Superficial vaginal fibroblastoma (SCVM), a rare benign mesenchymal tumor, is notoriously challenging to diagnose due to its asymptomatic presentation and location. Typically seen on ultrasound as a well-defined, homogeneous, medium-echogenic mass with abundant vascularity, it is often missed by conventional transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) with end-fire probes, which inadequately assess the vaginal canal. To address this, we employed a novel integrated approach using transrectal biplane ultrasound (TRBU) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). This strategy significantly advances the early and accurate diagnosis of vaginal fibromas.

Gallbladder (GB) malignancy is the most common biliary malignancy; however, squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder (GBSCC) is extremely rare. Synchronous primary GB and colon cancers are very rare, but they are still adenocarcinomas.

Ovarian cancer is typically diagnosed at stages 3 or 4, and up to 80% of patients develop peritoneal metastasis. Although initial chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel is effective, recurrence rates for recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC) reach approximately 75%. Recently, a minimally invasive approach known as pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) has been developed, in which chemotherapy is administered as a pressurized aerosol under laparoscopy. This study aimed to present the early outcomes of PIPAC for peritoneal carcinomatosis due to ROC. Data from ROC patients with ROC treated between January 2020 and January 2025 were retrospectively reviewed. PIPAC was performed alongside systemic chemotherapy for 6-week cycles, with at least 3 sessions. The chemotherapy regimen consisted of doxorubicin 2.1 mg/m² and cisplatin 10.5 mg/m² administered via a nebulizer and injector, respectively, at 37°C for 30 minutes. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25.0. Normality was assessed with histogram plots and the Shapiro-Wilk test, as it is more appropriate for small sample sizes. Categorical variables were compared with the chi-squared test. The Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for non-parametric comparisons, with post hoc analysis as needed. Spearman correlation assessed relationships between variables. Cox regression analyzed factors affecting survival, and Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for overall survival. A P-value < .05 was considered statistically significant. A total of 26 PIPAC cycles were performed in 11 ROC patients with ROC. The mean pretreatment Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Index score was 23.18, which decreased to 15.36 after systemic chemotherapy and PIPAC. According to the Peritoneal Regression Grading Score, 3 (27.3%) patients had a complete response, 4 (36.4%) had a major response, 3 (27.3%) had a minor response, and 1 (9%) had no response. Two patients (18.2%) underwent secondary cytoreductive surgery + hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. The median overall survival was 15.13 months. Early results indicated that PIPAC may improve survival in patients with platinum-resistant ROC without increasing morbidity. Approximately 20% of patients are candidates for secondary cytoreductive surgery. The low toxicity and repeatability of PIPAC when combined with systemic chemotherapy may improve treatment efficacy. Larger multicenter randomized trials are needed.

This study attempted to evaluate the incidence of incidentalomas based on computed tomography (CT) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. CRC patients who obtained plan or enhanced CT for the whole abdominal and pelvis were included at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China. Incidentalomas, including uterine tumors, adrenal gland tumors, renal cancer, pancreatic tumors, prostatic tumors, ovarian tumors, upper-tract urothelial cancer, and gallbladder tumors, were assessed based on all radiology reports by radiologists and surgeons. Moreover, the clinical characteristics of all patients were collected. A total of 7053 CRC patients (mean age, 62.6 ± 12.3; 4139 male) were finally included, 255 (3.6%) patients had an incidentaloma. The proportions of uterine tumors, adrenal gland tumors, renal cancer, pancreatic tumors, and prostatic tumors were 1.3% (92/7053), 1.1% (77/7053), 0.7% (46/7053), 0.1% (15/7053), and 0.1% (10/7053), respectively. Ovarian tumors, upper-tract urothelial cancer, and gallbladder tumors all had an incidence of <0.1%. The prevalence of incidentalomas in CRC patients was 3.6% (255/7053). The most common incidentalomas was uterine tumor, followed by adrenal gland tumor, and renal cancer. These findings highlighted the importance of careful evaluation of abdominal and pelvic CT scans in CRC patients, as timely detection and management of incidentalomas might optimize treatment strategies and improve patient outcomes.

