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Chamseddine S, LaPelusa M, Xiao L, Mohamed YI, Lee SS, Hu ZI, Hatia RI, Hassan M, Yao JC, Duda DG, Datar S, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. Plasma Growth Hormone as a Prognostic Biomarker to Durvalumab and Tremelimumab in Patients with Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2024; 11:455-461. [PMID: 38463542 PMCID: PMC10921889 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s452564] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction In this study, we explored the potential of plasma growth hormone (GH) as a prognostic biomarker in patients with advanced HCC treated with durvalumab plus tremelimumab (D+T). Methods In this study, we included 16 patients with advanced HCC who received D+T at MD Anderson Cancer Center between 2022 and 2023 and had plasma GH measurements recorded before treatment. Plasma GH levels were measured from prospectively collected blood samples and were correlated with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The cutoff for normal GH levels in women and men was defined as ≤3.7 μg/L and ≤0.9 μg/L, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier method was employed to compute the median OS and PFS, while the Log rank test was applied to compare the survival outcomes between the GH-high and GH-low groups. Results Sixteen patients were included in this analysis, two female and fourteen male, with a median age of 65.5 years. At the time of the analysis, the 6-month OS rate was 100% among GH-low patients (6 patients) and 30% among GH-high patients (10 patients). OS was significantly longer in GH-low patients (not evaluable) compared to GH-high patients (3.94 months) (p = 0.030). PFS was also significantly longer in GH-low patients (not evaluable) compared to the GH-high patients (1.87 months) (p = 0.036). Conclusion Plasma GH is a prognostic biomarker in patients with advanced HCC treated with D+T. Given the relatively small patient cohort size, this finding should be further validated in larger randomized clinical trials in advanced HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shadi Chamseddine
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michael LaPelusa
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sunyoung S Lee
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zishuo Ian Hu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rikita I Hatia
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Manal Hassan
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James C Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dan G Duda
- Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Saumil Datar
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hesham M Amin
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ahmed O Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Maen A, Gok Yavuz B, Mohamed YI, Esmail A, Lu J, Mohamed A, Azmi AS, Kaseb M, Kasseb O, Li D, Gocio M, Kocak M, Selim A, Ma Q, Kaseb AO. Individual ingredients of NP-101 (Thymoquinone formula) inhibit SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus infection. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1291212. [PMID: 38379905 PMCID: PMC10876831 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1291212] [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: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Thymoquinone TQ, an active ingredient of Nigella Sativa, has been shown to inhibit COVID-19 symptoms in clinical trials. Thymoquinone Formulation (TQF or NP-101) is developed as a novel enteric-coated medication derivative from Nigella Sativa. TQF consists of TQ with a favorable concentration and fatty acids, including palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. In this study, we aimed to investigate the roles of individual ingredients of TQF on infection of SARS-CoV-2 variants in-vitro, by utilizing Murine Leukemia Virus (MLV) based pseudovirus particles. We demonstrated that NP-101, TQ, and other individual ingredients, including oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection in the MLV-based pseudovirus model. A large, randomized phase 2 study of NP-101 is planned in outpatient COVID-19 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdelrahim Maen
- Section of GI Oncology, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
- Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutic Phase I Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Betul Gok Yavuz
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Abdullah Esmail
- Section of GI Oncology, Houston Methodist Neal Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jianming Lu
- Codex BioSolutions Inc., Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Amr Mohamed
- Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western University, Multidisciplinary NET Treatment, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Asfar S. Azmi
- School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Mohamed Kaseb
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX, United States
| | - Osama Kasseb
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX, United States
| | - Dan Li
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Michelle Gocio
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX, United States
| | - Mehmet Kocak
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, International School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Türkiye
| | - Abdelhafez Selim
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Qing Ma
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
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3
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Tran Cao HS, Witt RG, Elsayes KM, Baiomy AA, Xiao L, Palmquist S, Lee SS, Mohamed YI, Mahvash A, Tzeng CWD, Chun YS, Koay EJ, Rashid A, Hassan MM, Yao JC, Vauthey JN, Kaseb AO. Development of a Novel Comprehensive Hepatocellular Carcinoma Outcome Prognostic Scoring System With Integration of Imaging Features. Oncologist 2023:oyad329. [PMID: 38159256 DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyad329] [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: 08/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accurate prognostic stratification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is vital for clinical trial enrollment and treatment allocation. Multiple scoring systems have been created to predict patient survival, but no standardized scoring systems account for radiologic tumor features. We sought to create a generalizable scoring system for HCC which incorporates standardized radiologic tumor features and more accurately predicts overall survival (OS) than established systems. METHODS Clinicopathologic parameters were collected from a prospectively collected cohort of patients with HCC treated at a single institution. Imaging studies were evaluated for tumor characteristics. Patients were randomly divided into a training set for identification of covariates that impacted OS and a validation set. Cox models were used to determine the association of various factors with OS and a scoring system was created. RESULTS We identified 383 patients with HCC with imaging and survival outcomes, n = 255 in the training set and 128 in the validation cohort. Factors associated with OS on multivariate analysis included: tumor margin appearance on CT or MRI (hazard ratio [HR] 1.37, 95% CI, 1.01-1.88) with infiltrative margins portending worse outcomes than encapsulated margins, massive tumor morphology (HR 1.64, 95% CI, 1.06-2.54); >2 lesions (HR 2.06, 95% CI, 1.46-2.88), Child-Turcotte-Pugh class C (HR 3.7, 95% CI, 2.23-6.16), and portal vein thrombus (HR 2.41, 95% CI, 1.71-3.39). A new scoring system was developed and more predictive of OS than other well-established systems. CONCLUSIONS Incorporation of standardized imaging characteristics to established clinical and lab predictors of outcome resulted in an improved predictive scoring system for patients with HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hop S Tran Cao
- Department of Surgical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Russell G Witt
- Department of Surgical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Khaled M Elsayes
- Department of Abdominal Imaging, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ali A Baiomy
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, USA
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sarah Palmquist
- Department of Abdominal Imaging, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sunyoung S Lee
- Department of GI Medical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of GI Medical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Armeen Mahvash
- Department of Interventional Radiology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ching-Wei D Tzeng
- Department of Surgical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yun Shin Chun
- Department of Surgical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Eugene Jon Koay
- Department of Radiation Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Asif Rashid
- Department of Pathology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Manal M Hassan
- Department of Epidemiology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James C Yao
- Department of GI Medical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jean-Nicolas Vauthey
- Department of Surgical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ahmed O Kaseb
- Department of GI Medical Oncology, U.T. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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4
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Gok Yavuz B, Datar S, Chamseddine S, Mohamed YI, LaPelusa M, Lee SS, Hu ZI, Koay EJ, Tran Cao HS, Jalal PK, Daniel-MacDougall C, Hassan M, Duda DG, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. The Gut Microbiome as a Biomarker and Therapeutic Target in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4875. [PMID: 37835569 PMCID: PMC10571776 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194875] [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: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The microbiome is pivotal in maintaining health and influencing disease by modulating essential inflammatory and immune responses. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), ranking as the third most common cause of cancer-related fatalities globally, is influenced by the gut microbiome through bidirectional interactions between the gut and liver, as evidenced in both mouse models and human studies. Consequently, biomarkers based on gut microbiota represent promising non-invasive tools for the early detection of HCC. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the composition of the gut microbiota may play a role in the efficacy of immunotherapy in different types of cancer; thus, it could be used as a predictive biomarker. In this review, we will dissect the gut microbiome's role as a potential predictive and diagnostic marker in HCC and evaluate the latest progress in leveraging the gut microbiome as a novel therapeutic avenue for HCC patients, with a special emphasis on immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betul Gok Yavuz
- Department of Medicine, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO 63121, USA;
| | - Saumil Datar
- Department of Medicine, University of Texas at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Shadi Chamseddine
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.C.); (Y.I.M.); (S.S.L.); (Z.I.H.)
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.C.); (Y.I.M.); (S.S.L.); (Z.I.H.)
| | - Michael LaPelusa
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Sunyoung S. Lee
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.C.); (Y.I.M.); (S.S.L.); (Z.I.H.)
| | - Zishuo Ian Hu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.C.); (Y.I.M.); (S.S.L.); (Z.I.H.)
| | - Eugene J. Koay
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Hop S. Tran Cao
- Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Section, Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Prasun Kumar Jalal
- Division of Gastroenterology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Carrie Daniel-MacDougall
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (C.D.-M.); (M.H.)
| | - Manal Hassan
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (C.D.-M.); (M.H.)
| | - Dan G. Duda
- Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA;
| | - Hesham M. Amin
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA;
| | - Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (S.C.); (Y.I.M.); (S.S.L.); (Z.I.H.)
