Hallmarks of Cancers: Primary Antibody Deficiency Versus Other Inborn Errors of Immunity

Pediatric lymphoproliferative disorders associated with inborn errors of immunity

Both non-malignant and malignant lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) are commonly seen in patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI), which may be the presenting manifestations or may develop during the IEI disease course. Here we review the clinical, histopathological, and molecular features of benign and malignant LPD associated with IEI and recognize the diagnostic challenges.

Exploring the role of m 6 A writer RBM15 in cancer: a systematic review

In the contemporary epoch, cancer stands as the predominant cause of premature global mortality, necessitating a focused exploration of molecular markers and advanced therapeutic strategies. N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most prevalent mRNA modification, undergoes dynamic regulation by enzymes referred to as methyltransferases (writers), demethylases (erasers), and effective proteins (readers). Despite lacking methylation activity, RNA-binding motif protein 15 (RBM15), a member of the m6A writer family, assumes a crucial role in recruiting the methyltransferase complex (MTC) and binding to mRNA. Although the impact of m6A modifications on cancer has garnered widespread attention, RBM15 has been relatively overlooked. This review briefly outlines the structure and operational mechanism, and delineates the unique role of RBM15 in various cancers, shedding light on its molecular basis and providing a groundwork for potential tumor-targeted therapies.

Inborn errors of immunity and its clinical significance in children with lymphoma in China: a single-center study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the incidence, clinical and genetic characteristics of pediatric lymphoma patients of China with inborn errors of immunity (IEI)-related gene mutations, which have not been fully studied.

METHOD

From Jan. 2020 to Mar. 2023, IEI-related genetic mutations were retrospectively explored in 108 children with lymphomas admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital by NGS. Genetic rule and clinical characteristics as well as treatment outcomes were compared between patients with or without IEI-related gene mutations.

RESULTS

A total of 17 patients (15.7 %) harbored IEI-associated mutations, including 4 cases with X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome (XLP), 3 cases had mutations in tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily 13B (TNFRSF13B), 2 cases with Activated p110 syndrome (APDS). Patients with IEI all had alteration of immunocompetence with decreased levels of immunoglobulin and lymphocyte subsets. Recurrent infection existed in 41.2 % of patients. The 18-month event-free survival (EFS) and the overall response rate (ORR) of patients with IEI are significantly lower than those without IEI (33.86% vs. 73.26 %, p = 0.011; 52.94% vs. 87.91 %, p = 0.002, respectively). In addition, patients with IEI had a higher progression disease (PD) rate of 23.5 % than those without IEI of 4.4 % (p = 0.006).

CONCLUSION

The present study demonstrated that IEI-associated lymphomas were much more common than originally appreciated in pediatric lymphomas, and those were insensitive to treatment and more likely to progress or relapse. The genomic analysis and a thorough review of the medical history of IEI can be used to distinguish them from pediatric lymphomas without IEI, which are beneficial for the early diagnosis and direct intervention.

Preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index-based nomogram for lung carcinoma following microwave ablation -a real world single center study

Background

The preoperative inflammatory condition significantly influences the prognosis of malignancies. We aimed to investigate the potential significance of preoperative inflammatory biomarkers in forecasting the long-term results of lung carcinoma after microwave ablation (MWA).

Method

This study included patients who received MWA treatment for lung carcinoma from Jan. 2012 to Dec. 2020. We collected demographic, clinical, laboratory, and outcome information. To assess the predictive capacity of inflammatory biomarkers, we utilized the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) and assessed the predictive potential of inflammatory biomarkers in forecasting outcomes through both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses.

Results

A total of 354 individuals underwent MWA treatment, of which 265 cases were included in this study, whose average age was 69.1 ± 9.7 years. The AUC values for the Systemic Inflammatory Response Index (SIRI) to overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were 0.796 and 0.716, respectively. The Cox proportional hazards model demonstrated a significant independent association between a high SIRI and a decreased overall survival (hazard ratio [HR]=2.583, P<0.001). Furthermore, a high SIRI independently correlated with a lower DFS (HR=2.391, P<0.001). We developed nomograms utilizing various independent factors to forecast the extended prognosis of patients. These nomograms exhibited AUC of 0.900, 0.849, and 0.862 for predicting 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year OS, respectively. Additionally, the AUC values for predicting 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year DFS were 0.851, 0.873, and 0.883, respectively.

Conclusion

SIRI has shown promise as a valuable long-term prognostic indicator for forecasting the outcomes of lung carcinoma patients following MWA.

Prognostic significance of the systemic immune-inflammation index in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma

Background

The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is based on the neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte counts, and has been identified as a prognostic marker in multiple types of cancer. However, the potential value of the SII for predicting survival outcomes in patients with extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) has not been investigated thus far.

Method

This study included 382 patients with ENKTCL treated with asparaginase-base regimens from 2021 to 2017 in West China Hospital (Chengdu, China). Clinical and demographic variables, as well as the prognostic value of the SII, were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.

