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Background: Glioma is characterized by a high recurrence rate, while the results of the traditional imaging methods (including magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) to distinguish recurrence from treatment-related changes (TRCs) are poor. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) (US10815200B2, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, German Cancer Research Center) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein overexpressed in glioma vascular endothelium, and it is a promising target for imaging and therapy. Objective: The study aimed to assess the performance of PSMA positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) for diagnosing recurrence and predicting prognosis in glioma patients. Materials and Methods: Patients suspected of glioma recurrence who underwent 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/MR were prospectively enrolled. Eight metabolic parameters and fifteen texture features of the lesion were extracted from PSMA PET/MR. The ability of PSMA PET/MR to diagnose glioma recurrence was investigated and compared with conventional MRI. The diagnostic agreement was assessed using Cohen κ scores and the predictive parameters of PSMA PET/MR were obtained. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model were used to analyze recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Finally, the expression of PSMA was analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC Results: Nineteen patients with a mean age of 48.11±15.72 were assessed. The maximum tumor-to-parotid ratio (TPRmax) and texture features extracted from PET and T1-weighted contrast enhancement (T1-CE) MR showed differences between recurrence and TRCs (all P Conclusion: This primitive study shows multiparameter PSMA PET/MR to be useful in identifying glioma (especially GBM) recurrence by providing excellent tumor background comparison, tumor heterogeneity, recurrence prediction and prognosis information, although it did not improve the diagnostic performance compared to conventional MRI. Further and larger studies are required to define its potential clinical application in this setting.

The multicenter study aimed to explore the relationship between the growth pattern of liver metastases on preoperative MRI and early recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM) after surgery.A total of 348 CRCLM patients from 3 independent centers were enrolled, including 130 patients with 339 liver metastases in the primary cohort and 218 patients in validation cohorts. Referring to the gross classification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the growth pattern of each liver metastasis on MRI was classified into four types: rough, smooth, focal extranodular protuberant (FEP), and nodular confluent (NC). Disease-free survival (DFS) curve was constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method.In primary cohort, 42 (12.4%) of the 339 liver metastases were rough type, 237 (69.9%) were smooth type, 29 (8.6%) were FEP type, and 31 (9.1%) were NC type. Those patients with FEP- and/or NC-type liver metastases had shorter DFS than those without such metastases (p0.05). However, there were no significant differences in DFS between patients with rough- and smooth-type liver metastases and those without such metastases. The patients with FEP- and/or NC-type liver metastases also had shorter DFS than those without such metastases in two external validation cohorts. In addition, 40.5% of high-risk-type (FEP and NC) liver metastases converted to low-risk types (rough and smooth) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.The FEP- and NC-type liver metastases were associated with early recurrence, which may facilitate the clinical treatment of CRCLM patients.• In the primary cohort, patients with FEP- and NC-type metastases had shorter disease-free survival (DFS) and a higher intrahepatic recurrence rate than patients without such metastases in the liver. • In the primary cohort, there were no significant differences in DFS or intrahepatic recurrence rate between patients with rough- and smooth-type metastases and those without such metastases in the liver. • High-risk patients had shorter DFS and a higher intrahepatic recurrence rate than low-risk patients in primary and external validation cohorts.

Background Rearranged during transfection (RET) is a targetable oncogene. RET fusions have been reported in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, RET mutations in mCRC are less studied. Here, we aimed to characterize the clinical, pathological, and molecular landscape of RET‐mutated mCRC. Methods Five hundred and eighty‐two patients were included in this study. Next‐generation sequencing was performed to detect RET mutations and calculate tumor mutation burden (TMB). We compared the clinical, pathological, and molecular characteristics of mCRC cases with tumors that harbored somatic RET mutations (N = 16, 2.7%) or had wild‐type RET (N = 566, 97.3%). Results Males comprised the absolute majority of cases with RET mutations (15/16 [93.8%]) compared to their fraction among cases with wild‐type RET (339/566 [59.9%]). Furthermore, all patients with RET mutations were younger than 60 years (16/16 [100%]), whereas such patients were less predominant in the group with wild‐type RET (379/566 [67.0%]). Individuals with tumors positive for RET mutations more frequently exhibited mucinous histology (5/16 [31.2%] vs. 55/566 [9.7%]), exhibited a lower incidence of liver metastasis (4/16 [25.0%] vs. 335/566 [59.2%]), and higher incidence of peritoneal metastasis (9/16 [56.2%] vs.161/566 [28.4%]), expressed wild‐type TP53 (8/16 [50.0%] vs.120/566 [21.2%]), and showed an increased frequency of MSI‐high (6/16 [37.5%] vs. 18/566 [3.2%]). In those with microsatellite‐stable mCRC, patients with RET mutations had a higher median TMB than patients with wild‐type RET (9.4 vs. 6.7 mutations/Mb, respectively, p = 0.001). The median progression‐free survival was similar in individuals with mutated and wild‐type RET on the oxaliplatin‐based regimen (7.1 vs. 8.7 months, p = 0.516). Conclusions Our study suggests that cases with RET mutations represent a separate mCRC subtype. Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of RET inhibitors in mCRC patients with RET mutations., RET mutations were enriched in male patients and those younger than 60 years.

