Does chemotherapy augment anti-tumor immunotherapy by preferential impairment of regulatory T cells?

Chemotherapy, the treatment modality of choice for advanced cancers, is considered immunosuppressive due to its depletion of immune cells. Hence, chemotherapy is traditionally thought to adversely affect anti-tumor immune responses and antagonistic to tumor immunotherapy. Contrary to conventional belief, recent studies have shown that combining chemotherapy with immunotherapy resulted in enhanced anti-tumor immunity and improved therapeutic outcome. The mechanisms by which the use of chemotherapy paradoxically benefits immunotherapy await elucidation. CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Treg) are a lymphocyte subset which plays a crucial role in inhibiting tumor-reactive effector cell functions and suppressing anti-tumor immunity. We hypothesize that chemotherapy benefits immunotherapy by preferentially impairing Treg, in effect eliminating immunosuppressive elements and augmenting the immune function of anti-tumor effector cells. Clarification of how chemotherapy exerts its immunomodulatory effects will aid in the development of better combination strategies of chemoimmunotherapy in the treatment of cancer.     

大肠癌肿瘤微环境中Th17细胞与调节性T细胞的作用及临床意义

大肠癌是全球最常见的恶性肿瘤之一,大肠癌的发生、发展与肠内慢性炎症(CRC)密切相关,而部分炎症细胞及其分泌的细胞因子在这一过程中扮演着重要角色,肿瘤浸润效应T细胞与多种类型肿瘤病人的预后密切相关,辅助性T细胞17(Th17)是新近发现的一类CD4+效应T细胞亚群,在炎症、自身免疫性疾病和肿瘤中发挥积极作用.调节性T细胞(Tregs)在功能上是T细胞的免疫抑制亚群,在自身免疫耐受和抗肿瘤免疫中起重要作用.Th17细胞和Treg细胞之间的动态平衡在保持免疫调控功能中至关重要.     

Recent developments in the pathology of germ cell tumors

This article describes some of the recent developments in the pathology of germ cell tumors of the testis. Many germ cell tumors show different types of differentiation. Two different explanations for this phenomenon include the differentiation of other germ cell elements from totipotential embryonal carcinoma cells or the direct differentiation of neoplasms from a malignant intratubular germ cell. Although the concept that there is a subset of seminomas having a poorer prognosis still exists, the histologic identification of such "anaplastic seminoma" remains an unachieved goal, and we, therefore, do not recommend the use of the term anaplastic seminoma at present. A recent analysis of spermatocytic seminomas has failed to demonstrate that they are capable of meiotic division. They are composed of cells differentiating in the direction of spermatocytes, but they have not achieved that stage. The prognosis, in general, remains excellent, although recently sarcomas have been reported in association with spermatocytic seminomas with metastasis of the sarcomatous elements. The presence of human chorionic gonadotropin-producing syncytiotrophoblastic giant cells in otherwise pure seminomas does not appear to adversely affect the prognosis. Yolk sac tumors have a varied histology that many pathologists do not recognize. The presence of intercellular basement membrane (parietal differentiation) is useful in the recognition of yolk sac tumor. Sometimes solid foci of yolk sac tumor may be mistaken for seminoma, and alpha-fetoprotein and cytokeratin stains may be useful in this situation, although the presence of basement membrane, hyaline globules, and focal microcysts by light microscopy may obviate the need to use them. Hepatic and enteric (or endometrioid) differentiation may occur in yolk sac tumors and cause diagnostic confusion. The development most "non-germ" cell malignancies in patients with germ cell tumors appears to occur by transformation of aneuploid teratomatous elements at the primary or metastatic site. The identification of such malignancies depends on the recognition of invasion by the elements rather than on high-grade cytologic atypia. Unusual patterns of choriocarcinoma and yolk sac tumor may be encountered following chemotherapy, and there is circumstantial evidence that some sarcomas and carcinomas occurring in patients with testis cancer may develop directly from yolk sac tumor.     

Contribution of the immune system to the chemotherapeutic response

The immune system plays an important role in the surveillance of neoplastic cells by eliminating them before they manifest as full-blown cancer. Despite this, tumors do develop in the presence of a functioning immune system. Conventional chemotherapy and its ability to directly kill tumor cells is one of the most effective weapons in the fight against cancer, however, increasing evidence suggests that the therapeutic efficacy of some cytotoxic drugs relies on their capacity to interact with the immune system. Killing of tumor cells in a manner that favors their capture by immune cells or selective targeting of immunosuppressive pathways by specific chemotherapies promotes the generation of an effective anti-cancer response; however, this alone is rarely sufficient to cause elimination of advanced disease. An understanding of the immunological events occurring in both animal models and patients undergoing chemotherapy will guide decisions for the development of appropriate combinations and scheduling for the integration of chemotherapy with immunotherapy.     

Malignant renal tumors of childhood.

The prognosis in nephroblastoma (Wilms' tumor) has been improved considerably by treatment protocols combining surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and, in some clinical trials, pre-operative chemotherapy. Cure is now achieved in most patients. All clinical trials have employed treatment strategies tailored to the individual risk of the patient, including the histological subtype of the tumor. In the National Wilms' Tumor Study (NWTS) of the United States these subtypes have been divided into two groups of tumors according to their "favorable" or "unfavorable" histology. At the Kiel Pediatric Tumor Registry we have devised a system which distinguishes three groups of tumors classified according to prognosis. The first group includes tumors with a favorable prognosis, even if only surgery is performed. These comprise congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) and cystic, partially differentiated nephroblastoma (CPDN). The second group consists of tumors posing an intermediate risk, such as typical nephroblastoma and its histological variants characterized by variations in the relative proportions of the histological components. Fetal rhabdomyomatous nephroblastoma (FRN) is also included in this group. The third group comprises tumors of high risk such as anaplastic nephroblastoma, clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), and malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK). Since histological diagnosis plays a crucial role in the assignment of a patient to a particular type of treatment protocol, knowledge of the histological appearance of the various tumor types both with and without preoperative treatment is of utmost importance.     

Immunotherapy of malignant brain tumors

Summary: Despite aggressive multi-modality therapy including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, the prognosis for patients with malignant primary brain tumors remains very poor. Moreover, the non-specific nature of conventional therapy for brain tumors often results in incapacitating damage to surrounding normal brain and systemic tissues. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of therapeutic strategies that precisely target tumor cells while minimizing collateral damage to neighboring eloquent cerebral cortex. The rationale for using the immune system to target brain tumors is based on the premise that the inherent specificity of immunologic reactivity could meet the clear need for more specific and precise therapy. The success of this modality is dependent on our ability to understand the mechanisms of immune regulation within the central nervous system (CNS), as well as counter the broad defects in host cell-mediated immunity that malignant gliomas are known to elicit. Recent advances in our understanding of tumor-induced and host-mediated immunosuppressive mechanisms, the development of effective strategies to combat these suppressive effects, and a better understanding of how to deliver immunologic effector molecules more efficiently to CNS tumors have all facilitated significant progress toward the realization of true clinical benefit from immunotherapeutic treatment of malignant gliomas.     

Primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of bone: a case report with immunohistochemical study

Primary malignant vascular tumors of the bone are exceedingly rare and represent <1% of primary malignant bone tumors. Angiosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm in which the neoplastic cells demonstrate endothelial differentiation. Epithelioid angiosarcoma (EA) is a rare variant of angiosarcoma that is characterized by large cells with an epithelioid morphology. EA is an aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. Here, we present a case of a 62-year-old man who had primary EA of the left tibia. He was treated with amputation and chemotherapy. After 1 month of chemotherapy, he developed pleural effusion and died.     

