Fang Jiang

Identification of the prognostic immune subtype in copy-number high endometrial cancer

The TCGA molecular subtype of endometrial cancer (EC) is widely applied, among which the copy-number high (CNH) subtype has the poorest prognosis. However, the heterogeneity of this subtype remains elusive. In this study, we aimed to identify heterogeneous immune subtypes in CNH EC and explore their prognostic significance. We collected 60 CNH EC cases in the TCGA database and performed unsupervised cluster analysis based on the enrichment scores of immune-related gene signatures to identify immune subtypes. We described their immune characteristics and prognoses and conducted differential gene analysis and lasso regression to identify a prognostic biomarker, GZMM. For experimental validation, we performed immunohistochemical staining of GZMM in 39 p53-positive EC surgical samples. We defined two immune subtypes, immune-hot (IH) and immune-cold (IC), which differed in immune cell infiltration, cytokine and chemokine expression and prognosis. The IH subtype has significantly stronger immune activation than the IC subtype, showing a significant infiltration of immune effector cells and high expression of relevant chemokines, with better prognosis. Moreover, the immunohistochemical staining of GZMM in a cohort of 39 p53-positive EC surgical samples confirmed GZMM as a unique prognostic biomarker, with high expression in both tumor cells and lymphocytes predicting a better prognosis. Our study revealed heterogeneous immune subtypes in CNH EC and identified GZMM as a prognostic biomarker. The stratified classification strategy combining molecular and immune subtypes provides valuable insights for future clinical practice.

Immunologic Signatures across Molecular Subtypes and Potential Biomarkers for Sub-Stratification in Endometrial Cancer

Current molecular classification approaches for endometrial cancer (EC) often employ multiple testing platforms. Some subtypes still lack univocal prognostic significance, highlighting the need for risk sub-stratification. The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is associated with tumor progression and prognosis. We sought to investigate the feasibility of classifying EC via DNA sequencing and interrogate immunologic signatures and prognostic markers across and within subtypes, respectively. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedding (FFPE) samples from 50 EC patients underwent targeted DNA and RNA sequencing, and multiplex immunofluorescence assay for TIME. DNA sequencing classified 10%, 20%, 52%, and 18% of patients into the subtype of POLE-mutant, microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), TP53-wt, and TP53-mutant. POLE-mutant tumors expressed the highest T-effector and IFN-γ signature and the lowest innate anti-PD-1 resistance signature among subtypes. TP53-wt revealed a converse enrichment trend for these immunologic signatures. Survival analyses using the Cancer Genome Atlas Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (TCGA-UCEC) dataset identified associations of CCR5 (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.71, p = 0.035), TNFRSF14 (HR = 0.58, p = 0.028), and IL-10 (HR = 2.5, p = 0.012) with overall survival within MSI-H, TP53-mutant, and TP53-wt subtype, respectively. A TIME comparison between the sub-stratified subgroups of our cohort revealed upregulated tumor infiltration of immune cells in the low-risk subgroups. Our study demonstrates that targeted DNA sequencing is an effective one-stop strategy to classify EC. Immunomodulatory genes may serve as prognostic markers within subtypes.

Efficacy and safety of biweekly single-dose actinomycin D versus multiday methotrexate in low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: a prospective multicenter randomized trial

Cure rates for low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) are high, but there is no consensus on optimal first-line chemotherapy. Here we evaluated the efficacy and safety of biweekly single-dose actinomycin D (Act-D) versus an 8-day methotrexate (MTX)-folinic acid regimen as first-line single-agent chemotherapy for low-risk GTN. This multicenter, randomized, controlled trial enrolled patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I-III, low-risk GTN (FIGO 2000 prognostic scores 0-4) across eight centers in China (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04562558). Patients were randomized (1 : 1) to Act-D (1.25 mg/m Between 27 September 2020, and 18 June 2024, 228 patients were randomized to MTX or Act-D. Act-D achieved significantly higher single-agent CR rates than MTX (72.8% versus 54.4%, P = 0.0038) with shorter median remission time (7.86 versus 9.43 weeks, P = 0.0296). Overall CR rates were 100% in both groups following combination chemotherapy for resistant cases. Most adverse events were grade 1-2, but grade ≥2 nausea and vomiting and hair loss were more frequent with Act-D, and alanine aminotransferase was more frequently elevated in the MTX group. Anti-Müllerian hormone reductions were transient in both groups. After a 28.5-month median follow-up, recurrence rates remained low and comparable (MTX 0.88% versus Act-D 0.88%; P > 0.05). Fertility outcomes were favorable in both groups. Biweekly Act-D demonstrated superior efficacy and faster remission than the 8-day MTX regimen as first-line single-agent chemotherapy for low-risk GTN, offering a well-tolerated option despite a higher incidence of nausea, vomiting, and hair loss.

PD-1 and TIGIT coexpressing CD8 + CD103 + tissue-resident memory cells in endometrial cancer as potential targets for immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has shown promise in treating various cancers; however, its efficacy in endometrial cancer (EC) remains suboptimal owing to the complex dynamics of the tumour immune microenvironment. This study focuses on exploring the potential of targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 gene (PD-1) and the T cell Immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains gene (TIGIT) coexpressing tissue-resident memory cells in EC. A comprehensive approach, utilizing RNA sequencing, single-cell RNA sequencing, mass cytometry, and flow cytometry, was employed to analyse the expression patterns of PD-1 and TIGIT in the EC tumor environment and to characterize the phenotypic properties of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), particularly tissue-resident memory (T Our analysis identified a significant co-expression of PD-1 and TIGIT in T T

Biweekly Actinomycin-D Treatment or Multi-day Methotrexate Protocol in Low-risk Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia

The investigators conducted a randomized trial to study how well multi-day methotrexate protocol works compared to biweekly single-dose actinomycin D protocol in treating patients with low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. It is not yet known whether multi-day methotrexate protocol is as effective as biweekly single-dose actinomycin D protocol in treating patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia.