The spatial zonation of the murine placental vasculature is specified by epigenetic mechanisms.

The labyrinthian fetoplacental capillary network is vital for proper nourishment of the developing embryo. Dysfunction of the maternal-fetal circulation is a primary cause of placental insufficiency. Here, we show that the spatial zonation of the murine placental labyrinth vasculature is controlled by flow-regulated epigenetic mechanisms.

Tumor budding and lymphovascular invasion as prognostic factors in p16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas.

Background: We aimed to validate the prognostic significance of tumor budding (TB) in p16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC).

Methods: We analyzed digitized H&E-stained slides from a multicenter cohort of five large university centers consisting of n = 275 cases of p16-positive OPSCC. We evaluated TB along with other histological parameters (morphology, tumor-stroma-ratio, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion) and calculated survival outcomes using both univariate and multivariate analyses.

Pediatric Bone Tumors: Location and Age Distribution of 420 Cases.

Background/objectives: One of the most important diagnostic tools in bone tumors is X-rays. Preliminary and, in the case of some benign lesions, definitive diagnoses are formed using this basic tool. Part of the decision making in this stage is based on statistical probability using the patient's age, as well as the incidence and predilection sites of different entities.

Expert-Guided Large Language Models for Clinical Decision Support in Precision Oncology.

Purpose: Rapidly expanding medical literature challenges oncologists seeking targeted cancer therapies. General-purpose large language models (LLMs) lack domain-specific knowledge, limiting their clinical utility. This study introduces the LLM system Medical Evidence Retrieval and Data Integration for Tailored Healthcare (MEREDITH), designed to support treatment recommendations in precision oncology.

Development of a novel immunocompetent murine tumor model for urothelial carcinoma using in vivo electroporation.

A lack of advanced preclinical mouse tumor models impedes the progress in urothelial carcinoma research. We present here a novel fast, robust, reliable, and highly reproducible model for the genetic induction of bladder cancer in immunocompetent mice. Different sets of oncogenic transposons (Cmyc, Kras) and Cre drivers were transfected into the murine bladder wall of two different genetic backgrounds (Trp53 and Braf, Pten, Ctnnb1).

Chondrosarcoma of the Pelvis and Extremities: A Review of 77 Cases of a Tertiary Sarcoma Center with a Minimum Follow-Up of 10 Years.

Background: Chondrosarcomas (CS) are a rare and heterogenic group of primary malignant bone tumors. In the literature, data on prognostic factors in chondrosarcomas are scarce, and most studies are limited by a short follow-up. The aim of this retrospective study was therefore to determine factors associated with the survival and local recurrence of chondrosarcomas and to compare the results with previous studies.

Improved ex vivo fluorescence imaging of human head and neck cancer using the peptide tracer TPP-IRDye800 targeting membrane-bound Hsp70 on tumor cells.

Background: The primary goal of surgery in HNSCC is the complete resection of tumor cells with maximum preservation of normal tissue. The membrane Hsp70-targeting fluorescence labelled peptide TPP-IRDye800 represents a promising tool for real-time intraoperative tumor visualization, enabling the detection of true tumor margins, critical isles of high-grade dysplasia and LN metastases.

Methods: Membrane Hsp70 (mHsp70) expression on HNSCC cell lines and primary HNSCC was determined by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy using FITC-conjugated mAb cmHsp70.

Unraveling the role of local ablative therapies for patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcoma - A retrospective multicenter study of the Bavarian university hospitals.

Background: Local ablative therapies (LAT) are increasingly used in patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS), yet evidence-based standards are lacking. This study aimed to assess the impact of LAT on survival of metastatic STS patients and to identify prognostic factors.

Methods: In this retrospective multicenter study, 246 STS patients with metastatic disease who underwent LAT on tumor board recommendation between 2017 and 2021 were analyzed.

ARX, PDX1, ISL1, and CDX2 Expression Distinguishes 5 Subgroups of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors With Correlations to Histology, Hormone Expression, and Outcome.

