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Mukherji R, Debnath D, Hartley ML, Noel MS. The Role of Immunotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer. Curr Oncol 2022; 29:6864-6892. [PMID: 36290818 PMCID: PMC9600738 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol29100541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains one of the most lethal cancers globally, with a significant need for improved therapeutic options. While the recent breakthroughs of immunotherapy through checkpoint inhibitors have dramatically changed treatment paradigms in other malignancies based on considerable survival benefits, this is not so for pancreatic cancer. Chemotherapies with modest benefits are still the cornerstone of advanced pancreatic cancer treatment. Pancreatic cancers are inherently immune-cold tumors and have been largely refractory to immunotherapies in clinical trials. Understanding and overcoming the current failures of immunotherapy through elucidating resistance mechanisms and developing novel therapeutic approaches are essential to harnessing the potential durable benefits of immune-modulating therapy in pancreatic cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reetu Mukherji
- The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Dipanjan Debnath
- Department of Internal Medicine, Medstar Washington Hospital Center, 110 Irving Street NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA
| | - Marion L. Hartley
- The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Marcus S. Noel
- The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, 3800 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA
- Correspondence:
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Interplays between non-coding RNAs and chemokines in digestive system cancers. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 152:113237. [PMID: 35716438 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Within tumors, chemokines and their cognate receptors are expressed by infiltrated leukocytes, cancerous cells, and related cells of stroma, like tumor-associated fibroblasts and tumor-associated macrophages. In malignancies, the altered expression of chemokines/chemokine receptors governs leukocyte infiltration and activation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) contribute to multiple physiological and pathophysiological processes. Some miRNAs can exert anti-tumorigenic activity in digestive system malignancies by repressing the expression of tumor-promoting chemokines/chemokine receptors or by upregulating tumor-suppressing chemokines/chemokine receptors. However, many miRNAs exert pro-tumorigenic activity by suppressing the expression of chemokines/chemokine receptors or by upregulating tumor-promoting chemokines/chemokine receptors. LncRNA and circRNAs also exert pro- and anti-tumorigenic effects by targeting downstream miRNAs influencing the expression of tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressor chemokines/chemokine receptors. On the other side, some chemokines influence the expression of ncRNAs affecting tumor formation. The current review explains the communications between ncRNAs and chemokines/chemokine receptors in certain digestive system malignancies, such as gastric, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers and hepatocellular carcinoma to gain better insights into their basic crosstalk as well as possible therapeutic modalities.
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Repositioning of Old Drugs for Novel Cancer Therapies: Continuous Therapeutic Perfusion of Aspirin and Oseltamivir Phosphate with Gemcitabine Treatment Disables Tumor Progression, Chemoresistance, and Metastases. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14153595. [PMID: 35892853 PMCID: PMC9331689 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Repositioning old drugs in combination with clinical standard chemotherapeutics opens a promising clinical treatment approach for patients with pancreatic cancer. This report presents a therapeutic repositioning of continuous perfusion of aspirin and oseltamivir phosphate in combination with gemcitabine treatment as an effective treatment option for pancreatic cancer. The data suggest that repositioning these drugs with continuous perfusion with gemcitabine disables chemoresistance, tumor progression, EMT program, cancer stem cells, and metastases in a preclinical mouse model of human pancreatic cancer. These promising results warrant additional investigation to assess the potential of translating into the clinical setting to improve the cancer patient prognosis for an otherwise fatal disease. Abstract Metastatic pancreatic cancer has an invariably fatal outcome, with an estimated median progression-free survival of approximately six months employing our best combination chemotherapeutic regimens. Once drug resistance develops, manifested by increased primary tumor size and new and growing metastases, patients often die rapidly from their disease. Emerging evidence indicates that chemotherapy may contribute to the development of drug resistance through the upregulation of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathways and subsequent cancer stem cell (CSC) enrichment. Neuraminidase-1 (Neu-1) regulates the activation of several receptor tyrosine kinases implicated in EMT induction, angiogenesis, and cellular proliferation. Here, continuous therapeutic targeting of Neu-1 using parenteral perfusion of oseltamivir phosphate (OP) and aspirin (ASA) with gemcitabine (GEM) treatment significantly disrupts tumor progression, critical compensatory signaling mechanisms, EMT program, CSC, and metastases in a preclinical mouse model of human pancreatic cancer. ASA- and OP-treated xenotumors significantly inhibited the metastatic potential when transferred into animals.
