2.Endometrial cancer lesion region segmentation based on large kernel convolution and combined attention.
Rushu PENG ; Qinghao ZENG ; Bin HE ; Junjie LIU ; Zhang XIAO
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(5):928-935
Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies, with an increasing incidence rate worldwide. Accurate segmentation of lesion areas in computed tomography (CT) images is a critical step in assisting clinical diagnosis. In this study, we propose a novel deep learning-based segmentation model, termed spatial choice and weight union network (SCWU-Net), which incorporates two newly designed modules: the spatial selection module (SSM) and the combination weight module (CWM). The SSM enhances the model's ability to capture contextual information through deep convolutional blocks, while the CWM, based on joint attention mechanisms, is employed within the skip connections to further boost segmentation performance. By integrating the strengths of both modules into a U-shaped multi-scale architecture, the model achieves precise segmentation of EC lesion regions. Experimental results on a public dataset demonstrate that SCWU-Net achieves a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 82.98%, an intersection over union (IoU) of 78.63%, a precision of 92.36%, and a recall of 84.10%. Its overall performance is significantly outperforming other state-of-the-art models. This study enhances the accuracy of lesion segmentation in EC CT images and holds potential clinical value for the auxiliary diagnosis of endometrial cancer.
Humans
;
Endometrial Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging*
;
Female
;
Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods*
;
Deep Learning
;
Algorithms
;
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods*
;
Neural Networks, Computer
3.A Case of Endometrial Metastasis in Lung Adenocarcinoma after EGFR-TKIs Treatment Failure and Literature Review.
Fangqian SHEN ; Zuling HU ; Hua YANG ; Puyu LIU ; Yuju BAI ; Jianguo ZHOU ; Hu MA
Chinese Journal of Lung Cancer 2025;28(7):551-557
The incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer remain high, making it the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. In women, the predominant histological subtype is lung adenocarcinoma, commonly associated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, and EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) can significantly improve patient prognosis. Metastasis of primary lung cancer to the endometrium is extremely rare and is often misdiagnosed as a primary reproductive system tumor, and its occurrence indicates poor prognosis. This article reports a case of an advanced lung adenocarcinoma patient with EGFR mutation, who developed abnormal vaginal bleeding after EGFR-TKIs treatment failure, and biopsy confirmed endometrial metastasis. A review of similar cases is also presented.
.
Humans
;
Female
;
ErbB Receptors/metabolism*
;
Endometrial Neoplasms/genetics*
;
Lung Neoplasms/genetics*
;
Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use*
;
Adenocarcinoma of Lung/drug therapy*
;
Treatment Failure
;
Middle Aged
;
Adenocarcinoma/genetics*
4.Correlations of MicroRNA-487a-3p and A Kinase-Interacting Protein 1 mRNA Levels in Endometrial Cancer Tissue With Patient Survival Within Five Years After Surgery.
