RESUMEN
Uterine leiomyomas are one of the most common smooth muscle tumors in women. Cervical leiomyomas, in contrast, are a relatively rare entity with limited available information, presenting a challenge for determining optimal treatment. Uterine artery embolization of cervical leiomyomas has been previously explored and met with some success. However, it has been associated with complications such as expulsion or incomplete embolization. This case, however, describes a patient who presented with a large cervical fibroid and was successfully treated with bilateral ovarian artery embolization, resulting in decreased fibroid burden and resolution of the patient's symptoms. Previous reports have demonstrated successful ovarian artery embolization for uterine leiomyomas, but this approach has yet to be shown for a cervical leiomyoma. Given the challenge presented by cervical leiomyomas, this case emphasizes a unique anatomical variant and the embolization method, providing an alternative, less-invasive option for reducing patient disease burden.
RESUMEN
During malignant transformation and cancer progression, tumor cells face both intrinsic and extrinsic stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in particular. To survive and proliferate, tumor cells use multiple stress response pathways to mitigate ER stress, promoting disease aggression and treatment resistance. Among the stress response pathways is ER-associated degradation (ERAD), which consists of multiple components and steps working together to ensure protein quality and quantity. In addition to its established role in stress responses and tumor cell survival, ERAD has recently been shown to regulate tumor immunity. Here we summarize current knowledge on how ERAD promotes protein degradation, regulates immune cell development and function, participates in antigen presentation, exerts paradoxical roles on tumorigenesis and immunity, and thus impacts current cancer therapy. Collectively, ERAD is a critical protein homeostasis pathway intertwined with cancer development and tumor immunity. Of particular importance is the need to further unveil ERAD's enigmatic roles in tumor immunity to develop effective targeted and combination therapy for successful treatment of cancer.