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Diniz CHDP, Henrique T, Stefanini ACB, De Castro TB, Tajara EH. Cetuximab chemotherapy resistance: Insight into the homeostatic evolution of head and neck cancer (Review). Oncol Rep 2024; 51:80. [PMID: 38639184 PMCID: PMC11056821 DOI: 10.3892/or.2024.8739] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The complex evolution of genetic alterations in cancer that occurs in vivo is a selective process involving numerous factors and mechanisms. Chemotherapeutic agents that prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells induce selective pressure, leading to rapid artificial selection of resistant subclones. This rapid evolution is possible because antineoplastic drugs promote alterations in tumor‑cell metabolism, thus creating a bottleneck event. The few resistant cells that survive in this new environment obtain differential reproductive success that enables them to pass down the newly selected resistant gene pool. The present review aims to summarize key findings of tumor evolution, epithelial‑mesenchymal transition and resistance to cetuximab therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Henrique De Paula Diniz
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine of São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, SP 15090-000, Brazil
| | - Tiago Henrique
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine of São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, SP 15090-000, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina B. Stefanini
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine of São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, SP 15090-000, Brazil
- Department of Experimental Research, Albert Einstein Education and Research Israeli Institute, IIEPAE, São Paulo, SP 05652-900, Brazil
| | - Tialfi Bergamin De Castro
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine of São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, SP 15090-000, Brazil
- Microbial Pathogenesis Department, School of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Eloiza H. Tajara
- Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine of São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP, São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, SP 15090-000, Brazil
- Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP 05508-090, Brazil
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2
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Karras P, Black JRM, McGranahan N, Marine JC. Decoding the interplay between genetic and non-genetic drivers of metastasis. Nature 2024; 629:543-554. [PMID: 38750233 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07302-6] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Metastasis is a multistep process by which cancer cells break away from their original location and spread to distant organs, and is responsible for the vast majority of cancer-related deaths. Preventing early metastatic dissemination would revolutionize the ability to fight cancer. Unfortunately, the relatively poor understanding of the molecular underpinnings of metastasis has hampered the development of effective anti-metastatic drugs. Although it is now accepted that disseminating tumour cells need to acquire multiple competencies to face the many obstacles they encounter before reaching their metastatic site(s), whether these competencies are acquired through an accumulation of metastasis-specific genetic alterations and/or non-genetic events is often debated. Here we review a growing body of literature highlighting the importance of both genetic and non-genetic reprogramming events during the metastatic cascade, and discuss how genetic and non-genetic processes act in concert to confer metastatic competencies. We also describe how recent technological advances, and in particular the advent of single-cell multi-omics and barcoding approaches, will help to better elucidate the cross-talk between genetic and non-genetic mechanisms of metastasis and ultimately inform innovative paths for the early detection and interception of this lethal process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Karras
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - James R M Black
- Cancer Genome Evolution Research Group, UCL Cancer Institute, London, UK
| | | | - Jean-Christophe Marine
- Laboratory for Molecular Cancer Biology, VIB Center for Cancer Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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3
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Slootbeek PHJ, Tolmeijer SH, Mehra N, Schalken JA. Therapeutic biomarkers in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: does the state matter? Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 2024; 61:178-204. [PMID: 37882463 DOI: 10.1080/10408363.2023.2266482] [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: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
The treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has been fundamentally transformed by our greater understanding of its complex biological mechanisms and its entrance into the era of precision oncology. A broad aim is to use the extreme heterogeneity of mCRPC by matching already approved or new targeted therapies to the correct tumor genotype. To achieve this, tumor DNA must be obtained, sequenced, and correctly interpreted, with individual aberrations explored for their druggability, taking into account the hierarchy of driving molecular pathways. Although tumor tissue sequencing is the gold standard, tumor tissue can be challenging to obtain, and a biopsy from one metastatic site or primary tumor may not provide an accurate representation of the current genetic underpinning. Sequencing of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) might catalyze precision oncology in mCRPC, as it enables real-time observation of genomic changes in tumors and allows for monitoring of treatment response and identification of resistance mechanisms. Moreover, ctDNA can be used to identify mutations that may not be detected in solitary metastatic lesions and can provide a more in-depth understanding of inter- and intra-tumor heterogeneity. Finally, ctDNA abundance can serve as a prognostic biomarker in patients with mCRPC.The androgen receptor (AR)-axis is a well-established therapeutical target for prostate cancer, and through ctDNA sequencing, insights have been obtained in (temporal) resistance mechanisms that develop through castration resistance. New third-generation AR-axis inhibitors are being developed to overcome some of these resistance mechanisms. The druggability of defects in the DNA damage repair machinery has impacted the treatment landscape of mCRPC in recent years. For patients with deleterious gene aberrations in genes linked to homologous recombination, particularly BRCA1 or BRCA2, PARP inhibitors have shown efficacy compared to the standard of care armamentarium, but platinum-based chemotherapy may be equally effective. A hierarchy exists in genes associated with homologous recombination, where, besides the canonical genes in this pathway, not every other gene aberration predicts the same likelihood of response. Moreover, evidence is emerging on cross-resistance between therapies such as PARP inhibitors, platinum-based chemotherapy and even radioligand therapy that target this genotype. Mismatch repair-deficient patients can experience a beneficial response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Activation of other cellular signaling pathways such as PI3K, cell cycle, and MAPK have shown limited success with monotherapy, but there is potential in co-targeting these pathways with combination therapy, either already witnessed or anticipated. This review outlines precision medicine in mCRPC, zooming in on the role of ctDNA, to identify genomic biomarkers that may be used to tailor molecularly targeted therapies. The most common druggable pathways and outcomes of therapies matched to these pathways are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter H J Slootbeek
- Department of Medical Oncology, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherland
| | - Sofie H Tolmeijer
- Department of Medical Oncology, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherland
| | - Niven Mehra
- Department of Medical Oncology, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherland
| | - Jack A Schalken
- Department of Experimental Urology, Research Institute of Medical Innovation, Radboud university medical center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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4
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Wong CC, Yu J. Mapping the pancancer metastasis tumor microbiome. Cell 2024; 187:2126-2128. [PMID: 38670070 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.040] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2024] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
The landscape of the intratumoral microbiome in tumor metastases is largely unchartered. In this issue of Cell, Voest et al. profiled the tumor metastasis-associated microbiome in a pancancer cohort of 4,160 biopsies from 26 cancer types. This dataset offers a useful resource for understanding the role of the microbiome in metastatic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Chun Wong
- Institute of Digestive Disease and Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jun Yu
- Institute of Digestive Disease and Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Wen RM, Qiu Z, Marti GEW, Peterson EE, Marques FJG, Bermudez A, Wei Y, Nolley R, Lam N, Polasko AL, Chiu CL, Zhang D, Cho S, Karageorgos GM, McDonough E, Chadwick C, Ginty F, Jung KJ, Machiraju R, Mallick P, Crowley L, Pollack JR, Zhao H, Pitteri SJ, Brooks JD. AZGP1 deficiency promotes angiogenesis in prostate cancer. J Transl Med 2024; 22:383. [PMID: 38659028 PMCID: PMC11044612 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05183-x] [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: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Loss of AZGP1 expression is a biomarker associated with progression to castration resistance, development of metastasis, and poor disease-specific survival in prostate cancer. However, high expression of AZGP1 cells in prostate cancer has been reported to increase proliferation and invasion. The exact role of AZGP1 in prostate cancer progression remains elusive. METHOD AZGP1 knockout and overexpressing prostate cancer cells were generated using a lentiviral system. The effects of AZGP1 under- or over-expression in prostate cancer cells were evaluated by in vitro cell proliferation, migration, and invasion assays. Heterozygous AZGP1± mice were obtained from European Mouse Mutant Archive (EMMA), and prostate tissues from homozygous knockout male mice were collected at 2, 6 and 10 months for histological analysis. In vivo xenografts generated from AZGP1 under- or over-expressing prostate cancer cells were used to determine the role of AZGP1 in prostate cancer tumor growth, and subsequent proteomics analysis was conducted to elucidate the mechanisms of AZGP1 action in prostate cancer progression. AZGP1 expression and microvessel density were measured in human prostate cancer samples on a tissue microarray of 215 independent patient samples. RESULT Neither the knockout nor overexpression of AZGP1 exhibited significant effects on prostate cancer cell proliferation, clonal growth, migration, or invasion in vitro. The prostates of AZGP1-/- mice initially appeared to have grossly normal morphology; however, we observed fibrosis in the periglandular stroma and higher blood vessel density in the mouse prostate by 6 months. In PC3 and DU145 mouse xenografts, over-expression of AZGP1 did not affect tumor growth. Instead, these tumors displayed decreased microvessel density compared to xenografts derived from PC3 and DU145 control cells, suggesting that AZGP1 functions to inhibit angiogenesis in prostate cancer. Proteomics profiling further indicated that, compared to control xenografts, AZGP1 overexpressing PC3 xenografts are enriched with angiogenesis pathway proteins, including YWHAZ, EPHA2, SERPINE1, and PDCD6, MMP9, GPX1, HSPB1, COL18A1, RNH1, and ANXA1. In vitro functional studies show that AZGP1 inhibits human umbilical vein endothelial cell proliferation, migration, tubular formation and branching. Additionally, tumor microarray analysis shows that AZGP1 expression is negatively correlated with blood vessel density in human prostate cancer tissues. CONCLUSION AZGP1 is a negative regulator of angiogenesis, such that loss of AZGP1 promotes angiogenesis in prostate cancer. AZGP1 likely exerts heterotypical effects on cells in the tumor microenvironment, such as stromal and endothelial cells. This study sheds light on the anti-angiogenic characteristics of AZGP1 in the prostate and provides a rationale to target AZGP1 to inhibit prostate cancer progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru M Wen
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Zhengyuan Qiu
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - G Edward W Marti
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Eric E Peterson
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Fernando Jose Garcia Marques
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Abel Bermudez
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Yi Wei
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Rosalie Nolley
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Nathan Lam
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Alex LaPat Polasko
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Chun-Lung Chiu
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Dalin Zhang
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Sanghee Cho
- GE HealthCare Technology and Innovation Center, Niskayuna, NY, 12309, USA
| | | | | | - Chrystal Chadwick
- GE HealthCare Technology and Innovation Center, Niskayuna, NY, 12309, USA
| | - Fiona Ginty
