CD74 supports accumulation and function of regulatory T cells in tumors.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are plastic cells playing a pivotal role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. Tregs actively adapt to the microenvironment where they reside; as a consequence, their molecular and functional profiles differ among tissues and pathologies. In tumors, the features acquired by Tregs remains poorly characterized.

Clinical significance of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) expression and tumor budding grade in colorectal cancer: Implications for targeted therapy.

Introduction: Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) has been proposed as a novel cancer target due to its regulating role in both tumor and immune cells. However, the connection between GSK-3 and immunoevasive contexture, including tumor budding (TB) has not been previously examined.

Methods: we investigated the expression levels of total GSK-3 as well as its isoforms (GSK-3β and GSK-3α) and examined their potential correlation with TB grade and the programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumor samples.

Metabolic shift underlies tumor progression and immune evasion in S-nitrosoglutathione reductase-deficient cancer.

S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) is a denitrosylase enzyme that has been suggested to play a tumor suppressor role, although the mechanisms responsible are still largely unclear. In this study, we show that GSNOR deficiency in tumors is associated with poor prognostic histopathological features and poor survival in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). GSNOR-low tumors were characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment with exclusion of cytotoxic CD8 T cells.

Basal VEGF-A and ACE Plasma Levels of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients Have Prognostic Value for First-Line Treatment with Chemotherapy Plus Bevacizumab.

The identification of factors that respond to anti-angiogenic therapy would represent a significant advance in the therapeutic management of metastatic-colorectal-cancer (mCRC) patients. We previously reported the relevance of VEGF-A and some components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in the response to anti-angiogenic therapy in cancer patients. Therefore, this prospective study aims to evaluate the prognostic value of basal plasma levels of VEGF-A and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in 73 mCRC patients who were to receive bevacizumab-based therapies as a first-line treatment.

The Combination of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio and Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio with Liquid Biopsy Biomarkers Improves Prognosis Prediction in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer with a highly inflammatory microenvironment and liquid biopsy has emerged as a promising tool for the noninvasive analysis of this tumor. In this study, plasma was obtained from 58 metastatic PDAC patients, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) concentration, and circulating RAS mutation were determined. We found that NLR was significantly associated with both overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival.

Circulating Cell-Free DNA-Based Liquid Biopsy Markers for the Non-Invasive Prognosis and Monitoring of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.

Liquid biopsy may assist in the management of cancer patients, which can be particularly applicable in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In this study, we investigated the utility of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA)-based markers as prognostic tools in metastatic PDAC. Plasma was obtained from 61 metastatic PDAC patients, and cfDNA levels and fragmentation were determined.