β2-adrenergic receptor expression and the effects of norepinephrine and propranolol on various head and neck cancer subtypes

Nervous system contributions to small cell lung cancer: Lessons from diverse oncological studies

The nervous system plays a vital role throughout the entire lifecycle and it may regulate the formation, development and metastasis of tumors. Small cell lung cancer is a typical neuroendocrine tumor, and it is naturally equipped with neurotropism. In this review, we firstly summarize current preclinical and clinical evidence to demonstrate the reciprocal crosstalk among the nervous system, tumor, and tumor microenvironment in various ways, including neurotransmitter-receptor pathways, innervations of nerve fibers, different types of synapse formation by neurons, astrocytes, and cancer cells, neoneurogenesis. Futherly, we emphasize how the nervous system interacts with small cell lung cancer and discuss the limitations of current research methods for examining the interactions. We propose that integrating neuroscience, development biology, and tumor biology can be a promising direction to provide new insights into development and metastasis of small cell lung cancer and raise some novel treatment strategies.

Understanding the role of nerves in head and neck cancers - a review

Worldwide, head and neck cancers (HNCs) account for approximately 900,000 cases and 500,000 deaths annually, with their incidence continuing to rise. Carcinogenesis is a complex, multidimensional molecular process leading to cancer development, and in recent years, the role of nerves in the pathogenesis of various malignancies has been increasingly recognized. Thanks to the abundant innervation of the head and neck region, peripheral nervous system has gained considerable interest for its possible role in the development and progression of HNCs. Intratumoral parasympathetic, sympathetic, and sensory nerve fibers are emerging as key players and potential targets for novel anti-cancer and pain-relieving medications in different tumors, including HNCs. This review explores nerve-cancer interactions, including perineural invasion (PNI), cancer-related axonogenesis, neurogenesis, and nerve reprogramming, with an emphasis on their molecular mechanisms, mediators and clinical implications. PNI, an adverse histopathologic feature, has been widely investigated in HNCs. However, its prognostic value remains debated due to inconsistent results when classified dichotomously (present/absent). Emerging evidence suggests that quantitative and qualitative descriptions of PNI may better reflect its clinical usefulness. The review also examines therapies targeting nerve-cancer crosstalk and highlights the influence of HPV status on tumor innervation. By synthesizing current knowledge, challenges, and future perspectives, this review offers insights into the molecular basis of nerve involvement in HNCs and the potential for novel therapeutic approaches.

Drug Repurposing for Cancer Treatment: A Comprehensive Review

Cancer ranks among the primary contributors to global mortality. In 2022, the global incidence of new cancer cases reached about 20 million, while the number of cancer-related fatalities reached 9.7 million. In Saudi Arabia, there were 13,399 deaths caused by cancer and 28,113 newly diagnosed cases of cancer. Drug repurposing is a drug discovery strategy that has gained special attention and implementation to enhance the process of drug development due to its time- and money-saving effect. It involves repositioning existing medications to new clinical applications. Cancer treatment is a therapeutic area where drug repurposing has shown the most prominent impact. This review presents a compilation of medications that have been repurposed for the treatment of various types of cancers. It describes the initial therapeutic and pharmacological classes of the repurposed drugs and their new applications and mechanisms of action in cancer treatment. The review reports on drugs from various pharmacological classes that have been successfully repurposed for cancer treatment, including approved ones and those in clinical trials and preclinical development. It stratifies drugs based on their anticancer repurpose as multi-type, type-specific, and mechanism-directed, and according to their pharmacological classes. The review also reflects on the future potential that drug repurposing has in the clinical development of novel anticancer therapies.

Perioperative Immunosuppressive Factors during Cancer Surgery: An Updated Review

Surgical excision of the primary tumor represents the most frequent and curative procedure for solid malignancies. Compelling evidence suggests that, despite its beneficial effects, surgery may impair immunosurveillance by triggering an immunosuppressive inflammatory stress response and favor recurrence by stimulating minimal residual disease. In addition, many factors interfere with the immune effectors before and after cancer procedures, such as malnutrition, anemia, or subsequent transfusion. Thus, the perioperative period plays a key role in determining oncological outcomes and represents a short phase to circumvent anesthetic and surgical deleterious factors by supporting the immune system through the use of synergistic pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. In line with this, accumulating studies indicate that anesthetic agents could drive both protumor or antitumor signaling pathways during or after cancer surgery. While preclinical investigations focusing on anesthetics' impact on the behavior of cancer cells are quite convincing, limited clinical trials studying the consequences on survival and recurrences remain inconclusive. Herein, we highlight the main factors occurring during the perioperative period of cancer surgery and their potential impact on immunomodulation and cancer progression. We also discuss patient management prior to and during surgery, taking into consideration the latest advances in the literature.

Trial watch: beta-blockers in cancer therapy

Compelling evidence supports the hypothesis that stress negatively impacts cancer development and prognosis. Irrespective of its physical, biological or psychological source, stress triggers a physiological response that is mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic adrenal medullary axis. The resulting release of glucocorticoids and catecholamines into the systemic circulation leads to neuroendocrine and metabolic adaptations that can affect immune homeostasis and immunosurveillance, thus impairing the detection and eradication of malignant cells. Moreover, catecholamines directly act on β-adrenoreceptors present on tumor cells, thereby stimulating survival, proliferation, and migration of nascent neoplasms. Numerous preclinical studies have shown that blocking adrenergic receptors slows tumor growth, suggesting potential clinical benefits of using β-blockers in cancer therapy. Much of these positive effects of β-blockade are mediated by improved immunosurveillance. The present trial watch summarizes current knowledge from preclinical and clinical studies investigating the anticancer effects of β-blockers either as standalone agents or in combination with conventional antineoplastic treatments or immunotherapy.

Crosstalk Between Peripheral Innervation and Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive lethal malignancy, characterized by late diagnosis, aggressive growth, and therapy resistance, leading to a poor overall prognosis. Emerging evidence shows that the peripheral nerve is an important non-tumor component in the tumor microenvironment that regulates tumor growth and immune escape. The crosstalk between the neuronal system and PDAC has become a hot research topic that may provide novel mechanisms underlying tumor progression and further uncover promising therapeutic targets. In this review, we highlight the mechanisms of perineural invasion and the role of various types of tumor innervation in the progression of PDAC, summarize the potential signaling pathways modulating the neuronal-cancer interaction, and discuss the current and future therapeutic possibilities for this condition.

Exosomes deliver lncRNA DARS-AS1 siRNA to inhibit chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced TNBC metastasis

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a rapidly recurring and highly metastatic malignancy with high heterogeneity and chemoradiotherapy resistance. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) can induce the occurrence of tumors and enhance lymphatic infiltration and distant metastasis through direct interaction with the sympathetic nervous system; however, its relevance in TNBC is yet to be clarified. In this study, DARS-AS1, a newly reported CUMS-responsive lncRNA, was found to be enriched in TNBC clinical tumors and cells and positively correlated with late clinical stage in patients with TNBC. DARS-AS1 overexpression significantly enhanced the migration and invasion of TNBC tumors by inhibiting miR-129-2-3p and upregulated CDK1 to activate the NF-κB/STAT3 signaling pathway both in vitro and in vivo. Treatment with DARS-AS1 siRNA-loaded exosomes (EXOs) substantially slowed CUMS-induced TNBC cell growth and liver metastasis. Therefore, DARS-AS1 represents a potential therapeutic target for metastatic TNBC, and EXOs may serve as siRNA delivery carriers in clinical therapy.