- GE HealthCare Technology and Innovation Center, Niskayuna, NY, 12309, USA
| | - Kyeong Joo Jung
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Raghu Machiraju
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Parag Mallick
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Laura Crowley
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan R Pollack
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hongjuan Zhao
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Sharon J Pitteri
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - James D Brooks
- Department of Urology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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Aya F, Lanuza-Gracia P, González-Pérez A, Bonnal S, Mancini E, López-Bigas N, Arance A, Valcárcel J. Genomic deletions explain the generation of alternative BRAF isoforms conferring resistance to MAPK inhibitors in melanoma. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114048. [PMID: 38614086 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114048] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Resistance to MAPK inhibitors (MAPKi), the main cause of relapse in BRAF-mutant melanoma, is associated with the production of alternative BRAF mRNA isoforms (altBRAFs) in up to 30% of patients receiving BRAF inhibitor monotherapy. These altBRAFs have been described as being generated by alternative pre-mRNA splicing, and splicing modulation has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy to overcome resistance. In contrast, we report that altBRAFs are generated through genomic deletions. Using different in vitro models of altBRAF-mediated melanoma resistance, we demonstrate the production of altBRAFs exclusively from the BRAF V600E allele, correlating with corresponding genomic deletions. Genomic deletions are also detected in tumor samples from melanoma and breast cancer patients expressing altBRAFs. Along with the identification of altBRAFs in BRAF wild-type and in MAPKi-naive melanoma samples, our results represent a major shift in our understanding of mechanisms leading to the generation of BRAF transcripts variants associated with resistance in melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Aya
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Investigacions Biomedicas August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Lanuza-Gracia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Abel González-Pérez
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sophie Bonnal
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Estefania Mancini
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nuria López-Bigas
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Arance
- Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain; Institut de Investigacions Biomedicas August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan Valcárcel
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
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Waldum H, Slupphaug G. Correctly identifying the cells of origin is essential for tailoring treatment and understanding the emergence of cancer stem cells and late metastases. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1369907. [PMID: 38660133 PMCID: PMC11040596 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1369907] [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] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Malignancy manifests itself by deregulated growth and the ability to invade surrounding tissues or metastasize to other organs. These properties are due to genetic and/or epigenetic changes, most often mutations. Many aspects of carcinogenesis are known, but the cell of origin has been insufficiently focused on, which is unfortunate since the regulation of its growth is essential to understand the carcinogenic process and guide treatment. Similarly, the concept of cancer stem cells as cells having the ability to stop proliferation and rest in a state of dormancy and being resistant to cytotoxic drugs before "waking up" and become a highly malignant tumor recurrence, is not fully understood. Some tumors may recur after decades, a phenomenon probably also connected to cancer stem cells. The present review shows that many of these questions are related to the cell of origin as differentiated cells being long-term stimulated to proliferation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helge Waldum
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Testa U, Castelli G, Pelosi E. Alk-rearranged lung adenocarcinoma: From molecular genetics to therapeutic targeting. Tumori 2024; 110:88-95. [PMID: 37772924 PMCID: PMC11005315 DOI: 10.1177/03008916231202149] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) is a potent oncogenic driver of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). ALK is constitutively activated by gene fusion events between the ALK and other gene fusion partners in about 2-3% of LUADs, characterized by few other gene alterations. ALK-fusions are a druggable target through potent pharmacological inhibitors of tyrosine kinase activity. Thus, several ALK-TKIs (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors) of first-, second- and third-generation have been developed that improved the outcomes of ALK-rearranged LUADs when used as first- or second-line agents. However, resistance mechanisms greatly limit the durability of the therapeutic effects elicited by these TKIs. The molecular mechanisms responsible for these resistance mechanisms have been in part elucidated, but overcoming acquired resistance to ALK-derived therapy remains a great challenge. Some new therapeutic strategies under investigation aim to induce long-term remission in ALK-fusion positive LUADs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugo Testa
- Department of Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy
| | | | - Elvira Pelosi
- Department of Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy
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Katoh M, Loriot Y, Brandi G, Tavolari S, Wainberg ZA, Katoh M. FGFR-targeted therapeutics: clinical activity, mechanisms of resistance and new directions. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2024; 21:312-329. [PMID: 38424198 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-024-00869-z] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling via FGF receptors (FGFR1-4) orchestrates fetal development and contributes to tissue and whole-body homeostasis, but can also promote tumorigenesis. Various agents, including pan-FGFR inhibitors (erdafitinib and futibatinib), FGFR1/2/3 inhibitors (infigratinib and pemigatinib), as well as a range of more-specific agents, have been developed and several have entered clinical use. Erdafitinib is approved for patients with urothelial carcinoma harbouring FGFR2/3 alterations, and futibatinib and pemigatinib are approved for patients with cholangiocarcinoma harbouring FGFR2 fusions and/or rearrangements. Clinical benefit from these agents is in part limited by hyperphosphataemia owing to off-target inhibition of FGFR1 as well as the emergence of resistance mutations in FGFR genes, activation of bypass signalling pathways, concurrent TP53 alterations and possibly epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related isoform switching. The next generation of small-molecule inhibitors, such as lirafugratinib and LOXO-435, and the FGFR2-specific antibody bemarituzumab are expected to have a reduced risk of hyperphosphataemia and the ability to overcome certain resistance mutations. In this Review, we describe the development and current clinical role of FGFR inhibitors and provide perspective on future research directions including expansion of the therapeutic indications for use of FGFR inhibitors, combination of these agents with immune-checkpoint inhibitors and the application of novel technologies, such as artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yohann Loriot
- Drug Development Department (DITEP), Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
- INSERM U981, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
| | - Giovanni Brandi
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Simona Tavolari
- Medical Oncology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Zev A Wainberg
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Masaru Katoh
- M & M Precision Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
- Department of Omics Network, National Cancer Center, Tokyo, Japan.
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Jaksik R, Szumała K, Dinh KN, Śmieja J. Multiomics-Based Feature Extraction and Selection for the Prediction of Lung Cancer Survival. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3661. [PMID: 38612473 PMCID: PMC11011391 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25073661] [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: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is a global health challenge, hindered by delayed diagnosis and the disease's complex molecular landscape. Accurate patient survival prediction is critical, motivating the exploration of various -omics datasets using machine learning methods. Leveraging multi-omics data, this study seeks to enhance the accuracy of survival prediction by proposing new feature extraction techniques combined with unbiased feature selection. Two lung adenocarcinoma multi-omics datasets, originating from the TCGA and CPTAC-3 projects, were employed for this purpose, emphasizing gene expression, methylation, and mutations as the most relevant data sources that provide features for the survival prediction models. Additionally, gene set aggregation was shown to be the most effective feature extraction method for mutation and copy number variation data. Using the TCGA dataset, we identified 32 molecular features that allowed the construction of a 2-year survival prediction model with an AUC of 0.839. The selected features were additionally tested on an independent CPTAC-3 dataset, achieving an AUC of 0.815 in nested cross-validation, which confirmed the robustness of the identified features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Jaksik
- Department of Systems Biology and Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland;
| | - Kamila Szumała
- Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland;
| | - Khanh Ngoc Dinh
- Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics and Department of Statistics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA;
| | - Jarosław Śmieja
- Department of Systems Biology and Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland;
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11
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Handoko, Adham M, Rachmadi L, Wibowo H, Gondhowiardjo SA. Cold Tumour Phenotype Explained Through Whole Genome Sequencing in Clinical Nasopharyngeal Cancer: A Preliminary Study. Immunotargets Ther 2024; 13:173-182. [PMID: 38524775 PMCID: PMC10959245 DOI: 10.2147/itt.s452117] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a complex cancer due to its unique genomic features and association with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Despite therapeutic advancements, NPC prognosis remains poor, necessitating a deeper understanding of its genomics. Here, we present a comprehensive whole genome sequencing (WGS) view of NPC genomics and its correlation with the phenotype. Methods This study involved WGS of a clinical NPC biopsy specimen. Sequencing was carried out using a long read sequencer from Oxford Nanopore. Analysis of the variants involved correlation with the phenotype of NPC. Results A loss of genes within chromosome 6 from copy number variation (CNV) was found. The lost genes included HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C, which work in the antigen presentation process. This loss of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) apparatus resulted in the tumour's ability to evade immune recognition. The tumour exhibited an immunologically "cold" phenotype, with mild tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, supporting the possible etiology of loss of antigen presentation capability. Furthermore, the driver mutation PIK3CA gene was identified along with various other gene variants affecting numerous signaling pathways. Discussion Comprehensive WGS was able to detect various mutations and genomic losses, which could explain tumour progression and immune evasion ability. Furthermore, the study identified the loss of other genes related to cancer and immune pathways, emphasizing the complexity of NPC genomics. In conclusion, this study underscores the significance of MHC class I gene loss and its probable correlation with the cold tumour phenotype observed in NPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Handoko
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Marlinda Adham
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Department, Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Lisnawati Rachmadi
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Heri Wibowo
- Integrated Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Soehartati A Gondhowiardjo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Cipto Mangunkusumo National General Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia
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12
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Kloker LD, Sidiras M, Flaadt T, Brecht IB, Deinzer CKW, Groß T, Benzler K, Zender L, Lauer UM. Clinical management of NUT carcinoma (NC) in Germany: Analysis of survival, therapy response, tumor markers and tumor genome sequencing in 35 adult patients. Lung Cancer 2024; 189:107496. [PMID: 38301600 DOI: 10.1016/j.lungcan.2024.107496] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
