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Women’s Special Issue Series: Cells and Ovarian Cancer

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Published Papers

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2023) | Viewed by 9444

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anahid Jewett

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Guest Editor

School of Dentistry and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Interests: natural killer cells in cancer immune system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Kawaljit Kaur

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Guest Editor

Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, The Jane and Jerry Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology, Department of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Interests: natural killer cells; oral cancer; pancreatic cancer; cancer immunotherapy; humanized-BLT mice; osteoclasts; cell expansion; T cells; osteonecrosis of jaw; probiotic bacteria; chemotherapy; bisphosphonates; monocytes; dendritic cells; clinical trials; NAC
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We have witnessed great advancements in cancer treatments in the last decade; however, gynecological cancers, in particular, advanced ovarian cancer, have remained challenging to cure. This Special Issue is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge regarding gynecological cancers, and seeks to solicit manuscripts, reviews or commentaries from female leaders in the field, as well as new investigators who are interested in publishing and advancing this field. We encourage submissions from all investigators at different levels in their careers. While we encourage contributions for which the lead author is a woman (a person who identifies as a woman), or that are completely authored by women, contributions from all genders are welcome. The purpose of our Special Issue is to promote and celebrate the achievements of women in science, without imposing gender-specific restrictions. Therefore, we welcome submissions from all authors, irrespective of gender identity.

Prof. Dr. Anahid Jewett
Dr. Kawaljit Kaur
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

gynecological cancers
ovarian cancer
uterine cancer
immune cells
natural killer cells
T cells
chemotherapy and radiotherapy
check point inhibitors
antibodies
in vitro and in vivo
humanized mice
CAR-T

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 5187 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Morphological and Immunocytochemical Characterization of Tumor Spheroids in Ascites from High-Grade Serous Carcinoma

by Simona Miceska, Erik Škof, Gorana Gašljević and Veronika Kloboves-Prevodnik

Cells 2023, 12(19), 2390; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12192390 - 30 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 843

Abstract

Tumor spheroids in the ascites of high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) are poorly described. Our objective was to describe their morphological features, cellular composition, PD-1 and PD-L1 expression, and survival correlation of these parameters. The density and size of spheroids were assessed in Giemsa-stained smears; the cell composition of spheroids, including tumor cells, immune cells, capillaries, and myofibroblasts, as well as PD-1 and PD-L1 expression on tumor and immune cells was assessed in immunocytochemically stained cell block sections. Forty-seven patients with primary HGSC and malignant ascites were included. A cut-off value for a spheroid density of 10% was established, which significantly predicted overall survival. However, spheroid size did not correlate with survival outcomes. Spheroids were primarily composed of tumor cells, but the presence of lymphocytes and macrophages was also confirmed. Moreover, capillaries were present in the spheroids of three patients, but the presence of myofibroblasts was not confirmed. PD-1 was expressed on lymphocytes but not on tumor cells. PD-L1 expression was seen on both tumor and immune cells, assessed by 22C3 and SP263 antibody clones but not by the SP142 clone. Our results highlight the potential of routine cytopathological techniques to analyze spheroids in HGSC ascites as a valuable tool to investigate their potential as prognostic markers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Cells and Ovarian Cancer)

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12 pages, 2483 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Clinical Relevance of Mortalin in Ovarian Cancer Patients

by Alicja Rajtak, Arkadiusz Czerwonka, Michael Pitter, Jan Kotarski and Karolina Okła

Cells 2023, 12(5), 701; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12050701 - 23 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1750

Abstract

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive tract. Consequently, a better understanding of the malignant features in OC is pertinent. Mortalin (mtHsp70/GRP75/PBP74/HSPA9/HSPA9B) promotes cancer development, progression, metastasis, and recurrence. Yet, there is no parallel evaluation and clinical relevance of mortalin in the peripheral and local tumor ecosystem in OC patients. Methods: A cohort of 92 pretreatment women was recruited, including 50 OC patients, 14 patients with benign ovarian tumors, and 28 healthy women. Blood plasma and ascites fluid-soluble mortalin concentrations were measured by ELISA. Mortalin protein levels in tissues and OC cells were analyzed using proteomic datasets. The gene expression profile of mortalin in ovarian tissues was evaluated through the analysis of RNAseq data. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to demonstrate the prognostic relevance of mortalin. Results: First, we found upregulation of local mortalin in two different ecosystems, i.e., ascites and tumor tissues in human OC compared to control groups. Second, abundance expression of local tumor mortalin is associated with cancer-driven signaling pathways and worse clinical outcome. Third, high mortalin level in tumor tissues, but not in the blood plasma or ascites fluid, predicts worse patient prognosis. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a previously unknown mortalin profile in peripheral and local tumor ecosystem and its clinical relevance in OC. These novel findings may serve clinicians and investigators in the development of biomarker-based targeted therapeutics and immunotherapies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Cells and Ovarian Cancer)

