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Molecular Mechanisms of Sarcoma Initiation and Metastasis

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2026) | Viewed by 1465

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to the rarity and heterogeneity of sarcomas, investigation into molecular targets has been particularly challenging. Although intensive chemotherapy and the establishment of surgical procedures have improved the outcomes of patients with sarcomas, the curative rate of recurrent and metastatic sarcomas remains unsatisfactory. Recent basic science research has revealed some of the mechanisms of the progression and metastasis of malignancies, including proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, tumor microenvironment, migration, invasion, and the regulation of antitumor immune systems. This Special Issue aims to bring together the highest-quality original and review articles on basic and pre-clinical research for bone and soft tissue tumors. We invite papers addressing molecular biology, the microenvironment, and metastasis mechanisms.

Dr. Shinji Miwa
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • sarcoma
  • molecular target
  • metastasis
  • apoptosis
  • angiogenesis
  • microenvironment

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 18856 KB  
Article
Establishment and Characterization of OS-MET-R-092: A Novel Patient-Derived Cell Culture from an Osteosarcoma Bone Metastasis
by Veronica Giusti, Leonardo Fantoni, Monica Torsello, Giorgio Frega, Arianna Martinuzzi, Giulia Sbanchi, Caterina Dalrio, Enrico Lucarelli, Chiara Bellotti, Chiara Casotti, Elena Caddeo, Ania Naila Guerrieri, Simona Paglia, Claudia Maria Hattinger, Massimo Serra, Margherita Maioli, Marco Gambarotti, Stefania Benini, Luca Cattini, Davide Maria Donati, Toni Ibrahim and Laura Mercataliadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(21), 10540; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110540 - 29 Oct 2025
Viewed by 884
Abstract
Bone metastases from osteosarcoma occur in only 10% of patients, and related preclinical models are lacking. A patient diagnosed with pelvic osteosarcoma developed a metachronous scapular metastasis and was treated with multi-agent chemotherapy and surgery. Patient-derived tissue fragments (PDTFs) were obtained from leftover [...] Read more.
Bone metastases from osteosarcoma occur in only 10% of patients, and related preclinical models are lacking. A patient diagnosed with pelvic osteosarcoma developed a metachronous scapular metastasis and was treated with multi-agent chemotherapy and surgery. Patient-derived tissue fragments (PDTFs) were obtained from leftover material after diagnosis and biobanking. PDTFs were grown on chick chorioallantoic membrane, establishing an in vivo-like predictive model. Additionally, we obtained a patient-derived cell culture, OS-MET-R-092, which has been maintained in vitro for nearly one year. OS-MET-R-092 cells were authenticated based on short tandem repeats and on their morphology when grown on commercial 3D scaffolds. Using U-2 OS and SaOS-2 as controls, we characterized growth, clonogenic potential, ability to form spheroids, migration, osteogenic differentiation, and expression of related genes. OS-MET-R-092 cells showed a low proliferation rate, impaired differentiation potential, and migratory abilities comparable to SaOS-2, while expressing higher levels of some MMPs and CD44. Functionally, OS-MET-R-092 cells demonstrated a resistant phenotype to doxorubicin, cisplatin, gemcitabine, and docetaxel, corroborated by higher expression of chemo-resistance-related genes. Collectively, OS-MET-R-092 represents a valuable tool for studying bone metastasis from osteosarcoma across various experimental settings and serves as the foundational building block for composite and translatable 3D models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Sarcoma Initiation and Metastasis)
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