Invasive potential of "noninvasive" human bladder carcinoma. An electron microscopy study

In classification systems for bladder tumors, a clear distinction between superficial noninvasive and urothelial carcinoma invasive to the lamina propria is of prognostic and therapeutic significance. However, a subset of tumors classified as noninvasive is characterized by increased recurrence and progression rates. This study was done to look for ultrastructural characteristics in histopathologically noninvasive urothelial bladder carcinomas that might predict an unfavorable prognosis. In 10 (83%) of 12 bladder tumors studied extensively, electron microscopy revealed the presence of different degrees of lamina propria penetration by individual tumor cells (microlesions and microinvasions). In 10 (77%) of 13 "normal" control tissues, no such lesions or microinvasions were detected. These findings indicate that ultrastructural analysis may contribute to more precise staging of superficial bladder carcinoma. Undetected microinvasions may explain more aggressive biologic behavior in a subset of bladder tumors classified as noninvasive by conventional histopathologic assessment.     

Skewing the Th cell phenotype toward Th1 alters the maturation of tumor-infiltrating mononuclear phagocytes

Mononuclear phagocytes (MPCs) at the tumor site can be divided into subclasses, including monocyte-lineage myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and the immunosuppressive tumor-infiltrating macrophages (TIMs). Cancer growth coincides with the expansion of MDSCs found in the blood, secondary lymphoid organs, and tumor tissue. These MDSCs are thought to mature into macrophages and to promote tumor development by a combination of growth-enhancing properties and suppression of local antitumor immunoresponses. As little is known about either subset of MPCs, we investigated MPCs infiltrating into murine adenocarcinoma MCA38 tumors. We found that these MPCs displayed immunosuppressive characteristics and a MDSC cell-surface phenotype. Over 70% of the MPCs were mature (F4/80(+)Ly6C(-)) macrophages, and the rest were immature (F480(+) Ly6C(+)) monocytes. MPC maturation was inhibited when the cells infiltrated a tumor variant expressing IL-2 and soluble TNF type II receptor (sTNFRII). In addition, the IL-2/sTNFRII MCA38 tumor microenvironment altered the MPC phenotype; these cells did not survive culturing in vitro as a result of Fas-mediated apoptosis and negligible M-CSFR expression. Furthermore, CD4(+) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in wild-type tumors robustly expressed IL-13, IFN-gamma, and GM-CSF, and CD4(+) TILs in IL-2/sTNFRII-expressing tumors expressed little IL-13. These data suggest that immunotherapy-altered Th cell balance in the tumor microenvironment can affect the differentiation and maturation of MPCs in vivo. Furthermore, as neither the designation MDSC nor TIM can sufficiently describe the status of monocytes/macrophages in this tumor microenvironment, we believe these cells are best designated as MPCs.     

Clinicopathologic features of ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors

Background: Ovarian Stertoli-Ledig cell tumor (SLCT) is a rare type of sex cord-stromal tumor of the ovary. The present study was to evaluate clinicalopahologic features and prognosis of patients with Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor treated by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy during short term follow-up. Methods: A total of sixteen patients with ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor treated at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Shanghai, China, between Jan 2001 and Dec 2011 were reviewed. The clinical data, treatment and prognosis were obtained from medical records. Results: The median age of the patients with ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor was about 27.5 years old in non-menopausal women, while the median age of menopausal women was about 63 years old. The most common complaint was with hormonal-related symptoms in the form of secondary amenorrhea and infinity, features of virilization, abdominal mass or irregular vaginal bleeding. All of sixteen patients underwent surgical staging and all were found to have stage I disease at the time of diagnosis. Eleven patients with intermediate and two patients with poorly differentiated tumors received adjuvant chemotherapy. There were differences found in operative time, blood loss and postoperative recovery time between laparotomy and laparoscopy. There were no disease-related deaths and all patients were under complete remission at the last follow-up. Conclusions: Ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors could happen in any period age of women. However, the tumors typically occur in the single side while still at the early stage, a favorable outcome could be achieved by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Laparoscopy has similar surgical effects as laparotomy, but has a number of advantages.     

