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Freret ME, Boire A. The anatomic basis of leptomeningeal metastasis. J Exp Med 2024; 221:e20212121. [PMID: 38451255 PMCID: PMC10919154 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20212121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM), or spread of cancer to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-filled space surrounding the central nervous system, is a fatal complication of cancer. Entry into this space poses an anatomical challenge for cancer cells; movement of cells between the blood and CSF is tightly regulated by the blood-CSF barriers. Anatomical understanding of the leptomeninges provides a roadmap of corridors for cancer entry. This Review describes the anatomy of the leptomeninges and routes of cancer spread to the CSF. Granular understanding of LM by route of entry may inform strategies for novel diagnostic and preventive strategies as well as therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E. Freret
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adrienne Boire
- Department of Neurology, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Brain Tumor Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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2
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Zhou H, He X, Huang J, Zhong Y, Zhang L, Ao X, Zhao H, Hu S, Li H, Huang J, Huang H, Liang H. Single-cell sequencing reveals the immune landscape of breast cancer patients with brain metastasis. Thorac Cancer 2024; 15:702-714. [PMID: 38316626 PMCID: PMC10961220 DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.15243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breast cancer has the highest incidence rate of cancer worldwide, and brain metastases (BrM) are among the most malignant cases. While some patients have benefited from immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), the complex anatomical structure of the brain and the heterogeneity of metastatic tumors have made it difficult to characterize the tumor immune microenvironment (TME) of metastatic tumors. METHODS To address this, we used single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze immune cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of BrM patients with breast cancer, thereby providing a comprehensive view of the immune microenvironment landscape of BrM. RESULTS Based on canonical marker genes, we identified nine cell types, and further identified their subtypes through differential expression gene (DEG) analysis. We compared the changes in cells and functions in the immune microenvironment of patients with different prognoses. Our analysis revealed a series of genes that promote tumor immune function (CCR5, LYZ, IGKC, MS4A1, etc.) and inhibit tumor immune function (SCGB2A2, CD24, etc.). CONCLUSIONS The scRNA-seq in CSF provides a noninvasive method to describe the TME of breast cancer patients and guide immunotherapy.
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Grants
- 202102080096, HL Liang, 201904010331, JQ Huang Guangzhou S&T Project
- 2023A03J0430, HL Liang Guangzhou S&T City and University United Project
- 2022A1515012376, JQ Huang Project Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province
- 2021KTSCX091, HL Liang, 2020KTSCX105, JQ Huang Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Education Project
- 20191A011097, HL Liang Guangzhou Health S&T Project
- 202005, HS Li Clinical Key Specialty Project of Guangzhou Medical University
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Affiliation(s)
- Huaping Zhou
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Xiang He
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Radiation Oncology Hunan ProvinceXiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangshaChina
| | - Jia Huang
- School of Health ManagementGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yumin Zhong
- Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine in Lung Cancer, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, South China University of TechnologyGuangzhouChina
| | - Leyao Zhang
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Xiang Ao
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Hailin Zhao
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Su Hu
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Hongsheng Li
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Jianqing Huang
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
- School of Health ManagementGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Hongxin Huang
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Hongling Liang
- Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
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3
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Goldberg M, Mondragon-Soto MG, Altawalbeh G, Meyer B, Aftahy AK. New Breakthroughs in the Diagnosis of Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis: A Review of Liquid Biopsies of Cerebrospinal Fluid. Cureus 2024; 16:e55187. [PMID: 38558729 PMCID: PMC10980855 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.55187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis represents a terminal stage and is a devastating complication of cancer. Despite its high incidence, current diagnostic methods fail to accurately detect this condition in a timely manner. This failure to diagnose leads to the refusal of treatment and the absence of clinical trials, hampering the development of new therapy strategies. The use of liquid biopsy is revolutionizing the field of diagnostic oncology. The dynamic and non-invasive detection of tumor markers has enormous potential in cancer diagnostics and treatment. Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis is a condition where invasive tissue biopsy is not part of the routine diagnostic analysis, making liquid biopsy an essential diagnostic tool. Several elements in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have been investigated as potential targets of liquid biopsy, including free circulating tumor cells, free circulating nucleic acids, proteins, exosomes, and even non-tumor cells as part of the dynamic tumor microenvironment. This review aims to summarize current breakthroughs in the research on liquid biopsy, including the latest breakthroughs in the identification of tumor cells and nucleic acids, and give an overview of future directions in the diagnosis of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Goldberg
