Cancer Science最新文献

Tumor stiffness is drawing attention as a novel axis that is orthogonal to existing parameters such as pathological examination. We developed a new diagnostic method that focuses on differences in stiffness between tumor and normal tissue. This study comprised a clinical application of laser resonance frequency analysis (L-RFA) for diagnosing gastric cancer. L-RFA allows for precise and contactless evaluation of tissue stiffness. We used a laser to create vibrations on a sample's surface that were then measured using a vibrometer. The data were averaged and analyzed to enhance accuracy. In the agarose phantom experiments, a clear linear correlation was observed between the Young's modulus of the phantoms (0.34-0.71 MPa) and the summation of normalized vibration peaks (Score) in the 1950-4050 Hz range (R² = 0.93145). Higher Young's moduli also resulted in lower vibration peaks at the excitation frequency, signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios, and harmonic peaks. We also conducted L-RFA measurements on gastric cancer specimens from two patients who underwent robot-assisted distal gastrectomy. Our results revealed significant waveform differences between tumor and normal regions, similar to the findings in agarose phantoms, with tumor regions exhibiting lower vibration peaks at the excitation frequency, S/N ratios, and harmonic peaks. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences in the score between normal and tumor regions (p = 0.00354). L-RFA was able to assess tumor stiffness and holds great promise as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for gastric cancer.

Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide, yet only approximately 16% of patients are diagnosed in early stage, highlighting the urgent need for novel, highly accurate detection models. In our study, patients with suspected lung cancer or lung disease, as identified through radiographic imaging, along with healthy individuals, were consecutively recruited from Beijing Chest Hospital. Circulating free DNA (cfDNA) was extracted from plasma samples, and low-depth whole-genome sequencing was performed to identify fragmentomic features for model construction. A total of 265 participants were prospectively enrolled, comprising 124 lung cancer patients and 141 noncancer individuals. The model we developed was based on four cfDNA fragmentation characteristics, including 20-bp breakpoint nucleotides motif, fragmentation size coverage, fragmentation size distribution, and copy number variation. In an independent test cohort, the model achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.861 (95% CI: 0.781-0.942) and demonstrated a sensitivity of 70% (95% CI: 53.5%-83.4%) at a specificity of 89.4% (95% CI: 76.9%-96.5%). Notably, the model was also effective in detecting early-stage cancer, with an AUC of 0.808 (95% CI: 0.69-0.925). In summary, our lung cancer detection model shows strong screening capabilities by leveraging four cfDNA fragmentation characteristics, exhibiting robust performance in early cancer diagnosis.

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are a highly conserved family of transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases with multiple roles in the regulation of key cellular processes. Specific FGFR mutations have been observed in several types of cancers, including gastric carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Dose escalation data of 24 Japanese patients with solid tumors treated with Tasurgratinib (previously known as E7090), a potent, selective FGFR1-3 inhibitor, was reported in a phase I, first-in-human, single-center study. Based on the safety, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic profiles observed in this study, the recommended dose of 140 mg once daily was selected for the expansion part (Part 2), a multicenter expansion of the dose-finding study restricted to patients with tumors harboring FGFR gene alterations. Safety and preliminary efficacy were assessed in Part 2. Pharmacodynamic pharmacogenomic markers (serum phosphate, FGF23, and 1,25-(OH)₂-vitamin D, circulating tumor DNA) and pharmacokinetic profiles were also evaluated. A total of 16 patients were enrolled in Part 2, six with cholangiocarcinoma and 10 with gastric cancer. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were hyperphosphatemia, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome, and paronychia. Five partial responses (83.3%) in cholangiocarcinoma patients and one partial response (11.1%) in gastric cancer patients were observed; median progression-free survival was 8.26 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.84, not evaluable [NE]) and 3.25 months (95% CI 0.95, 4.86), and overall survival was 22.49 months (95% CI 6.37, NE) and 4.27 months (95% CI 2.23, 7.95), respectively, in the two groups. In conclusion, Tasurgratinib 140 mg has a tolerable safety profile with good clinical efficacy in patients with cholangiocarcinoma harboring FGFR2 gene rearrangements.

The progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is coincident with aberrant splicing of numerous tumor-related genes. Identification of the tumor-specific splice variants that facilitate HCC metastasis may provide a more comprehensive insight into the mechanisms of HCC metastasis. Through RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses, PPM1G was identified as a biomarker associated with HCC metastasis. Our data mapped a transcriptome-wide landscape of alternative splicing events modulated by PPM1G in HCC. Notably, we characterized the exon six-skipping transcript of TBL1X as an onco-splice variant regulated by PPM1G. Experimental validation revealed the enrichment of TBL1X-S in response to PPM1G overexpression. Moreover, mRNA stability analyses revealed that PPM1G prolonged the half-life of the TBL1X-S transcript. Both PPM1G and TBL1X-S exhibited metastasis-promoting phenotypes, with PPM1G-driven metastasis in HCC being partially dependent on TBL1X-S. Mechanistically, different TBL1X splice variants showed varying affinities for ZEB1, with TBL1X-S significantly enhancing ZEB1 activation and repressing CDH1 transcription, potentially accelerating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. In conclusion, our study highlights the biological role of PPM1G and TBL1X-S in tumor metastasis. The PPM1G/TBL1X-S signaling axis presents a new view for investigating liver cancer metastasis mechanisms.

A glioblastoma (GBM) patient with a high tumor mutation burden (TMB-high) and mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) exhibited a significant response to pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI), despite prior treatment with temozolomide (TMZ), known to induce hypermutation and potential resistance to ICIs. The rapid disease progression, indicated by 80% Ki67 positivity, was markedly countered by the positive outcome of pembrolizumab treatment. This case challenges traditional GBM treatment paradigms, demonstrating the potential of precision oncology in patients with significant TMB and dMMR, and underscores the importance of comprehensive genomic profiling in guiding clinical decisions in GBM management.

An increase in cervical cancer incidence has been reported in Japan. The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan has resumed the active recommendation of regular HPV vaccines in 2022. In Japan, the preventive effect of CIN3+ in the real world has not yet been demonstrated in age-adjusted cohort or case-control studies. This study aimed to estimate the effect of the HPV vaccine against CIN3+ in Japanese women. This nationwide case-control study from April 2013 to March 2020 targeted women aged 20-26 years old at the time of cervical screening. We compared HPV vaccination exposure between those with abnormal and those with normal cytology. Abnormal cytology was classified into cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)1+, CIN2+, and CIN3+. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the above endpoints and vaccination exposure using the conditional logistic regression model and estimated vaccine effectiveness using the formula (1 -OR) × 100. A total of 2790 cases and 13,990 controls (one-to-five matching) were eligible in 37 municipalities in Japan. In this study, 61 CIN3 (2.2%) and 10 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) (0.4%) were found. The OR for CIN3+ versus controls was 0.14 (95% CI, 0.03-0.75), equating to a vaccine effectiveness of 86%. Of the 10 patients who had SCC none were vaccinated. This nationwide case-control study in Japan demonstrated a substantial risk reduction in CIN3+ among women who did versus those who did not receive HPV vaccination.

The tumor immune microenvironment is increasingly becoming a key consideration in developing treatment regimens for aggressive cancers, with evidence that regulatory T cells (Tregs) attenuate the antitumor response by interrupting cytotoxic T cells (CD8+). Here, we hypothesized the prognostic relevance of the proportions of Tregs (marked by forkhead box protein 3 [FOXP3]) and CD8+ cells in diffuse, non-Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)/non-microsatellite instability (MSI)-high gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas (GEAs), which are clinically characterized as more aggressive, immunologically inactive tumors as compared with their intestinal counterparts. Cell-count ratios of FOXP3+/CD8+ expression were calculated at the intratumoral region and invasive margin discretely on digital images from 303 chemo-naive non-EBV/non-MSI-high esophagogastric junction (EGJ) adenocarcinomas. A significant modifying prognostic effect of tumor histology was observed between 5-year EGJ cancer-specific survival and the FOXP3+/CD8+ ratio at the invasive margin in pStage I-III tumors (p for interaction = 0.022; hazard ratio [HR] = 8.47 and 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.04-35.19 for high ratio [vs. low] for diffuse; HR = 1.57 and 95% CI, 0.88-2.83 for high ratio [vs. low] for intestinal). A high FOXP3+/CD8+ ratio at the invasive margin was associated with RUNX3 methylation (p = 0.035) and poor prognosis in RUNX3-methylated diffuse histological subtype (5-year EGJ cancer-specific survival, 52.3% for high and 100% for low, p = 0.015). Multiomics data from The Cancer Genome Atlas linked CCL28 with RUNX3-suppressed diffuse histological subtypes of non-EBV/non-MSI-high GEA. Our data suggest that a high FOXP3+/CD8+ ratio at the invasive margin might indicate tumor immune escape via CCL28, particularly in the RUNX3-methylated diffuse histological subtype.

