Current Cancer Therapy Reviews - Volume 20, Issue 5, 2024

Background: Plant-derived byproducts have been used to treat numerous kinds of human complications in medicine since a very early age. Moscatilin is a bibenzyl compound found to be present in Dendrobium. Moscatilin, also called 4,4′-dihydroxyl-3,3′,5-trimethoxybibenzyl has potential benefits in medicine for the treatment of ovarian, lung, breast, esophageal, hepatic, colorectal, pancreatic and neck squamous cancer. Methods: The present work summarized the health-beneficial aspects of moscatilin for its effectiveness against numerous kinds of cancerous disorders in medicine. Pharmacological activities and analytical aspects of moscatilin have been analyzed in the present work through available scientific data on Google, Scopus, Science Direct, and PubMed. Results: Scientific data analysis of moscatilin signified their therapeutic effectiveness against ovarian cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, hepatic cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, neck squamous cell cancer, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. Further, moscatilin has a significant effect on inflammation, Alzheimer's disease, diabetic neuropathy, and retinal ischemia. However, analytical data on moscatilin were also discussed in the present work in order to know the effective separation, isolation and identification of moscatilin. Conclusion: Scientific information on moscatilin presented in this work will be helpful to all scientific people to understand the biological importance and therapeutic potential of moscatilin in medicine.

Cancer biomarkers or tumor-associated antigens (TAA) are the focus area of current research in cancer biology for diagnosis, prognosis, screening, and targeted treatments. Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer, affecting women more than men. Conventional methods and antibody-targeted therapies are less effective and suffer systemic cytotoxicity, poor tissue sensitivity, low penetration capacity, and reduced accumulation of the drug in tumor cells that limit its application and sometimes result in treatment failure. Opting for aptamer-mediated targeted delivery of various anti-cancer agents (drugs, siRNA, miRNA, shRNA and peptides) could possibly overcome these limitations by utilizing aptamer as a targeting ligand. The purpose of this article is to review the novel indicative biomarkers of breast cancer and also describe current applications of aptamer-guided active targeting systems in breast cancer therapy in vivo and in vitro.

Cancer is one of the significant healthcare challenges in today’s world, even after advancements in modern science, including oncology. The complex nature of the disease, which involves multiple proteins and pathways, poses a substantial challenge in drug discovery. Several therapeutic options have emerged in the last decade. Systemic cancer therapies began with the advent of chemotherapy and were revolutionized with the development of targeted therapies. The present review is a definite overview of the advances in various therapeutic options for cancer, with a particular emphasis on targeted therapy using small molecules and biologicals.

Cancer is a condition in which aberrant cells continue to divide uncontrollably, causing tissue to be destroyed. Different cancer stages have been identified by researchers, suggesting that a number of gene alterations are involved in the etiology of cancer. Unusual cell proliferation is brought on by these gene alterations. A crucial role in the acceleration of cell proliferation is played by genetic diseases brought on by heredity or hereditary factors. Its diagnosis and treatment have historically been regarded as two of the most important and significant clinical concerns. Depending on the nature and stage of the tumor, numerous ways to its corrective therapy have been established. Numerous biomolecules derived from plants are crucial for the treatment of the disease. In this review, we focus on specific aspects to give a brief overview of the major problems, including their etiology, therapies that are available, herbal alternates, available vaccines and relevant biomarkers. It was felt that much work needs to be done on combination therapy development and platform optimization.

