Citations

514 Background: Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) senses single strand DNA damage and catalyzes repair mechanisms. PARP inhibitor (PARPi) suppresses PARP1 activity and promotes cell death in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutated cancers that are homologous recombination repair deficient (HRD) via a phenomenon known as “synthetic lethality”. Utility of PARPi in HRD-negative (HRDn) cancers remain uncertain, although in a preclinical study overexpression—but not endogenous levels—of BRCA2 in mouse hybridoma cells led to HRD and increased sensitivity to DNA crosslinking agents, suggesting potential sensitization to PARPi. In renal cell carcinoma (RCC), HRD mutations are rare and the role of PARPi remains investigational. In this study, PARP1 and BRCA1/2 expression and overall survival (OS) in high risk of recurrence localized clear cell-type renal carcinoma (hrr-ccRCC) were explored. Methods: Batch-corrected bulk mRNA profile (RNA Seq V2 RSEM) and clinical data of HRDn stages II grade 4-only (n = 4) and III (n = 100) ccRCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas Pan-Cancer project were reviewed. Gene expression was classified “high” if mRNA level is higher than median, otherwise it was classified “low”. Survival analyses were Log-rank Kaplan-Meier. Group comparisons were two-tailed Mann-Whitney test. Results: In HRDn hrr-ccRCC (n = 104), BRCA1 and BRCA2 were upregulated by median fold change (mFC) of 1.6 and 3.7, respectively, whereas PARP1 was downregulated by mFC 0.8 compared to normal control (n = 72, all p < 0.0001). BRCA1 and BRCA2 levels were positively correlated (R 2 = 0.71). Median duration of follow-up for OS was 36.5 months (IQR 20.9-60.0). High BRCA2 (n = 54) was associated with superior OS compared to low BRCA2 (n = 50) with hazard ratio (HR) for death at 0.34 (95% CI 0.19-0.63, p = 0.0008). When high BRCA2 group was further stratified by PARP1 level, those with concomitant low PARP1 (n = 16) trended towards a superior OS compared to those with high PARP1 (n = 38) with HR 0.19 (95% CI 0.06-0.60, p = 0.067). Similarly, high BRCA1 (n = 53) was associated with superior OS compared to low BRCA1 (n = 51) with HR 0.53 (95% CI 0.29-0.96, p = 0.04). However, no differential OS was seen when high BRCA1 group was stratified by PARP1 level. No differential OS was seen when low BRCA1 or low BRCA2 groups were stratified by PARP1 level. Conclusions: In this retrospective analysis of HRDn hrr-ccRCC, high BRCA2 was associated with superior OS which was more pronounced with concomitant low PARP1 . High BRCA1 was also associated with superior OS, but PARP1 levels had no influence. The findings of this study may imply a potential therapeutic value of PARP1 suppression with PARPi by mimicking low PARP1 expression in treating HRDn hrr-ccRCC with BRCA2 overexpression. Further investigation is warranted.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are increasingly recognized as central drivers of tumorigenesis, therapeutic resistance, and recurrence across diverse malignancies. This review synthesizes our current understanding of CSC biology across CNS tumors, with a focus on glioblastoma, where stem-like cells are sustained by specialized and overlapping tumor microenvironmental niches. Perivascular, hypoxic, invasive, immunosuppressive, and extracellular matrix-associated niches cooperatively enforce stemness, metabolic adaptability, immune evasion, and phenotypic plasticity, enabling CSC persistence despite maximal surgical resection and standard-of-care therapy. Notably, CSCs extend beyond radiographically defined tumor margins and populate peritumoral regions, providing a biological basis for near-universal recurrence. Advances in multiparametric imaging, stem cell-based ex vivo and in vivo models, and single-cell and spatial profiling have refined insight into CSC heterogeneity, niche dependence, and treatment resistance. Together, these findings reframe therapeutic strategies, highlighting the need for function-preserving maximal resection and multimodal therapies that target both CSC-intrinsic pathways and their supportive microenvironments.

