Role of the tumor immune microenvironment in tumor immunotherapy

Reduced Abundance of Phocaeicola in Mucosa-associated Microbiota Is Associated with Distal Colorectal Cancer Metastases Possibly through an Altered Local Immune Environment

Objectives

The aim of this study was to identify the microbiota whose decrease in tumor area was associated with the metastatic process of distal colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods

Twenty-eight consecutive patients with distal CRC undergoing surgical resection in our hospital were enrolled. Microbiota in 28 specimens from surgically resected colorectal cancers were analyzed using 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene amplicon sequencing and the relative abundance (RA) of microbiota was evaluated. The densities of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and tumor associated macrophages (TAM) in the colorectal cancers were immunohistochemically evaluated.

Results

Phocaeicola was the most abundant microbiota in normal mucosa. The RA of Phocaeicola in tumor tissues tended to be lower than that in normal mucosa although the difference was not significant (p=0.0732). The RA of Phocaeicola at tumor sites did not correlate either with depth of tumor invasion (pT-stage) or tumor size, however they were significantly reduced in patients with nodal metastases (p<0.05) and those with distant metastases (p<0.001). The RA of Phocaeicola at tumor sites showed positive correlation with the densities of CD3(+) or CD8(+) TIL. Since P. vulgatus was the most dominant species (47%) of the Phocaeicola, the RA of P. vulgatus and CRC metastasis and its association with TIL and TAM were also investigated. P. vulgatus showed a similar trend to genus Phocaeicola but was not statistically significant.

Conclusions

A relative reduction of Phocaeicola attenuates the local anti-tumor immune response in distal CRC, which may facilitate metastatic spread.

The Roles of T cells in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Arthritis

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, a novel anti-tumor strategy, can specifically eliminate tumors by activating the immune system and inhibiting tumor immune escape. However, ICI therapy can lead to notable negative outcomes known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs). ICI-induced arthritis, also known as ICI arthritis, stands as the prevailing form of irAEs. The purpose of this review is to highlight the crucial functions of T cells in the progression of ICI arthritis. Under the influence of different signaling molecules, T cells could gather in large numbers within the synovial membrane of joints, releasing inflammatory substances and enzymes that harm healthy tissues, ultimately causing ICI arthritis. Moreover, considering the functions of T cells in triggering ICI arthritis, this review suggests several treatments to prevent ICI arthritis, including inhibiting the overstimulation of T cells at the synovial sac of joints, enhancing the precision of ICI medications, and directing ICI drugs specifically towards tumor tissues instead of joints. Collectively, T lymphocytes play a vital role in the onset of ICI arthritis, offering a hopeful perspective on treating ICI arthritis through the specific targeting of T cells within the affected joints.

Nanoparticles targeting the adenosine pathway for cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy, as an emerging approach to cancer treatment, has tremendous potential for application. Compared to traditional methods such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, it has the ability to restore the patient's immune system, leading to long-term immune memory with less damage to normal tissues. However, immunotherapy has its limitations, including limited therapeutic efficacy, restricted patient populations, and inconsistent treatment responses. Finding effective immunotherapeutic approaches has become a key focus of its clinical application. The adenosine pathway is a recently discovered tumor immune regulatory signaling pathway. It can influence the metabolism and growth of tumor cells by acting through key enzymes in the adenosine pathway, thereby affecting the development of tumors. Therefore, inhibiting the adenosine pathway is an effective cancer immunotherapy. Common adenosine pathway inhibitors include small molecules and antibody proteins, and extensive preclinical trials have demonstrated their effectiveness in inhibiting tumor growth. The short half-life, low bioavailability, and single administration route of adenosine pathway inhibitors limit their clinical application. With the advent of nanotechnology, nano-delivery of adenosine pathway inhibitors has addressed these issues. Compared to traditional drugs, nano-drugs extend the drug's circulation time and improve its distribution within the body. They also offer targeting capabilities and have low toxic side effects, making them very promising for future applications. In this review, we discuss the mechanism of the adenosine pathway in tumor immune suppression, the clinical applications of adenosine pathway inhibitors, and nano-delivery based on adenosine pathway inhibitors. In the final part of this article, we also briefly discuss the technical issues and challenges currently present in nano-delivery of adenosine pathway inhibitors, with the hope of advancing the progress of adenosine inhibitor nano-drugs in clinical treatment.

