Analysis of cell free DNA to predict outcome to bevacizumab therapy in colorectal cancer patients.

To predict outcome to combination bevacizumab (BVZ) therapy, we employed cell-free DNA (cfDNA) to determine chromosomal instability (CIN), nucleosome footprints (NF) and methylation profiles in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. Low-coverage whole-genome sequencing (LC-WGS) was performed on matched tumor and plasma samples, collected from 74 mCRC patients from the AC-ANGIOPREDICT Phase II trial (NCT01822444), and analysed for CIN and NFs. A validation cohort of plasma samples from the University Medical Center Mannheim (UMM) was similarly profiled.

Human Metastatic Cholangiocarcinoma Patient-Derived Xenografts and Tumoroids for Preclinical Drug Evaluation.

Purpose: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is usually diagnosed at advanced stages, with limited therapeutic options. Preclinical models focused on unresectable metastatic CCA are necessary to develop rational treatments. Pathogenic mutations in IDH1/2, ARID1A/B, BAP1, and BRCA1/2 have been identified in 30%-50% of patients with CCA.

Functional Mapping of AKT Signaling and Biomarkers of Response from the FAIRLANE Trial of Neoadjuvant Ipatasertib plus Paclitaxel for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Despite extensive genomic and transcriptomic profiling, it remains unknown how signaling pathways are differentially activated and how tumors are differentially sensitized to certain perturbations. Here, we aim to characterize AKT signaling activity and its association with other genomic or IHC-based PI3K/AKT pathway biomarkers as well as the clinical activity of ipatasertib (AKT inhibitor) in the FAIRLANE trial.

Experimental Design: In FAIRLANE, 151 patients with early triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were randomized 1:1 to receive paclitaxel with ipatasertib or placebo for 12 weeks prior to surgery.

A Novel Antagonistic CD73 Antibody for Inhibition of the Immunosuppressive Adenosine Pathway.

Despite some impressive clinical results with immune checkpoint inhibitors, the majority of patients with cancer do not respond to these agents, in part due to immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment. High levels of adenosine in tumors can suppress immune cell function, and strategies to target the pathway involved in its production have emerged. CD73 is a key enzyme involved in adenosine production.

Gasdermin B expression predicts poor clinical outcome in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Around, 30-40% of HER2-positive breast cancers do not show substantial clinical benefit from the targeted therapy and, thus, the mechanisms underlying resistance remain partially unknown. Interestingly, ERBB2 is frequently co-amplified and co-expressed with neighbour genes that may play a relevant role in this cancer subtype. Here, using an in silico analysis of data from 2,096 breast tumours, we reveal a significant correlation between Gasdermin B (GSDMB) gene (located 175 kilo bases distal from ERBB2) expression and the pathological and clinical parameters of poor prognosis in HER2-positive breast cancer.

MicroRNA-21 links epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and inflammatory signals to confer resistance to neoadjuvant trastuzumab and chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer patients.

Patients with primary HER2-positive breast cancer benefit from HER2-targeted therapies. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of these patients die of disease progression due to mechanisms of drug resistance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as critical core regulators of drug resistance that act by modulating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer-related immune responses.

The differential role of L1 in ovarian carcinoma and normal ovarian surface epithelium.

Epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) arises from the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE), a monolayer of poorly differentiated epithelial cells that lines the ovary. The molecular mechanisms underlying EOC invasion into the surrounding stroma and dissemination to the peritoneum and to retroperitoneal lymph nodes are still unclear. Here, we analyzed the expression and the functional role of the cell adhesion molecule L1 during EOC development.

Complex engagement of DNA damage response pathways in human cancer and in lung tumor progression.

Tumor initiation and progression provide a multitude of occasions for the generation of DNA damage and the consequent activation of the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway. DDR signaling involves the engagement of key factors such as ATM, CHK2, 53BP1 and the phosphorylation of histone H2AX (gamma-H2AX). The systematic study of DDR in human tumors and normal tissues by high-throughput tissue microarrays revealed that ATM and gamma-H2AX were engaged in cancer but the extent of their activation was strongly affected by the organ and cell type involved, whereas 53BP1 loss was the most consistent feature among the tumor studied.

Frequent alterations in the expression of serine/threonine kinases in human cancers.

Protein kinases constitute a large family of regulatory enzymes involved in the homeostasis of virtually every cellular process. Subversion of protein kinases has been frequently implicated in malignant transformation. Within the family, serine/threonine kinases (STK) have received comparatively lesser attention, vis-a-vis tyrosine kinases, in terms of their involvement in human cancers.

Molecular and immunohistochemical analysis of HER2/neu oncogene in synovial sarcoma.

Amplification and/or overexpression of HER2/neu have been documented in many types of epithelial tumor and recently has been reported in sarcomas, particularly in osteosarcomas. But the role of HER2/neu alterations in soft tissue tumors remains poorly understood. Thus the present study investigates the expression of HER2/neu in 13 patients with synovial sarcoma (SS).

Malakoplakia of the pancreas with diffuse lymph-node involvement.

We report a case of malakoplakia involving the pancreas in a 74-year-old man with associated regional lymphoadenopathy. Histological examination of both pancreas and lymph nodes revealed a diffuse histiocytic infiltrate containing numerous Michaelis-Gutmann bodies. Electron microscopy supported the diagnosis of malakoplakia and showed bacterial-like structures.