The dynamic role of immune checkpoint molecules in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of head and neck cancers.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common cancer type, accounting for approximately 277,597 deaths worldwide. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) agents targeting programmed death-1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) as a treatment regimen for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Studies have reported the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors as targeted therapeutic regimens that unleash the immune response against HNSCC tumors.

Cancer Incidence and Mortality Estimates in Arab Countries in 2018: A GLOBOCAN Data Analysis.

Background: Arab countries are projecting increase in cancer incidence and mortality; however, there are limited studies that compare the epidemiology of cancer in Arab countries compared with other parts of the world.

Methods: We used the 2018 Global Cancer Observatory data to compare the age-standardized incidence and mortality estimates in Arab-speaking countries to the rest of the world.

Results: Rates for incidence and mortality for all cancers in Arab countries were lower than the world's rates but the incidence rates of non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin lymphoma, bladder, breast, and liver cancers were higher.

Targeting Wnt/EZH2/microRNA-708 signaling pathway inhibits neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer (PC) castration resistance has been linked to the differentiation of PC luminal cells into hormone-refractory neuroendocrine (NE) cells. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling the emergence of lethal NE prostate cancer (NEPC) remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the transition from prostate adenocarcinoma to NEPC.

Targeting proapoptotic protein BAD inhibits survival and self-renewal of cancer stem cells.

Emerging evidence suggests that the resistance of cancer stem cells (CSC) to many conventional therapies is one of the major limiting factors of cancer therapy efficacy. Identification of mechanisms responsible for survival and self-renewal of CSC will help design new therapeutic strategies that target and eliminate both differentiated cancer cells and CSC. Here we demonstrated the potential role of proapoptotic protein BAD in the biology of CSC in melanoma, prostate and breast cancers.

Regulation of autologous immunity to the mouse 5T4 oncofoetal antigen: implications for immunotherapy.

Effective vaccination against tumour-associated antigens (TAA) such as the 5T4 oncofoetal glycoprotein may be limited by the nature of the T cell repertoire and the influence of immunomodulatory factors in particular T regulatory cells (Treg). Here, we identified mouse 5T4-specific T cell epitopes using a 5T4 knock out (5T4KO) mouse and evaluated corresponding wild-type (WT) responses as a model to refine and improve immunogenicity. We have shown that 5T4KO mice vaccinated by replication defective adenovirus encoding mouse 5T4 (Adm5T4) generate potent 5T4-specific IFN-γ CD8 and CD4 T cell responses which mediate significant protection against 5T4 positive tumour challenge.

CXCR4 mediated chemotaxis is regulated by 5T4 oncofetal glycoprotein in mouse embryonic cells.

5T4 oncofetal molecules are highly expressed during development and upregulated in cancer while showing only low levels in some adult tissues. Upregulation of 5T4 expression is a marker of loss of pluripotency in the early differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells and forms an integrated component of an epithelial-mesenchymal transition, a process important during embryonic development and metastatic spread of epithelial tumors. Investigation of the transcriptional changes in early ES differentiation showed upregulation of CXCL12 and down-regulation of a cell surface protease, CD26, which cleaves this chemokine.