USP47 deficiency in mice modulates tumor infiltrating immune cells and enhances antitumor immune responses in prostate cancer

This study investigates the role of USP47, a deubiquitinating enzyme, in the tumor microenvironment and its impact on antitumor immune responses. Analysis of TCGA database revealed distinct expression patterns of USP47 in various tumor tissues and normal tissues. Prostate adenocarcinoma showed significant downregulation of USP47 compared to normal tissue. Correlation analysis demonstrated a positive association between USP47 expression levels and infiltrating CD8+ T cells, neutrophils, and macrophages, while showing a negative correlation with NKT cells. Furthermore, using Usp47 knockout mice, we observed a slower tumor growth rate and reduced tumor burden. The absence of USP47 led to increased infiltration of immune cells, including neutrophils, macrophages, NK cells, NKT cells, and T cells. Additionally, USP47 deficiency resulted in enhanced activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and altered T cell subsets within the tumor microenvironment. These findings suggest that USP47 plays a critical role in modulating the tumor microenvironment and promoting antitumor immune responses, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target in prostate cancer.

Immune characteristics of dedifferentiated retroperitoneal liposarcomas and the reliability of regional samples in evaluating their tumor immune microenvironments

BACKGROUND

Tumor immunotherapy is a new treatment breakthrough for retroperitoneal liposarcoma (RPLS), which is highly invasive and has few effective treatment options other than tumor resection. However, the heterogeneity of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) leads to missed clinical diagnosis and inappropriate treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate whether the TIME of a certain part of the tumor reliably represents the whole tumor, particularly for very large tumors, such as RPLS.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the TIME in different regions of dedifferentiated RPLS (DDRPLS) by detecting the expressions of markers such as CD4+, CD8+, Foxp3+, CD20+, CD68+, LAMP3+, PD-1+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and PD-L1 in tumors and corresponding paratumor tissues via immunohistochemistry and RNA sequencing.

RESULTS

In DDRPLS, very few TILs were observed. Differentially expressed genes were significantly enriched in cell part and cell functions, as well as the metabolic pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. In addition, for most tumors (70-80%), the TIME was similar in different tumor regions.

CONCLUSIONS

For most tumors (70-80%), the TIME in any region of the tumor reliably represents the whole tumor. DDRPLS may regulate cell functions by modulating the metabolic and PI3K-Akt signaling pathways to promote its malignant behavior.

Unveiling the mechanistic link between extracellular amyloid fibrils, mechano-signaling and YAP activation in cancer

The tumor microenvironment is a complex ecosystem that plays a critical role in cancer progression and treatment response. Recently, extracellular amyloid fibrils have emerged as novel components of the tumor microenvironment; however, their function remains elusive. In this study, we establish a direct connection between the presence of amyloid fibrils in the secretome and the activation of YAP, a transcriptional co-activator involved in cancer proliferation and drug resistance. Furthermore, we uncover a shared mechano-signaling mechanism triggered by amyloid fibrils in both melanoma and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells. Our findings highlight the crucial role of the glycocalyx protein Agrin which binds to extracellular amyloid fibrils and acts as a necessary factor in driving amyloid-dependent YAP activation. Additionally, we reveal the involvement of the HIPPO pathway core kinase LATS1 in this signaling cascade. Finally, we demonstrate that extracellular amyloid fibrils enhance cancer cell migration and invasion. In conclusion, our research expands our knowledge of the tumor microenvironment by uncovering the role of extracellular amyloid fibrils in driving mechano-signaling and YAP activation. This knowledge opens up new avenues for developing innovative strategies to modulate YAP activation and mitigate its detrimental effects during cancer progression.

