Article
Oncology
Stefano Cavalieri, Paolo Bossi, Gabriele Infante, Rosalba Miceli, Nicola Alessandro Iacovelli, Eliana Ivaldi, Laura Deborah Locati, Cristiana Bergamini, Carlo Resteghini, Imperia Nuzzolese, Salvatore Alfieri, Elena Colombo, Rossana Ingargiola, Marzia Franceschini, Giuseppina Calareso, Lisa Licitra, Ester Orlandi
Summary: The study analyzed 324 patients with loco-regionally advanced head and neck cancers, finding that older patients had more comorbidities and received less intensive treatments. However, after adjusting for various factors, there were no significant differences in terms of survival according to age.
Review
Immunology
Wenting Li, Xiaobing Duan, Xingxing Chen, Meixiao Zhan, Haichuan Peng, Ya Meng, Xiaobin Li, Xian-Yang Li, Guofu Pang, Xiaohui Dou
Summary: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the first tumor virus in humans, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) accounts for 60% of new tumor cases caused by EBV worldwide annually. Over 90% of patients with undifferentiated NPC are infected with EBV. Immunotherapy has shown significant breakthroughs in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic NPC, providing a broad prospect for NPC immunotherapy.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Satoru Kondo, Yusuke Okuno, Takayuki Murata, Hirotomo Dochi, Naohiro Wakisaka, Harue Mizokami, Makiko Moriyama-Kita, Eiji Kobayashi, Makoto Kano, Takeshi Komori, Nobuyuki Hirai, Takayoshi Ueno, Yosuke Nakanishi, Kazuhira Endo, Hisashi Sugimoto, Hiroshi Kimura, Tomokazu Yoshizaki
Summary: This study investigates the role of EBV in non-endemic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The EBV genomes of Japanese NPC differ from those of other diseases in Japan or endemic NPC, and Japanese NPC is not affected by the endemic strain but frequently carries type 2 EBV or the strain with intermediate risk. The results highlight the importance of viral strains and viral reactivation in the pathogenesis of non-endemic NPC.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Josiane M. Dias, Iara V. V. Santana, Vinicius D. da Silva, Andre L. Carvalho, Lidia M. R. B. Arantes
Summary: This study assessed EBV infection and PD-L1 expression in NPC tumor samples, revealing correlations between EBER positivity and undifferentiated carcinoma histology, absence of tobacco history, and between PD-L1 expression and EBER positivity, with no significant association with overall survival.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Otorhinolaryngology
Yue Yuan, Fei Ye, Jian-Hui Wu, Xiao-Yan Fu, Zhong-Xi Huang, Tao Zhang
Summary: This paper reviews recent advances in early screening for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation, highlighting the low positive predictive value (PPV) of current screening methods and the potential of combining cfDNA methylation analysis with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) serological testing to improve PPV.
HEAD AND NECK-JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES AND SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Kelly J. Yu, Wan-Lun Hsu, Chun-Ju Chiang, Tseng-Cheng Chen, Zhiwei Liu, Pei-Jen Lou, Scott Diehl, Alisa M. Goldstein, Chien-Jen Chen, Cheng-Ping Wang, Allan Hildesheim
Summary: This study reassessed familial aggregation of cancer in high-risk Taiwanese multiplex families with NPC cases and found evidence of NPC coaggregation within families, but not a broader familial syndrome involving NPC and other tumors. The study also observed elevated rates of secondary cancers among NPC cases, mostly head and neck and hematopoietic cancers, suggesting radiation treatment effects on subsequent cancer risk.
