Phellinus is a kind of rare medicinal fungus that has a variety of physiological activities include anti-cancer, anti-liver fibrosisa, antioxidant and so on. Phellinus contains polysaccharides, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, pyrone, furan, alkaloids and other substances. Polysaccharide extracts of phellinus showed obvious antitumor effect and has been a hot research field in recent years. It was also found other extracts of phellinus such as ethyl acetate extract exhibited anticancer activity. Thus, the antitumor effect of different extract, especially the anti-cancer mechanism were discussed in this review.
Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; Basidiomycota ; Cytokines ; analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; prevention & control

The recurrence and metastasis of tumor are the main reasons for the failure in malignant tumor treatments, searching for the best target to prevent the tumor recurrence and metastasis is the focus of tumor research. Research showed that tumor stem cells are the vital factor of malignant tumor recurrence and metastasis, there is no method of target regulating the function of tumor stem cells now. Traditional Chinese Medicine have played a good role in preventing tumor recurrence and metastasis according to the previous studies, so we can suppose that tumor stem cells may be the final target of TCM in preventing tumor recurrence and metastasis. To expand the effect and study the mechanism of action we should introduce the tumor stem cells into the study of TCM in treating malignant tumor.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; prevention & control ; Neoplasms ; therapy ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; Secondary Prevention

Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; therapy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; prevention & control

To study the anti-tumor metastatic constituents in Rhodiola wallichiana (HK) S H Fu var Cholaensis (Praeg) S H Fu, chemical constituents were isolated and purified by repeated column chromatography (silica gel, Toyopearl HW-40C and preparative HPLC). Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectral data analysis. The anti-tumor metastasis assay was applied to evaluate the activities of the isolated compounds. Ten compounds (1-10) were isolated and their structures were identified by comparison of their spectral data with literature as follows: syringic acid (1), salidroside (2), tyrosol (3), scaphopetalone (4), berchemol (5), 2,6-dimethoxyacetophenone (6), rhobupcyanoside A (7), miyaginin (8), chavicol-4-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1 --> 6)-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), eugenyol-O-β-D-apiofuranosyl-(1 --> 6)-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10). Compounds 4-6 and 8-10, were isolated from this genus for the first time, while compound 7 was isolated from this plant for the first time. Compounds 2, 6-8 showed positive anti-tumor metastatic activities, and compounds 2 and 8 showed significant anti-tumor metastatic activities.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; prevention & control ; Rhodiola ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) on tumor metastasis in mouse model bearing melanoma xenograft.

METHODSMice bearing murine melanoma B16-F10 cell xenograft were randomized for sham-HIFU or HIFU exposure when the tumors grew to a maximum diameter of 7-10 mm, and the tumor size was measured every 3 days. The cumulative survival rate of the mice and tumor metastasis rate were calculated, and the circulating melanoma cells were detected using qRT-PCR. At 14 days after HIFU treatment, B16-F10 cells were retransplanted via the tail vein and the pulmonary metastatic nodules were counted.

RESULTSThe median survival time of the mice was 19.00 days (95% CI 17.14-20.86 days) in the sham group and 26.00 days (95%CI 24.76-27.25 days) in HIFU group. The cumulative survival rate in the HIFU group was significantly higher than that in sham-HIFU group (P<0.01), and the tumor size was significantly smaller in HIFU group at 20, 23, and 26 days after HIFU treatment (P<0.05). Compared with the sham-HIFU group, HIFU group had significantly lower levels of MAGE-A3, MART1 and PAX3 at 7 days after HIFU (P<0.05) with still lower MAGE-A3 level at 14 days (P<0.05). HIFU group showed a significantly smaller number of pulmonary metastatic nodules following tumor cell retransplantation than in sham-HIFU group (P<0.01) with a metastasis inhibition rate of 42.4%.

CONCLUSIONHIFU treatment can inhibit tumor metastasis in melanoma-bearing mice possibly by reducing tumor cell detachment from the primary tumor site and suppressing colonization of the circulating melanoma cells.

Animals ; High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation ; Melanoma, Experimental ; therapy ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; prevention & control ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in reducing the relapse and metastasis of stage II and III colorectal cancer based on conventional Western medicine (WM) therapy.

METHODSTwo hundred and twenty-two patients in total, diagnosed as stage II and III colorectal cancer from February 2000 to March 2006, were recruited from Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and the General Hospital of Beijing Military Area. They were followed-up once every 3-6 months. Twenty cases dropped out from the cohort. The remaining 202 patients were all treated with routine WM treatment [including R0 radical operation, or chemotherapy or/and radiotherapy according to national comprehensive cancer network (NCCN) clinical guidelines]. These patients were assigned to two groups based on whether or not they were additionally treated with TCM comprehensive therapy (orally administered with a decoction according to syndrome differentiation, combined with a traditional patent drug over one year). Ninety-eight patients from Xiyuan Hospital were treated with WM and TCM (combined group), and 104 patients from the General Hospital of Beijing Military Area were treated with WM alone (WM group). The demographic data at baseline were comparable, including the operation times, age, sex, TNM staging, and pathological types. The patients were followed-up for one to five years. Up to now, there are 98, 98, 77, 64, and 47 patients with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years of follow-up in the combined group, respectively; and 104, 104, 97, 81, and 55 patients in the WM group, respectively. The results of the 5-year follow-up of all the patients will be available in 2011.