Myeloid derived suppressor cells in tumor microenvironment: Interaction with innate lymphoid cells

Human myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) represent a stage of immature myeloid cells and two main subsets can be identified: monocytic and polymorphonuclear. MDSC contribute to the establishment of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). The presence and the activity of MDSC in patients with different tumors correlate with poor prognosis. As previously reported, MDSC promote tumor growth and use different mechanisms to suppress the immune cell-mediated anti-tumor activity. Immunosuppression mechanisms used by MDSC are broad and depend on their differentiation stage and on the pathological context. It is known that some effector cells of the immune system can play an important role in the control of tumor progression and metastatic spread. In particular, innate lymphoid cells (ILC) contribute to control tumor growth representing a potential, versatile and, immunotherapeutic tool. Despite promising results obtained by using new cellular immunotherapeutic approaches, a relevant proportion of patients do not benefit from these therapies. Novel strategies have been investigated to overcome the detrimental effect exerted by the immunosuppressive component of TME (i.e. MDSC). In this review, we summarized the characteristics and the interactions occurring between MDSC and ILC in different tumors discussing how a deeper knowledge on MDSC biology could represent an important target for tumor immunotherapy capable of decreasing immunosuppression and enhancing anti-tumor activity exerted by immune cells.     

Glial tumors of the brain: current aspects of the immunopathogenesis and immunogenodiagnosis

Glioblastoma growth is a genetically regulated process. Loss or inactivation of genes - tumor suppressors may give rise to tumors and their progression. Glioblastoma multiforme is followed by a number of genetic breakages. Expression of a number of genes may affect the prognosis of the disease and tumor sensitivity to chemotherapy. Comprehensive studies of glioblastomas showed that there were at least two immunologic phenotypes: 1) that with a picture of pronounced immunodeficiency and 2) that without obvious immunodeficiency. This should be considered when elaborating present-day programs of geno- and immunodiagnosis, as well as clinicoimmunological criteria for the treatment of these tumors.     

Differential growth and responsiveness to cancer therapy of tumor cells in different environments

Tumor metastasis often confers poor prognosis for cancer patients due to lack of comprehensive strategy in dealing with cells growing in different environment. Current anticancer therapies have incomplete effectiveness because they were designed assuming metastatic tumors behave similarly in different organs. We hypothesize that tumors growing in different sites are biologically heterogeneous in growth potential, as well as in tumor response to anti-cancer therapies. To test this hypothesis, we have developed a multi-organ tumor growth model using the hydrodynamic cell delivery method to establish simultaneous and quantifiable tumor growth in the liver, lungs and kidneys of mice. We demonstrated that growth rate of melanoma tumor in the liver is higher than that of the lungs and kidneys. Tumors in the lungs and kidneys grew minimally at the early stage and aggressively thereafter. Tumors in different organs were also heterogeneous in response to chemotherapy and immune gene therapy using dacarbazine and interferon beta gene, respectively. Lung tumors responded to chemotherapy better than tumors in the liver, but showed minimal response to interferon beta gene therapy, compared to tumors in the liver and kidneys. We also confirmed differential tumor growth of the metastatic colon cancer in mice. Our results point out the importance of a better understanding of the differences in tumor growing in diverse environments. The biological heterogeneity of metastatic tumors demonstrated in this study necessitates establishing new drug screening strategies that take into account the environmental difference at the sites of tumor growth.     

Roles of the pathologist in neoadjuvant chemotherapy: evaluation of response, prognostic and predictive factors

Induction chemotherapy is a therapeutic option for women presenting with invasive tumors over 3cm. This management is aimed to reduced tumor size in order to avoid mammectomy and to test the in vivo chemo sensitivity of the tumor cells. The pathologist plays a key role in optimal management of patients enrolled in induction chemotherapy trials. Evaluation of pretreatment biopsies contributes to establishment of key management parameters such as tumor type, SBR grade immunohistochemical parameters. This evaluation gives predictive parameters of drug response such as hormonal status, proliferation rate, HER2. The evaluation of the post treatment tumor residue helps in determinating tumor response to treatment, establishing prognosis and adjusting adjuvant regimens. Standard histopathological procedures are mandatory.     

