The transfer of multigene panel testing for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer to healthcare: What are the implications for the management of patients and families?

Until recently, the molecular diagnosis of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) was mostly based on BRCA1/2 testing. Next generation sequencing and the recent discovery of new genes involved in HBOC now permit the transfer of genomic capture targeting multiple candidate genes from research to clinical use. However, the implications for the management of patients and their families have not been extensively studied, in particular since some of these genes are not well-established cancer predisposing genes.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha deficiency impairs regulatory T cell functions: Possible application in the inhibition of melanoma tumor growth in mice.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells are important to induce and maintain immunological self-tolerance. Although the progress accomplished in understanding the functional mechanism of Treg cells, intracellular molecules that control the mechanisms of their suppressive capacity are still on investigation. The present study showed that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha deficiency impaired the suppressive activity of Treg cells on CD4CD25 and CD8 T cell proliferation.

Accumulation of MDSC and Th17 Cells in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Predicts the Efficacy of a FOLFOX-Bevacizumab Drug Treatment Regimen.

Host immunity controls the development of colorectal cancer, and chemotherapy used to treat colorectal cancer is likely to recruit the host immune system at some level. Athough preclinical studies have argued that colorectal cancer drugs, such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and oxaliplatin, exert such effects, their combination as employed in the oncology clinic has not been evaluated. Here, we report the results of prospective immunomonitoring of 25 metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients treated with a first-line combination regimen of 5-FU, oxaliplatin, and bevacizumab (FOLFOX-bevacizumab), as compared with 20 healthy volunteers.

Prognostic value of baseline seric Syndecan-1 in initially unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer patients: a simple biological score.

In first-line metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), baseline prognostic factors allowing death risk and treatment strategy stratification are lacking. Syndecan-1 (CD138) soluble form was never described as a prognostic biomarker in mCRC. We investigated its additional prognostic value for overall survival (OS).

Biomarkers of immunogenic stress in metastases from melanoma patients: Correlations with the immune infiltrate.

Melanoma is known to be under latent immunosurveillance. Here, we studied four biomarkers of immunogenic cell stress and death (microtubule-associated proteins 1A/1B light chain 3B (MAP-LC3B, best known as LC3B)-positive puncta in the cytoplasm as a sign of autophagy; presence of nuclear HMGB1; phosphorylation of eIF2α; increase in ploidy) in melanoma cells, in tissue microarrays (TMA) from metastases from 147 melanoma patients. These biomarkers of immunogenicity were correlated with the density of immune cells infiltrating the metastases and expressing CD3, CD4(+), CD8(+), CD20, CD45, CD56, CD138, CD163, DC-LAMP or FOXP3.

Obesity As a Risk Factor for Anthracyclines and Trastuzumab Cardiotoxicity in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: Patients with metabolic syndrome have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, although their susceptibility to chemotherapy-induced cardiac disease is not well documented. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess associations between obesity or being overweight and cardiotoxicity from anthracyclines and sequential anthracyclines and trastuzumab in patients with breast cancer.

Methods: We performed a random-effects analysis and a network meta-analysis and assessed publication bias.

Prognostic value of health-related quality of life for death risk stratification in patients with unresectable glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. Baseline health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a major subject of concern for these patients. We aimed to assess the independent prognostic value of HRQoL in unresectable glioblastoma (UGB) patients for death risk stratification.

[Th9 cells: a new population of helper T cells].

Th9 cells are CD4 T helper cells characterized by their ability to produce IL-9 and IL-21. These cells are obtained from naive CD4(+) T cells cultured in the presence of TGF-β and IL-4. Thus their differentiation results from the balance between the signaling pathways induced by IL-4 in one hand and the one induced by TGF-β in the other hand.

Tumor infiltration by Tbet+ effector T cells and CD20+ B cells is associated with survival in gastric cancer patients.

Tumor-infiltrating T and B lymphocytes could have the potential to affect cancer prognosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of tumor infiltration by CD8 and CD4 T cells, and B lymphocytes in patients with localized gastric cancer. In a retrospective cohort of 82 patients with localized gastric cancer and treated by surgery we quantitatively assessed by immunohistochemistry on surgical specimen, immune infiltrates of IL-17, CD8, Foxp3, Tbet T cells and CD20 B cells both in the tumor core and at the invasive margin via immunohistochemical analyses of surgical specimens.

Use of dedicated gene panel sequencing using next generation sequencing to improve the personalized care of lung cancer.

Advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies have improved the ability to detect potentially targetable mutations. However, the integration of NGS into clinical management in an individualized manner remains challenging. In this single-center observational study, we performed a dedicated NGS panel studying 41 cancer-related genes in 50 consecutive patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer between May 2012 and October 2014.

The presence of LC3B puncta and HMGB1 expression in malignant cells correlate with the immune infiltrate in breast cancer.

