Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-05-01DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.006
Natalie E Fulton, Thomas D Horn, Shadmehr Demehri
{"title":"Inciting commensal human papillomavirus immunity to combat cancer.","authors":"Natalie E Fulton, Thomas D Horn, Shadmehr Demehri","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is rising, especially in immunosuppressed individuals, highlighting the need for new prevention strategies. Commensal human papillomaviruses (cHPVs) are associated with cutaneous SCC (cSCC) in immunosuppressed patients. Because of the intricate interactions between T cell immunity and cHPVs in virus-colonized tissues, we propose that enhancing T cell immunity against cHPVs through vaccination could suppress SCC.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"616-618"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12240701/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144064826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.010
Michaela Luconi, Giulia Cantini, Clara Crescioli
{"title":"Repurposing glucose-lowering drugs for cancer therapy.","authors":"Michaela Luconi, Giulia Cantini, Clara Crescioli","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The acknowledged relationship between metabolism and cancer retains important potential as a novel target in therapy. Reallocating glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) in cancer treatment offers valuable perspectives for the ability of these molecules to regulate metabolism at cellular and systemic level. This comprehensive review addresses the therapeutic potential of the main antidiabetic classes of glucose-lowering drugs with emerging anticancer effects, such as metformin, rosiglitazone, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), and sodium/glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors. The multifaceted actions of these drugs are explored, from in vitro evidence to clinical evidence as monotherapy or as a sparing agent with chemotherapy and immunotherapy. For each molecule, unconventional mechanisms, benefits, and limitations are dissected and possible concerns addressed, supporting evidence for the potential use of the drug in cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"691-710"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144080674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.03.008
Zhe Qi Liu, M Teresa Ciudad, Tracy L McGaha
{"title":"New insights into tryptophan metabolism in cancer.","authors":"Zhe Qi Liu, M Teresa Ciudad, Tracy L McGaha","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.03.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.03.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tryptophan (Trp) is an essential amino acid and key intermediate in a range of biological processes. Early studies identified altered Trp utilization in cancer cells favoring cancer survival and growth. Seminal findings linking Trp metabolism and suppression of immunity led to an explosion of interest ultimately culminating in clinical trials targeting these pathways in melanoma. The failure of these trials led to a clinical retreat in this approach; however, recent insights into the complex interplay of the various Trp circuits and between tumor cells, immune cells, and the microbiota have shown that reconsideration of Trp metabolism is needed. Here, we discuss recent developments in our understanding of Trp metabolism and apparent contradictions in the field. We also discuss adaptations that occur when Trp pathways are manipulated, which may impact therapy responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"629-641"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143996844","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-05-19DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.009
Katharin Shaw, René Bernards, Kimberly Stegmaier, Harold Varmus, William R Sellers
{"title":"Prospects for understanding and exploiting the consequences of hyperactivation lethality.","authors":"Katharin Shaw, René Bernards, Kimberly Stegmaier, Harold Varmus, William R Sellers","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer cells optimize oncogenic signaling to maintain a defined range for survival. The success of targeted therapeutic inhibitors is based on suppressing signaling below this optimal fitness zone. Conversely, cancers are also susceptible to a clinically underutilized vulnerability - oncogenic hyperactivation. Cytotoxic hyperactivation is observed across diverse cancers, with direct small-molecule activators and inhibitors of negative regulators inducing lethal pathway activation. Deep characterization of the cancer genome and unbiased screening approaches have yielded multiple targets vulnerable to hyperactivation; however, translation into the clinical setting will require defining signaling thresholds, discovering biomarkers, and developing appropriate trial designs. By exploiting cancer's intrinsic vulnerabilities, activation lethality offers a promising therapeutic strategy to expand the treatment landscape and overcome resistance to targeted inhibition.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"619-628"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144112246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-06-19DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.06.001
Anurag V Prabhu, Carla Azar-Koussa, Zahava Siegfried, Rotem Karni
{"title":"Spliced to kill: RNA mis-splicing derived cancer neoantigens.","authors":"Anurag V Prabhu, Carla Azar-Koussa, Zahava Siegfried, Rotem Karni","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>One of the major challenges in using neoantigen-based approaches in cancer treatment is the identification of cancer-specific neoantigens, particularly those that are shared by patients. In a recent report, Kim et al. uncover a novel source of cancer neoantigens in splicing factor mutant myeloid malignancies. These mis-spliced neoantigens offer new opportunities for engineered TCR-T cell therapies and neoantigen-based vaccines.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"611-613"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144337073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-05-09DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.008
Janusz von Renesse, Mei-Chun Lin, Ping-Chih Ho
{"title":"Tumor-draining lymph nodes - friend or foe during immune checkpoint therapy?","authors":"Janusz von Renesse, Mei-Chun Lin, Ping-Chih Ho","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The pivotal role of tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) in supporting antitumor immunity and serving as sites for cancer metastasis presents a clinical challenge: eliminate tumors while preserving antitumor immune responses. In this article, we explore the initiation of tumor-specific immune responses within lymph nodes (LNs), the immunocompromised microenvironment induced by tumors within LNs, and the crucial involvement of TDLNs in immunotherapy. Additionally, we examine the clinical prospects of modifying surgical procedures or therapy sequences to enhance the efficacy of cancer treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"676-690"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144050168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-05-14DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.005
Johanna Zerbib, Amit Bloomberg, Uri Ben-David
{"title":"Targeting vulnerabilities of aneuploid cells for cancer therapy.","authors":"Johanna Zerbib, Amit Bloomberg, Uri Ben-David","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Aneuploidy is a common feature of cancer that drives tumor evolution, but it also creates cellular vulnerabilities that might be exploited therapeutically. Recent advances in genomic technologies and experimental models have uncovered diverse cellular consequences of aneuploidy, revealing dependencies on mitotic regulation, DNA replication and repair, proteostasis, metabolism, and immune interactions. Harnessing aneuploidy for precision oncology requires the combination of genomic, functional, and clinical studies that will enable translation of our improved understanding of aneuploidy to targeted therapies. In this review we discuss approaches to targeting both highly aneuploid cells and cells with specific common aneuploidies, summarize the biological underpinning of these aneuploidy-induced vulnerabilities, and explore their therapeutic implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"642-664"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144080677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-07-01Epub Date: 2025-05-28DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.05.004
John B Haanen
{"title":"Treatment of patients with pMMR GI cancers with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL): a reality?","authors":"John B Haanen","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A recent study published in Nature Medicine shows that adoptive cell therapy using neoantigen-selected tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) is feasible in refractory metastatic gastrointestinal (GI) cancers, showing durable responses, especially when combined with anti-PD-1. Despite low tumor mutational burden (TMB), enriched neoantigen-reactive TIL improved objective response rates (ORR), highlighting the role of the tumor microenvironment and supporting further clinical development.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"614-615"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144183314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-03-19DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.02.007
Yiming Luo, Ye Yuan, Dan Liu, Haoxin Peng, Lin Shen, Yang Chen
{"title":"Targeting novel immune checkpoints in the B7-H family: advancing cancer immunotherapy from bench to bedside.","authors":"Yiming Luo, Ye Yuan, Dan Liu, Haoxin Peng, Lin Shen, Yang Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.02.007","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.02.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The B7-H family of immune checkpoint molecules is a crucial component of the immune regulatory network for tumors, offering new opportunities to modulate the tumor microenvironment (TME). The B7-H family - which includes B7-H2 (inducible T cell costimulatory ligand, ICOSL), B7-H3, B7-H4, B7-H5 (V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T cell activation, VISTA), B7-H6, and B7-H7 (HHLA2) - is known for its diverse roles in regulating innate and adaptive immunity. These molecules can exhibit co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory effects on T cells, influencing processes such as T cell activation, differentiation, and effector functions, and they are involved in the recruitment and polarization of various immune cells. This review explores the structural characteristics, receptor-ligand interactions, and signaling pathways associated with each B7-H family member. We also discuss the family's impact on tumor immunity and potential therapeutic strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"540-559"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143670797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in cancerPub Date : 2025-06-01Epub Date: 2025-03-08DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2025.02.004
Lizhi Pang, Yuyun Huang, Jean Huang-Gao, Peiwen Chen
{"title":"Protease regulation of tumor-immune cell symbiosis.","authors":"Lizhi Pang, Yuyun Huang, Jean Huang-Gao, Peiwen Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.02.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.trecan.2025.02.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Proteases play a crucial role in cancer progression and are traditionally known for their protumorigenic role by degrading the extracellular matrix (ECM). Emerging evidence indicates that proteases, such as caspases, cathepsins, and ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs), regulate diverse immunomodulatory substrates or signals in the tumor microenvironment (TME), generating symbiotic interactions between cancer cells and immune cells. These interactions are critical for tumor progression and immunotherapy resistance across cancer types. In this review, we highlight recent insights into protease-mediated tumor-immune cell crosstalk, emphasizing how this symbiosis affects tumor progression and immunosuppression. Moreover, we discuss therapeutic strategies that exploit protease-mediated tumor-immune cell interactions to inhibit tumor progression and sensitize immunologically 'cold' tumors to immunotherapies, especially immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":23336,"journal":{"name":"Trends in cancer","volume":" ","pages":"560-574"},"PeriodicalIF":14.3,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12158644/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143587199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}