Identification of immune-related hub genes and construction of an immune-related gene prognostic index for low-grade glioma

Low-grade glioma (LGG) poses significant management challenges and has a dismal prognosis. While immunotherapy has shown significant promise in cancer treatment, its progress in glioma has confronted with challenges. In our study, we aimed to develop an immune-related gene prognostic index (IRGPI) which could be used to evaluate the response and efficacy of LGG patients with immunotherapy. We included a total of 529 LGG samples from TCGA database and 1152 normal brain tissue samples from the GTEx database. Immune-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. Then, we used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify immune-related hub genes in LGG patients and performed Cox regression analysis to construct an IRGPI. The median IRGPI was used as the cut-off value to categorize LGG patients into IRGPI-high and low subgroups, and the molecular and immune mechanism in IRGPI-defined subgroups were analysed. Finally, we explored the relationship between IRGPI-defined subgroups and immunotherapy related indicators in patients after immunotherapy. Three genes (RHOA, NFKBIA and CCL3) were selected to construct the IRGPI. In a survival analysis using TCGA cohort as a training set, patients in the IRGPI-low subgroup had a better OS than those in IRGPI-high subgroup, consistent with the results in CGGA cohort. The comprehensive results showed that IRGPI-low subgroup had a more abundant activated immune cell population and lower TIDE score, higher MSI, higher TMB score, lower T cell dysfunction score, more likely benefit from ICIs therapy. IRGPI is a promising biomarker in the field of LGG ICIs therapy to distinguish the prognosis, the molecular and immunological characteristics of patients.

Is there a role for traditional and complementary medicines in managing chronic fatigue? a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Introduction: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is an increasingly common condition that is challenging to treat due to unclear etiology and a lack of consensus on clinical diagnosis and treatment guidance. Many affected people resorted to using traditional and complementary medicines (T&CMs). However, the evidence for T&CMs for CFS has been inconclusive and continues to evolve. The study aims to identify, summarize and assess the most recent evidence on the efficacy and safety of T&CMs for CFS. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating T&CMs for CFS published in English of Chinese between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2022 were searched from 7 databases. RCTs comparing T&CMs with no treatment, placebo, or pharmacological medicine were included, irrespective of language or blinding. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials Statement extensions for Chinese herbal medicine Formulas (CONSORT-CHM) and the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias tool were used to evaluate the quality and risk of bias of included studies. Results: A total of 62 RCTs investigating 43 types of T&CMs and involving 5,231 participants with CFS were included in this review. The primary outcome measures mainly included the scoring of fatigue symptoms using the validated tool Fatigue Scale-14 (FS-14) or the TCM syndrome score. The main interventions showing overall efficacy were Chaihu Guizhi Decoction and Buzhong Yiqi combined with Xiao Chaihu Decoction, and 148 ingredients were identified, including Astragali Radix, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma, and Bupleuri Radix. The most significant effect was the improvement of fatigue, followed by TCM-diagnosed symptoms and other psychological conditions. No serious adverse effect had been reported. However, the quality of the RCTs included RCTs were found to be suboptimal, and the risk of bias remained uncertain. Conclusion: Some evidence from RCTs supported the efficacy and safety of T&CM in CFS. However, given the methodological and quality heterogenicity of the included studies, the recommendations of T&CMs in treating CFS remain inconclusive. To develop better quality evidence about T&CMs for CFS, future studies should employ more objective diagnosis standards and outcome measurements, larger sample size, and better bias control, and ensure the compliance with the corresponding reporting guidelines. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022362268, identifier CRD42022362268.

The Cross Talk between Cellular Senescence and Melanoma: From Molecular Pathogenesis to Target Therapies

Melanoma is a malignant skin tumor that originates from melanocytes. The pathogenesis of melanoma involves a complex interaction that occurs between environmental factors, ultraviolet (UV)-light damage, and genetic alterations. UV light is the primary driver of the skin aging process and development of melanoma, which can induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the presence of DNA damage in the cells, and results in cell senescence. As cellular senescence plays an important role in the relationship that exists between the skin aging process and the development of melanoma, the present study provides insight into the literature concerning the topic at present and discusses the relationship between skin aging and melanoma, including the mechanisms of cellular senescence that drive melanoma progression, the microenvironment in relation to skin aging and melanoma factors, and the therapeutics concerning melanoma. This review focuses on defining the role of cellular senescence in the process of melanoma carcinogenesis and discusses the targeting of senescent cells through therapeutic approaches, highlighting the areas that require more extensive research in the field.

