Emerging strategies for treating metastasis

Bioorthogonal targeted cell membrane vesicles/cell-sheet composites reduce postoperative tumor recurrence and scar formation of melanoma

While surgical resection is the predominant clinical strategy in the treatment of melanoma, postoperative recurrence and undetectable metastasis are both pernicious drawbacks to this otherwise highly successful approach. Furthermore, the deep cavities result from tumor excision can leave long lasting wounds which are slow to heal and often leave visible scars. These unmet needs are addressed in the present work through the use of a multidimensional strategy, and also promotes wound healing and scar reduction. In the first phase, cell membrane-derived nanovesicles (NVs) are engineered to show PD-1 and dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO). These are capable of reactivating T cells by blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. In the second phase, azido (N3) labeled mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are cultured into cell sheets using tissue engineering, then apply directly to surgical wounds to enhance tissue repair. Owing to the complementary association between DBCO and N3 groups, PD-1 NVs were accumulated at the site of excision. This strategy can inhibit postoperative tumor recurrence and metastasis, whilst also promoting wound healing and reducing scar formation. The results of this study set a precedent for a new and innovative multidimensional therapeutic strategy in the postoperative treatment of melanoma.

Combination of MHI148 Targeted Photodynamic Therapy and STING Activation Inhibits Tumor Metastasis and Recurrence

Metastasis and recurrence are notable contributors to mortality associated with breast cancer. Although immunotherapy has shown promise in mitigating these risks after conventional treatments, its effectiveness remains constrained by significant challenges, such as impaired antigen presentation by dendritic cells (DCs) and inadequate T cell infiltration into tumor tissues. To address these limitations, we developed a multifunctional nanoparticle platform, termed GM@P, which consisted of a hydrophobic shell encapsulating the photosensitizer MHI148 and a hydrophilic core containing the STING agonist 2'3'-cGAMP. This design elicited robust type I interferon responses to activate antitumor immunity. The GM@P nanoparticles loaded with MHI148 specifically targeted breast cancer cells. Upon exposure to 808 nm laser irradiation, the MHI148-loaded nanoparticles produced toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) to eradicate tumor cells through photodynamic therapy (PDT). Notably, PDT stimulated immunogenic cell death (ICD) to foster the potency of antitumor immune responses. Furthermore, the superior photoacoustic imaging (PAI) capabilities of MHI148 enabled the simultaneous visualization of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Collectively, our findings uncovered that the combination of PDT and STING activation facilitated a more conducive immune microenvironment, characterized by enhanced DC maturation, infiltration of CD8+ T cells, and proinflammatory cytokine release. This strategy stimulated local immune responses to augment systemic antitumor effects, offering a promising approach to suppress tumor growth, inhibit metastasis, and prevent recurrence.

ROS-responsive thermosensitive polypeptide hydrogels for localized drug delivery and improved tumor chemoimmunotherapy

In this study, we developed a ROS-responsive thermosensitive poly(ethylene glycol)-polypeptide hydrogel loaded with a chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin (Dox), an antiviral imidazoquinoline, resiquimod (R848), and antibody targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (aPD-1) for local chemoimmunotherapy. The hydrogel demonstrated controllable degradation and sustained drug release behavior according to the concentration of ROS in vitro. Following intratumoral injection into mice bearing B16F10 melanoma, the Dox/R848/aPD-1 co-loaded hydrogel effectively inhibited tumor growth, prolonged animal survival time and promoted anti-tumor immune responses with low systemic toxicity. In the postoperative model, the Dox/R848/aPD-1 co-loaded hydrogel exhibited enhanced tumor recurrence prevention and long-term immune memory effects. Thus, the hydrogel-based local chemoimmunotherapy system demonstrates potential for effective anti-tumor treatment and suppression of tumor recurrence.

The role of O-GlcNAcylation in bone metabolic diseases

O-GlcNAcylation, as a post-translational modification, can modulate cellular activities such as kinase activity, transcription-translation, protein degradation, and insulin signaling by affecting the function of the protein substrate, including cellular localization of proteins, protein stability, and protein/protein interactions. Accumulating evidence suggests that dysregulation of O-GlcNAcylation is associated with disease progression such as cancer, neurodegeneration, and diabetes. Recent studies suggest that O-GlcNAcylation is also involved in the regulation of osteoblast, osteoclast and chondrocyte differentiation, which is closely related to the initiation and development of bone metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis and osteosarcoma. However, the potential mechanisms by which O-GlcNAcylation regulates bone metabolism are not fully understood. In this paper, the literature related to the regulation of bone metabolism by O-GlcNAcylation was summarized to provide new potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of orthopedic diseases such as arthritis and osteoporosis.

Breast metastasis from lung adenocarcinoma: a case report and review of the literature

Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most lethal and most prevalent malignant tumors, and lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common pathological type of lung cancer. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer worldwide, but metastases to the breast from extramammary neoplasms are rare, especially from the lung. Early diagnosis and differentiation of primary from metastatic breast carcinoma are essential. Here, we present a case of metastases to the breast from lung adenocarcinoma, the treatment options varied according to disease progression.

Role of TIM-1 in the development and treatment of tumours

T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin structural domain 1 (TIM-1, also known as hepatitis A virus cell receptor 1) is a co-stimulatory molecule that is expressed predominantly on the surface of T cells. TIM-1 promotes the activation and proliferation of T cells, cytokine secretion, and can also be overexpressed in various types of cancer. Upregulation of TIM-1 expression may be associated with the development and progression of cancer. After reviewing the literature, we propose that TIM-1 affects tumour development mainly through two pathways. In the Direct pathway: overexpression in tumours activates tumour-related signaling pathways, mediates the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis, and directly affects tumour development directly. In the indirect pathway: In addition to changing the tumour microenvironment and influencing the growth of tumours, TIM-1 binds to ligands to encourage the activation, proliferation, and generation of cytokines by immune cells. This review examines how TIM-1 stimulates the development of tumours in direct and indirect ways, and how TIM-1 is exploited as a target for cancer therapy.

Digital droplet PCR analysis of organoids generated from mouse mammary tumors demonstrates proof-of-concept capture of tumor heterogeneity

Breast cancer metastases exhibit many different genetic alterations, including copy number amplifications (CNA). CNA are genetic alterations that are increasingly becoming relevant to breast oncology clinical practice. Here we identify CNA in metastatic breast tumor samples using publicly available datasets and characterize their expression and function using a metastatic mouse model of breast cancer. Our findings demonstrate that our organoid generation can be implemented to study clinically relevant features that reflect the genetic heterogeneity of individual tumors.

Supramolecular Peptide Amphiphile Nanospheres Reprogram Tumor-associated Macrophage to Reshape the Immune Microenvironment for Enhanced Breast Cancer Immunotherapy

Tumor immunotherapy has become a research hotspot in cancer treatment, with macrophages playing a crucial role in tumor development. However, the tumor microenvironment restricts macrophage functionality, limiting their therapeutic potential. Therefore, modulating macrophage function and polarization is essential for enhancing tumor immunotherapy outcomes. Here, a supramolecular peptide amphiphile drug-delivery system (SPADS) is utilized to reprogram macrophages and reshape the tumor immune microenvironment (TIM) for immune-based therapies. The approach involved designing highly specific SPADS that selectively targets surface receptors of M2-type macrophages (M2-Mφ). These targeted peptides induced M2-Mφ repolarization into M1-type macrophages by dual inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum and oxidative stresses, resulting in improved macrophagic antitumor activity and immunoregulatory function. Additionally, TIM reshaping disrupted the immune evasion mechanisms employed by tumor cells, leading to increased infiltration, and activation of immune cells. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of macrophage reshaping and anti-PD-1 antibody (aPD-1) therapy significantly improved the immune system's ability to recognize and eliminate tumor cells, thereby enhancing tumor immunotherapy efficacy. SPADS utilization also induced lung metastasis suppression. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of SPADS to drive macrophage reprogramming and reshape TIM, providing new insights, and directions for developing more effective immunotherapeutic approaches in cancer treatment.

