The HOXC-AS2/miR-876-5p/HKDC1 axis regulates endometrial cancer progression in a high glucose-related tumor microenvironment.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) is related to chronic inflammation and is currently identified as a risk factor for the occurrence and development of endometrial cancer (EC). Pyroptosis is a new proinflammatory form of programmed cell death that plays a critical role in the progression of multiple diseases. However, the important role of pyroptosis in high-glucose (HG)-related EC and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive.

Response Prediction to Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Delta-Radiomics Based on Sequential Whole-Tumor ADC Map.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the radiomics features (RFs) extracted from a whole-tumor ADC map during the early treatment course and response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods: Patients with ESCC who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy were enrolled in two hospitals. Whole-tumor ADC values and RFs were extracted from sequential ADC maps before treatment, after the 5th radiation, and after the 10th radiation, and the changes of ADC values and RFs were calculated as the relative difference between different time points.

Preliminary Clinical Application of RGD-Containing Peptides as PET Radiotracers for Imaging Tumors.

Angiogenesis is a common feature of many physiological processes and pathological conditions. RGD-containing peptides can strongly bind to integrin αvβ3 expressed on endothelial cells in neovessels and several tumor cells with high specificity, making them promising molecular agents for imaging angiogenesis. Although studies of RGD-containing peptides combined with radionuclides, namely, F, Cu, and Ga for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging have shown high spatial resolution and accurate quantification of tracer uptake, only a few of these radiotracers have been successfully translated into clinical use.

The Urban-Rural Disparities and Associated Factors of Health Care Utilization Among Cancer Patients in China.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the urban-rural disparities and associated factors of health care utilization among cancer patients in China.

Methods: This study used the data collected from a cross-sectional survey conducted in China. A total of 1,570 cancer survivors from three urban districts and five rural counties were selected by using a multistage stratified random sampling method.

Pulmonary MALT lymphoma: Imaging findings in 18 cases and the associated pathological correlations.

Background: Pulmonary MALT lymphoma is a rare disease that is easily misdiagnosed. The objective of this study was to improve the understanding of pulmonary MALT lymphoma for clinicians.

Methods: The computed tomography (CT) scans of 18 patients (13 males and 5 females), aged 41-70 years (mean=55.

Twice-daily thoracic radiotherapy by intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) compared with simultaneous integrated boost IMRT (SIB-IMRT) with concurrent chemotherapy for patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer. A propensity-score matched analysis.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the standard treatment for limited-stage small-cell lung cancer patients (SCLC). However, the optimal dose and schedule of thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) has not been established.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of limited-stage SCLC patients treated with twice-daily TRT and concurrent chemotherapy between December 2009 and December 2017.

Pre-treatment F-RGD Uptake may Predict Adverse Events during Apatinib Antiangiogenic Therapy.

Aims: The adverse events during antiangiogenic therapy inevitably influence a patient's quality of life. Therefore, biomarkers to identify patients who will experience adverse events would be very valuable in treatment planning.

Materials And Methods: Between September 2016 and December 2019, patients scheduled for single-agent apatinib were prospectively enrolled and underwent F-RGD positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) pre-treatment.

Self-Supervised monocular depth and ego-Motion estimation in endoscopy: Appearance flow to the rescue.

Recently, self-supervised learning technology has been applied to calculate depth and ego-motion from monocular videos, achieving remarkable performance in autonomous driving scenarios. One widely adopted assumption of depth and ego-motion self-supervised learning is that the image brightness remains constant within nearby frames. Unfortunately, the endoscopic scene does not meet this assumption because there are severe brightness fluctuations induced by illumination variations, non-Lambertian reflections and interreflections during data collection, and these brightness fluctuations inevitably deteriorate the depth and ego-motion estimation accuracy.

Prognostic Value of Pretreatment Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio and Development of a Nomogram in Breast Cancer Patients.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to explore the prognostic significance of pretreatment hematologic parameters in predicting disease-free survival (DFS) of breast cancer patients.

Materials And Methods: The medical records of 440 breast cancer patients in Shandong Cancer Hospital and Institute from 2003 to 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. Through the results of blood routine before treatment, the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), absolute monocyte count (AMC), and absolute platelet count (APC) in peripheral blood were collected.

Comprehensive Next-Generation Sequencing Reveals Novel Predictive Biomarkers of Recurrence and Thoracic Toxicity Risks After Chemoradiation Therapy in Limited Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Although definitive chemoradiation therapy (dCRT) remains the most effective treatment modality in limited stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC), some patients progress quickly or develop serious radiation-induced thoracic toxicity (RITT). Molecular correlates of response to dCRT remain to be explored.

Methods And Materials: Genomic profiling was performed retrospectively on 231 patients with limited-stage SCLC treated with dCRT between 2015 and 2019 using a customized panel covering cancer and radiation therapy response-related genes.

Identification of RET fusions in a Chinese multicancer retrospective analysis by next-generation sequencing.

Fusion of RET with different partner genes has been detected in papillary thyroid, lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancer. Approval of selpercatinib for treatment of lung and thyroid cancer with RET gene mutations or fusions calls for studies to explore RET fusion partners and their eligibility for RET-based targeted therapy. In this study, RET fusion patterns in a large group of Chinese cancer patients covering several cancer types were identified using next-generation sequencing.

Combined treatment of non-small cell lung cancer using radiotherapy and immunotherapy: challenges and updates.

The efficacy of immunotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unsatisfactory, as the majority of patients either do not experience an objective response or acquire secondary resistance. As a result, several methods to enhance the systemic efficacy of immunotherapy have been investigated, including a large area of active research by combining immunotherapy with radiation therapy (RT). Given the rapidly burgeoning concept of combining immunotherapy and RT for increasing therapeutic benefit, we review the progress in this field thus far and explore further avenues for enhancing this combination.

