Enhanced Oxidative Phosphorylation Driven by TACO1 Mitochondrial Translocation Promotes Stemness and Cisplatin Resistance in Bladder Cancer.

Chemoresistance poses a critical obstacle in bladder cancer (BCa) treatment, and effective interventions are currently limited. Elevated oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) has been linked to cancer stemness, a determinant of chemoresistance. However, the mechanisms underlying increased OXPHOS during cancer cell chemoresistance remain unclear.

A predictive system comprising serum microRNAs and radiomics for residual retroperitoneal masses in metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumors.

Predicting the histopathology of residual retroperitoneal masses (RMMs) before post-chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection in metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCTs) can guide individualized treatment and minimize complications. Previous single approach-based models perform poorly in validation. Herein, we introduce a machine learning model that evolves from a single-dimensional tumor diameter to incorporate high-dimensional radiomic features, with its effectiveness assessed using the macro-average area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs).

Construction and implementation of a laparoscopic skill training course based on a smartphone application and virtual reality.

Background: To develop a laparoscopic training course that combines a smartphone application (APP) and virtual reality (VR), and initially evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of its implementation.

Methods: The Exploring Laparoscopy (Ex-Lap) app was developed to meet training demands. The course was designed by integrating the app with a VR simulator (LapSim) and animal organ perfusion simulators.

Overview of Novel Biomarkers for Management of Postchemotherapy Residual Masses in Testicular Cancer.

The diagnosis of postchemotherapy residual masses in testicular cancer must be based on the integration of clinical, imaging, and serology tests. Further validation is needed for novel biomarkers.

Tumor-repopulating cells evade ferroptosis via PCK2-dependent phospholipid remodeling.

Whether stem-cell-like cancer cells avert ferroptosis to mediate therapy resistance remains unclear. In this study, using a soft fibrin gel culture system, we found that tumor-repopulating cells (TRCs) with stem-cell-like cancer cell characteristics resist chemotherapy and radiotherapy by decreasing ferroptosis sensitivity. Mechanistically, through quantitative mass spectrometry and lipidomic analysis, we determined that mitochondria metabolic kinase PCK2 phosphorylates and activates ACSL4 to drive ferroptosis-associated phospholipid remodeling.

G3BP1 and SLU7 Jointly Promote Immune Evasion by Downregulating MHC-I via PI3K/Akt Activation in Bladder Cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) show promise as second-line treatment for advanced bladder cancer (BLCA); however, their responsiveness is limited by the immune evasion mechanisms in tumor cells. This study conduct a Cox regression analysis to screen mRNA-binding proteins and reveals an association between Ras GTPase-activating protein-binding protein 1 (G3BP1) and diminished effectiveness of ICI therapy in patients with advanced BLCA. Subsequent investigation demonstrates that G3BP1 enhances immune evasion in BLCA cells by downregulating major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) through phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling activation.

Regular gastroscopy and colonoscopy during the evaluation of urachal cancer: do we really need them?

Purpose: Urachal cancer is similar to gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma in histology, and gastroscopy/colonoscopy is often administered during perioperative evaluation. However, gastroscopy and colonoscopy have corresponding disadvantages. This study discusses whether gastroscopy/colonoscopy is truly necessary for patients with urachal cancer.

Gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel vs gemcitabine/carboplatin for advanced urothelial carcinoma.

Objective: To compare in a phase III trial the efficacy and safety of nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine (GA) with that of carboplatin plus gemcitabine (GCb) as a first-line treatment for patients with cisplatin-ineligible metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC).

Patients And Methods: Treatment-naive, cisplatin-ineligible patients with mUC were assigned randomly to either the GA (both nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m on Days 1 and 8, every 21 days) or GCb group (carboplatin area under the free carboplatin plasma concentration versus time curve of 4.5 on Day 1, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m on Days 1 and 8, every 21 days).

Optimal interval timing between transurethral resection of bladder tumors and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin perfusion.

Objective: There is no consensus regarding the best interval time between transurethral resection of a bladder tumor and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) perfusion. This study was to explore whether the interval time has an impact on the prognosis and adverse effects.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of patients who received BCG intravesical perfusion at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) from September 2015 to October 2021.

Effect of chemotherapy alone or combined with immunotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic genitourinary small cell carcinoma: a real-world retrospective study.

Background: Genitourinary small cell carcinoma is rare, and has a poor prognosis. However, effective treatment options for this disease are limited. We present a study to assess the efficacy of chemotherapy alone or combined with immunotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic genitourinary small cell carcinoma (GSCC).

SAVE Testis-sparing score: a multicenter retrospective study of a novel predictive tool for quantifying testicular tumors.

Background: Testis-sparing surgery (TSS) is a safe treatment for patients with benign testicular tumors. Presently, assessments for evaluating the suitability of TSS are poorly standardized, partially because testicular anatomical elements cannot be quantitatively described.