Tumor Microenvironment Modulates Invadopodia Activity of Non-Selected and Acid-Selected Pancreatic Cancer Cells and Its Sensitivity to Gemcitabine and C18-Gemcitabine

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a deadly disease with high mortality due to early metastatic dissemination and high chemoresistance. All these factors are favored by its extracellular matrix (ECM)-rich microenvironment, which is also highly hypoxic and acidic. Gemcitabine (GEM) is still the first-line therapy in PDAC. However, it is quickly deaminated to its inactive metabolite. Several GEM prodrugs have emerged to improve its cytotoxicity. Here, we analyzed how the acidic/hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME) affects the response of PDAC cell death and invadopodia-mediated ECM proteolysis to both GEM and its C18 prodrug.

METHODS

For this, two PDAC cell lines, PANC-1 and Mia PaCa-2 were adapted to pHe 6.6 or not for 1 month, grown as 3D organotypic cultures and exposed to either GEM or C18 in the presence and absence of acidosis and the hypoxia inducer, deferoxamine.

RESULTS

We found that C18 has higher cytotoxic and anti-invadopodia activity than GEM in all culture conditions and especially in acid and hypoxic environments.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose C18 as a more effective approach to conventional GEM in developing new therapeutic strategies overcoming PDAC chemoresistance.

A phenotypic screening approach to target p60AmotL2-expressing invasive cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Tumor cells have the ability to invade and form small clusters that protrude into adjacent tissues, a phenomenon that is frequently observed at the periphery of a tumor as it expands into healthy tissues. The presence of these clusters is linked to poor prognosis and has proven challenging to treat using conventional therapies. We previously reported that p60AmotL2 expression is localized to invasive colon and breast cancer cells. In vitro, p60AmotL2 promotes epithelial cell invasion by negatively impacting E-cadherin/AmotL2-related mechanotransduction.

METHODS

Using epithelial cells transfected with inducible p60AmotL2, we employed a phenotypic drug screening approach to find compounds that specifically target invasive cells. The phenotypic screen was performed by treating cells for 72 h with a library of compounds with known antitumor activities in a dose-dependent manner. After assessing cell viability using CellTiter-Glo, drug sensitivity scores for each compound were calculated. Candidate hit compounds with a higher drug sensitivity score for p60AmotL2-expressing cells were then validated on lung and colon cell models, both in 2D and in 3D, and on colon cancer patient-derived organoids. Nascent RNA sequencing was performed after BET inhibition to analyse BET-dependent pathways in p60AmotL2-expressing cells.

RESULTS

We identified 60 compounds that selectively targeted p60AmotL2-expressing cells. Intriguingly, these compounds were classified into two major categories: Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) inhibitors and Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal motif (BET) inhibitors. The latter consistently demonstrated antitumor activity in human cancer cell models, as well as in organoids derived from colon cancer patients. BET inhibition led to a shift towards the upregulation of pro-apoptotic pathways specifically in p60AmotL2-expressing cells.

CONCLUSIONS

BET inhibitors specifically target p60AmotL2-expressing invasive cancer cells, likely by exploiting differences in chromatin accessibility, leading to cell death. Additionally, our findings support the use of this phenotypic strategy to discover novel compounds that can exploit vulnerabilities and specifically target invasive cancer cells.

IL-10 dampens antitumor immunity and promotes liver metastasis via PD-L1 induction

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The liver is one of the organs most commonly affected by metastasis. The presence of liver metastases has been reported to be responsible for an immunosuppressive microenvironment and diminished immunotherapy efficacy. Herein, we aimed to investigate the role of IL-10 in liver metastasis and to determine how its modulation could affect the efficacy of immunotherapy in vivo.

METHODS

To induce spontaneous or forced liver metastasis in mice, murine cancer cells (MC38) or colon tumor organoids were injected into the cecum or the spleen, respectively. Mice with complete and cell type-specific deletion of IL-10 and IL-10 receptor alpha were used to identify the source and the target of IL-10 during metastasis formation. Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-deficient mice were used to test the role of this checkpoint. Flow cytometry was applied to characterize the regulation of PD-L1 by IL-10.

RESULTS

We found that Il10-deficient mice and mice treated with IL-10 receptor alpha antibodies were protected against liver metastasis formation. Furthermore, by using IL-10 reporter mice, we demonstrated that Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) were the major cellular source of IL-10 in liver metastatic sites. Accordingly, deletion of IL-10 in Tregs, but not in myeloid cells, led to reduced liver metastasis. Mechanistically, IL-10 acted on Tregs in an autocrine manner, thereby further amplifying IL-10 production. Furthermore, IL-10 acted on myeloid cells, i.e. monocytes, and induced the upregulation of the immune checkpoint protein PD-L1. Finally, the PD-L1/PD-1 axis attenuated CD8-dependent cytotoxicity against metastatic lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

Treg-derived IL-10 upregulates PD-L1 expression in monocytes, which in turn reduces CD8+ T-cell infiltration and related antitumor immunity in the context of colorectal cancer-derived liver metastases. These findings provide the basis for future monitoring and targeting of IL-10 in colorectal cancer-derived liver metastases.

IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS

Liver metastasis diminishes the effectiveness of immunotherapy and increases the mortality rate in patients with colorectal cancer. We investigated the role of IL-10 in liver metastasis formation and assessed its impact on the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Our data show that IL-10 is a pro-metastatic factor involved in liver metastasis formation and that it acts as a regulator of PD-L1. This provides the basis for future monitoring and targeting of IL-10 in colorectal cancer-derived liver metastasis.

Machine learning-based radiomic analysis and growth visualization for ablation site recurrence diagnosis in follow-up CT

OBJECTIVES

Detecting ablation site recurrence (ASR) after thermal ablation remains a challenge for radiologists due to the similarity between tumor recurrence and post-ablative changes. Radiomic analysis and machine learning methods may show additional value in addressing this challenge. The present study primarily sought to determine the efficacy of radiomic analysis in detecting ASR on follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans. The second aim was to develop a visualization tool capable of emphasizing regions of ASR between follow-up scans in individual patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Lasso regression and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) classifiers were employed for modeling radiomic features extracted from regions of interest delineated by two radiologists. A leave-one-out test (LOOT) was utilized for performance evaluation. A visualization method, creating difference heatmaps (diff-maps) between two follow-up scans, was developed to emphasize regions of growth and thereby highlighting potential ASR.

RESULTS

A total of 55 patients, including 20 with and 35 without ASR, were included in the radiomic analysis. The best performing model was achieved by Lasso regression tested with the LOOT approach, reaching an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.97 and an accuracy of 92.73%. The XGBoost classifier demonstrated better performance when trained with all extracted radiomic features than without feature selection, achieving an AUC of 0.93 and an accuracy of 89.09%. The diff-maps correctly highlighted post-ablative liver tumor recurrence in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Machine learning-based radiomic analysis and growth visualization proved effective in detecting ablation site recurrence on follow-up CT scans.