Our previous research has demonstrated that P2RY6 functions as an oncogene in DMBA/TPA-induced two-stage chemical skin carcinogenesis in mice. However, considering that human skin cancer is predominantly attributed to UV radiation from sunlight, additional investigations are needed to elucidate the role of P2RY6 in UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis. Surprisingly, we found that P2ry6-deficient mice exhibited marked promotion to UVB-induced skin papilloma formation compared with wild-type mice, suggesting its tumor-suppressive role in UVB-induced skin cancer. Additionally, a P2ry6 gene knockout promoted skin hyperplasia induced by short-term UVB irradiation, while UDP, the ligand of P2RY6, could inhibit the short-term UVB-induced increase of epiderma thickness in mouse skin. Furthermore, UVB irradiation could significantly upregulate P2RY6 expression in human and mouse skin cells. These results indicated that P2RY6 may play a crucial protective role in resisting the UVB-induced formation of skin tumors. At the molecular level, the loss of the P2RY6 gene inhibits the ubiquitination modification and expression of XPC after UVB irradiation in skin keratinocytes, resulting in the accumulation of CPDs (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers). We have also demonstrated that P2RY6 deletion activates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway both in vitro and in vivo. The CPD accumulation and acute inflammatory response enhanced by the loss of the P2RY6 gene can be reversed by an AKT inhibitor. These findings suggest that P2RY6 may act as a tumor suppressor in UVB-induced skin cancer by regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare type of extranodal large B-cell lymphoma that is characterized by the proliferation of lymphoma cells in the lumina of small vessels. Recent progress uncovering the genetic characteristics associated with MYD88/CD79B mutations has stimulated interest in the use of drugs targeting B-cell receptor signaling, including Bruton's tyrosine kinase. However, difficulties in culturing ex vivo IVLBCL cells has hampered research on the development of novel therapies. In the present study, we demonstrated the establishment of an ex vivo culture system of IVLBCL cells obtained from patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. The spheroid culture enabled us to culture IVLBCL PDX cells for more than 10 days and to explore the efficacy of drug treatments acting on these cells. We found that carfilzomib and ibrutinib were effective for treating IVLBCL in ex vivo experiments and conducted in vivo analyses to assess the efficacy of these drugs. Although the efficacy of carfilzomib was difficult to confirm due to its toxicity in our models, ibrutinib showed comparable efficacy to a standard combination of chemotherapy drugs. Together, our data provide a new culture method for IVLBCL PDX cells and a rationale for translating ibrutinib to clinical use in IVLBCL patients.

Microsatellite stability (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC) exhibits a low mutation load and poor immunogenicity, contributing to immune escape of tumor cells and less benefit from immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment. The mechanisms underlying immunotherapeutic resistance in MSS CRC remain to be elucidated. Here, we identified that nuclear proto-oncogene SET is significantly higher expressed in MSS CRC compared to microsatellite instability (MSI) CRC and facilitates immune escape of MSS CRC. Mechanistically, SET represses the expression of C-C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) and upregulates mismatch repair (MMR) proteins expression in a c-Myc-dependent manner, which inhibits infiltration and migration of CD8⁺ T cells to tumor tissues and results in low immunogenicity in MSS CRC. In addition, we found that SET impairs ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of c-Myc by disrupting the interaction between E3 ligase FBXW7 and c-Myc. Moreover, SET inhibition enhances the response to immunotherapy in MSS CRC in vivo. Overall, this study reveals the critical roles and posttranslational regulatory mechanism of SET in immune escape and highlights the SET/c-Myc axis as a potential target for immunotherapy of MSS CRC that have implications for targeting a unique aspect of this disease.