Targeted therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a real-world setting: A single practice experience.

Targeted treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with driver aberrations has drastically improved the outcome of a subset of patients. However, for successful adaptation in the clinical routine, many stakeholders are involved, like comprehensive cancer centers, molecular pathology, peripheral hospitals, and oncology practices. Here, we present a single center experience in personalized treatment of lung cancer in Germany.

Humoral immune response as an indicator for protection against Covid-19 after anti-SARS-COV2-booster vaccination in hematological and oncological patients.

Cancer patients are at a higher risk to develop severe COVID-19 symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the general population and regularly show an impaired immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. In our oncological center, 357 patients with hematological and oncological diseases were monitored for neutralizing antibodies from October 2021 over 12 months. All patients had received three anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations with an mRNA-(Comirnaty/BionTech or Spikevax/Moderna) or a vector vaccine (Vakzevria/AstraZeneca or JCOVDEN/Johnson&Johnson).

[Corrigendum] Establishment of hypoxia induction in an animal replacement model for experimental evaluation of pancreatic cancer.

Subsequently to the publication of the above paper, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that, on p. 156, the data panels shown to represent the 'CoCl' and 'TRIP' data panels in Fig. 3 for the DAPI experiments were apparently the same, even though different experiments were being depicted here.

[Corrigendum] Dexamethasone-induced inhibition of miR-132 via methylation promotes TGF-β-driven progression of pancreatic cancer.

Subsequently to the publication of the above article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that two pairs of the culture plate images in Fig. 4A-C on p. 60 appeared to be the same, although the images were shown in different orientations; moreover, the 'NC/0 and DEX+miR132' and 'DEX and miR132' pairings of images in the scratch-wound assay experiments shown in Fig.

Therapeutic Targeting Cancer-Initiating Cell Markers by Exosome miRNA: Efficacy and Functional Consequences Exemplified for claudin7 and EpCAM.

Aim: Transfer of exosomes (Exo) miRNA was described interfering with tumor progression. We here explored for claudin7 (cld7) and EpCAM (EpC), cancer-initiating-cell markers in colorectal and pancreatic cancer, the efficacy of Exo loading with miRNA and miRNA transfer.

Methods: Exo were collected from nontransformed mouse (NIH3T3) and rat lung fibroblasts (rFb), which were transfected with Tspan8 cDNA (NIH3T3-Tspan8, rFb-Tspan8).

Dexamethasone-induced inhibition of miR-132 via methylation promotes TGF-β-driven progression of pancreatic cancer.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) such as dexamethasone (DEX) are administered as cancer co‑treatment for palliative purposes due to their pro‑apoptotic effects in lymphoid cancer and limited side effects associated with cancer growth and chemotherapy. However, there is emerging evidence that GCs induce therapy resistance in most epithelial tumors. Our recent data reveal that DEX promotes the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA).

Immunoregulatory Effects of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell Exosomes in Mouse Model of Autoimmune Alopecia Areata.

The treatment of autoimmune diseases still poses a major challenge, frequently relying on non-specific immunosuppressive drugs. Current efforts aim at reestablishing self tolerance using immune cells with suppressive activity like the regulatory T cells (Treg) or the myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). We have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy of MDSC in mouse Alopecia Areata (AA).

Simvastatin inhibits sonic hedgehog signaling and stemness features of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has poor therapeutic options. Recent patient studies indicate that cholesterol-lowering statins have anti-tumor capacities. We examined several established and primary PDA and normal cell lines as well as PDA patient tissues (n = 68).

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas rapidly xenografts in chicken eggs and predicts aggressiveness.

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas has a high risk of progressing to invasive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), but experimental models for IPMN are largely missing. New experimental systems for the molecular characterization of IPMN and for personalized prognosis and treatment options for IPMN are urgently needed. We analyzed the potential use of fertilized chicken eggs for the culture of freshly resected IPMN tissue.

Dexamethasone mediates pancreatic cancer progression by glucocorticoid receptor, TGFβ and JNK/AP-1.

Glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone are widely co-prescribed with cytotoxic therapy because of their proapoptotic effects in lymphoid cancer, reduction of inflammation and edema and additional benefits. Concerns about glucocorticoid-induced therapy resistance, enhanced metastasis and reduced survival of patients are largely not considered. We analyzed dexamethasone-induced tumor progression in three established and one primary human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cell lines and in PDA tissue from patients and xenografts by FACS and western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, MTT and wound assay, colony and spheroid formation, EMSA and in vivo tumor growth and metastasis of tumor xenografts on chicken eggs and mice.

A marginal anticancer effect of regorafenib on pancreatic carcinoma cells in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo.

Activation of receptor tyrosine kinases is recognized as a hallmark of cancer. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR are the prominent players in the induction of tumor neoangiogenesis. Strategies to inhibit VEGF and VEGFR are under intensive investigation in preclinical and clinical settings.

microRNA-210 overexpression inhibits tumor growth and potentially reverses gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer.

Resistance to first-line chemotherapies like gemcitabine contributes to high disease lethality in pancreatic cancer. By microarray and qRT-PCR, we observed significant downregulation of microRNA-210 in gemcitabine-resistant cells. The overexpression of microRNA-210 was toxic to gemcitabine-resistant cells and enhanced gemcitabine sensitivity.

Establishment and Characterization of a Novel Cell Line, ASAN-PaCa, Derived From Human Adenocarcinoma Arising in Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm of the Pancreas.

Objectives: Our aim was to establish and characterize a novel pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell line from a patient in whom the origin of the invasive carcinoma could be traced back to the intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) precursor lesion.

Methods: The primary patient-derived tumor was propagated in immunocompromised mice for 2 generations and used to establish a continuous in vitro culture termed ASAN-PaCa. Transplantation to fertilized chicken eggs confirmed the tumorigenic potential in vivo.

MicroRNA-101-3p reverses gemcitabine resistance by inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase M1 in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is among the most lethal malignancies and resistance to chemotherapy prevents the therapeutic outcome. MicroRNAs provide a novel therapeutic strategy. Here, the established and primary human PDA cell lines PANC-1, AsPC-1, MIA-PaCa2, AsanPaCa, BxPC-3 and three gemcitabine-resistant subclones were examined.

Aspirin counteracts cancer stem cell features, desmoplasia and gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is characterized by an extremely poor prognosis. An inflammatory microenvironment triggers the pronounced desmoplasia, the selection of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) and therapy resistance. The anti-inflammatory drug aspirin is suggested to lower the risk for PDA and to improve the treatment, although available results are conflicting and the effect of aspirin to CSC characteristics and desmoplasia in PDA has not yet been investigated.

Inhibition of glucose turnover by 3-bromopyruvate counteracts pancreatic cancer stem cell features and sensitizes cells to gemcitabine.

According to the cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis, the aggressive growth and early metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is due to the activity of CSCs, which are not targeted by current therapies. Otto Warburg suggested that the growth of cancer cells is driven by a high glucose metabolism. Here, we investigated whether glycolysis inhibition targets CSCs and thus may enhance therapeutic efficacy.

Establishment of hypoxia induction in an in vivo animal replacement model for experimental evaluation of pancreatic cancer.

Transplantation of tumor xenografts to fertilized chicken eggs is a promising animal replacement method, which has successfully been used for xenotransplantation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) cells. PDA is characterized by a pronounced tumor hypoxia, which mediates aggressive growth, therapy resistance and cancer stem cell (CSC) features. For in vivo experimental evaluation of hypoxia-targeting therapeutic strategies, the xenografting of tumors to chicken eggs combined with the induction of hypoxia is necessary.

Sulforaphane and TRAIL induce a synergistic elimination of advanced prostate cancer stem-like cells.

Advanced androgen-independent prostate cancer (AIPC) is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. Apoptosis-resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been identified in AIPC and are not eliminated by current therapeutics. Novel therapeutic options, which are currently being evaluated in patient studies, include TRAIL and the broccoli-derived isothiocyanate sulforaphane.

Triptolide reverses hypoxia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stem-like features in pancreatic cancer by NF-κB downregulation.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is one of the most lethal malignancies characterized by an intense tumor stroma with hypoperfused regions, a significant inflammatory response and pronounced therapy resistance. New therapeutic agents are urgently needed. The plant-derived agent triptolide also known as "thunder god vine" has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and cancer and is now in a clinical phase II trial for establishing the efficacy against a placebo.