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, DEU
| | | | - Ghaith Altawalbeh
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, DEU
| | - Bernhard Meyer
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, DEU
| | - Amir Kaywan Aftahy
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, DEU
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4
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Alhaddad H, Ospina OE, Khaled ML, Ren Y, Forsyth P, Pina Y, Macaulay R, Law V, Tsai KY, Cress WD, Fridley B, Smalley I. Spatial transcriptomics analysis identifies a unique tumor-promoting function of the meningeal stroma in melanoma leptomeningeal disease. bioRxiv 2023:2023.12.18.572266. [PMID: 38187574 PMCID: PMC10769278 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.18.572266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) remains a rapidly lethal complication for late-stage melanoma patients. The inaccessible nature of the disease site and lack of understanding of the biology of this unique metastatic site are major barriers to developing efficacious therapies for patients with melanoma LMD. Here, we characterize the tumor microenvironment of the leptomeningeal tissues and patient-matched extra-cranial metastatic sites using spatial transcriptomic analyses with in vitro and in vivo validation. We show the spatial landscape of melanoma LMD to be characterized by a lack of immune infiltration and instead exhibit a higher level of stromal involvement. We show that the tumor-stroma interactions at the leptomeninges activate pathways implicated in tumor-promoting signaling, mediated through upregulation of SERPINA3 at the tumor-stroma interface. Our functional experiments establish that the meningeal stroma is required for melanoma cells to survive in the CSF environment and that these interactions lead to a lack of MAPK inhibitor sensitivity in the tumor. We show that knocking down SERPINA3 or inhibiting the downstream IGR1R/PI3K/AKT axis results in re-sensitization of the tumor to MAPK-targeting therapy and tumor cell death in the leptomeningeal environment. Our data provides a spatial atlas of melanoma LMD, identifies the tumor-promoting role of meningeal stroma, and demonstrates a mechanism for overcoming microenvironment-mediated drug resistance unique to this metastatic site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Alhaddad
- Department of Metabolism and Physiology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Oscar E. Ospina
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Mariam Lotfy Khaled
- Department of Metabolism and Physiology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Egypt
| | - Yuan Ren
- Department of Metabolism and Physiology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Peter Forsyth
- Department of Tumor Biology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of NeuroOncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Yolanda Pina
- Department of NeuroOncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Robert Macaulay
- Department of Pathology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Vincent Law
- Department of Tumor Biology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of NeuroOncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Kenneth Y. Tsai
- Department of Pathology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - W Douglas Cress
- Department of Molecular Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Brooke Fridley
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Division of Health Services & Outcomes Research, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO 64108
| | - Inna Smalley
- Department of Metabolism and Physiology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
- Department of Cutaneous Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA
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5
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Fitzpatrick A, Iravani M, Mills A, Vicente D, Alaguthurai T, Roxanis I, Turner NC, Haider S, Tutt ANJ, Isacke CM. Genomic profiling and pre-clinical modelling of breast cancer leptomeningeal metastasis reveals acquisition of a lobular-like phenotype. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7408. [PMID: 37973922 PMCID: PMC10654396 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43242-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer leptomeningeal metastasis (BCLM), where tumour cells grow along the lining of the brain and spinal cord, is a devastating development for patients. Investigating this metastatic site is hampered by difficulty in accessing tumour material. Here, we utilise cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and CSF disseminated tumour cells (DTCs) to explore the clonal evolution of BCLM and heterogeneity between leptomeningeal and extracranial metastatic sites. Somatic alterations with potential therapeutic actionability were detected in 81% (17/21) of BCLM cases, with 19% detectable in CSF cfDNA only. BCLM was enriched in genomic aberrations in adherens junction and cytoskeletal genes, revealing a lobular-like breast cancer phenotype. CSF DTCs were cultured in 3D to establish BCLM patient-derived organoids, and used for the successful generation of BCLM in vivo models. These data reveal that BCLM possess a unique genomic aberration profile and highlight potential cellular dependencies in this hard-to-treat form of metastatic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Fitzpatrick
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- Comprehensive Cancer Centre, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Marjan Iravani
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Adam Mills
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - David Vicente
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | | | - Ioannis Roxanis
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Nicholas C Turner
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Syed Haider
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | - Andrew N J Tutt
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Guy's Hospital, King's College London, London, UK
- Oncology and Haematology Directorate, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Clare M Isacke
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK.
