Infectious Agents and Cancer最新文献

Precision medicine, which emphasizes individualized patient care rather than targeting a specific type of neoplasm, is becoming increasingly prevalent in oncology. Furthermore, the ability to combine multiple treatment modalities either concurrently or at different stages of the disease is enhancing both the safety and effectiveness of therapies. This, in turn, leads to improved patient outcomes, not only in terms of overall survival (OS) but also in physical well-being. Nevertheless, oncologic therapies can induce both local and systemic changes, as well as complications that are closely related to the type of treatment administered. Accurate interpretation of post-treatment imaging is therefore essential for timely and appropriate patient management.In this context, it is evident that radiologists specializing in oncology must be well-versed not only in the effects of various therapies but also in the different assessment criteria used to evaluate treatment efficacy accurately.The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the various response evaluation criteria, beginning with conventional, size-based methods and progressing to functional approaches that rely on metabolic activity and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), while highlighting the respective advantages and limitations of each.

Background: Human Papillomavirus has been associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), involving several risk factors in different parts of the world. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of high-risk HPV 16 and HPV 18, and factors associated with this prevalence, among patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who attended Mulago Hospital, Uganda, from 2010 to 2015.

Methods: This was a retrospective study in which 174 tissue blocks from individual patients, with confirmed oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, were retrieved from the archives. The corresponding medical charts of the patients were reviewed for demographic and clinical data. HE stained sections of the tissue blocks were reviewed for reconfirmation of OSCC& OPSCC. The samples were genotyped for HPV 16, 18 using Multiplex PCR techniques. The data was analysed using R.

Results: All 174 samples were confirmed positive for OSCC & OPSCC. HPV DNA was positive in 128 individuals (74%), 46 tested negative. HPV 16 alone occurred in 55 (32%) subjects and HPV 18 alone occurred in 37 (21%). Double infection was present in 36 individuals (21%). HIV was the only risk factor significantly associated with HPV 16 on OSCC& OPSCC (p = 0.018).

Conclusions: Overall, HPV 16 and 18 are key etiological factors in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma pathogenesis in the Ugandan population, with a high prevalence. The results suggest that HIV positive individuals are at a higher risk of acquiring HPV 16 associated OPSCC. Alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking are not factors associated with HPV associated OPSCC in this study population.

Purpose: To analyze outcomes and evaluate the survival benefits of metronomic chemotherapy (MC) with S-1 in locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC) patients with residual EBV-DNA after induction chemotherapy (IC).

Methods: We retrospectively included patients diagnosed with LANPC between October 2015 and August 2021. All patients were treated with IC and had residual EBV-DNA after IC. Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier methods, and Cox proportional hazards model were used for statistical analyses.

Results: A total of 103 patients were identified, including 20 (19.4%) who received MC using S-1 for one year. Among these patients, 40 experienced disease progression, including 12 with locoregional recurrence (30.0%), 24 with distant metastasis (60.0%), and 4 with both locoregional recurrence and distant metastasis (10.0%). The 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) rates were 81.3%, 70.7%, 52.8%, and 72.1%, respectively. Multivariate prognostic analysis showed that post-IC residual EBV-DNA levels were independent prognostic factors for DMFS and PFS. Patients with EBV-DNA levels > 90 copies/mL had worse DMFS (hazard ratio [HR] 4.978, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.413-17.535, P = 0.012) and PFS (HR 3.679, 95% CI 1.592-8.499, P = 0.002). Additionally, receiving MC was an independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS. Patients who received MC had better PFS (HR 0.310, 95% CI 0.120-0.802, P = 0.016) and OS (HR 0.100, 95% CI 0.013-0.745, P = 0.025).

Conclusions: Our study highlights the poorer survival outcomes observed in LANPC patients with residual EBV-DNA levels following IC, as well as the potential survival advantages of MC in this subgroup.

Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Objectives: Observational studies suggest a potential link between Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and extrahepatic cancers, but the causal relationship remains unclear.

Methods: We applied a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to evaluate the causal relationships between HCV infection and various extrahepatic cancers. A two-step MR was used to identify potential mediators, followed by colocalization analysis to identify HCV-associated susceptibility genes (HSGs). A pan-cancer analysis using TCGA data was conducted, and a prognostic model based on HSGs was developed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and Cox models. Genetic risk score (GRS) analysis from the UK Biobank validated our findings.

Results: We identified a causal link between genetic susceptibility to HCV infection and kidney cancer, both in univariable and multivariable MR analyses. The two-step MR identified five mediators in the causal pathway. IRF5 was highlighted as a key HSG in both the colocalization and pan-cancer analyses. Our prognostic model incorporating three HSGs predicted overall survival (OS) in kidney cancer patients. GRS analysis confirmed the association.

Conclusions: The present study provides evidence supporting a causal link between HCV infection and the development of kidney cancer.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Several studies have examined HPV prevalence in West Africa, but comprehensive regional estimates remain unavailable. This study estimates the overall prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV in West African populations.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search in Medline, Embase, Global Health, Web of Science, and Africa Index Medicus for articles published up to March 5, 2024. We estimated pooled HPV prevalence using a random-effects model. The Hoy et al. tool assessed the risk of bias, while the I² test measured between-study heterogeneity. Egger's regression test evaluated publication bias. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023463042).

