The process of cancer immunosurveillance is a mechanism of tumour suppression that can protect the host from cancer development throughout its lifetime1,2. However, it is unknown whether the effectiveness of cancer immunosurveillance fluctuates over a single day. Here we demonstrate that the initial time of day of tumour engraftment dictates the ensuing tumour size across mouse cancer models. Using immunodeficient mice as well as mice lacking lineage-specific circadian functions, we show that dendritic cells (DCs) and CD8+ T cells exert circadian anti-tumour functions that control melanoma volume. Specifically, we find that rhythmic trafficking of DCs to the tumour draining lymph node governs a circadian response of tumour-antigen-specific CD8+ T cells that is dependent on the circadian expression of the co-stimulatory molecule CD80. As a consequence, cancer immunotherapy is more effective when synchronized with DC functions, shows circadian outcomes in mice and suggests similar effects in humans. These data demonstrate that the circadian rhythms of anti-tumour immune components are not only critical for controlling tumour size but can also be of therapeutic relevance.

Currently, patients with radioiodine refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RAIR-DTC) have limited treatment options. In this study, we aimed to assess the short-term efficacy and safety of apatinib in RAIR-DTC. Ten adult patients were prospectively enrolled to receive oral apatinib (750 mg q.d). The primary endpoints were change in serum thyroglobulin (Tg) concentration, disease control rate (DCR) and objective response rate (ORR) based on RECIST 1.1 criteria. The secondary endpoints included change in glucose metabolism, evaluated by maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax), and safety. As early as 2 weeks after apatinib treatment, the serum Tg concentration decreased by 21.0% in 8 patients available for detection without interference, and a further sharp decline by 81.4% compared with the baseline level occurred at 8 weeks post-treatment. The DCR and ORR were 100% (10/10) and 90% (9/10), respectively. The sum of tumor diameter shrank to 22.8±8.1 mm from 38.8±15.7 mm (P=0.001). Moreover, a significant decrease in SUVmax was observed from 6.53±5.14 to 2.56±1.67 and 2.45±1.48 at 4-week and 8-week time-points after treatment (P=0.032 and 0.020), respectively. The common grade 3 adverse events (AEs) included hand-foot-skin reaction (50%), hypertension (30%), and hypocalcemia (20%). No severe AE related to apatinib was observed during treatment. Hence, apatinib seems to be a promising therapeutic option for RAIR-DTC patients. Apart from RECIST 1.1 criteria, the biochemical marker (Tg) and glucose metabolism index (SUVmax) could be adopted in assessing the early response to TKI in RAIR-DTC.

Purpose. We performed this meta-analysis to determine the utilities of 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI in assessing the pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in the same cohort of patients with breast cancer. Methods. Two reviewers systematically searched on PubMed, Scopus, and Springer (from the beginning of 1992 to Aug. 1, 2015) for the eligible articles. Heterogeneity, pooled sensitivity and specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and the summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve were calculated to estimate the diagnostic efficacy of 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI. Results. A total of 6 studies including 382 pathologically confirmed patients were eligible. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of 18F-FDG PET/CT were 0.86 (95% CI: 0.76–0.93) and 0.72 (95% CI: 0.49–0.87), respectively. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of MRI were 0.65 (95% CI: 0.45–0.80) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.75–0.95), respectively. The area under the SROC curve of 18F-FDG PET/CT and MRI was 0.88 and 0.84, respectively. Conclusion. Study indicated that 18F-FDG PET/CT had a higher sensitivity and MRI had a higher specificity in assessing pCR in breast cancer patients. Therefore, the combined use of these two imaging modalities may have great potential to improve the diagnostic performance in assessing pCR after NAC.