Cancer CellPub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.034
Michael J. Dennis, Ravindra Uppaluri
{"title":"Easing cisplatin’s toll in nasopharyngeal carcinoma","authors":"Michael J. Dennis, Ravindra Uppaluri","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.034","url":null,"abstract":"Anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors improve outcomes in relapsed/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). In this issue of <em>Cancer Cell</em>, Xu et al. achieved favorable outcomes by incorporating nivolumab into standard therapy for locally advanced NPC while removing chemotherapy from the radiation phase. This regimen offers a promising approach to reducing treatment-related toxicities.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143867047","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 CellPub Date : 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.04.001
Shilpa Gurung, Timothy Budden, Karthik Mallela, Benjamin Jenkins, Alex von Kriegsheim, Esperanza Manrique, David Millán-Esteban, Isabel Romero-Camarero, Fabio Amaral, Sarah Craig, Pedro Durao, Joanna Pozniak, Laura Stennett, Duncan Smith, Garry Ashton, Alex Baker, Kang Zeng, Gilbert Fruhwirth, Victoria Sanz-Moreno, Jair Marques, Amaya Virós
{"title":"Stromal lipid species dictate melanoma metastasis and tropism","authors":"Shilpa Gurung, Timothy Budden, Karthik Mallela, Benjamin Jenkins, Alex von Kriegsheim, Esperanza Manrique, David Millán-Esteban, Isabel Romero-Camarero, Fabio Amaral, Sarah Craig, Pedro Durao, Joanna Pozniak, Laura Stennett, Duncan Smith, Garry Ashton, Alex Baker, Kang Zeng, Gilbert Fruhwirth, Victoria Sanz-Moreno, Jair Marques, Amaya Virós","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"Cancer cells adapt to signals in the tumor microenvironment (TME), but the TME cues that impact metastasis and tropism are still incompletely understood. We show that abundant stromal lipids from young subcutaneous adipocytes, including phosphatidylcholines, are taken up by melanoma cells, where they upregulate melanoma PI3K-AKT signaling, fatty acid oxidation, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) leading to oxidative stress, resulting in decreased metastatic burden. High OXPHOS melanoma cells predominantly seed the lung and brain; decreasing oxidative stress with antioxidants shifts tropism from the lung to the liver. By contrast, the aged TME provides fewer total lipids but is rich in ceramides, leading to lower OXPHOS and high metastatic burden. Aged TME ceramides taken up by melanoma cells activate the S1P-STAT3-IL-6 signaling axis and promote liver tropism. Inhibiting OXPHOS in the young TME or blocking the IL-6 receptor in the aged TME reduces the age-specific patterns of metastasis imposed by lipid availability.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866997","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}
{"title":"KMT2C deficiency drives transdifferentiation of double-negative prostate cancer and confer resistance to AR-targeted therapy","authors":"Jiacheng Guo, Ni Li, Qiuli Liu, Zongyao Hao, Guanghui Zhu, Xuege Wang, Hanling Wang, Qiang Pan, Beitao Xu, Ying Han, Guoying Zhang, Yannan Lian, Wei Zhang, Yongqiang Gu, Naiheng Lin, Xin Zeng, Zige Jin, Weihua Lan, Jun Jiang, Dong Gao, Jun Qin","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"Double-negative prostate cancer (DNPC), characterized by an androgen receptor (AR)- and neuroendocrine-null phenotype, frequently emerges following androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). However, our understanding of the origins and regulatory mechanisms of DNPC remains limited. Here, we discover that tumors with <em>KMT2C</em> mutation or loss are highly susceptible to transitioning into DNPC following ADT. We clarify that DNPC primarily stems from luminal cell transdifferentiation rather than basal cell transformation. Antiandrogen treatment induces KMT2C binding at enhancers of a subset of AR-regulated genes, preserving the adenocarcinoma lineage. KMT2C maintains <em>ASPP2</em> expression via enhancer-promoter communication post-AR inhibition, while its inactivation reduces ASPP2, triggering ΔNp63-dependent transdifferentiation. This DNPC transition maintains fatty acid (FA) synthesis through ΔNp63-mediated SREBP1c transactivation, fueling DNPC growth via HRAS palmitoylation and MAPK signaling activation. These findings highlight KMT2C as an epigenetic checkpoint against DNPC development and suggest the therapeutic potential of targeting fatty acid synthesis.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143866998","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 CellPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.029
