Vasculogenic Mimicry (VM) is a distinct mode of tumor vascularization, separate from angiogenesis, whereby highly invasive cancer cells form functional vascular-like structures to facilitate the transport of blood and tumor cells. Unlike angiogenesis, which is mediated by endothelial cells, VM is exclusively driven by cancer cells and is recognized as a pivotal mechanism in breast cancer progression. This review is designed to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning VM in breast cancer metastasis, with emphasis placed on the contributions of the tumor microenvironment, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cancer stem cells (CSCs). The involvement of key signaling pathways, such as EphA2/PIK3R1/CTNNB1, is also examined. Furthermore, the role of VM in promoting tumor growth, invasion, and distant metastasis is analyzed, alongside its contribution to resistance against established anti-angiogenic therapies. The therapeutic potential of targeting VM is explored, encompassing the development of specific inhibitors and combination therapy strategies. Additionally, the utility of VM as a prognostic and predictive marker in breast cancer is evaluated, and future research directions, along with challenges in clinical translation, are outlined.
{"title":"The mechanisms of action and targeting potential of vasculogenic mimicry in breast cancer metastasis","authors":"Cangtai Guan, Liangyu Hao, Biyou Gong, Lixiang Zheng","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100153","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100153","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vasculogenic Mimicry (VM) is a distinct mode of tumor vascularization, separate from angiogenesis, whereby highly invasive cancer cells form functional vascular-like structures to facilitate the transport of blood and tumor cells. Unlike angiogenesis, which is mediated by endothelial cells, VM is exclusively driven by cancer cells and is recognized as a pivotal mechanism in breast cancer progression. This review is designed to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning VM in breast cancer metastasis, with emphasis placed on the contributions of the tumor microenvironment, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and cancer stem cells (CSCs). The involvement of key signaling pathways, such as EphA2/PIK3R1/CTNNB1, is also examined. Furthermore, the role of VM in promoting tumor growth, invasion, and distant metastasis is analyzed, alongside its contribution to resistance against established anti-angiogenic therapies. The therapeutic potential of targeting VM is explored, encompassing the development of specific inhibitors and combination therapy strategies. Additionally, the utility of VM as a prognostic and predictive marker in breast cancer is evaluated, and future research directions, along with challenges in clinical translation, are outlined.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100153"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pseudogenes were historically considered non-functional genomic relics. However, they are now acknowledged as possible regulators in various biological processes, including cancer. In breast cancer, emerging evidence implies the critical roles of pseudogenes in tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis. These roles are mediated through mechanisms such as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) activity, modulation of gene expression, and interaction with signaling pathways. Some pseudogenes, such as DUXAP8, CYP4Z2P, RPSAP52, POU5F1P1, POU5F1P3, POU5F1P4 and OCT4-PG1 exhibit dysregulated expression in breast cancer tissues, influencing oncogenic or tumor-suppressive pathways. Dysregulation of several pseudogenes has been associated with reduced survival of patients. Additionally, their ability to mimic parental genes or sequester microRNAs highlights their functional significance in disease pathogenesis. Despite challenges in differentiating pseudogenes from their parental genes, advancements in genomic technologies have enabled deeper exploration of their biological roles. This review summarizes current knowledge on pseudogene involvement in breast cancer, emphasizing their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Further research is needed to fully elucidate their mechanisms and clinical relevance in breast cancer biology.