Results

The complete and objective response rates were 55.8% and 74.9%, respectively. Patients with high SII were associated with a lower rate of complete response, higher rate of B symptoms, and serum lactate dehydrogenase levels above or equal to the upper limits of normal (p < 0.01). Patients with low SII were linked to better overall survival and progression-free survival than those with high SII (p < 0.01). Patients with early-stage disease or prognostic model for natural killer lymphoma with Epstein-Barr virus, defined as the low-risk group, could be further stratified according to the SII (p < 0.01). Negative prognostic factors were determined using the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, which identified four variables: Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score ≥2, Stage III/IV disease, positivity for Epstein-Barr virus DNA in plasma, and high SII. Predictive nomograms for the prediction of 3- and 5-year overall survival, as well as progression-free survival, were constructed based on those four variables. The nomograms demonstrated favorable discriminating power.

Conclusion

The SII is a novel prognostic marker for ENKTCL, which may be used for the prediction of poorer survival in low-risk patients.

Hereditary Conditions Associated with Elevated Cancer Risk in Childhood

Received January, 31, 2023 Revised March, 16, 2023 Accepted March, 18, 2023 Widespread use of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies revealed that a significant percentage of tumors in children develop as a part of monogenic hereditary diseases. Predisposition to the development of pediatric neoplasms is characteristic of a wide range of conditions including hereditary tumor syndromes, primary immunodeficiencies, RASopathies, and phakomatoses. The mechanisms of tumor molecular pathogenesis are diverse and include disturbances in signaling cascades, defects in DNA repair, chromatin remodeling, and microRNA processing. Timely diagnosis of tumor-associated syndromes is important for the proper choice of cancer treatment, genetic counseling of families, and development of the surveillance programs. The review describes the spectrum of neoplasms characteristic of the most common syndromes and molecular pathogenesis of these diseases.

Clinical and Immunologic Characteristics of Non-Hematologic Cancers in Patients with Inborn Errors of Immunity

Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are a heterogeneous group of inherited disorders, and almost 500 genes associated with these disorders have been identified. Defects in IEI genes lead to diverse clinical manifestations including increased susceptibility to recurrent or prolonged infections, immune dysregulation phenotypes (such as severe atopy, allergy, autoimmunity, and uncontrolled inflammation, lymphoproliferation), as well as predisposition to malignancies. Although the majority of IEI patients present hematologic cancers, the characteristics of other types of cancers are not well described in these groups of patients. By investigating 5384 IEI patients registered in the Iranian national registry the clinical and immunologic phenotypes of patients with non-hematologic cancers were compared with other malignant and non-malignant patients. Solid tumors were reported <20% of malignant IEI patients (n = 27/144 patients) and appeared to be very heterogeneous by type and localization as well as molecular defects (mainly due to DNA repair defect resulted from ATM deficiency). The correlation between the type of malignancy and survival status was remarkable as patients with non-hematologic cancers survive higher than IEI patients with hematologic cancers. Our findings showed that different types of malignancy could be associated with specific entities of IEI. Therefore, the education of physicians about the risk of malignancies in IEI is required for personalized treatment and appropriate management of patients.

Diversity of malignancies in patients with different types of inborn errors of immunity

Genetic defects in the development, maturation, and/or function of the immune cells can lead to Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) which may predispose patients to malignancies. The overall risk for cancer in children with IEI ranges from 4 to 25% and the type of malignancy is highly dependent on the specific mutant gene underlying IEI. We investigated 3056 IEI patients registered in the Iranian national registry between the years 1999 and 2020 in this retrospective cohort study. The frequency of malignancy and its association with the type of IEI in these patients were evaluated. A total of 82 IEI patients with malignancy were enrolled in this study. Among them, predominantly lymphoma was the most common type of malignancy (67.1%), followed by leukemia (11%), and cancers of the head and neck (7.3%). Among identified lymphoma cancers, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were the most frequent type (43.9%) followed by different subtypes of Hodgkin's lymphoma (23.2%). Solid tumors (18.3%) appeared to be very heterogeneous by type and localization. The correlation between the type of malignancy and survival status and the association between the type of malignancy and IEI entities were unremarkable. The awareness of the association between the presence of IEI and cancer highlights the importance of a synergistic effort by oncologists and immunologists in the early diagnosis of malignancy and personalized therapeutic strategies in IEI patients.

Updates of cancer hallmarks in patients with inborn errors of immunity

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The development of cancer in patients with genetically determined inborn errors of immunity (IEI) is much higher than in the general population. The hallmarks of cancer are a conceptualization tool that can refine the complexities of cancer development and pathophysiology. Each genetic defect may impose a different pathological tumor predisposition, which needs to be identified and linked with known hallmarks of cancer.

RECENT FINDINGS

Four new hallmarks of cancer have been suggested, recently, including unlocking phenotypic plasticity, senescent cells, nonmutational epigenetic reprogramming, and polymorphic microbiomes. Moreover, more than 50 new IEI genes have been discovered during the last 2 years from which 15 monogenic defects perturb tumor immune surveillance in patients.

SUMMARY

This review provides a more comprehensive and updated overview of all 14 cancer hallmarks in IEI patients and covers aspects of cancer predisposition in novel genes in the ever-increasing field of IEI.

