Efficacy of local-regional radiotherapy in de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving chemo-immunotherapy: A multicenter, propensity score matching study.

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of local-regional radiotherapy (LRRT) in de novo metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (dm NPC) patients receiving chemo-immunotherapy as first-line treatment and select the beneficiaries from LRRT.

Methods And Materials: M1-NPC patients receiving platinum-based chemo-immunotherapy with or without LRRT from four centers were included in this study. The propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was employed to balance the baseline characteristics between the LRRT and non-LRRT groups.

Modulation of the local angiotensin II: Augmentation of ferroptosis and radiosensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma via the HIF-1α-HILPDA axis.

Purpose: Radiotherapy presents a curative approach for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC); however, the cellular radiosensitivity heterogeneity limits its efficacy. Thus, investigating the specific mechanisms of radioresistance in NPC is crucial for identifying and employing effective radiosensitizing agents to enhance treatment success.

Methods And Materials: Radioresistant NPC cell lines HONE1-RR and SUNE1-RR were established.

Foxa1 disruption enhances human cell integration in human-mouse interspecies chimeras.

Blastocyst complementation can potentially generate a rodent model with humanized nasopharyngeal epithelium (NE) that supports sustained Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, enabling comprehensive studies of EBV biology in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. However, during this process, the specific gene knockouts required to establish a developmental niche for NE remain unclear. We performed bioinformatics analyses and generated Foxa1 mutant mice to confirm that Foxa1 disruption could potentially create a developmental niche for NE.

Artificial Intelligence-Empowered Multistep Integrated Radiation Therapy Workflow for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: To establish an artificial intelligence (AI)-empowered multistep integrated (MSI) radiation therapy (RT) workflow for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and evaluate its feasibility and clinical performance.

Methods And Materials: Patients with NPC scheduled for MSI RT workflow were prospectively enrolled. This workflow integrates RT procedures from computed tomography (CT) scan to beam delivery, all performed with the patient on the treatment couch.

Lactate-related gene signatures as prognostic predictors and comprehensive analysis of immune profiles in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Objectives: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive malignancy with high rates of morbidity and mortality, largely because of its late diagnosis and metastatic potential. Lactate metabolism and protein lactylation are thought to play roles in NPC pathogenesis by modulating the tumor microenvironment and immune evasion. However, research specifically linking lactate-related mechanisms to NPC remains limited.

A rare KLHDC4 variant Glu510Lys is associated with genetic susceptibility and promotes tumor metastasis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Various genetic association studies have identified numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) risk. However, these studies have predominantly focused on common variants, leaving the contribution of rare variants to the "missing heritability" largely unexplored. Here, we integrate genotyping data from 3,925 NPC cases and 15,048 healthy controls to identify a rare SNP, rs141121474, resulting in a Glu510Lys mutation in KLHDC4 gene linked to increased NPC risk.

Microbial Dysbiosis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Pilot Study on Biomarker Potential.

Importance: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is closely linked to microorganisms, especially intra-tumoral microbiota. However, the role of commensal microbiota in NPC remains underexplored, with implications for understanding disease mechanisms.

Objective: This study aims to analyze and compare the bacterial microbiota in the nasopharynx and middle meatus (MM) of individuals with NPC and those without NPC.

Zinc-based radioenhancers to activate tumor radioimmunotherapy by PD-L1 and cGAS-STING pathway.

Radiotherapy and immunotherapy have already become the primary form of treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but are limited by high radiotherapy dose and low immune response rate. Herein, a multi-pronged strategy using a radio-immuno-enhancer (ZnO-Au@mSiO) is developed by inducing tumor cells apoptosis and reprograming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). The radio-immuno-enhancer employed Au as a radiosensitizer, transition Zn ions as immune activators, which not only tremendously enhances the anti-proliferative activity of radiotherapy toward cancer cells, but also activates the immune response with multi-targets to let "exhausted" T cells "back to life" by triggering immunogenic cell death (ICD), immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) that target PD-1/PD-L1 and cGAS-STING under X-ray irradiation with a low dosage.

Long-term Outcomes Following Individualized Elective Primary Tumor CTV Delineation Based on Stepwise Spread Patterns of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated with Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy.

Purpose: Our institution has developed an individualized elective primary tumor clinical target volume (CTVp) delineation protocol for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) based on stepwise tumor spread patterns in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for over ten years. Herein, we report the long-term efficacy and toxicities in NPC patients treated under this protocol.

Methods And Materials: A total of 7,262 histologically proven, nonmetastatic NPC patients treated with IMRT following this individualized delineation protocol were retrospectively evaluated.

Multiomics Approach Identifies Key Proteins and Regulatory Pathways in Colorectal Cancer.

The prevalence rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) has dramatically increased in recent decades. However, robust CRC biomarkers with therapeutic value for early diagnosis are still lacking. To comprehensively reveal the molecular characteristics of CRC development, we employed a multiomics strategy to investigate eight different types of CRC samples.

Radiation-induced aberrant structural covariance networks in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a source-based morphometry study.

Background: Radiation-induced brain injury (RBI) is a common complication in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) who have undergone radiotherapy (RT), which is characterized by significant cognitive and psychological impairments. Although radiation-induced regional structural abnormalities have been well-reported, the effects of RT on the whole brain structural covariance networks are mostly unknown. Here, we performed a source-based morphometry (SBM) study to solve this issue.

Intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion-weighted imaging in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: comparison of the turbo spin-echo and echo-planar imaging techniques.

Background: Traditional echo-planar imaging with intravoxel incoherent motion (EPI-IVIM) exhibits significant magnetic susceptibility artifacts and geometric distortions, which limits its application in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study aimed to compare the qualitative and quantitative indicators between turbo spin echo with intravoxel incoherent motion (TSE-IVIM) and EPI-IVIM in patients with NPC and to provide optimal scanning strategies based on the relationships among these indicators.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2022 and August 2022.

miRNA‑22‑3p inhibits cell viability and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by targeting FOXP1.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor with a high incidence rate in certain regions. MicroRNA (miRNA/miR)-22-3p is implicated in the regulation of tumorigenesis and progression. However, the biological role of miRNA-22-3p in the progression of NPC remains unclear.

Interferon Gamma Receptor 2 Collaborates With Circular RNA/MicroRNA to Modulate Programmed Cell Death-Ligand 1 Levels in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Background: The effectiveness of immune checkpoint therapy highlights the need to understand abnormal programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), especially when treatments fail, or resistance develops. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) signaling is crucial for regulating programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Our study focuses on interferon gamma receptor 2 (IFNGR2), an essential part of the IFN-γ pathway, and its impact on malignant traits in NPC.

Prevalence of mental disorders and their associations with age at diagnosis and time since diagnosis of nasopharyngeal cancer.

Background: Despite advancements in cancer treatment, understanding the long-term mental health implications for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) survivors remains an underexplored area. This study aims to examine the prevalence of mental disorders and their correlations with age at diagnosis and time since diagnosis among NPC survivors.

Methods: A total of 1872 NPC patients were surveyed from September 2020 to June 2021 in this cross-sectional survey.

MDRN: Multi-distillation residual network for efficient MR image super-resolution.

Super-resolution (SR) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is gaining increasing attention for being able to provide detailed anatomical information. However, current SR methods often use the complex convolutional network for feature extraction, which is difficult to train and not suitable for limited computation resources in the medical scenario. To tackle these bottlenecks, we propose a multi-distillation residual network (MDRN) for more differential feature refinement, which has a superior trade-off between reconstruction accuracy and computation cost.

Immunomodulatory features of MSC-derived exosomes decorated with DC-specific aptamer for improving sublingual immunotherapy in allergic mouse model.

Introduction: Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) is an effective and injection-free route for allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT). Mesenchymal stromal/stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes (Exo) has been identified as a novel delivery platform with immunomodulatory capacities. In addition, targeting agents such as aptamers (Apt) have been extensively used for specific delivery approaches such as direct delivery of allergen formulations to dendritic cells (DC) to improve the efficacy of specific immunotherapy.

EBV-induced upregulation of CD55 reduces the efficacy of cetuximab treatment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Cetuximab, an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody, has been shown to improve survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. However, a correlation between the expression of EGFR and the response to cetuximab has not been observed, indicating that the mechanism underlying the effects of cetuximab needs to be further elucidated. The antitumour response involves immunotherapeutic mechanisms that target tumour-associated antigens, including complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), act either alone or, more often, in combination.

Role of N6-methyladenosine methylation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: current insights and future prospective.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a distinct type of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma prevalent in Southern China, Southeast Asia, and North Africa. Despite advances in treatment options, the prognosis for advanced NPC remains poor, underscoring the urgent need to explore its underlying mechanisms and develop novel therapeutic strategies. Epigenetic alterations have been shown to play a key role in NPC progression.

Unveiling hsa_circ_0007439: a novel suppressor of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via miR-556-5p/PTEN Axis.

Objective: There has been no explanation for the exact mechanism of circRNAs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Circ_0007439 was investigated in this study to determine its role and mechanism in NPC.

Methods: To identify circ_0007439, microRNA (miR)-556-5p, and PTEN mRNA in NPC tissues and cells, RT-qPCR was employed.

Epstein-Bar Virus-Positive Lymphoepithelioma-Like Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is a primary liver malignancy with poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Lymphoepithelioma-like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is an exceedingly rare variant of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma that histologically resembles nasopharyngeal carcinoma, previously known as lymphoepithelioma. It was first reported by Hsu et al in 1996 and they were able to show the presence of Epstein-Barr virus in tumor cells.

Mechanism of HIF-1α promoting proliferation, invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by regulating MMP-2 in hypoxic microenvironment.

Objective: To explore the mechanism of HIF-1α promoting the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by regulating the expression of MMP-2.

Methods: 30 nasopharyngeal carcinoma tissues and 30 normal nasopharyngeal epithelial tissues were collected, and the expression of HIF-1α and MMP-2 in the nasopharyngeal carcinoma, normal nasopharyngeal epithelial tissues and their hypoxic environment were systematically analyzed by qRT-PCR and western blot techniques. Lentivirus transfection technology was used to regulate the expression of HIF-1α and MMP-2 genes in the HONE1 cell line under hypoxic environment, and to explore the interaction mechanism of HIF-1α and MMP-2 genes and their role in the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Microenvironmental G protein-coupled estrogen receptor-mediated glutamine metabolic coupling between cancer-associated fibroblasts and triple-negative breast cancer cells governs tumour progression.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer, known for its lack of effective treatments and unfavorable prognosis. The G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), a novel estrogen receptor, is linked to increased malignancy in various cancers. However, its involvement in the metabolic regulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a key component in the tumour microenvironment, remains largely unexplored.