PD-1 and PD-L1 expression is significantly associated with adverse clinicopathological features in CCRCC. Furthermore, PD-1 expression could be one of the biomarkers suggesting poor outcome in patients with metastatic CCRCC receiving molecular targeted therapies.

High PD-L1 expression in SDC was strongly associated with unfavorable prognosis, indicating that PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors could be effective in SDC.

We previously reported a cooperative effect between insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] in murine clonal osteoblastic cells, MCT3T3-E1. In the present study, the possible mechanism of interaction between these hormones was investigated. The effect of IGF-I on 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptors in MC3T3-E1 cells was examined. The affinity and hormone binding capacity of 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptors were not altered by IGF-I. Immunoblot analysis showed about 54 kilodaltons (kDa) 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptors, similar to that observed for mouse fibroblasts. The synthesis of IGF-I by the cells under a serum-free condition was determined by RIA. The assay revealed immunoreactive IGF-I secreted by MC3T3-E1 cells (1.79 +/- 0.04 x 10(-9) M, mean +/- SE, n = 5). Rat GH significantly increased the concentration of IGF-I, but 1,25-(OH)2D3 did not. IGF-I radioligand-receptor assay revealed specific binding of IGF-I to MC3T3-E1 cells. The relative potency of IGF-I-related peptides to bind with the cells was in the order of IGF-I much greater than multiplication-stimulating activity (the rat homologue of IGF-II) greater than insulin, and the receptor protein migrated as a 130-kDa band in autoradiography. Scatchard analysis showed a significant increase in IGF-I binding sites by 50% after 3-day treatment with 5 x 10(-11) M 1,25-(OH)2D3, without any change in affinity. These results indicate that the interaction of IGF-I and 1,25-(OH)2D3 in the culture of MC3T3-E1 cells may be mediated by the effect of 1,25-(OH)2D3 on IGF-I receptors.

Background/Aim: The present study aimed to examine the influence of antibiotics (AB) on the clinical outcomes of Japanese patients treated with immune check point inhibitors (ICIs) for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients. Patients and Methods: A total of 31 patients with metastatic RCC treated with ICIs from November 2016 to April 2019 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Results: Five patients were treated with AB prior to ICIs treatment. Median progression free survival (PFS) of patients treated with AB vs. patients not treated with AB was 2.8 months and 18.4 months, respectively. The difference between PFS was statistically significant (p=0.0004). In multivariate analyses, AB use (p=0.0377) and presence of immune related adverse events (p=0.0042) were independent prognostic factors for PFS in association with ICIs therapy. Conclusion: The use of AB before ICIs treatment was a predictor of poor ICIs response in metastatic RCC.Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) that target programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) protein, programmed cell death-ligand 1 protein, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), have changed the therapeutic landscape and are currently standard treatment options in patients with advanced and metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (1, 2). Despite the remarkable success of clinical applications, the efficacy of ICIs in RCC varies greatly across individual patients. Some researchers have reported biomarkers for predicting prognosis in patients treated with ICIs, such as PD-L1 and PD-L2 positivity, tumor mutation burden, and profile of immune-related genes (3). Furthermore, the association of immune related adverse events (irAEs) with prognosis in metastatic RCC has been recently reported (4, 5). Thus, it is critical to explore reliable predictors to improve prognosis of RCC patients treated with ICIs.Recently, several studies have demonstrated the crucial impact of human gut microbiota on ICIs therapies (6-9). It is well recognized that antibiotics (AB) alter the diversity and composition of gut microbiota and consequently shift their metabolic capacity (10). The hypothesis was that modulation of gut microbiota by AB may be associated with poor response to ICIs. However, the data on the association between AB use and clinical outcomes with ICIs are limited, especially in Japanese patients with genitourinary cancer.In the present study, we performed a retrospective analysis to examine the influence of AB on the clinical outcomes of Japanese patients treated with ICIs therapy for metastatic RCC patients. Patients and MethodsStudy design and patients. We retrospectively examined clinical information collected from 31 RCC patients treated with ICIs at Kurume University Hospital from November 2016 to April 2019. All patients received nivolumab or the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab. Nivolumab was intravenously administered at 3 mg/kg or 240 mg/body every 2 weeks. Nivolumab and ipilimumab were administered intravenously at a dose of 240 mg/body and 1 mg/kg, respectiv...

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