Low-dose ruxolitinib shows effective in treating myelofibrosis

HiJAKing Immunotherapy-Resistant Melanoma for a Cure

Immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs) have brought great promise to patients with advanced melanoma, a tumor type that was claimed largely incurable not long ago. However, therapeutic resistance to ICBs has limited their utility in the clinic. Here, we provide a commentary on recent research endeavors concerning ICB resistance in melanoma patients.

Selective suppression of melanoma lacking IFN-γ pathway by JAK inhibition depends on T cells and host TNF signaling

Therapeutic resistance to immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs) in melanoma patients is a pressing issue, of which tumor loss of IFN-γ signaling genes is a major underlying mechanism. However, strategies of overcoming this resistance mechanism have been largely elusive. Moreover, given the indispensable role of tumor-infiltrating T cells (TILs) in ICBs, little is known about how tumor-intrinsic loss of IFN-γ signaling (IFNγR1^KO) impacts TILs. Here, we report that IFNγR1^KO melanomas have reduced infiltration and function of TILs. IFNγR1^KO melanomas harbor a network of constitutively active protein tyrosine kinases centered on activated JAK1/2. Mechanistically, JAK1/2 activation is mediated by augmented mTOR. Importantly, JAK1/2 inhibition with Ruxolitinib selectively suppresses the growth of IFNγR1^KO but not scrambled control melanomas, depending on T cells and host TNF. Together, our results reveal an important role of tumor-intrinsic IFN-γ signaling in shaping TILs and manifest a targeted therapy to bypass ICB resistance of melanomas defective of IFN-γ signaling.

Sclerosing Extramedullary Hematopoietic Tumor (SEHT) Mimicking a Malignant Bile Duct Tumor-Case Report and Literature Review

Introduction: Sclerosing Extramedullary Hematopoietic Tumor (SEHT) is a very rare lesion associated with chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMPD). SEHT can mimic morphologically, both macroscopically and microscopically, a wide variety of tumors/lesions. Case presentation: We present the case of a female patient diagnosed with gallstones for which surgery was decided. Intraoperatively, a malignant tumor of extrahepatic bile ducts was suspected. A frozen section examination raised the suspicion of a mesenchymal tumor or an inflammatory pseudotumor. The histological evaluation of the permanent sections, supplemented with an immunohistochemical investigation (IHC), was the one that established the diagnosis of SEHT, based on the presence of areas of sclerosis, atypical CD31+ megakaryocytes, myeloid and erythroid elements. Conclusions: The authors present the difficulties of a morphological diagnosis on the frozen section and on permanent sections in the absence of relevant clinical information and make a review of the literature data dedicated to the subject.