Genomic crossroads between non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and common variable immunodeficiency

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) represents the largest group of primary immunodeficiencies that may manifest with infections, inflammation, autoimmunity, and cancer, mainly B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Indeed, NHL may result from chronic or recurrent infections and has, therefore, been recognized as a clinical phenotype of CVID, although rare. The more one delves into the mechanisms involved in CVID and cancer, the stronger the idea that both pathologies can be a reflection of the same primer events observed from different angles. The potential effects of germline variants on specific somatic modifications in malignancies suggest that it might be possible to anticipate critical events during tumor development. In the same way, a somatic alteration in NHL could be conditioning a similar response at the transcriptional level in the shared signaling pathways with genetic germline alterations in CVID. We aimed to explore the genomic substrate shared between these entities to better characterize the CVID phenotype immunodeficiency in NHL. By means of an in-silico approach, we interrogated the large, publicly available datasets contained in cBioPortal for the presence of genes associated with genetic pathogenic variants in a panel of 50 genes recurrently altered in CVID and previously described as causative or disease-modifying. We found that 323 (25%) of the 1,309 NHL samples available for analysis harbored variants of the CVID spectrum, with the most recurrent alteration presented in NHL occurring in PIK3CD (6%) and STAT3 (4%). Pathway analysis of common gene alterations showed enrichment in inflammatory, immune surveillance, and defective DNA repair mechanisms similar to those affected in CVID, with PIK3R1 appearing as a central node in the protein interaction network. The co-occurrence of gene alterations was a frequent phenomenon. This study represents an attempt to identify common genomic grounds between CVID and NHL. Further prospective studies are required to better know the role of genetic variants associated with CVID and their reflection on the somatic pathogenic variants responsible for cancer, as well as to characterize the CVID-like phenotype in NHL, with the potential to influence early CVID detection and therapeutic management.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with inborn errors of immunity due to DNA repair defects

Clinical information on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) during the current Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still limited. Proper DNA repair machinery is required for the development of the adaptive immune system, which provides specific and long-term protection against SARS-CoV-2. This review highlights the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infections on IEI patients with DNA repair disorders and summarizes susceptibility risk factors, pathogenic mechanisms, clinical manifestations and management strategies of COVID-19 in this special patient population.

Genomic characterization of lymphomas in patients with inborn errors of immunity

Inborn errors of immunity-associated lymphomas are characterized by distinct clinical features and genetic signatures.

Both germline and somatic alterations contribute to lymphomagenesis in patients with inborn errors of immunity.

Patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) have a higher risk of developing cancer, especially lymphoma. However, the molecular basis for IEI-related lymphoma is complex and remains elusive. Here, we perform an in-depth analysis of lymphoma genomes derived from 23 IEI patients. We identified and validated disease-causing or -associated germline mutations in 14 of 23 patients involving ATM, BACH2, BLM, CD70, G6PD, NBN, PIK3CD, PTEN, and TNFRSF13B. Furthermore, we profiled somatic mutations in the lymphoma genome and identified 8 genes that were mutated at a significantly higher level in IEI-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) than in non-IEI DLBCLs, such as BRCA2, NCOR1, KLF2, FAS, CCND3, and BRWD3. The latter, BRWD3, is furthermore preferentially mutated in tumors of a subgroup of activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ syndrome patients. We also identified 5 genomic mutational signatures, including 2 DNA repair deficiency-related signatures, in IEI-associated lymphomas and a strikingly high number of inter- and intrachromosomal structural variants in the tumor genome of a Bloom syndrome patient. In summary, our comprehensive genomic characterization of lymphomas derived from patients with rare genetic disorders expands our understanding of lymphomagenesis and provides new insights for targeted therapy.

Analysis of the prognostic significance and potential mechanisms of lncRNAs associated with m6A methylation in papillary thyroid carcinoma

BACKGROUND

m6A methylation-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a significant role in the progression of various tumors and can be used as prognostic markers. However, whether m6A-related lncRNAs also play the same function as prognostic markers in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains unclear.

METHODS

Consensus cluster analysis was performed to divide PTC samples obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database into two clusters according to the expression of m6A-related lncRNAs. Then, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was performed to create and verify a prognostic model. Furthermore, the relationship among risk scores, clusters, programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), tumor microenvironment (TME), clinicopathological characteristics, immune infiltration, immune checkpoint, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) was analyzed. In addition, a nomogram was created, and subsequently, the drug sensitivity of lncRNAs in the prognostic model was analyzed. Finally, the relationship between these lncRNAs and prognosis in pan-cancer was investigated.

RESULTS

The prognosis, RAS, BRAF, M, and TME were found to be different in two clusters. The prognostic model included three lncRNAs: PSMG3-AS1, BHLHE40-AS1, and AC016747.3. The risk score was associated with clusters, PD-L1, tumor microenvironment, clinicopathological characteristics, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint, and TMB, and thus, risk score was confirmed as useful prognostic indicator. Differentially expressed lncRNAs are involved in many malignancies and can be identified as cancer prognostic makers.

CONCLUSION

According to our research, we can regard m6A-related lncRNAs involved in the procession of PTC as a biomarker of progression-free survival for PTC patients, and pan-cancer.