Abstract Background Pembrolizumab is approved for advanced cutaneous melanoma (aCM). Cabozantinib, an oral multi‐tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has demonstrated antitumor activity as monotherapy or in combination with anti‐PD‐1 therapy in malignancies. The objective of this study was to determine the safety and efficacy of cabozantinib and pembrolizumab for patients with aCM. Methods This phase 1b/2 study enrolled 28 patients with unresectable aCM. In phase 1b, escalating dose levels of cabozantinib (20 mg, 40 mg, and 60 mg) were administered concurrently with pembrolizumab 200 mg intravenously every 3 weeks using a 3 + 3 design to determine recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). In phase 2, patients received cabozantinib at RP2D in combination with pembrolizumab using a Simon 2 stage design. Primary end point of phase 2 was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary end points included disease control rate, progression‐free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results Phase 1b enrolled eight patients, cabozantinib 40 mg daily dose level was selected as RP2D. Response rate in stage 1 exceeded predefined criteria for proceeding to expansion phase; however, phase 2 was terminated after 20 patients due to low accrual in the setting of evolving standard of care. Among all treated patients, the most common grade ≥3 toxicities were hypertension ( n = 10, 36%), hypokalemia ( n = 5, 18%), hypophosphatemia ( n = 4, 14%), and ALT elevation ( n = 4, 14%). Among 20 patients treated in phase 2, ORR was 45%, median PFS was 6.6 months, and median OS was 29.5 months. Conclusions Cabozantinib and pembrolizumab combination was explored in treatment‐naive aCM. Toxicity was consistent with known profiles, but discontinuation rates were notable.

ABSTRACT Introduction Metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and steatohepatitis (MASH) represent a spectrum of liver conditions that can gradually progress to cirrhosis. Sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 (SGLT‐2) inhibitors have shown benefits in reducing hepatic steatosis and liver‐related events in MASLD. This study aims to assess whether SGLT‐2 inhibitors are associated with a reduced risk of all‐cause mortality and disease‐specific outcomes in patients with MASH cirrhosis and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed using TriNetX. Patients with T2D and MASH cirrhosis on SGLT‐2 inhibitors were matched 1:1 with other glucose‐lowering drugs (oGLDs) based on demographics, comorbidities and medications. Primary outcomes included all‐cause mortality, hepatic decompensation and major adverse liver outcomes (MALO). Cox‐proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 51 427 patients with MASH cirrhosis and T2D were identified, of which 6833 (13.28%) were on SGLT‐2 inhibitors. Patients on SGLT‐2 inhibitors ( n = 6449, mean age 63.7 years, 52.9% female) were matched with 6449 individuals (mean age 63.9 years, 53.5% female) on oGLDs. The SGLT‐2 inhibitors cohort had statistically significantly lower risk of all‐cause mortality (HR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.53–0.63), hepatic decompensation (HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.81–0.90) and MALO (HR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.83–0.93). Conclusion SGLT‐2 inhibitors are associated with a reduced risk of all‐cause mortality in patients with MASH cirrhosis and T2DM, which may be partly attributable to a lower risk of hepatic decompensation and subsequent events. Further studies are warranted as SGLT‐2 inhibitors may serve as an adjunctive therapy for patients with MASH cirrhosis.

Background: Health disparities between racial groups continue to exist. There is a paucity of data regarding presentation severity for acute diverticulitis (AD) and surgery need by race. This study’s aim was to evaluate outcomes of AD in United States racial groups. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using the 2016–2019 National Inpatient Sample of adult patients discharged for AD. Patients were classified into six racial and ethnic groups: Caucasian, African American (AA), Hispanic, Asian, Native American (NA), and other. Multivariate regression analysis adjusted for patient and hospital characteristics was performed for primary and secondary outcomes. Results: A total of 647,119 admissions with acute diverticulitis (AD) were identified. Most patients were Caucasian (about three-quarters), followed by Hispanics (11%), AA (9%), Asians (1%), Native Americans (<1%), and other (2%). Minority groups were generally younger than Caucasians and less likely to undergo colonoscopy or surgical procedures such as partial or total colectomy. In the multivariable analysis, both Hispanics and AA were less likely to present with complicated diverticulitis. Despite this, their hospitalizations were associated with higher overall charges and costs. No significant differences were found across groups in terms of inpatient mortality or the need for percutaneous abscess drainage. Conclusions: Hispanic and AA have higher healthcare- related charges and costs compared to Caucasians when admitted with AD. Further studies are needed to understand the healthcare-related spending variations seen in these groups despite them often having less complicated AD.