguishing NSCLC from SCLC. However, combined with CEA and CYFRA21-1, performance improved. For SCLC, the diagnostic capacity of Pro-GRP increased by combining with biomarkers, such as NSE/CYFRA21-1.
UNASSIGNED: Biomarkers lacked the sensitivity and specificity for independent differential diagnosis or histological subtyping. However, the observed patterns in biomarker levels associated with specific histological subtypes suggest potential utility in a multi-biomarker approach or in conjunction with other diagnostic tools. This insight could guide future research to improve diagnostic accuracy and personalized treatment strategies in lung cancer.
Biomarkers are crucial for identifying, managing, and predicting outcomes in lung cancer, though they lack accuracy in differentiating histological subtypes.CEA and CYFRA21-1 were the most accurate biomarkers for distinguishing between malignant and benign pathology.Pro-GRP and NSE levels were elevated in SCLC compared to NSCLC. Pro-GRP alone had poor predictive capacity for differentiating NSCLC from SCLC, but combining it with CEA and CYFRA21-1 improved diagnostic performance.Patterns in biomarker levels suggest that a multi-biomarker approach, especially when combined with other diagnostic tools, could improve diagnostic accuracy.