Purpose Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) is a novel imaging technology in neuro-oncology. This study aimed to investigate whether PET/MR-derived parameters could provide clinical characteristics and tumor heterogeneity in post-treatment glioma. The ability of PSMA PET/MR to distinguishing recurrence from treatment-related changes (TRCs) was evaluated. Methods Twenty-four glioma patients (fourteen males and ten females) suspected of recurrence who underwent PSMA PET/MR were included in this study. The results of PET/MR were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively, including the visual intensity, classical metabolic and metric parameters, and primary tumor texture features. Results Classical metabolic parameters of PET including tumor-to-brain ratio (TBR max and mean), standardized uptake value (SUVmax and SUVpeak) showed differences in Karnofsky score (KPS) and metric parameters (area of lesion derived from MR) in 1p19q deletion status (P < 0.05). For the texture features, the shape-based, first-order and high-order primary tumor texture features of MR suggested the power to differentiate tumor grade and gene status (All P < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of PSMA PET/MR in identifying recurrence were 64.29% (9/14), 80% (8/10), 81.82% (9/11), and 61.54% (8/13), respectively. Conclusion This work highlights the role of postoperative PSMA PET/MR in tumor-targeted imaging and differentiating recurrence in glioma, especially glioblastoma. PSMA PET/MR-derived parameters especially textural features provide additional value for characterizing glioma patient status and tumor heterogeneity. Our results indicate the significance of the hybrid PSMA PET/MR system in providing non-invasive glioma biological features, guiding precise surgical resection, and stratifying patients with PSMA targeted therapy.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated benefits from adjuvant tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) compared with chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer. We launched a multi-center retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant TKIs with or without chemotherapy in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant stage III-pN2 lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: Two hundred and seventy-four consecutive cases with stage III-pN2 lung adenocarcinoma and complete resection have been investigated. Clinic-pathologic characteristics, adjuvant treatments, long-term survivals, and toxicities were documented. Risk factors of distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: There were 52 (19.0%) patients treated with adjuvant TKIs alone, 199 (72.6%) with adjuvant chemotherapy alone, and 23 (8.4%) with both. After a median follow-up time of 29 months, the two-year DMFS, DFS, and OS was 61.2%, 54.1%, and 91.2%, respectively. According to univariable analyses, the risk factors were lymphovascular invasion (p &lt, 0.001), extranodal extension (p = 0.005), and adjuvant systemic therapy (p = 0.006) for DMFS, EGFR mutation type (p = 0.025), lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.013), extranodal extension (p = 0.004), and adjuvant systemic therapy (p &lt, 0.001) for DFS, and EGFR mutation type (p &lt, 0.001) for OS. Multivariable analyses indicated that the independent prognostic factors were adjuvant systemic therapy (TKIs vs. TKIs+chemotherapy, Harzard ratio (HR) = 0.40, p = 0.036, TKIs vs. chemotherapy, HR = 0.38, p = 0.004), lymphovascular invasion (yes vs. no, HR = 2.22, p = 0.001) for DMFS, and adjuvant systemic therapy (TKIs vs. TKIs+chemotherapy, HR = 0.42, p = 0.034, TKIs vs. chemotherapy, HR = 0.33, p &lt, 0.001) for DFS. No significant difference was found in the incidence of Grade 3–4 toxicities between groups (p = 0.445). Conclusions: Adjuvant TKIs might be a beneficial choice compared with adjuvant chemotherapy or combination systemic treatments.

NanoKnife, a nonthermal ablation technique also termed irreversible electroporation (IRE), has been adopted in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) treatment. However, reversible electroporation (RE) caused by heterogeneous electric field magnitude leads to inadequate ablation and tumor recurrence. Alphavirus M1 has been identified as a novel natural oncolytic virus which is nonpathogenic and with high tumor selectivity. This study evaluated improvements to therapeutic efficacy through combination therapy incorporating NanoKnife and M1 virus. We showed that IRE triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) mediated by phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway suppression. When NanoKnife was combined with M1 virus, the therapeutic efficacy was synergistically enhanced. The combinatorial treatment further inhibited tumor proliferation and prolonged the survival of orthotopic pancreatic cancer (PC)-bearing immunocompetent mice. In depth, NanoKnife enhanced the oncolytic effect of M1 by promoting its infection. The combination turned immune-silent tumors into immune-inflamed tumors characterized by T cell activation. Clinicopathologic analysis of specific M1 oncolytic biomarkers indicated the potential of the combination regimen. The combinatorial therapy represents a promising therapeutic efficacy and may ultimately improve the prognosis of patients with LAPC.

Gene fusions are one of the most common genomic alterations in soft tissue sarcomas (STS), which contain more than 70 subtypes. In this study, a custom-designed RNA sequencing panel including 67 genes was developed and validated to identify gene fusions in STS. In total, 92 STS samples were analyzed using the RNA panel and 95.7% (88/92) successfully passed all the quality control parameters. Fusion transcripts were detected in 60.2% (53/88) of samples, including three novel fusions (MEG3-PLAG1, SH3BP1-NTRK1, and RPSAP52-HMGA2). The panel demonstrated excellent analytic accuracy, with 93.9% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The intra-assay, inter-assay, and personnel consistencies were all 100.0% in four samples and three replicates. In addition, different variants of ESWR1-FLI, COL1A1-PDGFB, NAB2-STAT6, and SS18-SSX were also identified in the corresponding subtypes of STS. In combination with histological and molecular diagnosis, 14.8% (13/88) patients finally changed preliminary histology-based classification. Collectively, this RNA panel developed in our study shows excellent performance on RNA from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples and can complement DNA-based assay, thereby facilitating precise diagnosis and novel fusion detection.

ImportanceHigh-grade gliomas (HGGs) constitute the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor, with 5-year survival rates of 30.9% for grade 3 gliomas and 6.6% for grade 4 gliomas. The add-on efficacy of interferon alfa is unclear for the treatment of HGG.ObjectivesTo compare the therapeutic efficacy and toxic effects of the combination of temozolomide and interferon alfa and temozolomide alone in patients with newly diagnosed HGG.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis multicenter, randomized, phase 3 clinical trial enrolled 199 patients with newly diagnosed HGG from May 1, 2012, to March 30, 2016, at 15 Chinese medical centers. Follow-up was completed July 31, 2021, and data were analyzed from September 13 to November 24, 2021. Eligible patients were aged 18 to 75 years with newly diagnosed and histologically confirmed HGG and had received no prior chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immunotherapy for their HGG.InterventionsAll patients received standard radiotherapy concurrent with temozolomide. After a 4-week break, patients in the temozolomide with interferon alfa group received standard temozolomide combined with interferon alfa every 28 days. Patients in the temozolomide group received standard temozolomide.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary end point was 2-year overall survival (OS). Secondary end points were 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and treatment tolerability.ResultsA total of 199 patients with HGG were enrolled, with a median follow-up time of 66.0 (95% CI, 59.1-72.9) months. Seventy-nine patients (39.7%) were women and 120 (60.3%) were men, with ages ranging from 18 to 75 years and a median age of 46.9 (95% CI, 45.3-48.7) years. The median OS of patients in the temozolomide plus interferon alfa group (26.7 [95% CI, 21.6-31.7] months) was significantly longer than that in the standard group (18.8 [95% CI, 16.9-20.7] months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.64 [95% CI, 0.47-0.88]; P = .005). Temozolomide plus interferon alfa also significantly improved median OS in patients with O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) unmethylation (24.7 [95% CI, 20.5-28.8] months) compared with temozolomide (17.4 [95% CI, 14.1-20.7] months; HR, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.37-0.87]; P = .008). Seizure and influenzalike symptoms were more common in the temozolomide plus interferon alfa group, with 2 of 100 (2.0%) and 5 of 100 (5.0%) patients with grades 1 and 2 toxic effects, respectively (P = .02). Finally, results suggested that methylation level at the IFNAR1/2 promoter was a marker of sensitivity to temozolomide plus interferon alfa.Conclusions and RelevanceCompared with the standard regimen, temozolomide plus interferon alfa treatment could prolong the survival time of patients with HGG, especially the MGMT promoter unmethylation variant, and the toxic effects remained tolerable.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01765088

BACKGROUND: Infant-type hemispheric glioma, harboring alterations in the receptor tyrosine kinases ALK, ROS1, NTRK and MET, is a new subtype of Pediatric-type diffuse high-grade gliomas in the 2021 WHO classification of CNS tumors. It has important clinical therapeutic value with specialized therapeutic drugs. Here, we presented 3 cases of infant-type hemispheric glioma. Patient1 with EML4-ALK fusion which often appeared in lung cancer, the other 2 patients have new molecular alterations which has not been reported before (Patient2 has both NTRK1-TP53/TP53-NTRK1 fusions and p53 protein showed characteristic cytoplasm positive; Patient3 presented a brand-new ALK-QKI fusion combined with ALK mutation and focal SMARCB1 deletion. All these 3 cases received corresponding targeted therapy and have a good recovery and normal neurologic function till now. METHOD: Immunohistochemistry, fluorescent in situ hybridization and whole-transcriptome sequencing. RESULTS: Case 18 months, male, right semiovale center occupation. Histopathology: High-grade neuroepithelial neoplasm. IHC: GFAP(only few cells+), Olig2(-), S100(+), CD56(+), Syn(-), NSE(focal+), NeuN(-), CD34(-), INI-1(+), Ki67(10%+). Characteristic Molecular Information: EML4-ALK fusion. Follow-up: 15 months, alive. Case 2: 3 years, female, insular lobe occupation.Histopathology: Gliosarcoma. IHC: GFAP(partly+), Olig2(partly+), Vimentin(+), P53(cytoplasm+), pan-TRK(+), Ki67(25%+). Reticular fiber staining showed biphasic tissue pattern with reticulin-rich sarcomatous and reticulin-free gliomatous elements. Characteristic Molecular Information: NTRK1-TP53 and TP53-NRTK1 fusion. Follow-up: 27 months, alive. Case 3: 3 years, male, left parietal occipital lobe occupation. Histopathology: GBM and AT/RT. IHC: GFAP(partly+), Olig2(partly+), INI-1(partly-), BRG1(+), SYN(-), CD34(-), BRAF(-), S100(-), CK(-), H3K27M(-), IDH1(-), P53(40%+), ATRX(+), pan-TRK(-), ALK(+), Ki67(30%+). Characteristic Molecular Information: ALK mutation, ALK-QKI fusion, RAD51C mutation and focal SMARCB1(INI-1) deletion. Follow-up: 14 months, alive. CONCLUSION: Infant-type hemispheric glioma is a special kind of glioma, which is particularly suitable for precision-medicine treatment approaches. Their overall survival is good compared with other three pHGG subtype.