Dan-Dan ZHAO ; Su-E ZHANG ; Li-Ye MIAO ; Yan WANG
Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae 2025;47(5):792-800
Objective To investigate the relationships of the expression of microRNA-487a-3p (miR-487a-3p) and A kinase-interacting protein 1 (AKIP1) mRNA in the endometrial cancer (EC) tissue with the patient survival within 5 years after surgery. Methods The EC tissue and adjacent normal tissue samples were collected from 130 EC patients who underwent surgical treatment at the Fourth Hospital of Shijiazhuang from September 2016 to April 2019.qRT-PCR was employed to determine the expression levels of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA.The patients were followed up for 5 years after surgery to record the survival status.After removal of the patients who missed follow-up,78 surviving patients were recorded as the EC survival group,and 34 deceased patients were recorded as the EC death group.The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to verify the targeting relationship between miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA.Comparison was conducted for the expression levels of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA between adjacent normal tissue and EC tissue,the expression levels of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA in the EC tissue among patients with different clinical pathological parameters,and the clinical pathological parameters and the expression levels of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA in the EC tissue between the EC survival group and the EC death group.The correlations of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA levels in the EC tissue with the degree of tumor differentiation,International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage,lymph node metastasis,and depth of muscle invasion were analyzed.The relationships of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA with patient prognosis and the risk factors affecting the survival of EC patients within 5 years after surgery were analyzed to evaluate the value of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA levels in predicting the survival of EC patients within 5 years after survival. Results The EC tissue showed lower miR-487a-3p level (0.41±0.08 vs. 1.00±0.05;t=71.306,P<0.001) and higher AKIP1 mRNA level (2.35±0.37 vs. 1.00±0.03;t=41.465,P<0.001) than the adjacent normal tissue.The miR-487a-3p low expression group and AKIP1 mRNA high expression group had higher proportions of patients with low tumor differentiation,FIGO stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ,lymph node metastasis,and deep invasion of muscle layer than the miR-487a-3p high expression group and AKIP1 mRNA low expression group,respectively (all P<0.05).The results of dual luciferase reporter gene assay showed that the relative activity of luciferase in the miR-487a-3p small interfering RNA (siRNA)+AKIP1 mRNA-wild type (WT) group was higher than that in the miR-487a-3p empty vector+AKIP1 mRNA-WT group (2.85±0.19 vs. 1.00±0.04;t=23.339,P<0.001).There was no significant difference in the relative activity of luciferase between the miR-487a-3p empty vector+AKIP1 mRNA-mutant type (MUT) group and the miR-487a-3p siRNA+AKIP1 mRNA-MUT group (1.04±0.05 vs. 1.05±0.03;t=0.420,P=0.683).MiR-487a-3p in the EC tissue had negative correlations with AKIP1 mRNA,FIGO stage,lymph node metastasis,and depth of muscle invasion and a positive correlation with the degree of tumor differentiation (all P<0.001).AKIP1 mRNA had positive correlations with FIGO stage,lymph node metastasis,and depth of muscle invasion and a negative correlation with the degree of tumor differentiation (all P<0.001).The 5-year overall survival rates in the miR-487a-3p high expression group and AKIP1 mRNA low expression group (89.47% and 84.91%) were higher than those in the miR-487a-3p low expression group and AKIP1 mRNA high expression group (49.09% and 55.93%),respectively (both P<0.05).The EC death group had higher proportions of patients with low tumor differentiation,FIGO stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ,lymph node metastasis,and deep invasion of muscle layer,higher AKIP1 mRNA level in the EC tissue,and lower miR-487a-3p level than the EC survival group (all P<0.05).Low tumor differentiation,FIGO stage Ⅲ to Ⅳ,lymph node metastasis,deep invasion of muscle layer,low miR-487a-3p level,and high AKIP1 mRNA level were independent risk factors for the survival of EC patients within 5 years after surgery (all P<0.05).The area under curve (AUC) values of miR-487a-3p and AKIP1 mRNA alone (0.785 and 0.789,respectively) were lower than that of their combination (0.908) in predicting the survival of EC patients within 5 years after surgery (both P<0.05). Conclusion The EC tissue has a low miR-487a-3p level and a high AKIP1 mRNA level,both of which are correlated with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis and can be used to predict the survival of EC patients within 5 years after surgery.
Humans
;
Female
;
Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology*
;
MicroRNAs/genetics*
;
RNA, Messenger/genetics*
;
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics*
;
Middle Aged
;
Survival Rate
;
Nuclear Proteins
5.Metformin as an adjunct to progestin therapy in endometrial hyperplasia and early-stage endometrial cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Patricia Ann A. Factor ; Koleen C. Pasamba
Acta Medica Philippina 2024;58(11):62-71
Background:
Metformin has been studied for its anti-proliferative effects on endometrial cells, and it is hypothesized to have a synergistic effect with progestin therapy in suppressing endometrial cell proliferation. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the efficacy of adjunctive metformin in the clinical regression of endometrial hyperplasia and early-stage endometrial carcinoma.