工程化纳米囊泡结合化疗用于增强肿瘤免疫治疗

目的：结合免疫治疗与化疗,以改善肿瘤的治疗效果,为安全有效的肿瘤免疫治疗策略的发展提供更多见解。方法：使用工程化纳米囊泡,囊泡膜上表达PD-1受体,可以靶向肿瘤细胞表面的PD-L1,通过破坏PD-1/PD-L1免疫抑制通路增强抗肿瘤反应。同时,囊泡包裹的化疗药物阿霉素可以进入肿瘤细胞核,抑制DNA与RNA的合成,诱导肿瘤细胞死亡。结果：实验证实,制备的PD1-阿霉素材料具备良好的稳定性、安全性,能准确靶向肿瘤部位,阿霉素在细胞核部位起作用,能有效地进行肿瘤杀伤。结论：本研究首次将PD-1免疫检查点抑制与化疗药物阿霉素相结合,利用PD-1囊泡安全性高、长循环的特点作为包裹化疗药物阿霉素的载体,这种方法可以进行肿瘤细胞的有效靶向与治疗,实现肿瘤的有效清除。     

Glioblastoma, cancer stem cells and hypoxia

Glioblastoma (GBM) prognosis remains dismal, with most patients succumbing to disease within 1 or 2 years of diagnosis. Recent studies have suggested that many solid tumors, including GBM, are maintained by a subset of cells termed cancer stem cells (CSCs). It has been shown that these cells are inherently radio- and chemotherapy resistant, and may be maintained in vivo in a niche characterized by reduced oxygen tension (hypoxia). This review examines the recently described effects of hypoxia on CSC in GBM, and the potential promise in targeting the hypoxic pathway therapeutically.     

Tumor cell dormancy: implications for the biology and treatment of breast cancer

Despite progress made in the therapy of solid tumors such as breast cancer, the prognosis of patients even with small primary tumors is still limited by metastatic relapse often long after removal of the primary tumor. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that primary tumors shed tumor cells already at an early stage into the blood circulation. A subset of these disseminated tumor cells may persist in a state of so-called "dormancy". Based on cell culture and animal models, dormancy can occur at two different stages. Single dormant cells are defined as cells with a lack of proliferation and apoptosis with the cells undergoing cell cycle arrest. The micrometastasis model defines tumor cell dormancy as a state of balanced apoptosis and proliferation of micrometastasis resulting in no net increase of tumor mass. Mechanisms leading to a growth activation of dormant tumor cells and the outgrowth of manifest metastases are not completely understood. Genetic predisposition of the dormant cells as well as immunological and angiogenetic influences of the surrounding environment may contribute to this phenomenon. In this review, we summarize findings on different factors for tumor cell dormancy and potential therapeutic implications that should help to reduce metastatic relapse in cancer patients.     

A postulated role of testosterone for prevention of cisplatin gonadal toxicity

Testicular cancer is the most common solid tumor in young men. It has become one of the most curable solid neoplasms by applying multidisciplinary treatment approaches and new chemotherapeutic drugs. Cisplatin based chemotherapy as the most efficient chemotherapy of germ cell tumors has severe deleterious effects on all stages of spermatogenesis by various direct and indirect mechanisms. By marked improvement in oncologic control, prognosis and survival of patients with testicular cancer, their fertility, as one of the essential aspects of quality of life, is a matter of great concern. Since the probability and severity of spermatogenesis impairment is quite unpredictable during a course of cisplatin based chemotherapy, protecting the spermatogenesis during that phase by administration of exogenous testosterone in order to reduce the proliferation rate of germ cells would seem to be beneficial.