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Kalyanaraman B. Exploiting the tumor immune microenvironment and immunometabolism using mitochondria-targeted drugs: Challenges and opportunities in racial disparity and cancer outcome research. FASEB J 2022; 36:e22226. [PMID: 35233843 PMCID: PMC9242412 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101862r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Black and Hispanic cancer patients have a higher incidence of cancer mortality. Many factors (e.g., socioeconomic differences, insufficient access to healthcare) contribute to racial disparity. Emerging research implicates biological disparity in cancer outcomes. Studies show distinct differences in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in Black cancer patients. Studies also have linked altered mitochondrial metabolism to changes in immune cell activation in TIME. Recent publications revealed a novel immunomodulatory role for triphenylphosphonium‐based mitochondrial‐targeted drugs (MTDs). These are synthetically modified, naturally occurring molecules (e.g., honokiol, magnolol, metformin) or FDA‐approved small molecule drugs (e.g., atovaquone, hydroxyurea). Modifications involve conjugating the parent molecule via an alkyl linker chain to a triphenylphosphonium moiety. These modified molecules (e.g., Mito‐honokiol, Mito‐magnolol, Mito‐metformin, Mito‐atovaquone, Mito‐hydroxyurea) accumulate in tumor cell mitochondria more effectively than in normal cells and inhibit mitochondrial respiration, induce reactive oxygen species, activate AMPK and redox transcription factors, and inhibit cancer cell proliferation. Besides these intrinsic effects of MTDs in redox signaling and proliferation in tumors, MTDs induced extrinsic effects in the TIME of mouse xenografts. MTD treatment inhibited tumor‐suppressive immune cells, myeloid‐derived suppressor cells, and regulatory T cells, and activated T cells and antitumor immune effects. One key biological disparity in Black cancer patients was related to altered mitochondrial oxidative metabolism; MTDs targeting vulnerabilities in tumor cells and the TIME may help us understand this biological disparity. Clinical trials should include an appropriate number of Black and Hispanic cancer patients and should validate the intratumoral, antihypoxic effects of MTDs with imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balaraman Kalyanaraman
- Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.,Center for Disease Prevention Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Adashek JJ, Breunig JJ, Posadas E, Bhowmick NA, Ellis L, Freedland SJ, Kim H, Figlin R, Gong J. First-line Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Combinations in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Where Are We Going, Where Have We Been? Drugs 2022; 82:439-453. [PMID: 35175588 DOI: 10.1007/s40265-022-01683-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has significantly improved outcomes for many patients. There are multiple FDA-approved regimens for the frontline setting based on numerous randomized Phase III trials. Despite these efforts, there remains a conundrum of identifying a biomarker-driven approach for these patients and it is unclear how to predict which patients are most likely to respond to these agents. This is due, in part, to an incomplete understanding of how these drug combinations work. The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors that have multiple 'off-target' effects may lend themselves to the benefits observed when given in combination with immunotherapy. Further, targeting multiple clones within a patient's heterogenic tumor that are responsive to targeted therapy and others that are responsive to immunotherapy may also explain some level of improved response rates to the combination approaches compared to monotherapies. This review highlights the 5 FDA-approved regimens for mRCC in the frontline setting and offers insights into potential mechanisms for improved outcomes seen in these combination approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob J Adashek
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Joshua J Breunig
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, AC 1042B, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Edwin Posadas
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, AC 1042B, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Neil A Bhowmick
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, AC 1042B, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Leigh Ellis
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, AC 1042B, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Stephen J Freedland
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, AC 1042B, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA.,Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Section of Urology, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Hyung Kim
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, AC 1042B, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA.,Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Robert Figlin
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, AC 1042B, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA
| | - Jun Gong
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd, AC 1042B, Los Angeles, CA, 90048, USA.
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Adashek JJ, Arroyo-Martinez Y, Menta AK, Kurzrock R, Kato S. Therapeutic Implications of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) in the Treatment of Metastatic Gastric/GEJ Cancer. Front Oncol 2020; 10:1312. [PMID: 32850413 PMCID: PMC7418523 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gastric cancer remains third leading cause of global cancer mortality and is the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States. A select number of gastric cancers harbor alterations in EGFR and/or have amplification/overexpression in the HER2; 2-35 and 9-38%, respectively. The advent of next-generation sequencing of tissue and circulating tumor DNA has allowed for the massive expansion of targeted therapeutics to be employed in many settings. There have been a handful of trials using EGFR inhibitors with modest outcomes. Using novel strategies to target multiple co-mutations as well as identifying immunoregulatory molecule expression patterns will potentially drive future trials and improve gastric cancer patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob J Adashek
- Department of Internal Medicine, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Yadis Arroyo-Martinez
- Department of Internal Medicine, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | | | - Razelle Kurzrock
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, Department of Medicine, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Shumei Kato
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Center for Personalized Cancer Therapy, Department of Medicine, Moores Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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