Methodology:
This meta-analysis followed the Cochrane methodology and adhered to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included if they enrolled reproductive-aged women with endometrial hyperplasia (with and without atypia) and endometrial carcinoma who were treated with progestin and metformin. The primary outcome was the complete response rate at 12-16 weeks, and secondary outcomes included relapse rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for dichotomous data.
Results:
Six RCTs were included. The addition of metformin to progestin therapy may increase the complete response rate of endometrial hyperplasia without atypia (OR 5.12, 95% CI 1.17 to 22.41; n=102) and live birth rates (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.34 to 4.69; n=188) compared to progestin therapy alone, but the certainty of the evidence is low. Metformin did not have a significant effect on the clinical response of endometrial hyperplasia with atypia and endometrial carcinoma, relapse rates, and clinical pregnancy rates.
Conclusion
Current evidence is uncertain on the potential benefit of metformin with progestin in endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma. Future high-quality randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to support practice recommendations.
Endometrial Hyperplasia
;
Endometrial Neoplasms
;
Metformin
;
Progesterone
7.Mechanism of miR-200b-3p-induced FOSL2 inhibitorion of endometrial cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.
Jing WANG ; Lijie HE ; Zhe HAN
Chinese Journal of Cellular and Molecular Immunology 2024;40(12):1089-1095
Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate how miR-200b-3p inhibitors the proliferation and metastasis of endometrial cancer(EC) cells by inducing the expression of FOS-like antigen 2(FOSL2) of activator protein 1(AP1) transcription family. Methods Endometrial cancer cell line HEC-1-A was divided into 12 groups: NC-mimic (transfected with negative control NC mimic), miR-200b-3p mimic (transfected with miR-200b-3p mimic), NC-inhibitor (transfected with negative control NC inhibitor), miR-200b-3p inhibitor group (transfected with miR-200b-3p inhibitor), si-NC (transfected with negative control Si-NC), si-FOSL2 (transfected with si-FOSL2), oe-NC (transfected with negative control oe-NC), oe-FOSL2 group (oe-FOSL2), miR-200b-3p mimic+oe-NC group (co-transfected with miR-200b-3p mimic and oe-NC), miR-200b-3p mimic+oe-FOSL2 group (co-transfected with miR-200b-3p mimic and oe-FOSL2), miR-200b-3p inhibitor+si-NC group (co-transfected with miR-200b-3p inhibitor and si-NC), miR-200b-3p inhibitor+si-FOSL2 group (co-transfected with miR-200b-3p inhibitor and si-FOSL2). Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, Western blot, CCK-8 assay, scratch test and Transwell assay were used to detect the expression of miR-200b-3p mRNA, FOSL2 mRNA and protein expression level, cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Results In endometrial cancer cell lines, the expression of miR-200b-3p was significantly down-regulated, while the expression of FOSL2 was significantly up-regulated. Compared with NC-mimic group, the expression of FOSL2, N-cadherin and Vimentin in miR-200b-3p mimic group was significantly decreased, and the expression of E-cadherin was significantly increased. The cell proliferation, migration rate and the number of transmembrane cells were significantly decreased. Compared with the miR-200b-3p mimic+oe-NC group, the expression of FOSL2, N-cadherin and Vimentin in miR-200b-3p mimic+oe-FOSL2 group was significantly increased, and the expression level of E-cadherin was significantly decreased, and the cell proliferation, migration rate and the number of transmembrane cells were significantly increased. Compared with NC-inhibitor group, the expression of FOSL2, N-cadherin and Vimentin in miR-200b-3p inhibitor group was significantly increased, and the expression of E-cadherin was significantly decreased. The cell proliferation, migration rate and the number of transmembrane cells were significantly increased. Compared with the miR-200b-3p inhibitor+si-NC group, the expression of FOSL2, N-cadherin and Vimentin in miR-200b-3p inhibitor+si-FOSL2 group was significantly decreased, and the expression of E-cadherin was significantly increased; the cell proliferation, migration rate and the number of transmembrane cells were significantly decreased. Conclusion The expression of miR-200b-3p in endometrial cancer cells is down-regulated, which can inhibitor the proliferation, migration and invasion of endometrial cancer cells by regulating the EMT process, and its mechanism is related to its targeted negative regulation of FOSL2 expression.