NUT carcinomas (NC) are very rare and highly aggressive tumors, molecularly defined by an aberrant gene fusion involving the NUTM1 gene. NCs preferentially arise intrathoracically or in the head and neck region, having a highly adverse prognosis with almost no long-term survivors. Here, we report on a cohort of 35 adult NC patients who were evaluated at University Hospital Tuebingen in an eight year time span, i.e. between 2016 and 2023. Primary objectives were overall survival (OS) and influence of primary tumor locations, fusion gene types and staging on OS. Secondary objectives were patient baseline characteristics, risk factors, tumor markers, treatment decisions and responses to therapy comparing thoracic vs non-thoracic origins. Further, data from tumor genome sequencing were analyzed. In this monocentric German cohort, 54 % of patients had thoracic tumors and 65 % harbored a BRD4-NUTM1 fusion gene. Median OS was 7.5 months, being significantly dependent on primary tumor location and nodal status. Initial misdiagnosis was a problem in 31 % of the cases. Surgery was the first treatment in most patients (46 %) and 80 % were treated with polychemotherapies, showing longer progression free survival (PFS) with ifosfamide-based than with platinum-based regimens. Patients treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) in addition to first-line chemotherapy tended to have longer OS. Initial LDH levels could be identified as a prognostic measure for survival prognosis. Sequencing data highlight aberrant NUTM1 fusion genes as unique tumor driver genes. This is the largest adult European cohort of this orphan tumor disease, showing epidemiologic and molecular features as well as relevant clinical data. Awareness to prevent misdiagnosis, fast contact to a specialized nation-wide center and referral to clinical studies are essential as long-term survival is rarely achieved with any of the current therapeutic regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linus D Kloker
- Department of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, Medical University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Mirjana Sidiras
- Department of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, Medical University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Tim Flaadt
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ines B Brecht
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Christoph K W Deinzer
- Department of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, Medical University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Thorben Groß
- Department of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, Medical University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Katrin Benzler
- Department of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, Medical University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Lars Zender
- Department of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, Medical University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany; DFG Cluster of Excellence 2180 'Image-guided and Functional Instructed Tumor Therapy', University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Tuebingen, a partnership between DKFZ and the University Hospital Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Ulrich M Lauer
- Department of Medical Oncology and Pneumology, Medical University Hospital, Tuebingen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Tuebingen, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), NCT Tuebingen, a partnership between DKFZ and the University Hospital Tuebingen, Germany
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13
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Peuget S, Zhou X, Selivanova G. Translating p53-based therapies for cancer into the clinic. Nat Rev Cancer 2024; 24:192-215. [PMID: 38287107 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-023-00658-3] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Inactivation of the most important tumour suppressor gene TP53 occurs in most, if not all, human cancers. Loss of functional wild-type p53 is achieved via two main mechanisms: mutation of the gene leading to an absence of tumour suppressor activity and, in some cases, gain-of-oncogenic function; or inhibition of the wild-type p53 protein mediated by overexpression of its negative regulators MDM2 and MDMX. Because of its high potency as a tumour suppressor and the dependence of at least some established tumours on its inactivation, p53 appears to be a highly attractive target for the development of new anticancer drugs. However, p53 is a transcription factor and therefore has long been considered undruggable. Nevertheless, several innovative strategies have been pursued for targeting dysfunctional p53 for cancer treatment. In mutant p53-expressing tumours, the predominant strategy is to restore tumour suppressor function with compounds acting either in a generic manner or otherwise selective for one or a few specific p53 mutations. In addition, approaches to deplete mutant p53 or to target vulnerabilities created by mutant p53 expression are currently under development. In wild-type p53 tumours, the major approach is to protect p53 from the actions of MDM2 and MDMX by targeting these negative regulators with inhibitors. Although the results of at least some clinical trials of MDM2 inhibitors and mutant p53-restoring compounds are promising, none of the agents has yet been approved by the FDA. Alternative strategies, based on a better understanding of p53 biology, the mechanisms of action of compounds and treatment regimens as well as the development of new technologies are gaining interest, such as proteolysis-targeting chimeras for MDM2 degradation. Other approaches are taking advantage of the progress made in immune-based therapies for cancer. In this Review, we present these ongoing clinical trials and emerging approaches to re-evaluate the current state of knowledge of p53-based therapies for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Peuget
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Xiaolei Zhou
- Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Galina Selivanova
- Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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14
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Dymerska D, Marusiak AA. Drivers of cancer metastasis - Arise early and remain present. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189060. [PMID: 38151195 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2023.189060] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Cancer and its metastases arise from mutations of genes, drivers that promote a tumor's growth. Analyses of driver events provide insights into cancer cell history and may lead to a better understanding of oncogenesis. We reviewed 27 metastatic research studies, including pan-cancer studies, individual cancer studies, and phylogenetic analyses, and summarized our current knowledge of metastatic drivers. All of the analyzed studies had a high level of consistency of driver mutations between primary tumors and metastasis, indicating that most drivers appear early in cancer progression and are maintained in metastatic cells. Additionally, we reviewed data from around 50,000 metastatic cancer patients and compiled a list of genes altered in metastatic lesions. We performed Gene Ontology analysis and confirmed that the most significantly enriched processes in metastatic lesions were the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, signal transduction, cell cycle, programmed cell death, DNA damage, hypoxia and EMT. In this review, we explore the most recent discoveries regarding genetic factors in the advancement of cancer, specifically those that drive metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dagmara Dymerska
- Laboratory of Molecular OncoSignalling, IMol Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Anna A Marusiak
- Laboratory of Molecular OncoSignalling, IMol Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
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15
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Janic A, Abad E, Amelio I. Decoding p53 tumor suppression: a crosstalk between genomic stability and epigenetic control? Cell Death Differ 2024:10.1038/s41418-024-01259-9. [PMID: 38379088 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-024-01259-9] [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: 10/03/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer, is a direct consequence of the inactivation of the tumor suppressor protein p53. Genetically modified mouse models and human tumor samples have revealed that p53 loss results in extensive chromosomal abnormalities, from copy number alterations to structural rearrangements. In this perspective article we explore the multifaceted relationship between p53, genomic stability, and epigenetic control, highlighting its significance in cancer biology. p53 emerges as a critical regulator of DNA repair mechanisms, influencing key components of repair pathways and directly participating in DNA repair processes. p53 role in genomic integrity however extends beyond its canonical functions. p53 influences also epigenetic landscape, where it modulates DNA methylation and histone modifications. This epigenetic control impacts the expression of genes involved in tumor suppression and oncogenesis. Notably, p53 ability to ensure cellular response to DNA demethylation contributes to the maintenance of genomic stability by preventing unscheduled transcription of repetitive non-coding genomic regions. This latter indicates a causative relationship between the control of epigenetic stability and the maintenance of genomic integrity in p53-mediated tumor suppression. Understanding these mechanisms offers promising avenues for innovative therapeutic strategies targeting epigenetic dysregulation in cancer and emphasizes the need for further research to unravel the complexities of this relationship. Ultimately, these insights hold the potential to transform cancer treatment and prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Janic
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Etna Abad
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ivano Amelio
- Chair for Systems Toxicology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
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16
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van de Kooij B, Schreuder A, Pavani R, Garzero V, Uruci S, Wendel TJ, van Hoeck A, San Martin Alonso M, Everts M, Koerse D, Callen E, Boom J, Mei H, Cuppen E, Luijsterburg MS, van Vugt MATM, Nussenzweig A, van Attikum H, Noordermeer SM. EXO1 protects BRCA1-deficient cells against toxic DNA lesions. Mol Cell 2024; 84:659-674.e7. [PMID: 38266640 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.12.039] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Inactivating mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes impair DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair by homologous recombination (HR), leading to chromosomal instability and cancer. Importantly, BRCA1/2 deficiency also causes therapeutically targetable vulnerabilities. Here, we identify the dependency on the end resection factor EXO1 as a key vulnerability of BRCA1-deficient cells. EXO1 deficiency generates poly(ADP-ribose)-decorated DNA lesions during S phase that associate with unresolved DSBs and genomic instability in BRCA1-deficient but not in wild-type or BRCA2-deficient cells. Our data indicate that BRCA1/EXO1 double-deficient cells accumulate DSBs due to impaired repair by single-strand annealing (SSA) on top of their HR defect. In contrast, BRCA2-deficient cells retain SSA activity in the absence of EXO1 and hence tolerate EXO1 loss. Consistent with a dependency on EXO1-mediated SSA, we find that BRCA1-mutated tumors show elevated EXO1 expression and increased SSA-associated genomic scars compared with BRCA1-proficient tumors. Overall, our findings uncover EXO1 as a promising therapeutic target for BRCA1-deficient tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bert van de Kooij
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands; Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen 9713 GZ, the Netherlands
| | - Anne Schreuder
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht 3521 AL, the Netherlands
| | - Raphael Pavani
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Veronica Garzero
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht 3521 AL, the Netherlands
| | - Sidrit Uruci
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands
| | - Tiemen J Wendel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht 3521 AL, the Netherlands
| | - Arne van Hoeck
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht 3521 AL, the Netherlands; Centre for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CG, the Netherlands
| | - Marta San Martin Alonso
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht 3521 AL, the Netherlands
| | - Marieke Everts
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen 9713 GZ, the Netherlands
| | - Dana Koerse
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands
| | - Elsa Callen
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jasper Boom
- Sequencing Analysis Support Core, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands
| | - Hailiang Mei
- Sequencing Analysis Support Core, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands
| | - Edwin Cuppen
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht 3521 AL, the Netherlands; Centre for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht 3584 CG, the Netherlands; Hartwig Medical Foundation, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands
| | - Martijn S Luijsterburg
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands
| | - Marcel A T M van Vugt
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen 9713 GZ, the Netherlands
| | - André Nussenzweig
- Laboratory of Genome Integrity, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Haico van Attikum
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands.
| | - Sylvie M Noordermeer
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden 2333 ZC, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht 3521 AL, the Netherlands.
