Yinan Li, Yinfei Du, Fan Guan, Xuetong Li, Shu Cui, Wei Gao, Xinmiao Long, Minghua Wu
{"title":"Dissecting the aberrant vasculature of glioblastoma: mechanisms and therapeutic targets.","authors":"Yinan Li, Yinfei Du, Fan Guan, Xuetong Li, Shu Cui, Wei Gao, Xinmiao Long, Minghua Wu","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10319-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-026-10319-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive and almost incurable tumor of the central nervous system. The GBM microenvironment is infiltrated by numerous abnormal and heterogeneous blood vessels, forming a unique chaotic and irregular vascular network. These aberrant vessels not only disrupt the delivery of oxygen and nutrients but also play critical roles in the malignant invasion, immune evasion, and therapeutic resistance of GBM. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the morphological and functional alterations of the GBM vasculature compared with the normal blood-brain barrier, emphasizing the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying abnormal vessel formation and their contributions to tumor progression. Furthermore, we provide an updated overview of current vascular-targeted therapies for GBM and explore potential future clinical therapeutic directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147373773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Obesity and melanoma: unraveling the paradoxical survival benefit in immunotherapy.","authors":"Junjie Yang, Qingqing Hu, Chunyu Xue","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10324-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-026-10324-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The incidence of melanoma has been steadily increasing worldwide, with metastatic disease accounting for a substantial proportion of melanoma-related deaths. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the treatment landscape for advanced melanoma, yet patient responses remain highly variable. Interestingly, although obesity is a well-established risk factor for the development of melanoma, paradoxically, emerging clinical data reveal that obese patients may experience superior outcomes following ICI therapy-a phenomenon commonly referred to as the \"obesity paradox\". The biological mechanisms underpinning this paradox remain incompletely elucidated. This review synthesizes current evidence through a critical examination of methodologies used to define obesity in oncology research, followed by an exploration of mechanistic links between obesity and melanomagenesis. We subsequently summarize clinical evidence supporting the obesity paradox in melanoma immunotherapy and discuss potential immune-mediated and metabolic mechanisms underlying this paradoxical association. The review concludes by addressing translational implications of these findings for patient stratification and novel therapeutic strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147370796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marlène Deschuyter, Sophie Martin, Chinar Salmanli, Clémence Hubsch, Audrey Vincent, Samuel Meignan, Alessandro Furlan, Erika Cosset, Hélène Burckel, Georges Noel, Michel Salzet, Marie Duhamel, Antonella Raffo-Romero, Cedric Boura, Sophie Pinel, Andres Coca, Antony Joud, Mélodie Anne Karnoub, Pascal Chastagner, Sandra Raimbault, Hélène Sudour-Bonnange, Vincent Flacher, Chloé Bernhard, Natacha Entz-Werlé
{"title":"Patient-derived complex organoids are a critical tool to understand and explore pediatric malignant brain tumors.","authors":"Marlène Deschuyter, Sophie Martin, Chinar Salmanli, Clémence Hubsch, Audrey Vincent, Samuel Meignan, Alessandro Furlan, Erika Cosset, Hélène Burckel, Georges Noel, Michel Salzet, Marie Duhamel, Antonella Raffo-Romero, Cedric Boura, Sophie Pinel, Andres Coca, Antony Joud, Mélodie Anne Karnoub, Pascal Chastagner, Sandra Raimbault, Hélène Sudour-Bonnange, Vincent Flacher, Chloé Bernhard, Natacha Entz-Werlé","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10316-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-026-10316-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pediatric malignant brain tumors (PMBTs) remain among the most common and challenging cancers in children and adolescents, with current therapies often failing to deliver satisfactory outcomes. A major obstacle is their intrinsic and extrinsic resistance mechanisms, underscoring the urgent need for innovative therapeutic strategies and accurate preclinical modeling. Recent advances in organoid-based technologies offer promising tools to mimic PMBTs more faithfully in vitro. These three-dimensional (3D) models can replicate key features of the tumor and its brain-like microenvironment, providing valuable platforms for studying resistant cancer cells and testing novel treatment approaches. This review discusses the relevance of cultured 3D systems, organoids and tumoroids, in pediatric neuro-oncology, emphasizing their role in precision medicine. These models have become essential for dissecting the complex biology and dynamic biological processes of all PMBTs, while bridging clinical challenges with experimental discoveries, ultimately enabling more effective and personalized treatments for young patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12957049/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147350129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"CAR-T cell therapy for pediatric solid tumors: armored CAR-T cells and beyond.","authors":"Jeremy Wells, Ajay Gupta","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10317-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-026-10317-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>CAR-T cell therapy, which uses endogenous T cells engineered to target specific cancer antigens, is one of the most promising