Humans
;
Female
;
Cell Proliferation/drug effects*
;
MicroRNAs/genetics*
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Fos-Related Antigen-2/metabolism*
;
Endometrial Neoplasms/metabolism*
;
Neoplasm Metastasis/genetics*
;
Cell Movement/drug effects*
;
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
;
Cadherins/metabolism*
8.Estrogen upregulates DNA2 expression through the PI3K-AKT pathway in endometrial carcinoma.
Xinyan WANG ; Xiuling XU ; Ting ZHANG ; Yang JIN ; Sheng XU ; Lifeng CHEN ; Yucheng LAI ; Ling ZHANG ; Ruolang PAN ; Yan YU
Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2023;24(3):262-268
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological malignancy, affecting up to 3% of women at some point during their lifetime (Morice et al., 2016; Li and Wang, 2021). Based on the pathogenesis and biological behavioral characteristics, endometrial cancer can be divided into estrogen-dependent (I) and non-estrogen-dependent (II) types (Ulrich, 2011). Type I accounts for approximately 80% of cases, of which the majority are endometrioid carcinomas, and the remaining are mucinous adenocarcinomas (Setiawan et al., 2013). It is generally recognized that long-term stimulation by high estrogen levels with the lack of progesterone antagonism is the most important risk factor; meanwhile, there is no definite conclusion on the specific pathogenesis. The incidence of endometrial cancer has been on the rise during the past two decades (Constantine et al., 2019; Gao et al., 2022; Luo et al., 2022). Moreover, the development of assisted reproductive technology and antiprogestin therapy following breast cancer surgery has elevated the risk of developing type I endometrial cancer to a certain extent (Vassard et al., 2019). Therefore, investigating the influence of estrogen in type I endometrial cancer may provide novel concepts for risk assessment and adjuvant therapy, and at the same time, provide a basis for research on new drugs to treat endometrial cancer.
Female
;
Humans
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
;
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
;
Endometrial Neoplasms
;
Estrogens
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Breast Neoplasms
;
DNA Helicases
9.Apolipoprotein E enhances migration of endometrial cancer cells byactivating the ERK/MMP9 signaling pathway.
Journal of Southern Medical University 2023;43(2):232-241
OBJECTIVE:
To study the role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) in regulating endometrial cancer metastasis and explore the signaling pathway in the regulatory mechanism.
METHODS:
Human endometrial cancer cell line HEC-1B was transfected with a control siRNA (siCtrl) or a specific siRNA targeting APOE (siAPOE) or with either pEGFP-N1 plasmid or an APOEoverexpressing plasmid. The changes in migration, proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of the transfected cells were examined using wound healing assay, Transwell migration assay, MTT assay, flow cytometry, and Hoechst staining. The activity of the ERK/MMP9 signaling pathway in the transfected cells was assessed using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. The expression level of APOE in clinical specimens of endometrial cancer tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry and its correlation with differentiation of endometrial cancer tissues was analyzed.
RESULTS:
Wound healing assay and Transwell migration assay showed that compared with those in siCtrl group, HEC-1B cells transfected with siAPOE showed significantly reduced migration ability (P < 0.05), whereas APOE overexpression significantly promoted the migration of the cells (P < 0.05). Neither APOE knockdown nor overexpression produced significant effects on HEC-1B cell proliferation as shown by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Hoechst staining revealed that transfection with siAPOE did not significantly affect apoptosis of HEC-1B cells. APOE knockdown obviously reduced and APOE overexpression enhanced ERK phosphorylation and MMP9 expression in HEC-1B cells (P < 0.05). Treatment with U0126 partially reversed the effects of APOE overexpression on ERK phosphorylation, migration and MMP9 expression in HEC-1B cells (P < 0.05). APOE is highly expressed in clinical samples of endometrial cancer tissues as compared with the adjacent tissues.
