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Cancers
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Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Diffuse Gliomas
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Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Diffuse Gliomas

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Biomarkers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2025 | Viewed by 8731

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Matteo Simonelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Italy
2. IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
Interests: neuro-oncology; diffuse gliomas; early-phase drug development; phase I trials in solid tumors; immunotherapy; precision oncology; translational research
Prof. Dr. Federico Pessina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Italy
2. IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
Interests: neuro-oncology; malignant gliomas; neurosurgery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although the diagnosis of diffuse gliomas has been historically based on histopathologic features, our knowledge of the genetic and epigenetic landscape has dramatically improved over the past decade. Key genomic alterations defining glioma subtypes are now part of the routine molecular diagnostic workout, allowing a better stratification of patients' prognosis, and guiding decision making with regard to treatment. Nowadays, it has also become clear that the glioma tumor microenvironment (TME) plays as a critical role in cancer development and progression. The unique and highly complex properties of the brain require a specific deep analysis of both the cellular and non-cellular TME components for a better understanding of how gliomas escape from immunosurveillance and to design targeted therapeutic interventions harnessing the TME to fight cancer. Unfortunately, these great advances in the molecular and immunological characterization of diffuse gliomas have not yet led to significant changes in the treatment paradigms and in the prognosis of patients, which generally remains poor. This Special Issue of Cancers aims to explore emerging insights on the molecular landscape, the immunological milieu and therapeutic management of diffuse gliomas. Our purpose is to focus on most recent technologies able to address gliomas’ inter-tumoral and intra-tumoral genetic and epigenetic heterogeneity with an unprecedented resolution, on novel diagnostic techniques such as liquid biopsies, radiomics, or advanced imaging, allowing non-invasive molecular diagnosis and surveillance, and finally on the discovery of novel “druggable” targets and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diffuse gliomas.

We cordially invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Cancers with your latest original research within this scope. Expert perspectives, comprehensive reviews, and meta-analyses are also welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Matteo Simonelli
Prof. Dr. Federico Pessina
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 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. Cancers 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 2900 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

  • diffuse gliomas
  • glioblastoma
  • neuro-oncology
  • neurosurgery
  • radiomics
  • liquid biopsies
  • immunotherapy
  • epigenetics
  • targeted therapy
  • imaging

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2767 KiB  
Article
A Digital Phenotypic Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (DANO): A Pilot Study on Sociability Changes in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Brain Malignancies
by Francesca Siddi, Patrick Emedom-Nnamdi, Michael P. Catalino, Aakanksha Rana, Alessandro Boaro, Hassan Y. Dawood, Francesco Sala, Jukka-Pekka Onnela and Timothy R. Smith
Cancers 2025, 17(1), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17010139 - 4 Jan 2025
Viewed by 604
Abstract
Background: The digital phenotyping tool has great potential for the deep characterization of neurological and quality-of-life assessments in brain tumor patients. Phone communication activities (details on call and text use) can provide insight into the patients’ sociability. Methods: We prospectively collected digital-phenotyping data [...] Read more.
Background: The digital phenotyping tool has great potential for the deep characterization of neurological and quality-of-life assessments in brain tumor patients. Phone communication activities (details on call and text use) can provide insight into the patients’ sociability. Methods: We prospectively collected digital-phenotyping data from six brain tumor patients. The data were collected using the Beiwe application installed on their personal smartphones. We constructed several daily sociability features from phone communication logs, including the number of incoming and outgoing text messages and calls, the length of messages and duration of calls, message reciprocity, the number of communication partners, and number of missed calls. We compared variability in these sociability features against those obtained from a control group, matched for age and sex, selected among patients with a herniated disc. Results: In brain tumor patients, phone-based communication appears to deteriorate with time, as evident in the trend for total outgoing minutes, total outgoing calls, and call out-degree. Conclusions: These measures indicate a possible decrease in sociability over time in brain tumor patients that may correlate with survival. This exploratory analysis suggests that a quantifiable digital sociability phenotype exists and is comparable for patients with different survival outcomes. Overall, assessing neurocognitive function using digital phenotyping appears promising. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Diffuse Gliomas)
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Review

