Background and Objectives: Advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (AEOC) often requires extensive cytoreductive surgery. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS), especially diagnostic laparoscopy, is increasingly used to assess resectability and guide treatment. This review aimed to evaluate the evidence on MIS in AEOC, focusing on its diagnostic and therapeutic roles in primary and interval debulking surgery (PDS and IDS), and its impact on perioperative and oncologic outcomes. Materials and Methods: A structured literature review was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library, including studies published between January 2000 and June 2025. Eligible studies involved laparoscopic or minimally invasive cytoreduction in PDS or IDS, reporting surgical feasibility, perioperative results, and oncologic outcomes. Data were synthesized qualitatively due to heterogeneity across studies. Results: Observational studies indicate that diagnostic laparoscopy predicts resectability, reduces futile laparotomies, and improves patient selection for primary surgery. In selected patients, non-randomized cohorts of laparoscopic PDS report R0 resection rates up to 95%, with low morbidity and short hospital stays. In IDS after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, MIS has been associated with reduced blood loss, fewer complications, and faster postoperative recovery, while showing progression-free and overall survival comparable to laparotomy in retrospective series. Conversion to open surgery was generally reported in fewer than 10% of cases when stringent selection criteria were applied. Conclusions: Diagnostic laparoscopy is a valuable tool for accurate preoperative evaluation and surgical planning in EOC. MIS, particularly for IDS, appears to offer reduced morbidity and equivalent survival outcomes when performed in experienced centers, whereas its application in PDS remains investigational and should be reserved for highly selected cases. These conclusions are limited by the predominance of retrospective evidence and the heterogeneity in patient selection and surgical expertise.

Background and Objectives: Although beaded filament structural protein 1 (BFSP1) may be involved in oncogenic mechanisms, its clinical relevance and functional role in liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) remain unclear. This study examined the prognostic significance, regulatory mechanisms, and potential therapeutic implications of BFSP1 in LIHC. Materials and Methods: Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis was performed across multiple platforms using datasets derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Differential gene expression, DNA methylation, copy number variation, immune cell infiltration, drug sensitivity, and co-expression networks were systematically examined. Functional enrichment analyses of protein-protein and gene-gene interaction networks were conducted using STRING and GeneMANIA. Additionally, short interfering RNA-mediated knockdown and wound-healing assays were performed in HepG2 cells to evaluate BFSP1 function in vitro. Results: The results showed that BFSP1 mRNA expression was significantly upregulated in tissues from LIHC patients. Elevated BFSP1 levels were associated with poorer prognostic patterns, which were further supported by detailed clinicopathological subgroup analyses. Furthermore, BFSP1 expression was correlated with promoter hypomethylation and associated with patterns of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, including specific immune cell subtypes such as M1 and M2 macrophages. Integrative analyses revealed strong associations between BFSP1 and drug sensitivity, as well as a regulatory network encompassing genes involved in the cell cycle, DNA repair, and metabolic processes. Functional knockdown of BFSP1 significantly reduced HepG2 cell migration in vitro, as assessed by wound healing assay, with decreased wound closure at 24 h (11.0% vs. 16.5%) and 48 h (7.4% vs. 12.5%) compared with the control (p < 0.05, n = 6 biological replicates). Conclusions: In conclusion, these findings suggest that BFSP1 functions as a multifaceted prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for LIHC.