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6
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Brozos-Vázquez EM, Rodríguez-López C, Cortegoso-Mosquera A, López-Landrove S, Muinelo-Romay L, García-González J, López-López R, León-Mateos L. Immunotherapy in patients with brain metastasis: advances and challenges for the treatment and the application of circulating biomarkers. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1221113. [PMID: 38022574 PMCID: PMC10654987 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1221113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The central nervous system (CNS) is one of the most frequent metastatic sites of various cancers, including lung cancer, breast cancer and melanoma. The development of brain metastases requires a specific therapeutic approach and is associated with high mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. Advances in precision medicine and the introduction in recent years of new drugs, such as immunotherapy, have made it possible to improve the prognosis of these patients by improving survival and quality of life. New diagnostic techniques such as liquid biopsy allow real-time monitoring of tumor evolution, providing molecular information on prognostic and predictive biomarkers of response to treatment in blood or other fluids. In this review, we perform an exhaustive update of the clinical trials that demonstrate the utility of immunotherapy in patients with brain metastases and the potential of circulating biomarkers to improving the results of efficacy and toxicity in this subgroup of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Brozos-Vázquez
- Medical Oncology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- Medical Oncology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- ONCOMET, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- CIBERONC, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Rodríguez-López
- Medical Oncology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- ONCOMET, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- CIBERONC, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Cortegoso-Mosquera
- Medical Oncology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- ONCOMET, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- CIBERONC, Madrid, Spain
| | - S López-Landrove
- ONCOMET, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - L Muinelo-Romay
- ONCOMET, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- CIBERONC, Madrid, Spain
| | - J García-González
- Medical Oncology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- ONCOMET, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- CIBERONC, Madrid, Spain
| | - R López-López
- Medical Oncology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- ONCOMET, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- CIBERONC, Madrid, Spain
| | - L León-Mateos
- Medical Oncology Department, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- ONCOMET, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- CIBERONC, Madrid, Spain
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7
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Steininger J, Gellrich FF, Engellandt K, Meinhardt M, Westphal D, Beissert S, Meier F, Glitza Oliva IC. Leptomeningeal Metastases in Melanoma Patients: An Update on and Future Perspectives for Diagnosis and Treatment. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11443. [PMID: 37511202 PMCID: PMC10380419 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a devastating complication of cancer with a particularly poor prognosis. Among solid tumours, malignant melanoma (MM) has one of the highest rates of metastasis to the leptomeninges, with approximately 10-15% of patients with advanced disease developing LMD. Tumour cells that metastasise to the brain have unique properties that allow them to cross the blood-brain barrier, evade the immune system, and survive in the brain microenvironment. Metastatic colonisation is achieved through dynamic communication between metastatic cells and the tumour microenvironment, resulting in a tumour-permissive milieu. Despite advances in treatment options, the incidence of LMD appears to be increasing and current treatment modalities have a limited impact on survival. This review provides an overview of the biology of LMD, diagnosis and current treatment approaches for MM patients with LMD, and an overview of ongoing clinical trials. Despite the still limited efficacy of current therapies, there is hope that emerging treatments will improve the outcomes for patients with LMD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Steininger
- Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Frank Friedrich Gellrich
- Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Kay Engellandt
- Department of Neuroradiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Matthias Meinhardt
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Dana Westphal
- Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefan Beissert
- Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Friedegund Meier
- Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität (TU) Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Skin Cancer Center at the University Cancer Center, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC), 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Isabella C Glitza Oliva
- Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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Baskaran AB, Buerki RA, Khan OH, Gondi V, Stupp R, Lukas RV, Villaflor VM. Building Team Medicine in the Management of CNS Metastases. J Clin Med 2023; 12:3901. [PMID: 37373596 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12123901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
CNS metastases are often terminal for cancer patients and occur at an approximately 10-fold higher rate than primary CNS tumors. The incidence of these tumors is approximately 70,000-400,000 cases annually in the US. Advances that have occurred over the past two decades have led to more personalized treatment approaches. Newer surgical and radiation techniques, as well as targeted and immune therapies, have enanled patient to live longer, thus increasing the risk for the development of CNS, brain, and leptomeningeal metastases (BM and LM). Patients who develop CNS metastases have often been heavily treated, and options for future treatment could best be addressed by multidisciplinary teams. Studies have indicated that patients with brain metastases have improved survival outcomes when cared for in high-volume academic institutions using multidisciplinary teams. This manuscript discusses a multidisciplinary approach for both parenchymal brain metastases as well as leptomeningeal metastases implemented in three academic institutions. Additionally, with the increasing development of healthcare systems, we discuss optimizing the management of CNS metastases across healthcare systems and integrating basic and translational science into our clinical care to further improve outcomes. This paper summarizes the existing therapeutic approaches to the treatment of BM and LM and discusses novel and emerging approaches to optimizing access to neuro-oncologic care while simultaneously integrating multidisciplinary teams in the care of patients with BM and LM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archit B Baskaran
