Combination treatment of radiofrequency ablation and peptide neoantigen vaccination: Promising modality for future cancer immunotherapy.

Background: The safety and immunogenicity of a personalized neoantigen-based peptide vaccine, iNeo-Vac-P01, was reported previously in patients with a variety of cancer types. The current study investigated the synergistic effects of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and neoantigen vaccination in cancer patients and tumor-bearing mice.

Methods: Twenty-eight cancer patients were enrolled in this study, including 10 patients who had received RFA treatment within 6 months before vaccination (Cohort 1), and 18 patients who had not (Cohort 2).

Composition of the Gut Microbiota Associated with the Response to Immunotherapy in Advanced Cancer Patients: A Chinese Real-World Pilot Study.

Background: The composition of the gut microbiota is associated with the response to immunotherapy for different cancers. However, the majority of previous studies have focused on a single cancer and a single immune checkpoint inhibitor. Here, we investigated the relationship between the gut microbiota and the clinical response to anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) immunotherapy in patients with advanced cancers.

Exploring the Interobserver Agreement in Computer-Aided Radiologic Tumor Measurement and Evaluation of Tumor Response.

The accurate, objective, and reproducible evaluation of tumor response to therapy is indispensable in clinical trials. This study aimed at investigating the reliability and reproducibility of a computer-aided contouring (CAC) tool in tumor measurements and its impact on evaluation of tumor response in terms of RECIST 1.1 criteria.

Deep Sequencing of T-Cell Receptors for Monitoring Peripheral CD8 T Cells in Chinese Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated With the Anti-PD-L1 Antibody.

Atezolizumab, a high-affinity engineered human anti-PD-L1 antibody, has produced a clinical benefit for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, associated with T-cell regulation, the immunomodulatory effect of PD-L1 blockade and its biomarker in peripheral immunity remains elusive. In a prospective cohort with 12 Chinese advanced NSCLC patients who received atezolizumab 1,200 mg every 3 weeks as a second-line treatment, blood samples were obtained before and 6 weeks after atezolizumab initiation, and when disease progression was confirmed.

-Mutated Squamous Cell Lung Cancer and Its Association With Outcomes.

Background: The therapeutic efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in advanced -mutant lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients remains uncertain. Furthermore, the factors underlying the responsiveness have not been fully investigated. We therefore investigated the link between genomic profiles and EGFR-TKI efficacy.

Novel Nutrition-Based Nomograms to Assess the Outcomes of Lung Cancer Patients Treated With Anlotinib or Apatinib.

Background: Previous studies have indicated that the changes in body composition during treatment are prognostic in lung cancer. The question which follows is it may be too late to identify vulnerable patients after treatment and to improve outcomes for these patients. In our study, we sought to explore the alterations of body composition and weight before the outset of the antiangiogenic treatment and its role in predicting clinical response and outcomes.

Author Correction: Autophagy inhibition sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma to the multikinase inhibitor linifanib.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

A Pan-cancer Clinical Study of Personalized Neoantigen Vaccine Monotherapy in Treating Patients with Various Types of Advanced Solid Tumors.

Purpose: Because of their high tumor specificity and immunogenicity, neoantigens have been considered as ultimate targets for cancer immunotherapy. Neoantigen-based vaccines have demonstrated promising efficacy for several cancer types. To further investigate the antitumor potentials for other types of solid tumors, we designed a peptide-based neoantigen vaccine, iNeo-Vac-P01, and conducted a single-arm, open-labeled, investigator-initiated clinical trial (NCT03662815).

CircUBAP2-mediated competing endogenous RNA network modulates tumorigenesis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

We investigated the role of the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network in the development and progression of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). We analyzed the expression profiles of PAAD and normal pancreatic tissues from multiple GEO databases and identified 457 differentially expressed circular RNAs (DEcircRNAs), 19 microRNAs (DEmiRNAs) and 1993 mRNAs (DEmRNAs). We constructed a ceRNA network consisting of 4 DEcircRNAs, 3 DEmiRNAs and 149 DEmRNAs that regulates the NF-kappa B, PI3K-Akt, and Wnt signaling pathways.

Molecular and clinical analysis of Chinese patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusions have been recognized as a therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, molecular signatures and clinical characteristics of the Chinese population with ALK-rearranged NSCLC are not well elucidated. In the present study, we carried out targeted next-generation sequencing on tissue and plasma ctDNA samples in 1688 patients with NSCLC.

Exploring the role of Mir204/211 in HNSCC by the combination of bioinformatic analysis of ceRNA and transcription factor regulation.

Objectives: This study aimed to reveal the regulatory roles of microRNAs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) through comprehensive ceRNA, miRNA-transcription factor (TF)-hub gene network and survival analysis.

Materials And Methods: Expression analysis was performed using the 'edgeR' package based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The ceRNA network was screened by intersecting prediction results from miRcode, miRTarBase, miRDB and TargetScan.

Analysis of potential genes and pathways associated with the colorectal normal mucosa-adenoma-carcinoma sequence.

This study aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to the colorectal normal mucosa-adenoma-carcinoma sequence using bioinformatics analysis. Raw data files were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and underwent quality assessment and preprocessing. DEGs were analyzed by the limma package in R software (R version 3.

Cyclosporine A sensitizes human non-small cell lung cancer cells to gefitinib through inhibition of STAT3.

The epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) have dramatically prolonged the overall survival of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with EGFR-activating mutation, but the presence of primary or acquired resistance eventually leads to therapeutic failure. Thus, how to improve the efficacy and reverse the resistance to EGFR-TKIs remains a significant challenge. In this study, we found that CsA significantly augmented the anti-cancer effect of gefitinib in EGFR-TKI-sensitive and -resistant NSCLC cells.

Crizotinib induces autophagy through inhibition of the STAT3 pathway in multiple lung cancer cell lines.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved survival pathway in eukaryote and is frequently upregulated in cancer cells after chemotherapy or targeted therapy. Thus induction of autophagy has emerged as a drug resistance mechanism. In this study, we found that crizotinib induced a high level of autophagy in lung cancer cells through inhibition of STAT3.

The role of STAT3 in autophagy.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process in eukaryotes that eliminates harmful components and maintains cellular homeostasis in response to a series of extracellular insults. However, these insults may trigger the downstream signaling of another prominent stress responsive pathway, the STAT3 signaling pathway, which has been implicated in multiple aspects of the autophagic process. Recent reports further indicate that different subcellular localization patterns of STAT3 affect autophagy in various ways.

Nuclear factor of activated T cells in cancer development and treatment.

Since nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) was first identified as a transcription factor in T cells, various NFAT isoforms have been discovered and investigated. Accumulating studies have suggested that NFATs are involved in many aspects of cancer, including carcinogenesis, cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, drug resistance and tumor microenvironment. Different NFAT isoforms have distinct functions in different cancers.

Autophagy inhibition sensitizes hepatocellular carcinoma to the multikinase inhibitor linifanib.

Autophagy is a critical survival pathway for cancer cells under conditions of stress. Thus, induction of autophagy has emerged as a drug resistance mechanism. This study is to determine whether autophagy is activated by a novel multikinase inhibitor linifanib, thereby impairing the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells to this targeted therapy.