Biomineralized MnO2 Nanoplatforms Mediated Delivery of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors with STING Pathway Activation to Potentiate Cancer Radio-Immunotherapy

Radiotherapy (RT), as one of the main methods in the clinical treatment of various malignant tumors, would induce systemic immunotherapeutic effects by triggering immunogenic cell death (ICD) of cancer cells. However, the antitumor immune responses produced by RT-induced ICD alone usually are not robust enough to eliminate distant tumors and thus ineffective against cancer metastases. Herein, a biomimetic mineralization method for facile synthesis of MnO₂ nanoparticles with high anti-programmed death ligand 1 (αPDL1) encapsulation efficiency (αPDL1@MnO₂) is proposed to reinforce RT-induced systemic antitumor immune responses. This therapeutic nanoplatforms-mediated RT can significantly improve the killing of tumor cells and effectively evoke ICD by overcoming hypoxia-induced radio-resistance and reprogramming the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Furthermore, the released Mn²⁺ ions from αPDL1@MnO₂ under acidic tumor pH can activate the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway and facilitate the dendritic cells (DCs) maturation. Meanwhile, αPDL1 released from αPDL1@MnO₂ nanoparticles would further promote the intratumoral infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and trigger systemic antitumor responses, resulting in a strong abscopal effect to effectively inhibit tumor metastases. Overall, the biomineralized MnO₂-based nanoplatforms offer a simple strategy for TME modulation and immune activation, which are promising for enhanced RT immunotherapy.

M1 macrophage predicted efficacy of neoadjuvant camrelizumab combined with chemotherapy vs chemotherapy alone for locally advanced ESCC: A pilot study

Introduction

The efficacy and safety of immunotherapy have been widely recognized in gastrointestinal-related cancers. However, the efficacy of neoadjuvant camrelizumab for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been firmly established. This study compared the efficacy of camrelizumab in combination with neoadjuvant DCF (docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil), with DCF alone for ESCC, and exploring biomarkers related to immune infiltration of the ESCC immunotherapy response.

Methods

We enrolled and randomly assigned patients with stage II-IVa ESCC to two study treatments: camrelizumab combined with docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (DCF) regimen and DCF regimen alone. The tissue for multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) was obtained before and after neoadjuvant therapy. The Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors RECIST Version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) and Tumor Regression Grade (TRG) was used to evaluate efficacy.

Results

A total of 30 patients were enrolled in the study. Following neoadjuvant camrelizumab, the objective response rate (ORR) and the disease control rate (DCR) were 46.7% (7/15) and 95.7% (14/15), respectively. No patients reported complete remission, while ORR and DCR in the chemotherapy group were 26.7% (4/15) and 86.7% (13/15), respectively. R0 resection after neoadjuvant treatment was achieved in 3 out of 15 patients in the combined group and in all patients (15/15) in the chemotherapy group. In the combined group, M1-type tumor-associated macrophages and CD56dim NK cells were more abundant in responders than in non-responders (p &lt; 0.05). A higher M1/M2 ratio was observed in responders (p &lt; 0.05). With respect to the NGS, among the copy number amplified genes, the 11q13 amplicon (CCND1/FGF19/FGF4/FGF3) showed the highest frequency (47%, 7/15).

Conclusions

Neoadjuvant camrelizumab combined with chemotherapy improved ORR in locally advanced ESCC. M1-type tumor-associated macrophages and CD56dim NK cells might be utilized to predict camrelizumab efficacy.

PD-1/PD-L1 and DNA Damage Response in Cancer

The application of immunotherapy for cancer treatment is rapidly becoming more widespread. Immunotherapeutic agents are frequently combined with various types of treatments to obtain a more durable antitumor clinical response in patients who have developed resistance to monotherapy. Chemotherapeutic drugs that induce DNA damage and trigger DNA damage response (DDR) frequently induce an increase in the expression of the programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) that can be employed by cancer cells to avoid immune surveillance. PD-L1 exposed on cancer cells can in turn be targeted to re-establish the immune-reactive tumor microenvironment, which ultimately increases the tumor's susceptibility to combined therapies. Here we review the recent advances in how the DDR regulates PD-L1 expression and point out the effect of etoposide, irinotecan, and platinum compounds on the anti-tumor immune response.