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5
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Chamseddine S, Mohamed YI, Lee SS, Yao JC, Hu ZI, Tran Cao HS, Xiao L, Sun R, Morris JS, Hatia RI, Hassan M, Duda DG, Diab M, Mohamed A, Nassar A, Datar S, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. Clinical and Prognostic Biomarker Value of Blood-Circulating Inflammatory Cytokines in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Oncology 2023; 101:730-737. [PMID: 37467732 PMCID: PMC10614568 DOI: 10.1159/000531870] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Circulating inflammatory cytokines play critical roles in tumor-associated inflammation and immune responses. Recent data have suggested that several interleukins (ILs) mediate carcinogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the predictive and prognostic value of circulating ILs is yet to be validated. Our study aimed to evaluate the association of the serum ILs with overall survival (OS) and clinicopathologic features in a large cohort of HCC patients. METHODS We prospectively collected data and serum samples from 767 HCC patients treated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center between 2001 and 2014, with a median follow-up of 67.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.5, 83.3). Biomarker association with OS was evaluated by the log-rank method. RESULTS The median OS in this cohort was 14.2 months (95% CI: 12, 16.1 months). Clinicopathologic features were more advanced, and OS was significantly inferior in patients with high circulating levels of IL1-R1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-15, IL-16, and IL-18. CONCLUSION Our study shows that several serum IL levels are valid prognostic biomarker candidates and potential targets for therapy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shadi Chamseddine
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA,
| | - Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sunyoung S Lee
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - James C Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Zishuo Ian Hu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Hop S Tran Cao
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ryan Sun
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rikita I Hatia
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Manal Hassan
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Dan G Duda
- Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maria Diab
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Amr Mohamed
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Ahmed Nassar
- Department of Surgery, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Saumil Datar
- Department of Internal Medicine University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Hesham M Amin
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
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6
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Gu L, Zhu Y, Lee M, Nguyen A, Ryujin NT, Huang JY, Pandit SK, Chamseddine S, Xiao L, Mohamed YI, Kaseb AO, Karin M, Shalapour S. Angiotensin II receptor inhibition ameliorates liver fibrosis and enhances hepatocellular carcinoma infiltration by effector T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2300706120. [PMID: 37126700 PMCID: PMC10175751 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2300706120] [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: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Although viral hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is declining, nonviral HCC, which often is the end stage of nonalcoholic or alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, ASH), is on an upward trajectory. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) that block the T cell inhibitory receptor PD-1 were approved for treatment of all HCC types. However, only a minority of HCC patients show a robust and sustained response to PD-1 blockade, calling for improved understanding of factors that negatively impact response rate and duration and the discovery of new adjuvant treatments that enhance ICI responsiveness. Using a mouse model of NASH-driven HCC, we identified peritumoral fibrosis as a potential obstacle to T cell-mediated tumor regression and postulated that antifibrotic medications may increase ICI responsiveness. We now show that the angiotensin II receptor inhibitor losartan, a commonly prescribed and safe antihypertensive drug, reduced liver and peritumoral fibrosis and substantially enhanced anti-PD-1-induced tumor regression. Although losartan did not potentiate T cell reinvigoration, it substantially enhanced HCC infiltration by effector CD8+ T cells compared to PD-1 blockade alone. The beneficial effects of losartan correlated with blunted TGF-β receptor signaling, reduced collagen deposition, and depletion of immunosuppressive fibroblasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Gu
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Department of Pharmacology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA92093
| | - Yahui Zhu
- Department of Center of Smart Laboratory and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Chongqing University, Chongqing400044, China
| | - Maiya Lee
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Department of Pharmacology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA92093
| | - Albert Nguyen
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Department of Pharmacology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA92093
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX77030
| | - Nicolas T. Ryujin
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX77030
| | - Jian Yu Huang
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Department of Pharmacology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA92093
| | - Shusil K. Pandit
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Department of Pharmacology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA92093
| | - Shadi Chamseddine
- Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX77030
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX77030
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX77030
| | - Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX77030
| | - Michael Karin
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, Department of Pharmacology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA92093
| | - Shabnam Shalapour
- Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX77030
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7
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Gu L, Zhu Y, Lee M, Nguyen A, Ryujin NT, Huang J, Chamseddine S, Xiao L, Mohamed YI, Kaseb AO, Karin M, Shalapour S. Angiotensin II receptor inhibition ameliorates liver fibrosis and enhances hepatocellular carcinoma infiltration by effector T cells. bioRxiv 2023:2023.03.05.531188. [PMID: 36945365 PMCID: PMC10028807 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.05.531188] [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: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Although viral hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is declining, non-viral HCC, which often is the end-stage of non-alcoholic or alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, ASH), is on an upward trajectory. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) that block the T cell inhibitory receptor PD-1 were approved for treatment of all HCC types. However, only a small portion of HCC patients show a robust and sustained response to PD-1 blockade, calling for improved understanding of factors that negatively impact response rate and duration and the discovery of new adjuvant treatments that enhance ICI responsiveness. Using a mouse model of NASH-driven HCC, we identified peritumoral fibrosis as a potential obstacle to T cell mediated tumor regression and postulated that anti-fibrotic medications may increase ICI responsiveness. We now show that the angiotensin II receptor inhibitor losartan, a commonly prescribed and safe antihypertensive drug, reduced liver and peritumoral fibrosis and substantially enhanced anti-PD-1 induced tumor regression. Although losartan did not potentiate T cell reinvigoration, it substantially enhanced HCC infiltration by effector CD8 + T cells compared to PD-1 blockade alone. The beneficial effects of losartan correlated with inhibition of TGF-β receptor signaling, collagen deposition and depletion of immunosuppressive fibroblasts. Significance Immune checkpoint inhibitors are used in HCC treatment but overall response rates for single agent PD-1/PD-L1 blockers have remained stubbornly low. Using a mouse model of NASH-driven HCC, we show that co-treatment with the safe and inexpensive angiotensin II receptor inhibitor losartan substantially enhanced anti-PD-1 triggered HCC regression. Although losartan did not influence the reinvigoration of exhausted CD8 + T cells it considerably enhanced their intratumoral invasion, which we postulated to be compromised by peritumoral fibrosis. Indeed, the beneficial effect of losartan correlated with inhibition of TGF-β signaling and collagen deposition, and depletion of immunosuppressive fibroblasts. Losartan should be evaluated for its adjuvant activity in HCC patients undergoing PD-1/PD-L1 blocking therapy.
