Incomplete thermal ablation-induced up-regulation of transcription factor nuclear receptor subfamily 2, group F, member 6 (NR2F6) contributes to the rapid progression of residual liver tumor in hepatoblastoma

Potential of Thermal Ablation Combined with Immunotherapy in Peripheral Lung Tumors: A Review and Prospect

BACKGROUND

Lung tumors are prevalent malignancies associated with a high mortality rate, imposing significant medical and societal burdens. Although immunotherapy shows promise in improving survival, response rates are relatively modest. Thermal ablation can not only eliminate tumor cells directly but also enhance antitumor immunity response, thus manifesting a remarkable propensity to synergize with immunotherapy.

SUMMARY

In this review, we provided a brief overview of the application of thermal ablation in peripheral lung tumors. We summarized the patient selection of thermal ablation. We highlighted the potential of thermal ablation to augment the antitumor immune response, offering a promising avenue for combined therapies. We summarized studies assessing the synergistic effects of thermal ablation and immunotherapy in preclinical and clinical settings. Lastly, we underscored the urgent issues that warrant in-depth exploration when applying thermal ablation and immunotherapy to lung tumor patients.

KEY MESSAGES

This review emphasized the prospects of using thermal ablation combined with immunotherapy in patients with peripheral lung tumors. However, further research is needed to enhance and optimize this treatment strategy.

The Emerging Landscape for Combating Resistance Associated with Energy-Based Therapies via Nanomedicine

Cancer represents a serious disease with significant implications for public health, imposing substantial economic burden and negative societal consequences. Compared to conventional cancer treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy, energy-based therapies (ET) based on athermal and thermal ablation provide distinct advantages, including minimally invasive procedures and rapid postoperative recovery. Nevertheless, due to the complex pathophysiology of many solid tumors, the therapeutic effectiveness of ET is often limited. Nanotechnology offers unique opportunities by enabling facile material designs, tunable physicochemical properties, and excellent biocompatibility, thereby further augmenting the outcomes of ET. Numerous nanomaterials have demonstrated the ability to overcome intrinsic therapeutic resistance associated with ET, leading to improved antitumor responses. This comprehensive review systematically summarizes the underlying mechanisms of ET-associated resistance (ETR) and highlights representative applications of nanoplatforms used to mitigate ETR. Overall, this review emphasizes the recent advances in the field and presents a detailed account of novel nanomaterial designs in combating ETR, along with efforts aimed at facilitating their clinical translation.

Thermal/ultrasound-triggered release of liposomes loaded with Ganoderma applanatum polysaccharide from microbubbles for enhanced tumour ablation

The effectiveness of thermal ablation for the treatment of liver tumours is limited by the risk of incomplete ablation, which can result in residual tumours. Herein, an enhancement strategy is proposed based on the controlled release of Ganoderma applanatum polysaccharide (GAP) liposome-microbubble complexes (GLMCs) via ultrasound (US)-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) and sublethal hyperthermic (SH) field. GLMCs were prepared by conjugating GAP liposomes onto the surface of microbubbles via biotin-avidin linkage. In vitro, UTMD promotes the cellular uptake of liposomes and leads to apoptosis of M2-like macrophages. Secretion of arginase-1 (Arg-1) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) by M2-like macrophages decreased. In vivo, restriction of tumour volume was observed in rabbit VX2 liver tumours after treatment with GLMCs via UTMD in GLMCs + SH + US group. The expression levels of CD68 and CD163, as markers of tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the GLMCs + SH + US group were reduced in liver tumour tissue. Decreased Arg-1, TGF-β, Ki67, and CD31 factors related to tumour cell proliferation and angiogenesis was evident on histological analysis. In conclusion, thermal/US-triggered drug release from GLMCs suppressed rabbit VX2 liver tumour growth in the SH field by inhibiting TAMs, which represents a potential approach to improve the effectiveness of thermal ablation.

Untargeted metabolomics profiling in a mouse model of lung cancer treated with thermal ablation

Thermal ablation is widely used in the treatment of lung cancer and is beneficial for the overall survival of patients in clinic. However, there is barely a priority in which ablation system should be chosen under different periods of tumor progression in lung cancer. The present study investigated different modes of thermal ablation systems in mice with transplanted Lewis lung carcinoma tumors and their various biological effects in local regions using untargeted metabolomics. The results showed that thermal ablation could significantly suppress tumor growth and the differentially expressed metabolites of tumors after ablation relative to untreated tumors concentrated on organic compounds, organic acids and derivatives, nucleosides, nucleotides, and lipids. The upregulated metabolites indicated an inflammatory reaction in the ablation groups at an early stage after ablation. Steroid hormone and tryptophan metabolism, which are associated with immune responses, were modulated after both cryoablation and hyperthermal ablation. Characteristically, the results also indicated that cryoablation suppressed glucose oxidation and carbohydrate metabolism of tumor, while hyperthermal ablation suppressed lipid metabolism of tumor. In conclusion, thermal ablation could inhibit tumor growth under either freezing or heating modes with characteristic different biological effects on tumors.