Search

Genomic stability in normal cells is crucial to avoid oncogenesis. Accordingly, multiple components of the DNA damage response (DDR) operate as bona fide tumor suppressor proteins by preserving genomic stability, eliciting the demise of cells with unrepairable DNA lesions, and engaging cell-extrinsic oncosuppression via immunosurveillance. That said, DDR sig-naling can also favor tumor progression and resistance to therapy. Indeed, DDR signaling in cancer cells has been consistently linked to the inhibition of tumor-targeting immune responses. Here, we discuss the complex interactions between the DDR and inflammation in the context of oncogenesis, tumor progression, and response to therapy., Significance: Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that DDR is intimately connected to the emission of immunomodulatory signals by normal and malignant cells, as part of a cell-extrinsic program to preserve organismal homeostasis. DDR-driven inflammation, however, can have diametrically opposed effects on tumor-targeting immunity. Understanding the links between the DDR and inflammation in normal and malignant cells may unlock novel immunotherapeutic paradigms to treat cancer., (©2023 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Background: Up to 30% of breast cancer (BC) patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) will relapse. Our objective was to analyze the predictive capacity of several markers associated with immune response and cell proliferation combined with clinical parameters., Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of BC patients treated with NCT (2001-2010), in whom pretreatment biomarkers were analyzed: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood, CD3+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and gene expression of AURKA, MYBL2 and MKI67 using qRT-PCR., Results: A total of 121 patients were included. Median followup was 12 years. In a univariate analysis, NLR, TILs, AURKA, and MYBL2 showed prognostic value for overall survival. In multivariate analyses, including hormone receptor, HER2 status, and response to NCT, NLR (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.01-1.75), TILs (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73-0.93), AURKA (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00-1.11) and MYBL2 (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.35) remained as independent predictor variables., Conclusion: Consecutive addition of these biomarkers to a regression model progressively increased its discriminatory capacity for survival. Should independent cohort studies validate these findings, management of early BC patients may well be changed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 García-Torralba, Navarro Manzano, Luengo-Gil, De la Morena Barrio, Chaves Benito, Pérez-Ramos, Álvarez-Abril, Ivars Rubio, García-Garre, Ayala de la Peña and García-Martínez.)

At odds with other solid tumors, epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is poorly sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), largely reflecting active immunosuppression despite CD8 + T cell infiltration at baseline. Accumulating evidence indicates that both conventional chemotherapeutics and targeted anticancer agents commonly used in the clinical management of EOC not only mediate a cytostatic and cytotoxic activity against malignant cells, but also drive therapeutically relevant immunostimulatory or immunosuppressive effects. Here, we discuss such an immunomodulatory activity, with a specific focus on molecular and cellular pathways that can be harnessed to develop superior combinatorial regimens for clinical EOC care., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests J.F. and R.S. are full-time employees of Sotio Biotech. I.V. has received consulting/advisory honoraria from AstraZeneca, Clovis Oncology Inc., Carrick Therapeutics, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Elevar Therapeutics, Roche, Genmab, GSK, Immunogen, Jazzpharma, Mersana, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, MSD, Novocure, Octimet Oncology, Oncoinvent, Sotio, Verastem Oncology, and Zentalis; and has performed contracted research for Amgen, Genmab, Oncoinvent, and Genmab. E.G.M. has held research contracts with Roche, has received consulting/advisory honoraria from AstraZeneca and Clovis, as well as speaker honoraria from GSK, AstraZeneca, MSD, Clovis, and Roche. L.G. has held research contracts with Lytix Biopharma and Phosplatin, and has received consulting/advisory honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, OmniSEQ, Onxeo, Sotio, The Longevity Labs, Inzen, and the Luke Heller TECPR2 Foundation. All other authors have no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Radiation therapy (RT) is well known for its capacity to mediate cytostatic and cytotoxic effects on malignant cells, largely reflecting the ability of ionizing radiation to cause direct and indirect damage to macromolecules including DNA and lipids. While low-dose RT generally causes limited cytotoxicity in an acute manner (as it imposes insufficient cellular damage to compromise homeostasis, or instead induces the delayed demise of cells that fail to complete mitosis successfully), high RT doses can mediate an acute wave of cell death that begins to manifest shortly (24-72h) after irradiation. Here, we provide two straightforward techniques to assess the acute cytotoxic effects of RT by the flow cytometry-assisted quantification of plasma membrane permeabilization (PMP, a late-stage manifestation of cell death) and either mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) or phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization (two early-stage signs of cell death) in mouse mammary adenocarcinoma TS/A cells. With minor variations, the same protocols can be straightforwardly adapted to measure acute cell death responses as elicited by RT in a large panel of human and mouse cancer cells lines of different histological derivation., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest L.G. has been holding research contracts with Lytix Biopharma and Promontory, has received consulting/advisory honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, OmniSEQ, Onxeo, The Longevity Labs, Inzen, Sotio, Promontory, Noxopharm and the Luke Heller TECPR2 Foundation, and holds Promontory stock options. All other authors have no conflicts to declare. All other authors have no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objectives: Nonischemic sudden cardiac death (SCD) is predominantly caused by cardiomyopathies and channelopathies. There are many diagnostic tests, including some complex techniques. Our aim was to analyze the diagnostic yield of a systematic diagnostic protocol in a specialized unit., Methods: The study included 56 families with at least 1 index case of SCD (resuscitated or not). Survivors were studied with electrocardiogram, advanced cardiac imaging, exercise testing, familial study, genetic testing and, in some cases, pharmacological testing. Families with deceased probands were studied using the postmortem findings, familial evaluation, and molecular autopsy with next-generation sequencing (NGS)., Results: A positive diagnosis was obtained in 80.4% of the cases, with no differences between survivors and nonsurvivors (P=.53). Cardiac channelopathies were more prevalent among survivors than nonsurvivors (66.6% vs 40%, P=.03). Among the 30 deceased probands, the definitive diagnosis was given by autopsy in 7. A diagnosis of cardiomyopathy tended to be associated with a higher event rate in the family. Genetic testing with NGS was performed in 42 index cases, with a positive result in 28 (66.6%), with no differences between survivors and nonsurvivors (P=.21)., Conclusions: There is a strong likelihood of reaching a diagnosis in SCD after a rigorous protocol, with a more prevalent diagnosis of channelopathy among survivors and a worse familial prognosis in cardiomyopathies. Genetic testing with NGS is useful and its value is increasing with respect to the Sanger method., (Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)