Accumulating evidence supports the existence of glioma stem cells (GSCs) and their critical role in the resistance to conventional treatments for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Differentiation therapy represents a promising alternative strategy against GBM by forcing GSCs to exit the cell cycle and reach terminal differentiation. In this study, we demonstrated that cAMP triggered neuronal differentiation and compromised the self-renewal capacity in GSCs. In addition, cAMP induced negative feedback to antagonize the differentiation process by activating β-catenin pathway. Suppression of β-catenin signaling synergized with cAMP activators to eliminate GSCs in vitro and extended the survival of animals in vivo. The cAMP/PKA pathway stabilized β-catenin through direct phosphorylation of the molecule and inhibition of GSK-3β. The activated β-catenin translocated into the nucleus and promoted the transcription of APELA and CARD16, which were found to be responsible for the repression of cAMP-induced differentiation in GSCs. Overall, our findings identified a negative feedback mechanism for cAMP-induced differentiation in GSCs and provided potential targets for the reinforcement of differentiation therapy for GBM.

Background To investigate whether the relative computed tomography (CT) value (rCT) of adjacent pancreatic parenchyma can distinguish focal‐type autoimmune pancreatitis (fAIP) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods A total of 13 patients with fAIP and 20 patients with PDAC were included in this study. The rCT was calculated as the ratio of the CT value of adjacent pancreatic parenchyma to that of muscle. The diagnostic performance of rCT for discriminating fAIP from PDAC was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results Both fAIP and PDAC presented hyper‐fibrosis histologically and delayed enhancement on CT examination. Moreover, the pancreatic parenchyma of fAIP presented serious inflammation. The mean rCT of the parenchyma was significantly lower in fAIP than in PDAC in all phases. The best diagnostic performance of the rCT value was found in the pancreatic phase, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.912, while the areas under the ROC curve of the portal and delayed phases were 0.812 and 0.754, respectively. The optimal cut‐off value for distinguishing fAIP from PDAC was 1.62 in the pancreatic phase. Conclusions The rCT of the pancreatic parenchyma during the pancreatic phase may be a feasible CT feature for differentiating fAIP from PDAC., Similar imaging features such as regional enlargement of the pancreas and delayed enhancement became a big challenge to differentiate focal‐type autoimmune pancreatitis (fAIP) from PDAC. In this study, we found that the pancreatic parenchyma of fAIP presented severe inflammation. Moreover, the mean relative computed tomography values of the pancreatic parenchyma were lower in fAIP than that in PDAC in all phases.

High-grade glioma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in the central nervous system. Multiple strategies such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have been used, but the prognosis of patients with high-grade glioma remains poor. No standard treatment exists for recurrent gliomas; however, combination therapies of programmed cell death protein 1 blockades with antiangiogenic agents have demonstrated promising effects in different solid tumors. We have initiated a clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficiency of neoadjuvant therapy using camrelizumab and apatinib in patients with recurrent highgrade gliomas. In this prospective, Phase II, singlearm study, patients with recurrent highgrade gliomas will receive singledose intravenous injection of camrelizumab (200 mg) and daily oral administration of apatinib (250 mg/day for 7 days) 14 days before surgery for recurrent tumor. Sequential therapy will begin 2 weeks after surgery with the biweekly injection of camrelizumab and 4 weeks after surgery with the daily administration of apatinib. Treatment of camrelizumab and apatinib will be continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity or death. The trial is planned to enroll 30 patients. Up-to date (March 31, 2022), 12 patients had been enrolled, in which, 9 were GBM. Three patients died, while 4 cases on trial more than 6 months, the longest already 1 year. Although an evaluation is still impossible to be conducted yet, some patients have shown a promising outcome. We will present updated results on the meeting. These preliminary data suggest that this study would be worthwhile. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Sun Yatsen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China; approval No. SLB202014901). This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT04588987.

