Anti-Cancer Drugs最新文献

Pancreatic cancer is characterized by aggressiveness and poor prognosis. The development of gemcitabine resistance, especially tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) -induced resistance in the tumor microenvironment, has greatly limited its therapeutic effectiveness. This study investigates the effects and underlying mechanisms of the plant-derived bioactive compound α-asarone in reversing gemcitabine resistance induced by TAMs in pancreatic cancer, offering potential therapeutic alternatives. Flow cytometry was used to assess the cell cycle and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) secretion was measured by ELISA, and Cell Counting Kit-8 assays to evaluate the survival of PANC-1 cells treated with gemcitabine. Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR were used to analyze growth factor independent 1 (Gfi-1) expression and its association with gemcitabine resistance. α-Asarone effectively reversed gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer cells. Treatment with α-asarone reduced TGF-β1 levels in TAM condition medium, which in turn led to the upregulation of Gfi-1 expression. Gfi-1 was found to negatively regulate the expression of drug resistance factors, including connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), thereby reversing gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer cells. Those results indicate that α-asarone enhances Gfi-1 expression, downregulates CTGF and HMGB1, and restores gemcitabine sensitivity by reducing TGF-β1 secretion from TAMs. α-Asarone can effectively reverse gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer by reducing TGF-β1 secretion from TAMs, upregulating Gfi-1, and downregulating resistance factors such as CTGF and HMGB1. This restoration of gemcitabine sensitivity may improve the therapeutic efficacy of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer treatment.

Nuclear protein in testis (NUT) carcinoma is a rare disease characterized by aggressive and rapid progression. There is no standard management of primary pulmonary NUT carcinoma until now, and the median overall survival is only 4.4 months. Here, we describe a case where a 48-year-old woman presented with a dry, lasting half a month, and she was diagnosed with primary pulmonary NUT carcinoma and was given chemotherapy, immunotherapy, antiangiogenesis therapy, and palliative radiotherapy. When secondary tumor progression, she was conducted an organoid drug sensitivity test for better guide therapy. The initial two cycles of first-line and second-line treatments in our patient proved effective and improved the overall survival to more than 8 months. This is the first report of the use of an organoid drug sensitivity test for primary pulmonary NUT carcinoma. It provides a new approach for selecting drugs, particularly when multiple lines of treatment have proven ineffective and the next steps are unclear.

ABL1 and ABL2 are putative drivers of medulloblastoma leptomeningeal dissemination. ABL1/ABL2 inhibitors, nilotinib and asciminib, are P-glycoprotein substrates. The purpose of this work is to elucidate P-glycoprotein expression in the brain/brain tumors and to determine if P-glycoprotein inhibition increases plasma and brain concentrations and medulloblastoma cytotoxicity of nilotinib and asciminib. ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein) mRNA expression was analyzed from multiple datasets of brain and brain tumor specimens. Cytotoxicity assays of medulloblastoma cells were conducted. In a mouse model, the pharmacokinetics of asciminib and nilotinib, with and without tariquidar, were determined using LC/MS. ABCB1 mRNA expression varied by brain region and was significantly lower in the cerebellum ( P  < 0.05). There was a bimodal increase in brain ABCB1 expression at ages 0-3 and 21-23 ( P  < 0.05). ABCB1 expression in pediatric brain tumors was similar to normal brain. The addition of tariquidar significantly reduced medulloblastoma cell viability compared to asciminib alone ( P  < 0.01). Tariquidar increased asciminib plasma and brain concentrations at 24 h ( P  = 0.0005 and P  = 0.0002, respectively) and nilotinib brain concentrations at 3 h ( P  = 0.0009). Tariquidar increased the area under the curve (AUC) brain : plasma ratio of asciminib from 0.33 to 10.16% and of nilotinib from 1.16 to 9.61%. Tariquidar prolonged the plasma half-life of asciminib from 2.21 to 10.49 h and nilotinib from 7.63 to 14.64 h. P-glycoprotein inhibition increased the brain concentrations, AUC, and half-life of asciminib and nilotinib and increased cytotoxicity in medulloblastoma cells.

Immunotherapy shows limited efficacy in microsatellite-stable (MSS) colorectal cancer. This case report describes a 40-year-old male with left-sided kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS)/v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF) wild-type, MSS colorectal cancer and liver metastases who achieved complete regression of metastases following first-line treatment with toripalimab, cetuximab, and FOLFIRI (irinotecan + fluorouracil + leucovorin), enabling curative-intent surgical resection. The patient achieved a progression-free survival of 16 months and an overall survival exceeding 20 months. The regimen demonstrated excellent tolerability without severe adverse events, suggesting that this triple combination represents a promising strategy for conversion therapy in advanced MSS colorectal cancer.