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17
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Stinson JA, Barbosa MMP, Sheen A, Momin N, Fink E, Hampel J, Selting K, Kamerer R, Bailey KL, Wittrup KD, Fan TM. Tumor-localized interleukin-2 and interleukin-12 combine with radiation therapy to safely potentiate regression of advanced malignant melanoma in pet dogs. bioRxiv 2024:2024.02.12.579965. [PMID: 38405716 PMCID: PMC10888855 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.12.579965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
The clinical use of interleukin-2 and -12 cytokines against cancer is limited by their narrow therapeutic windows due to on-target, off-tumor activation of immune cells when delivered systemically. Engineering IL-2 and IL-12 to bind to extracellular matrix collagen allows these cytokines to be retained within tumors after intralesional injection, overcoming these clinical safety challenges. While this approach has potentiated responses in syngeneic mouse tumors without toxicity, the complex tumor-immune interactions in human cancers are difficult to recapitulate in mouse models of cancer. This has driven an increased role for comparative oncology clinical trials in companion (pet) dogs with spontaneous cancers that feature analogous tumor and immune biology to human cancers. Here, we report the results from a dose-escalation clinical trial of intratumoral collagen-binding IL-2 and IL-12 cytokines in pet dogs with malignant melanoma, observing encouraging local and regional responses to therapy that may suggest human clinical benefit with this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A. Stinson
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | | | - Allison Sheen
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Noor Momin
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Elizabeth Fink
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Jordan Hampel
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Kimberly Selting
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | - Rebecca Kamerer
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
| | | | - K. Dane Wittrup
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Timothy M. Fan
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
- Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
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18
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Baker TM, Waise S, Tarabichi M, Van Loo P. Aneuploidy and complex genomic rearrangements in cancer evolution. Nat Cancer 2024; 5:228-239. [PMID: 38286829 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-023-00711-y] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Mutational processes that alter large genomic regions occur frequently in developing tumors. They range from simple copy number gains and losses to the shattering and reassembly of entire chromosomes. These catastrophic events, such as chromothripsis, chromoplexy and the formation of extrachromosomal DNA, affect the expression of many genes and therefore have a substantial effect on the fitness of the cells in which they arise. In this review, we cover large genomic alterations, the mechanisms that cause them and their effect on tumor development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toby M Baker
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sara Waise
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Cancer Sciences Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Maxime Tarabichi
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Research (IRIBHM), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Peter Van Loo
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Genomic Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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19
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Yousef A, Ghobrial L, Diamandis EP. Tumor heterogeneity: how could we use it to achieve better clinical outcomes? Diagnosis (Berl) 2024; 11:25-30. [PMID: 37817292 DOI: 10.1515/dx-2023-0108] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023]
Abstract
Differences in tumors related to location, tissue type, and histological subtype have been well documented for decades. Tumors are also molecularly very diverse. In this short review we describe the current classification schemes for tumor heterogeneity. We enlist the various drivers of tumor heterogeneity generation and comment on their clinical significance. New molecular techniques promise to assess tumor heterogeneity at affordable cost, so that these techniques can soon enter the clinic. While tumor heterogeneity currently represents a major unfavorable barrier in the field of oncology, it may also be a key in revolutionizing cancer diagnosis and treatment. Information regarding tumor heterogeneity has the potential to provide more thorough prognostic information, guide more efficacious combination treatment regimens, and lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies and identification of new targets. For these gains to be realized, assessment of tumor heterogeneity needs to be incorporated into current diagnostic protocols but standardized and reproducible assessment methods are required. Fortunately, when these advances are realized, tumor heterogeneity has the potential to improve clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucianna Ghobrial
- School of Medicine, and Department of Public Health, King's College London, London, UK
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20
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Tani T, Oikawa M, Misaka T, Ishida T, Takeishi Y. Heart Failure Post-Myocardial Infarction Promotes Mammary Tumor Growth Through the NGF-TRKA Pathway. JACC CardioOncol 2024; 6:55-66. [PMID: 38510296 PMCID: PMC10950436 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccao.2023.10.002] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Epidemiological investigations suggest that patients with heart failure have a higher incidence of cancer; however, the causal role of cardiac disease on cancer progression remains unclear. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the impact and underlying mechanisms of myocardial infarction (MI)-induced heart failure on tumor cell growth. Methods We generated a syngeneic mouse model by implanting mammary tumor-derived 4T1 cells into BALB/c mice with MI resulting from ligation of the left anterior descending artery. Results Mice with MI exhibited increased tumor volume, tumor weight, and Ki67-positive proliferative cells in the tumor tissue compared with the sham-operated mice. Furthermore, RNA sequencing analysis in the tumor tissue revealed significant enrichment of pathways related to tumor progression, particularly the PI3K-AKT pathway in the MI mice. Upregulation of tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TRKA) phosphorylation, an upstream regulator of PI3K-AKT signaling, was observed in the tumor tissue of the MI mice. We also observed elevated levels of circulating nerve growth factor (NGF), a ligand of TRKA, and increased NGF expressions in the myocardium after MI. In in vitro experiments, NGF stimulation led to increased cell proliferation, as well as phosphorylation of TRKA and AKT. Notably, inhibition of TRKA by small interfering RNA or the chemical inhibitor GW441756 effectively blocked these effects. Administration of GW441756 resulted in the suppression of tumor volume and cell proliferation in the MI mice. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that MI promotes mammary tumor growth through the NGF-TRKA pathway. Consequently, inhibiting TRKA could represent a therapeutic strategy for breast cancer patients concurrently experiencing heart failure after MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tetsuya Tani
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Masayoshi Oikawa
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tomofumi Misaka
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
- Department of Community Cardiovascular Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Takafumi Ishida
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Yasuchika Takeishi
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
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21
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Sini MC, Doro MG, Frogheri L, Zinellu A, Paliogiannis P, Porcu A, Scognamillo F, Delogu D, Santeufemia DA, Persico I, Palomba G, Maestrale GB, Cossu A, Palmieri G. Combination of mutations in genes controlling DNA repair and high mutational load plays a prognostic role in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC): a retrospective real-life study in Sardinian population. J Transl Med 2024; 22:108. [PMID: 38280995 PMCID: PMC10821545 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-04923-3] [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: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDCA) carrying impaired mismatch repair mechanisms seem to have an outcome advantage under treatment with conventional chemotherapy, whereas the role for the tumor mutation burden on prognosis is controversial. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic role of the mutated genes involved in genome damage repair in a real-life series of PDAC patients in a hospital-based manner from the main Institution deputed to surgically treat such a disease in North Sardinia. METHODS A cohort of fifty-five consecutive PDAC patients with potentially resectable/border line resectable PDAC (stage IIB-III) or oligometastatic disease (stage IV) and tumor tissue availability underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based analysis using a panel containing driver oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes as well as genes controlling DNA repair mechanisms. RESULTS Genes involved in the both genome damage repair (DR) and DNA mismatch repair (MMR) were found mutated in 17 (31%) and 15 (27%) cases, respectively. One fourth of PDAC cases (14/55; 25.5%) carried tumors presenting a combination of mutations in repair genes (DR and MMR) and the highest mutation load rates (MLR-H). After correction for confounders (surgery, adjuvant therapy, stage T, and metastasis), multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that mutations in DR genes (HR = 3.0126, 95% CI 1.0707 to 8.4764, p = 0.0367) and the MLR (HR = 1.0018, 95%CI 1.0005 to 1.0032, p = 0.009) were significantly related to worse survival. CONCLUSIONS The combination of mutated repair genes and MLR-H, which is associated with a worse survival in our series of PDAC patients treated with conventional chemotherapy protocols, might become a predictive biomarker of response to immunotherapy in addition to its prognostic role in predicting survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cristina Sini
- Unit of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Genetic Biomedical Research (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Sassari, Italy
| | - Maria Grazia Doro
- Unit of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Genetic Biomedical Research (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Sassari, Italy
| | - Laura Frogheri
- Unit of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Genetic Biomedical Research (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Sassari, Italy
| | - Angelo Zinellu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Panagiotis Paliogiannis
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Traversa La Crucca 3, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Alberto Porcu
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Traversa La Crucca 3, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Scognamillo
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Traversa La Crucca 3, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Daniele Delogu
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Traversa La Crucca 3, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | | | - Ivana Persico
- Unit of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Genetic Biomedical Research (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Sassari, Italy
| | - Grazia Palomba
- Unit of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Genetic Biomedical Research (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Sassari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Battista Maestrale
- Unit of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Genetic Biomedical Research (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Sassari, Italy
| | - Antonio Cossu
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Traversa La Crucca 3, 07100, Sassari, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Palmieri
- Unit of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Genetic Biomedical Research (IRGB), National Research Council (CNR), Sassari, Italy.
- Immuno-Oncology & Targeted Cancer Biotherapies, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy.
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22
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LIU B. [Hypothesis of Genetic Diversity Selection in the Occurrence and Development of
Lung Cancer: Molecular Evolution and Clinical Significance]. Zhongguo Fei Ai Za Zhi 2024; 26:943-949. [PMID: 38163980 PMCID: PMC10767663 DOI: 10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2023.101.34] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
So far, the monoclonal hypothesis of tumor occurrence and development cannot be justified. The genetic diversity selection hypothesis for the occurrence and development of lung cancer links Mendelian genetics with Darwin's theory of evolution, suggesting that the genetic diversity of tumor cell populations with polyclonal origins-monoclonal selection-subclonal expansion is the result of selection pressure. Normal cells acquire mutations in oncogenic driver genes and have a selective advantage over other cells, becoming tumor initiating cells; In the interaction with the tumor microenvironment (TME), the vast majority of initiating cells are recognized and killed by the human immune system. If immune escape occurs, the incidence of malignant tumors will greatly increase, and subclonal expansion, intratumour heterogeneity, etc. will occur. This article proposed the hypothesis of genetic diversity selection and analyzed its clinical significance.
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23
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Sosinsky A, Ambrose J, Cross W, Turnbull C, Henderson S, Jones L, Hamblin A, Arumugam P, Chan G, Chubb D, Noyvert B, Mitchell J, Walker S, Bowman K, Pasko D, Buongermino Pereira M, Volkova N, Rueda-Martin A, Perez-Gil D, Lopez J, Pullinger J, Siddiq A, Zainy T, Choudhury T, Yavorska O, Fowler T, Bentley D, Kingsley C, Hing S, Deans Z, Rendon A, Hill S, Caulfield M, Murugaesu N. Insights for precision oncology from the integration of genomic and clinical data of 13,880 tumors from the 100,000 Genomes Cancer Programme. Nat Med 2024; 30:279-289. [PMID: 38200255 PMCID: PMC10803271 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-023-02682-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The Cancer Programme of the 100,000 Genomes Project was an initiative to provide whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for patients with cancer, evaluating opportunities for precision cancer care within the UK National Healthcare System (NHS). Genomics England, alongside NHS England, analyzed WGS data from 13,880 solid tumors spanning 33 cancer types, integrating genomic data with real-world treatment and outcome data, within a secure Research Environment. Incidence of somatic mutations in genes recommended for standard-of-care testing varied across cancer types. For instance, in glioblastoma multiforme, small variants were present in 94% of cases and copy number aberrations in at least one gene in 58% of cases, while sarcoma demonstrated the highest occurrence of actionable structural variants (13%). Homologous recombination deficiency was identified in 40% of high-grade serous ovarian cancer cases with 30% linked to pathogenic germline variants, highlighting the value of combined somatic and germline analysis. The linkage of WGS and longitudinal life course clinical data allowed the assessment of treatment outcomes for patients stratified according to pangenomic markers. Our findings demonstrate the utility of linking genomic and real-world clinical data to enable survival analysis to identify cancer genes that affect prognosis and advance our understanding of how cancer genomics impacts patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - William Cross
- School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK
| | - Clare Turnbull
- Genomics England, London, UK
- Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
| | | | - Louise Jones
- Genomics England, London, UK
- Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Angela Hamblin
- Genomics England, London, UK
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | | | - Boris Noyvert
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Tom Fowler
- Genomics England, London, UK
- William Harvey Research Institute and the Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Sue Hill
- Genomics Unit, NHS England, London, UK
| | - Mark Caulfield
- Genomics England, London, UK.
- William Harvey Research Institute and the Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
| | - Nirupa Murugaesu
- Genomics England, London, UK.
- Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
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24
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Stracker TH, Osagie OI, Escorcia FE, Citrin DE. Exploiting the DNA Damage Response for Prostate Cancer Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 16:83. [PMID: 38201511 PMCID: PMC10777950 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16010083] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Prostate cancers that progress despite androgen deprivation develop into castration-resistant prostate cancer, a fatal disease with few treatment options. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of prostate cancer subtypes and alterations in the DNA damage response (DDR) that can predispose to the development of prostate cancer and affect its progression. We identify barriers to conventional treatments, such as radiotherapy, and discuss the development of new therapies, many of which target the DDR or take advantage of recurring genetic alterations in the DDR. We place this in the context of advances in understanding the genetic variation and immune landscape of CRPC that could help guide their use in future treatment strategies. Finally, we discuss several new and emerging agents that may advance the treatment of lethal disease, highlighting selected clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis H. Stracker
- Radiation Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (O.I.O.); (F.E.E.); (D.E.C.)
| | - Oloruntoba I. Osagie
- Radiation Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (O.I.O.); (F.E.E.); (D.E.C.)
| | - Freddy E. Escorcia
- Radiation Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (O.I.O.); (F.E.E.); (D.E.C.)
- Molecular Imaging Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Deborah E. Citrin
- Radiation Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; (O.I.O.); (F.E.E.); (D.E.C.)
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25
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Huth T, Dreher EC, Lemke S, Fritzsche S, Sugiyanto RN, Castven D, Ibberson D, Sticht C, Eiteneuer E, Jauch A, Pusch S, Albrecht T, Goeppert B, Candia J, Wang XW, Ji J, Marquardt JU, Nahnsen S, Schirmacher P, Roessler S. Chromosome 8p engineering reveals increased metastatic potential targetable by patient-specific synthetic lethality in liver cancer. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadh1442. [PMID: 38134284 PMCID: PMC10745716 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh1442] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale chromosomal aberrations are prevalent in human cancer, but their function remains poorly understood. We established chromosome-engineered hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. A 33-mega-base pair region on chromosome 8p (chr8p) was heterozygously deleted, mimicking a frequently observed chromosomal deletion. Using this isogenic model system, we delineated the functional consequences of chr8p loss and its impact on metastatic behavior and patient survival. We found that metastasis-associated genes on chr8p act in concert to induce an aggressive and invasive phenotype characteristic for chr8p-deleted tumors. Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 viability screening in isogenic chr8p-deleted cells served as a powerful tool to find previously unidentified synthetic lethal targets and vulnerabilities accompanying patient-specific chromosomal alterations. Using this target identification strategy, we showed that chr8p deletion sensitizes tumor cells to targeting of the reactive oxygen sanitizing enzyme Nudix hydrolase 17. Thus, chromosomal engineering allowed for the identification of novel synthetic lethalities specific to chr8p loss of heterozygosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorben Huth
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Emely C. Dreher
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Steffen Lemke
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Peptide-based Immunotherapy, University and University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sarah Fritzsche
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Raisatun N. Sugiyanto
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Darko Castven
- Department of Medicine I, University Medical Center Schleswig Holstein, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - David Ibberson
- Deep Sequencing Core Facility, CellNetworks Excellence Cluster, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Carsten Sticht
- NGS Core Facility, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Eva Eiteneuer
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anna Jauch
- Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Pusch
- Department of Neuropathology, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Clinical Cooperation Unit Neuropathology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Albrecht
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Goeppert
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Institute of Tissue Medicine and Pathology, University of Bern, 3008 Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, RKH Klinikum Ludwigsburg, 71640 Ludwigsburg, Germany
| | - Julián Candia
- Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Xin Wei Wang
- Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis and Liver Cancer Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Junfang Ji
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jens U. Marquardt
- Department of Medicine I, University Medical Center Schleswig Holstein, 23538 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Sven Nahnsen
- Quantitative Biology Center (QBiC), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Biomedical Data Science, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
- The M3 Research Center, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Peter Schirmacher
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stephanie Roessler
- Heidelberg University, Medical Faculty, Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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26
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Burdett NL, Willis MO, Pandey A, Fereday S, DeFazio A, Bowtell DDL, Christie EL. Small-scale mutations are infrequent as mechanisms of resistance in post-PARP inhibitor tumour samples in high grade serous ovarian cancer. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21884. [PMID: 38072854 PMCID: PMC10711013 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48153-x] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
While the introduction of poly-(ADP)-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in homologous recombination DNA repair (HR) deficient high grade serous ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancers (HGSC) has improved patient survival, resistance to PARP inhibitors frequently occurs. Preclinical and translational studies have identified multiple mechanisms of resistance; here we examined tumour samples collected from 26 women following treatment with PARP inhibitors as part of standard of care or their enrolment in clinical trials. Twenty-one had a germline or somatic BRCA1/2 mutation. We performed targeted sequencing of 63 genes involved in DNA repair processes or implicated in ovarian cancer resistance. We found that just three individuals had a small-scale mutation as a definitive resistance mechanism detected, having reversion mutations, while six had potential mechanisms of resistance detected, with alterations related to BRCA1 function and mutations in SHLD2. This study indicates that mutations in genes related to DNA repair are detected in a minority of HGSC patients as genetic mechanisms of resistance. Future research into resistance in HGSC should focus on copy number, transcriptional and epigenetic aberrations, and the contribution of the tumour microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikki L Burdett
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
- Box Hill Hospital, Eastern Health, Box Hill, Victoria, 3128, Australia
| | | | - Ahwan Pandey
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Sian Fereday
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Anna DeFazio
- Centre for Cancer Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, NSW, 2145, Australia
- The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, a joint venture with Cancer Council NSW, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
- Department of Gynaecological Oncology, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, NSW, 2145, Australia
| | - David D L Bowtell
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Elizabeth L Christie
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
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27
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Kao J, Sahagian M, Gupta V, Missios S, Sangal A. Long-term disease-free survival following comprehensive involved site radiotherapy for oligometastases. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1267626. [PMID: 38144534 PMCID: PMC10739409 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1267626] [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] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Despite recent advances in drug development, durable complete remissions with systemic therapy alone for metastatic cancers remain infrequent. With the development of advanced radiation technologies capable of selectively sparing normal tissues, patients with oligometastases are often amenable to comprehensive involved site radiotherapy with curative intent. This study reports the long-term outcomes and patterns of failure for patients treated with total metastatic ablation often in combination with systemic therapy. Materials and methods Consecutive adult patients with oligometastases from solid tumor malignancy treated by a single high volume radiation oncologist between 2014 and 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Oligometastases were defined as 5 or fewer metastatic lesions where all sites of active disease are amenable to local treatment. Comprehensive involved site radiotherapy consisted of stereotactic radiotherapy to a median dose of 27 Gy in 3 fractions and intensity modulated radiation therapy to a median dose of 50 Gy in 15 fractions. This study analyzed overall survival, progression-free survival, patterns of failure and toxicity. Results A total of 130 patients with 209 treated distant metastases were treated with a median follow-up of 36 months. The 4-year overall survival, progression-free survival, local control and distant control was 41%, 23%, 86% and 29%. Patterns of failure include 23% alive and free of disease (NED), 52% distant failure only, 9% NED but death from comorbid illness, 7% both local and distant failure, 4% NED but lost to follow-up, 4% referred to hospice before restaging, 1% local only failure, 1% alive with second primary cancer. Late grade 3+ toxicities occurred in 4% of patients, most commonly radionecrosis. Conclusion Involved site radiotherapy to all areas of known disease can safely achieve durable complete remissions in patients with oligometastases treated in the real world setting. Distant failures account for the majority of treatment failures and isolated local failures are exceedingly uncommon. Oligometastases represents a promising setting to investigate novel therapeutics targeting minimal residual disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnny Kao
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Good Samaritan University Hospital, West Islip, West Islip, NY, United States
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, United States
- Cancer Institute, Good Samaritan University Hospital, West Islip, NY, United States
| | - Michelle Sahagian
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Good Samaritan University Hospital, West Islip, West Islip, NY, United States
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Vani Gupta
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Good Samaritan University Hospital, West Islip, West Islip, NY, United States
- New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, NY, United States
| | - Symeon Missios
- Cancer Institute, Good Samaritan University Hospital, West Islip, NY, United States
- Long Island Brain and Spine, West Islip, NY, United States
| | - Ashish Sangal
- Cancer Institute, Good Samaritan University Hospital, West Islip, NY, United States
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28
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Chai K, Wang C, Zhou J, Mu W, Gao M, Fan Z, Lv G. Quenching thirst with poison? Paradoxical effect of anticancer drugs. Pharmacol Res 2023; 198:106987. [PMID: 37949332 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106987] [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] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Anticancer drugs have been developed with expectations to provide long-term or at least short-term survival benefits for patients with cancer. Unfortunately, drug therapy tends to provoke malignant biological and clinical behaviours of cancer cells relating not only to the evolution of resistance to specific drugs but also to the enhancement of their proliferation and metastasis abilities. Thus, drug therapy is suspected to impair long-term survival in treated patients under certain circumstances. The paradoxical therapeutic effects could be described as 'quenching thirst with poison', where temporary relief is sought regardless of the consequences. Understanding the underlying mechanisms by which tumours react on drug-induced stress to maintain viability is crucial to develop rational targeting approaches which may optimize survival in patients with cancer. In this review, we describe the paradoxical adverse effects of anticancer drugs, in particular how cancer cells complete resistance evolution, enhance proliferation, escape from immune surveillance and metastasize efficiently when encountered with drug therapy. We also describe an integrative therapeutic framework that may diminish such paradoxical effects, consisting of four main strategies: (1) targeting endogenous stress response pathways, (2) targeting new identities of cancer cells, (3) adaptive therapy- exploiting subclonal competition of cancer cells, and (4) targeting tumour microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiyuan Chai
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Chuanlei Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Jianpeng Zhou
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Wentao Mu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Menghan Gao
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Zhongqi Fan
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
| | - Guoyue Lv
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, General Surgery Center, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
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29
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Vittoria MA, Quinton RJ, Ganem NJ. Whole-genome doubling in tissues and tumors. Trends Genet 2023; 39:954-967. [PMID: 37714734 PMCID: PMC10840902 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.08.004] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
The overwhelming majority of proliferating somatic human cells are diploid, and this genomic state is typically maintained across successive cell divisions. However, failures in cell division can induce a whole-genome doubling (WGD) event, in which diploid cells transition to a tetraploid state. While some WGDs are developmentally programmed to produce nonproliferative tetraploid cells with specific cellular functions, unscheduled WGDs can be catastrophic: erroneously arising tetraploid cells are ill-equipped to cope with their doubled cellular and chromosomal content and quickly become genomically unstable and tumorigenic. Deciphering the genetics that underlie the genesis, physiology, and evolution of whole-genome doubled (WGD+) cells may therefore reveal therapeutic avenues to selectively eliminate pathological WGD+ cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc A Vittoria
- Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
| | - Ryan J Quinton
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Neil J Ganem
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA.
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30
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Jiang Z, Ju YJ, Ali A, Chung PED, Wang DY, Liu JC, Li H, Vorobieva I, Mwewa E, Ghanbari-Azarnier R, Shrestha M, Ben-David Y, Zacksenhaus E. Thinking (Metastasis) outside the (Primary Tumor) Box. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5315. [PMID: 38001575 PMCID: PMC10670606 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15225315] [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: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The metastasis of tumor cells into vital organs is a major cause of death from diverse types of malignancies [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhe Jiang
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
| | - Young-Jun Ju
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
| | - Amjad Ali
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
| | - Philip E. D. Chung
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
- Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Dong-Yu Wang
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
| | - Jeff C. Liu
- The Donnelly Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3E1, Canada;
| | - Huiqin Li
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
| | - Ioulia Vorobieva
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
- Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Ethel Mwewa
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
| | - Ronak Ghanbari-Azarnier
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
- Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Mariusz Shrestha
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
- Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Yaacov Ben-David
- State Key Laboratory for Functions and Applications of Medicinal Plants, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, China;
- The Natural Products Research Center of Guizhou Province, Guiyang 550014, China
| | - Eldad Zacksenhaus
- Toronto General Research Institute—University Health Network, 101 College Street, Max Bell Research Centre, Suite 5R406, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada (Y.-J.J.); (A.A.); (D.-Y.W.); (H.L.); (E.M.); (R.G.-A.); (M.S.)
- Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H2, Canada
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Bahnassy S, Stires H, Jin L, Tam S, Mobin D, Balachandran M, Podar M, McCoy MD, Beckman RA, Riggins RB. Unraveling Vulnerabilities in Endocrine Therapy-Resistant HER2+/ER+ Breast Cancer. Endocrinology 2023; 164:bqad159. [PMID: 37897495 PMCID: PMC10651073 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqad159] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Breast tumors overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) confer intrinsic resistance to endocrine therapy (ET), and patients with HER2/estrogen receptor-positive (HER2+/ER+) breast cancer (BCa) are less responsive to ET than HER2-/ER+. However, real-world evidence reveals that a large subset of patients with HER2+/ER+ receive ET as monotherapy, positioning this treatment pattern as a clinical challenge. In the present study, we developed and characterized 2 in vitro models of ET-resistant (ETR) HER2+/ER+ BCa to identify possible therapeutic vulnerabilities. To mimic ETR to aromatase inhibitors (AIs), we developed 2 long-term estrogen deprivation (LTED) cell lines from BT-474 (BT474) and MDA-MB-361 (MM361). Growth assays, PAM50 subtyping, and genomic and transcriptomic analyses, followed by validation and functional studies, were used to identify targetable differences between ET-responsive parental and ETR-LTED HER2+/ER+ cells. Compared to their parental cells, MM361 LTEDs grew faster, lost ER, and increased HER2 expression, whereas BT474 LTEDs grew slower and maintained ER and HER2 expression. Both LTED variants had reduced responsiveness to fulvestrant. Whole-genome sequencing of aggressive MM361 LTEDs identified mutations in genes encoding transcription factors and chromatin modifiers. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated a shift towards non-luminal phenotypes, and revealed metabolic remodeling of MM361 LTEDs, with upregulated lipid metabolism and ferroptosis-associated antioxidant genes, including GPX4. Combining a GPX4 inhibitor with anti-HER2 agents induced significant cell death in both MM361 and BT474 LTEDs. The BT474 and MM361 AI-resistant models capture distinct phenotypes of HER2+/ER+ BCa and identify altered lipid metabolism and ferroptosis remodeling as vulnerabilities of this type of ETR BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaymaa Bahnassy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | | | - Lu Jin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Stanley Tam
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Dua Mobin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Manasi Balachandran
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN 37920, USA
| | - Mircea Podar
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Matthew D McCoy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Robert A Beckman
- Department of Oncology and of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Rebecca B Riggins
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
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Thakur C, Qiu Y, Pawar A, Chen F. Epigenetic regulation of breast cancer metastasis. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2023:10.1007/s10555-023-10146-7. [PMID: 37857941 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-023-10146-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among women worldwide. Recurrent metastasis is associated with poor patient outcomes and poses a significant challenge in breast cancer therapies. Cancer cells adapting to a new tissue microenvironment is the key event in distant metastasis development, where the disseminating tumor cells are likely to acquire genetic and epigenetic alterations during the process of metastatic colonization. Despite several decades of research in this field, the exact mechanisms governing metastasis are not fully understood. However, emerging body of evidence indicates that in addition to genetic changes, epigenetic reprogramming of cancer cells and the metastatic niche are paramount toward successful metastasis. Here, we review and discuss the latest knowledge about the salient attributes of metastasis and epigenetic regulation in breast cancer and crucial research domains that need further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chitra Thakur
- Stony Brook Cancer Center, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Lauterbur Drive, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
| | - Yiran Qiu
- Stony Brook Cancer Center, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Lauterbur Drive, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Aashna Pawar
- Stony Brook Cancer Center, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Lauterbur Drive, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Fei Chen
- Stony Brook Cancer Center, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Lauterbur Drive, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
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Bai K, Chen X, Qi X, Zhang Y, Zou Y, Li J, Yu L, Li Y, Jiang J, Yang Y, Liu Y, Feng S, Bu H. Cerebrospinal fluid circulating tumour DNA genotyping and survival analysis in lung adenocarcinoma with leptomeningeal metastases. J Neurooncol 2023; 165:149-160. [PMID: 37897649 PMCID: PMC10638181 DOI: 10.1007/s11060-023-04471-8] [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: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The prognosis of patients with leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) remains poor. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) has been proven to be abundantly present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); hence, its clinical implication as a biomarker needs to be further verified. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study of 35 lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients with LM, and matched CSF and plasma samples were collected from all patients. All paired samples underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS) of 139 lung cancer-associated genes. The clinical characteristics and genetic profiling of LM were analysed in association with survival prognosis. RESULTS LM showed genetic heterogeneity, in which CSF had a higher detection rate of ctDNA (P = 0.003), a higher median mutation count (P < 0.0001), a higher frequency of driver mutations (P < 0.01), and more copy number variation (CNV) alterations (P < 0.001) than plasma. The mutation frequencies of the EGFR, TP53, CDKN2A, MYC and CDKN2B genes were easier to detect in CSF than in LUAD tissue (P < 0.05), possibly reflecting the underlying mechanism of LM metastasis. CSF ctDNA is helpful for analysing the mechanism of EGFR-TKI resistance. In cohort 1, which comprised patients who received 1/2 EGFR-TKIs before the diagnosis of LM, TP53 and CDKN2A were the most common EGFR-independent resistant mutations. In cohort 2, comprising those who progressed after osimertinib and developed LM, 7 patients (43.75%) had EGFR CNV detected in CSF but not plasma. Furthermore, patient characteristics and various genes were included for interactive survival analysis. Patients with EGFR-mutated LUAD (P = 0.042) had a higher median OS, and CSF ctDNA mutation with TERT (P = 0.013) indicated a lower median OS. Last, we reported an LM case in which CSF ctDNA dynamic changes were well correlated with clinical treatment. CONCLUSIONS CSF ctDNA could provide a more comprehensive genetic landscape of LM, indicating the potential metastasis-related and EGFR-TKI resistance mechanisms of LM patients. In addition, genotyping of CSF combined with clinical outcomes can predict the prognosis of LUAD patients with LM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaixuan Bai
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Department of Neurology, Xingtai People's Hospital, Xingtai, China
| | - Xuejiao Qi
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yueli Zou
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jian Li
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- Department of General Practice, Hengshui People's Hospital, Hengshui, China
| | - Lili Yu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yuanyuan Li
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Jiajia Jiang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yajing Liu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Shuanghao Feng
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Hui Bu
- Department of Neurology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, 215 Heping West Road, Xinhua District, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China.
