Immune system dysfunction is associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development and progression and immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated substantial survival benefits in platinum-refractory HNSCC; therefore, we examined the prognostic value of immune-related gene (IRG) expression in HNSCC. We analyzed the expression of 82 IRGs in 71 patients with HNSCC enrolled in a feasibility study for a prospective HNSCC biomarker-driven umbrella trial (Korean Cancer Study Group TRIUMPH study, NCT03292250). CD200R1 was identified as an independent prognostic factor and validated in GEO and TCGA database. CD2000R1 mRNA expression was found to be an independent favorable prognostic factor in patients with HNSCC. Moreover, CD200R1 was found to affect genes and pathways associated with the immune response, while seven differentially expressed genes (CD8A, DOK2, CX3CR1, TYROBP, CXCL9, CD300LF, IFNG) were associated with CD200R1 expression. Samples with higher CD200R1 expression displayed higher tumor-infiltrating immune cell counts both in silico and in histological analysis. These findings will help in the development of more accurate prognostic tools and suggest CD200R1 modulation as a HNSCC immunotherapy.

Purpose: The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is frequently activated in various squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Although mTOR inhibitors are suggested as effective treatments in immunosuppressed patients with metastatic SCC, they are still not proven to be favorable in treating skin SCC patients not undergoing immunosuppressive therapy. Moreover, the exact mechanism of the mTOR signaling pathway in SCC has not yet been identified. In this study, we aimed to determine the genes associated with mTOR inhibitors in skin SCC. Materials and methods: The identification of cell viability according to concentration of everolimus and Western blot was done. To analyze the global gene expression profiles, A431 and HSC-1 cells were treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or 100 nM of everolimus for 72 hours. Furthermore, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using Affymetrix analysis. To identify the gene network associated with everolimus resistance in SCC cells, pathway analysis was performed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) tool. Results: The effects of cell death with respect to the mTOR inhibitor concentration were observed in the HSC-1 cell line; however, the mTOR inhibitor did not show effective cytotoxic activity in the A431 cell line. p-mTOR concentration also diminished with respect to everolimus concentrations in the HSC-1 cell line. Moreover, the microarray results showed that the MYC/CCND1/TP73/NUPR1/SBD/ERBB2/CDKN2B genes were related to mTOR inhibitor resistance. However, CCND1 gene overexpression was most closely related to mTOR inhibitor resistance. Conclusion: We identified mTOR inhibitor resistance genes, and our findings may help select therapeutic targets in skin SCC.

Jong Gwon Choi, Do Yeun Cho. Blood Res 2022;57:69-74. https://doi.org/10.5045/br.2022.2021138

Background: An infusion pump designed to deliver a specific volume at a predetermined rate is unable to detect extravasation and may continue infusion despite increased tissue resistance caused by extravasation. Consequently, it is recommended that vesicant drugs, such as chemotherapeutic agents, be administered via gravity infusion to reduce the risk of tissue damage. However, intravenous flow regulators used for gravity infusion have limitations because the infusion rate is influenced by the height, venous pressure, and viscosity of the fluid, which can change with temperature. In this study, we measured the accuracy of Accudrip, a new gravity-based automatic infusion control device designed to correct fluctuating infusion rates. Methods: In 59 cancer patients administered with anticancer drugs, the actual administration rate using Accudrip under various administration conditions and the theoretical administration rate were measured and analyzed 100 times. Results: Comparing the theoretical and actual administration rates using Accudrip confirmed that it can be injected with an average error rate of 4.75%, which clinically demonstrated sufficient accuracy for fluid administration. Conclusion: The gravity-based automatic infusion system showed high accuracy consistent with the theoretical rate of administration even under multiple infusion conditions of cancer patients with chemoport. This system (Accudrip) will greatly contribute to accurate drug administration and minimization of adverse events in real-world hospital settings.

Purpose: Telomerase activation, a critical step in cancer progression, occurs in approximately 95% of breast cancer cases. Telomerase is an attractive therapeutic target for breast cancer owing to its unique expression pattern. GV1001, a telomerase-derived peptide, is loaded onto human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II antigen-presenting cells and binds to CD4+ T cell activating immune responses. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of co-administration of GV1001 and cytotoxic chemotherapy in patients with heavily-treated metastatic breast cancer. Patients and methods: We analyzed 63 patients with breast cancer who received both GV1001 and cytotoxic chemotherapy. The GV 1001 administration methods involves 0.56 mg intradermal injection three times during the first week, one time at weeks 2, 3, 4, and 6, and then once every 28 days. The primary endpoint of this study was quality of life according to EORTC QLO-C30 and EQ-5D, while the secondary endpoint was the antitumor response according to RECIST 1.1, progression-free survival, overall survival, and toxicity profile. Results: In 34 patients with HR+ breast cancer evaluable for tumor response, the disease control rate (DCR) and overall response rate (ORR) were 58.8% and 26.4%, respectively. The DCR and ORR were 66.6% and 28.5% in 21 patients with HER-2+ and 50% and 25% in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), respectively. The median progression free survival was 10.4, 8.7, and 5.6 months in HR+, HER-2+, TNBC, respectively. The overall survival was 19.7, 13.2, and 9.4 months for patients with HR+, HER-2+, and TNBC, respectively. Most patients had an improved quality of life with statistically significant differences in some variables. The patients in this study experienced no additional toxicities other than the cytotoxic chemotherapy-associated side effects. Conclusion: GV1001 is a relatively safe anticancer vaccine for patients with heavily-treated breast cancer and can to improve the quality of life.

Myelofibrosis (MF) is often accompanied by chronic myeloid leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, or certain primary myeloproliferative neoplasms, but is rarely associated with lymphoid neoplasms. We herein describe a case of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) with MF. IVLBCL is a rare, aggressive type of extranodal B-cell lymphoma, defined by proliferation of lymphomatous cells within small-to medium-sized vessels. A 60-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with anemia, thrombocytopenia and fever. Bone marrow biopsy findings included trilineage hematopoiesis, increased numbers of immature cells, markedly abnormal and enlarged megakaryocytes, and diffuse fibrosis in multiple focal areas throughout the entire bone marrow space. When the patient was first hospitalized, hepatosplenomegaly was not present. Although initially considered during differential diagnosis, an aggressive lymphoma could not be diagnosed prior to colonoscopy, which was conducted 4 weeks after admission. A biopsy of the terminal ileum revealed IVLBCL with cells with atypical nuclei. Immunophenotyping of the atypical large cells yielded a positive result for CD79a and negative results for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase, myeloperoxidase, CD3, CD10, CD20, B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2, Bcl-6 and cytomegalovirus. The patient was diagnosed with IVLBCL complicated by MF. This case may serve as a reminder that IVLBCL may be the cause of secondary MF.