Gustavo Arango-Argoty, Damian E. Bikiel, Gerald J. Sun, Elly Kipkogei, Kaitlin M. Smith, Sebastian Carrasco Pro, Elizabeth Y. Choe, Etai Jacob
{"title":"AI-driven predictive biomarker discovery with contrastive learning to improve clinical trial outcomes","authors":"Gustavo Arango-Argoty, Damian E. Bikiel, Gerald J. Sun, Elly Kipkogei, Kaitlin M. Smith, Sebastian Carrasco Pro, Elizabeth Y. Choe, Etai Jacob","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.029","url":null,"abstract":"Modern clinical trials can capture tens of thousands of clinicogenomic measurements per individual. Discovering predictive biomarkers, as opposed to prognostic markers, remains challenging. To address this, we present a neural network framework based on contrastive learning—the Predictive Biomarker Modeling Framework (PBMF)—that explores potential predictive biomarkers in an automated, systematic, and unbiased manner. Applied retrospectively to real clinicogenomic datasets, particularly for immuno-oncology (IO) trials, our algorithm identifies biomarkers of IO-treated individuals who survive longer than those treated with other therapies. We demonstrate how our framework retrospectively contributes to a phase 3 clinical trial by uncovering a predictive, interpretable biomarker based solely on early study data. Patients identified with this predictive biomarker show a 15% improvement in survival risk compared to those in the original trial. The PBMF offers a general-purpose, rapid, and robust approach to inform biomarker strategy, providing actionable outcomes for clinical decision-making.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"263 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143841637","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 CellPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.032
Živa Moravec, John B.A.G. Haanen, Ton N. Schumacher, Wouter Scheper
{"title":"Learning the language of T cell receptors through large-scale screening","authors":"Živa Moravec, John B.A.G. Haanen, Ton N. Schumacher, Wouter Scheper","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.032","url":null,"abstract":"T cells perform critical roles in orchestrating immunity in health and disease. However, decoding what individual T cells recognize has long been challenging due to the immense diversity of both T cell receptors (TCRs) and potential antigens. Recent advances in high-throughput TCR screening approaches now provide an opportunity to map the antigen specificity landscape of T cells with unprecedented depth. Here, we outline these recent developments in screening methodologies and discuss how these can help advance our fundamental understanding of T cell-based immunity.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"37 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143841638","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 CellPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.027
Mona Teng, Jiacheng Guo, Xin Xu, Xinpei Ci, Yulin Mo, Yakup Kohen, Zuyao Ni, Sujun Chen, Wang Yuan Guo, Martin Bakht, Shengyu Ku, Michael Sigouros, Wenqin Luo, Colette Maya Macarios, Ziting Xia, Moliang Chen, Sami Ul Haq, Wen Yang, Alejandro Berlin, Theo van der Kwast, Housheng Hansen He
{"title":"Circular RMST cooperates with lineage-driving transcription factors to govern neuroendocrine transdifferentiation","authors":"Mona Teng, Jiacheng Guo, Xin Xu, Xinpei Ci, Yulin Mo, Yakup Kohen, Zuyao Ni, Sujun Chen, Wang Yuan Guo, Martin Bakht, Shengyu Ku, Michael Sigouros, Wenqin Luo, Colette Maya Macarios, Ziting Xia, Moliang Chen, Sami Ul Haq, Wen Yang, Alejandro Berlin, Theo van der Kwast, Housheng Hansen He","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.027","url":null,"abstract":"Circular RNA (circRNA) is a class of noncoding RNA with regulatory potentials. Its role in the transdifferentiation of prostate and lung adenocarcinoma into neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains unexplored. Here, we identified <em>circRMST</em> as an exceptionally abundant circRNA predominantly expressed in NEPC and SCLC, with strong conservation between humans and mice. Functional studies using shRNA, siRNA, CRISPR-Cas13, and Cas9 consistently demonstrate that <em>circRMST</em> is essential for tumor growth and the expression of ASCL1, a master regulator of neuroendocrine fate. Genetic knockout of <em>Rmst</em> in NEPC genetic engineered mouse models prevents neuroendocrine transdifferentiation, maintaining tumors in an adenocarcinoma state. Mechanistically, <em>circRMST</em> physically interacts with lineage transcription factors NKX2-1 and SOX2. Loss of <em>circRMST</em> induces NKX2-1 protein degradation through autophagy-lysosomal pathway and alters the genomic binding of SOX2, collectively leading to the loss of <em>ASCL1</em> transcription.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143841635","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 CellPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.033
