, awareness of this subtype may prevent misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis.The presence of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) in tumor tissues are of great prognostic significance in several types of human cancer. The present study investigated the density of TILs and TLSs in gastric cancer (GC) tissues and their association with pathological parameters. Moreover, the clinical significance of follicular CD8+ cytotoxic T cells present within the germinal centers of the tumor-associated TLSs was investigated. Immunohistochemistry and H&E staining were used to examine the infiltration and distribution patterns of TILs, TLSs and germinal center (gc) CD8+ TILs in tumor tissues obtained from 63 patients with GC. The number of TILs, TLSs, combination of TILs and TLSs (TILs-TLSs) and gcCD8+ TILs were used to define tumoral immune parameters, and the prognostic value of these parameters was assessed. The analysis revealed that patients with GC with increased levels of TILs, TLSs, or gcCD8+ TILs exhibited improved overall survival. In addition, gcCD8+ TILs levels were significantly associated with patient age, histological grade and pTN stage. Increased levels of TILs-TLSs were positively associated with nerve invasion, tumor thrombus, nodal metastasis and histological grade. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that TILs-TLSs and gcCD8+ TILs were independent prognostic factors. The data obtained in the present study demonstrated that high levels of tumoral immune parameters are important independent prognostic predictors for human GC. The results also suggested a possible role of gcCD8+ TILs in tumor immune surveillance.SMADs, a family of proteins that function as signal transducers and transcriptional regulators to regulate various signaling pathways, including the transforming growth factor-β signaling pathway, are similar to the mothers against decapentaplegic family of genes and the sma gene family in Caenorhabditis elegans. SMADs generate context-dependent modulation by interacting with various sequence-specific transcription factors, such as E2F4/5, c-Fos, GATA3, YY1 and SRF, which have been found to serve a key role in lung carcinoma oncogenesis and progression. However, the prognostic values of the eight SMADs in lung cancer have not been fully understood. In the present study, the expression levels and survival data of SMADs in patients with lung carcinoma from the Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, Kaplan-Meier plotter and cBioPortal databases were downloaded and analyzed. It was found that the mRNA expression levels of SMAD-6, -7 and -9 were decreased in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma compared with that in adjacent normal tissues, while there was no significant difference in SMADs 1-5. Survival analysis revealed that not only were low transcriptional levels of SMAD-6, -7 and -9 associated with low overall survival but they also had prognostic role for progression-free survival and post-progression survival (P less then 0.05) in patients with lung carcinoma. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that SMAD-6, -7 and -9 are potential biomarkers for the prognosis of patients with lung carcinoma.Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies and is the second leading cause of cancer-associated mortality world-wide. In the present study, the prognostic value and antitumor effects of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) and its receptors in GC were explored. The online Kaplan-Meier plotter database was used to investigate the prognostic values of TGFβ1 and its receptors. The present study demonstrated that low mRNA expression levels of TGFβ1 and its 3 receptors, transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβR1), TGFβR2 and TGFβR3, was associated with improved overall survival time in patients with GC. Cell Counting Kit-8 and Transwell assays were used to confirm the effects of TGFβ1, TGFβR1, TGFβR2 and TGFβR3 on the proliferation, migration and invasiveness of the AGS and MKN45 GC cell lines. It was found that the knockdown of these genes blocked cell proliferation, migration and invasion in GC cells. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to determine the role of TGFβR1 and TGFβR3 in GC cells. The results indicate that in addition to TGFβ1 and TGFβR2, TGFβR1 also plays a specific role in the occurrence and development of tumors. Thus, these markers may be considered as potential prognostic indicators in human GC. The findings of the present study indicate that not only TGFβ1 and TGFβR2, but also TGFβR1 is involved in the progression of GC. The findings of the present study provide new ideas and approaches for the treatment of patients with GC.Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer type characterized by dysregulated cell signalling pathways and resistance to treatment. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signalling pathway has been identified to have a role in tumour progression and therapy resistance. However, its regulatory roles in PDAC have remained to be fully elucidated. In the present study, dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in PDAC were explored with a focus on those that may be involved in regulating the insulin/IGF signalling pathway. A total of 208 patients were recruited, comprising 112 patients with PDAC, 50 patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) and 46 subjects as a control group (CG). miRNA-specific quantitative PCR assays were used to measure 300 candidate miRNAs. The Student's t-test was applied to compare miRNA regulation between cancer patients and controls with a false discovery rate correction using Bonferroni-type comparison procedures. The DIANA-mirPath v.3 tool and HMDD v3.0 were used to identify miRNA-mRNA interactions within specific pathways. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/doxycycline.html In patients with PDAC, 42 miRNAs were significantly upregulated and 42 were downregulated compared to the CG (P less then 0.01). In the PDAC vs. CP analysis, 16 significantly (P less then 0.01) upregulated and 16 downregulated miRNAs were identified. Of note, members of the let-7 family of miRNAs were downregulated and were indicated to target several components of the insulin receptor (INSR)/IGF pathway, including receptors and binding proteins, for upregulation and thus, may enable the activation of the pathway. Downregulation of the let-7 family may help promote the INSR/IGF pathway in PDAC. It may thus be an effective target for the development of INSR/IGF pathway-specific treatment strategies.