Materials And Methods: The authors developed a scoring method known as the SAVE testis-sparing score based on four critical and accessible anatomical features of a testicular tumor.

AhR diminishes the efficacy of chemotherapy via suppressing STING dependent type-I interferon in bladder cancer.

The induction of type-I interferons (IFN-Is) is important for the efficacy of chemotherapy. By investigating the role of amino acids in regulation of IFN-I production under chemo-drug treatment in bladder cancer (BC) cells, we find an inherent AhR-dependent negative feedback to restrain STING signaling and IFN-I production. Mechanistically, in a ligand dependent manner, AhR bridges STING and CUL4B/RBX1 E3 ligase complex, facilitating STING degradation through ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

NFYC-37 promotes tumor growth by activating the mevalonate pathway in bladder cancer.

Dysregulation of transcription is a hallmark of cancer, including bladder cancer (BLCA). CRISPR-Cas9 screening using a lentivirus library with single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting human transcription factors and chromatin modifiers is used to reveal genes critical for the proliferation and survival of BLCA cells. As a result, the nuclear transcription factor Y subunit gamma (NFYC)-37, but not NFYC-50, is observed to promote cell proliferation and tumor growth in BLCA.

Perivesical Fat Invasive Pattern as Prognostic Factor and Predictor of Response to Adjuvant Chemotherapy in T3 Stage Bladder Cancer.

Background: The prognostic value of the distinction between microscopic (pT3a) and macroscopic (pT3b) perivesical fat invasions remains a subject of debate. To explore whether the pattern of perivesical fat invasion can serve as a prognostic factor to better subgroup T3 stage bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and forty-nine patients diagnosed with T3 stage bladder cancer at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC) were selected for the experimental cohort in this study.

Prognostic Value of Inflammation Biomarkers in Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Without Distant Metastasis.

Background: To investigate the value of the presurgical inflammatory biomarkers including C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin (ALB), C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR), Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), the modified GPS (mGPS), and the high-sensitivity modified GPS (Hs-mGPS) in penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) without distant metastasis and develop a tool to predict the overall survival (OS) of PSCC patients.

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 271 PSCC patients without distant metastasis from 2006 to 2021. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts by a 7:3 ratio-a training cohort (n = 191) and a validation cohort (n = 80).

Can prophylactic tamsulosin reduce the risk of urinary retention after surgery? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials.

Objective: The meta-analysis aimed to integrate the evidence of randomized control trials to estimate the efficacy of prophylactic tamsulosin on postoperative urinary retention (POUR).

Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched through 1 March 2022 using predetermined keywords. Randomized control trials reporting the preventive efficacy of prophylactic tamsulosin against POUR were identified according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) guideline.

HER2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate RC48 alone or in combination with immunotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma: a multicenter, real-world study.

Background: Phase II trials showed the efficacy of anti-HER2 RC48-ADC (disitamab vedotin) for HER2-positive metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC). This study evaluated RC48 alone verses in combination with immunotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic UC using real-world data.

Methods: This retrospective, multicenter, real-world study included patients with locally advanced or metastatic UC who received RC48 in five hospitals in China between July 2021 and April 2022.

mC-dependent cross-regulation between nuclear reader ALYREF and writer NSUN2 promotes urothelial bladder cancer malignancy through facilitating RABL6/TK1 mRNAs splicing and stabilization.

The significance of 5-methylcytosine (mC) methylation in human malignancies has become an increasing focus of investigation. Here, we show that mC regulators including writers, readers and erasers, are predominantly upregulated in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) derived from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center and The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort. In addition, NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase family member 2 (NSUN2) as a methyltransferase and Aly/REF export factor (ALYREF) as a nuclear mC reader, are frequently coexpressed in UCB.

Interferon-dependent SLC14A1 cancer-associated fibroblasts promote cancer stemness via WNT5A in bladder cancer.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a role in response to cancer treatment and patient prognosis. CAFs show phenotypic and functional heterogeneity and differ widely in tumors of different tissue origin. Here, we use single-cell RNA sequencing of bladder cancer (BC) patient samples and report a CAF subpopulation characterized by overexpression of the urea transporter SLC14A1.

Cutoff values of PD-L1 expression in urinary cytology samples for predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

Background: The objective of this study was to determine the cutoff value of PD-L1 expression that can predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).

Methods: The concordance of PD-L1 expression between paired surgical resection specimens (SRSs) and urine cell blocks (UCBs) (cohort 1) was studied in a retrospective set of 58 UTUC patients to determine its suitability as a predictor of ICI immunotherapy efficacy. PD-L1 expression in UCBs obtained before neoadjuvant ICI immunotherapy was verified in a prospective set of 12 UTUC patients (cohort 2).