Journal of Cancer Immunology

Commentary Open Access

Enhancing the Efficacy of CAR-T Cell Therapy: A Comprehensive Exploration of Cellular Strategies and Molecular Dynamics

Mehmet A. Baysal, Abhijit Chakraborty, Apostolia M. Tsimberidou

The emergence of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, particularly for hematologic malignancies. This commentary discusses developments in CAR-T cell therapy, focusing on the molecular mechanisms governing T cell fate and differentiation. Transcriptional and epigenetic factors play a pivotal role in determining the specificity, effectiveness, and durability of CAR-T cell therapy.

Commentary Open Access

Clutch Control: Changing the Speed and Direction of CAR-T Cell Therapy

Alberto Nobili, Aya Kobayashi, Patrick C. Gedeon, Carl D. Novina

The adoptive transfer of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR-T cells) has revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies, providing unmatched clinical responses in adults and children with relapsed or refractory B cell malignancies.

Review Article Open Access

Emerging Potential of Plant Virus Nanoparticles (PVNPs) in Anticancer Immunotherapies

Mehdi Shahgolzari, Steven Fiering

Plant virus nanoparticles (PVNPs) are increasingly recognized and studied for use in biomedical applications. PVNPs include plant virions with self-assembled capsid protein coats (PC) that encapsulate the virus genome, and virus-like particles (VLPs), a capsid without the viral genome.

Commentary Open Access

Humanized Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells

Pouya Safarzadeh Kozani, Pooria Safarzadeh Kozani, Roddy S. O’Connor

In 1989, researchers proposed an intricate strategy in the field of adoptive cell therapy (ACT). Using the T-cell receptor (TCR) as a template, they replaced the coding sequence for the Vα and Vβ chains with the antigen- recognition domains from an antibody (VH and VL chains).

Short Communication Open Access

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Mammary Cancer Risk: Does Obesity Matter too?

Lydia Lichtiger, Janelle Rivera, Debashish Sahay, Rachel L. Miller

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States. Breast cancer incidence rates, particularly among younger women, have been increasing since the 1930s, and are only partially explained by changes in parity, age at first birth, and improved screening and detection. Many questions remain unanswered regarding the mechanisms that underlie current risk.

Review Article Open Access

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in the Management of Urothelial Carcinoma

Aakash Patel, Daniel I. Bisn, Hiren V. Patel, Saum Ghodoussipour, Biren Saraiya, Tina Mayer, Eric A. Singer

Bladder cancer is one of the most common and expensive cancers in the United States, with an expected 81,400 new cases and 17,980 deaths in 2020 alone. The incidence is increased among white men and diagnoses often occur in the 7th decade of life.

Review Article Open Access

Immunogenic Cell Death: A Step Ahead of Autophagy in Cancer Therapy

Gourab Gupta, Kristina Borglum, Hexin Chen

Cell Death has long been considered to be an inevitable part of the life cycle of a cell and hence, considered a familiar consequence of cellular life.

Research Article Open Access

High Expression of TIM ₃ and Galectin ₉ on Immunohistochemistry Staining of Tumor Specimen at Diagnosis in Pediatric Patients with Ewing Sarcoma

Stephanie J. Si, Gerald B. Wertheim, David M. Barrett

The concept of immunotherapy has been traced as far back to third century BC Qin dynasty in China through the purposeful inoculation of Variola minor to prevent smallpox. 

Review Article Open Access

Mitochondria Autoimmunity and MNRR₁ in Breast Carcinogenesis: A Review

Félix Fernández Madrid, Lawrence I. Grossman, Siddhesh Aras

Recently, Aras et al. reported that MNRR1, a nuclear DNA (nDNA)-encoded mitochondrial antigen, promotes cancer cell migration and the development of metastasis as a proof of concept supporting the participation of mitochondrial autoimmunity in breast carcinogenesis.

Review Article Open Access

The Role of ERO1α in Modulating Cancer Progression and Immune Escape

Brennan D. Johnson, Werner J. Geldenhuys, Lori A. Hazlehurst

The failure to eradicate minimal residual disease often located at metastatic sites and/or the bone marrow niche continues to be a clinical barrier for successful treatments in cancer.

Review Article Open Access

Immunological Features with DNA Microsatellite Alterations in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Maide Ö. Raeker, John M. Carethers

DNA microsatellites are tandemly repeating short (1-6 base pairs) DNA motifs, such as mononucleotide (A)n, dinucleotide (CA)n, trinucleotide (CAG)n, and tetranucleotide (AAAG)n, with each motif potentially repeating up to 50 times.

Commentary Open Access

Autophagy: When to strike?

Shadi Zahedi, Jean M. Mulcahy Levy

Autophagy was originally viewed as a widely conserved multistep lysosomal degradation pathway in eukaryotes. It includes the formation of autophagosomes, doublemembrane structures engulfing cytoplasm with damaged organelles during the degradation process.

Review Article Open Access

pMB FLASH - Status and Perspectives of Combining Proton Minibeam with FLASH Radiotherapy

Judith Reindl, Stefanie Girst

Proton minibeam radiotherapy (pMBRT) is an external beam radiotherapy method with reduced side effects by taking advantage of spatial fractionation in the normal tissue. Due to scattering, the delivered small beams widen in the tissue ensuring a homogeneous dose distribution in the tumor. In this review, the physical and biological principles regarding dose distribution and healing effects are explained. In the last decade, several preclinical studies have been conducted addressing normal tissue sparing and tumor control in-vitro and in-vivo, using human skin tissue and mouse or rat models. The major results acquired in these studies are summarized. A further newly emerging therapy method is FLASH radiotherapy, i.e. the treatment using ultra-high dose rates. The possibility of combining these methods in proton minibeam FLASH therapy (pMB FLASH) is worked out. Additionally, technical feasibility and limitations will be discussed by looking at simulations as well as preclinical studies and also pointing out new ways of delivering the desired tumor dose, such as interlacing. We will also highlight the opportunities that emerge regarding high dose radiation, hypofractionation and the combination with immunotherapy.

Editorial Open Access

Chimeric Antigen Receptor CAR NK Cells Emerging Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer

Sachin Kumar Deshmukh

Although NK cells are recognized as effector lymphocytes of the innate immune system, they also regulate the adaptive immune response by releasing inflammatory cytokines and developing immunological memory. Unlike other lymphocytes such as T or B cells, NK cells do not express rearrangeable, antigen-specific receptors. 

Research Article Open Access

Prevalence of Symptom Clusters in Cancer Patients at First Presentation in Palliative Care Clinic as per Different Disease Groups

Irum Ghafoor, Haroon Hafeez, Farhat Naz, Muhammad Abubakar, Arif Jamshed

Cancer has its own disease burden and patients usually suffer from symptom clusters when they are referred for palliative treatment. Identification of symptom cluster trajectories will help clinician to take into account measures that can optimize quality of life of palliative patients. Therefore the aim of this paper is to determine the overall prevalence of symptoms and symptoms clusters in different disease groups according to etiology at the time of first visit to Palliative care clinic by using HIS Palliative First Assessment note indicating Edmonton symptom scale.