Cancer Research and Treatment

Gynecologic cancer

Validation of 2023 FIGO Stage IA1-IIIC2 Endometrial Carcinoma: A Retrospective Analysis of Two Tertiary Centers in South Korea and Taiwan: Myeong-Seon Kim, Yen-Ling Lai, Yurimi Lee, Hyun-Soo Kim, Yu-Li Chen, Yoo-Young Lee; Cancer Res Treat. 2025;57(4):1187-1197. Published online February 17, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2024.1190

Purpose
As understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma (EC) advanced, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system was revised in 2023. This study compared EC survival outcomes using the 2009 and 2023 FIGO staging systems.
Materials and Methods
We retrospectively analyzed 3,029 patients diagnosed with 2009 FIGO stage I-III EC between 1985 and 2022 in South Korea, and between 2020 and 2022 in Taiwan. All patients were reclassified using the 2023 FIGO staging, and survival and risk factors were examined under both systems.
Results
Transitioning from the 2009 to 2023 FIGO resulted in 549 patients (18.0%) being upstaged and their survival curves being diversified, indicating significant prognostic value of the 2023 FIGO. Re-classification using the 2023 FIGO upstaged the 2009 FIGO stage IA high-risk ECs, allowing more intensive treatment and potentially improving survival outcomes. The most significant changes occurred in the 2009 FIGO stages IA, IB, and IIIA ECs: upstaging in 16.5%, 49.0%, and 2.0% of IA, IB, and IIIA tumors, respectively, and downstaging 0.3% and 40.8% of IB and IIIA tumors, respectively. The risk factors for poor survival included old age (≥ 60 years), menopause, diabetes, substantial lymphovascular space invasion, aberrant p53 expression, and some aggressive histological types (carcinosarcoma, undifferentiated carcinoma, mesonephric-like adenocarcinoma, and neuroendocrine carcinoma).
Conclusion
The 2023 FIGO staging provides more refined stratification of early-stage EC than the 2009 version. Thus, the 2023 FIGO may more accurately guide prognosis and therapeutic decision-making.

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Improved Prognostic Stratification with the FIGO 2023 Staging System in Endometrial Cancer: Real-World Validation in 2969 Patients
Jun-Hyeong Seo, Soo-Min Kim, Yoo-Young Lee, Tae-Joong Kim, Jeong-Won Lee, Byoung-Gie Kim, Chel Hun Choi
Cancers.2025; 17(17): 2871. CrossRef

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Gastrointestinal cancer

Neoadjuvant Nivolumab Therapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Single-Arm, Phase II Study: Sehhoon Park, Yurimi Lee, Jiyun Lee, Yang Won Min, Hong Kwan Kim, Joon Young Choi, Hyun Ae Jung, Yong Soo Choi, Yoon-La Choi, Young Mog Shim, Jong-Mu Sun; Cancer Res Treat. 2024;56(2):567-579. Published online October 16, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2023.897

Abstract PDF Supplementary Material PubReader ePub

Purpose
Programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors have shown efficacy in metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) therapy. However, data is still limited regarding neoadjuvant immunotherapy for operable ESCC.
Materials and Methods
Patients with clinical stage T2 or T3 and N0 ESCC received three cycles of nivolumab therapy every two weeks before surgical resection. The primary endpoint is major pathologic responses (MPR) rate (≤ 10% of residual viable tumor [RVT]).
Results
Total 20 patients completed the planned nivolumab therapy. Among them, 17 patients underwent surgery as protocol, showing MPR in two patients (MPR rate, 11.8%), including one pathologic complete response, on conventional pathologic response evaluation. Pathologic response was re-evaluated using the immune-related pathologic response criteria based on immune-related RVT (irRVT). Three patients were classified as immunologic major pathologic response (iMPR; ≤ 10% irRVT, iMPR rate: 17.6%), five as pathologic partial response (> 10% and < 90% irRVT), and nine as pathologic nonresponse (≥ 90% irRVT). The combined positive score (CPS) for PD-L1 in the baseline samples was predictable for iMPR, with the probability as 37.5% in CPS ≥ 10 (3/8) and 0% in CPS < 10 (0/9).
Conclusion
Although the efficacy of neoadjuvant nivolumab therapy was modest in unselected ESCC patients, further researches on neoadjuvant immunotherapy are necessary in patients with PD-L1 expressed ESCC.