- The Key Laboratory of Neurology (Hebei Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang, China.
- Neurological Laboratory of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, China.
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Zhong L, Zhao Z, Zhang X. Genetic differences between primary and metastatic cancer: a pan-cancer whole-genome comparison study. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:363. [PMID: 37770470 PMCID: PMC10539520 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01596-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhong
- Department of Pharmacy, Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhipeng Zhao
- Department of Pharmacy, Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaonan Zhang
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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Spisak N, de Manuel M, Milligan W, Sella G, Przeworski M. Disentangling sources of clock-like mutations in germline and soma. bioRxiv 2023:2023.09.07.556720. [PMID: 37745549 PMCID: PMC10515775 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.07.556720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The rates of mutations vary across cell types. To identify causes of this variation, mutations are often decomposed into a combination of the single base substitution (SBS) "signatures" observed in germline, soma and tumors, with the idea that each signature corresponds to one or a small number of underlying mutagenic processes. Two such signatures turn out to be ubiquitous across cell types: SBS signature 1, which consists primarily of transitions at methylated CpG sites caused by spontaneous deamination, and the more diffuse SBS signature 5, which is of unknown etiology. In cancers, the number of mutations attributed to these two signatures accumulates linearly with age of diagnosis, and thus the signatures have been termed "clock-like." To better understand this clock-like behavior, we develop a mathematical model that includes DNA replication errors, unrepaired damage, and damage repaired incorrectly. We show that mutational signatures can exhibit clock-like behavior because cell divisions occur at a constant rate and/or because damage rates remain constant over time, and that these distinct sources can be teased apart by comparing cell lineages that divide at different rates. With this goal in mind, we analyze the rate of accumulation of mutations in multiple cell types, including soma as well as male and female germline. We find no detectable increase in SBS signature 1 mutations in neurons and only a very weak increase in mutations assigned to the female germline, but a significant increase with time in rapidly-dividing cells, suggesting that SBS signature 1 is driven by rounds of DNA replication occurring at a relatively fixed rate. In contrast, SBS signature 5 increases with time in all cell types, including post-mitotic ones, indicating that it accumulates independently of cell divisions; this observation points to errors in DNA repair as the key underlying mechanism. Thus, the two "clock-like" signatures observed across cell types likely have distinct origins, one set by rates of cell division, the other by damage rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natanael Spisak
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Marc de Manuel
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - William Milligan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Guy Sella
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, United States
- Program for Mathematical Genomics, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Molly Przeworski
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, United States
- Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, United States
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Bahnassy S, Stires H, Jin L, Tam S, Mobin D, Balachandran M, Podar M, McCoy MD, Beckman RA, Riggins RB. Unraveling Vulnerabilities in Endocrine Therapy-Resistant HER2+/ER+ Breast Cancer. bioRxiv 2023:2023.08.21.554116. [PMID: 37662291 PMCID: PMC10473676 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.21.554116] [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: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Background Breast tumors overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) confer intrinsic resistance to endocrine therapy (ET), and patients with HER2/ estrogen receptor-positive (HER2+/HR+) breast cancer (BCa) are less responsive to ET than HER2-/ER+. However, real-world evidence reveals that a large subset of HER2+/ER+ patients receive ET as monotherapy, positioning this treatment pattern as a clinical challenge. In the present study, we developed and characterized two distinct in vitro models of ET-resistant (ETR) HER2+/ER+ BCa to identify possible therapeutic vulnerabilities. Methods To mimic ETR to aromatase inhibitors (AI), we developed two long-term estrogen-deprived (LTED) cell lines from BT-474 (BT474) and MDA-MB-361 (MM361). Growth assays, PAM50 molecular subtyping, genomic and transcriptomic analyses, followed by validation and functional studies, were used to identify targetable differences between ET-responsive parental and ETR-LTED HER2+/ER+ cells. Results Compared to their parental cells, MM361 LTEDs grew faster, lost ER, and increased HER2 expression, whereas BT474 LTEDs grew slower and maintained ER and HER2 expression. Both LTED variants had reduced responsiveness to fulvestrant. Whole-genome sequencing of the more aggressive MM361 LTED model system identified exonic mutations in genes encoding transcription factors and chromatin modifiers. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated a shift towards non-luminal phenotypes, and revealed metabolic remodeling of MM361 LTEDs, with upregulated lipid metabolism and antioxidant genes associated with ferroptosis, including GPX4. Combining the GPX4 inhibitor RSL3 with anti-HER2 agents induced significant cell death in both the MM361 and BT474 LTEDs. Conclusions The BT474 and MM361 AI-resistant models capture distinct phenotypes of HER2+/ER+ BCa and identify altered lipid metabolism and ferroptosis remodeling as vulnerabilities of this type of ETR BCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaymaa Bahnassy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | | | - Lu Jin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Stanley Tam
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Dua Mobin
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Manasi Balachandran
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Medical Center, Knoxville, TN
| | | | - Matthew D. McCoy
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
| | - Robert A. Beckman
- Departments of Oncology and of Biostatistics, Bioinformatics, and Biomathematics, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and Innovation Center for Biomedical Informatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Rebecca B. Riggins
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
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Moorman AR, Cambuli F, Benitez EK, Jiang Q, Xie Y, Mahmoud A, Lumish M, Hartner S, Balkaran S, Bermeo J, Asawa S, Firat C, Saxena A, Luthra A, Sgambati V, Luckett K, Wu F, Li Y, Yi Z, Masilionis I, Soares K, Pappou E, Yaeger R, Kingham P, Jarnagin W, Paty P, Weiser MR, Mazutis L, D'Angelica M, Shia J, Garcia-Aguilar J, Nawy T, Hollmann TJ, Chaligné R, Sanchez-Vega F, Sharma R, Pe'er D, Ganesh K. Progressive plasticity during colorectal cancer metastasis. bioRxiv 2023:2023.08.18.553925. [PMID: 37662289 PMCID: PMC10473595 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.18.553925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Metastasis is the principal cause of cancer death, yet we lack an understanding of metastatic cell states, their relationship to primary tumor states, and the mechanisms by which they transition. In a cohort of biospecimen trios from same-patient normal colon, primary and metastatic colorectal cancer, we show that while primary tumors largely adopt LGR5 + intestinal stem-like states, metastases display progressive plasticity. Loss of intestinal cell states is accompanied by reprogramming into a highly conserved fetal progenitor state, followed by non-canonical differentiation into divergent squamous and neuroendocrine-like states, which is exacerbated by chemotherapy and associated with poor patient survival. Using matched patient-derived organoids, we demonstrate that metastatic cancer cells exhibit greater cell-autonomous multilineage differentiation potential in response to microenvironment cues than their intestinal lineage-restricted primary tumor counterparts. We identify PROX1 as a stabilizer of intestinal lineage in the fetal progenitor state, whose downregulation licenses non-canonical reprogramming.
