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Bacterial-based antitumor immunity has become a promising strategy to activate the immune system for fighting cancer. However, the potential application of bacterial therapy is hindered by the presence of instability and susceptibility to infections within bacterial populations. Furthermore, monotherapy is ineffective in completely eliminating complex cancer with multiple contributing factors. In this study, based on our discovery that spore shell (SS) of Bacillus coagulans exhibits excellent tumor-targeting ability and adjuvant activity, we develop a biomimetic spore nanoplatform to boost bacteria-mediated antitumor therapy, chemodynamic therapy and antitumor immunity for synergistic cancer treatment. In detail, SS is separated from probiotic spores and then attached to the surface of liposome (Lipo) that was loaded with hemoglobin (Hb), glucose oxidase (GOx) and JQ1 to construct SS@Lipo/Hb/GOx/JQ1. In tumor tissue, highly toxic hydroxyl radicals (• OH) are generated via sequential catalytic reactions: GOx catalyzing glucose into H2 O2 and Fe2+ in Hb decomposing H2O2 into • OH. The combination of • OH and SS adjuvant can improve tumor immunogenicity and activate immune system. Meanwhile, JQ1-mediated down-regulation of PD-L1 and Hb-induced hypoxia alleviation synergistically reshape immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and potentiate immune response. In this manner, SS@Lipo/Hb/GOx/JQ1 significantly suppresses tumor growth and metastasis. To summarize, the nanoplatform represents an optimum strategy to potentiate bacteria-based cancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Computed tomography perfusion (CTP) can provide information on blood perfusion as a reliable marker of tumor response to therapy. Purpose: To assess the role of volume CTP (vCTP) parameters in predicting treatment response to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for cervical cancer. Material and Methods: Thirty-three patients with cervical cancer underwent vCTP. Three CTP parameters of cervical cancer--including arterial flow (AF), blood volume (BV), and permeability surface (PS)--were measured in two different ways: the region of interest incorporating the "local hot" with the highest enhancement and "cold spot" with the lowest enhancement; and "whole-tumor" measurements. The patients were divided into non-residual and residual tumor groups according to the short-term response to treatment. The clinical and perfusion parameters were compared between the two groups. Results: There was no significant difference in age, body mass index, FIGO stage, pathological grade, or pretreatment tumor size between the two groups (P > 0.05). The non-residual tumor group had higher pretreatment AF in high-perfusion and low-perfusion subregions than the residual tumor group (P <0.05), but the AF in whole-tumor regions was not different between the two groups (P > 0.05). There were no differences in BV and PS between the two groups (P > 0.05). The diagnostic potency of AF in the low-perfusion subregion was higher than that in the high-perfusion subregion. Conclusion: vCTP parameters are valuable for the prediction of short-term effects. The AF in the low-perfusion subregion was a more effective index for predicting treatment response to CCRT of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]