The Aurora kinase family of serine/threonine kinases plays an important role in chromosome alignment,segregation and cytokinesis during mitosis.Overexpression of Aurora kinases has been observed in a variety of human solid tumors and hematological malignancies.Aberrant expression of Aurora kinase can interrupt the function of the checkpoint in mitosis,lead to instability of genetic substance and induce tumorigenesis.

Cancer immunotherapy is a new approach to cancer treatment. Dendritic cells, the most potent antigen-presenting cells found in humans, have attracted a lot of researches. However, dendritic cells are insufficient to cross-present self-antigens in-vivo. To improve the dendritic cells' antigen-presenting capabilities and the anti-tumor effect, in vitro preparation of dendritic cell vaccine and combination with pro-apoptotic treatments such as chemotherapy are being used.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosomal pathway for the degradation of cytoplasmic proteins,macromolecules,and organelles.Now,autophagic cell death is considered as programmed cell death type Ⅱ.In multiple studies,inhibition of autophagy will result in contrasting outcomes-survival or death.Thus,whether autophagy in cancer cells causes death or protects cells is controversial.Taken together,the manipulation of autophagy may lead to development of new cancer therapies.This article focuses on recent progresses of autophagy research related to human cancers therapy.

The acetylation status of histories regulates access of transcription factors to DNA and influences levels of gene expression.Histone deacetylase(HDAC)activity diminishes acctylation of histones,causing compaction of the DNA-histone complex.This compaction blocks gene transcription and inhibits cell differentiation.HDAC inhibitom decompact the DNA-histone complex and promote cell growth arrest,differentiation,and apoptosis of tumor cells.Meantime,HDAC inhibition also affects acetylation status and function of non-histone proteins.HDAC inhibitors not only possess significant anti-tumor effects with single use,but also has great significance in combined therapy with other drugs.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition cause primary carcinoma cells to acquire mesenchymal features and re-epithelialize to form a secondary mass at a metastatic site. Such plasticity has implications in the progression of breast carcinoma to metastasis, and will likely influence cancer's response to therapy. The transcriptional and epigenetic regulation that underlie the development of breast cancer and result in characteristic changes in cell behavior can be monitored using an array of marker proteins, providing the potential for emergent prognostic and therapeutic targeting.

Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) is a nuclear transcription factor of PEBP2/CBF superfamilies,and can regulate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP),osteopontin (OPN) and bone sialoprotein (BSP) which are associated with the metastasis of tumors including breast cancer and prostate cancer.In these cancers,the expression of Runx2 is highly up-regulated,which is closely correlated with the cell transformation and tumor progress.Lots of studies have demonstrated that the function of Runx2 is involved in several signal pathways activation,which can promote the early metastasis of malignant tumors.Therefore,the treatment targeting to Runx2 may be a new clinically choice to block the metastasis of tumors in the future.

CD44 has been the subject of extensive research because of its role in cancer and many physiological processes.Through binding to different ligands,CD44 can initiate a series of cascade.CD44 not only can promote tumorigenic and tumor metastasis,but also can suppress tumor growth and progression.In-depth study of CD44 and its role in signal pathway may provide a new path for cancer treatment.

The overexpression of proto-oncogene protein c-pim-1 (Pim-1) in tumor tissue is related to the stage and prognosis.Recent studies indicate that Pim-1 plays a critical role in the proliferation and apoptosis of cells and the metastasis of tumor.Pim-1 acts as an essential factor in several signaling pathways and its expression and activation are regulated by many factors as well as affects others widely.As an influential factor in the occurrence and development of tumor,Pim-1 has been a potential target in oncotherapy.

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of three different staging system based on positive lymph nodes,lymph node ratio and log odds of positive lymph nodes in breast carcinoma.Methods In 472 breast carcinoma patients,survival analysis was performed with Kaplan-Merier and COX regression model,the hazard ratio (HR) of the three staging system were compared.Results When more than 10 lymph nodes were dissected in the operation,there was statistical differences in survival among the staging systems based on lymph node ratio and log odds of positive lymph nodes (P ＜ 0.05),while the prognosis was highly homologous between the staging systems based on positive lymph nodes in stage N0 and N1.Univariate analysis showed age,tumor size,Her2 status,estrogen receptor status and the total lymph nodes dissected were related to overall survival (all P ＜ 0.05).COX multivariate analysis showed that the staging system based on lymph node ratio (5.495) and log odds of positive lymph nodes (4.662) had the higher HR than the N staging system (2.722).Conclusions Compared with the number of involved lymph nodes,the staging system based on lymph node ratio and log odds of positive lymph nodes were superior to the staging system based on positive lymph nodes for prognostic assessment of breast carcinoma.

Src homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase (SHP2), which is encoded by proto-oncogene PTPN11, is one of the transmembrane protein-tyrosine phosphatases. SHP2 has an important function in signal transduction pathways and activities of cells through the regulation of tyrosine phosphorylation level of intracellular proteins. The status of SHP2 activation is closely connected with the regulation of hormone levels, state of invasion and metastasis of tumor, development and progression of tumor stem cells of breast cancer, as well as signal pathways including Ras/ERK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR. Gene knockout or gene silencing expression helps inhibit tumor growth, irreversibly hindering the ability of the tumor to regain stem cells and disturb the signal pathways of the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer. Recent studies have shown that SHP2 may help in bringing anticancer drugs to a higher level. This arti-cle concentrates on the research progress in relationship of SHP2 with invasion and metastasis of breast cancer.