{"title":"The role of pseudogenes in breast cancer: from non-coding relics to functional regulators","authors":"Parisa Esmaeili Motalgh, Mohsen Ahmadi, Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pseudogenes were historically considered non-functional genomic relics. However, they are now acknowledged as possible regulators in various biological processes, including cancer. In breast cancer, emerging evidence implies the critical roles of pseudogenes in tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis. These roles are mediated through mechanisms such as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) activity, modulation of gene expression, and interaction with signaling pathways. Some pseudogenes, such as <em>DUXAP8, CYP4Z2P</em>, <em>RPSAP52</em>, <em>POU5F1P1</em>, <em>POU5F1P3</em>, <em>POU5F1P4</em> and <em>OCT4-PG1</em> exhibit dysregulated expression in breast cancer tissues, influencing oncogenic or tumor-suppressive pathways. Dysregulation of several pseudogenes has been associated with reduced survival of patients. Additionally, their ability to mimic parental genes or sequester microRNAs highlights their functional significance in disease pathogenesis. Despite challenges in differentiating pseudogenes from their parental genes, advancements in genomic technologies have enabled deeper exploration of their biological roles. This review summarizes current knowledge on pseudogene involvement in breast cancer, emphasizing their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Further research is needed to fully elucidate their mechanisms and clinical relevance in breast cancer biology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100152"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145121121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100151
Andrew M. Lewis Jr. , Gideon Foseh , Keith Peden , Adovi Akue , Mark KuKuruga , Daniel Rotroff , Gladys Lewis , Ilya Mazo
We have investigated the expression of selected genes and miRNAs that have been found to be associated with human cancer-stem cells for their involvement in the neoplastic evolution of our AGMK1-9T7 cell line from a non-tumorigenic status at passage (p)13 to a tumorigenic/metastatic status at p40 to p43. Among these genes are CD90, CD44, CD24, PODXL, ALDH1A, ALDHA2, and ALDHA3 genes, as well as 17 other genes and 38 miRNAs. While CD90 and CD24 were not expressed by any passages of AGMK1-9T7 cells, CD44 was expressed in cells at p13, p23, p33, and p43. The expression of PODXL was first detected as weakly expressed at p33 but was highly expressed by p43. Of the 17 genes that have been associated with human cancer-stem-cell functions that we examined across this spectrum of neoplasia, 5 were up-regulated >2 log2 fold and 8 were down-regulated >2 log2 fold. The expression of the ALDH1A genes, which have been associated with cancer-stem cells, was investigated by the ALDEFLUOR assay in AGMK1-9T7 cells from p13 to p43. Using RT-qPCR, the ALDH1A2 gene was found to be up-regulated in cells from p13 to p43. Twenty-six of the 38 miRNAs reported to be associated with human cancer-stem cells were expressed by the AGMK1-9T7 cells at different passages. From these data, we propose that the AGMK1-9T7 cells are evolving from their non-tumorigenic state to become tumor cells and potentially cancer-stem cells by p43. We suggest that this in vitro system might provide a model to investigate the role of these processes in neoplastic development in humans.
{"title":"Evolution of the AGMK1-9T7 GLI1+ progenitor cells to become tumor cells and potentially cancer-stem cells","authors":"Andrew M. Lewis Jr. , Gideon Foseh , Keith Peden , Adovi Akue , Mark KuKuruga , Daniel Rotroff , Gladys Lewis , Ilya Mazo","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We have investigated the expression of selected genes and miRNAs that have been found to be associated with human cancer-stem cells for their involvement in the neoplastic evolution of our AGMK1-9T7 cell line from a non-tumorigenic status at passage (p)13 to a tumorigenic/metastatic status at p40 to p43. Among these genes are CD90, CD44, CD24, PODXL, ALDH1A, ALDHA2, and ALDHA3 genes, as well as 17 other genes and 38 miRNAs. While CD90 and CD24 were not expressed by any passages of AGMK1-9T7 cells, CD44 was expressed in cells at p13, p23, p33, and p43. The expression of PODXL was first detected as weakly expressed at p33 but was highly expressed by p43. Of the 17 genes that have been associated with human cancer-stem-cell functions that we examined across this spectrum of neoplasia, 5 were up-regulated >2 log2 fold and 8 were down-regulated >2 log2 fold. The expression of the ALDH1A genes, which have been associated with cancer-stem cells, was investigated by the ALDEFLUOR assay in AGMK1-9T7 cells from p13 to p43. Using RT-qPCR, the ALDH1A2 gene was found to be up-regulated in cells from p13 to p43. Twenty-six of the 38 miRNAs reported to be associated with human cancer-stem cells were expressed by the AGMK1-9T7 cells at different passages. From these data, we propose that the AGMK1-9T7 cells are evolving from their non-tumorigenic state to become tumor cells and potentially cancer-stem cells by p43. We suggest that this <em>in vitro</em> system might provide a model to investigate the role of these processes in neoplastic development in humans.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100151"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-19DOI: 10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100150
Iman Akhlaghipour , Negin Taghehchian , Meysam Moghbeli
Late diagnosis has a key role in therapeutic failure and tumor relapse. Therefore, assessment of the molecular tumor biology can help to introduce novel early diagnostic markers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have important roles in regulation of tumor cell proliferation, invasion, drug resistance, and angiogenesis. Due to the high stability of miRNAs in paraffin-embedded tissues and body fluids, they can be also used as the non-invasive markers for cancer screening and early diagnosis. According to numerous reports about the role of miR-103a in various cancers, in the present review we investigated the molecular biology of miR-103a during tumor progression. It has been reported that miR-103a has a dual function as an oncogene and tumor suppressor in various cancers. MiR-103a exerts its role in tumor progression by regulation of signaling pathways, apoptosis, cell cycle, cell metabolism, and transcription factors. This review paves the way in introducing miR-103a as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker among cancer patients following the animal studies and clinical trials.
