A new editorial paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on February 11, 2023, entitled, “Unlocking the potential of molecular-driven stratification for osteosarcoma treatment and prognosis.”

Over the last 40 years, the complex genetic landscape, the heterogeneity of the microenvironment and the cell plasticity of Osteosarcoma (OSA) tumors have delayed the therapeutic and prognostic stratification of patients and the introduction of new efficient treatments. 

As a direct consequence, the vast majority of trials still don’t benefit from a selection of OSA patient-based on molecular evidence before drug administration. This lack of stratification leads to difficult interpretation of outcome, especially with targeted agents such as multikinase inhibitors or anti-osteoclastic drugs.

“Meanwhile, fortunately, the accumulation of numerous sparse but converging observations from many research and clinical teams have progressively drawn a portrait of the resistant osteosarcoma that’s paved the way to new translational discoveries.”

In their new editorial, researchers Gaël Moquin-Beaudry, Maria Eugenia Marques da Costa, Nathalie Gaspar, and Antonin Marchais from Université Paris-Saclay discussed their recent study using unsupervised machine learning algorithms to classify OSA at diagnosis based on gene expression modules functionally enriched for immune microenvironment and tumor phenotypic traits.

“Recently, several important studies have described OSA molecularly at an unprecedent[ed] level of detail taking advantage of multiomics approaches and artificial intelligence [1–3].”


Read the full editorial: DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28364 

Correspondence to: Antonin Marchais - ANTONIN.MARCHAIS@gustaveroussy.fr 

Keywords: multiomics, osteosarcoma, bone sarcoma,
stratification

About Oncotarget

Oncotarget is a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal. Papers are published continuously within yearly volumes in their final and complete form, and then quickly released to Pubmed. On September 15, 2022, Oncotarget was accepted again for indexing by MEDLINE. Oncotarget is now indexed by Medline/PubMed and PMC/PubMed.

To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us:

SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/oncotarget
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/oncotarget
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/
Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/

Media Contact
MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM
18009220957

Oncotarget

Unlocking the Potential of Molecular-Driven Stratification of Osteosarcoma

"Four Siblings Are Best Friends"

Building boxes for our stuffies
Maybe make a fort
Movie nights are so much fun
With everyone
With everyone
Four siblings are best friends
We’re unstoppable
We’re together until the end
Because we are best friends
Love seeing with each other
Get it from our crazy father
Also snuggle with each other
Get it from our beautiful mother
Four siblings are best friends
We’re unstoppable
We’re together until the end
Because we are best friends
We don’t like the rainy days
We want to go out and play
We have the cutest dog ever
There’s no way life could be better

"Four Siblings are Best Friends"

BUFFALO, NY – February 14, 2025 – A new #review was #published in Oncotarget, Volume 16, on February 12, 2025, titled “SETDB1 amplification in osteosarcomas: Insights from its role in healthy tissues and other cancer types.”

Authors Elodie Verdier, Nathalie Gaspar, Maria Eugenia Marques Da Costa, and Antonin Marchais from the Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus analyzed recent studies on a gene called SETDB1, which may play a key role in osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer that mostly affects teenagers and young adults. Their review highlights how SETDB1 helps cancer cells grow, resist treatment, and avoid the immune system. Because of this, blocking SETDB1 could be a promising new way to treat osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is a fast-growing bone cancer that is usually treated with surgery and chemotherapy. However, if the cancer spreads or returns, treatment options are very limited. Scientists are searching for new ways to stop this disease, and recent studies have found that osteosarcoma cells often have extra copies of the SETDB1 gene. This seems to make the cancer more aggressive and harder to treat.

“Whole exome sequencing of osteosarcoma samples from both diagnosis and relapses has highlighted several factors, including SETDB1, that are amplified in the most aggressive forms of the disease.”

SETDB1 is involved in epigenetics, meaning it affects how genes are turned on and off without changing the DNA itself. The review explains that SETDB1 helps tumors hide from the immune system, making it difficult for the body to fight the cancer naturally. The researchers believe that blocking SETDB1 could help the immune system recognize and attack osteosarcoma cells. Some experimental drugs that target SETDB1 are already being tested in the lab.