Recent Advances and Challenges in Cancer Immunotherapy

Simple Summary

Immunotherapy helps a person’s immune system to target tumor cells. Recent advances in cancer immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibition, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy and cancer vaccination, have changed the landscape of cancer treatment. These approaches have had profound success in certain cancer types but still fail in the majority of cases. This review will cover both successes and current challenges in cancer immunotherapy, as well as recent advances in the field of basic tumor immunology that will allow us to overcome resistance to existing treatments.

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the field of oncology in recent years. Harnessing the immune system to treat cancer has led to a large growth in the number of novel immunotherapeutic strategies, including immune checkpoint inhibition, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy and cancer vaccination. In this review, we will discuss the current landscape of immuno-oncology research, with a focus on elements that influence immunotherapeutic outcomes. We will also highlight recent advances in basic aspects of tumor immunology, in particular, the role of the immunosuppressive cells within the tumor microenvironment in regulating antitumor immunity. Lastly, we will discuss how the understanding of basic tumor immunology can lead to the development of new immunotherapeutic strategies.

Translation of the 27-gene immuno-oncology test (IO score) to predict outcomes in immune checkpoint inhibitor treated metastatic urothelial cancer patients

BACKGROUND

The IO Score is a 27-gene immuno-oncology (IO) classifier that has previously predicted benefit to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It generates both a continuous score and a binary result using a defined threshold that is conserved between breast and lung. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the IO Score's binary threshold in ICI-naïve TCGA bladder cancer patients (TCGA-BLCA) and assess its clinical utility in metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) using the IMvigor210 clinical trial treated with the ICI, atezolizumab.

METHODS

We identified a list of tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) related genes expressed across the TCGA breast, lung squamous and lung adenocarcinoma cohorts (TCGA-BRCA, TCGA-LUSQ, and TCGA-LUAD, 939 genes total) and then examined the expression of these 939 genes in TCGA-BLCA, to identify patients as having high inflammatory gene expression. Using this as a test of classification, we assessed the previously established threshold of IO Score. We then evaluated the IO Score with this threshold in the IMvigor210 cohort for its association with overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

In TCGA-BLCA, IO Score positive patients had a strong concordance with high inflammatory gene expression (p < 0.0001). Given this concordance, we applied the IO Score to the ICI treated IMvigor210 patients. IO Score positive patients (40%) had a significant Cox proportional hazard ratio (HR) of 0.59 (95% CI 0.45-0.78 p < 0.001) for OS and improved median OS (15.6 versus 7.5 months) compared to IO Score negative patients. The IO Score remained significant in bivariate models combined with all other clinical factors and biomarkers, including PD-L1 protein expression and tumor mutational burden.

CONCLUSION

The IMvigor210 results demonstrate the potential for the IO Score as a clinically useful biomarker in mUC. As this is the third tumor type assessed using the same algorithm and threshold, the IO Score may be a promising candidate as a tissue agnostic marker of ICI clinical benefit. The concordance between IO Score and inflammatory gene expression suggests that the classifier is capturing common features of the TIME across cancer types.

Advances in the Immunomodulatory Properties of Glycoantigens in Cancer

Simple Summary

This work reviews the role of aberrant glycosylation in cancer cells during tumour growth and spreading, as well as in immune evasion. The interaction of tumour-associated glycans with the immune system through C-type lectin receptors can favour immune escape but can also provide opportunities to develop novel tumour immunotherapy strategies. This work highlights the main findings in this area and spotlights the challenges that remain to be investigated.

Abstract

Aberrant glycosylation in tumour progression is currently a topic of main interest. Tumour-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) are expressed in a wide variety of epithelial cancers, being both a diagnostic tool and a potential treatment target, as they have impact on patient outcome and disease progression. Glycans affect both tumour-cell biology properties as well as the antitumor immune response. It has been ascertained that TACAs affect cell migration, invasion and metastatic properties both when expressed by cancer cells or by their extracellular vesicles. On the other hand, tumour-associated glycans recognized by C-type lectin receptors in immune cells possess immunomodulatory properties which enable tumour growth and immune response evasion. Yet, much remains unknown, concerning mechanisms involved in deregulation of glycan synthesis and how this affects cell biology on a major level. This review summarises the main findings to date concerning how aberrant glycans influence tumour growth and immunity, their application in cancer treatment and spotlights of unanswered challenges remaining to be solved.