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Ambrosini M, Rousseau B, Manca P, Artz O, Marabelle A, André T, Maddalena G, Mazzoli G, Intini R, Cohen R, Cercek A, Segal NH, Saltz L, Varghese AM, Yaeger R, Nusrat M, Goldberg Z, Ku GY, El Dika I, Margalit O, Grinshpun A, Murtaza Kasi P, Schilsky R, Lutfi A, Shacham-Shmueli E, Khan Afghan M, Weiss L, Westphalen CB, Conca V, Decker B, Randon G, Elez E, Fakih M, Schrock AB, Cremolini C, Jayachandran P, Overman MJ, Lonardi S, Pietrantonio F. Immune checkpoint inhibitors for POLE or POLD1 proofreading-deficient metastatic colorectal cancer. Ann Oncol 2024; 35:643-655. [PMID: 38777726 DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2024.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND POLE and POLD1 proofreading deficiency (POLE/D1pd) define a rare subtype of ultramutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC; over 100 mut/Mb). Disease-specific data about the activity and efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in POLE/D1pd mCRC are lacking and it is unknown whether outcomes may be different from mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) mCRCs treated with ICIs. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this global study, we collected 27 patients with mCRC harboring POLE/D1 mutations leading to proofreading deficiency and treated with anti-programmed cell death-ligand 1 alone +/- anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 agents. We collected clinicopathological and genomic characteristics, response, and survival outcomes after ICIs of POLE/D1pd mCRC and compared them with a cohort of 610 dMMR/MSI-H mCRC patients treated with ICIs. Further genomic analyses were carried out in an independent cohort of 7241 CRCs to define POLE and POLD1pd molecular profiles and mutational signatures. RESULTS POLE/D1pd was associated with younger age, male sex, fewer RAS/BRAF driver mutations, and predominance of right-sided colon cancers. Patients with POLE/D1pd mCRC showed a significantly higher overall response rate (ORR) compared to dMMR/MSI-H mCRC (89% versus 54%; P = 0.01). After a median follow-up of 24.9 months (interquartile range: 11.3-43.0 months), patients with POLE/D1pd showed a significantly superior progression-free survival (PFS) compared to dMMR/MSI-H mCRC [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08-0.74, P = 0.01] and superior overall survival (OS) (HR = 0.38, 95% CI 0.12-1.18, P = 0.09). In multivariable analyses including the type of DNA repair defect, POLE/D1pd was associated with significantly improved PFS (HR = 0.17, 95% CI 0.04-0.69, P = 0.013) and OS (HR = 0.24, 95% CI 0.06-0.98, P = 0.047). Molecular profiling showed that POLE/D1pd tumors have higher tumor mutational burden (TMB). Responses were observed in both subtypes and were associated with the intensity of POLE/D1pd signature. CONCLUSIONS Patients with POLE/D1pd mCRC showed more favorable outcomes compared to dMMR/MSI-H mCRC to treatment with ICIs in terms of tumor response and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Ambrosini
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - B Rousseau
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - P Manca
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - O Artz
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - A Marabelle
- Department of Therapeutic Innovation and Phase 1 clinical trials, Inserm, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris Saclay, Villejuif
| | - T André
- Sorbonne Université and Department of Medical Oncology, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, France
| | - G Maddalena
- Istituto Oncologico Veneto, IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - G Mazzoli
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - R Intini
- Istituto Oncologico Veneto, IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - R Cohen
- Sorbonne Université and Department of Medical Oncology, Hôpital Saint Antoine, Paris, France
| | - A Cercek
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - N H Segal
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - L Saltz
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - A M Varghese
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - R Yaeger
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - M Nusrat
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - Z Goldberg
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - G Y Ku
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - I El Dika
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA
| | - O Margalit
- Oncology Department, Sheba Medical Center and Tel-Aviv University Medicine Faculty, Tel-Aviv
| | - A Grinshpun
- Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah Medical Center, and Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | | | - A Lutfi
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City
| | - E Shacham-Shmueli
- Oncology Department, Sheba Medical Center and Tel-Aviv University Medicine Faculty, Tel-Aviv
| | - M Khan Afghan
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City
| | - L Weiss
- Department of Internal Medicine III and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Klinikum Grosshadern, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - C B Westphalen
- Department of Internal Medicine III and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Klinikum Grosshadern, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - V Conca
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - B Decker
- Foundation Medicine, Cambridge, USA
| | - G Randon
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - E Elez
- Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Fakih
- Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte
| | - A B Schrock
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - C Cremolini
- Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - P Jayachandran
- Division of Medical Oncology, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
| | - M J Overman
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA
| | - S Lonardi
- Istituto Oncologico Veneto, IRCCS, Padua, Italy
| | - F Pietrantonio
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
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Pancsa T, Vasas B, Melegh Z, Tóth E, Torday L, Sejben A. POLE-Mutant Colon Adenocarcinoma-Case Presentation and Histopathological Evaluation. J Gastrointest Cancer 2024; 55:961-964. [PMID: 38175383 DOI: 10.1007/s12029-023-01004-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION POLE mutant phenotype in colon adenocarcinomas represents a rare molecular subtype. These tumours are generally responsive to immune-checkpoint inhibition therapy and, therefore, are currently considered as a subtype with good prognosis. We hereby present the first detailed case presentation of a POLE mutant colon adenocarcinoma with useful microscopic features. CASE REPORT A 53-year-old male patient's colon adenocarcinoma histologically showed wide variety of growth patterns and massive intra- and peritumoural lymphocytic infiltrate. The majority of the tumour consisted of a high-grade component resembling medullary carcinoma of the colon, while approximately one-third of the tumour was composed of conventional areas exhibiting a tubular pattern. A minority of the tumour was constituted by poorly cohesive rhabdoid cells. Immunohistochemistry was performed, and colorectal origin was proven with CDX-2 and SATB2. Furthermore, proficiency in mismatch repair proteins and SMARCB1 deficiency was observed. The unusually high-grade colon adenocarcinoma, with areas mimicking medullary carcinoma, and generally aggressive morphology raised suspicion of microsatellite instability. The diverse morphology and the SMARCB1 deficiency also raised suspicion of ultramutation caused by POLE alteration. Next-generation sequencing panel confirmed a pathogenetic mutation in POLE exon 9: p.Pro286Arg, c.857C > G. DISCUSSION The diverse, high-grade morphology and increased intratumoural lymphoid infiltration should raise suspicion for POLE-mutated adenocarcinoma during everyday histopathological practice. Mismatch repair proficiency results on immunohistochemistry should not determine the final diagnosis, as only a minor percentage of these tumours are MSI. In every case suspicious for POLE-mutated adenocarcinoma, a 500-cancer gene panel should be carried out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Pancsa
- Department of Pathology, University of Szeged, Állomás U. 1, Szeged, 6725, Hungary
| | - Béla Vasas
- Department of Pathology, University of Szeged, Állomás U. 1, Szeged, 6725, Hungary
| | - Zsombor Melegh
- Center of Tumor Pathology, Department of Surgical and Molecular Pathology, National Institute of Oncology Hungary, Ráth György U. 7-9, Budapest, 1122, Hungary
| | - Erika Tóth
- Center of Tumor Pathology, Department of Surgical and Molecular Pathology, National Institute of Oncology Hungary, Ráth György U. 7-9, Budapest, 1122, Hungary
| | - László Torday
- Department of Oncotherapy, University of Szeged, Korányi fasor 12, Szeged, 6720, Hungary
| | - Anita Sejben
- Department of Pathology, University of Szeged, Állomás U. 1, Szeged, 6725, Hungary.
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3
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Gustav M, Reitsam NG, Carrero ZI, Loeffler CML, van Treeck M, Yuan T, West NP, Quirke P, Brinker TJ, Brenner H, Favre L, Märkl B, Stenzinger A, Brobeil A, Hoffmeister M, Calderaro J, Pujals A, Kather JN. Deep learning for dual detection of microsatellite instability and POLE mutations in colorectal cancer histopathology. NPJ Precis Oncol 2024; 8:115. [PMID: 38783059 PMCID: PMC11116442 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00592-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
In the spectrum of colorectal tumors, microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors with DNA polymerase ε (POLE) mutations exhibit a hypermutated profile, holding the potential to respond to immunotherapy similarly to their microsatellite-instable (MSI) counterparts. Yet, due to their rarity and the associated testing costs, systematic screening for these mutations is not commonly pursued. Notably, the histopathological phenotype resulting from POLE mutations is theorized to resemble that of MSI. This resemblance not only could facilitate their detection by a transformer-based Deep Learning (DL) system trained on MSI pathology slides, but also indicates the possibility for MSS patients with POLE mutations to access enhanced treatment options, which might otherwise be overlooked. To harness this potential, we trained a Deep Learning classifier on a large dataset with the ground truth for microsatellite status and subsequently validated its capabilities for MSI and POLE detection across three external cohorts. Our model accurately identified MSI status in both the internal and external resection cohorts using pathology images alone. Notably, with a classification threshold of 0.5, over 75% of POLE driver mutant patients in the external resection cohorts were flagged as "positive" by a DL system trained on MSI status. In a clinical setting, deploying this DL model as a preliminary screening tool could facilitate the efficient identification of clinically relevant MSI and POLE mutations in colorectal tumors, in one go.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Gustav