Article
Oncology
Hirotomo Dochi, Satoru Kondo, Shigetaka Komura, Makiko Moriyama-Kita, Takeshi Komori, Asuka Nanbo, Miako Sakaguchi, Masaki Fukuyo, Toshihide Hamabe-Horiike, Mariko Tanaka, Harue Mizokami, Makoto Kano, Yuki Kitagawa, Eiji Kobayashi, Nobuyuki Hirai, Takayoshi Ueno, Yosuke Nakanishi, Kazuhira Endo, Hisashi Sugimoto, Rikinari Hanayama, Atsushi Kaneda, Tomokazu Yoshizaki
Summary: This study reveals a mechanism by which EBV upregulates SPARC expression in NPC cells, creating a pro-metastatic microenvironment. The study also demonstrates the prognostic value of SPARC expression in the adjacent tissues of NPC. Furthermore, the study shows that EBV-positive NPC cells induce SPARC expression in normal nasopharyngeal cells via exosomes, promoting tumor cell invasion and metastasis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Panagiota Economopoulou, Anastasios Pantazopoulos, Aris Spathis, Ioannis Kotsantis, Anastasios Kyriazoglou, George Kavourakis, Roubini Zakopoulou, Ioannis Chatzidakis, Maria Anastasiou, Maria Prevezanou, Carlo Resteghini, Lisa Licitra, Cristiana Bergamini, Elena Colombo, Francesca Caspani, Nerina Denaro, Stefania Vecchio, Pierluigi Bonomo, Maria Cossu Rocca, Federica Bertolini, Daris Ferrari, Amanda Psyrri, Paolo Bossi
Summary: The study collected data from Greece and Italy to investigate the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in patients with recurrent/metastatic NPC in two nonendemic regions. The results showed an overall response rate of 26.2% and highlighted the association between low disease burden and favorable response to treatment.
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Ronald Lai, David Chun Man Yeung, Zenon Wing Chi Yeung, Thomas Sin Chun Hui, Wai Kei Jacky Lam, Kwan Chee Allen Chan, Cherrie Wing Kei Ng, Zion Wing Hei To, Ryan Hung Wai Cho, Catherine Po Ling Chan, Calvin Chee Fung Lai, Natalie Moon Wah Leung, Eddy Wai Yeung Wong, Joseph Chun Kit Chung, Raymond King Yin Tsang, Kenneth Wing Sum Li, James Chung Hang Chow, Ken Ka Man Cheung, Jason Y. K. Chan
Summary: This study evaluated the sensitivities and specificities of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA in detecting locally recurrent or persistent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) through nasopharyngeal (NP) brush biopsy and plasma, and investigated whether a combination of both tests would yield better results. The combined modalities had a sensitivity of 84.62%, specificity of 85.19%, positive predictive value of 73.33%, and negative predictive value of 92.0%. In conclusion, the combination of NP brush biopsy and plasma EBV DNA could be an additional surveillance method for detecting local recurrence of NPC.
OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD AND NECK SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Kina Kase, Satoru Kondo, Naohiro Wakisaka, Hirotomo Dochi, Harue Mizokami, Eiji Kobayashi, Makoto Kano, Takeshi Komori, Nobuyuki Hirai, Takayoshi Ueno, Yosuke Nakanishi, Miyako Hatano, Kazuhira Endo, Makiko Moriyama-Kita, Hisashi Sugimoto, Tomokazu Yoshizaki
Summary: The study found that LMP1 can induce the expression of sPD-L1 and PD-L1 in vitro and that the expression of LMP1 is significantly correlated with PD-L1 in NPC patients. Additionally, the serum level of sPD-L1 in NPC patients was higher than in controls, particularly in advanced stage patients. However, the expression of LMP1, PD-L1, and sPD-L1 levels were not associated with prognosis.
Article
Cell Biology
Xiandong Lin, Steven Wang, Keyu Lin, Jingfeng Zong, Qianlan Zheng, Ying Su, Tao Huang
Summary: This study investigated the roles of microRNAs and circular RNAs in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) by constructing a circRNA-miRNA-mRNA co-expression network and performing differential expression analysis. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection was found to be an important risk factor for NPC, with potential pathological differences between EBV+ and EBV- subtypes. The study identified differentially expressed coding and non-coding RNAs across different comparison groups, helping to elucidate genetic and epigenetic changes central to NPC progression.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Tingting Yang, Chanping You, Shuhui Meng, Zhengquan Lai, Weipeng Ai, Jun Zhang
Summary: Viral oncogenes can modulate cellular metabolic reprogramming to drive malignant transformation of normal epithelia cells. Understanding the dysregulation of viral oncogene-mediated signaling transduction in metabolic reprogramming may offer new therapeutic targets for virus-associated cancer treatment. This review focuses on elucidating how EBV infection and its encoded oncoproteins alter metabolic reprogramming to promote malignancy, and provides a new perspective on the interplay between EBV infection and metabolic pathways, offering a potential therapeutic intervention strategy for EBV-associated malignant diseases.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Xiao-Hui Zheng, Xi-Zhao Li, Ting Zhou, Cheng-Tao Jiang, Cao-Li Tang, Chang-Mi Deng, Ying Liao, Yong-Qiao He, Tong-Min Wang, Wei-Hua Jia
Summary: Detecting EBV DNA load in nasopharyngeal brushing samples has attracted attention for the diagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The diagnostic performance of EBV DNA methylation is less affected by brush sampling methods, showing great potential for the diagnosis of NPC.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Xue-Song Sun, Jian-Wei Wang, Feng Han, Ru-Hai Zou, Zhen-Chong Yang, Shan-Shan Guo, Li-Ting Liu, Qiu-Yan Chen, Lin-Quan Tang, Hai-Qiang Mai
Summary: The stiffness of metastatic cervical lymph nodes is closely associated with the prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. High CLN stiffness is linked to lower distant metastasis-free survival and progression-free survival. CLN stiffness and pretreatment EBV DNA are identified as independent prognostic factors for NPC patients.