{"title":"Molecular pathology of microRNA-103a as a probable diagnostic and therapeutic tumor marker","authors":"Iman Akhlaghipour , Negin Taghehchian , Meysam Moghbeli","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Late diagnosis has a key role in therapeutic failure and tumor relapse. Therefore, assessment of the molecular tumor biology can help to introduce novel early diagnostic markers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have important roles in regulation of tumor cell proliferation, invasion, drug resistance, and angiogenesis. Due to the high stability of miRNAs in paraffin-embedded tissues and body fluids, they can be also used as the non-invasive markers for cancer screening and early diagnosis. According to numerous reports about the role of miR-103a in various cancers, in the present review we investigated the molecular biology of miR-103a during tumor progression. It has been reported that miR-103a has a dual function as an oncogene and tumor suppressor in various cancers. MiR-103a exerts its role in tumor progression by regulation of signaling pathways, apoptosis, cell cycle, cell metabolism, and transcription factors. This review paves the way in introducing miR-103a as a diagnostic and therapeutic marker among cancer patients following the animal studies and clinical trials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100150"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144879453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-14DOI: 10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100149
Yanfei Cui , Minghua Zhang , Sijia Zhang , Yanli Cai , Yangang Qu , Lihua Luo
Background
Lung cancer often develops resistance to radiotherapy (RT), which undermines its therapeutic efficacy. Disulfiram (DSF), a drug commonly used in the treatment of alcohol use disorders, has shown potential in inducing anti-tumor effects. However, its impact on radioresistance in lung cancer and its effects on the tumor immune microenvironment have not been fully elucidated.
Methods
Clonogenic assays, Rad51 foci formation, and a nude mouse model were employed to assess the impact of DSF on lung cancer radiosensitivity. Immune profiling was conducted using flow cytometry, and downstream mechanisms were investigated using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. The therapeutic effects of the combination of DSF, RT, and anti-PD-L1 antibody were further validated in a C57BL/6 mouse tumor model.
Results
DSF increased radiosensitivity in lung cancer cells, enhanced CD8+ T cell infiltration, and upregulated PD-L1 expression through c-Myc. The combination of DSF, RT, and anti-PD-L1 antibody resulted in the most significant anti-tumor effects.
Conclusions
DSF effectively mitigates radioresistance in lung cancer and enhances the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy, offering a promising therapeutic strategy for improving treatment outcomes.