Long non-coding RNA TINCR suppresses growth and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in human pancreatic cancer PANC-1 cells: Insights from in vitro and in vivo studies

There is increasing evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a crucial role in the development and progression of malignant tumors, particularly pancreatic cancer. In this study, the influence of the lncRNA TINCR on the behavior of human pancreatic cancer cells was investigated with the aim of deciphering its role in growth, migration, and invasion. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to investigate TINCR expression in pancreatic cancer cells. Ectopic expression of TINCR in PANC-1 cells was induced to evaluate the effects on cell viability and apoptosis, examining the apoptotic genes Bax and Bcl-2. Migration and invasion assays were used to measure the impact of TINCR on these cellular processes. In vivo studies using a xenograft mouse model examined the effects of TINCR on tumor growth, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. PANC-1 cells showed strikingly low TINCR expression compared to other pancreatic cancer cell lines. Ectopic TINCR expression reduced the viability of PANC-1 cells primarily by inducing apoptosis, as evidenced by increased Bax and decreased Bcl-2 expression. Overexpression of TINCR significantly increased the percentage of apoptotic cells. It also decreased the migration and invasion ability of PANC-1 cells, as demonstrated in wound healing and transwell assays. In addition, overexpression of TINCR-suppressed proteins is associated with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in PANC-1 cells. In the xenograft mouse model, overexpression of TINCR inhibited tumor growth, EMT markers, and proteins associated with the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. This study sheds light on the tumour-suppressive role of TINCR in PANC-1 cells and suggests its potential as a therapeutic target. These results shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of TINCR on pancreatic cancer and offer promising opportunities for innovative therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes in this serious malignancy.

Cytotoxicity Activity of Some meso-Dihydroguaiaretic Acid Derivatives and Mode of Action of the Most Active Compound

The aim of this study was to screen sixteen meso-1 semi-synthetic derivatives bearing ether, esther, carbamate, phosphate or aminoether functional groups against five cancer cell lines: MCF-7 (breast), A549 (lung), HepG2 (liver), HeLa (cervix), and DU145 (prostate) at 25 μM using the MTT assay. Results from the screening showed that two derivatives had the lowest percentage of cell viability at 25 μM, the aminoether derivative meso-11 and the esther derivative meso-20 against A549 (44.15±0.78 %) and MCF-7 (41.60±0.92 %), respectively. Then, it was determined the IC50 value of each compound against their most sensitive cancer cell line. Results showed that aminoether derivative meso-11 showed potent cytotoxicity against A549 (IC50 =17.11±2.11 μM), whereas it resulted more cytotoxic against the LL-47 lung normal cell line (IC50 =9.49±1.19 μM) having a Selective Index (SI) of 0.55. On the other hand, the esther derivative meso-20 exhibited potent activity against MCF-7 (IC50 =18.20±1.98 μM), whereas it displayed moderate cytotoxicity against the MCF-10 breast normal cell line (IC50 =41.22±2.17 μM) with a SI of 2.2. Finally, studies on the mechanism of action of meso-20 indicated disruption of MCF-7 plasma membrane in vitro and the AMPK activation in silico.

A Mammalian Conserved Circular RNA CircLARP1B Regulates Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis and Lipid Metabolism

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators in physiology and human diseases. However, evolutionarily conserved circRNAs with potent functions in cancers are rarely reported. In this study, a mammalian conserved circRNA circLARP1B is identified to play critical roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients with high circLARP1B levels have advanced prognostic stage and poor overall survival. CircLARP1B facilitates cellular metastatic properties and lipid accumulation through promoting fatty acid synthesis in HCC. CircLARP1B deficient mice exhibit reduced metastasis and less lipid accumulation in an induced HCC model. Multiple lines of evidence demonstrate that circLARP1B binds to heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein D (HNRNPD) in the cytoplasm, and thus affects the binding of HNRNPD to sensitive transcripts including liver kinase B1 (LKB1) mRNA. This regulation causes decreased LKB1 mRNA stability and lower LKB1 protein levels. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to theHNRNPD binding sites in circLARP1B increases the HNRNPD binding to LKB1 mRNA. Through the HNRNPD-LKB1-AMPK pathway, circLARP1B promotes HCC metastasis and lipid accumulation. Results from AAV8-mediated hepatocyte-directed knockdown of circLARP1B or Lkb1 in mouse models also demonstrate critical roles of hepatocytic circLARP1B regulatory pathway in HCC metastasis and lipid accumulation, and indicate that circLARP1B may be potential target of HCC treatment.

The Application of Electromagnetic Fields in Cancer

The use of nonionizing electromagnetic fields (EMFs) has attracted interest in cancer research during the past few decades due to its noninvasive therapeutic successes in the treatment of cancer. Some epidemiological studies suggest that there may be a link between exposure to EMF and developing malignancies (such as leukemia and gliomas) or neurodegenerative diseases since EMF has a variety of biological effects such as altering reactive oxygen species (ROS)-regulated pathways. EMF exposure, however, has the potential to cause cancer cells to undergo a period of regulated cell death. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly investigate how EMF might influence cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis - processes that are targeted in cancer treatment. In this chapter, we give a thorough summary of the most recent studies on the potential use of various EMF applications with adjustable settings to treat different forms of cancer.

CDK10 suppresses metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma through inhibition of the ETS2/c-Raf/p-MEK/p-ERK signaling loop

The repertoire of aberrant signaling underlying the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma remains largely uncharacterized, which precludes an efficient therapy for these patients, especially when distant metastasis occurs. Cyclin-dependent kinase 10 (CDK10) has been reported to modulate the progression of malignant tumors; however, contradictory effects have been found among different types of malignant tumors. In the present study, we found that CDK10 was downregulated in lung adenocarcinoma compared with the paired adjacent normal lung tissue, and lower expression level of CDK10 was associated with more frequent N2 staged lymph node and distant metastasis, higher TNM stage, and shorter overall survival. Further study indicated that CDK10 inhibited the migration and invasion abilities with no impact on the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Mechanistically, CDK10 could bind to and promote the degradation of ETS2, a transcription factor for C-RAF and MMP2/9, thereby inactivating the downstream c-Raf/p-MEK/p-ERK pathway that drives epithelial-mesenchymal transition and impairing the expression of matrix metalloproteinases involved in cell invasion. In addition, the p-MEK/p-ERK pathway conducts a positive feedback regulation on the expression of ETS2. Knockdown of CDK10 in human lung adenocarcinoma cells significantly promoted the formation of metastatic foci in lungs in a xenograft mouse model. In conclusion, CDK10 suppresses metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma by disrupting the ETS2/c-Raf/p-MEK/p-ERK/ETS2 signaling and MMP2/9, providing a new therapeutic target for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma with metastasis.

Oncolytic adenoviruses expressing checkpoint inhibitors for cancer therapy

Despite the remarkable success of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), primary resistance to ICIs causes only subsets of patients to achieve durable responses due to the complex tumor microenvironment (TME). Oncolytic viruses (OVs) can overcome the immunosuppressive TME and promote systemic antitumor immunity in hosts. Engineered OVs armed with ICIs would likely have improved effectiveness as a cancer therapy. According to the diverse immune cell landscapes among different types of tumors, we rationally and precisely generated three recombinant oncolytic adenoviruses (OAds): OAd-SIRPα-Fc, OAd-Siglec10-Fc and OAd-TIGIT-Fc. These viruses were designed to locally deliver SIRPα-Fc, Siglec10-Fc or TIGIT-Fc fusion proteins recognizing CD47, CD24 or CD155, respectively, in the TME to achieve enhanced antitumor effects. Our results suggested that OAd-SIRPα-Fc and OAd-Siglec10-Fc both showed outstanding efficacy in tumor suppression of macrophage-dominated tumors, while OAd-TIGIT-Fc showed the best antitumor immunity in CD8+ T-cell-dominated tumors. Importantly, the recombinant OAds activated an inflammatory immune response and generated long-term antitumor memory. In addition, the combination of OAd-Siglec10-Fc with anti-PD-1 significantly enhanced the antitumor effect in a 4T1 tumor model by remodeling the TME. In summary, rationally designed OAds expressing ICIs tailored to the immune cell landscape in the TME can precisely achieve tumor-specific immunotherapy of cancer.