Results: The analysis included 145 studies from 12 West African countries, comprising 71,324 participants. The pooled prevalence of HPV was 42.3% (95% CI: 38.5-46.1%), with significant heterogeneity (I² = 99.0%; P < 0.001). HPV prevalence varied across population subgroups, with a significantly higher pooled prevalence of 81.4% (95% CI: 68.2-91.8%) among women with cervical cancer. Egger's test did not indicate significant publication bias (P > 0.05). Among high-risk HPV genotypes, HPV-16 (19.9%, 95% CI: 15.9-24.1%) and HPV-82 (18.9%, 95% CI: 7.5-33.7%) were the most prevalent. Among low-risk genotypes, HPV-81 was the most common, with a prevalence of 12.9% (95% CI: 7.1-20.0%).

Conclusion: Human papillomavirus prevalence is high in West Africa, with diverse genotypes, including several with oncogenic potential. Targeted health interventions, including vaccination programs and enhanced screening efforts, are recommended to reduce HPV burden in this region.

Introduction: Helicobacter pylori (HP) is a well-established gastric carcinogen. But it shows inconsistent association with colorectal cancer (CRC) across diverse study populations.

Methods: We investigated participants from the UK biobank. HP-seropositive cases and peptic ulcer diseases (PUDs) were identified. The primary outcome was CRC. We estimated the cumulative incidence using a competing risk model measured by the hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with adjustment. We did a genome-wide interaction analysis to identify genetic variants that modify HP-serology-CRC associations with exploratory gene-based and gene-set analysis. We further did a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the causal relation of gene-proxied PUD on CRC of the European ancestry and of the East Asian ancestry.

Results: We included 492,490 participants with a median follow-up of 14.7 years. HP sero-positivity did not significantly increase the incidence of CRC (adjusted HR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.53 - 1.10, p = 0.15). No SNP was identified to be significantly interacted with HP serology to modify CRC risk. The risk of CRC for PUD cases was not significantly different from non-PUD cases after adjusting (adjusted HR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.76 - 1.02, p = 0.09). The gene-proxied PUD causally increased the incidence of colon cancer of the East Asian ancestry (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.00 - 2.15, p = 0.047), not of the European ancestry (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 0.79 - 1.34, p = 0.82).

Conclusions: Neither seropositivity for HP nor PUD showed a robust increase on the risk of CRC in a 15-year follow-up. The causal relation of PUD on CRC was significant of East Asian ancestry, not of European ancestry.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of action of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) and Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) individually and synergistically on Cal-27 cells through transcriptome analyses to evaluate the mechanism evidence of periodontal pathogen involvement in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: Cal-27 cells were treated with P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum individually or in combination. Cell proliferation was assessed via CCK-8 assay and EdU staining, while migration was evaluated using scratch assays. Transcriptomic sequencing analyzed molecular mechanisms underlying single and co-infections.

Results: Synergistic treatment with P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum significantly enhanced Cal-27 cell proliferation and migration compared to either pathogen alone. Transcriptomics revealed that co-infection accelerated tumor cell cycle progression and amplified pro-inflammatory pathways, indicating stronger pro-tumorigenic effects.

Conclusion: This study clarifies the cooperative tumor-promoting role of multiple bacterial species, providing potential therapeutic targets for oral squamous cell carcinoma in bacterial infection contexts and highlighting the importance of controlling oral microbiota.

Background: Women treated with cervical loop electrosurgical excision procedure require follow-up to detect residual or recurrent HSIL+, defined as high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, adenocarcinoma in situ or cervical cancer. Currently, co-testing with cytology and human papillomavirus (HPV) analysis is usually recommended. This study investigates whether HPV testing alone is comparable to co-testing in detecting HSIL + up to three years after treatment. Recurrence rates of HSIL + are also presented, with follow-up extending up to 18 years.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all 3,540 women treated with a cervical excision in Uppsala County between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2019. Women with cancer identified in the cone biopsy were excluded. The main outcome was HSIL + detected within three years of follow-up. Sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value were calculated for the 1,938 women who had a co-testing result as part of their test of cure. Thus, the analysis for the main outcome could finally be performed on 1,938 out of the total number of 3,540 women. Additionally, long-term data on recurrence and time to HSIL+, along with a separate analysis of results prior to cervical cancer diagnosis, were collected for the whole cohort of 3,399 women.

Results: The sensitivity and negative predictive value for detecting HSIL + were 69% and 97% for HPV alone, and 74% and 98% for co-testing, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. Specificity was higher for HPV alone than for co-testing. The negative predictive value of HPV testing for excluding cervical cancer (n = 5) within three years was 100%. Recurrence rate of HSIL + in the three-year follow up was 8%, and the total recurrence rate of HSIL + with a mean follow-up of nine years was 10%. Mean time to recurrence was 28 months. None of 19 cervical cancer cases identified in the long-term follow-up had a co-testing result showing negative HPV but positive cytology.

Conclusions: HPV testing alone, as a single test, is comparable to co-testing in detecting HSIL + up to three years after treatment independently of margin status, and demonstrates a higher specificity. Cytology plays a very limited role in the test of cure analysis and could therefore be omitted.