Organoids are established through in vitro 3D culture, and they can mimic the structure and physiological functions of organs or tissues in vivo. Organoids have attracted much attention in recent years. They can provide a reliable technology platform for cancer research and treatment and are a valuable preclinical model for academic research and personalized medicine. A number of studies have confirmed that organoids have great application prospects in new drug development, drug screening, tumour mechanism research, and precision medicine. In this review, we mainly focus on recent advances in the application of organoids in cancer research. We also discussed the opportunities and challenges facing organoids, hoping to indicate directions for the development of organoids in the future.

Computed tomography (CT) has become an important technique for assessing skeletal muscle mass. Low skeletal muscle mass (LSMM) is considered an unfavorable factor for postoperative complications in...

Background: Cancer is a major disease burden to society. Increasing evidence has indicated that low skeletal muscle mass is linked with cancer prognosis. The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of preoperative low skeletal muscle mass (LSMM) on complications and survival of patients who undergo laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer (GC).Methods: This study retrospectively collected patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy for GC between January 2017 and December 2018. Tumor staging was performed according to the American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition. The third lumbar psoas index (PMI) was assessed by computed tomography (CT) within 15 days before surgery. Postoperative complications were classified according to Clavien-Dindo classification and dichotomized into none vs any (Clavien-Dindo score, ≥1). Using propensity score matching (1:1) to obtain 2 well-balanced cohorts for available variables influencing clinical outcomes, comparing the postoperative complications and 3-year overall survival (OS) between LSMM group and non-LSMM group.Results: A total of 386 patients, 226 were matched for analyses. The average patient age was 57.31 ± 10.33 years; 75.65% (n = 292) were men and 24.35% (n = 94) were women. A total of 249 (64.51%) patients were diagnosed with LSMM. Compared with the non-LSMM group, the LSMM group manifested significantly shorter 3-year OS (58.14% vs 71.95%, p = 0.034). However, the incidence of postoperative complications was no difference between two groups after matching. After stratification based on the pT stage of the tumor, statistically significant difference in the 3-year OS rates of the advance GC cohort between the two groups were observed.Conclusions: LSMM predicts a poor prognosis for patients with advance GC and it is not associated with postoperative complications.

Background: POLE-mutated colorectal cancer (CRC) is a rare molecular subtype featured by ultra-high tumor mutational burden (TMB) and favorable prognosis, and adjuvant systemic therapy is generally not recommended for such patients. However, the safety profile of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in early-stage POLE-mutated CRC remains unclear, especially the association between ultra-high TMB and immune-related adverse events (irAEs) lacks clinical evidence. Case Description: We reported a 28-year-old male with stage IIB POLE-mutated microsatellite-stable (MSS) CRC, whose TMB reached an extremely high level of 717 mutations/Mb, PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) was 8, and KRAS, NRAS, BRAF V600E were all wild-type. Off-label adjuvant PD-L1 inhibitor envafolimab was administered after multidisciplinary discussion and informed consent. After 5 treatment cycles (about 5 weeks), the patient developed grade 2 immune-related acute kidney injury (AKI), with serum creatinine (Scr) peaking at 163 µmol/L and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) dropping to 49 mL/min. Other causes of renal injury were excluded, and renal biopsy was not performed due to patient refusal. Immunotherapy was discontinued immediately, and systemic corticosteroids combined with renal protective supportive treatment were given. Renal function gradually improved, and at the last follow-up in March 2024, Scr decreased to 104.8 µmol/L and eGFR recovered to 82 mL/min, with no tumor recurrence observed. Conclusions: This case suggests a potential correlation between ultra-high TMB induced by POLE mutation and increased risk of immune-related renal toxicity in the adjuvant setting. For early-stage POLE-mutated CRC with favorable prognosis, off-label adjuvant immunotherapy may bring unnecessary toxicity risks. It is necessary to conduct rigorous patient selection, comprehensive risk-benefit evaluation, and close monitoring of organ function during treatment, so as to provide reference for the standardized clinical application of ICIs in this population.