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Guo D, Zhang S, Gao Y, Shi J, Wang X, Zhang Z, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Zhao K, Li M, Wang A, Wang P, Gou Y, Zhang M, Liu M, Zhang Y, Chen R, Sun J, Wang S, Wu X, Liang Z, Chen J, Lang J. Exploring the cellular and molecular differences between ovarian clear cell carcinoma and high-grade serous carcinoma using single-cell RNA sequencing and GEO gene expression signatures. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:139. [PMID: 37525249 PMCID: PMC10391916 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01087-3] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The two most prevalent subtypes of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC) are ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) and high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC). Patients with OCCC have a poor prognosis than those with HGSC due to chemoresistance, implying the need for novel treatment target. In this study, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) together with bulk RNA-seq data from the GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus) database (the GSE189553 dataset) to characterize and compare tumor heterogeneity and cell-level evolution between OCCC and HGSC samples. To begin, we found that the smaller proportion of an epithelial OCCC cell subset in the G2/M phase might explain OCCC chemoresistance. Second, we identified a possible pathogenic OCCC epithelial cell subcluster that overexpresses LEFTY1. Third, novel biomarkers separating OCCC from HGSC were discovered and subsequently validated on a wide scale using immunohistochemistry. Amine oxidase copper containing 1 (AOC1) was preferentially expressed in OCCC over HGSC, while S100 calcium-binding protein A2 (S100A2) was detected less frequently in OCCC than in HGSC. In addition, we discovered that metabolic pathways were enriched in the epithelial compartment of the OCCC samples. In vitro experiments verified that inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation or glycolysis pathways exerted direct antitumor effects on both OCCC and HGSC cells, while targeting glutamine metabolism or ferroptosis greatly attenuated chemosensitivity only in OCCC cells. Finally, to determine whether there were any variations in immune cell subsets between OCCC and HGSC, data from scRNA-seq and mass cytometry were pooled for analysis. In summary, our work provides the first holistic insights into the cellular and molecular distinctions between OCCC and HGSC and is a valuable source for discovering new targets to leverage in clinical treatments to improve the poor prognosis of patients with OCCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Guo
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Sumei Zhang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yike Gao
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jinghua Shi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetric & Gynecologic Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoxi Wang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zixin Zhang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yaran Zhang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yuming Wang
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Kun Zhao
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Mei Li
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Anqi Wang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Pan Wang
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Yanqin Gou
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Pathology, People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan, China
| | - Miao Zhang
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Meiyu Liu
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yuhan Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Rui Chen
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Sun
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Shu Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetric & Gynecologic Diseases, Beijing, China.
| | - Xunyao Wu
- Clinical Biobank, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
- Department of Medical Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhiyong Liang
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Department of Pathology, Molecular Pathology Research Center, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jinghe Lang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetric & Gynecologic Diseases, Beijing, China
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Höller A, Nguyen-Sträuli BD, Frauchiger-Heuer H, Ring A. "Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers of Luminal Breast Cancer: Where are We Now?". Breast Cancer (Dove Med Press) 2023; 15:525-540. [PMID: 37533589 PMCID: PMC10392911 DOI: 10.2147/bctt.s340741] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Luminal breast cancers are hormone receptor (estrogen and/or progesterone) positive that are further divided into HER2-negative luminal A and HER2-positive luminal B subtypes. According to currently accepted convention, they represent the most common subtypes of breast cancer, accounting for approximately 70% of cases. Biomarkers play a critical role in the functional characterization, prognostication, and therapeutic prediction, rendering them indispensable for the clinical management of invasive breast cancer. Traditional biomarkers include clinicopathological parameters, which are increasingly extended by genetic and other molecular markers, enabling the comprehensive characterization of patients with luminal breast cancer. Liquid biopsies capturing and analyzing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are emerging technologies that envision personalized management through precision oncology. This article reviews key biomarkers in luminal breast cancer and ongoing developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Höller
- Department of Gynecology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bich Doan Nguyen-Sträuli
- Department of Gynecology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Heike Frauchiger-Heuer
- Department of Gynecology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Ring
- Department of Gynecology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Ashekyan O, Shahbazyan N, Bareghamyan Y, Kudryavzeva A, Mandel D, Schmidt M, Loeffler-Wirth H, Uduman M, Chand D, Underwood D, Armen G, Arakelyan A, Nersisyan L, Binder H. Transcriptomic Maps of Colorectal Liver Metastasis: Machine Learning of Gene Activation Patterns and Epigenetic Trajectories in Support of Precision Medicine. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3835. [PMID: 37568651 PMCID: PMC10417131 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15153835] [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: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms of the liver metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRLM) remain poorly understood. Here, we applied machine learning and bioinformatics trajectory inference to analyze a gene expression dataset of CRLM. We studied the co-regulation patterns at the gene level, the potential paths of tumor development, their functional context, and their prognostic relevance. Our analysis confirmed the subtyping of five liver metastasis subtypes (LMS). We provide gene-marker signatures for each LMS, and a comprehensive functional characterization that considers both the hallmarks of cancer and the tumor microenvironment. The ordering of CRLMs along a pseudotime-tree revealed a continuous shift in expression programs, suggesting a developmental relationship between the subtypes. Notably, trajectory inference and personalized analysis discovered a range of epigenetic states that shape and guide metastasis progression. By constructing prognostic maps that divided the expression landscape into regions associated with favorable and unfavorable prognoses, we derived a prognostic expression score. This was associated with critical processes such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, treatment resistance, and immune evasion. These factors were associated with responses to neoadjuvant treatment and the formation of an immuno-suppressive, mesenchymal state. Our machine learning-based molecular profiling provides an in-depth characterization of CRLM heterogeneity with possible implications for treatment and personalized diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ohanes Ashekyan
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute, 3/6 Nelson Stepanyan Str., Yerevan 0062, Armenia; (O.A.); (N.S.); (Y.B.); (A.K.); (D.M.); (L.N.)
| | - Nerses Shahbazyan
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute, 3/6 Nelson Stepanyan Str., Yerevan 0062, Armenia; (O.A.); (N.S.); (Y.B.); (A.K.); (D.M.); (L.N.)
| | - Yeva Bareghamyan
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute, 3/6 Nelson Stepanyan Str., Yerevan 0062, Armenia; (O.A.); (N.S.); (Y.B.); (A.K.); (D.M.); (L.N.)
| | - Anna Kudryavzeva
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute, 3/6 Nelson Stepanyan Str., Yerevan 0062, Armenia; (O.A.); (N.S.); (Y.B.); (A.K.); (D.M.); (L.N.)
| | - Daria Mandel
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute, 3/6 Nelson Stepanyan Str., Yerevan 0062, Armenia; (O.A.); (N.S.); (Y.B.); (A.K.); (D.M.); (L.N.)
| | - Maria Schmidt
- IZBI, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16–18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (M.S.); (H.L.-W.)
| | - Henry Loeffler-Wirth
- IZBI, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16–18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (M.S.); (H.L.-W.)
| | - Mohamed Uduman
- Agenus Inc., 3 Forbes Road, Lexington, MA 7305, USA; (M.U.); (D.C.); (D.U.); (G.A.)
| | - Dhan Chand
- Agenus Inc., 3 Forbes Road, Lexington, MA 7305, USA; (M.U.); (D.C.); (D.U.); (G.A.)
| | - Dennis Underwood
- Agenus Inc., 3 Forbes Road, Lexington, MA 7305, USA; (M.U.); (D.C.); (D.U.); (G.A.)
| | - Garo Armen
- Agenus Inc., 3 Forbes Road, Lexington, MA 7305, USA; (M.U.); (D.C.); (D.U.); (G.A.)
| | - Arsen Arakelyan
- Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, 7 Has-Ratyan Str., Yerevan 0014, Armenia;
| | - Lilit Nersisyan
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute, 3/6 Nelson Stepanyan Str., Yerevan 0062, Armenia; (O.A.); (N.S.); (Y.B.); (A.K.); (D.M.); (L.N.)
| | - Hans Binder
- Armenian Bioinformatics Institute, 3/6 Nelson Stepanyan Str., Yerevan 0062, Armenia; (O.A.); (N.S.); (Y.B.); (A.K.); (D.M.); (L.N.)
- IZBI, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16–18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany; (M.S.); (H.L.-W.)
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Martínez-Jiménez F, Priestley P, Shale C, Baber J, Rozemuller E, Cuppen E. Genetic immune escape landscape in primary and metastatic cancer. Nat Genet 2023; 55:820-831. [PMID: 37165135 PMCID: PMC10181939 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01367-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Studies have characterized the immune escape landscape across primary tumors. However, whether late-stage metastatic tumors present differences in genetic immune escape (GIE) prevalence and dynamics remains unclear. We performed a pan-cancer characterization of GIE prevalence across six immune escape pathways in 6,319 uniformly processed tumor samples. To address the complexity of the HLA-I locus in the germline and in tumors, we developed LILAC, an open-source integrative framework. One in four tumors harbors GIE alterations, with high mechanistic and frequency variability across cancer types. GIE prevalence is generally consistent between primary and metastatic tumors. We reveal that GIE alterations are selected for in tumor evolution and focal loss of heterozygosity of HLA-I tends to eliminate the HLA allele, presenting the largest neoepitope repertoire. Finally, high mutational burden tumors showed a tendency toward focal loss of heterozygosity of HLA-I as the immune evasion mechanism, whereas, in hypermutated tumors, other immune evasion strategies prevail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Martínez-Jiménez
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Oncode Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
- Hartwig Medical Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Peter Priestley
- Hartwig Medical Foundation Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Charles Shale
- Hartwig Medical Foundation Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jonathan Baber
- Hartwig Medical Foundation Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Edwin Cuppen
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Oncode Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
- Hartwig Medical Foundation, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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