Discover how the latest breakthrough in bladder cancer research, revealing the pivotal role of MTHFD2 in shaping the tumor microenvironment, is revolutionizing our approach to diagnosis and immunotherapy treatment strategies.
– by James
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Overexpression of MTHFD2 represents an inflamed tumor microenvironment and precisely predicts the molecular subtype and immunotherapy response of bladder cancer.
Shi et al., Front Immunol 2023
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1326509
What’s New: The study identifies Methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) as a positive indicator of an inflamed tumor microenvironment (TME) in bladder cancer (BLCA), which correlates with better patient prognosis and response to immunotherapy.
Importance: This research highlights the potential of MTHFD2 as a biomarker for predicting the efficacy of cancer treatments, particularly immunotherapy, in BLCA patients.
Contribution to Literature: The study uses data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and an independent cohort (GSE48075), as well as immunohistochemistry and RNA sequencing from the IMvigor210 cohort, to validate the association of MTHFD2 with immune features in the TME. It demonstrates that high MTHFD2 expression is linked to increased immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints expression, and T-cell inflamed scores. Furthermore, it suggests that MTHFD2 expression could be used to identify BLCA patients more likely to benefit from immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy, particularly those with a basal-like subtype.
Results: BLCA patients with high MTHFD2 expression showed a positive relationship with the cancer-immunity cycle and inflamed TME. They also had higher response rates to immunotherapy and better survival outcomes, as confirmed by clinical data from the IMvigor210 cohort.