{"title":"Disulfiram alone regulates the radiosensitivity of lung cancer through NF-κB pathway and regulates the immune microenvironment after radiotherapy by targeting PD-L1 through c-Myc","authors":"Yanfei Cui , Minghua Zhang , Sijia Zhang , Yanli Cai , Yangang Qu , Lihua Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Lung cancer often develops resistance to radiotherapy (RT), which undermines its therapeutic efficacy. Disulfiram (DSF), a drug commonly used in the treatment of alcohol use disorders, has shown potential in inducing anti-tumor effects. However, its impact on radioresistance in lung cancer and its effects on the tumor immune microenvironment have not been fully elucidated.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Clonogenic assays, Rad51 foci formation, and a nude mouse model were employed to assess the impact of DSF on lung cancer radiosensitivity. Immune profiling was conducted using flow cytometry, and downstream mechanisms were investigated using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. The therapeutic effects of the combination of DSF, RT, and anti-PD-L1 antibody were further validated in a C57BL/6 mouse tumor model.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>DSF increased radiosensitivity in lung cancer cells, enhanced CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell infiltration, and upregulated PD-L1 expression through c-Myc. The combination of DSF, RT, and anti-PD-L1 antibody resulted in the most significant anti-tumor effects.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>DSF effectively mitigates radioresistance in lung cancer and enhances the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy, offering a promising therapeutic strategy for improving treatment outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100149"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144843008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-05DOI: 10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100148
April Kirkendoll
The emergence of cancer is a multistep process, with passage through a so-called precancerous stage as part of the development. Biopsies of suspicious lesions often reveal cells that are altered or abnormal, and those anomalous cells, while often still benign, indicate local conditions conducive to carcinogenesis. Most of the altered cells never develop into cancers, and it is unknown what may trigger malignancy. This report reexamines existing data to provide insights into the conditions necessary to prime a relatively benign and latent cell with malignant potential to respond to a stimulus and transform into cancer. I propose that normal, well-established reactions to cellular insults over time induce conditions within the affected cell which predispose it to malignant transformation. Then, cumulative, age-related changes in the stromal milieu, from a burgeoning population of senescent cells, inadvertently facilitates the progression of mutant cells, contributing to the increase in late life cancers, via incremental seclusion from normal somatic tissues. Within an increasingly exclusive compartment, cells begin a cycle of crosstalk upon each other, incrementally modifying the isolated population of cells with multiple dynamic morphogen gradients that converge, amplify, and erase epigenetic memory within the innermost cells, reprogramming them to a stem cell-like state, and priming them to transform into a novel tissue.
{"title":"Latency, microenvironment, and the priming of a precancerous senescent cell for malignant transformation","authors":"April Kirkendoll","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emergence of cancer is a multistep process, with passage through a so-called precancerous stage as part of the development. Biopsies of suspicious lesions often reveal cells that are altered or abnormal, and those anomalous cells, while often still benign, indicate local conditions conducive to carcinogenesis. Most of the altered cells never develop into cancers, and it is unknown what may trigger malignancy. This report reexamines existing data to provide insights into the conditions necessary to prime a relatively benign and latent cell with malignant potential to respond to a stimulus and transform into cancer. I propose that normal, well-established reactions to cellular insults over time induce conditions within the affected cell which predispose it to malignant transformation. Then, cumulative, age-related changes in the stromal milieu, from a burgeoning population of senescent cells, inadvertently facilitates the progression of mutant cells, contributing to the increase in late life cancers, via incremental seclusion from normal somatic tissues. Within an increasingly exclusive compartment, cells begin a cycle of crosstalk upon each other, incrementally modifying the isolated population of cells with multiple dynamic morphogen gradients that converge, amplify, and erase epigenetic memory within the innermost cells, reprogramming them to a stem cell-like state, and priming them to transform into a novel tissue.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100148"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144779774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-02DOI: 10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100147
Ligang Ma , Ruixin Li , Junjie Su , Qiong Cao , Haojie Wang , Zhihao Wei , Chengliang Wang , Chengdong Zhang , Guanyu Li , Wang Qin , Zheng Zhang , Chu Wang , Yingao Zhu , Jingjing Zhao , Shiyong Xin , Jun Ma
Background
With increasing evidence indicating that immune cells significantly contribute to tumor progression, elucidating their role in tumor prognosis and therapy has become imperative. This study aims to thoroughly characterize tumor-infiltrating immune cells in bladder cancer (BLCA) and identify key immune cells and gene models associated with prognosis and therapeutic outcomes in BLCA.