Effect of Camrelizumab vs Placebo Added to Chemotherapy on Survival and Progression-Free Survival in Patients With Advanced or Metastatic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: The ESCORT-1st Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Standard first-line therapy for advanced or metastatic esophageal carcinoma is chemotherapy, but the prognosis remains poor. Camrelizumab (an anti-programmed death receptor 1 [PD-1] antibody) showed antitumor activity in previously treated advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and adverse events of camrelizumab plus chemotherapy vs placebo plus chemotherapy as a first-line treatment in advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Pulsed Radiation Therapy to Improve Systemic Control of Metastatic Cancer.

Radiation therapy (RT) is emerging as an interventional modality in the cancer-immunity cycle, augmenting the activation of an adaptive immune response against tumors. RT, particularly in combination with immunotherapy, can enhance immune memory effects and shape the tumor-directed T-cell populations. However, a single cycle of RT delivered to a limited number of polymetastatic lesions is rarely sufficient to achieve systemic control.

Taxifolin Targets PI3K and mTOR and Inhibits Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common malignant primary brain tumor, has a very poor prognosis. With increasing knowledge of tumor molecular biology, targeted therapies are becoming increasingly integral to comprehensive GBM treatment strategies. mTOR is a key downstream molecule of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, integrating input signals from growth factors, nutrients, and energy sources to regulate cell growth and cell proliferation through multiple cellular responses.

Transcatheter Arterial Infusion Combined With Radioactive Particles in the Treatment of Advanced Body/Tail Pancreatic Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: This retrospective cohort study investigated the efficacy of routine intravenous chemotherapy (the control group), transcatheter arterial infusion (TAI) chemotherapy, and TAI combined with radioactive particles as therapeutic methods for advanced body/tail pancreatic cancer by assessing the short-term and overall survival rates.

Methods: We screened our prospective database for patients with advanced body/tail pancreatic cancer, which tumor deemed unresectable, and no other confirmed malignant tumors, patients were assigned into 3 groups according to their treatment: routine intravenous chemotherapy, TAI, and TAI combined with radioactive particles.

Results: The median survival time was 6 months in the control group, 10 months in the TAI group, and 13 months in the TAI combined group.

STK39 promotes breast cancer invasion and metastasis by increasing SNAI1 activity upon phosphorylation.

SNAI1 is widely regarded as a master driver of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and associated with breast cancer progression and metastasis. This pro-malignant role is strongly linked to posttranslational modification, especially phosphorylation, which controls its protein levels and subcellular localization. While multiple kinases are implicated in regulation of SNAI1 stability, the precise mechanism by which SNAI1 is stabilized in tumors remains to be fully elucidated.

Calcium channel TRPV6 promotes breast cancer metastasis by NFATC2IP.

Calcium channel TRPV6 upregulation is associated with poor prognosis of breast cancer by promoting invasion and metastasis, and TRPV6 is a potential target for breast cancer therapy. However, the mechanism by which TRPV6 promotes breast metastasis remains unclear. Here, we report that TRPV6 expression is upregulated in metastatic breast cancers and that TRPV6 overexpression or upregulation accelerates primary breast cancer cell migration.

High-dose irradiation in combination with non-ablative low-dose radiation to treat metastatic disease after progression on immunotherapy: Results of a phase II trial.

Aim: To report early findings from a phase II trial of high-dose radiotherapy (HD-RT) with or without low-dose RT (LD-RT) for metastatic cancer.

Methods: Eligible patients had metastatic disease that progressed on immunotherapy within 6 months. Patients were given either HD-RT (20-70 Gy total; 3-12.

3-hydroxyanthranic acid increases the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma to sorafenib by decreasing tumor cell stemness.

Sorafenib is the FDA-approved first-line target drug for HCC patients. However, sorafenib only confers 3-5 months of survival benefit with <30% of HCC patients. Thus, it is necessary to develop a sensitizer for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to sorafenib.

Considerations for Clinical Trials Testing Radiotherapy Combined With Immunotherapy for Metastatic Disease.

Metastatic cancer is inherently heterogeneous, and patients with metastatic disease can experience vastly different oncologic outcomes depending on several patient- and disease-specific characteristics. Designing trials for such a diverse population is challenging yet necessary to improve treatment outcomes for metastatic-previously thought to be incurable-disease. Here we review core considerations for designing and conducting clinical trials involving radiation therapy and immunotherapy for patients with metastatic cancer.

The landscape of bispecific T cell engager in cancer treatment.

T cell-based immunotherapies have revolutionized treatment paradigms in various cancers, however, limited response rates secondary to lack of significant T-cell infiltration in the tumor site remain a major problem. To address this limitation, strategies for redirecting T cells to treat cancer are being intensively investigated, while the bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) therapy constitutes one of the most promising therapeutic approaches. BiTE is a bispecific antibody construct with a unique function, simultaneously binding an antigen on tumor cells and a surface molecule on T cells to induce tumor lysis.

Radiotherapy programs neutrophils to an antitumor phenotype by inducing mesenchymal-epithelial transition.

Background: Neutrophils can play a pro-tumor or anti-tumor role depending on the tumor microenvironment. The effects of concurrent treatment with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and radiotherapy (RT) on neutrophils have not yet to be described.

Methods: Hypofractionated radiation of 8 Gy ×3 fractions was administered with or without recombinant G-CSF to Lewis lung carcinoma tumor-bearing C57BL/6 model mice.