A major clinical challenge for treating patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is identifying those that may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy versus those that will not. Thus, there is a need for a robust and convenient biomarker for predicting chemotherapy response in PDAC patients. In this study, network inference was conducted by integrating the differentially expressed cell cycle signatures and target genes between the basal-like subtype and classical subtype of PDAC. As a result from this statistical analysis, two dominant cell cycle genes, RASAL2 and ASPM, were identified. Based on the expression levels of these two genes, we constructed a "Enhanced Cell Cycle" scoring system (ECC score). Patients were given an ECC score, and respectively divided into ECC-high and ECC-low groups. Survival, pathway enrichment, immune environment characteristics, and chemotherapy response analysis' were performed between the two groups in a total of 891 patients across 5 cohorts. ECC-high patients exhibited shortened recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates. In addition, it was found that adjuvant chemotherapy could significantly improve the outcome of the ECC-high patients while ECC-low patients did not benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. It was also found that there was less CD8+ T cell, natural killer (NK) cell, M1 macrophage, and plasma cell infiltration in ECC-high patients when compared to ECC-low patients. Also, the expression of CD73, an immune suppressor gene, and it's related hypoxia pathway were elevated in the ECC-high group when compared to the ECC-low group. In conclusion, this study showed that patients characterized as ECC-high not only had reduced RFS and OS rates, but were also more sensitive to adjuvant chemotherapy and could potentially be less sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Being able to characterize patients by these parameters would allow doctors to make more informed decisions on patient treatment regimens.

To investigate the prognostic significance of time to recurrence (TTR) for overall survival (OS) and survival after recurrence (SAR) in patients with localized or regionally advanced cutaneous melanoma. A total of 731 cutaneous melanoma patients with an initial diagnosis of 8th American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) clinical stage I‐III were included in this study. The prognostic factors associated with OS and SAR were estimated through Kaplan‐Meier and Cox regression analysis. Of the total cohort, 329 patients (45%) died, and 418 patients (57%) experienced recurrence. The median follow‐up and TTR were 55.6 months and 9.6 months, respectively. A total of 141 patients (19%) experienced recurrence in

Background CMTM6 is a novel key regulator of PD-L1. High expression of both CMTM6 and PD-L1 may predict the benefit of PD-1 axis blockade in lung cancer. We aimed to investigate the expression pattern of CMTM6 between mismatch repair-defective (dMMR) and mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and assess its correlation with the response to PD-1/PD-L1 pathway blockade. Methods Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to analyze CMTM6 and PD-L1 expression and immune cell density in dMMR/pMMR CRC. Quantitative multiplex immunofluorescence (IF) was performed to detect CMTM6, PD-L1, CD4, CD8, CD68 and CD163 expression in CRC patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Result IHC analysis showed that CMTM6 and PD-L1 were both expressed in tumor cells (TCs) and invasion front immune cells (ICs). CMTM6 and PD-L1 expression and CD4+, CD8+, CD68+ or CD163+ cell density were significantly higher in dMMR CRC patients than in pMMR CRC patients. CMTM6 expression was positively correlated with PD-L1 expression and CD163+ M2 macrophage density in dMMR CRC. IF analysis showed that the coexpression rate of CMTM6/PD-L1 and the expression rate of CMTM6 in CD8+ T cells and CD163+ M2 macrophages were significantly increased in the group that exhibited clinical benefit. CMTM6 expression in M2 macrophages was identified as the best biomarker for predicting the responsiveness to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Conclusions CMTM6 expression in M2 macrophages may predict the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor response rate in CRC patients more accurately than dMMR/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) status. It can also identify pMMR CRC patients who could benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors.