A Novel Anticancer Peptide Derived from Bryopsis plumosa Regulates Proliferation and Invasion in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells

The discovery of new highly effective anticancer drugs with few side effects is a challenge for drug development research. Natural or synthetic anticancer peptides (ACPs) represent a new generation of anticancer agents with high selectivity and specificity. The rapid emergence of chemoradiation-resistant lung cancer has necessitated the discovery of novel anticancer agents as alternatives to conventional therapeutics. In this study, we synthesized a peptide containing 22 amino acids and characterized it as a novel ACP (MP06) derived from green sea algae, Bryopsis plumosa. Using the ACP database, MP06 was predicted to possess an alpha-helical secondary structure and functionality. The anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of the MP06, determined using the cytotoxicity assay and Annexin V/propidium iodide staining kit, were significantly higher in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells than in non-cancerous lung cells. We confirmed that MP06 suppressed cellular migration and invasion and inhibited the expression of N-cadherin and vimentin, the markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Moreover, MP06 effectively reduced the metastasis of tumor xenografts in zebrafish embryos. In conclusion, we suggest considering MP06 as a novel candidate for the development of new anticancer drugs functioning via the ERK signaling pathway.

Efficacy of combined tumor irradiation and KCa3.1-targeting with TRAM-34 in a syngeneic glioma mouse model

The intermediate-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel KCa3.1 has been proposed to be a new potential target for glioblastoma treatment. This study analyzed the effect of combined irradiation and KCa3.1-targeting with TRAM-34 in the syngeneic, immune-competent orthotopic SMA-560/VM/Dk glioma mouse model. Whereas neither irradiation nor TRAM-34 treatment alone meaningfully prolonged the survival of the animals, the combination significantly prolonged the survival of the mice. We found an irradiation-induced hyperinvasion of glioma cells into the brain, which was inhibited by concomitant TRAM-34 treatment. Interestingly, TRAM-34 did neither radiosensitize nor impair SMA-560's intrinsic migratory capacities in vitro. Exploratory findings hint at increased TGF-β1 signaling after irradiation. On top, we found a marginal upregulation of MMP9 mRNA, which was inhibited by TRAM-34. Last, infiltration of CD3+, CD8+ or FoxP3+ T cells was not impacted by either irradiation or KCa3.1 targeting and we found no evidence of adverse events of the combined treatment. We conclude that concomitant irradiation and TRAM-34 treatment is efficacious in this preclinical glioma model.

Mechanisms of Organ-Specific Metastasis of Breast Cancer

Cancer metastasis, or the development of secondary tumors in distant tissues, accounts for the vast majority of fatalities in patients with breast cancer. Breast cancer cells show a striking proclivity to metastasize to distinct organs, specifically the lung, liver, bone, and brain, where they face unique environmental pressures and a wide variety of tissue-resident cells that together create a strong barrier for tumor survival and growth. As a consequence, successful metastatic colonization is critically dependent on reciprocal cross talk between cancer cells and host cells within the target organ, a relationship that shapes the formation of a tumor-supportive microenvironment. Here, we discuss the mechanisms governing organ-specific metastasis in breast cancer, focusing on the intricate interactions between metastatic cells and specific niche cells within a secondary organ, and the remarkable adaptations of both compartments that cooperatively support cancer growth. More broadly, we aim to provide a framework for the microenvironmental prerequisites within each distinct metastatic site for successful breast cancer metastatic seeding and outgrowth.

Application of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Malignant Solid Tumors

In the past decade, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) technology has significantly progressed in studying malignant solid tumors. This technically feasible reprogramming techniques can reawaken sequestered dormant regions that regulate the fate of differentiated cells. Despite the evolving therapeutic modalities for malignant solid tumors, treatment outcomes have not been satisfactory. Recently, scientists attempted to apply induced pluripotent stem cell technology to cancer research, from modeling to treatment. Induced pluripotent stem cells derived from somatic cells, cancer cell lines, primary tumors, and individuals with an inherited propensity to develop cancer have shown great potential in cancer modeling, cell therapy, immunotherapy, and understanding tumor progression. This review summarizes the evolution of induced pluripotent stem cells technology and its applications in malignant solid tumor. Additionally, we discuss potential obstacles to induced pluripotent stem cell technology.

What should be the future direction of development in the field of prostate cancer with lung metastasis?

BACKGROUND

Since the start of the 21st century, prostate cancer with lung metastasis (PCLM) has accumulated significant scientific research output. However, a systematic knowledge framework for PCLM is still lacking.

AIM

To reconstruct the global knowledge system in the field of PCLM, sort out hot research directions, and provide reference for the clinical and mechanism research of PCLM.

METHODS

We retrieved 280 high-quality papers from the Web of Science Core Collection and conducted a bibliometric analysis of keywords, publication volume, and citation frequency. Additionally, we selected differentially expressed genes from global high-throughput datasets and performed enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction analysis to further summarize and explore the mechanisms of PCLM.

RESULTS

PCLM has received extensive attention over the past 22 years, but there is an uneven spatial distribution in PCLM research. In the clinical aspect, the treatment of PCLM is mainly based on chemotherapy and immunotherapy, while diagnosis relies on methods such as prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography. In the basic research aspect, the focus is on cell adhesion molecules and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, among others. Traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy, remain the mainstay of PCLM treatment, while novel approaches such as immunotherapy have limited effectiveness in PCLM. This study reveals for the first time that pathways related to coronavirus disease 2019, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, and ribosome are closely associated with PCLM.

CONCLUSION

Future research should focus on exploring and enhancing mechanisms such as cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction and ribosome and improve existing mechanisms like cadherin binding and cell adhesion molecules.

Understanding and leveraging phenotypic plasticity during metastasis formation

Cancer metastasis is the process of detrimental systemic spread and the primary cause of cancer-related fatalities. Successful metastasis formation requires tumor cells to be proliferative and invasive; however, cells cannot be effective at both tasks simultaneously. Tumor cells compensate for this trade-off by changing their phenotype during metastasis formation through phenotypic plasticity. Given the changing selection pressures and competitive interactions that tumor cells face, it is poorly understood how plasticity shapes the process of metastasis formation. Here, we develop an ecology-inspired mathematical model with phenotypic plasticity and resource competition between phenotypes to address this knowledge gap. We find that phenotypically plastic tumor cell populations attain a stable phenotype equilibrium that maintains tumor cell heterogeneity. Considering treatment types inspired by chemo- and immunotherapy, we highlight that plasticity can protect tumors against interventions. Turning this strength into a weakness, we corroborate current clinical practices to use plasticity as a target for adjuvant therapy. We present a parsimonious view of tumor plasticity-driven metastasis that is quantitative and experimentally testable, and thus potentially improving the mechanistic understanding of metastasis at the cell population level, and its treatment consequences.

Cancer metastasis: Molecular mechanisms and clinical perspectives

Metastatic progression combined with non-responsiveness towards systemic therapy often shapes the course of disease for cancer patients and commonly determines its lethal outcome. The complex molecular events that promote metastasis are a combination of both, the acquired pro-metastatic properties of cancer cells and a metastasis-permissive or -supportive tumor micro-environment (TME). Yet, dissemination is a challenging process for cancer cells that requires a series of events to enable cancer cell survival and growth. Metastatic cancer cells have to initially detach themselves from primary tumors, overcome the challenges of their intravasal journey and colonize distant sites that are suited for their metastases. The implicated obstacles including anoikis and immune surveillance, can be overcome by intricate intra- and extracellular signaling pathways, which we will summarize and discuss in this review. Further, emerging modulators of metastasis, like the immune-microenvironment, microbiome, sublethal cell death engagement, or the nervous system will be integrated into the existing working model of metastasis.