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Talbot T, D'Alessio A, Pinter M, Balcar L, Scheiner B, Marron TU, Jun T, Dharmapuri S, Ang C, Saeed A, Hildebrand H, Muzaffar M, Fulgenzi CAM, Amara S, Naqash AR, Gampa A, Pillai A, Wang Y, Khan U, Lee P, Huang Y, Bengsch B, Bettinger D, Mohamed YI, Kaseb A, Pressiani T, Personeni N, Rimassa L, Nishida N, Kudo M, Weinmann A, Galle PR, Muhammed A, Cortellini A, Vogel A, Pinato DJ. Progression patterns and therapeutic sequencing following immune checkpoint inhibition for hepatocellular carcinoma: An international observational study. Liver Int 2023; 43:695-707. [PMID: 36577703 PMCID: PMC10947007 DOI: 10.1111/liv.15502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Different approaches are available after the progression of disease (PD) to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including the continuation of ICI, treatment switching to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and cessation of anticancer therapy. We sought to characterise the relationship between radiological patterns of progression and survival post-ICI, also appraising treatment strategies. METHODS We screened 604 HCC patients treated with ICIs, including only those who experienced PD by data cut-off. We evaluated post-progression survival (PPS) according to the treatment strategy at PD and verified its relationship with radiological patterns of progression: intrahepatic growth (IHG), new intrahepatic lesion (NIH), extrahepatic growth (EHG), new extrahepatic lesion (NEH) and new vascular invasion (nVI). RESULTS Of 604 patients, 364 (60.3%) experienced PD during observation. Median PPS was 5.3 months (95% CI: 4.4-6.9; 271 events). At the data cut-off, 165 patients (45%) received no post-progression anticancer therapy; 64 patients (17.6%) continued ICI beyond PD. IHG (HR 1.64 [95% CI: 1.21-2.22]; p = .0013) and nVI (HR 2.15 [95% CI: 1.38-3.35]; p = .0007) were associated with shorter PPS. Multivariate models adjusted for progression patterns, treatment line and albumin-bilirubin grade and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status at PD confirmed receipt of ICI beyond PD with (HR 0.17, 95% CI: 0.09-0.32; p < .0001) or without subsequent TKI (HR 0.39, 95% CI: 0.26-0.58; p < .0001) as predictors of prolonged PPS versus no anticancer therapy. CONCLUSIONS ICI-TKI sequencing is a consolidated option in advanced HCC. nVI and IHG predict a poorer prognosis. Despite lack of recommendation, the continuation of ICI beyond progression in HCC is adopted clinically: future efforts should appraise which patients benefit from this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Talbot
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College LondonHammersmith HospitalLondonUK
| | - Antonio D'Alessio
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College LondonHammersmith HospitalLondonUK
- Department of Biomedical SciencesHumanitas UniversityMilanItaly
| | - Matthias Pinter
- Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine IIIMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Lorenz Balcar
- Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine IIIMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Bernhard Scheiner
- Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine IIIMedical University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas U. Marron
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer InstituteMount Sinai HospitalNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | | | - Sirish Dharmapuri
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer InstituteMount Sinai HospitalNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Celina Ang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer InstituteMount Sinai HospitalNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Anwaar Saeed
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of MedicineKansas University Cancer CenterWestwoodKansasUSA
| | - Hannah Hildebrand
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of MedicineKansas University Cancer CenterWestwoodKansasUSA
| | - Mahvish Muzaffar
- Division of Hematology/OncologyEast Carolina UniversityGreenvilleNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Claudia A. M. Fulgenzi
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College LondonHammersmith HospitalLondonUK
- Department of Medical OncologyUniversity Campus Bio‐MedicoRomeItaly
| | - Suneetha Amara
- Division of Hematology/OncologyEast Carolina UniversityGreenvilleNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Abdul Rafeh Naqash
- Division of Hematology/OncologyEast Carolina UniversityGreenvilleNorth CarolinaUSA
- Division of Cancer Treatment and DiagnosisNational Cancer InstituteBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Anuhya Gampa
- Section of GastroenterologyHepatology & Nutrition, the University of Chicago MedicineChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Anjana Pillai
- Section of GastroenterologyHepatology & Nutrition, the University of Chicago MedicineChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Yinghong Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & NutritionThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Uqba Khan
- Division of Hematology and OncologyWeill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian HospitalNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Pei‐Chang Lee
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of MedicineTaipei Veterans General HospitalTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Yi‐Hsiang Huang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of MedicineTaipei Veterans General HospitalTaipeiTaiwan
- Institute of Clinical MedicineNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University School of MedicineTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Bertram Bengsch
- Department of Medicine II, Faculty of MedicineMedical Center University of Freiburg, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Dominik Bettinger
- Department of Medicine II, Faculty of MedicineMedical Center University of Freiburg, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical OncologyThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Ahmed Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical OncologyThe University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Tiziana Pressiani
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, Humanitas Cancer CenterIRCCS Humanitas Research HospitalMilanItaly
| | - Nicola Personeni
- Department of Biomedical SciencesHumanitas UniversityMilanItaly
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, Humanitas Cancer CenterIRCCS Humanitas Research HospitalMilanItaly
| | - Lorenza Rimassa
- Department of Biomedical SciencesHumanitas UniversityMilanItaly
- Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, Humanitas Cancer CenterIRCCS Humanitas Research HospitalMilanItaly
| | - Naoshi Nishida
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyKindai University Faculty of MedicineOsaka‐SayamaJapan
| | - Masatoshi Kudo
- Department of Gastroenterology and HepatologyKindai University Faculty of MedicineOsaka‐SayamaJapan
| | - Arndt Weinmann
- 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
| | - Peter R. Galle
- 1st Department of Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and HepatologyUniversity Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg‐University MainzMainzGermany
| | - Ambreen Muhammed
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College LondonHammersmith HospitalLondonUK
| | - Alessio Cortellini
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College LondonHammersmith HospitalLondonUK
| | - Arndt Vogel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and EndocrinologyHannover Medical SchoolHannoverGermany
| | - David J. Pinato
- Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College LondonHammersmith HospitalLondonUK
- Division of Oncology, Department of Translational MedicineUniversity of Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”NovaraItaly
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9
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Wu YL, van Hyfte G, Özbek U, Reincke M, Gampa A, Mohamed YI, Nishida N, Wietharn B, Amara S, Lee PC, Scheiner B, Balcar L, Pinter M, Vogel A, Weinmann A, Saeed A, Pillai A, Rimassa L, Naqash AR, Muzaffar M, Huang YH, Kaseb AO, Kudo M, Pinato DJ, Ang C. Outcomes of beta blocker use in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1128569. [PMID: 36865801 PMCID: PMC9971987 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1128569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In patients with cirrhosis, portal hypertension increases intestinal permeability, dysbiosis, and bacterial translocation, promoting an inflammatory state that can lead to the progression of liver disease and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aimed to investigate whether beta blockers (BBs), which can mediate portal hypertension, conferred survival benefits in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Methods We conducted a retrospective, observational study of 578 patients with unresectable HCC treated with ICI from 2017 to 2019 at 13 institutions across three continents. BB use was defined as exposure to BBs at any time during ICI therapy. The primary objective was to assess the association of BB exposure with overall survival (OS). Secondary objectives were to evaluate the association of BB use with progression-free survival (PFS) and objective response rate (ORR) according to RECIST 1.1 criteria. Results In our study cohort, 203 (35%) patients used BBs at any point during ICI therapy. Of these, 51% were taking a nonselective BB. BB use was not significantly correlated with OS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.12, 95% CI 0.9-1.39, P = 0.298), PFS (HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.83-1.26, P = 0.844) or ORR (odds ratio [OR] 0.84, 95% CI 0.54-1.31, P = 0.451) in univariate or multivariate analyses. BB use was also not associated with incidence of adverse events (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.96-1.97, P = 0.079). Specifically, nonselective BB use was not correlated with OS (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.66-1.33, P = 0.721), PFS (HR 0.92, 0.66-1.29, P = 0.629), ORR (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.58-2.49, P = 0.623), or rate of adverse events (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.46-1.47, P = 0.510). Conclusion In this real-world population of patients with unresectable HCC treated with immunotherapy, BB use was not associated with OS, PFS or ORR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y. Linda Wu
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Grace van Hyfte
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Umut Özbek
- Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Marlene Reincke
- Department of Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anuhya Gampa
- Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Naoshi Nishida
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Brooke Wietharn
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Kansas University Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Suneetha Amara
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States
| | - Pei-Chang Lee
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Bernhard Scheiner
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lorenz Balcar
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Pinter
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Arndt Vogel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Arndt Weinmann
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Anwaar Saeed
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Kansas University Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Anjana Pillai
- Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Lorenza Rimassa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele (Milan), Italy,Medical Oncology and Hematology Unit, Humanitas Cancer Center, IRCCS Humanitas Clinical and Research Hospital, Rozzano (Milan), Italy
| | - Abdul Rafeh Naqash
- Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Mahvish Muzaffar
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States
| | - Yi-Hsiang Huang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Masatoshi Kudo
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - David J. Pinato
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Celina Ang
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States,*Correspondence: Celina Ang,
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10
