Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40877968›Full record

ArticleJournal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR2025

CDKN2A deletion is associated with immune desertification in diffuse pleural mesothelioma.

Federica Torricelli, Benedetta Donati, Veronica Manicardi, Mila Gugnoni, Francesca Reggiani, Gloria Manzotti, Pierluigi Di Chiaro, Cristian Ascione, Simonetta Piana, Riccardo Valli and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Moving Beyond Morphology: Toward a Morpho-Molecular Classification of Pleural Mesothelioma.Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Translational lung cancer research · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Federica TorricelliLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Benedetta DonatiLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Veronica ManicardiLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Mila GugnoniLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Francesca ReggianiLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Gloria ManzottiLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Pierluigi Di ChiaroLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Cristian AscioneLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Simonetta PianaPathology Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Riccardo ValliPathology Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Roberto PiroPneumology Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Massimiliano PaciThoracic Surgery Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Nicola FacciolongoPneumology Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Filippo LococoThoracic Surgery Unit, IRCCS-Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli, Roma, Italy.
Alessia CiarrocchiLaboratory of Translational Research, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy. Alessia.Ciarrocchi@ausl.re.it.

Funding

Ministero della Salute 5M-2020-23683645
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDiffuse Pleural Mesothelioma (DPM) is a rare and incurable cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) marked some advances but only for a limited fraction of patients. Improving response prediction to ICIs is currently a clinical need in DPM. Deletion of CDKN2A gene, in chr9p21.3, is one of the most frequent alterations in DPM. As in other settings, deletion of CDKN2A locus has been associated with an immunosuppressive phenotype. Here we investigated the consequences of CDKN2A deletion (CDKN2Adel) on the tridimensional organization and function of immune infiltrate in DPM.

methodsA retrospective cohort of 89 DPMs was analyzed and assessed for CDKN2Adel through digital droplet PCR. Immune-profiling was assessed by analyzing 770 immune-related genes by digital profiling. Finally, morphologically resolved, high-dimensional transcriptomic approach was used to reconstruct the spatial architecture of immune-tumor interaction in wild-type and deleted FFPE samples.

resultsCDKN2Adel was detected in 41.5% of DPMs and was associated with reduced survival (p = 0.04). Bulk gene expression identified 373 differentially expressed genes, of which 98.6% were downregulated in CDKN2Adel samples. These genes were enriched in several immune categories, suggesting significant immune deprivation in deleted tumors. Deconvolution analysis confirmed a major depletion of infiltrating immune cells including effector populations. Spatial transcriptomics revealed that this immunosuppressive phenotype was different according to histotype and prominent in the sarcomatoid lesions.

conclusionThese data demonstrated that CDKN2Adel deeply affects the spatial organization of immune microenvironment by depleting immune-signaling and reducing or preventing immune infiltration, supporting the potential implementation of this alteration as ICIs predictive biomarker in DPM.

Indexed as

Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16Gene DeletionMesotheliomaMesothelioma, MalignantPleural NeoplasmsAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTumor MicroenvironmentCDKN2A protein, humanCyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16CDKN2ADiffuse pleural mesotheliomaGenetic alterationImmunotherapyTumor immune microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID40877968
PMCPMC12392524

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.