Cancer management during the COVID-19 world pandemic
AbstractSince 2019, the world has been experiencing an outbreak of a novel beta-coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2. The worldwide spread of this virus has been a severe challenge for public health, and the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. As of June 8, 2023, the virus' rapid spread had caused over 767 million infections and more than 6.94 million deaths worldwide. Unlike previous SARS-CoV-1 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreaks, the COVID-19 outbreak has led to a high death rate in infected patients;...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Radiation-induced dormancy of intracerebral melanoma: endotoxin inflammation leads to both shortened tumor dormancy and long-term survival with localized senescence
AbstractRadiation therapy (RT) treats approximately half of all cancers and most brain cancers. RT is variably effective at inducing a dormant tumor state i.e. the time between RT and clinical recurrence of tumor growth. Interventions that significantly lengthen tumor dormancy would improve long-term outcomes. Inflammation can promote the escape of experimental tumors from metastatic dormancy in the lung. Previously we showed intracerebral B16F10 melanoma dormancy varied with RT dose; 20.5  Gy induced dormancy lasted ~ 2 to 4 weeks—sufficient time to study escape from dormancy. Tumors were followed over time using ...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Intravenous injection of tumor extracellular vesicles suppresses tumor growth by reducing the regulatory T cell phenotype
ConclusionOur study suggests that TEVs possess components for tumor suppression. (Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy)
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Anti-CD79b/CD3 bispecific antibody combined with CAR19-T cells for B-cell lymphoma treatment
In this study, an anti-CD79b/CD3 bispecific antibody (BV28-OKT3) was constructed and combined with CAR19-T cells for B-cell lymphoma treatment. When the CD19 antigen was lost or reduced, B V28-OKT3 redirected CAR19-T cells to CD79b+ CD19– lymphoma cells; therefore, BV28-OKT3 overcomes the escape of CD79b+ CD19– lymphoma cells by the killing action of CAR19-T cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, BV28-OKT3 triggered the antitumor function of CAR– T cells in the infusion product and boosted the antitumor immune response of bystander T cells, markedly improving the cytotoxicity of CAR19-T cells to lymphoma cells in v...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Metabolic diversity of tumor-infiltrating T cells as target for anti-immune therapeutics
AbstractTumor-infiltrating T cells are promising drug targets to modulate the tumor microenvironment. However, tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes, as central targets of cancer immunotherapy, show considerable heterogeneity and dynamics across tumor microenvironments and cancer types that may fundamentally influence cancer growth, metastasis, relapse, and response to clinical drugs. The T cell heterogeneity not only refers to the composition of subpopulations but also divergent metabolic states of T cells. Comparing to the diversity of tumor-infiltrating T cell compositions that have been well recognized, the metabolic divers...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Reconstructing the immunosenescence core pathway reveals global characteristics in pan-cancer
In conclusion, our study provided a systematic understanding of immunosenescence pathways and revealed the global characteristics of immunosenescence in pan-cancer. We highlighted MTOR gene could be a powerful immunosenescence biomarker of HNSC that helps to develop sex-specific immunosenescence drugs. (Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy)
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Nomogram for predicting the prognosis of metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with anti-PD1 therapy based on serum lipids analysis
ConclusionOverall, high level at baseline and an early elevation of HDL-C are correlated with better outcomes in mCRC patients treated with anti-PD1 therapy. The constructed nomogram indicated that the factors are strong predictive markers for response and prognosis to anti-PD-1 therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. (Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy)
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced neurotoxicity is not associated with seroprevalence of neurotropic infections
ConclusionPrevious viral, bacterial and protozoal neurotropic infections appear not to be associated with the development of neurological irAEs in melanoma patients who underwent therapy with ICI across 3 countries. Further efforts are needed to unravel the factors underlying neurological irAEs in order to identify risk factors for these toxicities, especially with the increasing use of ICI in earlier stage disease. (Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy)
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

