Publications by authors named "K Zitzmann"

Background: The Androgen Receptor (AR) pathway is crucial in driving the progression of prostate cancer (PCa) to an advanced state. Despite the introduction of second-generation AR antagonists, such as enzalutamide, majority of patients develop resistance. Several mechanisms of resistance have been identified, including the constitutive activation of the AR pathway, the emergence of AR spliced variants, and the influence of other signalling pathways.

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Article Synopsis
  • Somatostatin receptor type 2 (SSTR2) is commonly found on certain tumors, including gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and breast cancer, making it a target for therapy.
  • Researchers developed a novel fluorescent-peptide antagonist, Octo-Fluo, that works with genetically engineered CAR T-cells to selectively trigger cell death in SSTR2-expressing cancer cells.
  • In laboratory and animal studies, Octo-Fluo enhanced the effectiveness of AdFITC(E2)-CAR T-cells against tumors, but high concentrations of Octo-Fluo could reduce its effectiveness by saturating both the CAR and SSTR2, highlighting the importance of dosage for treatment success.
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Context: Treatment options for advanced neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are still limited. In recent years, antitumor effects of cannabinoids have been reported; however, there are only very limited data available in NETs or PPGLs.

Objective: Investigation of the effects of cannabidiol (CBD) on patient-derived human NET/PPGL primary cultures and on NET/PPGL cell lines.

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Hypoxia activates pathways associated with tumor progression, metastatic spread, and alterations in the immune microenvironment leading to an immunosuppressive phenotype. In particular, the upregulation of PD-L1, a target for therapy with checkpoint inhibitors, is well-studied in several tumors. However, the relationship between hypoxia and PD-L1 regulation in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL), and especially in paragangliomas treated with embolization, is still largely unexplored.

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Immortalized cell lines originating from tumors and cultured in monolayers in vitro display consistent behavior and response, and generate reproducible results across laboratories. However, for certain endpoints, these cell lines behave quite differently from the original solid tumors. Thereby, the homogeneity of immortalized cell lines and two-dimensionality of monolayer cultures deters from the development of new therapies and translatability of results to the more complex situation in vivo.

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