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Mohamed YI, Duda DG, Awiwi MO, Lee SS, Altameemi L, Xiao L, Morris JS, Wolff RA, Elsayes KM, Hatia RI, Qayyum A, Chamseddine SM, Rashid A, Yao JC, Mahvash A, Hassan MM, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. Plasma growth hormone is a potential biomarker of response to atezolizumab and bevacizumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Oncotarget 2022; 13:1314-1321. [PMID: 36473155 PMCID: PMC9726202 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.28322] [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: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has limited systemic therapy options when discovered at an advanced stage. Thus, there is a need for accessible and minimally invasive biomarkers of response to guide the selection of patients for treatment. This study investigated the biomarker value of plasma growth hormone (GH) level as a potential biomarker to predict outcome in unresectable HCC patients treated with current standard therapy, atezolizumab plus bevacizumab (Atezo/Bev). MATERIALS AND METHODS Study included unresectable HCC patients scheduled to receive Atezo/Bev. Patients were followed to determine progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Plasma GH levels were measured by ELISA and used to stratify the HCC patients into GH-high and GH-low groups (the cutoff normal GH levels in women and men are ≤3.7 μg/L and ≤0.9 μg/L, respectively). Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate median OS and PFS and Log rank test was used to compare survival outcomes between GH-high and -low groups. RESULTS Thirty-seven patients were included in this analysis, of whom 31 were males and 6 females, with a median age of 67 years (range: 37-80). At the time of the analysis, the one-year survival rate was 70% (95% CI: 0.51, 0.96) among GH low patients and 33% (95% CI: 0.16, 0.67) among GH high patients. OS was significantly superior in GH-low compared to GH-high patients (median OS: 18.9 vs. 9.3 months; p = 0.014). PFS showed a non-significant trend in favor of GH-low patients compared to the GH-high group (median PFS: 6.6 vs. 2.9 months; p = 0.053). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Plasma GH is a biomarker candidate for predicting treatment outcomes in advanced HCC patients treated with Atezo/Bev. This finding should be further validated in larger randomized clinical trials in advanced HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Dan G. Duda
- Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Muhammad O. Awiwi
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Sunyoung S. Lee
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Lina Altameemi
- Hurley Medical Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jeffrey S. Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Robert A. Wolff
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Khaled M. Elsayes
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Rikita I. Hatia
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Aliya Qayyum
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shadi M. Chamseddine
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Asif Rashid
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - James C. Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Armeen Mahvash
- Department of Interventional Radiology, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Manal M. Hassan
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hesham M. Amin
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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11
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Kaseb AO, Haque A, Vishwamitra D, Hassan MM, Xiao L, George B, Sahu V, Mohamed YI, Carmagnani Pestana R, Lombardo JL, Avritscher R, Yao JC, Wolff RA, Rashid A, Morris JS, Amin HM. Blockade of growth hormone receptor signaling by using pegvisomant: A functional therapeutic strategy in hepatocellular carcinoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:986305. [PMID: 36276070 PMCID: PMC9582251 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.986305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive neoplasm with poor clinical outcome because most patients present at an advanced stage, at which point curative surgical options, such as tumor excision or liver transplantation, are not feasible. Therefore, the majority of HCC patients require systemic therapy. Nonetheless, the currently approved systemic therapies have limited effects, particularly in patients with advanced and resistant disease. Hence, there is a critical need to identify new molecular targets and effective systemic therapies to improve HCC outcome. The liver is a major target of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) signaling, and accumulating evidence suggests that GHR signaling plays an important role in HCC pathogenesis. We tested the hypothesis that GHR could represent a potential therapeutic target in this aggressive neoplasm. We measured GH levels in 767 HCC patients and 200 healthy controls, and then carried out clinicopathological correlation analyses. Moreover, specific inhibition of GHR was performed in vitro using siRNA and pegvisomant (a small peptide that blocks GHR signaling and is currently approved by the FDA to treat acromegaly) and in vivo, also using pegvisomant. GH was significantly elevated in 49.5% of HCC patients, and these patients had a more aggressive disease and poorer clinical outcome (P<0.0001). Blockade of GHR signaling with siRNA or pegvisomant induced substantial inhibitory cellular effects in vitro. In addition, pegvisomant potentiated the effects of sorafenib (P<0.01) and overcame sorafenib resistance (P<0.0001) in vivo. Mechanistically, pegvisomant decreased the phosphorylation of GHR downstream survival proteins including JAK2, STAT3, STAT5, IRS-1, AKT, ERK, and IGF-IR. In two patients with advanced-stage HCC and high GH who developed sorafenib resistance, pegvisomant caused tumor stability. Our data show that GHR signaling represents a novel “druggable” target, and pegvisomant may function as an effective systemic therapy in HCC. Our findings could also lead to testing GHR inhibition in other aggressive cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Hesham M. Amin, ; Ahmed O. Kaseb,
| | - Abedul Haque
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Deeksha Vishwamitra
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Manal M. Hassan
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Bhawana George
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Vishal Sahu
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Roberto Carmagnani Pestana
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jamie Lynne Lombardo
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Rony Avritscher
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - James C. Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Robert A. Wolff
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Asif Rashid
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Jeffrey S. Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Hesham M. Amin
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
- MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Hesham M. Amin, ; Ahmed O. Kaseb,
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12
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Awiwi MO, Elsayes KM, Mohamed YI, Altameemi L, Gjoni M, Irshad OM, Sayed Ahmed A, Kaseb AO, Salem U. The Prognostic Value of Baseline Clinical and Radiologic Imaging Features in Patients with Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated with Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2022; 9:913-927. [PMID: 36065424 PMCID: PMC9440709 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s379428] [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] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose To identify prognostic clinical and radiologic features in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab. Patients and Methods Clinical and imaging records of patients with unresectable HCC were retrospectively reviewed, and baseline features were recorded. Patients’ records and imaging studies were used to determine the patients’ overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine prognostic features. Subanalyses of treatment-naïve patients (who never received local or systemic therapy) and previously treated patients were also performed. Results Fifty-five patients were included in the final analysis, 23 (41.8%) of whom were treatment naïve. The median PFS and OS for the entire cohort were 3.0 months and 7.9 months. The 3-, 6- and 12-month OS rates were 85.5%, 79.8% and 45.7%, respectively. The 3-, 6- and 12-month PFS rates were 50.1%, 41.2% and 20.1%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, independent prognostic features for poor PFS of the entire cohort were pleural effusions (p = 0.047, HR: 6.3; CI: 1.03–38.90) and hepatic vein tumor thrombus (p = 0.005; HR: 23.37; CI: 2.63–207.67); independent prognostic features for poor OS were ascites (p = 0.008; HR: 37.37; CI: 2.53–467.64), pleural effusion (p = 0.003; HR: 110.17; CI: 5.00–2426.54), and low (<40HU) pre-contrast attenuation on CT images (p = 0.007; HR: 0.09; CI: 0.02–0.53). On subanalysis of treatment-naïve patients, the median OS and PFS were 7.4 months and 2.8 months, respectively. The 3-, 6- and 12-month PFS rates were 43.5%, 38.6% and 24.8%, respectively. Pleural effusion was the only independent poor prognostic feature (p = 0.036; HR: 206.34; CI: 1.41–30,167.58). Conclusion Independent prognostic features for survival outcomes include the presence of ascites, pleural effusions, hepatic vein tumor thrombus, and HCC with low attenuation (<40 HU) on unenhanced CT images. Although several biochemical variables were significant on univariate analysis, none were independent predictors of OS or PFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad O Awiwi
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Khaled M Elsayes
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Correspondence: Khaled M Elsayes, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA, Tel +1 877 632-6789, Fax +1 713 794-4535, Email
| | - Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lina Altameemi
- Department of Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Migena Gjoni
- Department of Internal Medicine, The of Istanbul-Cerrahpasa Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Ahmed Sayed Ahmed
- Department of Gastroenterology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ahmad O Kaseb
- Department of Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Usama Salem
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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13
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Bencheqroun H, Ahmed Y, Kocak M, Villa E, Barrera C, Mohiuddin M, Fortunet R, Iyoha E, Bates D, Okpalor C, Agbosasa O, Mohammed K, Pondell S, Mohamed A, Mohamed YI, Gok Yavuz B, Kaseb MO, Kasseb OO, Gocio MY, Tu PTM, Li D, Lu J, Selim A, Ma Q, Kaseb AO. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of ThymoQuinone Formula (TQF) for Treating Outpatient SARS-CoV-2. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11050551. [PMID: 35631072 PMCID: PMC9144779 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050551] [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: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need for an oral drug for the treatment of mild to moderate outpatient SARS-CoV-2. Our preclinical and clinical study’s aim was to determine the safety and preliminary efficacy of oral TQ Formula (TQF), in the treatment of outpatient SARS-CoV-2. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial, we randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) non-hospitalized, adult (>18 years), symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 patients to receive oral TQF or placebo. The primary endpoints were safety and the median time-to-sustained-clinical-response (SCR). SCR was 6 days in the TQF arm vs. 8 days in the placebo arm (p = 0.77), and 5 days in the TQF arm vs. 7.5 days in the placebo arm in the high-risk cohort, HR 1.55 (95% CI: 0.70, 3.43, p = 0.25). No significant difference was found in the rate of AEs (p = 0.16). TQF led to a significantly faster decline in the total symptom burden (TSB) (p < 0.001), and a significant increase in cytotoxic CD8+ (p = 0.042) and helper CD4+ (p = 0.042) central memory T lymphocytes. TQF exhibited an in vitro inhibitory effect on the entry of five SARS-CoV-2 variants. TQF was well-tolerated. While the median time-to-SCR did not reach statistical significance; it was shorter in the TQF arm and preclinical/clinical signals of TQF activity across multiple endpoints were significant. Therefore, a confirmatory study is planned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Bencheqroun
- RESPIRE Clinical Research, Palm Springs, CA 92262, USA;
- Correspondence: (H.B.); (A.O.K.)
