Uveal Melanoma

P2, N=18, Recruiting, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute

This pilot study reports on cfDNA methylation signatures that differentiates UM patients from HBDs, and may distinguish between intermediate and high risk UM subgroups, supporting its prognostic potential. However, its role in monitoring disease progression requires further validation. Independent replication studies are warranted to confirm our findings and evaluate the clinical applicability in UM.

This approach, using hyaluronic acid nanoparticle (HANP)-formulated verteporfin (HANP/VP), concurrently induced nuclear- and mitochondrial-DNA damage, promoted immunogenic cell death (ICD), and drove T-lymphocyte infiltration into the tumor microenvironment (TME)...Overall, our findings established HANP/VP as a multifunctional nanomedicine that reprogrammed the TME and elicited potent antitumor immunity through dual DNA damage and STING activation. The study highlights a promising translational strategy for overcoming immunotherapeutic resistance in UM and converting immunologically "cold" tumors into "hot" ones, thereby improving responses to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB).

Our study demonstrates that inherited polymorphisms in IRF4 and HERC2 are independently associated with UM subtype and prognosis, although a SNP-based classifier does not yet outperform the established prognostic model. Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Endocytic/signaling proteins exhibit distinct, subtype-linked expression in ocular tumors. Integration with public datasets highlights CAV1 and GIPC1 as adverse survival correlates in UM and positions LRP2/CUBN/DAB2IP dysregulation as features of ocular tumor biology, nominating candidate biomarkers and mechanistic targets.

Furthermore, EHMT2 and TGF-β1 inhibitors suppressed tumors in immunocompetent, but not in immunodeficient mice. These findings establish EHMT2 as a suppressor of NK cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity and a promising therapeutic target.

In the randomized SCANDIUM II trial, patients with metastatic UM received a one-time treatment with isolated hepatic perfusion using high-dose melphalan in combination with systemic immune checkpoint inhibition with ipilimumab (3 mg/kg) and nivolumab (1 mg/kg). Patients with undetectable ctDNA 2-4 months after the start of treatment had significantly improved progression-free survival (P = 0.024), and a non-significant improvement in overall survival. In patients with UM liver metastases treated with combined hepatic perfusion and immune checkpoint inhibition, ctDNA may serve as a predictive biomarker and warrants further validation.

The detection of GNAQ/GNA11 mutations in ctDNA at baseline was associated with an inferior outcome. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01377025).

This is the first published case suggesting a potential role for leukotriene receptor antagonists in CYSLTR2-mutant UM. These findings support further preclinical and clinical investigation of montelukast as a repurposed therapy in this challenging disease entity.

Given its crucial role in mediating DNA damage responses, we analyzed the p53 protein functionality and downstream target activation in a panel of UM cell lines in response to standard-of-care treatments (i.e., cisplatin and proton-beam irradiation)...Our results indicated a correlation between higher expression levels of Δ40p53α or Δ133p53γ isoforms and the development of more aggressive cancers. Our findings suggest that shorter p53 isoforms can promote cancer aggressiveness and therapy resistance, thereby providing crucial insights into UM pathogenesis.

Drug sensitivity profiling nominated imatinib (Vina score: -8.9 kcal/mol) and TTNPB as potential therapies for UBD-high tumors, validated by stable MD simulations. In esophageal carcinoma (ESCA), UBD expression escalated with tumor stage and predicted poor survival (p<0.05).UBD enhances the proliferation and migration of esophageal cancer cells by modulating the TP53 signaling pathway, as validated through transcriptomic analysis and functional assays. This study advances UBD as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target, bridging molecular insights with clinical translation in precision oncology.

By integrating MR, multi-omics transcriptome analysis and in vitro experiments validation, the present study revealed that CD33 could facilitate CM development by promoting M2 macrophages polarization.