Samson Mathews Samuel, Elizabeth Varghese, Dietrich Büsselberg
{"title":"Complexity of insulin resistance in early-onset colorectal cancer","authors":"Samson Mathews Samuel, Elizabeth Varghese, Dietrich Büsselberg","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.033","url":null,"abstract":"Early-life exposure to lifestyle-associated metabolic alterations could be a key contributor to early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC). Notably, insulin resistance (InsR)-linked hyperinsulinemia, elevated levels of insulin-like growth factors, and chronic inflammation could trigger EOCRC by modulating gene expression/pathways that support carcinogenesis/anti-apoptosis. Here, we discuss how InsR could be the trigger that offsets metabolic homeostasis in young individuals, leading to EOCRC. Furthermore, we emphasize the need for lifestyle interventions, early detection, and targeted therapeutic interventions to mitigate this growing health concern.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143841634","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 CellPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.030
Long Cheng, Ying Zhang
{"title":"Cell death, IL-1 cytokines, and tumor progression","authors":"Long Cheng, Ying Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.030","url":null,"abstract":"Tumor cell death shapes tumorigenesis and antitumor immunity in complex ways. Recently, Hänggi et al. revealed that necrotic-like death releases interleukin-1α (IL-1α), driving myeloid-mediated immunosuppression. Lamorte et al. demonstrated that medullary sinus macrophage (MSM) efferocytosis of apoptotic tumor cells activates the IL-33-regulatory T cell (Treg) axis, accelerating tumor growth. Blocking these pathways enhances the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"74 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143841636","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 CellPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.028
Yixiang Li, Matthew G. Oser
{"title":"A circular RNA in neuroendocrine carcinomas","authors":"Yixiang Li, Matthew G. Oser","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.028","url":null,"abstract":"In this issue of <em>Cancer Cell</em>, Teng et al. discover that small cell lung cancer and neuroendocrine prostate cancer highly express a circular RNA known as <em>circRMST.</em> They show that <em>circRMST</em> is necessary for these neuroendocrine cancers to promote their ASCL1-positive neuroendocrine phenotype through binding lineage transcription factors that promote ASCL1 expression.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143841639","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 CellPub Date : 2025-04-14DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.022
Melissa Boneta Davis, Rachel Martini
{"title":"Precision oncology and genetic ancestry: The science behind population-based cancer disparities","authors":"Melissa Boneta Davis, Rachel Martini","doi":"10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2025.03.022","url":null,"abstract":"Precision oncology has transformed cancer care but has barely benefited patients of diverse ancestry. Historically, self-reported race/ethnicity has served as a surrogate for biological differences, but genetic ancestry provides a more precise framework for understanding genetic drivers of cancer disparities, including associations between ancestry and tumor subtypes, and genetic variants affecting drug metabolism and treatment response. To improve precision oncology for all patients and reduce cancer disparities, we propose expanding ancestry-inclusive genomic data, reevaluating disease-associated variants within ancestrally diverse cohorts, and standardizing data-sharing practices.","PeriodicalId":9670,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":50.3,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143827150","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}