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Kole C, Charalampakis N, Tsakatikas S, Frountzas M, Apostolou K, Schizas D. Immunotherapy in Combination with Well-Established Treatment Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer: Current Insights. Cancer Manag Res 2022; 14:1043-1061. [PMID: 35300059 PMCID: PMC8921671 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s267260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic cancer and fourth most common cause of death in developed countries. Despite improved survival rates after resection combined with adjuvant chemotherapy or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, recurrence still occurs in a high percentage of patients within the first 2 years after resection. Immunotherapy aims to improve antitumor immune responses and reduce toxicity providing a more specific, targeted therapy compared to chemotherapy and has been proved an efficient therapeutic tool for many solid tumors. In this work, we present the latest advances in PDAC treatment using a combination of immunotherapy with other interventions such as chemotherapy and/or radiation both at neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting. Moreover, we outline the role of the tumor microenvironment as a key barrier to immunotherapy efficacy and examine how immunotherapy biomarkers may be used to detect immunotherapy’s response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christo Kole
- First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, 115 27, Greece
| | | | - Sergios Tsakatikas
- Department of Medical Oncology, Metaxa Cancer Hospital, Athens, 185 37, Greece
| | - Maximos Frountzas
- First Department of Propaedeutic Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Hippocration General Hospital, Athens, 115 27, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Apostolou
- First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, 115 27, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Schizas
- First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, 115 27, Greece
- Correspondence: Dimitrios Schizas, First Department of Surgery, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, 115 27, Greece, Tel +306944505917, Fax +302132061766, Email
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Urbanova M, Buocikova V, Trnkova L, Strapcova S, Kajabova VH, Melian EB, Novisedlakova M, Tomas M, Dubovan P, Earl J, Bizik J, Svastova E, Ciernikova S, Smolkova B. DNA Methylation Mediates EMT Gene Expression in Human Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cell Lines. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:2117. [PMID: 35216235 PMCID: PMC8879087 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23042117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to abundant stroma and extracellular matrix, accompanied by lack of vascularization, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterized by severe hypoxia. Epigenetic regulation is likely one of the mechanisms driving hypoxia-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), responsible for PDAC aggressiveness and dismal prognosis. To verify the role of DNA methylation in this process, we assessed gene expression and DNA methylation changes in four PDAC cell lines. BxPC-3, MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1, and SU.86.86 cells were exposed to conditioned media containing cytokines and inflammatory molecules in normoxic and hypoxic (1% O2) conditions for 2 and 6 days. Cancer Inflammation and Immunity Crosstalk and Human Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition RT² Profiler PCR Arrays were used to identify top deregulated inflammatory and EMT-related genes. Their mRNA expression and DNA methylation were quantified by qRT-PCR and pyrosequencing. BxPC-3 and SU.86.86 cell lines were the most sensitive to hypoxia and inflammation. Although the methylation of gene promoters correlated with gene expression negatively, it was not significantly influenced by experimental conditions. However, DNA methyltransferase inhibitor decitabine efficiently decreased DNA methylation up to 53% and reactivated all silenced genes. These results confirm the role of DNA methylation in EMT-related gene regulation and uncover possible new targets involved in PDAC progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Urbanova
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Verona Buocikova
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Lenka Trnkova
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Sabina Strapcova
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.S.); (E.S.)
| | - Viera Horvathova Kajabova
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Emma Barreto Melian
- Molecular Epidemiology and Predictive Tumor Markers Group, Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Biomedical Research Network in Cancer (CIBERONC), Carretera Colmenar Km 9,100, 28034 Madrid, Spain; (E.B.M.); (J.E.)
| | - Maria Novisedlakova
- Oncology Outpatient Clinic, Hospital of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, 814 65 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Miroslav Tomas
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
- Department of Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Slovak Medical University, Klenova 1, 833 10 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Peter Dubovan
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
- Department of Surgical Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Slovak Medical University, Klenova 1, 833 10 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Julie Earl
- Molecular Epidemiology and Predictive Tumor Markers Group, Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Biomedical Research Network in Cancer (CIBERONC), Carretera Colmenar Km 9,100, 28034 Madrid, Spain; (E.B.M.); (J.E.)
| | - Jozef Bizik
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Eliska Svastova
- Department of Tumor Biology, Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (S.S.); (E.S.)
| | - Sona Ciernikova
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Bozena Smolkova
- Department of Molecular Oncology, Cancer Research Institute, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska Cesta 9, 845 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; (M.U.); (V.B.); (L.T.); (V.H.K.); (M.T.); (P.D.); (J.B.); (S.C.)
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