Many pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) fall into 2 major prognostic subtypes based on DAXX/ATRX-induced alternative lengthening of telomerase phenotype and alpha- and beta-cell-like epigenomic profiles. However, these PanNETs are still flanked by other PanNETs that do not fit into either subtype. Furthermore, despite advanced genotyping, PanNETs are generally not well-characterized in terms of their histologic and hormonal phenotypes.

Nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 is indispensable for a balanced adaptive transcriptional response of lung endothelial cells to hypoxia.

Aims: Chronic hypoxia causes detrimental structural alterations in the lung, which may cause pulmonary hypertension and are partially mediated by the endothelium. While its relevance for the development of hypoxia-associated lung diseases is well known, determinants controlling the initial adaptation of the lung endothelium to hypoxia remain largely unexplored.

Methods And Results: We revealed that hypoxia activates the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 (NFAT5) and studied its regulatory function in murine lung endothelial cells (MLECs).

Signalling of the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) through RAMP1 promotes liver fibrosis via TGFβ1/Smad2 and YAP pathways.

The liver is innervated by primary sensory nerve fibres releasing the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Elevated plasma levels of CGRP have been found in patients with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. We hypothesised that signalling of CGRP and its receptors might regulate liver fibrosis and propose a novel potential target for the treatment.

Comparing quantitative image parameters between animal and clinical CT-scanners: a translational phantom study analysis.

Purpose: This study compares phantom-based variability of extracted radiomics features from scans on a photon counting CT (PCCT) and an experimental animal PET/CT-scanner (Albira II) to investigate the potential of radiomics for translation from animal models to human scans. While oncological basic research in animal PET/CT has allowed an intrinsic comparison between PET and CT, but no 1:1 translation to a human CT scanner due to resolution and noise limitations, Radiomics as a statistical and thus scale-independent method can potentially close the critical gap.

Methods: Two phantoms were scanned on a PCCT and animal PET/CT-scanner with different scan parameters and then the radiomics parameters were extracted.

Long-term prospective outcome data using EndoPredict as risk stratification and chemotherapy decision biomarker in hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer.

Purpose: To report the prospective long-term outcome data of patients whose chemotherapy decision was guided by the EndoPredict test.

Methods: Patients with hormone receptor-positive HER2-negative early breast cancer with 0-3 positive lymph nodes were enrolled. The EndoPredict test was carried out on all tumor samples.

Low tumor interleukin-1β expression predicts a limited effect of adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy for patients with completely resected lung adenocarcinoma: An identification and validation study.

Introduction And Objectives: Adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy for completely resected non-small cell lung cancer is associated with modest improvement in survival; nevertheless, no validated biomarker exists for predicting the benefit or harm of adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: We simultaneously measured 27 cytokines in operative tumor specimens from a discovery cohort (n = 97) by multiplex immunoassay; half of the patients received adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy, and the other half were observed. We tested possible prognostic and predictive factors in multivariate Cox models for overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS), and a tree-based method was applied to detect predictive factors with respect to RFS.

[Comparative pathology in oncology-Best practice].

Comparative experimental pathology is a research field at the interface of human and veterinary medicine. It is focused on the comparative study of similarities and differences between spontaneous and experimentally induced diseases in animals (animal models) compared to human diseases. The use of animal models for studying human diseases is an essential component of biomedical research.

[Personalized medicine in oncology].

Due to the considerable technological progress in molecular and genetic diagnostics as well as increasing insights into the molecular pathogenesis of diseases, there has been a fundamental paradigm shift in the past two decades from a "one-size-fits-all approach" to personalized, molecularly informed treatment strategies. Personalized medicine or precision medicine focuses on the genetic, physiological, molecular, and biochemical differences between individuals and considers their effects on the development, prevention, and treatment of diseases. As a pioneer of personalized medicine, the field of oncology is particularly noteworthy, where personalized diagnostics and treatment have led to lasting change in the treatment of cancer patients in recent years.