- Else Kroener Fresenius Center for Digital Health, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Zunamys I Carrero
- Else Kroener Fresenius Center for Digital Health, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Chiara M L Loeffler
- Else Kroener Fresenius Center for Digital Health, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Medicine I, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Marko van Treeck
- Else Kroener Fresenius Center for Digital Health, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Tanwei Yuan
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nicholas P West
- Pathology & Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Quirke
- Pathology & Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Titus J Brinker
- Digital Biomarkers for Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hermann Brenner
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Division of Preventive Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Loëtitia Favre
- Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, Créteil, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier University Hospital, Department of Pathology, Créteil, France
- INSERM, U955, Team Oncogenèse des lymphomes et tumeurs de la Neurofibromatose 1, Créteil, France
| | - Bruno Märkl
- Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | | | - Alexander Brobeil
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Tissue Bank of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Hoffmeister
- Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Julien Calderaro
- Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, Créteil, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier University Hospital, Department of Pathology, Créteil, France
- INSERM, U955, Team Oncogenèse des lymphomes et tumeurs de la Neurofibromatose 1, Créteil, France
| | - Anaïs Pujals
- Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, IMRB, Créteil, France
- Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Henri Mondor-Albert Chenevier University Hospital, Department of Pathology, Créteil, France
- INSERM, U955, Team Oncogenèse des lymphomes et tumeurs de la Neurofibromatose 1, Créteil, France
| | - Jakob Nikolas Kather
- Else Kroener Fresenius Center for Digital Health, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
- Department of Medicine I, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
- Pathology & Data Analytics, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
- Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Qiu Q, Tan D, Chen Q, Zhou R, Zhao X, Wen W, Yang P, Li J, Gong Z, Zhang D, Wang M. Clinical implications of PD-L1 expression and pathway-related molecular subtypes in advanced Asian colorectal cancer patients. Am J Cancer Res 2024; 14:796-808. [PMID: 38455414 PMCID: PMC10915335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The expression level of PD-L1 does not accurately predict the prognosis of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, but it still reflects the tumor microenvironment to some extent. By stratifying PD-L1 status, gene subtypes in PD-L1 positivity-related pathological pathways were analyzed for their relationship to MSI or TMB to provide more individualized treatment options for CRCs. A total of 752 advanced CRCs were included, and their genomic variance was measured by a targeted next generation sequencing panel in this study. MSI and TMB were both measured by NGS, while PD-L1 expression level was measured using the PD-L1 colon 22C3 pharmDx kit. We found RTK/RAS pathway was positively related to high PD-L1 expression, with BRAF V600E and most KRAS mutations (G12 and G13) subtypes showing a significant correlation. Conversely, the Wnt and p53 pathways were negatively related to high PD-L1 expression, with APC C-terminal alterations and other non-inactivation mutations in TP53 making a primary contribution with significant statistical significance. Major subtypes showing a significantly higher proportion of TMB-H or MSI-H were irrespective of PD-L1 status. These findings demonstrate pathological pathways associated with high PD-L1 expression, suggesting that pathway-induced oncogenic constructive PD-L1 upregulation may be the reason for the corresponding patients' primary resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), rather than a lack of pre-existing immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Qiu
- Department of General Surgery, RuiJin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineShanghai 200020, China
| | - Dan Tan
- Department of General Surgery, RuiJin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineShanghai 200020, China
| | - Qiaofeng Chen
- Department of General Surgery, RuiJin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineShanghai 200020, China
| | - Ru Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, RuiJin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineShanghai 200020, China
| | - Xiaokai Zhao
- Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Companion Diagnostics, Jiaxing Yunying Medical Inspection Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
- Department of R&D, Zhejiang Yunying Medical Technology Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wei Wen
- Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Companion Diagnostics, Jiaxing Yunying Medical Inspection Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
- Department of R&D, Zhejiang Yunying Medical Technology Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Pengmin Yang
- Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Companion Diagnostics, Jiaxing Yunying Medical Inspection Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