Purpose: To investigate the predictive values of plasma Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)- deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) copy number on disease progression and survival in stage I-III pulmonary lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC).Patients and Methods: Patients with pathologically confirmed, initially diagnosed or locally recurrent stage I-III pulmonary LELC, who received locally radical treatment and had plasma EBV-DNA results, were retrospectively reviewed. Risk factors of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed, including the predictive value of pre- and post-treatment EBV-DNA levels. The EBV-DNA change during follow-up was analyzed to determine its association with tumor progression and survival.Results: A total of 102 patients were included in analysis. Eighty-eight patients had initially-diagnosed and 14 had locally recurrent disease. There were 33 patients treated with radical surgery, 55 with definite radiotherapy and 14 with both. EBV-DNA was tested pre-treatment (N = 66), post-treatment (N = 93) and/or during follow-up (N = 58). Forty-one patients had complete EBV-DNA results of all three time points. The overall 2-year PFS and OS were 66.3 and 96.0%, respectively. Pre-treatment EBV-DNA copy number > 10,000 copies/mL was a risk factor of PFS (2-year PFS, > 10,000 vs. ≤ 10,000 copies/mL, 37.2 vs. 75.1%, p = 0.007). Positive post-treatment EBV-DNA also indicated a worse PFS in univariable (2-year PFS, > 0 vs. 0 copy/mL, 25.6 vs. 76.8%, p < 0.001) and multivariable analysis (HR = 3.44, 95% CI, 1.52–7.78; p = 0.003). In the follow-up set, an increasing EBV-DNA exceeding 1,000 copies/mL strongly predicted disease progression within 3 months, with a specificity of 97.5% (95% CI: 86.8–99.6%) and was associated with impaired OS (2-year OS, > 1,000 vs. ≤ 1,000 copies/mL, 72.9 vs. 100%, p < 0.001).Conclusions: Regular testing of EBV-DNA is suggested for pulmonary LELC to predict disease progression. If EBV-DNA copy number was increasing and beyond 1,000 copies/mL during follow-up, intensive radiologic evaluations are recommended.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated benefits from adjuvant tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) compared with chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer. We launched a multi-center retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of adjuvant TKIs with or without chemotherapy in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant stage III-pN2 lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: Two hundred and seventy-four consecutive cases with stage III-pN2 lung adenocarcinoma and complete resection have been investigated. Clinic-pathologic characteristics, adjuvant treatments, long-term survivals, and toxicities were documented. Risk factors of distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Results: There were 52 (19.0%) patients treated with adjuvant TKIs alone, 199 (72.6%) with adjuvant chemotherapy alone, and 23 (8.4%) with both. After a median follow-up time of 29 months, the two-year DMFS, DFS, and OS was 61.2%, 54.1%, and 91.2%, respectively. According to univariable analyses, the risk factors were lymphovascular invasion (p < 0.001), extranodal extension (p = 0.005), and adjuvant systemic therapy (p = 0.006) for DMFS, EGFR mutation type (p = 0.025), lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.013), extranodal extension (p = 0.004), and adjuvant systemic therapy (p < 0.001) for DFS, and EGFR mutation type (p < 0.001) for OS. Multivariable analyses indicated that the independent prognostic factors were adjuvant systemic therapy (TKIs vs. TKIs+chemotherapy, Harzard ratio (HR) = 0.40; p = 0.036; TKIs vs. chemotherapy, HR = 0.38; p = 0.004), lymphovascular invasion (yes vs. no, HR = 2.22; p = 0.001) for DMFS, and adjuvant systemic therapy (TKIs vs. TKIs+chemotherapy, HR = 0.42; p = 0.034; TKIs vs. chemotherapy, HR = 0.33; p < 0.001) for DFS. No significant difference was found in the incidence of Grade 3–4 toxicities between groups (p = 0.445). Conclusions: Adjuvant TKIs might be a beneficial choice compared with adjuvant chemotherapy or combination systemic treatments.

Background Understanding the molecular landscape of glioblastoma (GBM) is increasingly crucial for its therapy. Immune checkpoint molecules motivated the emergence of immune checkpoint-targeting therapeutic strategies. However, the prognostic significance of the immune checkpoint molecule T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) on tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) and O-6-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) methylation status remains to be fully elucidated. We aimed to develop an MGMT methylation status-associated immune prognostic signature for predicting prognosis in GBMs.Patients and Methods: A total of 84 patients with newly diagnosed GBM were involved. MGMT methylation status was retrospectively analyzed and the expression level of Tim-3 protein was investigated using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The correlation between Tim-3 protein expression and MGMT methylation status, and the prognosis was explored.Results The obtained data showed that Tim-3 protein was expressed at different levels in GBMs. Mesenchymal expression of Tim-3 protein in these tissues was 73.81% (62/84), including low 15.48% (13/84), moderate 7.14% (6/84) and strong expression 51.19% (43/84), respectively. Of the 48 patients whose tumors tested positive for MGMT methylation, the remaining 36 patients was negative.Conclusions We profiled the immune status in GBM with MGMT promoter methylation and established a local immune signature for GBM, which could independently identify patients with a favorable prognosis, indicating the relationship between prognosis and immune. MGMT promoter methylation with lower Tim-3 protein expression was statistically significantly associated with better survival.

To evaluate the diagnostic potential of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) DWI for differentiating metastatic and non-metastatic lymph node stations (LNS) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). 59 LNS histologically diagnosed following surgical resection from 15 patients were included. IVIM DWI with 12 b values was added to the standard MRI protocol. Evaluation of parameters was performed pre-operatively and included the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), pure diffusion coefficient (D), pseudo-diffusion coefficient (D*) and perfusion fraction (f). Diagnostic performance of ADC, D, D* and f for differentiating between metastatic and non-metastatic LNS was evaluated using ROC analysis. Metastatic LNS had significantly lower D, D*, f and ADC values than the non-metastatic LNS (p< 0.01). The best diagnostic performance was found in D, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.979, while the area under the ROC curve values of D*, f and ADC were 0.867, 0.855 and 0.940, respectively. The optimal cut-off values for distinguishing metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes were D = 1.180 × 10−3 mm2/s; D* = 14.750 × 10−3 mm2/s, f = 20.65 %, and ADC = 1.390 × 10−3 mm2/s. IVIM DWI is useful for differentiating between metastatic and non-metastatic LNS in PDAC. • IVIM DWI is feasible for diagnosing LN metastasis in PDAC. • Metastatic LNS has lower D, D*, f, ADC values than non-metastatic LNS. • D-value from IVIM model has best diagnostic performance, followed by ADC value. • D* has the lowest AUC value.