- Department of Neurology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Robin A Buerki
- Health System Clinician of Neurology (Neuro-Oncology), Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group, Warrenville, IL 60555, USA
| | - Osaama H Khan
- Surgical Neuro-Oncology, Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, IL 60190, USA
| | - Vinai Gondi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Nothwestern Medicine West Region, Lou & Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute, Northwestern University, Warrenville, IL 60555, USA
| | - Roger Stupp
- Neuro-Oncology Division, Neurological Surgery, Medicine (Hematology and Oncology), Neurology, Department of Neurology, Lou & Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Rimas V Lukas
- Neuro-Oncology Division, Department of Neurology, Lou & Jean Malnati Brain Tumor Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Victoria M Villaflor
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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9
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Kanaya N, Kitamura Y, Vazquez ML, Franco A, Chen KS, van Schaik TA, Farzani TA, Borges P, Ichinose T, Seddiq W, Kuroda S, Boland G, Jahan N, Fisher D, Wakimoto H, Shah K. Gene-edited and -engineered stem cell platform drives immunotherapy for brain metastatic melanomas. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eade8732. [PMID: 37256936 PMCID: PMC10799631 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.ade8732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Oncolytic virus therapy has shown activity against primary melanomas; however, its efficacy in brain metastases remains challenging, mainly because of the delivery and immunosuppressive nature of tumors in the brain. To address this challenge, we first established PTEN-deficient melanoma brain metastasis mouse models and characterized them to be more immunosuppressive compared with primary melanoma, mimicking the clinical settings. Next, we developed an allogeneic twin stem cell (TSC) system composed of two tumor-targeting stem cell (SC) populations. One SC was loaded with oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV), and the other SC was CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited to knock out nectin 1 (N1) receptor (N1KO) to acquire resistance to oHSV and release immunomodulators, such as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Using mouse models of brain metastatic BRAFV600E/PTEN-/- and BRAFV600E/wt/PTEN-/- mutant melanomas, we show that locoregional delivery of TSCs releasing oHSV and GM-CSF (TSC-G) activated dendritic cell- and T cell-mediated immune responses. In addition, our strategy exhibited greater therapeutic efficacy when compared with the existing oncolytic viral therapeutic approaches. Moreover, the TSCs composed of SC-oHSV and SCN1KO-releasing GM-CSF and single-chain variable fragment anti-PD-1 (TSC-G/P) had therapeutic efficacy in both syngeneic and patient-derived humanized mouse models of leptomeningeal metastasis. Our findings provide a promising allogeneic SC-based immunotherapeutic strategy against melanomas in the CNS and a road map toward clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhiko Kanaya
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Yohei Kitamura
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Maria Lopez Vazquez
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Arnaldo Franco
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kok-Siong Chen
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Thijs A. van Schaik
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Touraj Aligholipour Farzani
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Paulo Borges
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Toru Ichinose
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Waleed Seddiq
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shinji Kuroda
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan
| | - Genevieve Boland
- Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nusrat Jahan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - David Fisher
- Department of Dermatology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Hiroaki Wakimoto
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Khalid Shah
- Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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10
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Liu K, Sadeghipour N, Hoover AR, Valero TI, Furrer C, Adams J, Naqash AR, Zhao M, Papin JF, Chen WR. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals that tumor-infiltrating natural killer cells are activated by localized ablative immunotherapy and share anti-tumor signatures induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors. bioRxiv 2023:2023.05.02.539163. [PMID: 37205468 PMCID: PMC10187236 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.02.539163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Rationale Natural killer (NK) cells provide protective anti-cancer immunity. However, the cancer therapy induced activation gene signatures and pathways in NK cells remain unclear. Methods We applied a novel localized ablative immunotherapy (LAIT) by synergizing photothermal therapy (PTT) with intra-tumor delivering of the immunostimulant N-dihydrogalactochitosan (GC), to treat breast cancer using a mammary tumor virus-polyoma middle tumor-antigen (MMTV-PyMT) mouse model. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) analysis to unveil the cellular heterogeneity and compare the transcriptional alterations induced by PTT, GC, and LAIT in NK cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Results ScRNAseq showed that NK subtypes, including cycling, activated, interferon-stimulated, and cytotoxic NK cells. Trajectory analysis revealed a route toward activation and cytotoxicity following pseudotime progression. Both GC and LAIT elevated gene expression associated with NK cell activation, cytolytic effectors, activating receptors, IFN pathway components, and cytokines/chemokines in NK subtypes. Single-cell transcriptomics analysis using immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-treated animal and human samples revealed that ICI-induced NK activation and cytotoxicity across several cancer types. Furthermore, ICI-induced NK gene signatures were also induced by LAIT treatment. We also discovered that several types of cancer patients had significantly longer overall survival when they had higher expression of genes in NK cells that were also specifically upregulated by LAIT. Conclusion Our findings show for the first time that LAIT activates cytotoxicity in NK cells and the upregulated genes positively correlate with beneficial clinical outcomes for cancer patients. More importantly, our results further establish the correlation between the effects of LAIT and ICI on NK cells, hence expanding our understanding of mechanism of LAIT in remodeling TME and shedding light on the potentials of NK cell activation and anti-tumor cytotoxic functions in clinical applications.
