Cancer discovery最新文献

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies, while promising for CD19+ hematological malignancies, often face setbacks due to relapses. Our research identifies GPR65 as a tumor-specific determinant affecting the efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy. In human patients and an immune-competent mouse model of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), low GPR65 expression correlates with resistance to CD19+ CAR-T treatment. GPR65 knockout (GPR65 KO) tumors in mice similarly exhibit resistance. Through single-cell network analyses, we discovered that GPR65 deficiency reshapes tumor interactions with host macrophages by increasing tumor VEGFA levels, leading to macrophage expansion and preferential M2 polarization. Depleting host macrophages or by deletion of VEGFA in GPR65 KO tumors, restores CAR-T cell therapy responsiveness. Moreover, combining anti-VEGFA therapy with CAR-T cell treatment significantly prolongs the survival of mice bearing GPR65 KO tumors. These findings emphasize the profound impact of tumor gene expression on the tumor microenvironment and subsequent CAR-T cell therapy outcomes.

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer; yet many patients fail to achieve long-lasting benefit, partially because of incomplete or inconsistent biomarker predictions. Integrative multiomics, combining tumor-intrinsic, immune microenvironment, and systemic factors, offer a more comprehensive framework for precision immunotherapy, enabling improved patient stratification, treatment selection and outcomes.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) targeting the PD-1 pathway have transformed treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but mechanisms underlying therapeutic response remain largely unknown. Herein, we perform transcriptomic analysis on RCC biospecimens from 102 patients enrolled in a phase II clinical trial of frontline nivolumab (NCT03117309) to investigate determinants of response to anti-PD1 monotherapy. Through bulk analysis, we identify an enrichment of genes associated with tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in responding patients. Using single-cell transcriptomics and external cohort validation, we identify a population of tissue-resident (ZNF683+ SLAMF7+) exhausted CD8+ T cells enriched in patients with poor clinical outcomes. Integrating these findings, we find tumors with high TLS and low tissue-resident exhausted CD8+ T cells have superior clinical outcomes with nivolumab. Altogether, these analyses contribute to a growing understanding of how the tumor microenvironment drives ICI- resistance and propose possible therapeutic targets to rationally overcome resistance to anti-PD1 monotherapy.

Restoration of the tumor suppressor function of tumor-associated p53 mutants, including the Y220C substitution, has posed a significant challenge for therapeutic discovery. Here, we describe rezatapopt (PC14586), part of a series of compounds designed to reactivate the p53 Y220C mutant. These compounds restore p53 tumor suppressor function by correcting its conformation and enabling it to bind DNA and activate downstream target genes, thus inducing anti-proliferative changes in tumor cells. Our findings are supported by biochemical and structural analysis, in vitro and in vivo transcriptomics, and functional data, revealing the recovery of multiple aspects of the wild type p53 program. These compounds demonstrate potent anti-tumor activity in preclinical models as single agents and in combination with immunotherapy. Currently, rezatapopt is being evaluated in a registrational Phase 2 clinical trial for patients with advanced solid tumors harboring the TP53 Y220C mutation.

Newly diagnosed prostate cancers differ dramatically in mutational composition and lethality. The most accurate clinical predictor of lethality is tumor tissue architecture, quantified as tumor grade. To interrogate the evolutionary origins of prostate cancer heterogeneity, we analyzed 666 prostate tumor whole genomes. We identified a compendium of 223 recurrently mutated driver regions, most influencing downstream mutational processes and gene expression. We identified and validated individual germline variants that predispose tumors to acquire specific somatic driver mutations: these explain heterogeneity in disease presentation and ancestry differences. High-grade tumors have a superset of the drivers in lower-grade tumors, including increased frequency of BRCA2 and MYC mutations. Grade-associated driver mutations occur early in tumor evolution, and their earlier occurrence strongly predicts cancer relapse and metastasis. Our data suggest high- and low-grade prostate tumors both emerge from a common pre-malignant field, influenced by germline genomic context and stochastic mutation-timing.

PET imaging enables the spatiotemporal assessment of tumor biomarkers. In this issue, Kong and colleagues describe the clinical PET imaging of tumor-associated fibroblasts, which improved the diagnostic accuracy and management of a subset of patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma. See related article by Kong et al., p. 316.

Individuals in the United States from Asian and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) backgrounds face a distinct set of cancer-related disparities. In this study, in conjunction with the American Association for Cancer Research Asian/AANHPI Task Force, we highlight the unique disparities faced by AANHPI patients and professionals, and we offer actionable recommendations on how to strengthen AANHPI leadership in cancer research.

Approximately 10% of children with cancer harbor a mutation in a predisposition gene. In children with the kidney cancer Wilms tumor, the prevalence is as high as 30%. Certain predispositions are associated with defined histological and clinical features, suggesting differences in tumorigenesis. To investigate this, we assembled a cohort of 137 children with Wilms tumor, of whom 71 had a pathogenic germline or mosaic variant. We examined 237 neoplasms (including two secondary leukemias), utilizing whole-genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, and genome-wide methylation, validating our findings in an independent cohort. Tumor development differed in children harboring a predisposition, depending on the variant gene and its developmental timing. Differences pervaded the repertoire of driver events, including high-risk mutations, the clonal architecture of normal kidneys, and the relatedness of neoplasms from the same individual. Our findings indicate that predisposition may preordain Wilms tumorigenesis, suggesting a variant-specific approach to managing children merits consideration. Significance: Tumors that arise in children with a cancer predisposition may develop through the same mutational pathways as sporadic tumors. We examined this question in the childhood kidney cancer, Wilms tumor. We found that certain predispositions dictate the genetic development of tumors, with clinical implications for these children. See related commentary by Brzezinski and Malkin, p. 258.