PURPOSE: This investigation sought to evaluate the prognostic value of pretreatment of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in metastatic biliary tract cancers (BTCs) treated with platinum-based first-line chemotherapy treatment.MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 67 patients who underwent ctDNA testing before platinum-based chemotherapy for first-line treatment for metastatic BTC. For analysis, we considered the detected gene with highest variant allele frequency as the dominant clone allele frequency (DCAF). Results of ctDNA analysis were correlated with patients' demographics, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).RESULTS: The median age of patients was 67 (27-90) years. Fifty-four (80.6%) of 67 patients evaluated had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma; seven had extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and six gallbladder cancers. Forty-six (68.6%) of the patients were treated with cisplatin plus gemcitabine, and 16.4% of patients received gemcitabine and other platinum (carboplatin or oxaliplatin) combinations, whereas 15% of patients were treated on a clinical trial with gemcitabine and cisplatin plus additional agents (CX4945, PEGPH20, or nab-paclitaxel). TP53, KRAS, FGFR2, ARID1A, STK11, and IDH1 were the genes with highest frequency as DCAF. The median DCAF was 3% (0%-97%). DCAF > 3% was associated with worse OS (median OS: 10.8 v 18.8 months, P = .032). Stratifying DCAF in quartiles, DCAF > 10% was significantly related to worse PFS (median PFS: 3 months, P = .014) and worse OS (median OS: 7.0 months, P = .001). Each 1% increase in ctDNA was associated with a hazard ratio of 13.1 in OS when adjusting for subtypes, metastatic sites, size of largest tumor, age, sex, and CA19-9.CONCLUSION: DCAF at diagnosis of advanced BTC can stratify patients who have worse outcomes when treated with upfront platinum-based chemotherapy. Each increase in %ctDNA decreases survival probabilities.

Background/Objective: The receptors of natural killer cells "Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor" (KIR) regulate the activity of Natural killer cells in the innate response against viral infections. To date there is no accurate method to identify high risk groups for cirrhosis and HCC in Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, this investigation was undertaken to assess the association between KIR genes frequencies and chronic infection HBV infection in Burkina Faso’s population. Methods: Chronic HBV carriers and healthy patients were selected for this study. The viral load for HBV were performed to confirm the serological status for HBV of the studied cohort. In addition, SSP-PCR was used to characterize the frequencies of KIR genes. Results: The study suggested that inhibitory genes KIR2DL2, KIR2DL3 and activator gene KIR2DS2 (p?0.001 for all and OR = 2.82; 2.48 and 3.84 respectively) might be associated with chronic stages of HBV infection. While inhibitory genes KIR3DL1 (p = 0.0018 OR = 0.49), KIR3DL2 (p = 0.005 OR = 0.40), the activator gene KIR2DS1 (p = 0.014 OR = 0.47) and the pseudo gene KIR2DP1 (p = 0.011 OR = 0.49) could be associated with immunity against HBV infection. Patients who carried the KIR3DL2 gene had a high HBV viral load compared to the rest of the study population. Conclusion: Our data showed an evidence of correlation between the propensity of developing chronic HBV infection and certain KIR gene frequencies and that KIR3DL1, KIR3DL2, KIR2DS1 and KIR2DP1 might confer a protective status against chronic HBV infection in Burkina Faso’s patients.

It has long been known that oncolytic viruses wield their therapeutic capability by priming an inflammatory state within the tumor and activating the tumor immune microenvironment, resulting in a multifaceted antitumor immune response. Vaccine-derived viruses, such as measles and mumps, have demonstrated promising potential for treating human cancer in animal models and clinical trials. However, the extensive cost of manufacturing current oncolytic viral products makes them far out of reach for most patients. Here by analyzing the impact of intratumoral (IT) administrations of the trivalent live attenuated measles, mumps, and rubella viruses (MMR) vaccine, we unveil the cellular and molecular basis of MMR-induced anti-cancer activity. Strikingly, we found that IT delivery of low doses of MMR correlates with tumor control and improved survival in murine hepatocellular cancer and colorectal cancer modelsviaincreased tumor infiltration of CD8+ granzyme B+ T-cells and decreased macrophages. Moreover, our data indicate that MMR activates key cellular effectors of the host’s innate and adaptive antitumor immunity, culminating in an immunologically coordinated cancer cell death. These findings warrant further work on the potential for MMR to be repurposed as safe and cost-effective cancer immunotherapy to impact cancer patients globally.

About one-fourth of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are categorized as borderline resectable (BR) or locally advanced (LA). Chemotherapy and radiation therapy have not yielded the anticipated outcomes in curing patients with BR/LA PDAC. The surgical resection of these tumors presents challenges owing to the unpredictability of the resection margin, involvement of vasculature with the tumor, the likelihood of occult metastasis, a higher ratio of positive lymph nodes, and the relatively larger size of tumor nodules. Oncolytic virotherapy has shown promising activity in preclinical PDAC models. Unfortunately, the desmoplastic stroma within the PDAC tumor microenvironment establishes a barrier, hindering the infiltration of oncolytic viruses and various therapeutic drugs—such as antibodies, adoptive cell therapy agents, and chemotherapeutic agents—in reaching the tumor site. Recently, a growing emphasis has been placed on targeting major acellular components of tumor stroma, such as hyaluronic acid and collagen, to enhance drug penetration. Oncolytic viruses can be engineered to express proteolytic enzymes that cleave hyaluronic acid and collagen into smaller polypeptides, thereby softening the desmoplastic stroma, ultimately leading to increased viral distribution along with increased oncolysis and subsequent tumor size regression. This approach may offer new possibilities to improve the resectability of patients diagnosed with BR and LA PDAC.

Members of the Vesiculovirus genus including Jurona virus (JURV) have emerged as promising immunotherapeutic agents, characterized by their tumor selectivity, fast kinetics, low seroprevalence, and minimal toxicity in humans. Here, we demonstrate that the administration of JURV leads to tumor regression in both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) xenograft and syngeneic models. Furthermore, our findings indicate that combining JURV and anti-PD-1 therapy reduced tumor burden and improved survival rates over JURV or anti-PD-1 alone in an orthotopic HCC model. Proteogenomic analysis of JURV-treated, murine HCC tumors demonstrates that the therapeutic effects of the combination of JURV and anti-PD-1 are predominantly driven by coordinated activation of immune effectors, which modulate the tumor microenvironment into a state conducive to anti-tumor activity. Our results establish JURV as a potent candidate for immunovirotherapy in HCC, capable of modulating immune response and synergizing with standard of care for HCC to prolong survival in preclinical models. Further, this research deepens our understanding of JURV’s anti-tumoral mechanisms and highlights its potential as a novel approach to HCC treatment strategies.