INTRODUCTION Central nervous system (CNS) embryonal tumor is a group of rare, poorly differentiated neuroepithelial malignant neoplasm predominantly occurs in pediatrics. Herein, we firstly report a CNS embryonal tumor harboring pathogenic CIC-LEUTX fusion. METHODS Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) and Next Generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS A 2-year-old male was found to have solid and cystic mass in left temporal lobe-basal ganglia and left parietal lobe (maximum diameter=75mm). The pathological diagnosis was CNS embryonal tumor (NEC) after totally resection. The tumor was poorly differentiated embryonal neoplasms of neuroectodermal origin that lacked the specific features and rosettes. IHC showed Syn was strongly/diffusely positive and Ki67 proliferation index was high (50%+), and copy number at the 19q13.42 C19MC locus showed no alterations. NGS showed pathogenic mutations including a brand new CIC-LEUTX fusion, heterozygous germline NBN c.C127T mutation and somatic TSC2 c.G2714A mutation. One month after operation, intracranial tumor recurred (maximum diameter=55mm) and spinal cord implantation metastasis occurred, and then the patient received chemotherapy (CTX+CBP+VCR/DDP+VP-16) and had significant improvement in symptoms and tumor shrinkage (maximum diameter=31mm). Literature review revealed CIC fusion predominantly presented in sarcomas, such as CIC-NUTM1 fusion in rare CNS sarcoma, CIC-LEUTX fusion in epithelioid angiosarcoma and CIC-DUX4 fusion in Ewing-like sarcoma. Hitherto, apart from this case, there were only two cases which had CIC-LEUTX fusion in CNS, including a case of CNS angiosarcoma and a case of anaplastic ganglioglioma. CONCLUSIONS We firstly found a specific new type in CNS embryonal tumor with distinct molecular-pathological characteristics of CIC-LEUTX fusion.

e22003 Background: Medical advances have been greatly improved in the survival rate for Wilms’ tumor, but the survival is still dismal for relapsed/refractory (R/R) patients. In the present study, we aimed to investigated the genomic profiling and the incidence of germline cancer susceptibility mutations of Chinese patients with R/R WT. Methods: From Jun 18, 2020 to Dec 22, 2020, the tumor specimens with matched blood samples obtained from R/R pediatric WT in Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center were performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) using a 539 cancer-related gene panel in a CAP-certified laboratory (Simcere Diagnostic Co, Ltd). Clinical information including age, gender and tumor histology were collected. Somatic and germline variations including single nucleotide variants (SNV), insertion-deletion variants (Indels), copy number variations (CNVs) and fusion, as well as tumor mutational burden (TMB)/microsatellite instability (MSI) were analyzed. IHC staining for PD-L1 expression was performed by FDA-approved VENTANA PD-L1(SP263) assay. Results: Eight patients with R/R WT were enrolled in this study, including 5 males and 3 females, with a median age of 6 years old (range, 3-14). All of the pathology was identified as favorable histology WT (FHWT). Of the specimens, 8 were from pulmonary and 1from peritoneum. We identified 152 reportable molecular aberrations, with a median of 19 (0-24). CNVs accounted for the majority of the total somatic aberrations, followed by SNVs, the percentage was 77% and 22%, respectively. Genes with either CNVs or SNVs were detected in FGFR1 (n=4), ERBB2(n=3), MYCN(n=4), MET(n=2), CDK4/6(n=2), TP53(n=2), CTNNB1(n=2), MYC(n=2), NF1(n=2), MDM4(n=2), CHEK2(n=1), FBXW7(n=1), EGFR(n=1). Notable cancer driver mutations were also characterized, such as the amplifications of ERBB2/MET/EGFR/FGFR1, and the point variations of CHEK2/FBXW7/NF1. Besides, a novel ASB12 intergenic region- AMER1 fusion was identified. Both of the patients available for PD-L1 evaluation showed negative PD-L1 expression on tumor cells. The median TMB was 1.47 (range, 0-7.8). All patients were microsatellite stabilization (MSS). A 4-year-old patient suffering peritoneal relapse harbored a germline pathogenic mutation in FANCA (c.1777-1G>C, intron 19), this locus has never been reported in WT before. Conclusions: We discovered some driver genes mutations which potentially sensitive to the corresponding targeted drugs in Chinese R/R WT patients. Large sample size was needed to provide a better understanding of molecular features in R/R WT patients to achieve precision medicine.