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11
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Im KW, Huppert LA, Malevanchik L, Rugo HS, Combes AJ, Campbell MJ, Krummel MF, Melisko ME. High-dimensional immune cell profiling of cerebrospinal fluid from patients with metastatic breast cancer and leptomeningeal disease. NPJ Breast Cancer 2023; 9:22. [PMID: 37029150 PMCID: PMC10082042 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-023-00526-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a devastating complication of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). In this non-therapeutic study, we enrolled 12 patients with MBC and known or suspected LMD who were undergoing a lumbar puncture as part of clinical care and collected extra cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and a paired blood sample from each patient at a single time point. Of the 12 patients, 7 patients are confirmed to have LMD based on positive cytology and/or convincing MRI imaging (LMDpos), and 5 patients are deemed not to have LMD based on similar criteria (LMDneg). Using high-dimensional, multiplexed flow cytometry, we profile and compare the CSF and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMCs) immune populations between patients with LMD and those without. Patients with LMD observe a lower overall frequency of CD45+ cells (29.51% vs. 51.12%, p < 0.05), lower frequencies of CD8+ T cells (12.03% vs. 30.40%, p < 0.01), and higher frequency of Tregs than patients without LMD. Interestingly, the frequency of partially exhausted CD8+ T cells (CD38hiTIM3lo) is ~6.5-fold higher among patients with LMD vs. those without (2.99% vs. 0.44%, p < 0.05). Taken together, these data suggest that patients with LMD may have lower overall immune infiltrates than patients without LMD, suggesting a more permissive CSF immune microenvironment but a higher frequency of partially exhausted CD8+ T cells, which may offer an important therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- K W Im
- Department of Pathology and ImmunoX Initiative, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
- UCSF CoLabs, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - L A Huppert
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - L Malevanchik
- Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - H S Rugo
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - A J Combes
- Department of Pathology and ImmunoX Initiative, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
- UCSF CoLabs, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - M J Campbell
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - M F Krummel
- Department of Pathology and ImmunoX Initiative, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - M E Melisko
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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12
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Khaled ML, Tarhini AA, Forsyth PA, Smalley I, Piña Y. Leptomeningeal Disease (LMD) in Patients with Melanoma Metastases. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15061884. [PMID: 36980770 PMCID: PMC10047692 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15061884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a devastating complication caused by seeding malignant cells to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the leptomeningeal membrane. LMD is diagnosed in 5-15% of patients with systemic malignancy. Management of LMD is challenging due to the biological and metabolic tumor microenvironment of LMD being largely unknown. Patients with LMD can present with a wide variety of signs and/or symptoms that could be multifocal and include headache, nausea, vomiting, diplopia, and weakness, among others. The median survival time for patients with LMD is measured in weeks and up to 3-6 months with aggressive management, and death usually occurs due to progressive neurologic dysfunction. In melanoma, LMD is associated with a suppressive immune microenvironment characterized by a high number of apoptotic and exhausted CD4+ T-cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and a low number of CD8+ T-cells. Proteomics analysis revealed enrichment of complement cascade, which may disrupt the blood-CSF barrier. Clinical management of melanoma LMD consists primarily of radiation therapy, BRAF/MEK inhibitors as targeted therapy, and immunotherapy with anti-PD-1, anti-CTLA-4, and anti-LAG-3 immune checkpoint inhibitors. This review summarizes the biology and anatomic features of melanoma LMD, as well as the current therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariam Lotfy Khaled
- Metabolism and Physiology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Egypt
| | - Ahmad A Tarhini
- Departments of Cutaneous Oncology and Immunology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Peter A Forsyth
- Neuro-Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Inna Smalley
- Metabolism and Physiology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
| | - Yolanda Piña
- Neuro-Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA
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13
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Remsik J, Tong X, Kunes RZ, Li MJ, Osman A, Chabot K, Sener UT, Wilcox JA, Isakov D, Snyder J, Bale TA, Chaligné R, Pe'er D, Boire A. Leptomeningeal anti-tumor immunity follows unique signaling principles. bioRxiv 2023:2023.03.17.533041. [PMID: 36993586 PMCID: PMC10055207 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.17.533041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Metastasis to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-filled leptomeninges, or leptomeningeal metastasis (LM), represents a fatal complication of cancer. Proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of human CSF reveal a substantial inflammatory infiltrate in LM. We find the solute and immune composition of CSF in the setting of LM changes dramatically, with notable enrichment in IFN-γ signaling. To investigate the mechanistic relationships between immune cell signaling and cancer cells within the leptomeninges, we developed syngeneic lung, breast, and melanoma LM mouse models. Here we show that transgenic host mice, lacking IFN-γ or its receptor, fail to control LM growth. Overexpression of Ifng through a targeted AAV system controls cancer cell growth independent of adaptive immunity. Instead, leptomeningeal IFN-γ actively recruits and activates peripheral myeloid cells, generating a diverse spectrum of dendritic cell subsets. These migratory, CCR7+ dendritic cells orchestrate the influx, proliferation, and cytotoxic action of natural killer cells to control cancer cell growth in the leptomeninges. This work uncovers leptomeningeal-specific IFN-γ signaling and suggests a novel immune-therapeutic approach against tumors within this space.