Tumour stage, treatment, and survival of women with high-grade serous tubo-ovarian cancer in UKCTOCS: an exploratory analysis of a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

In UKCTOCS, there was a decrease in the diagnosis of advanced stage tubo-ovarian cancer but no reduction in deaths in the multimodal screening group compared with the no screening group. Therefore, we did exploratory analyses of patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer to understand the reason for the discrepancy.

METHODS

UKCTOCS was a 13-centre randomised controlled trial of screening postmenopausal women from the general population, aged 50-74 years, with intact ovaries. The trial management system randomly allocated (2:1:1) eligible participants (recruited from April 17, 2001, to Sept 29, 2005) in blocks of 32 using computer generated random numbers to no screening or annual screening (multimodal screening or ultrasound screening) until Dec 31, 2011. Follow-up was through national registries until June 30, 2020. An outcome review committee, masked to randomisation group, adjudicated on ovarian cancer diagnosis, histotype, stage, and cause of death. In this study, analyses were intention-to-screen comparisons of women with high-grade serous cancer at censorship (Dec 31, 2014) in multimodal screening versus no screening, using descriptive statistics for stage and treatment endpoints, and the Versatile test for survival from randomisation. This trial is registered with the ISRCTN Registry, 22488978, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00058032.

FINDINGS

202 562 eligible women were recruited (50 625 multimodal screening; 50 623 ultrasound screening; 101 314 no screening). 259 (0·5%) of 50 625 participants in the multimodal screening group and 520 (0·5%) of 101 314 in the no screening group were diagnosed with high-grade serous cancer. In the multimodal screening group compared with the no screening group, fewer were diagnosed with advanced stage disease (195 [75%] of 259 vs 446 [86%] of 520; p=0·0003), more had primary surgery (158 [61%] vs 219 [42%]; p<0·0001), more had zero residual disease following debulking surgery (119 [46%] vs 157 [30%]; p<0·0001), and more received treatment including both surgery and chemotherapy (192 [74%] vs 331 [64%]; p=0·0032). There was no difference in the first-line combination chemotherapy rate (142 [55%] vs 293 [56%]; p=0·69). Median follow-up from randomisation of 779 women with high-grade serous cancer in the multimodal and no screening groups was 9·51 years (IQR 6·04-13·00). At censorship (June 30, 2020), survival from randomisation was longer in women with high-grade serous cancer in the multimodal screening group than in the no screening group with absolute difference in survival of 6·9% (95% CI 0·4-13·0; p=0·042) at 18 years (21% [95% CI 15·6-26·2] vs 14% [95% CI 10·5-17·4]).

INTERPRETATION

To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that screening can detect high-grade serous cancer earlier and lead to improved short-term treatment outcomes compared with no screening. The potential survival benefit for women with high-grade serous cancer was small, most likely due to only modest gains in early detection and treatment improvement, and tumour biology. The cumulative results of the trial suggest that surrogate endpoints for disease-specific mortality should not currently be used in screening trials for ovarian cancer.

FUNDING

National Institute for Health Research, Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, The Eve Appeal.

Distinct shared and compartment-enriched oncogenic networks drive primary versus metastatic breast cancer

Metastatic breast-cancer is a major cause of death in women worldwide, yet the relationship between oncogenic drivers that promote metastatic versus primary cancer is still contentious. To elucidate this relationship in treatment-naive animals, we hereby describe mammary-specific transposon-mutagenesis screens in female mice together with loss-of-function Rb, which is frequently inactivated in breast-cancer. We report gene-centric common insertion-sites (gCIS) that are enriched in primary-tumors, in metastases or shared by both compartments. Shared-gCIS comprise a major MET-RAS network, whereas metastasis-gCIS form three additional hubs: Rho-signaling, Ubiquitination and RNA-processing. Pathway analysis of four clinical cohorts with paired primary-tumors and metastases reveals similar organization in human breast-cancer with subtype-specific shared-drivers (e.g. RB1-loss, TP53-loss, high MET, RAS, ER), primary-enriched (EGFR, TGFβ and STAT3) and metastasis-enriched (RHO, PI3K) oncogenic signaling. Inhibitors of RB1-deficiency or MET plus RHO-signaling cooperate to block cell migration and drive tumor cell-death. Thus, targeting shared- and metastasis- but not primary-enriched derivers offers a rational avenue to prevent metastatic breast-cancer.

Optimization of Neferine Purification Based on Response Surface Methodology and Its Anti-Metastasis Mechanism on HepG2 Cells

Liver cancer continues to be a focus of scientific research due to its low five-year survival rate. One of its main core issues is the high metastasis of cells, for which there is no effective treatment. Neferine was originally isolated from Plumula nelumbinis and demonstrated to have a good antitumor effect. In order to extract high-purity Neferine in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner, response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the isolation and purification procedures in this study. The extract conditions of a 7:3 ratio for the eluent of dichloromethane: methanol, 1:60 for the mass ratio of the extract amount: silica gel, and 3 mL/min of the elution flow rate were shown to be the optimal conditions. These conditions resulted in the highest yield of 6.13 mg per 66.60 mg of starting material, with productivity of 8.76% and purity of 87.04%. Compared with the previous methods, this method can prepare Neferine in large quantities more quickly. We subsequently evaluated the antitumor activity of the purified Neferine against HepG2 hepatic cancer cells. The purified Neferine was found to inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells through the CCK-8 assay, with an IC₅₀ of 33.80 μM in 24 h, 29.47 μM in 48 h, 24.35 μM in 72 h and 2.78 μM in 96 h of treatment. Neferine at a concentration of 3 μM could significantly inhibit the migration and invasion abilities of the HepG2 cells in vitro. We also explored the mechanism of action of Neferine via Western blot. We showed that Neferine could reduce RhoA expression by effectively inhibiting the phosphorylation of MYPT1, thereby effectively exerting anti-metastasis activity against HepG2 cells. Thus, we have optimized the isolation procedures for highly pure Neferine by response surface methodology (RSM) in this study, and purified Neferine is shown to play an essential role in the anti-metastasis process of liver cancer cells. The Neferine purification procedure may make a wide contribution to the follow-up development of other anti-metastasis lead compounds.

Inhibition of TRPV4 remodels single cell polarity and suppresses the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor, frequently causing both intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastases. The overall prognosis of patients with metastatic HCC is poor. Recently, single-cell (sc) polarity is proved to be an innate feature of some tumor cells in liquid phase, and directly involved in the cell adhesion to blood vessel and tumor metastasis. Here, we characterize the maintained sc polarity of HCC cells in a suspension culture, and investigate its roles and regulatory mechanisms during metastasis. We demonstrate that transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a promoting regulator of sc polarity via activating Ca²⁺-dependent AMPK/MLC/ERM pathway. This attenuates the adhesion of metastatic HCC cells to vascular endothelial cells. The reduction of cancer metastases can result from TRPV4 inhibition, which not only impacts the migration and invasion of tumor cells, but also prevents the adhesion to vascular endothelial cells. Additionally, we discover a brand-new TRPV4 inhibitor called GL-V9 that modifies the degree of sc polarization and significantly decreases the metastatic capacity of HCC cells. Taken together, our data shows that TRPV4 and calcium signal are significant sc polarity regulators in metastatic HCC, and that the pharmacological intervention that results in HCC cells becoming depolarized suggests a promising treatment for cancer metastasis.

