Cancer discoveryPub Date : 2026-05-01DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-2112
Ana Stojanovic, Sebastiano Giorgetta, David Vonhören, Eva I Krieghoff-Henning, Michael Platten, Sonja Loges, Sonia Tugues, Adelheid Cerwenka
{"title":"Tissue-Specific Spatial Regulation of Innate Immune Checkpoints in Cancer.","authors":"Ana Stojanovic, Sebastiano Giorgetta, David Vonhören, Eva I Krieghoff-Henning, Michael Platten, Sonja Loges, Sonia Tugues, Adelheid Cerwenka","doi":"10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-2112","DOIUrl":"10.1158/2159-8290.CD-25-2112","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>NK and innate lymphoid cells (ILC) regulate tissue homeostasis and immune responses by acting as early sensors of cellular stress and tissue dysfunction. Their functions are tightly controlled by regulatory circuits, often referred to as checkpoints, and are profoundly shaped by local environments. In cancer, tissue perturbations cause immune cell recruitment, spatial redistribution, and accordant functional adaptations. In this review, we discuss how tissue-specific cues regulate NK/ILC functions in cancer, and how local regulatory circuits shape their cellular states and effector programs. We address how targeting innate checkpoints could aid existing therapies and inform novel strategies for treating solid malignancies.</p><p><strong>Significance: </strong>Recent progress in spatial and tissue-resolved immunology has highlighted the crucial influence of the tumor microenvironment and local cellular interactions on shaping immune cell compartmentalization and the tissue- and niche-driven specialization within the tumor tissue. This review redefines immune checkpoints not merely as static brakes on effector function, but as dynamic regulatory units that orchestrate immune cell adaptation to the evolving tumor milieu. We elucidate how NK cells and other innate lymphocytes undergo spatiotemporal adaptation across distinct tumor niches and provide an integrated understanding of innate checkpoint biology to unveil innovative therapeutic opportunities for modulating immune reactivity in solid malignancies.</p>","PeriodicalId":9430,"journal":{"name":"Cancer discovery","volume":" ","pages":"857-875"},"PeriodicalIF":33.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146112464","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}
Cancer discoveryPub Date : 2026-05-01DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0028
{"title":"Thymic Health Tied to Cancer Risk and Treatment Responses.","authors":"","doi":"10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0028","DOIUrl":"10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A deep-learning model applied to chest CT scans reveals that variation in thymus health tracks with both cancer susceptibility and clinical response after treatment with checkpoint inhibitors. The findings point to routine imaging data as a scalable approach to risk assessment and therapy selection, and highlight the underappreciated role of thymic function in shaping cancer outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":9430,"journal":{"name":"Cancer discovery","volume":" ","pages":"OF1"},"PeriodicalIF":33.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147509672","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}
Cancer discoveryPub Date : 2026-05-01DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0026
{"title":"Nearly 40% of Cancers Could Be Prevented.","authors":"","doi":"10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0026","DOIUrl":"10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A massive study spanning 185 countries concludes that about four in 10 cancer cases are linked to modifiable risk factors such as smoking, infections, and alcohol consumption. Stratifying by sex, researchers found three in 10 cancer cases in women and one in two in men were due to modifiable risk factors. The findings \"reinforce the call for effective cancer prevention,\" the researchers say.</p>","PeriodicalId":9430,"journal":{"name":"Cancer discovery","volume":" ","pages":"OF1"},"PeriodicalIF":33.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147430952","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}
Cancer discoveryPub Date : 2026-05-01DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0025
{"title":"More Questions Than Answers in Trial of GRAIL's Galleri.","authors":"","doi":"10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0025","DOIUrl":"10.1158/2159-8290.CD-NW2026-0025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The NHS-Galleri trial, the first randomized, controlled trial of the multi-cancer early detection test Galleri, found that the test from GRAIL did not meet its primary endpoint, a reduction in late-stage cancers. Researchers say the result could be a consequence of the trial design, which used a surrogate endpoint rather than cancer-specific mortality, the standard measure.</p>","PeriodicalId":9430,"journal":{"name":"Cancer discovery","volume":" ","pages":"OF1"},"PeriodicalIF":33.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147430973","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}