Background: Melanoma, known for its high metastatic potential, does not respond well to existing treatments in advanced stages. As a solution, immunotherapy-based treatments, including anti-PD-1/L1 and anti-CTLA-4, have been developed and evaluated in preclinical mouse models to overcome resistance. Although these treatments display the potential to suppress tumor growth, there remains a crucial requirement for a thorough assessment of long-term efficacy in preventing metastasis or recurrence and improving survival rates. Methods: From 2016 onwards, a thorough examination of combined immunotherapies for the treatment of cutaneous melanoma in preclinical mouse models was conducted. The search was conducted using MeSH Terms algorithms in PubMed®, resulting in the identification of forty-five studies that met the rigorous inclusion criteria for screening. Results: The C57 mouse model bearing B16-melanoma has been widely utilized to assess the efficacy of immunotherapies. The combination of therapies has demonstrated a synergistic impact, leading to potent antitumor activity. One extensively studied method for establishing metastatic models involves the intravenous administration of malignant cells, with several combined therapies under investigation. The primary focus of evaluation has been on combined immunotherapies utilizing PD- 1/L1 and CTLA-4 blockade, although alternative immunotherapies not involving PD-1/L1 and CTLA-4 blockade have also been identified. Additionally, the review provides detailed treatment regimens for each combined approach. Conclusion: The identification of techniques for generating simulated models of metastatic melanoma and investigating various therapeutic combinations will greatly aid in evaluating the overall systemic efficacy of immunotherapy. This will be especially valuable for conducting short-term preclinical experiments that have the potential for clinical studies.

Introduction: Ovarian cancers are the third most common gynecological cancers worldwide with serous carcinomas being the most common subtype with 90% of them as high-grade carcinomas. Case Presentation: In the present case report a 60 years postmenopausal, nulliparous woman presented with complaints of bleeding per vaginum for 1-2 months with a left-sided solid-cystic ovarian mass of size 4x5 cm and ipsilateral enlarged external iliac and obturator lymph nodes which were diagnosed on histopathological examination as high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOCs) with ipsilateral pelvic lymph node metastasis in presence of intact ovarian capsule and no metastatic deposits over the uterus, contralateral ovary and fallopian tubes, omentum, or any other gross peritoneal deposits. There was coexisting non-atypical endometrial hyperplasia. The patient was managed successfully with staging laparotomy with modified radical hysterectomy, and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy followed by six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with Paclitaxel and Carboplatin injections. Conclusion: Patients with HGSOCs can have varied presentations with unusual involvement of lymph nodes in the absence of peritoneal spread. Hence, the clinician must be aware of these unusual presentations for the successful management of such cases.

Background: Malignant myxoid leiomyosarcoma (MMLS) is most commonly found in the uterus but can also occur in other areas, such as the extremities, vulva, chest wall, and abdominal cavity. This cancer is more prevalent in women and has a poor prognosis with a high rate of recurrence and a significant percentage of metastasis. Case Representation: Herein, we report the case of a 64-year-old female patient who presented with 3-month history of left lower abdominal mass. The patient underwent abdominal malignancy resection and was subsequently diagnosed with myxoid leiomyosarcoma. The patient experienced a recurrence and metastasis with significant ascites after the initial surgery and did not respond to treatment with oral Anrotinib in combination with Tislelizumab immunotherapy. Further genetic testing using next-generation sequencing (NGS) identified missense mutations in the PDGFRA and TP53 genes in the patient's plasma, but no mutations in the KIT gene were detected. Immunohistochemical analysis of the tumor tissue also revealed a negative expression of PD-L1. As a result, we altered her targeted therapy to Avapritinib, which resulted in significant improvement in her symptoms, including abdominal distension and pain, a decrease in ascites, and the KPS score increased from 60 points before treatment to 90 points after treatment SD (stable disease) was achieved for three months after treatment. Conclusion: In this case report, we present the instance of a patient with malignant myxoid leiomyosarcoma with a missense mutation in both the PDGFRA and TP53 genes. We found that targeted therapy with Avapritinib was effective in achieving a positive outcome in this patient. Our findings suggest that genetic detection is possible to better understand the biological behavior, genetic characteristics, and patient's response and tolerance to certain drugs, thus selecting the best treatment plan for the patient. Avapritinib may be a promising new treatment option for leiomyosarcoma patients with similar genetic mutations.