| | - Yasir Ahmed
- United Memorial Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Houston, TX 77091, USA; (Y.A.); (C.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Mehmet Kocak
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, International School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, 34810 Istanbul, Turkey;
| | | | - Cesar Barrera
- United Memorial Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Houston, TX 77091, USA; (Y.A.); (C.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Mariya Mohiuddin
- United Memorial Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Houston, TX 77091, USA; (Y.A.); (C.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Raul Fortunet
- RESPIRE Clinical Research, Palm Springs, CA 92262, USA;
| | - Emmanuel Iyoha
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Deborah Bates
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Chinedu Okpalor
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Ola Agbosasa
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Karim Mohammed
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Stephen Pondell
- Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls Department, Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX 77054, USA;
| | - Amr Mohamed
- UH Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA;
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (B.G.Y.)
| | - Betul Gok Yavuz
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (B.G.Y.)
| | - Mohamed O. Kaseb
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX 77598, USA; (M.O.K.); (O.O.K.); (M.Y.G.)
| | - Osama O. Kasseb
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX 77598, USA; (M.O.K.); (O.O.K.); (M.Y.G.)
| | - Michelle York Gocio
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX 77598, USA; (M.O.K.); (O.O.K.); (M.Y.G.)
| | | | - Dan Li
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.L.); (Q.M.)
| | - Jianming Lu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA;
- Codex BioSolutions Inc., Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Abdulhafez Selim
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Philadelphia, PA 19131, USA;
| | - Qing Ma
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.L.); (Q.M.)
| | - Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (B.G.Y.)
- Correspondence: (H.B.); (A.O.K.)
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14
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Kaseb AO, Hasanov E, Cao HST, Xiao L, Vauthey JN, Lee SS, Yavuz BG, Mohamed YI, Qayyum A, Jindal S, Duan F, Basu S, Yadav SS, Nicholas C, Sun JJ, Singh Raghav KP, Rashid A, Carter K, Chun YS, Tzeng CWD, Sakamuri D, Xu L, Sun R, Cristini V, Beretta L, Yao JC, Wolff RA, Allison JP, Sharma P. Perioperative nivolumab monotherapy versus nivolumab plus ipilimumab in resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: a randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022; 7:208-218. [PMID: 35065057 PMCID: PMC8840977 DOI: 10.1016/s2468-1253(21)00427-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma has high recurrence rates after surgery; however, there are no approved standard-of-care neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapies. Immunotherapy has been shown to improve survival in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma; we therefore aimed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of perioperative immunotherapy in resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS In this single-centre, randomised, open-label, phase 2 trial, patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive 240 mg of nivolumab intravenously every 2 weeks (for up to three doses before surgery at 6 weeks) followed in the adjuvant phase by 480 mg of nivolumab intravenously every 4 weeks for 2 years, or 240 mg of nivolumab intravenously every 2 weeks (for up to three doses before surgery) plus one dose of 1 mg/kg of ipilimumab intravenously concurrently with the first preoperative dose of nivolumab, followed in the adjuvant phase by 480 mg of nivolumab intravenously every 4 weeks for up to 2 years plus 1 mg/kg of ipilimumab intravenously every 6 weeks for up to four cycles. Patients were randomly assigned to the treatment groups by use of block randomisation with a random block size. The primary endpoint was the safety and tolerability of nivolumab with or without ipilimumab. Secondary endpoints were the proportion of patients with an overall response, time to progression, and progression-free survival. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03222076) and is completed. FINDINGS Between Oct 30, 2017, and Dec 3, 2019, 30 patients were enrolled and 27 were randomly assigned: 13 to nivolumab and 14 to nivolumab plus ipilimumab. Grade 3-4 adverse events were higher with nivolumab plus ipilimumab (six [43%] of 14 patients) than with nivolumab alone (three [23%] of 13). The most common treatment-related adverse events of any grade were increased alanine aminotransferase (three [23%] of 13 patients on nivolumab vs seven [50%] of 14 patients on nivolumab plus ipilimumab) and increased aspartate aminotransferase (three [23%] vs seven [50%]). No patients in either group had their surgery delayed due to grade 3 or worse adverse events. Seven of 27 patients had surgical cancellations, but none was due to treatment-related adverse events. Estimated median progression-free survival was 9·4 months (95% CI 1·47-not estimable [NE]) with nivolumab and 19·53 months (2·33-NE) with nivolumab plus ipilimumab (hazard ratio [HR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·31-2·54); median time to progression was 9·4 months (95% CI 1·47-NE) in the nivolumab group and 19·53 months (2·33-NE) in the nivolumab plus ipilimumab group (HR 0·89, 95% CI 0·31-2·54). In an exploratory analysis, three (23%) of 13 patients had an overall response with nivolumab monotherapy, versus none with nivolumab plus ipilimumab. Three (33%) of nine patients had a major pathological response (ie, ≥70% necrosis in the resected tumour area) with nivolumab monotherapy compared with three (27%) of 11 with nivolumab plus ipilimumab. INTERPRETATION Perioperative nivolumab alone and nivolumab plus ipilimumab appears to be safe and feasible in patients with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Our findings support further studies of immunotherapy in the perioperative setting in hepatocellular carcinoma. FUNDING Bristol Myers Squibb and the US National Institutes of Health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Elshad Hasanov
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hop Sanderson Tran Cao
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jean-Nicolas Vauthey
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sunyoung S Lee
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Betul Gok Yavuz
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Aliya Qayyum
- Department of Abdominal Imaging, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sonali Jindal
- Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Fei Duan
- Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sreyashi Basu
- Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shalini S Yadav
- Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Courtney Nicholas
- Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jing Jing Sun
- Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kanwal Pratap Singh Raghav
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Asif Rashid
- Department of Pathology, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kristen Carter
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yun Shin Chun
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ching-Wei David Tzeng
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Divya Sakamuri
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Li Xu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ryan Sun
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Vittorio Cristini
- Mathematics in Medicine Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Laura Beretta
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Division of Basic Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James C Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robert A Wolff
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James Patrick Allison
- Department of Pathology, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Padmanee Sharma
- Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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15
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Gok Yavuz B, Hasanov E, Lee SS, Mohamed YI, Curran MA, Koay EJ, Cristini V, Kaseb AO. Current Landscape and Future Directions of Biomarkers for Immunotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2021; 8:1195-1207. [PMID: 34595140 PMCID: PMC8478438 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s322289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the world. Multiple immunotherapeutic approaches have been investigated to date, and immunotherapy has become the new standard of care therapy in HCC. However, the current role of immunotherapy in HCC remains non-curative. Given this context, a high priority for oncology is understanding the biomarkers that predict clinical response to immunotherapy, have the potential to improve patient selection to maximize the clinical benefit, and spare unnecessary toxicity. In this review, we summarize the key predictive and prognostic biomarkers investigated in immunotherapy clinical trials in HCC and the emerging biomarkers to serve as a roadmap for future clinical trials. Biomarkers from tumoral tissues including PDL-1 expression, tissue infiltrating lymphocytes, tumor mutational burden (TMB) and specific immune signatures, and from peripheral blood including neutrophil-to-lymphocytes ratio, platelet-to-lymphocytes ratio, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and specific cytokines, along with gut microbiota are among the studied biomarkers to date in the HCC era. More integrative approaches, including mathematical biomarkers to predict immunotherapy outcomes, are yet to be studied in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betul Gok Yavuz
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Elshad Hasanov
- Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sunyoung S Lee
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Michael A Curran
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Eugene J Koay
- Department of Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Vittorio Cristini
- Mathematics in Medicine Program, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Imaging Physics, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ahmed O Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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16
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Kaseb AO, Kappadath SC, Lee SS, Raghav KP, Mohamed YI, Xiao L, Morris JS, Ohaji C, Avritscher R, Odisio BC, Kuban J, Abdelsalam ME, Chasen B, Elsayes KM, Elbanan M, Wolff RA, Yao JC, Mahvash A. A Prospective Phase II Study of Safety and Efficacy of Sorafenib Followed by 90Y Glass Microspheres for Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma. J Hepatocell Carcinoma 2021; 8:1129-1145. [PMID: 34527608 PMCID: PMC8437411 DOI: 10.2147/jhc.s318865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose The most common cause of death in advanced/metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is liver failure due to tumor progression. While retrospective studies and meta-analyses of systemic therapy combined with liver-directed therapy have been performed, prospective studies of safety/efficacy of antiangiogenesis followed by intra-arterial therapies are lacking. We tested our hypothesis that sorafenib followed by yttrium 90 glass microspheres (90Y GMs) is safe and that survival outcomes may improve by controlling hepatic tumors. Methods We enrolled 38 Child–Pugh A patients with advanced/metastatic HCC. In sum, 34 received sorafenib, followed after 4 weeks by 90Y GMs. Analysis of safety and survival outcomes was performed to assess adverse events, median progression-free survival, and overall survival. Results A total of 34 patients were evaluable: 14 (41.2%) with chronic hepatitis, nine (26.5%) with vascular invasion, and eleven (32.4%) with extrahepatic diseases. Safety analysis revealed that the combination therapy was well tolerated. Grade III–IV adverse events comprised fatigue (n=3), diarrhea (n=2), nausea (n=1), vomiting (n=2), hypertension (n=4), thrombocytopenia (n=1), hyperbilirubinemia (n=1), proteinuria (n=1), hyponatremia (n=1), and elevated alanine or aspartate aminotransferase (n=5). Median progression-free and overall survival were 10.4 months (95% CI 5.8–14.4) and 13.2 months (95% CI 7.9–18.9), respectively. Twelve patients (35.3%) achieved partial responses and 16 (47.0%) stable disease. Median duration of sorafenib was 20 (3–90) weeks, and average dose was 622 (466–800) mg daily. Dosimetry showed similar mean doses between planned and delivered calculations to normal liver and tumor:normal liver uptake ratio, with no significant correlation with adverse events at 3 and 6 months post-90Y treatment. Conclusion This is the first prospective study to evaluate sorafenib followed by 90Y in patients with advanced HCC. The study validated our hypothesis of safety with encouraging efficacy signals of the sequencing treatment, and provides proof of concept for future combination modalities for patients with advanced or metastatic HCC. Clinical Trial Registration Number NCT01900002.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - S Cheenu Kappadath
- Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sunyoung S Lee
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Kanwal Pratap Raghav
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chimela Ohaji
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rony Avritscher
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bruno C Odisio
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joshua Kuban
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mohamed E Abdelsalam
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Beth Chasen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Khaled M Elsayes
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Mohamed Elbanan
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robert A Wolff
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James C Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Armeen Mahvash
- Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Morris JS, Hassan MM, Zohner YE, Wang Z, Xiao L, Rashid A, Haque A, Abdel-Wahab R, Mohamed YI, Ballard KL, Wolff RA, George B, Li L, Allen G, Weylandt M, Li D, Wang W, Raghav K, Yao J, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. HepatoScore-14: Measures of Biological Heterogeneity Significantly Improve Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk. Hepatology 2021; 73:2278-2292. [PMID: 32931023 PMCID: PMC7956911 DOI: 10.1002/hep.31555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Therapeutic, clinical trial entry and stratification decisions for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are made based on prognostic assessments, using clinical staging systems based on small numbers of empirically selected variables that insufficiently account for differences in biological characteristics of individual patients' disease. APPROACH AND RESULTS We propose an approach for constructing risk scores from circulating biomarkers that produce a global biological characterization of individual patient's disease. Plasma samples were collected prospectively from 767 patients with HCC and 200 controls, and 317 proteins were quantified in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified biomarker testing laboratory. We constructed a circulating biomarker aberration score for each patient, a score between 0 and 1 that measures the degree of aberration of his or her biomarker panel relative to normal, which we call HepatoScore. We used log-rank tests to assess its ability to substratify patients within existing staging systems/prognostic factors. To enhance clinical application, we constructed a single-sample score, HepatoScore-14, which requires only a subset of 14 representative proteins encompassing the global biological effects. Patients with HCC were split into three distinct groups (low, medium, and high HepatoScore) with vastly different prognoses (medial overall survival 38.2/18.3/7.1 months; P < 0.0001). Furthermore, HepatoScore accurately substratified patients within levels of existing prognostic factors and staging systems (P < 0.0001 for nearly all), providing substantial and sometimes dramatic refinement of expected patient outcomes with strong therapeutic implications. These results were recapitulated by HepatoScore-14, rigorously validated in repeated training/test splits, concordant across Myriad RBM (Austin, TX) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits, and established as an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS HepatoScore-14 augments existing HCC staging systems, dramatically refining patient prognostic assessments and therapeutic decision making and enrollment in clinical trials. The underlying strategy provides a global biological characterization of disease, and can be applied broadly to other disease settings and biological media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Manal M Hassan
- Department of Epidemiology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Zeya Wang
- Department of Statistics, Rice University, Houston, TX
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Asif Rashid
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Abedul Haque
- Department of Hematopathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Reham Abdel-Wahab
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Robert A Wolff
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Bhawana George
- Department of Hematopathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Liang Li
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Genevera Allen
- Department of Statistics, Rice University, Houston, TX
- Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston and Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | | | - Donghui Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Wenyi Wang
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Kanwal Raghav
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - James Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Hesham M Amin
- Department of Hematopathology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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18
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Mohamed YI, Lee S, Xiao L, Hassan MM, Qayyum A, Hiatia R, Pestana RC, Haque A, George B, Rashid A, Duda DG, Elghazaly H, Wolff RA, Morris JS, Yao J, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. Insulin-like growth factor 1/Child-Turcotte-Pugh composite score as a predictor of treatment outcomes in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sorafenib. Oncotarget 2021; 12:756-766. [PMID: 33889299 PMCID: PMC8057275 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.27924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Sorafenib was the first systemic therapy approved for the treatment of Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class A patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there are no biomarkers to predict survival and treatment outcomes and guide HCC systemic therapy. Type 1 insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)/CTP composite score has emerged as a potential hepatic reserve assessment tool. Our study investigated the association of the IGF/CTP score with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of HCC patients treated with sorafenib. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, patients with HCC were treated with sorafenib and followed up until progression/death. We calculated the IGF/CTP score and used the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test to estimate and compare the time-to-event outcomes between patient subgroups. Results: 171 patients were included, 116 of whom were CTP class A. Median PFS for IGF/CTP score AA and AB patients were 6.88 and 4.28 months, respectively (p = 0.1359). Median OS for IGF/CTP score AA and AB patients were 14.54 and 7.60 months, respectively (p = 0.1378). The PFS and OS was superior in AA patients, but the difference was not significant, likely due to the sample size. However, there was a significant difference in early OS and PFS curves between AA and AB (p = 0.0383 and p = 0.0099), respectively. Conclusions: In CTP class A patients, IGF/CTP score B was associated with shorter PFS and OS, however, study was underpowered to reach statistical significance. If validated in larger cohorts, IGF/CTP score may serve as stratification tool in clinical trials, a hepatic reserve assessment tool for HCC outcomes prediction and to assist in therapy decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yehia I Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sunyoung Lee
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Manal M Hassan
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Aliya Qayyum
- Department of Abdominal Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rikita Hiatia
- Department of Epidemiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Roberto Carmagnani Pestana
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Abedul Haque
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Bhawana George
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Asif Rashid
- Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Dan G Duda
- Steele Laboratories, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hesham Elghazaly
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Robert A Wolff
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jeffrey S Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James Yao
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Hesham M Amin
- Department of Hematopathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ahmed O Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Kaseb AO, Mohamed YI, Malek AE, Raad II, Altameemi L, Li D, Kaseb OA, Kaseb SA, Selim A, Ma Q. The Impact of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) Expression on the Incidence and Severity of COVID-19 Infection. Pathogens 2021; 10:379. [PMID: 33809851 PMCID: PMC8004186 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10030379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [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: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented threat to the international community and raised major concerns in terms of public health safety. Although our current understanding of the complexity of COVID-19 pathogenesis remains limited, the infection is largely mediated by the interaction of viral spike protein and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The functional importance of ACE2 in different demographic and comorbid conditions may explain the significant variation in incidence and mortality of COVID-19 in vulnerable groups, and highlights its candidacy as a potential therapeutic target. We provide evidence supporting the idea that differences in incidence and severity of COVID-19 infection may be related to ACE2. Emerging data based on the prevalence and severity of COVID-19 among those with established high levels of ACE2 expression strongly support our hypothesis. Considering the burden of COVID-19 infection in these vulnerable groups and the impact of the potential therapeutic and preventive measures that would result from adopting ACE2-driven anti-viral strategies, our hypothesis may expedite global efforts to control the current COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Departments of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (L.A.)
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Departments of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (L.A.)
| | - Alexandre E. Malek
- Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (A.E.M.); (I.I.R.)
| | - Issam I. Raad
- Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (A.E.M.); (I.I.R.)
| | - Lina Altameemi
- Departments of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (L.A.)
| | - Dan Li
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.L.); (Q.M.)
| | - Omar A. Kaseb
- Iman Academy, Webster, TX 77598, USA; (O.A.K.); (S.A.K.)
| | - Safa A. Kaseb
- Iman Academy, Webster, TX 77598, USA; (O.A.K.); (S.A.K.)
| | - Abdelhafez Selim
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Philadelphia, PA 19131, USA;
| | - Qing Ma
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.L.); (Q.M.)