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14
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Ozcan G, Singh M, Vredenburgh JJ. Leptomeningeal Metastasis from Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Current Landscape of Treatments. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:11-29. [PMID: 35972437 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-22-1585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM), also known as leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LC), is a devastating complication of metastatic cancer that occurs when neoplastic cells invade the meningeal space. Diagnosis of LM remains challenging given the heterogeneous signs and symptoms at presentation and requires thorough neurological examination, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, and MRI of the brain and spine with gadolinium. Detecting neoplastic cells in the CSF is the gold standard for diagnosing leptomeningeal metastases; however, it has low sensitivity and may require multiple CSF samples. New emerging technologies, such as liquid biopsy of CSF, have increased sensitivity and specificity for detecting circulating tumor cells in CSF. The management of LM in patients with NSCLC requires an individualized multidisciplinary approach. Treatment options include surgery for ventricular shunt placement, radiation therapy to bulky or symptomatic disease sites, systemic or intrathecal chemotherapy, molecularly targeted agents, and, more recently, immunotherapy. Targeting actionable mutations in LM from NSCLC, such as EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors or anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangement inhibitors, has shown encouraging results in terms of disease control and survival. Although there are limited data regarding the use of immunotherapy in LM, immunotherapy has produced promising results in several case reports. In this review, we focused on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and current treatment strategies, with a special emphasis on novel agents, including targeted therapies and immunotherapy of LM in patients with NSCLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gonca Ozcan
- Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - Meghana Singh
- Department of Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
| | - James J Vredenburgh
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Saint Francis Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut
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15
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Abstract
Leptomeningeal metastases represent an aggressive stage of cancer with few durable treatment options. Improved understanding of cancer biology, neoplastic reliance on oncogenic driver mutations, and complex immune system interactions have resulted in an explosion in cancer-directed therapy in the last two decades to include small molecule inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Most of these therapeutics are underexplored in patients with leptomeningeal metastases, limiting extrapolation of extracranial and even intracranial efficacy outcomes to the unique leptomeningeal space. Further confounding our interpretation of drug activity in the leptomeninges is an incomplete understanding of drug penetration through the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier of the choroid plexus. Nevertheless, a number of retrospective studies and promising prospective trials provide evidence of leptomeningeal activity of several small molecule and immune checkpoint inhibitors and underscore potential areas of further therapeutic development for patients harboring leptomeningeal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Wilcox
- Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Adrienne A Boire
- Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Brain Tumor Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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16
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Wang Y, Yang X, Li NJ, Xue JX. Leptomeningeal metastases in non-small cell lung cancer: Diagnosis and treatment. Lung Cancer 2022; 174:1-13. [PMID: 36206679 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2022.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) is a rare complication of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with highly mortality. LM will occur once tumor cells spread to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space. Patients may suffer blindness, paralysis, and mental disorders that seriously affect their quality of life. There is a clear unmet need to improve the efficacy of diagnosis and treatment of LM. To better solve this problem, it is helpful to clarify the potential mechanisms of LM. Clinical manifestations, magnetic resonance imaging, and CSF biopsy are the key components in the diagnosis of NSCLC with LM. CSF cytology is insufficient and should be combined with liquid biology. The application of radiotherapy, intrathecal treatment, targeted therapy and immunotherapy provides more options for LM patients. Each treatment has a particular level of efficacy and can be used alone or in combination for individual patients. New technologies in radiotherapy, drug repositioning in intrathecal treatment, and the higher CSF permeability in TKIs have brought new breakthroughs in the treatment of LM. This review focused on clarifying the potential mechanisms, discussing the major clinical challenges, and summarizing recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of LM from NSCLC. Future research is essential to improve the efficiency of diagnosis, to optimize therapy and to enhance patient prognosis.