Elderly patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) not treated by surgery have extremely low overall survival (OS), and the aim of this study is to investigate the prognostic factors of elderly patients with PC not treated by surgery and to establish and validate a nomogram to predict their OS. Data on PC patients over 65 years of age who were not treated surgically were downloaded from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2010 to 2015. Patients from 2010 to 2014 were randomized into a training group (n = 2044) and a validation group (n = 877). Patients from 2015 (n = 662) were used for external validation. Cox analysis was performed to determine prognostic factors, and a nomogram was constructed to predict 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS in elderly PC patients without surgical treatment. The nomogram was validated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and the calibration curve. Patients were categorized into low- and high-risk groups based on the median risk score for Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Age, tumor size, grade, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors affecting OS, and a nomogram was constructed. In the training cohort, the AUCs of the predicted nomogram for 1, 2, and 3 years were 0.725, 0.738, and 0.741, and in the validation cohort, the AUCs of the predicted nomogram for 1, 2, and 3 years were 0.716, 0.733, and 0.731, while in the test cohort, the AUCs of the predicted nomogram for 1, 2, and 3 years were in the test cohort were 0.777, 0.794, and 0.813, respectively. The calibration curves showed that the actual OS at 1, 2, and 3 years was in good agreement with the predicted OS. In addition, the OS of patients in the low-risk group was significantly better than that of high-risk patients. We developed a new nomogram to assess the prognosis of elderly patients with non-operatively treated PC and to develop clinical treatment strategies.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of elderly stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the hope of providing more evidence for adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly NSCLC patients. Data from NSCLC patients ≥ 70 years of age during 2010-2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were used to analyze the data. Patients were divided into chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy groups. Propensity score matching was performed to construct a balanced cohort of chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy. Data from the matched 2 groups were subjected to Kaplan-Meier analysis, and multivariate COX regression analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of chemotherapy on overall survival. Subgroup analyses were performed to determine the specific benefit population. A total of 18,126 eligible patients were enrolled in the study. Among these, 4776 patients (26.35%) received chemotherapy, while 13,350 patients (73.65%) did not. Utilizing propensity score matching, 6974 patients were successfully matched, achieving baseline equilibrium between the chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy groups. In the matched dataset, multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated a 26% reduction in the risk of mortality for the chemotherapy group compared to the non-chemotherapy group (hazard ratio = 0.74, 95% confidence interval = 0.70-0.78, P < .001). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier analysis of the matched data demonstrated a survival advantage for the chemotherapy group relative to the non-chemotherapy group, with a statistically significant difference observed. Additionally, subgroup analyses revealed that specific demographics, including Black patients, those with higher grades of tumor differentiation, and patients classified as stage II-III, T2-T3, and N1-N2, were more likely to benefit from chemotherapy. Through the findings of this study, it was demonstrated that chemotherapy can enhance the prognosis of elderly patients with NSCLC. This is particularly evident in patients who are Black, possess a high tumor cell grade classification, are in advanced stages of the disease, and exhibit multiple peripheral lymph node metastases, as they are likely to derive significant benefits from this treatment.

This study aims to develop a non-invasive model for preoperatively predicting the pathological risk classification of thymic anterior mediastinal cysts and thymic epithelial tumors using CT-based radiomics and deep learning. Accurate risk stratification before surgery can support personalized treatment planning and improve clinical outcomes.

It is currently understood that the characteristic loss of the repressive histone mark H3K27me3 in PFA ependymoma and diffuse midline glioma (DMG) are caused by complementary mechanisms mediated by EZHIP and the oncohistone H3K27M, respectively. To support the complementarity of these mechanisms, rare H3K27M-negative DMGs express EZHIP. Interestingly, EZHIP is one of the few genes recurrently mutated in PFA. The significance of EZHIP mutations in PFA, and whether EZHIP has wider functions in addition to repression of H3K27me3 deposition, are not known. Here, we investigated the mutational landscape of EZHIP in pediatric brain tumors. We found that EZHIP mutations occur not only in PFA, but also in rare medulloblastoma and pediatric high-grade glioma (HGG), including in H3K27-positive DMG. Contrary to current expectations, we show that mutant EZHIP is expressed in H3K27M-positive DMG. All the EZHIP-mutated HGG cases also have EGFR mutations. Further, we pursued better understanding of the function of EZHIP by expressing it in human-derived neural models. Our transcriptomic analyses indicate that EZHIP expression potentiates neuronal-like gene programs associated with synaptic function. Metabolomics data indicate that EZHIP leads to repression of methionine and polyamine metabolism, suggesting links between metabolic and epigenetic changes that are observed in PFA. Collectively, our results expand the repertoire of tumor types known to harbor EZHIP mutations and shed light on EZHIP-dependent metabolic and transcriptional programs in relevant neural models.

Hypoxia and angiogenesis are crucial hallmarks of cancer that play key roles in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the transcriptional mechanism underlying hypoxia induced angiogenesis (HIA) remain elusive. This study aimed to explore the regulatory networks, molecular mechanisms, and prognostic value of HIA-related genes.

Current negativity definition in esophageal cancer screening overlooks the risk heterogeneity between individuals with non-dysplastic Lugol's unstained lesions (ND-LULs) and normal-stained epithelium. We aimed to define the screening negativity by the incidence risk of severe dysplasia and above lesions (SDAs) after chromoendoscopy and ascertain their re-screening interval.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) represents the terminal stage of prostate cancer (PCa), yet the molecular mechanisms driving its development remain unclear. Members of the histone lysine demethylase (KDM) family regulate histone methylation and thereby modulate transcriptional programs during malignant progression, contributing to PCa pathogenesis. While the function of KDM3B in PCa has been described, its involvement in CRPC remains uncertain. This study investigated the mechanistic role of KDM3B in CRPC progression.