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20
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Fessas P, Kaseb AO, Wang Y, Saeed A, Szafron D, Jun T, Dharmapuri S, Naqash AR, Khan U, Yu B, Paul SD, Nimkar NS, Bettinger D, Hildebrand H, Mohamed YI, Huang YH, Rimassa L, Ang C, Marron TU, Pinato DJ. Post-registration experience of nivolumab (nivo) therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC): An international study. J Clin Oncol 2020. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.e16677] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
e16677 Background: Nivo is FDA-approved in sorafenib-experienced, advanced HCC. Post-registration data to portray treatment in a real-world setting is lacking. Methods: We describe safety and efficacy of nivo in patients (pts) from 8 centres (USA n = 181, Asia n = 47, Europe n = 5), documenting overall (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall response (ORR) and disease control rates (DCR) (RECIST). Results: We analysed 233 pts, mostly cirrhotic (n = 176, 75%) due to hepatitis C (n = 95, 54.0%) with Barcelona Clinic Stage (BCLC) C HCC (n = 178, 76.4%), Child-Pugh class (CP) A (n = 158, 67.8%) or B (n = 75, 32.2%), and AFP > 400 IU/mL (n = 132, 56.7%). Nivo was given as first (1L, n = 85, 36.5%), second line (2L, n = 130, 55.8%) or > 2L (n = 18, 7.7%), after local (n = 191, 82%) and systemic therapy (n = 148, 63.5%), mostly sorafenib (n = 142, 60.9%). Median duration of nivo was 6.0 months (mo, interquartile range [IQR] 2.6-11.9) and stopped due to progression (n = 109, 46.8%) or toxicity (n = 8, 3.4%). After median follow up of 7 mo (IQR 3.0-12.3), ORR was 22.4% and DCR was 52.1%. Best responses (n = 219, 94%) included complete and partial responses in 18 (7.7%) and 31 (13.3%) pts respectively, stable disease in 65 (27.9%) and progressive disease in 105 (45.1%), not dissimilar by CP (p = 0.26). Median OS was 12.2 mo (95%CI 8.4-16.0) and predicted by CP (CPA 16.3 mo 95%CI 11.7-20.8; CPB 7.3 mo 95%CI 4.2-10.4; hazard ratio [HR] 1.9, p = 0.01), nivo line (1L 16.3 mo 95%CI 8.0-24.5; > 1L 10.4 mo 95%CI 7.4-13.5; HR 0.68, p = 0.05), and PVT (PVT- 13.8 mo 95%CI 11.7-16.0; PVT+ 10.4 mo 95%CI 7.8-13.0; HR 1.8, p = 0.015) but not cirrhosis, AFP, BCLC or steroid use (p > 0.05). Median PFS was 10.1 mo (95%CI 6.1-14.2), predicted by BCLC (A-B 19.0 mo 95%CI 7.1-30.8; C 8.2 mo 95%CI 4.9-11.4; HR 2.8, p = 0.002) and line (1L 18.2 mo 95%CI 10.4-25.9; > 1L 8.2 mo 95% CI 6.2-10.2; HR 0.60, p = 0.021), but not cirrhosis, AFP, or steroid use (p > 0.05). 26 pts (11.2%) suffered > = Grade 2 toxicities, most commonly fatigue (n = 29, 24.7%). Conclusions: Real-world use of nivo in advanced HCC across line of therapy suggests reproducible clinical efficacy and safety compared to prospective trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petros Fessas
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- GI Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Yinghong Wang
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Anwaar Saeed
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | | | - Tomi Jun
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
| | - Sirish Dharmapuri
- The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Abdul Rafeh Naqash
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC
| | - Uqba Khan
- Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
| | - Bo Yu
- Lincoln Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Sonal D Paul
- New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY
| | | | - Dominik Bettinger
- Department of Medicine II, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Yi-Hsiang Huang
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | | | - Celina Ang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Tisch Cancer Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY
| | - Thomas Urban Marron
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - David James Pinato
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, London, United Kingdom
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21
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Lee SS, Mohamed YI, Lee SH, Baird A, Dolan J, furqan F, Kaseb AO. Risk score and prognostication modeling based on mRNA expressivity in the tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma. J Clin Oncol 2020. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.e16658] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
e16658 Background: Stromal elements in the tumor microenvironment (TME) impact prognosis and response to therapy. Advances in mRNA-sequencing improved understanding of gene expressivity, but few models exist to model prognosis in association with mRNA expression. Methods: Clinical data and mRNA-seq of 256 patients (pts) with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were obtained from TCGA. The expressivity of 191 genes enriched in cellular and structural components of the TME and clinical data were analyzed using machine learning, multivariable COX model, and Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis to model risk score (RS) for prediction of prognosis. Results: Prognostication was modeled with higher risk score (RS) representing worse prognosis. Gene expression associated with poor (P) and good (G) in stage 1 and 2 HCC was identified (refer to presentation). RS (stage 1) = 5.997 - 0.589 × (Age at diagnosis−7.979E-06) - 4.818 × (P/G−0.009); RS (stage 2) = -5.704 - 0.780 × (Age at diagnosis−9.383E-06) + 7.228 × (P/G−0.004). Based on RS, pts were clustered into 2 groups in each stage - high and low RS groups, showing two KM curves with P < 0.05, HR = 3.213 (95% CI 2.212 – 4.347) in stage 1; HR = 2.733 (95% CI 2.131 – 3.426) in stage 2, confirming the validity of RS modeling. Analysis of immune profiles in high and low RS groups shows that expression of genes associated with immunosuppressive factors, desmoplastic reaction, neutrophils, and co-inhibitory factors of T-cells are higher in high RS group in both stages (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Machine learning-assisted mathematical modeling of RS and gene analysis identified TME-related genes and gene groups that are strongly associated with worse prognosis in stage 1 and 2 of HCC. RS could potentially prognosticate pts in the clinic with available genomic profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunyoung S. Lee
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Sung Hwan Lee
- CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, South Korea
| | | | | | | | - Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- GI Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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22
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Mohamed YI, Qayyum A, Hassan M, Xiao L, Duda DG, Hatia R, Lee SS, Wolff RA, Morris J, Altameemi L, Yao JC, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. IGF-Child-Turcotte-Pugh score as a predictor of treatment outcome in Child-Pugh A, advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing sorafenib therapy. J Clin Oncol 2020. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.e16660] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
e16660 Background: Sorafenib is the first systemic therapy approved for advanced HCC treatment; with no accurate tool available to help predict survival and treatment outcome and to guide therapy decisions. Our novel blood-based insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF)-Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score comprises levels of IGF-1, bilirubin, INR, and albumin. IGF-CP score significantly improved the prediction of HCC survival in our recently published studies. The current prospective study aimed to compare the overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) of 116 patients with CTP-A HCC treated with sorafenib whose score is reclassified as IGF-A (AA) to that of patients whose score is reclassified as IGF-B/C (AB/AC). Methods: After the approval of the institutional review boards and signing written informed consent, a total of 116 patients with HCC were prospectively enrolled and started on sorafenib and followed until progression or death. We calculated IGF-CTP scores, used Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test to estimate and compare time to event outcomes between subgroups of patients. Results: 116 patients were CTP class A, 87 of the patients with CTP class A were classified as IGF-CTP-A and had median OS of 13.16 ms (95% CI = 12.04 to 22.6 ms), and a median PFS of 5.82 months (ms) (95% CI = 4.34 to 9.14 ms), whereas 29 patients were reclassified as intermediate risk (IGF-CTP-B) and had had a higher risk of death with a shorter OS of 7.6 months (95% CI = 5.23 to 24.47 months) and shorter PFS of 3.49 months (95% CI = 2.53 to 5.26 months). There was higher overall rate of adverse events in the CTP-A patients reclassified as IGF-CTP B than IGF-CTP A especially in grade III-IV adverse events, upper GI Bleeding, lower GI Bleeding, nose bleeding, renal failure, liver failure, encephalopathy, fatigue, weight loss, anorexia, and vomiting. Conclusions: The results of this study support our biologically-driven hypothesis that among HCC patients with CTP-A class treated with sorafenib, those reclassified as IGF-CTP-B/C will have poorer prognosis in terms of shorter OS and PFS. Thus, our study provides an objective non-invasive strategy to better predict the outcome in HCC patients undergoing systemic therapy. Future validation of our IGF-1 score may lead to adopting it as a stratification tool in clinical trials as well as to predict HCC outcome and guide therapy decision in routine practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aliya Qayyum
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Manal Hassan
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Rikita Hatia
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Robert A. Wolff
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Jeffrey Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Lina Altameemi
- The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - James C. Yao
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Hesham M. Amin