Prognostic impact of tumor size on patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: a large SEER-based retrospective cohort study

Given the poor prognosis of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), this research aimed to investigate the correlation between tumor size and prognosis, and develop a novel prediction model to guide individualized treatment. Patients pathologically diagnosed with mCRC were recruited from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2010 and 2015, and were randomly divided (7:3 ratio) into a training cohort (n = 5597) and a validation cohort (n = 2398). Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze the relationship between tumor size and overall survival (OS). Univariate Cox analysis was applied to assess the factors associated with the prognosis of mCRC patients in the training cohort, and then multivariate Cox analysis was used to construct a nomogram model. The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the predictive ability of the model. Patients with larger tumors had a worse prognosis. While brain metastases were associated with larger tumors compared to liver or lung metastases, bone metastases tended to be associated with smaller tumors. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that tumor size was an independent prognostic risk factor (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.19-1.38), in addition to the other ten variables (age, race, primary site, grade, histology, T stage, N stage, chemotherapy, CEA level and metastases site). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS nomogram model yielded AUC values of more than 0.70 in both the training and validation cohorts, and its predictive performance was superior to that of the traditional TNM stage. Calibration plots demonstrated a good agreement between the predicted and observed 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS outcomes in both cohorts. The size of primary tumor was found to be significantly associated with prognosis of mCRC, and was also correlated with specific metastatic organ. In this study, we presented the first effort to create and validate a novel nomogram for predicting 1-, 3- and 5-year OS probabilities of mCRC. The prognostic nomogram was demonstrated to have an excellent predictive ability in estimating individualized OS of patients with mCRC.

Tumor Microenvironment-Inspired Glutathione-Responsive Three-Dimensional Fibrous Network for Efficient Trapping and Gentle Release of Circulating Tumor Cells

Detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is important for early cancer diagnosis, prediction of postoperative recurrence, and individualized treatment. However, it is still challenging to achieve efficient capture and gentle release of CTCs from the complex peripheral blood due to their rarity and fragility. Herein, inspired by the three-dimensional (3D) network structure and high glutathione (GSH) level of the tumor microenvironment (TME), a 3D stereo (3D-G@FTP) fibrous network is developed by combining the liquid-assisted electrospinning method, gas foaming technique, and metal-polyphenol coordination interactions to achieve efficient trapping and gentle release of CTCs. Compared with the traditional 2D@FTP fibrous scaffold, the 3D-G@FTP fibrous network could achieve higher capture efficiency (90.4% vs 78.5%) toward cancer cells in a shorter time (30 min vs 90 min). This platform showed superior capture performance toward heterogeneous cancer cells (HepG2, HCT116, HeLa, and A549) in an epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-independent manner. In addition, the captured cells with high cell viability (>90.0%) could be gently released under biologically friendly GSH stimulus. More importantly, the 3D-G@FTP fibrous network could sensitively detect 4-19 CTCs from six kinds of cancer patients' blood samples. We expect this TME-inspired 3D stereo fibrous network integrating efficient trapping, broad-spectrum recognition, and gentle release will promote the development of biomimetic devices for rare cell analysis.

Exploring the therapeutic and anti-tumor properties of morusin: a review of recent advances

Morusin is a natural product that has been isolated from the bark of Morus alba, a species of mulberry tree. It belongs to the flavonoid family of chemicals, which is abundantly present in the plant world and is recognized for its wide range of biological activities. Morusin has a number of biological characteristics, including anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, neuro-protective, and antioxidant capabilities. Morusin has exhibited anti-tumor properties in many different forms of cancer, including breast, prostate, gastric, hepatocarcinoma, glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer. Potential of morusin as an alternative treatment method for resistant malignancies needs to be explored in animal models in order to move toward clinical trials. In the recent years several novel findings regarding the therapeutic potential of morusin have been made. This aim of this review is to provide an overview of the present understanding of morusin's beneficial effects on human health as well as provide a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of morusin's anti-cancer properties with a special focus on in vitro and in vivo studies. This review will aid future research on the creation of polyphenolic medicines in the prenylflavone family, for the management and treatment of cancers.

Metastasis

Most cancer-associated deaths occur due to metastasis, yet our understanding of metastasis as an evolving, heterogeneous, systemic disease and of how to effectively treat it is still emerging. Metastasis requires the acquisition of a succession of traits to disseminate, variably enter and exit dormancy, and colonize distant organs. The success of these events is driven by clonal selection, the potential of metastatic cells to dynamically transition into distinct states, and their ability to co-opt the immune environment. Here, we review the main principles of metastasis and highlight emerging opportunities to develop more effective therapies for metastatic cancer.

N-acetylcysteine overcomes NF1 loss-driven resistance to PI3Kα inhibition in breast cancer

A genome-wide PiggyBac transposon-mediated screen and a resistance screen in a PIK3CA^H1047R-mutated murine tumor model reveal NF1 loss in mammary tumors resistant to the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase α (PI3Kα)-selective inhibitor alpelisib. Depletion of NF1 in PIK3CA^H1047R breast cancer cell lines and a patient-derived organoid model shows that NF1 loss reduces sensitivity to PI3Kα inhibition and correlates with enhanced glycolysis and lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Unexpectedly, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) sensitizes NF1 knockout cells to PI3Kα inhibition and reverts their glycolytic phenotype. Global phospho-proteomics indicates that combination with NAC enhances the inhibitory effect of alpelisib on mTOR signaling. In public datasets of human breast cancer, we find that NF1 is frequently mutated and that such mutations are enriched in metastases, an indication for which use of PI3Kα inhibitors has been approved. Our results raise the attractive possibility of combining PI3Kα inhibition with NAC supplementation, especially in patients with drug-resistant metastases associated with NF1 loss.

Spatial-Drug-Laden Protease-Activatable M1 Macrophage System Targets Lung Metastasis and Potentiates Antitumor Immunity

Lung metastasis is a critical cause of cancer mortality and its therapy is largely challenged by the limited drug delivery efficiency and robust immunosuppression in metastatic tumors. Herein, we designed a spatial-drug-laden M1 macrophage system with liposomal R848 inside and fibroblast activation protein protease (FAP)-sensitive phospholipid-DM4 conjugate on the membrane of M1 macrophage (RDM). RDM could preferentially accumulate at the metastatic lesions in lungs and responsively release the therapeutic agents as free drug molecules or drug-loaded nanovesicles. RDM treatment notably enhanced the infiltration of CD3⁺CD8⁺ T cells to lung metastasis and, respectively, caused an 8.54-, 12.87- and 2.85-fold improvement of the granzyme-B-, interferon-γ-, and Ki67-positive subtypes versus negative control. Moreover, RDM treatment produced a 90.99% inhibition of lung metastasis in 4T1 models and significant prolongation of survival in three murine lung metastatic models. Therefore, the drug-laden FAP-sensitive M1 macrophage system represents a feasible strategy to target lung metastasis and boost antitumor immunity for antimetastasis therapy.

Prospects for targeting ACKR1 in cancer and other diseases

The chemokine network is comprised of a family of signal proteins that encode messages for cells displaying chemokine G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). The diversity of effects on cellular functions, particularly directed migration of different cell types to sites of inflammation, is enabled by different combinations of chemokines activating signal transduction cascades on cells displaying a combination of receptors. These signals can contribute to autoimmune disease or be hijacked in cancer to stimulate cancer progression and metastatic migration. Thus far, three chemokine receptor-targeting drugs have been approved for clinical use: Maraviroc for HIV, Plerixafor for hematopoietic stem cell mobilization, and Mogalizumab for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Numerous compounds have been developed to inhibit specific chemokine GPCRs, but the complexity of the chemokine network has precluded more widespread clinical implementation, particularly as anti-neoplastic and anti-metastatic agents. Drugs that block a single signaling axis may be rendered ineffective or cause adverse reactions because each chemokine and receptor often have multiple context-specific functions. The chemokine network is tightly regulated at multiple levels, including by atypical chemokine receptors (ACKRs) that control chemokine gradients independently of G-proteins. ACKRs have numerous functions linked to chemokine immobilization, movement through and within cells, and recruitment of alternate effectors like β-arrestins. Atypical chemokine receptor 1 (ACKR1), previously known as the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC), is a key regulator that binds chemokines involved in inflammatory responses and cancer proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Understanding more about ACKR1 in different diseases and populations may contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies targeting the chemokine network.