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12 pages, 2490 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ciliated Cells in Ovarian Cancer Decrease with Increasing Tumor Grade and Disease Progression

by Michael T. Richardson, Maria Sol Recouvreux, Beth Y. Karlan, Ann E. Walts and Sandra Orsulic

Cells 2022, 11(24), 4009; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11244009 - 11 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1937

Abstract

Ciliated cell markers expressed in epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC) are associated with improved survival. We examined the distribution of cells expressing ciliated cell markers in various EOC histologies and stages. Immunohistochemistry and/or multiplex immunofluorescence were used to determine the expression of FOXJ1 and/or CAPS (ciliated cell markers) in tissue microarrays including 4 normal fallopian tubes, 6 normal endometria, 16 cystadenomas, 25 borderline tumors, 21 low-grade carcinomas, and 118 high-grade carcinomas (HGSOC) (46 serous, 29 endometrioid, 30 clear cell, 13 mucinous). CAPS+ cells were observed in normal fallopian tubes and endometria and in ~85% of serous benign and borderline tumors and low-grade carcinomas but only in <40% of HGSOC. mRNA data from an independent cohort showed higher FOXJ1 and CAPS expression in serous borderline tumors and low-grade carcinomas compared to HGSOC. In HGSOC, ciliated cell-positive markers were observed in 52% primary tumors compared to 26% of patient-matched synchronous metastases, and 24% metachronous metastases (p = 0.009). mRNA data from an independent HGSOC cohort showed lower levels of CAPS in metastases than in primary tumors (p = 0.03). Overall, the study revealed that ciliated cells were less common in mucinous EOC, the percentage of ciliated cell marker-positive cases decreased with increasing grade, and the percentage of ciliated cells decreased in HGSOC metastases compared to patient-matched primary tumors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Cells and Ovarian Cancer)

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Review

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20 pages, 1603 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Iron and Cobalt in Gynecological Diseases

by Adrianna Ćwiertnia, Mateusz Kozłowski and Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska

Cells 2023, 12(1), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12010117 - 28 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2570

Abstract

Iron and cobalt are micronutrients that play an important role in the regulation of cellular processes, being part of the centre of catalases, peroxidases, cytochromes and metalloproteins such as hemoglobin and myoglobin (Fe). Cobalt primarily functions as a component of hydroxycobalamin, which is essential for regulating red blood cell production. Maintaining normal levels of cobalt and iron in the human body is important, as a deficiency can lead to anaemia. These elements are also involved in reactions during which oxidative stress occurs and are therefore considered to be a cause of tumor formation. This paper will discuss aspects of the influence of cobalt and iron on mechanisms that may contribute to the growth of gynecological tumors, as well as other obstetric-gynecological disease entities, by altering the conditions of the microenvironment. In addition, the following review also highlights the role of cobalt and iron in the treatment of gynecological tumors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Cells and Ovarian Cancer)

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17 pages, 809 KiB

Open AccessReview

Clinical Significance of Tie-2-Expressing Monocytes/Macrophages and Angiopoietins in the Progression of Ovarian Cancer—State-of-the-Art

by Wiktoria Skiba, Dorota Suszczyk, Anna Pawłowska, Karolina Włodarczyk, Anna Pańczyszyn and Iwona Wertel

Cells 2022, 11(23), 3851; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11233851 - 30 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1535

Abstract

Tumour growth and metastasis are specific to advanced stages of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Tumour angiogenesis is an essential part of these processes. It is responsible for providing tumours with nutrients, metabolites, and cytokines and facilitates tumour and immune cell relocation. Destabilised vasculature, a distinctive feature of tumours, is also responsible for compromising drug delivery into the bulk. Angiogenesis is a complex process that largely depends on how the tumour microenvironment (TME) is composed and how a specific organ is formed. There are contrary reports on whether Tie-2-expressing monocytes/macrophages (TEMs) reported as the proangiogenic population of monocytes have any impact on tumour development. The aim of this paper is to summarise knowledge about ovarian-cancer-specific angiogenesis and the unique role of Tie-2-expressing monocytes/macrophages in this process. The significance of this cell subpopulation for the pathophysiology of EOC remains to be investigated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Women’s Special Issue Series: Cells and Ovarian Cancer)

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