Methods
Initially, we assessed the relationship between the abundance of infiltrating immune cells and prognosis, CD8+T cell was selected to establish the risk model, which was constructed based on five key genes. Then ROC curve was drawn to demonstrate the risk model had high prognosis predictive value in BLCA.
Results
Our correlation analysis revealed that riskscore was negatively associated with several steps of the tumor immune cycle. Additionally, the risk score exhibited a negative correlation with the expression levels of CD8,CD274,IFNG, Merck18, and several common immune checkpoints. Furthermore, the tumor exclusion score and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) score were significantly higher in the high-score group compared to the low-score group. Notably, the risk score demonstrated a negative correlation with the enrichment score of immunotherapy-related pathways, indicating that the therapeutic benefit was greater in the low-score group than in the high-score group. Then, a total of 171 chemotherapy and targeted drugs were identified. Subsequently, immunohistochemistry, EDU and Western blot were used to verify our result.
Conclusions
Our results confirmed that the tumor infiltration CD8+ T cells in tumors plays a critical role in the prognosis and treatment of bladder cancer (BLCA). This insight may offer new directions and inspiration for prognostic prediction and therapeutic strategies for bladder cancer in the future.
{"title":"Identification of a risk model for prognostic and therapeutic prediction in bladder urothelial carcinoma based on infiltrating CD8+ T cells","authors":"Ligang Ma , Ruixin Li , Junjie Su , Qiong Cao , Haojie Wang , Zhihao Wei , Chengliang Wang , Chengdong Zhang , Guanyu Li , Wang Qin , Zheng Zhang , Chu Wang , Yingao Zhu , Jingjing Zhao , Shiyong Xin , Jun Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100147","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100147","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>With increasing evidence indicating that immune cells significantly contribute to tumor progression, elucidating their role in tumor prognosis and therapy has become imperative. This study aims to thoroughly characterize tumor-infiltrating immune cells in bladder cancer (BLCA) and identify key immune cells and gene models associated with prognosis and therapeutic outcomes in BLCA.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Initially, we assessed the relationship between the abundance of infiltrating immune cells and prognosis, CD8<sup>+</sup>T cell was selected to establish the risk model, which was constructed based on five key genes. Then ROC curve was drawn to demonstrate the risk model had high prognosis predictive value in BLCA.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Our correlation analysis revealed that riskscore was negatively associated with several steps of the tumor immune cycle. Additionally, the risk score exhibited a negative correlation with the expression levels of CD8,CD274,IFNG, Merck18, and several common immune checkpoints. Furthermore, the tumor exclusion score and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) score were significantly higher in the high-score group compared to the low-score group. Notably, the risk score demonstrated a negative correlation with the enrichment score of immunotherapy-related pathways, indicating that the therapeutic benefit was greater in the low-score group than in the high-score group. Then, a total of 171 chemotherapy and targeted drugs were identified. Subsequently, immunohistochemistry, EDU and Western blot were used to verify our result.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our results confirmed that the tumor infiltration CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells in tumors plays a critical role in the prognosis and treatment of bladder cancer (BLCA). This insight may offer new directions and inspiration for prognostic prediction and therapeutic strategies for bladder cancer in the future.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100147"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144758097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-10DOI: 10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100144
Marwa Zahra , Hassan Mohamed El-Said Azzazy
Mechanisms of aneuploidy set the stage for cancer. Aneuploidy, an aberration in chromosome number in a cell, occurs naturally during cellular development in certain tissues. However, aneuploidy is omnipresent in cancer as cancer cells express complex karyotypes with chromosome numbers that deviate from the norm. Aneuploidy is a hallmark in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), as it is linked to poor prognosis due to genetic and epigenetic aberrations. Mechanisms contributing to aneuploidy in HCC include chromosomal instability, telomere shortening, which promotes genomic instability in early tumor development, and telomere stabilization, which enhances tumor cell survival by preventing excessive telomere attrition in later stages. Multiple chromosomal alterations are linked to the progression of invasive tumors in HCC. Therefore, understanding the association between aneuploidy and HCC is critical because it could unravel the role of genetic and molecular alterations in HCC. This review sheds light on the risk factors associated with aneuploidy in HCC to aid the development of future therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for management of HCC.