RESULTSThe relapse/metastasis rate of 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year were 0 (0/98), 2.04% (2/98), 11.69% (9/77), 14.06% (9/64), and 21.28% (10/47) in the combined group, and were 4.80%(5/104), 16.35% (17/104), 21.65% (21/97), 25.93% (21/81), and 38.18%(21/55) in the WM group, respectively. A significant difference was found in the second year between the two groups (chi (2)=12.117, P=0.000). Median relapse/metastasis time was 26.5 months in the combined group and 16.0 months in the WM group.

CONCLUSIONThe combined therapy of TCM and WM may have great clinical value and a potential for decreasing the relapse or metastasis rate in stage II and III colorectal cancer after conventional WM therapy.

Cohort Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; therapy ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; prevention & control ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; drug therapy ; Neoplasm Staging ; Secondary Prevention

China ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate

Estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) plays an important role in the development of hormone-dependent cancers, but its roles in lung cancer remain elusive. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of ERRα on the proliferation and metastasis of lung cancer A549 cells. The mRNA and protein levels of ERRα were detected in lung cancer A549 and MCF-7 cells and bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. ERRα plasmid transfection and XCT-790 (an inverse agonist of ERRα) were used to up-regulate or down-regulate ERRα expression in A549 cells, respectively. The viability of A549 cells was measured by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and the motility of A549 cells by wound healing assay and Transwell migration/invasion assay. The epithelial markers E-cadherin (E-Cad) and zona occludin-1 (ZO-1), the mesenchymal markers fibronectin (FN) and vimentin (Vim) and the transcription factors (Snail, Zeb1 Twist and Slug) were further detected at mRNA and protein levels by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The results showed that ERRα promoted the growth of lung cancer A549 cells in vitro. XCT-790 significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of A549 cells. Over-expression of ERRα promoted the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of A549 cells, down-regulated the epithelial makers E-Cad and ZO-1, and up-regulated the mesenchymal makers FN and Vim. Silencing of Slug, but not other transcription factors, significantly abolished the ERRα-induced EMT of A549 cells. It was suggested that ERRα promoted the migration and invasion of A549 cells by inducing EMT, and Slug was involved in the process. Targeting ERRα might be an efficient approach for lung cancer treatment.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Ruji Recipe (RR) in preventing disease recurrence/metastasis and improving quality of life (QOL) for female breast cancer patients after operation.

METHODSTotally 102 female patients with stage I - III breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. They were assigned to the treatment group (54 cases) and the control group (48 cases) according to whether they would rather accept RR therapy. Estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) positive patients also accepted endocrine therapy. The overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), recurrence and metastasis, and QOL were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSTotally 100 patients completed the study. The median follow-up was 59 months. The median OS was 60 months in the treatment group and 52.5 months in the control group (chi2 = 3.274, P > 0.05). The median DFS was 55.0 months in the treatment group and 47.5 months in the control group (chi2 = 10.145, P < 0.01). The DFS rate was 75.9% (41/54) in the treatment group and 54.3% (25/46) in the control group (chi2 = -2.259, P < 0.05). There was statistical difference in the 2-, 3-, and 5-year DFS between the two groups (P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the 2-year DFS 3-year DFS between stage II and III and stage III (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). There was statistical difference in the ER positive patients between 2-year DFS and 3-year DFS (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). There was statistical difference in the 3-and 5-year distant metastasis rate (DMR) in the treatment group, lower than that of the control group (3.7% vs 31.0%, 20.7% vs 60.7%; P < 0.01). By the end of follow-up, disease progression occurred in 13 cases of the treatment group, local recurrence in 3 cases, single organ metastasis in 7 cases, multi-metastasis in 3 cases, while the corresponding numbers were 21, 1, 11, and 9 in the control group (P < 0.05). As for 1 week before study and at 2-year follow-up using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy for Breast Cancer (FACT-B) system, there was statistical difference in the QOL between the two groups (P < 0.05), and better effect was obtained in the treatment group.

CONCLUSIONRR, as an assistant therapy, could improve the OS rate, the DFS rate, and the QOL for post-surgical female breast cancer patients in 2 -3 years.

Adult ; Aged ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; surgery ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; prevention & control ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; prevention & control ; Phytotherapy ; Postoperative Period ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical features and treatment of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation.

METHODSClinical data of 95 patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation from January 2003 to November 2005 were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSDuring follow-up, 42 patients (43.2%) were diagnosed HCC recurrence. The predominant sites of recurrence were liver graft (32 cases), lung (21 cases), bone (7 cases). Tumor size, tumor distribution, liver cirrhosis, pre-transplant AFP level, tumor differentiation, macrovascular invasion were considered risk factors of both post-transplant survival and HCC recurrence in univariate analysis. Tumor distribution, tumor differentiation, macrovascular invasion were considered independent risk factors of both overall post-transplant survival and HCC recurrence in multivariate analysis. Intervention therapy and internal radiation of recurrent HCC could delay tumor progression and resection of recurrent HCC in selected patients can significantly prolong post-recurrence survival.

CONCLUSIONSCarefully selection of HCC patients as candidates for liver transplantation can significantly reduce HCC recurrence. At the present stage, surgical resection of recurrent HCC is the best treatment method in selected patients.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Liver Transplantation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; etiology ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Postoperative Period ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Treatment Outcome