From patterns to patients: Advances in clinical machine learning for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment

Machine learning (ML) is increasingly used in clinical oncology to diagnose cancers, predict patient outcomes, and inform treatment planning. Here, we review recent applications of ML across the clinical oncology workflow. We review how these techniques are applied to medical imaging and to molecular data obtained from liquid and solid tumor biopsies for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment design. We discuss key considerations in developing ML for the distinct challenges posed by imaging and molecular data. Finally, we examine ML models approved for cancer-related patient usage by regulatory agencies and discuss approaches to improve the clinical usefulness of ML.

A Genetically Encoded Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reporter Enables Sensitive Detection and Tracking of Spontaneous Metastases in Deep Tissues

Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related death. However, it remains a poorly understood aspect of cancer biology, and most preclinical cancer studies do not examine metastasis, focusing solely on the primary tumor. One major factor contributing to this paradox is a gap in available tools for accurate spatiotemporal measurements of metastatic spread in vivo. Here, our objective was to develop an imaging reporter system that offers sensitive three-dimensional (3D) detection of cancer cells at high resolutions in live mice. An organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1b3 (oatp1b3) was used as an MRI reporter gene, and its sensitivity was systematically optimized for in vivo tracking of viable cancer cells in a spontaneous metastasis model. Metastases with oatp1b3-MRI could be observed at the single lymph node level and tracked over time as cancer cells spread to multiple lymph nodes and different organ systems in individual animals. While initial single lesions were successfully imaged in parallel via bioluminescence, later metastases were largely obscured by light scatter from the initial node. Importantly, MRI could detect micrometastases in lung tissue comprised on the order of 1,000 cancer cells. In summary, oatp1b3-MRI enables longitudinal tracking of cancer cells with combined high resolution and high sensitivity that provides 3D spatial information and the surrounding anatomical context.

SIGNIFICANCE

An MRI reporter gene system optimized for tracking metastasis in deep tissues at high resolutions and able to detect spontaneous micrometastases in lungs of mice provides a useful tool for metastasis research.

Nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer metastases: Current and future perspectives

Metastasis accounts for greater than 90% of cancer-related deaths. Despite recent advancements in conventional chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and their rational combinations, metastatic cancers remain essentially untreatable. The distinct obstacles to treat metastases include their small size, high multiplicity, redundancy, therapeutic resistance, and dissemination to multiple organs. Recent advancements in nanotechnology provide the numerous applications in the diagnosis and prophylaxis of metastatic diseases, including the small particle size to penetrate cell membrane and blood vessels and their capacity to transport complex molecular 'cargo' particles to various metastatic regions such as bones, brain, liver, lungs, and lymph nodes. Indeed, nanoparticles (NPs) have demonstrated a significant ability to target specific cells within these organs. In this regard, the purpose of this review is to summarize the present state of nanotechnology in terms of its application in the diagnosis and treatment of metastatic cancer. We intensively reviewed applications of NPs in fluorescent imaging, PET scanning, MRI, and photoacoustic imaging to detect metastasis in various cancer models. The use of targeted NPs for cancer ablation in conjunction with chemotherapy, photothermal treatment, immuno therapy, and combination therapy is thoroughly discussed. The current review also highlights the research opportunities and challenges of leveraging engineering technologies with cancer cell biology and pharmacology to fabricate nanoscience-based tools for treating metastases.

Organoid generation from mouse mammary tumors captures the genetic heterogeneity of clinically relevant copy number alterations

Breast cancer metastases exhibit many different genetic alterations, including copy number amplifications. Using publicly available datasets, we identify copy number amplifications in metastatic breast tumor samples and using our organoid-based metastasis assays, and we validate FGFR1 is amplified in collectively migrating organoids. Because the heterogeneity of breast tumors is increasingly becoming relevant to clinical practice, we demonstrate our organoid method captures genetic heterogeneity of individual tumors.

TGFβ1-Induced EMT in the MCF10A Mammary Epithelial Cell Line Model Is Executed Independently of SNAIL1 and ZEB1 but Relies on JUNB-Coordinated Transcriptional Regulation

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) fosters cancer cell invasion and metastasis, the main cause of cancer-related mortality. Growing evidence that SNAIL and ZEB transcription factors, typically portrayed as master regulators of EMT, may be dispensable for this process, led us to re-investigate its mechanistic underpinnings. For this, we used an unbiased computational approach that integrated time-resolved analyses of chromatin structure and differential gene expression, to predict transcriptional regulators of TGFβ1-inducible EMT in the MCF10A mammary epithelial cell line model. Bioinformatic analyses indicated comparatively minor contributions of SNAIL proteins and ZEB1 to TGFβ1-induced EMT, whereas the AP-1 subunit JUNB was anticipated to have a much larger impact. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated loss-of-function studies confirmed that TGFβ1-induced EMT proceeded independently of SNAIL proteins and ZEB1. In contrast, JUNB was necessary and sufficient for EMT in MCF10A cells, but not in A549 lung cancer cells, indicating cell-type-specificity of JUNB EMT-regulatory capacity. Nonetheless, the JUNB-dependence of EMT-associated transcriptional reprogramming in MCF10A cells allowed to define a gene expression signature which was regulated by TGFβ1 in diverse cellular backgrounds, showed positively correlated expression with TGFβ signaling in multiple cancer transcriptomes, and was predictive of patient survival in several cancer types. Altogether, our findings provide novel mechanistic insights into the context-dependent control of TGFβ1-driven EMT and thereby may lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic options.

Association between radiotherapy and risk of death from cardiovascular diseases in lung and bronchus cancer

Background

Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of lung cancer. However, radiation-related deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) are a concern in these patients, and few studies have examined CVD-related death associated with lung cancer. We aimed to evaluate the risk of CVD-related death after radiotherapy in patients with lung and bronchus cancer.

Methods

Data were extracted from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to reduce possible bias between patients who received radiotherapy and those who did not. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate cardiovascular-specific survival (CVSS), and the log-rank test was used to compare CVSS between the radiotherapy and no radiotherapy groups. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of CVD-related death.

Results

A total of 225,570 patients with lung and bronchus cancer were included, and 201,282 patients remained after PSM. Radiotherapy was identified as an independent risk factor for CVSS among patients with lung and bronchus cancer before PSM (HR: 1.18, P < 0.001) and after PSM (HR: 1.18, P < 0.001). Patients treated with radiotherapy had a significantly worse CVSS than those who did not receive radiotherapy before PSM (25-year CVSS: 49.9 vs. 56.4%, P = 0.002) and after PSM (25-year CVSS: 48.4 vs. 56.7%, P < 0.001). Radiotherapy was associated with more deaths from heart disease before PSM (81.9 vs. 77.2%, P < 0.001) and after PSM (83.0 vs. 78.7%, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Radiotherapy is associated with an increased risk of CVD-related death, especially death from heart disease, in patients with lung and bronchus cancer. More efforts are needed to monitor cardiovascular health after radiotherapy.