CONCLUSION
APOE is highly expressed in endometrial cancer tissues to promote cancer cell migration by enhancing ERK phosphorylation and MMP9 expression.
Female
;
Humans
;
Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/metabolism*
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Signal Transduction
;
Endometrial Neoplasms/genetics*
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Apoptosis
;
Cell Movement
;
RNA, Small Interfering
;
Apolipoproteins E
;
Apolipoproteins/pharmacology*
10.The value of T2 mapping for evaluating the pathological type, grade and depth of myometrial invasion in endometrial carcinoma.
Shu Jian LI ; Zan Xia ZHANG ; Jie LIU ; Wei Jian WANG ; Juan WANG ; Yong ZHANG ; Jing Liang CHENG
Chinese Journal of Oncology 2023;45(8):673-680
Objective: To investigate the value of T2 map and synthetic T2WI generated by T2 mapping in evaluating the histological type, pathological classification and depth of myometrial invasion of endometrial carcinoma (EC). Methods: Seventy-three patients with pathologically proven EC diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from December 2019 to December 2021 and 42 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. All subjects underwent conventional MRI, diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and T2 mapping sequence for the pelvic cavity to test the T2 values and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the focus nidus of the patients and the normal endometrium of the volunteers. The T2 and ADC values of EC vs normal endometrium, and those of different histological types and pathological grades were compared. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of T2 and ADC values in determining the pathological type and classification of EC. In addition, two radiologists used synthetic T2WI combined with T2 map and conventional T2WI combined with DWI, respectively, to evaluate the depth of myometrial invasion, and compared the imaging results with the results of pathological diagnosis to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the two methods in determining the depth of myometrial invasion. Results: The T2 and ADC values of endometrial carcinoma were 85.0 (80.8, 92.5) ms and 0.71 (0.64, 0.77) ×10(-3) mm(2)/s, respectively, which were significantly lower than those of normal endometrium [147.4 (123.4, 176.7) ms and 1.46 (1.26, 1.76)×10(-3) mm(2)/s, respectively; both P<0.05]. The T2 values of endometrioid carcinoma (EA) [84.1 (79.5, 88.7) ms] were significantly lower than those of non-EA [98.8 (92.1, 102.8) ms; P<0.05]. There was no significant difference in ADC values between EA and non-EA (P=0.075). The T2 values of G1, G2 and G3 groups in EA were 89.1 (84.4, 94.4) ms, 83.6 (80.9, 86.2) ms, and 76.5 (71.4, 80.3) ms, respectively. There were significant differences in the T2 values between G1 vs G2, G1 vs G3, and G2 vs G3 groups, respectively (all P<0.017). Significant difference was also found in the ADC values between the G1 and G3 groups (P<0.017). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of T2 values in distinguishing EA from non-EA was 0.867. The AUC of T2 values, ADC values and their combination in predicting high-grade EA was 0.888, 0.730 and 0.895, respectively. The accuracy of synthetic T2WI+ T2 map and conventional T2WI+ DWI in the diagnosis of deep myometrial invasion was 78.1% and 79.5%, respectively, with no significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusions: T2 mapping has great potential in preoperative evaluation of EC. The quantitative T2 value can be used in the diagnosis, pathological classification and grading of EC. The combination of synthetic T2WI and T2 map may be helpful to determine the depth of myometrial invasion.
Female
;
Humans
;
Neoplasm Invasiveness/pathology*
;
Endometrial Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging*
;
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*
;
Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods*
;
ROC Curve
;
Retrospective Studies


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