RADIOTHERAPY AND ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Xue-Song Sun, Si-Yi Xie, Dong-Hua Luo, Li-Ting Liu, Shan-Shan Guo, Sai-Lan Liu, Lin-Quan Tang, Qiu-Yan Chen, Hai-Qiang Mai
Summary: The study compared the survival outcomes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with different smoking behaviors under different radiotherapy methods, showing a significant association between smoking and patient survival rate and metastatic risk.
RADIOTHERAPY AND ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Matt Lechner, Yoko Takahashi, Mario Turri-Zanoni, Marco Ferrari, Jacklyn Liu, Nicholas Counsell, Davide Mattavelli, Vittorio Rampinelli, William Vermi, Davide Lombardi, Rami Saade, Ki Wan Park, Volker H. Schartinger, Alessandro Franchi, Carla Facco, Fausto Sessa, Simonetta Battocchio, Tim R. Fenton, Francis M. Vaz, Paul O'Flynn, David Howard, Paul Stimpson, Simon Wang, S. Alam Hannan, Samit Unadkat, Jonathan Hughes, Raghav Dwivedi, Cillian T. Forde, Premjit Randhawa, Simon Gane, Jonathan Joseph, Peter J. Andrews, Manas Dave, Jason C. Fleming, David Thomson, Tianyu Zhu, Andrew Teschendorff, Gary Royle, Christopher Steele, Joaquin E. Jimenez, Jan Laco, Eric W. Wang, Carl Snyderman, Peter D. Lacy, Robbie Woods, James P. O'Neill, Anirudh Saraswathula, Raman Preet Kaur, Tianna Zhao, Murugappan Ramanathan, Gary L. Gallia, Nyall R. London, Quynh-Thu Le, Robert B. West, Zara M. Patel, Jayakar V. Nayak, Peter H. Hwang, Mario Hermsen, Jose Llorente, Fabio Facchetti, Piero Nicolai, Paolo Bossi, Paolo Castelnuovo, Amrita Jay, Dawn Carnell, Martin D. Forster, Diana M. Bell, Valerie J. Lund, Ehab Y. Hanna
Summary: This study retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 505 cases of sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM). It found that further stratifying the T3 stage by sinus involvement has a high predictive value for prognosis. Adjuvant radiotherapy can improve survival rates, and immune checkpoint inhibitors show potential benefits for the treatment of recurrent, persistent, or metastatic disease.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY PART B-SKULL BASE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Maura L. Gillison, Robert L. Ferris, Jonathan Harris, A. Dimitrios Colevas, Loren K. Mell, Christina Kong, Richard C. Jordan, Kevin L. Moore, Minh-Tam Truong, Claudia Kirsch, Arnab Chakravarti, Dukagjin M. Blakaj, David A. Clump, James P. Ohr, John F. Deeken, Michael F. Gensheimer, Nabil F. Saba, Jennifer A. Dorth, David I. Rosenthal, Rom S. Leidner, Randall J. Kimple, Mitchell Machtay, Walter J. Curran, Pedro Torres-Saavedra, Quynh Thu Le
Summary: A study found that the concurrent administration of nivolumab with (chemo)radiation is safe and effective for newly diagnosed patients with intermediate and high-risk head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Li Guan, Dhanya K. Nambiar, Hongbin Cao, Vignesh Viswanathan, Shirley Kwok, Angela B. Hui, Yuan Hou, Rachel Hildebrand, Rie von Eyben, Brittany J. Holmes, Junfei Zhao, Christina S. Kong, Nathan Wamsley, Weiruo Zhang, Michael B. Major, Seung W. Seol, John B. Sunwoo, D. Neil Hayes, Maximilian Diehn, Quynh-Thu Le
Summary: Radiotherapy is a primary treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but there is currently no reliable biomarker for predicting radioresistance. This study found that mutations in the NFE2L2 gene are associated with higher rates of locoregional failure in HNSCC patients treated with surgery and (chemo)radiotherapy. NFE2L2 mutations lead to radioresistance through Nrf2 activation, but this can be overcome by the glutaminase inhibitor CB-839.