- Department of R&D, Zhejiang Yunying Medical Technology Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jieyi Li
- Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Companion Diagnostics, Jiaxing Yunying Medical Inspection Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
- Department of R&D, Zhejiang Yunying Medical Technology Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ziying Gong
- Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Companion Diagnostics, Jiaxing Yunying Medical Inspection Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
- Department of R&D, Zhejiang Yunying Medical Technology Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Daoyun Zhang
- Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine and Companion Diagnostics, Jiaxing Yunying Medical Inspection Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
- Department of R&D, Zhejiang Yunying Medical Technology Co., Ltd.Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang, China
| | - Mingliang Wang
- Department of General Surgery, RuiJin Hospital Lu Wan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineShanghai 200020, China
- Department of General Surgery, RuiJin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineShanghai 200025, China
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5
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Huvila J, Thompson EF, Vanden Broek J, Lum A, Senz J, Leung S, Gilks CB, Köbel M, McAlpine JN, Jamieson A. Subclonal p53 immunostaining in the diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma molecular subtype. Histopathology 2023; 83:880-890. [PMID: 37580913 DOI: 10.1111/his.15029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
AIMS The significance of subclonal expression of p53 (abrupt transition from wild-type to mutant-pattern staining) is not well understood, and the arbitrary diagnostic cut-off of 10% between NSMP and p53abn molecular subtypes of endometrial carcinoma (EC) has not been critically assessed. Our aim was to characterise subclonal p53 and discrepant p53 expression/TP53 sequencing results in EC and assess their clinical significance. METHODS AND RESULTS Subclonal p53 immuostaining on whole sections from 957 ECs was recorded. Agreement between TP53 mutational assessment and p53 immunostaining was evaluated. Subclonal p53 IHC staining was seen in 4.0% (38 of 957) of cases, with 23 of 957 (2.4%) showing mutant-pattern p53 staining in ≥10% of tumour cells. It was most commonly seen in POLEmut (nine of 65, 14%) and MMRd (13 of 274, 4.7%) EC ('multiple classifier' ECs), where subclonal p53 staining does not impact the molecular subtype diagnosis. Excluding POLEmut and MMRd EC, 11 of 957 (1.1%) showed ≥10% subclonal p53 from which four patients died of disease, while there were no deaths due to disease in the five patients with <10% mutant-pattern p53 staining. Agreement between p53 immunostaining and TP53 sequencing was 92.6%; most of the discrepant results were in the ultramutated POLEmut or hypermutated MMRd ECs. In NSMP and p53abn EC the agreement between IHC and sequencing was 95.8%. CONCLUSIONS Subclonal p53 staining ≥10% is present in only 1.1% of EC after excluding 'multiple classifier' ECs. The cut-off of ≥10% subclonal p53 staining identified patients at increased risk of dying from EC, supporting its use to diagnose p53abn molecular subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jutta Huvila
- Department of Pathology, Turku University Hospital, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Emily F Thompson
- Department of Molecular Oncology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jamie Vanden Broek
- Department of Molecular Oncology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amy Lum
- Department of Molecular Oncology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Janine Senz
- Department of Molecular Oncology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Samuel Leung
- Department of Molecular Oncology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - C Blake Gilks
- Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Martin Köbel
- Department of Pathology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Jessica N McAlpine
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amy Jamieson
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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6
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Xiang D, Fu G, Chen Y, Chu X. Case report: POLE (P286R) mutation in a case of recurrent intestinal leakage and its treatment. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1028179. [PMID: 37007102 PMCID: PMC10061108 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1028179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, although new drugs and molecular markers have been used to treat metastatic colorectal cancer, there has been little progress in the immunotherapy of advanced colon cancer. The development of sequencing and multiomics technology helps us classify patients more accurately, and then find patients who may benefit from immunotherapy. The development of this advanced technology and immunotherapy based on new targets may herald a new era in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. It is well known that colorectal cancer with dmmr/msi-h phenotype is sensitive to immunotherapy, yet the POLE mutation is the MSS phenotype in colorectal tumors but is also an effective target for immunotherapy. This paper describes a case of recurrent intestinal leakage that required multiple surgical procedures. A high-grade colon adenocarcinoma was identified on surgical histopathology after 18 months, and bevacizumab combined with oxaliplatin and capecitabine proved ineffective against this cancer. An analysis of gene expression indicated that POLE (P286R) mutation, TMB 119.333 mutation per 100 MB, and immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment had a significant impact. This case reminds us that the existence of malignant tumors should be considered for patients with repeated intestinal leakage, and emphasizes the importance of gene detection in the treatment of malignant tumors and the significance of POLE mutations in colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dang Xiang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Gongbo Fu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yitian Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoyuan Chu, ; Yitian Chen,