The review also describes how SETDB1 influences key cancer pathways, such as Wnt signaling, which helps cancer cells grow, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process that allows cancer to spread. The authors suggest that combining SETDB1-blocking drugs with immunotherapy or radiation could be an effective new strategy for treating osteosarcoma.

Another key finding is that SETDB1 may help cancer cells become resistant to chemotherapy, making treatment less effective. This means that drugs targeting SETDB1 could not only slow cancer growth but also make existing treatments work better.

While more research is needed, this review brings attention to SETDB1 as a potential treatment target. Scientists hope that a deeper understanding of SETDB1 will lead to new therapies that improve survival rates for osteosarcoma patients.

DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28688

Correspondence to - Antonin Marchais - antonin.marchais@gustaveroussy.fr, and Maria Eugenia Marques Da Costa - jenny.marquescosta@gustaveroussy.fr

Video short - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9WgaDoEubs

About Oncotarget 

Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.

Oncotarget is indexed and archived by PubMed/Medline, PubMed Central, Scopus, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).

To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/
X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/
Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh

MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

SETDB1 Amplification Identified as a Potential Target for New Osteosarcoma Treatment

Despite decades of research, treatment for osteosarcoma has remained largely unchanged, especially for patients whose cancer spreads or returns. However, a growing body of evidence, summarized in the review “SETDB1 amplification in osteosarcomas: Insights from its role in healthy tissues and other cancer types,” published in Oncotarget, highlights the gene regulator SETDB1 as a potential key player in cancer progression, immune system evasion, and resistance to therapy. Targeting this protein may offer a new direction for developing more effective treatments.

Understanding Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a rare but aggressive bone cancer that primarily affects teenagers and young adults. While current treatments like surgery and chemotherapy can help some patients, outcomes are much worse for those with relapsed or advanced disease.

One of the reasons osteosarcomas are so difficult to treat is their complex and unstable genetics. Unlike cancers with well-defined mutations, osteosarcomas involve chaotic DNA rearrangements, making it difficult to identify precise drug targets. Adding to the challenge, the immune system often fails to recognize these cancer cells, limiting the success of immunotherapy.

Full blog - https://www.oncotarget.org/2025/04/09/targeting-setdb1-a-new-strategy-for-treating-osteosarcoma/

Paper DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28688

Correspondence to - Antonin Marchais - antonin.marchais@gustaveroussy.fr, and Maria Eugenia Marques Da Costa - jenny.marquescosta@gustaveroussy.fr

Video short - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9WgaDoEubs

Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://oncotarget.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Foncotarget.28688

Subscribe for free publication alerts from Oncotarget - https://www.oncotarget.com/subscribe/

Keywords - cancer, SETDB1, cancer epigenetics, tumor immunogenicity, mesenchymal differentiation in osteosarcoma

About Oncotarget 

Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.

Oncotarget is indexed and archived by PubMed/Medline, PubMed Central, Scopus, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).

To learn more about Oncotarget, please visit https://www.oncotarget.com and connect with us:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Oncotarget/
X - https://twitter.com/oncotarget
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/oncotargetjrnl/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@OncotargetJournal
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/oncotarget
Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/oncotarget/
Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/user/Oncotarget/
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0gRwT6BqYWJzxzmjPJwtVh

MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM

Targeting SETDB1: A New Strategy for Treating Osteosarcoma

The Song Society is a St. Louis-based non-profit 501(c)3 music therapy charity organization that provides therapeutic songwriting, recording and supportive performance opportunities, led by board-certified music therapists.



Our mission is to empower the voices of children (5+), teens, young adults and families affected by medical life-changes, cancer and treatment late-effects, or chronic illness--free of charge.

Oncotarget is a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal. Papers are published continuously within yearly volumes in their final and complete form and then quickly released to Pubmed.

Oncotarget is now indexed by MEDLINE, PubMed and PMC/PubMed.

Read about the Oncotarget Scientific Integrity Process: https://www.oncotarget.com/scientific_integrity/

New tracks tagged #osteosarcoma