Several cell-intrinsic alterations have poor prognostic features in human breast cancer, as exemplified by the absence of MAP1LC3B/LC3B (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 β)-positive puncta in the cytoplasm (which indicates reduced autophagic flux) or the loss of nuclear HMGB1 expression by malignant cells. It is well established that breast cancer is under strong immunosurveillance, as reflected by the fact that scarce infiltration of the malignant lesion by CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes or comparatively dense infiltration by immunosuppressive cell types (such as FOXP3(+) regulatory T cells or CD68(+) tumor-associated macrophages), resulting in low CD8(+):FOXP3(+) or CD8(+):CD68(+) ratios, has a negative prognostic impact. Here, we reveal the surprising finding that cell-intrinsic features may influence the composition of the immune infiltrate in human breast cancer.

Human ectonucleotidase-expressing CD25 Th17 cells accumulate in breast cancer tumors and exert immunosuppressive functions.

Th17 cells contribute to the development of some autoimmune and allergic diseases by driving tissue inflammation. However, the function of Th17 cells during cancer progression remains controversial. Here, we show that human memory CD25 Th17 cells suppress T cell immunity in breast cancer.

Does bevacizumab impact anti-EGFR therapy efficacy in metastatic colorectal cancer?

Anti-EGFR therapy and antiangiogenic therapies are used alone or in combination with chemotherapies to improve survival in metastatic colorectal cancer. However, it is unknown whether pretreatment with antiangiogenic therapy could impact on the efficacy of anti-EGFR therapy. We selected one hundred and twenty eight patients diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer with a KRAS and NRAS unmutated tumor.

Effects of polyphenols and lipids from Pennisetum glaucum grains on T-cell activation: modulation of Ca(2+) and ERK1/ERK2 signaling.

Background: Pearl millet (PM), i.e., Pennisetum glaucum, is widely grown in Africa and known for its anti-oxidant and anti-hyperlipidemic properties.

Restoring Anticancer Immune Response by Targeting Tumor-Derived Exosomes With a HSP70 Peptide Aptamer.

Background: Exosomes, via heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) expressed in their membrane, are able to interact with the toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) on myeloid-derived suppressive cells (MDSCs), thereby activating them.

Methods: We analyzed exosomes from mouse (C57Bl/6) and breast, lung, and ovarian cancer patient samples and cultured cancer cells with different approaches, including nanoparticle tracking analysis, biolayer interferometry, FACS, and electron microscopy. Data were analyzed with the Student's t and Mann-Whitney tests.

[An IgG4-related pancreatitis mimicking an adenocarcinoma: A case report].

Type 1 auto-immune pancreatitis (type 1 AIP) is the pancreatic manifestation of IgG4-related systemic disease (IgG4-RD). This disease has recently been individualized and is characterized by elevated serum IgG4 levels and extrapancreatic lesions with common histologic characteristic: dense infiltration of lymphocytes, IgG4-positive plasma cells and storiforme fibrosis. Obliterative phlebitis is frequently detected.

Combined evaluation of LC3B puncta and HMGB1 expression predicts residual risk of relapse after adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer.

In spite of adjuvant chemotherapy, a significant fraction of patients with localized breast cancer (BC) relapse after optimal treatment. We determined the occurrence of cytoplasmic MAP1LC3B/LC3B (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B)-positive puncta, as well as the presence of nuclear HMGB1 (high mobility group box 1) in cancer cells within surgical BC specimens by immunohistochemistry, first in a test cohort (152 patients) and then in a validation cohort of localized BC patients who all received adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy (1646 patients). Cytoplasmic LC3B(+) puncta inversely correlated with the intensity of SQSTM1 staining, suggesting that a high percentage cells of LC3B(+) puncta reflects increased autophagic flux.

Fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan associated with aflibercept can induce microscopic colitis in metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Aflibercept is a recombinant fusion protein that acts as a soluble decoy receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This molecule binds to all isoforms of VEGF-A as well as VEGF-B and placental growth factor, preventing them from activating their respective receptors. Aflibercept is used for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in association with irinotecan.

Transcriptome analysis of TH2 CD4(+) T cells differentiated from wild-type and NLRP3KO mice.

The Nod-like receptor NLRP3 is involved in the formation of NLRP3. Up to now, the immunological functions of NLRP3 independently of inflammasome is unclear. In this dataset containing 6 samples (TH0, TH2 cells at day 3 and day 6 in wild type or Nlrp3 deficient cells), we show that NLRP3 expression in CD4(+) T cells supports a T helper 2 (TH2) transcriptional program in a cell-intrinsic manner (raw and normalized data are accessible on Gene Expression Omnibus database under the number GSE54561, http://www.

Liver X receptor ligand cytotoxicity in colon cancer cells and not in normal colon epithelial cells depends on LXRβ subcellular localization.

Increasing evidence indicates that Liver X Receptors (LXRs) have some anticancer properties. We recently demonstrated that LXR ligands induce colon cancer cell pyroptosis through an LXRβ-dependent pathway. In the present study, we showed that human colon cancer cell lines presented differential cytoplasmic localizations of LXRβ.

Cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy on cancer and immune cells: how can it be modulated to generate novel therapeutic strategies?

The first objective to use chemotherapy is to kill cancer cells. However, it is common knowledge that these drugs can also damage healthy host cells, especially immune cells, and thus impair the endogenous antitumor response. Here, we focus on the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy on tumor cells and immune cells.