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Low Serum Interleukin-6 Levels Enhance the Efficacy of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy in Locally Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Yawei Wang, Ye Hu, Yi Qin, Xiangfeng Jin, Yandong Zhao
Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals.2025; 40(10): 768. CrossRef
Updated pan-tumor guidelines for neoadjuvant scoring of pathologic response: A joint SITC and INMC effort
J.S. Deutsch, R.A. Scolyer, E. Burton, K.J. Busam, K.Y. Chen, A. Cimino-Mathews, T.R. Cottrell, C.E. de Andrea, P.O. Fiset, G.V. Long, J. Messina, R.V. Rawson, R. Salgado, C.M. Schürch, R.R. Seethala, L.M. Sholl, S. Signoretti, S.L. Topalian, B.A. van de
Annals of Oncology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Prognostic role of effective radiation dose to immune cells in esophageal cancer treated with definitive chemoradiation
Yoo Kyung Choi, Seok Hyun Son, Hong Seok Jang, In-Ho Kim, Sea-Won Lee, Soo-Yoon Sung, Satyajeet Rath
PLOS One.2025; 20(11): e0336794. CrossRef

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Sarcoma

Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Soft Tissue Sarcoma for Prediction of Pazopanib-Based Treatment Response: Jung Yong Hong, Hee Jin Cho, Kum-Hee Yun, Young Han Lee, Seung Hyun Kim, Wooyeol Baek, Sang Kyum Kim, Yurimi Lee, Yoon-La Choi, Minsuk Kwon, Hyo Song Kim, Jeeyun Lee; Cancer Res Treat. 2023;55(2):671-683. Published online September 27, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2022.251

Abstract PDF Supplementary Material PubReader ePub

Purpose
Even though pazopanib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been approved for refractory soft tissue sarcoma (STS), little is known about the molecular determinants of the response to pazopanib. We performed integrative molecular characterization to identify potential predictors of pazopanib efficacy.
Materials and Methods
We obtained fresh pre-treatment tumor tissue from 35 patients with advanced STS receiving pazopanib-based treatment. Among those, 18 (51.4%) received pazopanib monotherapy, and the remaining 17 (48.6%) received pazopanib in combination with durvalumab, programmed death-ligand 1 blockade. Whole-exome and transcriptome sequencing were performed for each tumor and patient germline DNA.
Results
Of the 35 patients receiving pazopanib-based treatment, nine achieved a partial response (PR), resulting in an objective response rate (ORR) of 27.3%, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 6.0 months. Patients with CDK4 amplification (copy ratio tumor to normal > 2) exhibited shorter PFS (3.7 vs. 7.9 months, p=2.09×10–4) and a poorer response (ORR; 0% vs. 33.3%) compared to those without a gene amplification (copy ratio ≤ 2). Moreover, non-responders demonstrated transcriptional activation of CDK4 via DNA amplification, resulting in cell cycle activation. In the durvalumab combination cohort, seven of the 17 patients (41.2%) achieved a PR, and gene expression analysis revealed that durvalumab responders exhibited high immune/stromal cell infiltration, mainly comprising natural killer cells, compared to non-responders as well as increased expression of CD19, a B-cell marker.
Conclusion
Despite the limitation of heterogeneity in the study population and treatment, we identified possible molecular predictors of pazopanib efficacy that can be employed in future clinical trials aimed at evaluating therapeutic strategies.

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Musculoskeletal Diseases: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Advances
Xiao Ma, Eloy Yinwang, Xupeng Chai, Fangqian Wang, Zehao Chen, Shengdong Wang, Hao Zhou, Yucheng Xue, Jiangchu Lei, Fanglu Chen, Hengyuan Li, Shixin Chen, Shenzhi Zhao, Kelei Wang, Liang Chen, Junjie Gao, Zhaoming Ye, Nong Lin
MedComm.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Durvalumab plus pazopanib combination in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas: a phase II trial
Hee Jin Cho, Kum-Hee Yun, Su-Jin Shin, Young Han Lee, Seung Hyun Kim, Wooyeol Baek, Yoon Dae Han, Sang Kyum Kim, Hyang Joo Ryu, Joohee Lee, Iksung Cho, Heounjeong Go, Jiwon Ko, Inkyung Jung, Min Kyung Jeon, Sun Young Rha, Hyo Song Kim
Nature Communications.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
The high-density lipoprotein binding protein HDLBP is an unusual RNA-binding protein with multiple roles in cancer and disease
Jonathan Feicht, Ralf-Peter Jansen
RNA Biology.2024; 21(1): 312. CrossRef
Intracranial Relapse in Pediatric Sarcoma
Danielle E. Smith, Tyler Hamby, Kenneth Heym, Ashraf Mohamed, Kelly L. Vallance, Anish Ray
Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.2023; 45(7): e810. CrossRef

7,559 View
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