Background and Objectives: Endometrial carcinoma is among the most common gynecological malignancies, with recurrence and chemoresistance remaining major clinical challenges. This study aimed to evaluate the combined effects of Boswellic acid (BA), a natural pentacyclic triterpene, and Gemcitabine (GEM), a nucleoside analog chemotherapeutic, on hypoxia, angiogenesis, and apoptosis in human endometrial cancer cells. Materials and Methods: ECC-1 cells were treated with BA, GEM, or their combination under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Cell viability (MTT assay); nuclear morphology (NucBlue staining); cell cycle distribution (PI flow cytometry); angiogenesis (VEGF ELISA expression); apoptosis (Caspase-3/7 activity; Bax; Bcl-2 expression); inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β; IL-6; TNF-α); and gene ontology enrichment were analyzed. Results: Both BA and GEM reduced cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with the combination producing synergistic cytotoxicity and lower IC₅₀ values. Hypoxia enhanced drug sensitivity, particularly in combination therapy. BA and GEM significantly suppressed HIF-1α and VEGF expression, with maximal inhibition observed in the combination group. Apoptotic induction was confirmed by increased Bax and Caspase-3 and decreased Bcl-2 expression, together with elevated Caspase-3/7, -8, and -9 activity. Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were markedly reduced, and gene ontology analysis revealed enrichment of apoptotic, anti-proliferative, and anti-angiogenic pathways. Conclusions: BA + GEM combination synergistically suppresses hypoxia-driven angiogenesis and promotes apoptosis in endometrial cancer cells. These findings support its potential as an adjuvant therapeutic approach, warranting further preclinical and clinical validation.

Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) has become increasingly prominent in the surgical management of esophageal cancer (EC) over the past three decades. The adoption of minimally invasive techniques has significantly enhanced oncologic esophageal surgery by improving safety, achieving oncological radicality, preserving physiological function, and elevating the postoperative quality of life of the patients. The complexity of MIE lies in its technical nuances, which critically influence postoperative morbidity and, in severe cases, mortality, especially when complications evolve unchecked. These risks underscore the importance of meticulous surgical execution and perioperative management. The optimization of mediastinal lymphadenectomy and the reduction of procedure-related morbidity have consistently represented focal points of scientific inquiry and clinical refinement, posing a persistent challenge for esophageal surgeons. MIE is widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding procedures in oncologic surgery. Its advantages, however, are most evident in the postoperative phase, where reduced trauma and faster recovery are key benefits. Experienced surgical teams have introduced refinements to MIE protocols, aiming to optimize precision and reduce complication rates. This study aims to systematically synthesize the main technological advancements and innovations currently employed in the minimally invasive management of EC, presenting them in a structured classification designed to be both accessible and practical for specialists engaged in this domain.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a prevalent form of cancer with a poor prognosis and requires systemic therapies for most advanced cases. In this review, we summarize considerations for selecting treatment options for HCC, particularly with regard to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Traditional chemotherapy has been surpassed by molecular-targeted therapies and ICIs, such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death-1 (PD-1), and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, which enhance the immune response against tumors. The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) guidelines recommend atezolizumab/bevacizumab (Atez/Bev) and tremelimumab/durvalumab (Dur/Tre) as first-line treatments for unresectable HCC, along with alternatives, such as sorafenib and lenvatinib. Atezolizumab and bevacizumab have demonstrated superior efficacy but require the monitoring of bleeding risk and adverse events, such as proteinuria. Tremelimumab and durvalumab offer alternatives for patients at high risk of anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF)-related complications. In cases where ICIs are contraindicated, lenvatinib and sorafenib serve as additional options, with lenvatinib demonstrating longer progression free survival (PFS) in clinical trials. It is important to consider that each treatment has specific side effects or contraindications, and the choice of medication should be based not only on the therapeutic efficacy of the drug, but also on the patient's health status, liver function, and tumor characteristics.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal malignancy of terminally differentiated plasma cells characterized by bone marrow infiltration and excessive production of monoclonal immunoglobulins, leading to end-organ damage such as osteolytic bone lesions. Despite substantial therapeutic progress achieved with proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies, multiple myeloma remains incurable, and outcomes for triple-class-refractory patients remain dismal, with median survival below one year. Bispecific T cell engaging antibodies (TCEs) have recently emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic approach capable of redirecting cytotoxic T cells to eliminate malignant plasma cells. These engineered antibodies simultaneously engage CD3 on T cells and a tumor-associated antigen such as B cell maturation antigen (BCMA), G protein-coupled receptor family C group 5 member D (GPRC5D), or Fc receptor homolog 5 (FcRH5), thereby forming an immune synapse that triggers T cell activation, cytokine secretion, and perforin-granzyme-mediated apoptosis of the targeted B cell. This review summarizes the molecular design, mechanism of action, and clinical development of TCEs in MM, encompassing early bi-specific T cell engagers (BiTE) constructs such as AMG 420 and next-generation IgG-like molecules including teclistamab. Pivotal clinical trials have demonstrated overall response rates between 43% and 73%, accompanied by durable remissions and manageable safety profiles. Future directions include earlier-line integration, synergistic combinations with immunomodulatory or costimulatory agents, and the development of trispecific formats to overcome antigen escape and T cell exhaustion. Collectively, TCEs represent a paradigm shift toward durable, immune-mediated disease control in multiple myeloma.