recent developments in the treatment of hematologic malignancies in both children and adults. CAR-T cells have shown tremendous success in treating B-cell lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and multiple myeloma, and they are currently FDA-approved for the treatment of six hematologic malignancies. Its success in solid tumors has been more modest, which has been attributed to several factors including the hostile tumor microenvironment (TME), poor persistence of CAR-T cells, and difficulty directing CAR-T cells towards solid tumors. Armored CAR-T cells, which modify the TME via secreted cytokines, have shown early success in the treatment of solid pediatric malignancies. We review recent trials of CAR-T cells to treat common pediatric solid malignancies, including Ewing sarcoma, osteosarcoma, neuroblastoma, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Wilms tumor, and retinoblastoma. We focused particularly on armored CAR-T cells where applicable. Armored CAR-T cells have been utilized to target a variety of tumor-associated antigens on pediatric solid tumors with early successes both in vivo and in vitro, and innovative approaches for addressing their limitations are rapidly being developed.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12953346/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147329090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Martina Raudenska, Jan Balvan, Eliska Zgarbova, David Kalfert, Jan Plzak, Michal Masarik
{"title":"Shaping death: how the microbiome regulates tumour cell demise and therapy response.","authors":"Martina Raudenska, Jan Balvan, Eliska Zgarbova, David Kalfert, Jan Plzak, Michal Masarik","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10318-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-026-10318-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cell death is a fundamental process that maintains tissue homeostasis and shapes the tumour microenvironment. Cancer cells often evade or reprogram cell death pathways, which leads to malignancy and therapy resistance. On the other hand, the cell death of non-malignant cells significantly influences the adverse effects of anticancer therapy, such as the onset of mucositis or enteritis. Emerging evidence identifies both the tumour and gut microbiomes as critical modulators of these processes. In turn, cell death reshapes the microbial ecosystem by altering nutrient landscapes and immune signalling. Although both cell death and the microbiome are well-studied in cancer, their intersection remains underexplored. This review article addresses this gap by summarising how microbes and microbial metabolites modulate cancer cell death pathways and shape responses to anticancer therapy. We integrated current knowledge on this complex interplay, focusing on key metabolic mediators that can influence cell fate decisions. Understanding this bidirectional crosstalk offers new opportunities to \"preserve the good and eliminate the bad\" within the tumour-microbiome axis, paving the way for precision microbiome-informed cancer therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":"9"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12920367/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146230408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fausto Meriggi, Sara Cherri, Diego Gavezzoli, Tony Sabatini, Claudio Bna, Alberto Zaniboni
{"title":"Peritoneal carcinomatosis in metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: review of the literature.","authors":"Fausto Meriggi, Sara Cherri, Diego Gavezzoli, Tony Sabatini, Claudio Bna, Alberto Zaniboni","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10320-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-026-10320-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lung cancer has a remarkably high global incidence and ranks among the most frequent malignancies, with mortality rates placing it first worldwide. Although lung cancer typically metastasizes to the brain, bone, adrenal glands, and liver, the advent and efficacy of novel treatments such as immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been associated with an increasing incidence of metastases in atypical sites, including peritoneal involvement in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Adenocarcinoma is the histological subtype most frequently responsible for peritoneal carcinomatosis. Little is known about the underlying pathogenic mechanisms leading to peritoneal implantation, and diagnosis is often delayed until advanced disease stages, as symptoms are frequently nonspecific and may be mistaken for the natural progression of advanced lung cancer under systemic oncological treatment. Diagnosis is primarily clinical when ascites develops, but imaging modalities such as computed tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography can be highly informative. Cytological and molecular analysis of peritoneal fluid obtained via drainage also contributes to diagnosis. Treatment mainly relies on systemic therapy for lung cancer with peritoneal metastases, while loco-regional interventions are generally reserved for symptom control. Considerable progress is still needed in the prevention, early diagnosis, and optimal management of peritoneal carcinomatosis, and future research, despite the rarity of cases, should focus on these aspects. In this review, we aim to analyze the limited literature currently available and explore future directions in the approach to peritoneal carcinomatosis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":"8"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12920339/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146230449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jie Zhou, Xun Jiang, Qing Liu, H Amy Xia, Peng Wei, Brian P Hobbs