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17
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Abstract
Leptomeningeal metastases arise from cancer cell entry into the subarachnoid space, inflicting significant neurologic morbidity and mortality across a wide range of malignancies. The modern era of cancer therapeutics has seen an explosion of molecular-targeting agents and immune-mediated strategies for patients with breast, lung, and melanoma malignancies, with meaningful extracranial disease control and improvement in patient survival. However, the clinical efficacy of these agents in those with leptomeningeal metastases remains understudied, due to the relative rarity of this patient population, the investigational challenges associated with studying this dynamic disease state, and brisk disease pace. Nevertheless, retrospective studies, post hoc analyses, and small prospective trials in the last two decades provide a glimmer of hope for patients with leptomeningeal metastases, suggesting that several cancer-directed strategies are not only active in the intrathecal space but also improve survival against historical odds. The continued development of clinical trials devoted to patients with leptomeningeal metastases is critical to establish robust efficacy outcomes in this patient population, define drug pharmacokinetics in the intrathecal space, and uncover new avenues for treatment in the face of leptomeningeal therapeutic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Wilcox
- Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Min Jun Li
- Brain Tumor Center, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adrienne A Boire
- Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Brain Tumor Center, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
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18
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Yekula A, Tracz J, Rincon-Torroella J, Azad T, Bettegowda C. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Cerebrospinal Fluid as an Advanced Form of Liquid Biopsy for Neurological Disorders. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12070812. [PMID: 35884620 PMCID: PMC9313114 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12070812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring of neurological diseases are limited by the poor specificity and limited resolution of currently available techniques. Analysis of circulating cells in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has emerged as a promising strategy for the diagnosis, molecular characterization, and monitoring of neurological disease. In comparison to bulk sequencing analysis, single-cell sequencing studies can provide novel insights into rare cell populations and uncover heterogeneity in gene expression at a single-cell resolution, which has several implications for understanding disease pathology and treatment. Parallel development of standardized biofluid collection protocols, pre-processing strategies, reliable single-cell isolation strategies, downstream genomic analysis, and robust computational analysis is paramount for comprehensive single-cell sequencing analysis. Here we perform a comprehensive review of studies focusing on single-cell sequencing of cells in the CSF of patients with oncological or non-oncological diseases of the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anudeep Yekula
- Department of Surgery, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
| | - Jovanna Tracz
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (J.T.); (J.R.-T.); (T.A.)
| | - Jordina Rincon-Torroella
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (J.T.); (J.R.-T.); (T.A.)
| | - Tej Azad
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (J.T.); (J.R.-T.); (T.A.)
| | - Chetan Bettegowda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (J.T.); (J.R.-T.); (T.A.)
- Correspondence:
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19
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Razis E, Escudero M, Palmieri C, Mueller V, Bartsch R, Rossi G, Gampenrieder S, Kolberg H, Zdenkowski N, Pavic M, Connolly R, Rosset L, Arcuri J, Tesch H, Vallejos C, Retamales J, Musolino A, Del Mastro L, Christodoulou C, Aebi S, Paluch-shimon S, Gupta S, Ohno S, Macpherson I, Ekholm M, Zaman K, Vidal M, Chakiba C, Fumagalli D, Thulin A, Witzel I, Kotecki N, Gil-gil M, Linderholm B. Assessment of the management of carcinomatous meningitis from breast cancer globally: a study by the Breast International Group Brain Metastasis Task Force. ESMO Open 2022; 7:100483. [PMID: 35576695 PMCID: PMC9291630 DOI: 10.1016/j.esmoop.2022.100483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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20
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Zhang Q, Yu X, Zhang S, Guo W, He Y. Molecular characteristics of novel immune subtypes of HCC based on lncRNAs related to immune disorders. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8905. [PMID: 35618810 PMCID: PMC9135727 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13013-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
As one of the most malignant cancers and despite various treatment breakthroughs, the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unsatisfactory. The immune status of the tumor microenvironment (TME) relates closely to HCC progression; however, the mechanism of immune cell infiltration in the TME remains unclear. In this study, we performed a new combination algorithm on lncRNA expression profile data from the TCGA-LIHC cohort to identify lncRNAs related to immune disorders. We identified 20 immune disorder-related lncRNAs and clustered HCC samples based on these lncRNAs. We identified four clusters with differences in immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint gene expression. We further analyzed differences between groups 1 and 3 and found that the poor prognosis of group 3 may be due to specific and non-specific immunosuppression of the TME, upregulation of immune checkpoint pathways, and activation of tumor proliferation and migration pathways in group 3. We also developed a prognostic model and verified that it has good stability, effectiveness, and prognostic power. This study provides a basis for further exploration of the immune cell infiltration mechanism in HCC, differential HCC prognosis, and improvement of the efficacy of ICIs for the treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiyao Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan Universities, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ Transplantation, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Xiao Yu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan Universities, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ Transplantation, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Shuijun Zhang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan Universities, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.,Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ Transplantation, Zhengzhou, 450052, China
| | - Wenzhi Guo
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China. .,Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China. .,Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan Universities, Zhengzhou, 450052, China. .,Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ Transplantation, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
| | - Yuting He
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China. .,Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China. .,Open and Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery and Digestive Organ Transplantation at Henan Universities, Zhengzhou, 450052, China. .,Henan Key Laboratory of Digestive Organ Transplantation, Zhengzhou, 450052, China.