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- GI Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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Mohamed YI, Qayyum A, Hassan M, Xiao L, Duda DG, Hatia R, Lee SS, Wolff RA, Morris J, Altameemi L, Yao JC, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. Treatment outcome and prognostic indicators in 26 cases of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma under interferon based therapy. J Clin Oncol 2020. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.e16626] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
e16626 Background: Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLHCC) is a variant of HCC that comprises ∼1%–9% of all HCCs, with about 200 annual cases reported globally, most often affects younger patients (10–35 years of age) with no underlying liver disease. There is no current standard of care therapy for unresectable FLHCC. We report an analysis of the treatment outcomes, and prognostic indicators of 26 cases. Methods: We retrospectively collected clinicopathologic and treatment outcome data from 26 FLHCC patients who received interferon alfa-2b (IFN) based therapy. Median overall survival (OS) and PFS were calculated using Kaplan-Meier curves, and survival rates were compared by the log-rank test. Results: 21 patient underwent treatment with continuous infusion (CI) 5-Fluorouracil (FU) at 200 mg/m2/day for 7 days on, 7 days off plus IFN at 4 million units/m2, subQ every other day for 7 days on, 7 days off, 1 patient FU+IFN+bevacizumab and 4 patients had PIAF (cisPlatin+IFN+Adriamycin+FU). Median age was 24 years (15-44), 13 males and 13 females, 8 of the 26 patients died, the median overall survival was 33.9 months (95% CI, 20.9, NA), estimated 3-year survival was 20.2% (95% CI: 4.1%, 98.5%), median follow up time was 13.4 months (95% CI: 9.79, NA) and median progression-free survival was 11.7 months (95% CI: 5.09, NA). The estimated 1-year survival was 47.9% (95% CI: 29.9%, 76.8%). Finally, FU+IFN combination was the most frequently used systemic therapy. 3/26 pts underwent surgical resection following neoadjuvant treatment with interferon based therapy; Interferon based therapy for the 26 patients had limited side effects, with only 3 of the 26 patients discontinued treatment due to grade 3-4 adverse event in the form of mucositis, severe fatigue and/or hematologic toxicity. Conclusions: Our analyses indicate that CI FU + IFN could be an effective treatment for FLHCC, and may have a neoadjuvant role in this disease with 3/26 were resectable following neoadjuvant treatment with interferon based therapy. This regimen can be well tolerated. Unfortunately, nonsurgical options for patients with FLC remain limited with no approved local or systemic therapies. Therefore, future research is needed to identify better multimodality therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aliya Qayyum
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Manal Hassan
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Rikita Hatia
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Robert A. Wolff
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Jeffrey Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Lina Altameemi
- The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - James C. Yao
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Hesham M. Amin
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- GI Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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24
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Kaseb AO, Tran Cao HS, Mohamed YI, Qayyum A, Vence LM, Blando JM, Singh S, Lee SS, Raghav KPS, Altameemi L, Rashid A, Vauthey JN, Carter K, Tzeng CWD, Chun YS, Yao JC, Wolff RA, Allison JP, Sharma P. Final results of a randomized, open label, perioperative phase II study evaluating nivolumab alone or nivolumab plus ipilimumab in patients with resectable HCC. J Clin Oncol 2020. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.4599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
4599 Background: In resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surgical resection is associated with high recurrence rates. However, there is no approved neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapies yet. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy effect has never been reported in this setting in HCC. Methods: This is a randomized phase II trial of nivolumab (Arm A) or nivolumab + ipilimumab (Arm B) as peri-operative treatment for patients (pts) with HCC who are eligible for surgical resection. Pts in Arm A are given nivolumab 240 mg iv, every 2 weeks (wks) for a total of 3 doses followed by surgery on week 6. Pts in Arm B are treated with nivolumab per same schedule as arm A plus concurrent ipilimumab 1 mg/kg on day 1. Adjuvant part of study starts 4 weeks after surgery, with Nivolumab at 480 mg iv every 4 weeks for 2 years in arm A. Pts in Arm B are treated with nivolumab per same schedule as arm A plus concurrent ipilimumab 1 mg/kg every 6 weeks times 4 doses after resection. The primary objective was the safety/tolerability of nivolumab +/- ipilimumab. Secondary objectives include overall response rate, pathologic complete response (pCR) rate and time to progression. Exploratory objectives include evaluating the pre- and post-treatment immunological changes in tumor tissues and peripheral blood. Results: 30 patients were enrolled, 2 patients withdrew consent, one patient was not eligible at time of therapy, and 27 randomized (13 to Arm A and 14 to Arm B). 21 patients proceeded with resection as planned and surgery was aborted for 6 patients; 1 for frozen abdomen due to old surgery, 2 for small residual volume, and 3 for progressive disease. Pts age ranged between 32-83 yo, 75 % were males, 7 pts had HCV, 7 had HBV and 7 had no hepatitis. Pathologic complete response (pCR) was observed in 5/21 pts (24% pCR rate) – 2 in Arm A and 3 Arm B, and 3/21 pts (16%) – 1 in Arm A, 2 in Arm B, achieved major pathologic response (necrosis effect of 50-99%). 5 patients in Arm B and 1 in Arm A experienced grade 3 or higher toxicity prior to surgery. No grade 4 or higher toxicity were observed and surgery was not delayed or cancelled due to oxicity. Conclusions: Our study reached its primary endpoint of safety. Importantly, we report a 40% pathologic response rate = pCR rate of 24%, and major necrosis rate of 16% for resectable HCC after preoperative immunotherapy in a randomized phase II pilot trial. After future validation, these promising results may contribute to a paradigm shift in the perioperative treatment of resectable HCC. Clinical trial information: NCT03222076 .
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- GI Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | | | - Aliya Qayyum
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Luis M. Vence
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Jorge M. Blando
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Shalini Singh
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | | | - Lina Altameemi
- The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Asif Rashid
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Kristen Carter
- The University of Texas, Md Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Yun Shin Chun
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - James C. Yao
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Robert A. Wolff
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Padmanee Sharma
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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Lee SS, Mohamed YI, Qayyum A, Hassan M, Xiao L, Duda DG, Hatia R, Wolff RA, Morris J, Altameemi L, Yao JC, Amin HM, Kaseb AO. The role of ALBI and IGF-CTP score in refining prognostication of HCC. J Clin Oncol 2020. [DOI: 10.1200/jco.2020.38.15_suppl.e16659] [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] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
e16659 Background: Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score is widely used in the assessment of prognosis of HCC and CTP-A is the standard criterion for active therapy and clinical trials entry. Recently, ALBI and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF)-CTP scores have been reported to improve survival prediction over CTP score. However, comparative studies to compare both scores and to integrate IGF into Albi score are lacking. Methods: After institutional board approval, data and samples were prospectively collected. 299 HCC patients who had data to generate both IGF-CPG and Albi index were used. The ALBI index, and IGF score were calculated, Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to evaluation the association between overall survival (OS) and CTP, IGF-CTP, Albi and IGF, albumin, bilirubin. Harrell’s Concordance index (C-index) was calculated to evaluate the ability of the three score system to predict overall survival. And the U-statistics was used to compare the performance of prediction of OS between the score system. Results: OS association with CTP, IGF-CTP and Albi was performed (Table). IGF-CTP B was associated with a higher risk of death than A (HR = 1.6087, 95% CI: 1.2039, 2.1497, p = 0.0013), ALBI grade 2 was also associated with a higher risk of death than 1 (HR = 2.2817, 95% CI: 1.7255, 3.0172, p < 0.0001). IGF-1(analyzed as categorical variable) was independently associated with OS after adjusting for the effects of ALBI grade. Which showed IGF-1 ≤26 was significantly associated with poor OS, P = 0.001. Conclusions: Although ALBI grade and IGF-CTP score in this analysis had similar prognostic values in most cases, their benefits might be heterogenous in some specific conditions. We looked into corporation of IGF-1 into ALBI grade, IGF score with cutoff ≤26 which clearly refined OS prediction and better OS stratification of ALBI-grade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunyoung S. Lee
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Aliya Qayyum
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Manal Hassan
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | | | - Rikita Hatia
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Robert A. Wolff
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Jeffrey Morris
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Lina Altameemi
- The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - James C. Yao
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Hesham M. Amin
- The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Ahmed Omar Kaseb
- GI Medical Oncology Department, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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