Publications by authors named "Zhenghang Wang"

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the occurrence of actionable gene fusions in a large group of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients from China, analyzing data from 5,534 patients.
  • Findings revealed that only 0.98% (54 patients) had actionable gene fusions, with one specific fusion being the most common (38.9% of fusions).
  • The prevalence of these fusions was notably higher in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) and in colon cancer compared to rectal cancer, suggesting that specific genetic markers can enhance fusion detection rates for better clinical decision-making.
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The sole use of single modality data often fails to capture the complex heterogeneity among patients, including the variability in resistance to anti-HER2 therapy and outcomes of combined treatment regimens, for the treatment of HER2-positive gastric cancer (GC). This modality deficit has not been fully considered in many studies. Furthermore, the application of artificial intelligence in predicting the treatment response, particularly in complex diseases such as GC, is still in its infancy.

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Article Synopsis
  • Immunotherapy for gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancers has gained significant importance, especially through the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) like PD-1 and PD-L1 antibodies.
  • Currently, a combination of anti-PD-1 with chemotherapy is the preferred first-line treatment for various advanced GI cancers, including gastric/gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma, dMMR/MSI-H colorectal cancer, and advanced esophageal cancer.
  • Despite these advancements, researchers are still working to enhance the precision and effectiveness of immunotherapy for GI tumors, while also exploring innovative approaches like CAR-T therapy targeting claudin18.2 for later-line treatments.
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Background: The long-term survival benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings is unclear for colorectal cancers (CRC) and gastric cancers (GC) with deficiency of mismatch repair (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H).

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled patients with dMMR/MSI-H CRC and GC who received at least one dose of neoadjuvant ICIs (neoadjuvant cohort, NAC) or adjuvant ICIs (adjuvant cohort, AC) at 17 centers in China. Patients with stage IV disease were also eligible if all tumor lesions were radically resectable.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cr-activated phosphors are being explored for use in NIR-II light sources, but challenges exist in creating the right lattice coordination and achieving broad wavelength emission.* -
  • In this study, a series of Cr-activated ABO phosphors were successfully synthesized, ensuring stability in Cr's valence state due to the tetrahedral coordination in the crystal structure.* -
  • By modifying the A-site and B-site cations, the emission wavelength of Cr was adjusted from 1280 to 1430 nm, allowing for broader application in nondestructive testing and biological imaging.*
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Claudin18.2 (CLDN18.2) is highly expressed with the development of various malignant tumors, especially gastrointestinal cancers, and is emerging as a new target for cancer treatment.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis to the liver using a CRISPR-Cas9 screening approach, highlighting the significance of understanding the regulatory mechanisms behind distant spread for better treatment options.
  • - Through testing a whole-genome sgRNA library in a mouse model, the study identified the gene ANKRD42 as crucial for promoting liver metastasis in CRC, as its increased expression was linked to metastatic samples from both clinical cohorts and a patient database.
  • - Further analysis using patient-derived organoid models showed that knocking down ANKRD42 inhibited key genes related to metastatic behavior, suggesting that targeting ANKRD42 could offer new therapeutic strategies for treating advanced CRC metastasis.
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Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignancy of remarkable heterogeneity and heightened morbidity. Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are abundant in CRC tissues and are essential for CRC growth. Here, we aimed to develop a CAF-related classifier for predicting the prognosis of CRC and identify critical pro-tumorigenic genes in CAFs.

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infection is associated with the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers; however, its impact on immunotherapy for GI cancers remains uncertain. In this study, we included 10,122 patients who underwent C-urea breath tests. Among 636 patients with Epstein-Barr virus-negative microsatellite-stable gastric cancer (GC) who were treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy, -positive patients exhibited significantly longer immune-related progression-free survival (irPFS) compared with -negative patients (6.

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Initiation of plant vascular tissue is regulated by transcriptional networks during development and in response to environmental stimuli. The WALL-ASSOCIATED KINASES (WAKs) and WAK-likes (WAKLs) are cell surface receptors involved in cell expansion and defence in cells with primary walls, yet their roles in regulation of vascular tissue development that contain secondary walls remains unclear. In this study, we showed tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) SlWAKL2 and the orthologous gene in Arabidopsis thaliana, AtWAKL14, were specifically expressed in vascular tissues.

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Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors plus chemotherapy versus anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy in advanced microsatellite instability (MSI)/mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) gastrointestinal cancers.

Methods: We retrospectively recruited patients with MSI/dMMR gastrointestinal cancer who received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 with or without chemotherapy and compared objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy (chemo-anti-PD-1/PD-L1 group) and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor alone (anti-PD-1/PD-L1 group). Propensity score-based overlap weighting analysis was conducted to adjust the baseline covariable imbalance.