CXCR1 is a member of the chemokine receptor family, which was reported to play an important role in several cancers. The present study investigated the influence of CXCR1 stable knockdown or overexpression on the malignant behavior of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and the potential mechanisms. MKN45 and BGC823 cells were stably transfected with plasmid pYr-1.1-CXCR1-shRNA (knockdown) and pIRES2-ZsGreen1-CXCR1 (overexpression), respectively. Malignant behavior was evaluated in vitro for changes in proliferation by MTT and colony forming assays; cell cycle and apoptosis by flow cytometry; and migration and invasion using transwell and wound-healing assays. Proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration and invasion-related signaling molecule expression were measured by real-time RT-PCR and western blot analysis. CXCR1 knockdown and overexpressing xenografts were monitored for in vivo tumor growth. Stable knockdown of CXCR1 inhibited MKN45 cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but were reversed in BGC823 cells stably overexpressing CXCR1. In addition, MKN45 cells stably transfected with CXCR1 shRNA inhibited AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, protein expression of cyclin D1, EGFR, VEGF, MMP-9, MMP-2 and Bcl-2, and increased protein expression of Bax and E-cadherin (all P

Chemokine-mediated activation of G protein-coupled receptors CXCR1/2 promotes tumor growth, invasion, inflammation and metastasis. Repertaxin, a CXCR1/2 small-molecule inhibitor, has been shown to attenuate many of these tumor-associated processes. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of repertaxin alone and in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on the malignant behavior of gastric cancer and the potential mechanisms. Gastric cancer MKN45 cells were treated in vitro with repertaxin and 5-FU, either alone or in combination. MTT and colony formation assay were performed to assess proliferation. Cell cycle progression and apoptosis was completed by flow cytometry. Migration and invasion were also assessed by Transwell and wound-healing assay. Western blot analysis and quantitative RT-PCR were performed to determine expression of signaling molecules. MKN45 cells were also grown as xenografts in nude mice. Mice were treated with repertaxin and 5-FU, and tumor volume and weight, angiogenesis, proliferation and apoptosis were monitored. Combination of repertaxin and 5-FU inhibited MKN45 cell proliferation and increased apoptosis better than either agent alone. Similarly, enhanced effect of the combination was also observed in migration and invasion assays. The improved effect of repertaxin and 5-FU was also observed in vivo, as xenograft models treated with both compounds exhibited significantly decreased tumor volume and increased apoptosis. In conclusion, repertaxin inhibited malignant behavior of human gastric cancer MKN45 cells in vitro and in vivo and enhances efficacy of 5-fluorouracil. These data provide rationale that targeting CXCR1/2 with small molecule inhibitors may enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy for the treatment of gastric cancer.

H3 K27M-mutant diffuse midline gliomas are associated with worse prognosis than H3 K27M wild-type gliomas. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the conventional magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) of H3 K27M-mutant glioma and examine whether diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) derived apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) could noninvasively predict H3 K27M mutational status in brain diffuse midline gliomas.The institutional review board approved this study and waived the requirement for informed consent. Thirty-eight patients with brain diffuse midline gliomas were retrospectively reviewed. The parameters of preoperative cMRI were evaluated. The minimal ADC, peritumoral ADC, ratio of minimal ADC, and ratio of peritumoral ADC were measured, and significant differences between the two groups were identified by logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and tumor location. Receiver operating characteristic curves and logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and tumor location were used to assess the diagnostic performances of the minimal ADC, peritumoral ADC, ratio of minimal ADC, and ratio of peritumoral ADC.H3 K27M-mutant gliomas in different locations have diverse imaging characteristics. Minimal ADC, peritumoral ADC, ratio of minimal ADC, and ratio of peritumoral ADC values were significantly lower in the H3 K27M-mutant gliomas than in the wild-type gliomas (P 0.05). The combination of ratio of minimal ADC and ratio of peritumoral ADC provided the largest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.872 in defining H3 K27M-mutational status.The combination of ratio of minimal ADC and ratio of peritumoral ADC can noninvasively detect the H3 K27M mutational status in brain diffuse midline gliomas.

The aim of this study is to establish and validate an effective prognostic nomogram in patients with AFP-negative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The nomogram was based on a primary cohort that consisted of 419 patients with clinicopathologically diagnosed with HCC, all the data was gathered from 2008 to 2014 in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. All the model factors were determined by univariate and multivariate Cox hazard analysis. The concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve were used to determine the predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomogram, and compared with the TNM staging systems on HCC. Internal validation was assessed. An independent validation cohort contained 150 continuous patients from 2014 to 2015. Independent factors for overall survival (OS) were body mass index (BMI), tumor stage, distant metastases, HBs Ag, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and albumin (ALB), which were all contained into the nomogram. The calibration curve for probability of OS showed good agreement between prediction by nomogram and actual observation. The C-index of nomogram was 0.807 (95% CI: 0.770-0.844), which was superior to the C-index of AJCC TNM Stage (0.697). The AUC was 0.809(95%CI: 0.762-0.857). In the validation cohort, the nomogram still gave good discrimination (C-index: 0.866, 95% CI: 00.796-0.936; AUC: 0.832, 95%CI: 0.747-0.917) and good calibration. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the nomogram was clinically useful. Moreover, patients were divided into three distinct risk groups for OS by the nomogram: low risk group, middle risk group and a high risk group, respectively. The proposed nomogram presents more accurate and useful prognostic prediction for patients with AFP-negative HCC.

Table S2. Correlation of Îą-internexin methylation status with clinicopathological variables. (DOCX 49 kb)