| | - Xiaoyuan Chu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoyuan Chu, ; Yitian Chen,
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7
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Ziranu P, Pretta A, Pozzari M, Maccioni A, Badiali M, Fanni D, Lai E, Donisi C, Persano M, Gerosa C, Puzzoni M, Bardanzellu F, Ambu R, Pusceddu V, Dubois M, Cerrone G, Migliari M, Murgia S, Spanu D, Pretta G, Aimola V, Balconi F, Murru S, Faa G, Scartozzi M. CDX-2 expression correlates with clinical outcomes in MSI-H metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4397. [PMID: 36928082 PMCID: PMC10020482 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31538-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) showed efficacy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with mismatch-repair deficiency or high microsatellite instability (dMMR-MSI-H). Unfortunately, a patient's subgroup did not benefit from immunotherapy. Caudal-related homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX-2) would seem to influence immunotherapy's sensitivity, promoting the chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 14 (CXCL14) expression. Therefore, we investigated CDX-2 role as a prognostic-predictive marker in patients with mCRC MSI-H. We retrospectively collected data from 14 MSI-H mCRC patients treated with ICIs between 2019 and 2021. The primary endpoint was the 12-month progression-free-survival (PFS) rate. The secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), PFS, objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR). The PFS rate at 12 months was 81% in CDX-2 positive patients vs 0% in CDX-2 negative patients (p = 0.0011). The median PFS was not reached (NR) in the CDX-2 positive group versus 2.07 months (95%CI 2.07-10.8) in CDX-2 negative patients (p = 0.0011). Median OS was NR in CDX-2-positive patients versus 2.17 months (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 2.17-18.7) in CDX2-negative patients (p = 0.026). All CDX-2-positive patients achieved a disease response, one of them a complete response. Among CDX-2-negative patients, one achieved stable disease, while the other progressed rapidly (ORR: 100% vs 0%, p = 0.0005; DCR: 100% vs 50%, p = 0.02). Twelve patients received 1st-line pembrolizumab (11 CDX-2 positive and 1 CDX-2 negative) not reaching median PFS, while two patients (1 CDX-2 positive and 1 CDX-2 negative) received 3rd-line pembrolizumab reaching a median PFS of 10.8 months (95% CI, 10.8-12.1; p = 0.036). Although our study reports results on a small population, the prognostic role of CDX-2 in CRC seems confirmed and could drive a promising predictive role in defining the population more sensitive to immunotherapy treatment. Modulating the CDX-2/CXCL14 axis in CDX-2-negative patients could help overcome primary resistance to immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pina Ziranu
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Andrea Pretta
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marta Pozzari
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Antonio Maccioni
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Manuela Badiali
- Genetic and Genomic Laboratory, Pediatric Children Hospital A. Cao ASL8, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Daniela Fanni
- Division of Pathology, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Eleonora Lai
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Clelia Donisi
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Mara Persano
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Clara Gerosa
- Division of Pathology, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marco Puzzoni
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Fabio Bardanzellu
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Rossano Ambu
- Division of Pathology, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Valeria Pusceddu
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marco Dubois
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giulia Cerrone
- Division of Pathology, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marco Migliari
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Sara Murgia
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Dario Spanu
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gianluca Pretta
- Science Department, King's School Hove, Hangleton Way, Hove, BN3 8BN, UK
| | - Valentina Aimola
- Division of Pathology, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesca Balconi
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Stefania Murru
- Genetic and Genomic Laboratory, Pediatric Children Hospital A. Cao ASL8, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gavino Faa
- Division of Pathology, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Mario Scartozzi
- Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital and University of Cagliari, SS 554 km 4500 Bivio Per Sestu, 09042, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy.