Article
Oncology
Jimmy J. Caudell, Pedro A. Torres-Saavedra, David I. Rosenthal, Rita S. Axelrod, Phuc Felix Nguyen-Tan, Eric J. Sherman, Randal S. Weber, James M. Galvin, Adel K. El-Naggar, Andre A. Konski, Michelle I. Echevarria, Neal E. Dunlap, George Shenouda, Anurag K. Singh, Jonathan J. Beitler, Adam Garsa, James A. Bonner, Adam S. Garden, Ozer Algan, Jonathan Harris, Quynh-Thu Le
Summary: NRG Oncology conducted a phase 3 trial to test the impact of combining cisplatin and radiation or cetuximab and radiation on the overall survival of patients with locally advanced head and neck carcinoma. After a follow-up of over 10 years, the addition of cetuximab did not improve patient outcomes, regardless of p16 status.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Claire C. Baniel, Daniella Klebaner, Beth M. Beadle, Sara E. Beltran Ponce, Vinita Takiar, Iris C. Gibbs, Scott G. Soltys, Hilary P. Bagshaw, Daniel T. Chang, Quynh-Thu Le, Erqi L. Pollom
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Oncology
W. K. Jacky Lam, Ann D. King, Jacob A. Miller, Zhiwei Liu, Kelly J. Yu, Melvin L. K. Chua, Brigette B. Y. Ma, Ming Yuan Chen, Benjamin A. Pinsky, Pei-Jen Lou, John K. S. Woo, Wan-Lun Hsu, Julia Simon, Denise L. Doolan, Tim Waterboer, Edwin P. Hui, Hui Li, Raymond K. Tsang, Kenneth C. W. Wong, Julian P. Goh, Alexander C. Vlantis, Qi Yong Ai, Lun M. Wong, Victor Abdullah, Jin Ching Lin, Chien-Jen Chen, Ruth M. Pfeiffer, Quynh-Thu Le, Anne W. M. Lee, Mingfang Ji, Sumei Cao, Jun Ma, Anthony T. C. Chan, K. C. Allen Chan, Allan Hildesheim
Summary: A meeting of experts in November 2021 discussed the performance and cost-effectiveness of EBV-based approaches for screening early stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Both serum EBV antibody and plasma EBV DNA testing methods were found to be favorable. Additionally, the use of MRI was recommended to increase the sensitivity of NPC detection without greatly impacting the cost-effectiveness of the screening program.
JNCI-JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Brigette B. Y. Ma, Quynh Thu Le
Summary: In this study, the authors present the results of a phase III clinical trial, showing the survival benefit of combining PD-1 inhibitors and chemotherapy in nasopharyngeal cancer. They also identify hot and cold tumor signatures through gene expression analysis, which have prognostic and predictive significance.
Article
Oncology
Adam S. Garden, Jonathan Harris, Avraham Eisbruch, K. S. Clifford Chao, William H. Morrison, Paul M. Harari, Todd Allen Swanson, Christopher U. Jones, Sue S. Yom, Sharon A. Spencer, Rufus Scrimger, George Shenouda, Monica Shukla, Harold Y. Lau, Michelle Mierzwa, Pedro Torres-Saavedra, Quynh Thu Le
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Brianna Lau, Felicia Guo, John Valenton, Daniel Chang, Quynh-Thu Le, Kathleen Horst
Summary: Workplace culture is often overlooked, but it plays a crucial role in improving health care efficiency. In this study, a culture committee was established to address burnout and promote employee wellness in a radiation oncology department. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee's role became even more important in tackling the increased burnout and social isolation among health care workers.