{"title":"Aneuploidy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Risk factors, mechanisms, and clinical relevance","authors":"Marwa Zahra , Hassan Mohamed El-Said Azzazy","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100144","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100144","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mechanisms of aneuploidy set the stage for cancer. Aneuploidy, an aberration in chromosome number in a cell, occurs naturally during cellular development in certain tissues. However, aneuploidy is omnipresent in cancer as cancer cells express complex karyotypes with chromosome numbers that deviate from the norm. Aneuploidy is a hallmark in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), as it is linked to poor prognosis due to genetic and epigenetic aberrations. Mechanisms contributing to aneuploidy in HCC include chromosomal instability, telomere shortening, which promotes genomic instability in early tumor development, and telomere stabilization, which enhances tumor cell survival by preventing excessive telomere attrition in later stages. Multiple chromosomal alterations are linked to the progression of invasive tumors in HCC. Therefore, understanding the association between aneuploidy and HCC is critical because it could unravel the role of genetic and molecular alterations in HCC. This review sheds light on the risk factors associated with aneuploidy in HCC to aid the development of future therapeutic and diagnostic approaches for management of HCC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100144"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-02DOI: 10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100142
Zahra Tajik, Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard
As a chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine makes the backbone of several chemotherapeutic regimens, particularly those used for advanced cancers. However, drug resistance confines the long-term therapeutic impact of gemcitabine in cancer treatment and makes the patients' prognosis poor. Several mechanisms such as alteration of membrane transporters, abnormal regulation of activating and inactivating enzymes, and alterations in signaling pathway have been proposed for induction of resistance to gemcitabine. However, none of them could individually explain the varied spectrum of patients' responses to this agent. Recent recognition of the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the pathoetiology of cancer has opened a new venue for identification of molecular events leading to chemoresistance. The current review provides insights into the role of specific circRNAs in determination of response to gemcitabine.
{"title":"CircRNAs modulate response of cancer cells to gemcitabine","authors":"Zahra Tajik, Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard","doi":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100142","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine makes the backbone of several chemotherapeutic regimens, particularly those used for advanced cancers. However, drug resistance confines the long-term therapeutic impact of gemcitabine in cancer treatment and makes the patients' prognosis poor. Several mechanisms such as alteration of membrane transporters, abnormal regulation of activating and inactivating enzymes, and alterations in signaling pathway have been proposed for induction of resistance to gemcitabine. However, none of them could individually explain the varied spectrum of patients' responses to this agent. Recent recognition of the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the pathoetiology of cancer has opened a new venue for identification of molecular events leading to chemoresistance. The current review provides insights into the role of specific circRNAs in determination of response to gemcitabine.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72083,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer biology - metastasis","volume":"15 ","pages":"Article 100142"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144534955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-07-02DOI: 10.1016/j.adcanc.2025.100143
XianYi Zhou , JiuLin Li , XiuYong Liao , ChengYu Ding , SaiJiao Na , JiangRong Du , QingHui Meng , Peng Zheng , Fan Sun
DSF is a well-known alcohol withdrawal agent that has shown considerable anticancer effects in preclinical studies. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which DSF and CTSB modulate of the migration and invasion of GCs. Our results illustrate that DSF plays a pivotal role in suppressing tumor migration, invasion, and EMT in GC by modulating CTSB expression. Furthermore, DSF was found to aggravate the reduction in β-catenin expression via GSK-3β, consequently inhibiting CTSB expression, which has a pronounced effect on invading gastric cancer cells as a metastasis-promoting gene. Notably, β-catenin was found to increase CTSB transcriptional activity by binding to the promoter of CTSB, leading to an increase in CTSB protein levels. Collectively, our findings elucidate the molecular mechanism by which DSF suppresses EMT, migration, and invasion in GC through the GSK-3β/β-catenin/CTSB pathway, underscoring the potential of CTSB as a therapeutic target for GC.
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