Synergistic drug combinations are often used to treat cancer. Experimental exploration of all possibilities is expensive. Deep learning (DL) offers a potential alternative for predicting drug pair synergy in specific cell lines. However, current methods often suffer from data leakage and lack systematic ablation studies. We propose SynVerse, a comprehensive evaluation framework featuring four data-splitting strategies to assess DL model generalizability and three ablation studies: module-based, feature shuffling, and a novel network-based approach to disentangle factors influencing performance. We evaluated sixteen models incorporating eight drug- and cell line-specific features, five preprocessing techniques, and two encoders. Our analysis revealed that no model outperformed a baseline using one-hot encoding. Biologically meaningful drug or cell line features and drug-drug interactions did not drive predictive performance. All models showed poor generalization to unseen drugs and cell lines. SynVerse highlights the need for substantial improvements before computational predictors can reliably support experimental and clinical settings.

Intrapleural perfusion hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC) can be used to select specific lung cancer cells of a certain genotype. Some genetic mutations, especially epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, are potential markers for EGFR or other targeted therapies. Here, we report a unique case of a patient with EGFR p.V774M/p. S768I mutations that were associated with prolonged stable disease after treatment with IHPC, especially following furmonertinib-based treatment.

A 47-year-old Chinese female patient was admitted to a regional cancer hospital and presented with malignant pleural effusion (MPE). The TNM and clinical stages were identified as T2aN2M1c and IVB, respectively. The TPS value is 40%. IHP combined with chemotherapy was then carried out to remove MPE. For first-stage treatment, three cycles of afatinib-based adjuvant chemotherapy beginning in September 2022 were given, and the degree of pleural effusion on the left side of the chest was not reduced. The best response (BOR) assessment of the local lesion was a partial response (PR). Furmonertinib-based adjuvant monotherapy was performed from May 2023 to July 2024. The BOR evaluation results during the monotherapy courses were all judged as SD.

The EGFR p.V774M/p.The S768I mutation contributed to improving the efficiency of furmonertinib-based therapy for NSCLC.

The infrapyloric lymph nodes (LNs) are defined as No. 6 LNs and as one of the regional gastric LNs in the Japanese classification of gastric carcinoma. No. 6 LNs are recommended to be dissected completely even in D1 lymphadenectomy for distal and total gastrectomy in the Japanese Gastric Cancer Treatment Guideline. Omento-bursectomy, whose survival advantage for advanced gastric cancer patients was not shown by the Japanese Clinical Oncology Group 1001 trial, has been proposed to be a useful technique for safe and secure dissection of No. 6 LNs in gastric cancer surgery. In the present review, we first discuss the reason why omento-bursectomy is considered to be a useful technique for dissection of No. 6 LNs, reframing the gastric LNs as a parapancreatic lymph chain based on the dorsal pancreas, mesogastrium, and mesoduodenum embryology. Second, we introduce the outermost layer-oriented dissection (OLD) of No. 6 LNs in performing an omentum-preserving gastrectomy (OPG) devised at Fujita Health University and their favorable outcomes. Last, we discuss the reason why the incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy is significantly higher than open gastrectomy for stage Ⅰ gastric cancer patients, for whom the OPG is likely performed, in a retrospective cohort study based on the Japanese National Clinical Database. Although single-institution retrospective clinical studies are referenced in this review, it is considered that reframing the gastric LNs as a parapancreatic lymph chain based on the embryology can enhance safe No.6 LNs dissection in the various types of gastric cancer surgery.