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8
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Jiang M, Jia Y, Han J, Shi J, Su C, Zhang R, Xing M, Jin S, Zong H. Distinct clinical pattern of colorectal cancer patients with POLE mutations: A retrospective study on real-world data. Front Genet 2022; 13:963964. [PMID: 36479248 PMCID: PMC9719917 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.963964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: Studies have demonstrated an association between somatic POLE exonuclease domain mutations (EDMs) and the prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the prognostic value of POLE non-EDMs remains unclear. This retrospective study aimed to explore the possible relationships between POLE mutation subtypes and CRC prognosis. Methods: The 272 CRC patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (ZZ cohort) and 499 CRC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA cohort) were retrospectively collected. The cases were divided into subgroups based on POLE mutation sites and microsatellite instability (MSI) status. The continuous variables were compared among three subgroups with Kruskal-Wallis tests. Pairwise comparisons between three groups were performed by Bonferroni correction method, and adjusted p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The categorical variables were compared with Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. The Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models were conducted to evaluate prognostic values of POLE mutations. Results: In the ZZ cohort, POLE EDMs (2.6%) were significantly associated with younger age (p = 0.018) and localized in the left colon (p = 0.001). POLE non-EDMs were significantly associated with MSI-high status (p < 0.001) and localization in the right colon (p = 0.001). In the TCGA cohort, the tumor mutation burden (TMB) of both POLE EDM tumors (p < 0.001) and POLE non-EDM tumors (p < 0.001) was significantly higher than that of POLE wild-type (WT) tumors. A similar trend was observed in the ZZ cohort, although there were no significant differences. In the ZZ cohort, the POLE EDM group had higher progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.002) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.042) than the POLE non-EDM group and POLE WT group. We also report one CRC patient harboring a germline POLE mutation who received camrelizumab and exhibited long-term stable disease. Conclusion: Both POLE-EDMs and POLE non-EDMs were associated with significantly increased TMB in CRC and may be biomarkers for CRC treatment and prognosis. Current evidence does not support an effect of POLE non-EDMs on PFS and OS. A significant association between POLE EDMs and improved PFS and OS may exist, but future studies with larger sample sizes are needed. Entire coding region of the POLE gene should be screened.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao Jiang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yongliang Jia
- BGI College and Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jinming Han
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Jianxiang Shi
- Precision Medicine Center, Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Chang Su
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Menglu Xing
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Shuiling Jin
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Hong Zong
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
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9
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Histomorphological and molecular genetic characterization of different intratumoral regions and matched metastatic lymph nodes of colorectal cancer with heterogenous mismatch repair protein expression. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2022:10.1007/s00432-022-04261-1. [PMID: 35939113 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-022-04261-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To better understand the clinicopathological characteristics and molecular alterations in different intratumoral components of colorectal cancer (CRC) with heterogeneity of mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression and microsatellite instability (MSI) status. METHODS The histopathological features, MSI status, and other molecular alterations were analyzed in separately microdissected intratumoral regions and matched metastatic lymph nodes in four cases with intratumoral heterogenous MMR expression screened from 500 CRC patients, using PCR-based MSI testing, MLH1 promoter methylation, and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS High microsatellite instability (MSI-H) was identified in MLH1/PMS2-deficient regions in Cases 1 to 3 and in MSH2/MSH6-deficient regions in Case 4, while microsatellite stability (MSS) was detected in all the intratumoral regions and metastatic lymph nodes with proficient MMR expression (pMMR). Intratumoral heterogeneity of MLH1 promoter methylation and/or other common driving gene mutations of CRC, such as KRAS and PIK3CA mutations, was identified in all four CRCs. Further, three cases (75%) showed heterogeneous histomorphological features in intratumoral components and metastatic lymph nodes (Cases 1, 2, and 4), and the corresponding metastatic lymph nodes showed moderate differentiation with MSS/pMMR (Cases 2 and 3). CONCLUSIONS Intratumoral heterogeneous MSI status is highly correlated with intratumoral histomorphological heterogeneity, which is also an important clue for the intratumoral heterogeneity of drive gene mutations in CRC. Thus, it is essential to detect MMR protein expression and other gene mutations in metastases before treatment, especially for CRCs with intratumoral heterogenous MMR protein expression or heterogenous histomorphological features.
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10
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Wen L, Chen Z, Ji X, Fong WP, Shao Q, Ren C, Cai Y, Li B, Yuan Y, Wang D, Li Y. Pathological complete response to immune checkpoint inhibitor in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases harboring POLE exonuclease domain mutation. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e004487. [PMID: 35793867 PMCID: PMC9260839 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-004487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with polymerase epsilon (POLE) exonuclease domain mutation (EDM) exhibits distinct clinical characteristics and extremely high tumor mutation burden (TMB). There is a paucity of data on the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for the treatment of colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM) patients with POLE EDM. Clinical characteristics, radiological and pathological response, as well as oncological outcomes of four CRLM patients harboring POLE EDM and treated by ICI plus chemotherapy were retrospectively collected and analyzed. TMB and genomic mutation profiling were also assessed in resected CRLM patients harboring different molecular characteristics. The four CRLM patients received toripalimab or sintilimab plus chemotherapy (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI or XELOX) with or without bevacizumab after POLE EDM were detected. All four patients achieved a radiological partial response. Staged or simultaneous complete surgical resection of the primary tumor and liver metastases was conducted. Pathological complete response was achieved in all four patients. After a median follow-up of 14 (range 9-20) months, all four patients maintained non-evidence of disease status until the last follow-up. POLE EDM patients showed a larger set of mutational genes compared with non-POLE EDM patients. TMB of patients harboring POLE EDM was significantly higher than those with microsatellite instability-high (median, 313.92 vs 42.24 mutations/Mb, p<0.05), POLE non-EDM (313.92 vs 4.80, p<0.001), and MSS subtypes (313.92 vs 4.80, p<0.001). Despite being a rare phenotype, CRLM patients with POLE EDM exhibit ultra-high TMB and, more importantly, significant clinical response to ICI-based combination therapy. Therefore, the complete sequencing of POLE exonuclease domains is recommended in CRLM patients clinically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhigang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaomeng Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - William Pat Fong
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiong Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanyu Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Binkui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yunfei Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Deshen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuhong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sun Yat‑sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China
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11
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Buchler T. Microsatellite Instability and Metastatic Colorectal Cancer - A Clinical Perspective. Front Oncol 2022; 12:888181. [PMID: 35574322 PMCID: PMC9097548 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.888181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Approximately 4-5% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) have mismatch repair deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumours. These tumours present challenges in the clinical practice due to variant response to fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy and, perhaps, also non-immunologic targeted therapies. Recently, a breakthrough in the treatment of dMMR/MSI-H mCRC has been achieved with several clinical trials showing dramatic long-term benefit of immunotherapy using checkpoint inhibitors. Nevertheless, several questions remain regarding the optimisation of immunotherapy regimens and the use of biomarkers to identify populations set to derive the greatest benefit from immunotherapy. Combination regimens and/or the use of immunotherapy as a maintenance after induction non-immunologic systemic therapy may be the way forward to improve outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Buchler
- Department of Oncology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Thomayer University Hospital, Prague, Czechia
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12
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POLE, POLD1, and NTHL1: the last but not the least hereditary cancer-predisposing genes. Oncogene 2021; 40:5893-5901. [PMID: 34363023 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-021-01984-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
POLE, POLD1, and NTHL1 are involved in DNA replication and have recently been recognized as hereditary cancer-predisposing genes, because their alterations are associated with colorectal cancer and other tumors. POLE/POLD1-associated syndrome shows an autosomal dominant inheritance, whereas NTHL1-associated syndrome follows an autosomal recessive pattern. Although the prevalence of germline monoallelic POLE/POLD1 and biallelic NTHL1 pathogenic variants is low, they determine different phenotypes with a broad tumor spectrum overlapping that of other hereditary conditions like Lynch Syndrome or Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. Endometrial and breast cancers, and probably ovarian and brain tumors are also associated with POLE/POLD1 alterations, while breast cancer and other unusual tumors are correlated with NTHL1 pathogenic variants. POLE-mutated colorectal and endometrial cancers are associated with better prognosis and may show favorable responses to immunotherapy. Since POLE/POLD1-mutated tumors show a high tumor mutational burden producing an increase in neoantigens, the identification of POLE/POLD1 alterations could help select patients suitable for immunotherapy treatment. In this review, we will investigate the role of POLE, POLD1, and NTHL1 genetic variants in cancer predisposition, discussing the potential future therapeutic applications and assessing the utility of performing a routine genetic testing for these genes, in order to implement prevention and surveillance strategies in mutation carriers.
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13
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Soriano I, Vazquez E, De Leon N, Bertrand S, Heitzer E, Toumazou S, Bo Z, Palles C, Pai CC, Humphrey TC, Tomlinson I, Cotterill S, Kearsey SE. Expression of the cancer-associated DNA polymerase ε P286R in fission yeast leads to translesion synthesis polymerase dependent hypermutation and defective DNA replication. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009526. [PMID: 34228709 PMCID: PMC8284607 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Somatic and germline mutations in the proofreading domain of the replicative DNA polymerase ε (POLE-exonuclease domain mutations, POLE-EDMs) are frequently found in colorectal and endometrial cancers and, occasionally, in other tumours. POLE-associated cancers typically display hypermutation, and a unique mutational signature, with a predominance of C > A transversions in the context TCT and C > T transitions in the context TCG. To understand better the contribution of hypermutagenesis to tumour development, we have modelled the most recurrent POLE-EDM (POLE-P286R) in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed that the corresponding pol2-P287R allele also has a strong mutator effect in vivo, with a high frequency of base substitutions and relatively few indel mutations. The mutations are equally distributed across different genomic regions, but in the immediate vicinity there is an asymmetry in AT frequency. The most abundant base-pair changes are TCT > TAT transversions and, in contrast to human mutations, TCG > TTG transitions are not elevated, likely due to the absence of cytosine methylation in fission yeast. The pol2-P287R variant has an increased sensitivity to elevated dNTP levels and DNA damaging agents, and shows reduced viability on depletion of the Pfh1 helicase. In addition, S phase is aberrant and RPA foci are elevated, suggestive of ssDNA or DNA damage, and the pol2-P287R mutation is synthetically lethal with rad3 inactivation, indicative of checkpoint activation. Significantly, deletion of genes encoding some translesion synthesis polymerases, most notably Pol κ, partially suppresses pol2-P287R hypermutation, indicating that polymerase switching contributes to this phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Soriano