Hypoxia-responsive Immunostimulatory Nanomedicines Synergize with Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy for Potentiating Cancer Immunotherapy

Inducing cell death while simultaneously enhancing antitumor immune responses is a promising therapeutic approach for multiple cancers. Celastrol (Cel) and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38) have contrasting physicochemical properties, but strong synergy in immunogenic cell death induction and anticancer activity. Herein, a hypoxia-sensitive nanosystem (CS@TAP) was designed to demonstrate effective immunotherapy for colorectal cancer by systemic delivery of an immunostimulatory chemotherapy combination. Furthermore, the combination of CS@TAP with anti-PD-L1 mAb (αPD-L1) exhibited a significant therapeutic benefit of delaying tumor growth and increased local doses of immunogenic signaling and T-cell infiltration, ultimately extending survival. We conclude that CS@TAP is an effective inducer of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, this study provides an encouraging strategy to synergistically induce immunogenic cell death to enhance tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) infiltration for anticancer immunotherapy.

MLL3 loss drives metastasis by promoting a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal transition state

Phenotypic plasticity associated with the hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is crucial to metastatic seeding and outgrowth. However, the mechanisms governing the hybrid EMT state remain poorly defined. Here we showed that deletion of the epigenetic regulator MLL3, a tumour suppressor frequently altered in human cancer, promoted the acquisition of hybrid EMT in breast cancer cells. Distinct from other EMT regulators that mediate only unidirectional changes, MLL3 loss enhanced responses to stimuli inducing EMT and mesenchymal-epithelial transition in epithelial and mesenchymal cells, respectively. Consequently, MLL3 loss greatly increased metastasis by enhancing metastatic colonization. Mechanistically, MLL3 loss led to increased IFNγ signalling, which contributed to the induction of hybrid EMT cells and enhanced metastatic capacity. Furthermore, BET inhibition effectively suppressed the growth of MLL3-mutant primary tumours and metastases. These results uncovered MLL3 mutation as a key driver of hybrid EMT and metastasis in breast cancer that could be targeted therapeutically.

Hypoxia-responsive Immunostimulatory Nanomedicines Synergize with Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy for Potentiating Cancer Immunotherapy

Inducing cell death while simultaneously enhancing antitumor immune responses is a promising therapeutic approach for multiple cancers. Celastrol (Cel) and 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38) have contrasting physicochemical properties, but strong synergy in immunogenic cell death induction and anticancer activity. Herein, a hypoxia-sensitive nanosystem (CS@TAP) was designed to demonstrate effective immunotherapy for colorectal cancer by systemic delivery of an immunostimulatory chemotherapy combination. Furthermore, the combination of CS@TAP with anti-PD-L1 mAb (αPD-L1) exhibited a significant therapeutic benefit of delaying tumor growth and increased local doses of immunogenic signaling and T-cell infiltration, ultimately extending survival. We conclude that CS@TAP is an effective inducer of immunogenic cell death (ICD) in cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, this study provides an encouraging strategy to synergistically induce immunogenic cell death to enhance tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) infiltration for anticancer immunotherapy.

Cancer fitness genes: emerging therapeutic targets for metastasis

Development of cancer therapeutics has traditionally focused on targeting driver oncogenes. Such an approach is limited by toxicity to normal tissues and treatment resistance. A class of 'cancer fitness genes' with crucial roles in metastasis have been identified. Elevated or altered activities of these genes do not directly cause cancer; instead, they relieve the stresses that tumor cells encounter and help them adapt to a changing microenvironment, thus facilitating tumor progression and metastasis. Importantly, as normal cells do not experience high levels of stress under physiological conditions, targeting cancer fitness genes is less likely to cause toxicity to noncancerous tissues. Here, we summarize the key features and function of cancer fitness genes and discuss their therapeutic potential.

Effect of Copper Chelators via the TGF-β Signaling Pathway on Glioblastoma Cell Invasion

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a fast-growing and aggressive type of brain cancer. Unlike normal brain cells, GBM cells exhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which is a crucial biological process in embryonic development and cell metastasis, and are highly invasive. Copper reportedly plays a critical role in the progression of a variety of cancers, including brain, breast, and lung cancers. However, excessive copper is toxic to cells. D-penicillamine (DPA) and triethylenetetramine (TETA) are well-known copper chelators and are the mainstay of treatment for copper-associated diseases. Following treatment with copper sulfate and DPA, GBM cells showed inhibition of proliferation and suppression of EMT properties, including reduced expression levels of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and Zeb, which are cell markers associated with EMT. In contrast, treatment with copper sulfate and TETA yielded the opposite effects in GBM. Genes, including TGF-β, are associated with an increase in copper levels, implying their role in EMT. To analyze the invasion and spread of GBM, we used zebrafish embryos xenografted with the GBM cell line U87. The invasion of GBM cells into zebrafish embryos was markedly inhibited by copper treatment with DPA. Our findings suggest that treatment with copper and DPA inhibits proliferation and EMT through a mechanism involving TGF-β/Smad signaling in GBM. Therefore, DPA, but not TETA, could be used as adjuvant therapy for GBM with high copper concentrations.

TRPV4 Promotes Metastasis in Melanoma by Regulating Cell Motility through Cytoskeletal Rearrangement

The abnormal expression of Transient Receptor Potential cation channel subfamily V member 4 (TRPV4) is closely related to the progression of multiple tumors. In addition, TRPV4 is increasingly being considered a potential target for cancer therapy, especially in tumor metastasis prevention. However, the biological correlation between TRPV4 and tumor metastasis, as well as the specific role of TRPV4 in malignant melanoma metastasis, is poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to examine the role of TRPV4 in melanoma metastasis through experiments and clinical data analysis, and the underlying anticancer mechanism of Baicalin, a natural compound, and its inhibitory effect on TRPV4 with in vivo and in vitro experiments. Our findings suggested that TRPV4 promotes metastasis in melanoma by regulating cell motility via rearranging the cytoskeletal, and Baicalin can inhibit cancer metastasis, whose mechanisms reverse the recruitment of activated cofilin to leading-edge protrusion and the increasing phosphorylation level of cortactin, which is provoked by TRPV4 activation.

MicroRNAs and Drug Resistance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. The development of drug resistance represents a major challenge for the clinical management of patients. In the last years, microRNAs have emerged as critical modulators of anticancer therapy response. Here, we make a critical appraisal of the literature available on the role of miRNAs in the regulation of drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We performed a comprehensive annotation of miRNAs expression profiles in chemoresistant versus sensitive NSCLC, of the drug resistance mechanisms tuned up by miRNAs, and of the relative experimental evidence in support of these. Furthermore, we described the pros and cons of experimental approaches used to investigate miRNAs in the context of therapeutic resistance, to highlight potential limitations which should be overcome to translate experimental evidence into practice ultimately improving NSCLC therapy.

Identification of a minority population of LMO2+ breast cancer cells that integrate into the vasculature and initiate metastasis

Metastasis is responsible for most breast cancer-related deaths; however, identifying the cellular determinants of metastasis has remained challenging. Here, we identified a minority population of immature THY1+/VEGFA+ tumor epithelial cells in human breast tumor biopsies that display angiogenic features and are marked by the expression of the oncogene, LMO2. Higher abundance of LMO2+ basal cells correlated with tumor endothelial content and predicted poor distant recurrence-free survival in patients. Using MMTV-PyMT/Lmo2CreERT2 mice, we demonstrated that Lmo2 lineage-traced cells integrate into the vasculature and have a higher propensity to metastasize. LMO2 knockdown in human breast tumors reduced lung metastasis by impairing intravasation, leading to a reduced frequency of circulating tumor cells. Mechanistically, we find that LMO2 binds to STAT3 and is required for STAT3 activation by tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6. Collectively, our study identifies a population of metastasis-initiating cells with angiogenic features and establishes the LMO2-STAT3 signaling axis as a therapeutic target in breast cancer metastasis.