Upsala journal of medical sciences
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Staging and treatment of rectal cancer have evolved over several decades with considerably fewer locoregional recurrences but no marked improved survival since systemic recurrence risks remain virtually unchanged. This development will briefly be summarised followed by a thorough discussion of two recent developments. ⋯ To obtain substantial progress and also improve survival, the systemic treatments need to be improved even if preoperative delivery is more effective and better tolerated than postoperative. The locoregional treatment may be further optimised through better risk prediction.
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Meningiomas, the most common primary brain tumors in adults, are often benign and curable by surgical resection. However, a subset is of higher grade, shows aggressive growth behavior as well as brain invasion, and often recurs even after several rounds of surgery. Increasing evidence suggests that tumor classification and grading primarily based on histopathology do not always accurately predict tumor aggressiveness and recurrence behavior. ⋯ The most common genetic aberration in meningiomas is functional loss of NF2 and occurs in both low- and high-grade meningiomas, whereas NF2-wildtype meningiomas are enriched for recurrent mutations in TRAF7, KLF4, AKT1, PI3KCA, and SMO and are more frequently benign. Most meningioma mouse models are based on patient-derived xenografts and only recently have new genetically engineered mouse models of meningioma been developed that will aid in the systematic evaluation of specific mutations found in meningioma and their impact on tumor behavior. In this article, we review recent advances in the understanding of meningioma biology and classification and highlight the most common genetic mutations, as well as discuss new genetically engineered mouse models of meningioma.
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Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a heterogeneous cell population recognized as a key component of the tumour microenvironment (TME). Cancer-associated fibroblasts are known to play an important role in maintaining and remodelling the extracellular matrix (ECM) in the tumour stroma, supporting cancer progression and inhibiting the immune system's response against cancer cells. This review aims to summarize the immunomodulatory roles of CAFs, particularly focussing on their T-cell suppressive effects. ⋯ In addition, a number of recent studies have confirmed CAF-mediated direct suppressive effects on T-cell anticancer capacity through ECM remodelling, promoting the expression of immune checkpoints, cytokine secretion and the release of extracellular vesicles. The consequential impact of CAFs on T-cell function is then reflected in affecting T-cell proliferation and apoptosis, migration and infiltration, differentiation and exhaustion. Emerging evidence highlights the existence of specific CAF subsets with distinct capabilities to modulate the immune landscape of TME in various cancers, suggesting the possibility of their exploitation as possible prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
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Review Historical Article
From early methods for DNA diagnostics to genomes and epigenomes at high resolution during four decades - a personal perspective.
In the 1980s, my research career begun with microbial DNA diagnostics at Orion Pharmaceutica in Helsinki, Finland, where I was part of an innovative team that developed novel methods based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the biotin-avidin interaction. One of our key achievements during this time was the invention of the solid-phase minisequencing method for genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In the 1990s, I shifted focus to human genetics, investigating mutations of the 'Finnish disease heritage'. ⋯ I continued as Director of the SNP&SEQ Technology Platform, which expanded rapidly during the 2010s, and became part of Science for Life Laboratory in 2013. Today (in 2024), the SNP&SEQ Technology Platform is one of the largest units of the Swedish National Genomics Infrastructure hosted by SciLifeLab. The present article provides a personal perspective on nearly four decades of research, highlighting projects and methods I found particularly exciting or important.
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Mutations in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene occur with high prevalence in a wide range of human tumors. A significant fraction of these mutations (around 10%) are nonsense mutations, creating a premature termination codon (PTC) that leads to the expression of truncated inactive p53 protein. ⋯ Full-length p53 protein generated by translational readthrough retains the capacity to transactivate p53 target genes and trigger tumor cell death. These findings raise hopes for efficient therapy of TP53 nonsense mutant tumors in the future.