PRACTICAL RADIATION ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Nancy Y. Lee, Jonathan Harris, John Kim, Adam Garden, James Mechalakos, David G. Pfister, Anthony T. C. Chan, Kenneth Hu, A. Dimitrios Colevas, Steven Frank, George Shenouda, Voichita Bar-Ad, John N. Waldron, Paul M. Harari, Adam Raben, Pedro Torres-Saavedra, Quynh-Thu Le
Summary: The study aimed to assess the long-term toxic effects and clinical outcomes associated with adding bevacizumab, a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor, to standard chemoradiation for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The results showed favorable long-term outcomes and no severe adverse events when using bevacizumab in combination with chemoradiation. Further investigation may be warranted.
Article
Oncology
Dhanya K. Nambiar, Vignesh Viswanathan, Hongbin Cao, Weiruo Zhang, Li Guan, Manish Chamoli, Brittany Holmes, Christina Kong, Rachel Hildebrand, Amanda Jeanette Koong, Rie von Eyben, Sylvia Plevritis, Lingyin Li, Amato Giaccia, Edgar Engleman, Quynh Thu Le
Summary: Galectin-1 increases STING stability in cancer cells that activates NF-kappa B signaling and CXCL2 expression to promote MDSC trafficking, which stimulates the generation of a premetastatic niche and facilitates metastatic progression.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Yizheng Chen, Lequan Yu, Jen-Yeu Wang, Neil Panjwani, Jean-Pierre Obeid, Wu Liu, Lianli Liu, Nataliya Kovalchuk, Michael Francis Gensheimer, Lucas Kas Vitzthum, Beth M. Beadle, Daniel T. Chang, Quynh-Thu Le, Bin Han, Lei Xing
Summary: Defining the loss function is crucial for the success of deep learning modeling. Traditional loss functions treat all regions in the input image equally, but in reality, different regions have different prediction performance. To address this, we introduce a region-specific loss that assigns higher weightings to more difficult sub-regions for better learning.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PATTERN ANALYSIS AND MACHINE INTELLIGENCE
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Callum Beach, David MacLean, Dominika Majorova, Stavros Melemenidis, Dhanya K. Nambiar, Ryan K. Kim, Gabriel N. Valbuena, Silvia Guglietta, Carsten Krieg, Mahnaz Darvish-Damavandi, Tatsuya Suwa, Alistair Easton, Lily V. S. Hillson, Ashley K. McCulloch, Ross K. McMahon, Kathryn Pennel, Joanne Edwards, Sean M. O'Cathail, Campbell S. Roxburgh, Enric Domingo, Eui Jung Moon, Dadi Jiang, Yanyan Jiang, Qingyang Zhang, Albert C. Koong, Trent M. Woodruff, Edward E. Graves, Tim Maughan, Simon J. A. Buczacki, Manuel Stucki, Quynh-Thu Le, Simon J. Leedham, Amato J. Giaccia, Monica M. Olcina
Summary: An immunosuppressive microenvironment in colorectal cancer hinders tumor T cell infiltration and decreases patient overall survival. This study identifies complement receptor C5aR1 as a potential druggable target to enhance radiotherapy response, even in tumors with immunosuppressive features. Furthermore, C5aR1 not only plays a role in the immune compartment but is also expressed on malignant epithelial cells, suggesting its tumor cell-specific functions. Targeting C5aR1 leads to increased tumor apoptosis without affecting normal tissues, indicating its primary role in regulating malignant cell fate.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Elaine Limkin, Pierre Blanchard, Benjamin Lacas, Jean Bourhis, Mahesh Parmar, Lisa Licitra, Quynh-Thu Le, Sue S. Yom, Catherine Fortpied, Johannes Langendijk, Jan B. Vermorken, Jacques Bernier, Jens Overgaard, Jonathan Harris, Jean-Pierre Pignon, Anne Auperin
Summary: This study investigated the impact of season of radiotherapy on the outcomes of head and neck squamous cell cancer patients. The results showed that the season of radiotherapy did not have any significant effect on patient outcomes.
RADIOTHERAPY AND ONCOLOGY
(2024)