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24 pages, 4039 KiB  
Review
Exosomes in Glioma: Unraveling Their Roles in Progression, Diagnosis, and Therapy
by Song Yang, Yumeng Sun, Wei Liu, Yi Zhang, Guozhu Sun, Bai Xiang and Jiankai Yang
Cancers 2024, 16(4), 823; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16040823 - 18 Feb 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3001
Abstract
Gliomas, the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumors, present a challenging prognosis even after undergoing surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Exosomes, nano-sized extracellular vesicles secreted by various cells, play a pivotal role in glioma progression and contribute to resistance against chemotherapy and radiotherapy by [...] Read more.
Gliomas, the most prevalent primary malignant brain tumors, present a challenging prognosis even after undergoing surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Exosomes, nano-sized extracellular vesicles secreted by various cells, play a pivotal role in glioma progression and contribute to resistance against chemotherapy and radiotherapy by facilitating the transportation of biological molecules and promoting intercellular communication within the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, exosomes exhibit the remarkable ability to traverse the blood–brain barrier, positioning them as potent carriers for therapeutic delivery. These attributes hold promise for enhancing glioma diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Recent years have witnessed significant advancements in exosome research within the realm of tumors. In this article, we primarily focus on elucidating the role of exosomes in glioma development, highlighting the latest breakthroughs in therapeutic and diagnostic approaches, and outlining prospective directions for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Diffuse Gliomas)
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Graphical abstract

29 pages, 1208 KiB  
Review
T Cell Features in Glioblastoma May Guide Therapeutic Strategies to Overcome Microenvironment Immunosuppression
by Agnese Losurdo, Antonio Di Muzio, Beatrice Claudia Cianciotti, Angelo Dipasquale, Pasquale Persico, Chiara Barigazzi, Beatrice Bono, Simona Feno, Federico Pessina, Armando Santoro and Matteo Simonelli
Cancers 2024, 16(3), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16030603 - 31 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2786
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal primary brain tumor, bearing a survival estimate below 10% at five years, despite standard chemoradiation treatment. At recurrence, systemic treatment options are limited and the standard of care is not well defined, with inclusion in [...] Read more.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and lethal primary brain tumor, bearing a survival estimate below 10% at five years, despite standard chemoradiation treatment. At recurrence, systemic treatment options are limited and the standard of care is not well defined, with inclusion in clinical trials being highly encouraged. So far, the use of immunotherapeutic strategies in GBM has not proved to significantly improve patients’ prognosis in the treatment of newly diagnosed GBM, nor in the recurrent setting. Probably this has to do with the unique immune environment of the central nervous system, which harbors several immunosuppressive/pro-tumorigenic factors, both soluble (e.g., TGF-β, IL-10, STAT3, prostaglandin E2, and VEGF) and cellular (e.g., Tregs, M2 phenotype TAMs, and MDSC). Here we review the immune composition of the GBMs microenvironment, specifically focusing on the phenotype and function of the T cell compartment. Moreover, we give hints on the therapeutic strategies, such as immune checkpoint blockade, vaccinations, and adoptive cell therapy, that, interacting with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, might both target in different ways the tumor microenvironment and potentiate the activity of standard therapies. The path to be followed in advancing clinical research on immunotherapy for GBM treatment relies on a twofold strategy: testing combinatorial treatments, aiming to restore active immune anti-tumor responses, tackling immunosuppression, and additionally, designing more phase 0 and window opportunity trials with solid translational analyses to gain deeper insight into the on-treatment shaping of the GBM microenvironment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Diffuse Gliomas)
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Other

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15 pages, 3230 KiB  
Systematic Review
Ollier Disease, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and Brain Glioma: IDH as the Common Denominator
by Sergio Corvino, Teresa Somma, Francesco Certo, Giulio Bonomo, Erica Grasso, Felice Esposito, Jacopo Berardinelli and Giuseppe Barbagallo
Cancers 2024, 16(18), 3125; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16183125 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1403
Abstract
Ollier disease (OD), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and brain glioma (BG) are three apparently completely different neoplasms in terms of histopathology, clinic, natural history, and management, but they can affect the same patient. This study aimed to identify the common molecular pathways involved [...] Read more.
Ollier disease (OD), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and brain glioma (BG) are three apparently completely different neoplasms in terms of histopathology, clinic, natural history, and management, but they can affect the same patient. This study aimed to identify the common molecular pathways involved in the pathogenesis of all three diseases and discuss their current and potential role as therapeutic targets. A detailed and comprehensive systematic literature review according to PRISMA guidelines on OD patients harboring BG and/or AML was made. In addition, the unique case of a patient affected by all three considered diseases has been added to our case series. Demographic, pathological, treatment, and outcome data were analyzed and discussed, mainly focusing on the molecular findings. Twenty-eight studies reported thirty-three patients affected by OD and BG, and only one study reported one patient with OD and AML, while only our patient harbored all three pathologies. The IDH R132H mutation was the only genetic alteration shared by all three pathologies and was simultaneously detected in enchondromas and brain glioma in 100% (3/3) of OD patients with BG and also in the neoplastic blood cells of the single patient hosting all three diseases. The IDH1-R132H gene mutation is the etiopathogenetic common denominator among three apparently different tumors coexisting in the same patient. The adoption of mutant-specific IDH1 inhibitor molecules could represent a potential panacea for these conditions in the era of targeted therapies. Further studies with larger clinical series are needed to confirm our results and hypothesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches in Diffuse Gliomas)
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