- ZRAB, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Enrique Vazquez
- Genomics Unit, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nagore De Leon
- ZRAB, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ellen Heitzer
- Institute of Human Genetics, Diagnostic & Research Center for Molecular BioMedicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Sophia Toumazou
- ZRAB, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Zhihan Bo
- ZRAB, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Palles
- Gastrointestinal Cancer Genetics Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Chen-Chun Pai
- MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy C. Humphrey
- MRC Oxford Institute for Radiation Oncology, Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Tomlinson
- Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sue Cotterill
- St. George’s, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, Tooting, London, United Kingdom
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Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancers: Carcinogenesis, Neo-Antigens, Immuno-Resistance and Emerging Therapies. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13123063. [PMID: 34205397 PMCID: PMC8235567 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13123063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary A deficient mismatch repair system (dMMR) results in microsatellite instability (MSI). The MSI status of a tumor predicts the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) that are now approved in patients with dMMR/MSI metastatic colorectal cancers. In addition to the mechanisms through which MSI can activate the immune system via particular neo-antigens, this review reports the clinical and pre-clinical strategies being developed in the case of resistance to ICI, including emerging therapies and new biomarkers. Abstract A defect in the DNA repair system through a deficient mismatch repair system (dMMR) leads to microsatellite instability (MSI). Microsatellites are located in both coding and non-coding sequences and dMMR/MSI tumors are associated with a high mutation burden. Some of these mutations occur in coding sequences and lead to the production of neo-antigens able to trigger an anti-tumoral immune response. This explains why non-metastatic MSI tumors are associated with high immune infiltrates and good prognosis. Metastatic MSI tumors result from tumor escape to the immune system and are associated with poor prognosis and chemoresistance. Consequently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are highly effective and have recently been approved in dMMR/MSI metastatic colorectal cancers (mCRC). Nevertheless, some patients with dMMR/MSI mCRC have primary or secondary resistance to ICI. This review details carcinogenesis and the mechanisms through which MSI can activate the immune system. After which, we discuss mechanistic hypotheses in an attempt to explain primary and secondary resistances to ICI and emerging strategies being developed to overcome this phenomenon by targeting other immune checkpoints or through vaccination and modification of microbiota.
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Abstract
The immune tumor microenvironment (TME) of colorectal cancer (CRC) is a crucial contributor to disease biology, making it an important target for therapeutic intervention. The diversity of immune cell populations within various subsets of CRC has led to the discovery that immune characterization of the TME has both prognostic and predictive value for patients. The convergence of improved molecular and cellular characterization of CRC along with the widespread use of immunotherapy in solid tumors has led to a revolution in the approach to clinical care. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) which target key immune checkpoints, such as programmed death-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), have demonstrated remarkable clinical activity in microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) CRCs and are now used in routine practice. The observation that MSI-H cancers are highly infiltrated with immune cells and carry a high neoantigen load led to the successful targeting of these cancers with immunotherapy. More recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a PD-1 inhibitor for microsatellite stable (MSS) cancers with high tumor mutation burden. However, the anti-tumor activity of immunotherapy is rare in the majority of CRC. While immune cell characterization does provide prognostic value in these patients, these observations have not yet led to therapeutic interventions. By delineating factors that predict efficacy, resistance, and therapeutic targets, ongoing research will inform the development of effective combination strategies for the vast majority of MSS CRC and immunotherapy-resistant MSI-H cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parul Agarwal
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Dung T Le
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States.
| | - Patrick M Boland
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
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Chen J, Lou H. Complete Response to Pembrolizumab in Advanced Colon Cancer Harboring Somatic POLE F367S Mutation with Microsatellite Stability Status: A Case Study. Onco Targets Ther 2021; 14:1791-1796. [PMID: 33727829 PMCID: PMC7955730 DOI: 10.2147/ott.s300987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Polymerase epsilon (POLE) mutations are considered as one of the most potential and promising biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with colorectal cancer. However, the treatment of ICIs sometimes also resulted in unsatisfactory results in patients with POLE mutations, which revealed that not all mutations on POLE contribute to tumor regression in colorectal cancer. Case Presentation We herein reported a case in which the patient with advanced colon cancer harboring somatic POLE F367S mutation, along with microsatellite stability status, has achieved efficacy of complete response to the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor inhibitor pembrolizumab, as well as a progression-free survival more than 49 months, and still in extension. Conclusion Somatic POLE F367S mutation might be presented as a sensitive predictor to pembrolizumab in patients with colon cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianxin Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, 324000, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Haizhou Lou
- Department of Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310016, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
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