{"title":"PD-L1 subpopulations of metastatic urothelial carcinoma demonstrate heterogeneity to chemotherapy: an integrated analysis of digitized trial results.","authors":"Jie Zhou, Xun Jiang, Qing Liu, H Amy Xia, Peng Wei, Brian P Hobbs","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10314-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-026-10314-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Efforts to translate advances in immunology into anti-cancer immunotherapies have progressed rapidly in recent years. Six antibodies acting on programmed death ligand 1 or programmed death 1 pathways were approved in 75 cancer indications between 2015 and 2021. Several of these therapies were granted accelerated approval for specific cancer indications based on evidence from single-arm phase II clinical trials. In the absence of randomization, however, patient prognosis for progression-free and overall survival may not have been studied under standard chemotherapies for PD-1 and PD-L1 biomarker subpopulations. In 2021, two immunotherapies were withdrawn from accelerated approval applications for treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma after randomized phase III trials failed to demonstrate evidence for survival advantage over standard of care. This re-analysis uses digitized data to quantify PD-L1 heterogeneity in chemotherapy response, extending prior meta-analyses by incorporating digitized data and design simulation. The findings of the IMvigor210 (NCT02108652) and IMvigor211 (NCT02302807) trials of atezolizumab are reviewed to elucidate the statistical implications of PD-L1 subpopulation heterogeneity. To place the findings into the context of external evidence, digitization software is used to combine results from journal articles of eleven trials that assigned metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients to the same chemotherapy agents administered in the IMvigor211 control arm. This article defines the extent to which PD-L1 IC2/3 subpopulations appeared to outperform historical expectations in the IMvigor211 study based on external evidence from digitized data. Given the extent of PD-L1 heterogeneity suggested by this analysis, trial simulation is applied to define the probability that IMvigor211 would have resulted in a positive trial based on its actual design and alternative designs that enrolled more IC2/3 patients or had longer durations.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":"7"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146088879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of genomic ancestry on tumor genomics in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.","authors":"Madeleine Ndahayo, Anirudh Saxena, Hannah Thomas, Kathryn Hughes Barry, Daria A Gaykalova","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10312-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-026-10312-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) exhibits significant survival disparities by ancestry. This review explores how genetic ancestry shapes the clinical and molecular features of HNSCC, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying these disparities. We reveal the variation in gene expression, mutations, copy number alterations, and DNA methylation patterns between ancestral groups. These insights highlight the potential for more personalized, ancestry-informed therapies, advancing equity in cancer treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":"6"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12915327/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146088806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Prema Robinson, Marisa Rosso, Yousef Zamil, Miguel Muñoz
{"title":"Aprepitant increases the antitumor activity of chemotherapy by chemosensitizing breast cancer cells.","authors":"Prema Robinson, Marisa Rosso, Yousef Zamil, Miguel Muñoz","doi":"10.1007/s10555-026-10315-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10555-026-10315-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":"5"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146047717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kylie M Persson, Matthew A Whitman, Claudia Fischbach
{"title":"Engineered bone matrix models for understanding breast cancer skeletal metastasis.","authors":"Kylie M Persson, Matthew A Whitman, Claudia Fischbach","doi":"10.1007/s10555-025-10310-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10555-025-10310-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bone is the most common site of metastasis in patients with advanced breast cancer and serves as a reservoir from which secondary metastases often originate. While research has traditionally focused on understanding the biochemical signals involved in bone metastasis, bone matrix changes are inextricably linked with its pathogenesis as well. Indeed, decreased bone matrix density is both a symptom of late-stage disease and a risk factor for metastasis formation. Vice versa, raising bone density protects against metastasis. How bone matrix controls metastatic outgrowth and progression and which biochemical or biophysical mechanisms are involved in these processes is poorly understood due in part to limitations in current models of bone metastasis. In this review, we discuss the role of bone matrix in the microenvironmental regulation of bone metastasis and its effect on mechanosignaling and highlight current and future engineered model systems that have the potential to yield new mechanistic insights to advance the clinical prognosis of breast cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":520582,"journal":{"name":"Cancer metastasis reviews","volume":"45 1","pages":"4"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12831698/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146042427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}