Written by Yousef Hamdan Khalil
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
Osteoporosis can worsen breast cancer metastasis to bone, correlates with poor long-term prognosis, and currently has limited treatment options. Sclerostin (SOST), a natural inhibitor of bone formation, represents a promising target for osteoporosis therapy. Nevertheless, it remains uncertain whether SOST could serve as a therapeutic target for breast cancer bone metastases, and if small-molecule agents that modulate SOST in breast cancer cells can suppress bone metastasis. SOST levels were asse
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Written by Diego Sebastian Rivas
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 J1 (UBE2J1) has been shown to be involved in the ubiquitination of various substrate proteins; however, its mechanistic role in cancer initiation and progression remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that UBE2J1 expression is significantly reduced in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues and cell lines as a consequence of promoter DNA hypermethylation, and that low UBE2J1 levels are correlated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. Functional analyses re
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Written by Nadia Leila Ben Salem
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) enhances tumor regression in individuals with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) relative to standalone neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The influence of TNT on overall patient outcomes remains incompletely explored. This retrospective review involved cases of LARC managed at a major oncology facility. A group of 311 patients underwent chemoradiotherapy (chemoRT) exclusively as neoadjuvant therapy, with scheduled postoperative chemotherapy, while 313 patients we
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Written by Sofia Elena Petrescu
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
Breast cancer metastasis accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths globally. Recent studies indicate that circRNAs are implicated in both tumor formation and metastatic processes in breast cancer. Yet, the specific mechanisms by which circRNAs regulate liver metastasis of breast cancer remain largely unclear. Microarray profiling of three pairs of primary breast cancer (BC) tissues and corresponding liver metastases identified circEZH2. The presence, characteristics, and expression of c
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Written by Olli Johannes Laaksonen
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
The development of resistance to anticancer drugs is a major barrier to successful cancer therapy. Tumors that acquire such resistance often employ intricate molecular strategies to evade pharmacological treatment. Among epigenetic RNA modifications, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent and reversible. Dysregulation of RNA methyltransferases (“writers”), demethylases (“erasers”), and m6A-binding proteins (“readers”) has been observed in various malignancies, influencing oncoprotein lev
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Written by Elzbieta Anna Kowalska
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
Ferroptosis represents a recently identified form of programmed cell death that depends on iron and is triggered by lipid peroxidation. Nevertheless, its precise mechanisms and therapeutic relevance in cancer, particularly at the level of post-transcriptional regulation, remain largely unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that AKT inhibition markedly triggered GPX4-dependent ferroptosis and effectively restrained colorectal cancer progression both in vitro and in vivo . This process was accom
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Written by Jonathan Edward Price
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the most frequently diagnosed malignancies, with roughly 20% of patients presenting with metastases at the time of diagnosis, and 50%-60% eventually developing metachronous metastatic lesions. Although skeletal metastases are relatively uncommon, they are often linked to increased disease burden, poorer prognosis, diminished quality of life, and substantial healthcare costs. Recently, the combination of FOLFOXIRI and bevacizumab has been established as the prefer
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Written by Siti Farhana Ismail
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
This prospective study was designed to determine whether plasma vascular endothelial growth factor-A short isoforms (pVEGF-Asi) could predict responsiveness to bevacizumab (BV) and to investigate additional circulating biomarkers in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients receiving modified FOLFOX6/XELOX in combination with BV (mFOLFOX6/XELOX + BV). Plasma samples obtained before treatment initiation were collected from 100 mCRC patients treated with first-line mFOLFOX6/XELOX + BV. Levels o
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Written by Marek Tomasz Lewandowski
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have attracted considerable attention for their roles as either oncogenes or tumor suppressors in cancer development. Yet, the specific functions and molecular mechanisms of the majority of lncRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain poorly understood. DLGAP1-AS2 levels were quantified using RT-qPCR across several CRC patient cohorts. Its effects on CRC cell proliferation and metastatic potential were investigated through a combination of in vitro and in vivo assays.
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Written by Maria Teresa Fonseca
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
The regulation of gene expression relies heavily on both transcriptional and translational control, yet how these two layers are coordinated remains largely unresolved. In this work, we applied Nanopore long-read sequencing together with cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE-seq) to chart the repertoire of 5′ and 3′ untranslated region (UTR) isoforms and transcription start sites (TSSs) in epidermal stem cells, normal keratinocytes, and squamous cell carcinoma cells. In squamous cell carcinomas,
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Written by Alina Ioana Pop
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
The microenvironment of distant organs plays a critical role in modulating tumor metastasis; however, the molecular interactions between metastatic cancer cells and their target organs remain poorly understood. In this study, we identified a marked upregulation of EFNB2 expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastases (LM), whereas no such increase was observed in pulmonary metastases (PM) or primary CRC tumors. Functional analyses demonstrated that EFNB2 exerts a pro-tumorigenic effect in
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Written by Robert Ian Campbell
Published in Vol 5 Issue 1, 2025
[Ru(5-FU)(PPh3)2(bipy)]PF6 (Ru/5-FU) is a newly developed ruthenium-based complex incorporating 5-fluorouracil, showing notable activity against colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we examined the molecular effects of Ru/5-FU in HCT116 CRC cells. Ru/5-FU demonstrated strong cytotoxic effects across multiple cancer cell types, including primary tumor cells, and triggered apoptosis in HCT116 cells. Treatment with Ru/5-FU lowered AKT1 mRNA levels and suppressed the expression of Akt1, phosphory
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