Search

Background: Thymic epithelial tumors (TETs) are rare malignancies with heterogeneous clinical manifestations. The high frequency of autoimmune paraneoplastic disorders observed in such patients requires caution when using COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, TETs are often associated with severe immunodeficiency, making it difficult to predict vaccine immunization. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate immune response to COVID-19 vaccine in patients with TETs., Methods: We conducted a prospective study enrolling patients who underwent the SARS-Cov-2 mRNA full vaccine cycle (two doses plus a booster after 6 months of BNT162b2). All patients were enrolled before receiving 1 st vaccine dose and were followed over the vaccination cycle for up to 6 months after the booster dose to i) assess humoral and cellular responses, ii) define biomarkers predictive of effective immunization, and iii) evaluate the safety of the vaccine., Results: At the end of the full vaccine cycle, 27 (61.4%) patients developed humoral and 38 (86.4%) cellular responses (IFN γ release by stimulated cells) and showed an increase in activated TH1 and TH17 cells, particularly significant after the booster dose. The number of B and T lymphocytes at baseline was predictive of humoral and cellular responses, respectively. Patients with no evidence of tumor lesions had a higher probability of achieving a humoral response than those with evidence of the disease. Furthermore, the percentage of patients with immune-related disorders (75%), particularly Good's syndrome (47.7%) and myasthenia gravis (29.5%), did not change over the entire vaccine cycle. Overall, 19 of the 44 enrolled patients (43.2%) had COVID-19 during the observation period; none required hospitalization or oxygen support, and no fatalities were observed., Conclusion: SARS-Cov-2 mRNA vaccine determines the immune responses in patients with TET, particularly after the booster dose, and in patients with no evidence of tumor lesions. Preliminary analysis of B and T lymphocytes may help identify patients who have a lower probability of achieving effective humoral and cellular responses and thus may need passive immunization. The vaccine prevented severe COVID-19 infection and is safe., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Cernera, Gelzo, De Placido, Ottaviano, Pietroluongo, Raia, Scalia, Tortora, Castaldo, Formisano, Palmieri and Giuliano.)

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the major cause of cancer-related death among the male population of Western society, and androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) represents the first line in PCa treatment. However, although androgen receptor (AR) expression is maintained throughout the various stages of PCa, ADT frequently fails. Clinical studies have demonstrated that different androgen/AR signaling pathways operate in target tissues. AR stimulates growth and transformation of target cells, but under certain conditions slows down their proliferation. In this review, we discuss the role of AR in controlling different functions of mesenchymal and transformed mesenchymal cells. Findings here presented support the role of AR in suppressing proliferation and stimulating migration of stromal cells, with implications for current approaches to cancer therapy.