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Background: BRAF mutation occurs in 5%-10% of metastatic colorectal cancers (mCRCs). Patients with BRAF mutant mCRC exhibit a specific metastatic pattern and poor prognosis. Survival outcomes are heterogeneous in cases of mCRC with a BRAF mutation.

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Purpose: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an established therapeutic target for various kinds of solid tumors. HER2 amplification occurs in approximately 1% to 6% of colorectal cancer. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy in HER2-positive metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

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Background: In microsatellite instability (MSI)/mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) gastrointestinal cancers, the optimum therapy after the progression of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is yet unknown. Here, we compared the efficacy of programmed death 1 (PD1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors plus other therapy and chemotherapy with or without targeted therapy in MSI/dMMR gastrointestinal cancer patients after progression on anti-PD1/PD-L1 monotherapy.

Methods: We retrospectively recruited MSI/dMMR gastrointestinal cancer patients who had progressed on anti-PD1/PD-L1 monotherapy.

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Without treatment, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients will inevitably develop colorectal cancer (CRC) during lifetime. Yet, surgical trauma is a high risk of desmoid tumor (DT), one of the main causes of death in FAP patients. So far, the timing for colectomy is primarily based on the clinician's experience and the patient's preference; most patients undergo surgery at mid-20's.

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Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have dramatically improved survival in advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients, but also resulted in immune-related adverse events (irAEs). This study aimed to evaluate serological biomarkers of irAEs and treatment response in GI cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: Metastatic GI cancer patients were enrolled between August 1, 2015, and July 31, 2017.

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Background: Combinatorial inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and BRAF shows remarkable clinical benefits in patients with V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, the tumor may inevitably develop resistance to the targeted therapy, thereby limiting the response rate and durability. This study aimed to determine the genetic alterations associated with intrinsic and acquired resistance to EGFR/BRAF inhibitors in V600E-mutant mCRC.

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Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is the second most common cancer type with mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) phenotype that is expected to respond to immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, approximately half of the patients with dMMR/MSI-H GI cancer derive no benefit from ICIs. We sought to identify the predictors of primary resistance to ICIs in dMMR/MSI-H GI cancer.

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Despite success in hematologic malignancies, the treatment landscape of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for solid tumors remains limited. Claudin18.2 (CLDN18.

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Background: A significant subset of mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) gastric adenocarcinomas (GAC) are resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), yet the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. We sought to investigate the genomic correlates of the density of tumor-infiltrating immune cells (DTICs) and primary resistance to ICI treatment.

Methods: Four independent cohorts of MSI-H GAC were included: (i) the surgery cohort (n = 175) with genomic and DTIC data, (ii) the 3DMed cohort (n = 32) with genomic and PD-L1 data, (iii) the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort (n = 73) with genomic, transcriptomic, and survival data, and (iv) the ICI treatment cohort (n = 36) with pre-treatment genomic profile and ICI efficacy data.

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Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric cancer (GC) (EBVaGC) is a distinct molecular subtype of GC with a favorable prognosis. However, the exact effects and potential mechanisms of EBV infection on immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) efficacy in GC remain to be clarified. Additionally, EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization (ISH), the traditional method to detect EBV, could cause false-positive/false-negative results and not allow for characterizing other molecular biomarkers recommended by standard treatment guidelines for GC.

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Background: Regorafenib and fruquintinib are tyrosine kinase inhibitors that are recommended for refractory colorectal cancer (CRC) in China. However, to date, no head-to-head trials have been conducted to guide clinical practice.

Methods And Patients: An ambispective observational cohort study was conducted in Beijing Cancer Hospital.

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Objective: Emerging evidence showed that immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) lead to hyperprogressive disease (HPD) in a small proportion of patients. There is no well-recognized standard for the evaluation of HPD. Comprehensive exploration of HPD definition system in gastrointestinal cancer treated with ICI is lacking to date.

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Background: The human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) genotype has been linked with differential immune responses to infectious disease and cancer. However, the clinical relevance of germline HLA-mediated immunity in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer remains elusive.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the genomic profiling data from 84 metastatic GI cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) recruited from Peking University Cancer Hospital (PUCH).

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Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have achieved remarkable results in cancer treatments. However, there is no effective predictive biomarker for gastrointestinal (GI) cancer.

Methods: We conducted integrative analyses of the genomic and survival data of ICI-treated GI cancer patients from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center cohort (MSK-GI, = 227), the Janjigian cohort ( = 40), and the Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute cohort (PUCH, = 80) to determine the possible associations between DNA damage response and repair (DDR) gene mutations and clinical outcomes.

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