Gastric cancer remains a major global health challenge, and its early diagnosis and prognosis prediction pose significant challenges to the current clinical treatment of gastric cancer. Finding gastric cancer biomarkers is essential to comprehending its pathophysiology and creating novel targeted treatments. Following the acquisition and processing of the gastric cancer sample, the single-cell RNA sequencing data, monocyte subpopulation characterization, and cell type identification were performed. Key gene modules linked to gastric-cancer-related monocytes were identified using high-dimensional weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Machine-learning diagnostic models were created utilizing the discovered gastric-cancer-related monocyte-related genes (GCRMORGs). A prognostic model was developed with the uridine phosphatase 1 (UPP1)-related risk scores and verified in separate cohorts, and multiple immunological analyses were performed. Finally, using various experimental assays, we thoroughly investigated the function of the UPP1 gene in gastric cancer. Gastric cancer samples showed a distinct immune milieu topography with an abundance of monocytes. Eventually, 32 GCRMORGs were identified. Diagnostic models demonstrated a high degree of efficacy in differentiating between patients with gastric cancer and the control group. The prognostic model showed significant predictive value for gastric cancer patients' survival. At the same time, we have confirmed from experimental perspectives that a poor prognosis for patients is indicated by a high expression of UPP1 in gastric cancer tissue. Important monocyte subpopulations associated with gastric cancer samples were detected in our investigation. The prognosis of patients with gastric cancer can be predicted using a predictive model based on 32 GCRMORGs. In addition, focusing on UPP1 in gastric cancer may yield novel therapeutic targets and approaches.

9-Hexadecenoic acid (9-HA) possesses anti-tumor properties. However, the effects of 9-HA on gastric cancer are scarcely reported. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of 9-HA on gastric cancer. mRNA levels were detected by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. Protein expression was detected by western blot. Cell behaviors were analyzed using Cell Counting Kit-8, colony formation, transwell, and propidium iodide staining assays. Co-localization of PTPN1 and FTH1 was determined using fluorescence in situ hybridization assay. In vivo assay was conducted to further verify the effects of 9-HA on gastric cancer. 9-HA suppressed the malignant behavior of gastric cancer. Moreover, 9-HA promoted iron-overload-dependent ferroptosis of gastric cancer in vivo and in vitro. Traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology predicted that 9-HA could target PTPN1, which was upregulated in gastric cancer cells. PTPN1-mediated phosphorylation of FTH1 contributed to the latter degradation. Overexpressed PTPN1 alleviated the effects of 9-HA, promoting the aggressiveness of gastric cancer and suppressing tumor cell ferroptosis. Interestingly, overexpressed PTPN1 antagonized the effects of 9-HA, promoted tumor growth, and inhibited the ferroptosis of gastric cancer. In summary, 9-HA-mediated downregulation of PTPN1 drives ferroptosis and inhibit the aggressiveness of gastric cancer. Thence, 9-HA may be an alternative strategy for gastric cancer.

In this Turkish Oncology Group study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of trastuzumab emtansine (TDM1) in the adjuvant treatment of early-stage human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer with residual disease using real-life data. A total of 13 Turkish centers participated in the study between September 2019 and October 2024. Patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer who underwent surgery after completing neoadjuvant chemotherapy with HER2-targeted therapies had residual invasive disease in the breast or axillary lymph nodes and received adjuvant TDM1 therapy. The patients' files were retrospectively scanned from the hospitals' archives. The study included 79 female patients. The 36-month median disease-free survival rate was 92%, and the 36-month median overall survival rate was 85%. Neoadjuvant anthracyclines were administered to 93.6% of the patients. All patients received neoadjuvant trastuzumab and 86.1% of patients received neoadjuvant pertuzumab in addition to trastuzumab. Twelve (15.2%) patients developed progression during or after adjuvant TDM1 therapy. The most common adverse events were grade 1 fatigue (34.2%), grade 1 anemia (27.8%), and grade 1 AST increase (25.3%). Toxicity of grade 3 or above developed in five (5%) patients. TDM1 was stopped for one patient due to thrombocytopenia and for two patients due to cardiotoxicity. This study describes the sociodemographic and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer with residual disease after neoadjuvant therapy and provides real-life data on treatment with adjuvant TDM1. The findings support the manageable safety profile of the adjuvant TDM1 regimen with a low discontinuation rate.

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare and have among the worst prognoses among all soft tissue sarcomas, with 5-year overall survival rates ranging from 16 to 52%. We report a case of a 50-year-old man with localized dorsal MPNST who developed local recurrence after 1 year and lung metastasis 3 years after diagnosis. He underwent primary tumor resection, two resections for local recurrence, one lung metastasectomy, seven lines of chemotherapy (epirubicin-ifosfamide, cisplatin-etoposide, trabectedin, pazopanib, carboplatin-etoposide, gemcitabine, and ifosfamide), and four courses of stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung metastases. The patient has shown long remission intervals and survival exceeding 7 years, with a good quality of life since the diagnosis of lung metastasis. We conducted a narrative review based on our treatment approach, considering the recent literature and drugs currently available for the treatment of MPNST.

Sunitinib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is taken by mouth. It works against several kinases, such as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, c-Kit, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor. We report a case of total disappearance of choroid metastases from renal cell carcinoma after 6 months of sunitinib, with grade 3 hyperbilirubinemia.

CDK4/6 inhibitors are applied for the treatment of breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of palbociclib (PALB) on triple-negative breast cancer. An in vivo assay was applied to determine the effects of PALB on breast cancer. Gene expression was detected using immunohistochemistry. mRNA levels were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Protein expression was detected using western blot. The expansion of CD8 + T cell subsets was detected using flow cytometry. We found that PALB treatment promoted the persistence of CD8 + T cells, manifested by the maintenance of stem-like CD8 + T cells and effector T cells. Moreover, PALB downregulated phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), high levels of which predicted poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Moreover, overexpression of PHGDH antagonized the effects of PALB and suppressed the persistence of CD8 + T cells. Additionally, PALB enhanced the effects of anti-PD1 immunotherapy and suppressed the tumor growth of breast cancer. In summary, PALB promoted the maintenance of CD8 + memory precursors in breast cancer via downregulating PHGDH.