A novel agonist of 4-1BB costimulatory receptor shows therapeutic efficacy against a tobacco carcinogen-induced lung cancer
AbstractImmunotherapy utilizing checkpoint inhibitors has shown remarkable success in the treatment of cancers. In addition to immune checkpoint inhibitors, immune co-stimulation has the potential to enhance immune activation and destabilize the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. CD137, also known as 4-1BB, is one of the potent immune costimulatory receptors that could be targeted for effective immune co-stimulation. The interaction of the 4-1BB receptor with its natural ligand (4-1BBL) generates a strong costimulatory signal for T cell proliferation and survival. 4-1BBL lacks costimulatory activity in soluble form....
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 14, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

A novel CD47-blocking peptide fused to pro-apoptotic KLA repeat inhibits lung cancer growth in mice
In this study, we identified a novel CD47-blocking peptide VK17 by phage display technique. A pro-apoptotic VK30 peptide was obtained after VK17 was fused to KLA amino acid repeat at C-termini. The VK30 was specifically bound to CD47 on lung cancer cells, and subsequently inducing lung cancer cell apoptosis. Meanwhile, the expression of Bax was increased, whereas the expression of Bcl-2 and Ki-67 were reduced in the VK30-treated lung cancer cells. In addition, VK30 effectively improved the phagocytic activity of macrophages against VK30-pretreated lung cancer cells. Combinational treatment of lung cancer cells with blockin...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 13, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

The influence of plasma sPD-L1 concentration on the effectiveness of immunotherapy in advanced NSCLC patients
ConclusionHigh sPD-L1 concentration is a negative predictor of immunotherapy efficacy in patients with NSCLC. It is worthwhile to determine sPD-L1 concentration to predict the risk of resistance to anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibodies with greater certainty. (Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy)
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 10, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Translational development of a novel BAFF-R CAR-T therapy targeting B-cell lymphoid malignancies
In this study, we present the development of a novel CAR-T cell therapy targeting B-cell activating factor receptor (BAFF-R), a key regulator of B-cell proliferation and maturation. A new monoclonal antibody against BAFF-R was generated from a hybridoma clone and used to create a novel MC10029 CAR construct. Through a series of in vitro and in vivo models using the Nalm-6 cell line for leukemia and the Z138 cell line for lymphoma, we demonstrated the antigen-specific cytotoxicity of MC10029 CAR-T cells against tumor cells. Additionally, MC10029 CAR-T cells exhibited potent antitumor effects against CD19 knockout tumor cell...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 10, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

PD-1 Inhibitors combined with paclitaxel (Albumin-bound) and cisplatin for larynx preservation in locally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective study
ConclusionNeoadjuvant therapy with PD-1 inhibitors in combination with paclitaxel (Albumin-bound) and cisplatin showed promising efficacy and tolerability for larynx preservation in locally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal SCC. The high response rates and favorable survival outcomes suggest this approach as a potential treatment option. Prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to further validate these findings and establish the role of immunotherapy in larynx preservation. (Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy)
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 7, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Intensified NK cell therapy in combination with low-dose chemoradiotherapy against human colorectal cancer
AbstractThe therapeutic potential of adoptive natural Killer (NK) cells immunotherapy in combination with chemoradiotherapy, the main treatment modality for colorectal cancer (CRC), has not yet been explored. Here, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of NK cells to potentiate primary tumor control and improve survival outcomes, especially in combination with low-dose chemoradiotherapy. Ex vivo activated NK cells (>  90% purity) from healthy donors were obtained. NK cells were administered intravenously to the CRC-bearing mice and intensified in vivo in combination with low-dose 5-fluorouracil (0.5 mg/kg or 1 mg/Kg)...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 6, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research

Tumor-associated macrophages as a potential therapeutic target in thyroid cancers
AbstractMacrophages are important precursor cell types of the innate immune system and bridge adaptive immune responses through the antigen presentation system. Meanwhile, macrophages constitute substantial portion of the stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) (referred to as tumor-associated macrophages, or TAMs) and exhibit conflicting roles in the development, invasion, and metastasis of thyroid cancer (TC). Moreover, TAMs play a crucial role to the behavior of TC due to their high degree of infiltration and prognostic relevance. Generally, TAMs can be divided into two subgroups; M1-like TAMs are capable of d...
Source: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy - October 5, 2023 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research