Although several studies have suggested that sarcopenia is associated with adverse outcomes in kidney cancer patients undergoing nephrectomy, the results have been inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between sarcopenia and post-nephrectomy survival in kidney cancer patients.

Chemoresistance remains a major challenge in addressing T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia (T-LBL/ALL), underscoring the necessity for novel strategies to unravel the molecular factors driving resistance. Through transcriptomic profiling, circBPTF was found to be markedly overexpressed in chemoresistant samples. Further functional experiments demonstrated that BPTF-665aa, the protein product of circBPTF, plays a pivotal role in mediating resistance. Notably, BPTF-665aa prevents the ubiquitination degradation of full-length BPTF, and promotes chromatin accessibility at key promoter sites, such as that of c-Myc promter 2 (P2), facilitating transcriptional activation crucial for cellular survival and proliferation under therapeutic stress. Structural studies confirmed the motifs of BPTF-665aa, including the Plant Homeodomain (PHD) finger and Bromodomain, essential for its chromatin remodeling function. HY-B0509 was identified as a small-molecule inhibitor of BPTF-665aa, with molecular docking and dynamics simulations showing stable binding to critical residues within the protein's active site. Overall, this study introduces a new mechanism where circBPTF affects chromatin accessibility, causing chemoresistance, making BPTF-665aa as a potential therapeutic target for treating T-LBL/ALLs.

Cellular senescence, characterized by partially irreversible cell cycle arrest, has a dual role in cancer progression via the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). SASP encompasses a wide range of bioactive chemicals, including cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and proteases, all of which can have a significant impact on the tumor microenvironment (TME). Initially, SASP can enhance tumor suppression by attracting immune cells and inhibiting cancer cell proliferation, but its long-term presence at TME can promote tumor growth, metastasis, and treatment resistance. Moreover, therapy-induced senescence, a common side effect of cancer treatments, can result in an increase of senescent cells and pro-tumorigenic SASP. Therefore, recent research has highlighted the potential of targeting SASP to improve cancer therapy. Among the therapeutic strategies, senolytic therapies selectively eliminate senescent cells, whereas senomorphic drugs decrease SASP without cytotoxicity, and there is also combined therapy targeting SASP for oncotherapy. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to develop more specific senotherapeutics and investigate the clinical applications of SASP modulation, such as using SASP components as biomarkers for therapy monitoring and personalized medicine. Taken together, understanding the molecular processes of SASP induction and their function in TME, including its heterogeneity across cell types and tissues, and designing personalized treatment are critical for optimizing cancer therapy and improving patient outcomes.

A subset of multiple myeloma (MM) patients exhibited worse survival and higher tumor burden. STAiR18 has been found to be highly expressed in MM cell lines. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the upstream and downstream regulation of STAiR18 have remained unclear.

Reliable biomarkers to identify inoperable limited stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) benefiting from post-definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) immunotherapy is valuable. This study aims to develop a circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based algorithm to stratify progression risk and predict survival benefit from consolidation immunotherapy.

Despite the favorable prognosis of patients with pathological stage I gastric cancer (GC), recurrence may occur in a subset of individuals, and the underlying risk factors are currently being investigated. Tumor index (TI) plays a valuable role in predicting the prognosis of GC. The study aimed to determine the prognostic effect of TI on stage Ⅰ GC.

The cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway is critical for innate immunity, as it detects cytoplasmic DNA and drives type I interferon signaling. Pharmacological stimulation of this pathway has been recognized as a valuable approach for cancer immunotherapy, especially when used together with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Preclinical studies have demonstrated synergistic antitumor effects of cGAS-STING agonists and ICIs across various tumor models, while early-phase clinical trials are exploring their safety and efficacy in patients. Nonetheless, intrinsic tumor resistance, an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), and therapy-associated immune toxicities continue to pose substantial obstacles to clinical application. In this review, we provide an overview of the present status of cGAS-STING agonists, emphasizing preclinical and clinical advances in combination therapy with ICIs, and discusses the challenges and future directions to optimize efficacy, improve safety, and expand the therapeutic potential of this strategy in oncology.

Previous meta-analyses have shown TAS-102's potential in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of TAS-102 combined with bevacizumab versus TAS-102 monotherapy in the treatment of mCRC.

Ovarian cancer brain metastases (OCBM) are rare and have poor prognosis, with limited clinical management guidelines. This study aimed to identify prognostic factors and optimal treatment approaches for patients with OCBM.