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21
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Rozowsky JS, Meesters-Ensing JI, Lammers JAS, Belle ML, Nierkens S, Kranendonk MEG, Kester LA, Calkoen FG, van der Lugt J. A Toolkit for Profiling the Immune Landscape of Pediatric Central Nervous System Malignancies. Front Immunol 2022; 13:864423. [PMID: 35464481 PMCID: PMC9022116 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.864423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The prognosis of pediatric central nervous system (CNS) malignancies remains dismal due to limited treatment options, resulting in high mortality rates and long-term morbidities. Immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibition, cancer vaccines, engineered T cell therapies, and oncolytic viruses, have promising results in some hematological and solid malignancies, and are being investigated in clinical trials for various high-grade CNS malignancies. However, the role of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in CNS malignancies is mostly unknown for pediatric cases. In order to successfully implement immunotherapies and to eventually predict which patients would benefit from such treatments, in-depth characterization of the TIME at diagnosis and throughout treatment is essential. In this review, we provide an overview of techniques for immune profiling of CNS malignancies, and detail how they can be utilized for different tissue types and studies. These techniques include immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry for quantifying and phenotyping the infiltrating immune cells, bulk and single-cell transcriptomics for describing the implicated immunological pathways, as well as functional assays. Finally, we aim to describe the potential benefits of evaluating other compartments of the immune system implicated by cancer therapies, such as cerebrospinal fluid and blood, and how such liquid biopsies are informative when designing immune monitoring studies. Understanding and uniformly evaluating the TIME and immune landscape of pediatric CNS malignancies will be essential to eventually integrate immunotherapy into clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Muriël L. Belle
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Stefan Nierkens
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Friso G. Calkoen
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
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22
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Brastianos PK, Strickland MR, Lee EQ, Wang N, Cohen JV, Chukwueke U, Forst DA, Eichler A, Overmoyer B, Lin NU, Chen WY, Bardia A, Juric D, Dagogo-Jack I, White MD, Dietrich J, Nayyar N, Kim AE, Alvarez-Breckenridge C, Mahar M, Mora JL, Nahed BV, Jones PS, Shih HA, Gerstner ER, Giobbie-Hurder A, Carter SL, Oh K, Cahill DP, Sullivan RJ. Phase II study of ipilimumab and nivolumab in leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5954. [PMID: 34642329 PMCID: PMC8511104 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25859-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is a common complication from solid tumor malignancies with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. We present a single arm Phase II study of 18 patients with LMD receiving combined ipilimumab and nivolumab until progression or unacceptable toxicity (NCT02939300). The primary end point is overall survival at 3 months (OS3). Secondary end points include toxicity, cumulative time-to-progression at 3 months, and progression-free survival. A Simon two-stage design is used to compare a null hypothesis OS3 of 18% against an alternative of 44%. Median follow up based on patients still alive is 8.0 months (range: 0.5 to 15.9 months). The study has met its primary endpoint as 8 of 18 (OS3 0.44; 90% CI: 0.24 to 0.66) patients are alive at three months. One third of patients have experienced one (or more) grade-3 or higher adverse events. Two patients have discontinued protocol treatment due to unacceptable toxicity (hepatitis and colitis, respectively). The most frequent adverse events include fatigue (N = 7), nausea (N = 6), fever (N = 6), anorexia (N = 6) and rash (N = 6). Combined ipilimumab and nivolumab has an acceptable safety profile and demonstrates promising activity in LMD patients. Larger, multicenter clinical trials are needed to validate these results.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew R Strickland
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Eudocia Quant Lee
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Nancy Wang
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Justine V Cohen
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Ugonma Chukwueke
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | | | - April Eichler
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Beth Overmoyer
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Nancy U Lin
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Wendy Y Chen
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Aditya Bardia
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Dejan Juric
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | | | - Michael D White
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Jorg Dietrich
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Naema Nayyar
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Albert E Kim
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | | | - Maura Mahar
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Joana L Mora
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Brian V Nahed
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Pamela S Jones
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Helen A Shih
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | | | | | - Scott L Carter
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Kevin Oh
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Daniel P Cahill
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Ryan J Sullivan
- Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
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