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Nakad Borrego S, Kurnit K, Turner LJ, Broaddus RR. Context-dependent environmental associations with endometrial cancer histotype and genotype. Int J Gynecol Cancer 2023; 33:1215-1221. [PMID: 37380216 PMCID: PMC10823374 DOI: 10.1136/ijgc-2023-004330] [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] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE MLH1 loss due to MLH1 methylation, detected during Lynch syndrome screening, is one of the most common molecular changes in endometrial cancer. It is well established that environmental influences such as nutritional state can impact gene methylation, both in the germline and in a tumor. In colorectal cancer and other cancer types, aging is associated with changes in gene methylation. The objective of this study was to determine if there was an association between aging or body mass index on MLH1 methylation in sporadic endometrial cancer. METHODS A retrospective review of patients with endometrial cancer was performed. Tumors were screened for Lynch syndrome via immunohistochemistry, with MLH1 methylation analysis performed when there was loss of MLH1 expression. Clinical information was abstracted from the medical record. RESULTS There were 114 patients with mismatch repair deficient tumors associated with MLH1 methylation, and 349 with mismatch repair proficient tumors. Patients with mismatch repair deficient tumors were older than those whose tumors were proficient. Mismatch repair deficient tumors had a higher incidence of lymphatic/vascular space invasion. When stratified by endometrioid grade, associations with body mass index and age became apparent. Patients with endometrioid grades 1 and 2 tumors and somatic mismatch repair deficiency were significantly older, but body mass index was comparable with that of the mismatch repair intact group. For endometrioid grade 3, patient age did not significantly vary between the somatic mismatch repair deficient group and the mismatch repair intact group. In contrast, body mass index was significantly higher in the patients with grade 3 tumors with somatic mismatch repair deficiency. CONCLUSION The relationship of MLH1 methylated endometrial cancer with age and body mass index is complex and somewhat dependent on tumor grade. As body mass index is modifiable, it is possible that weight loss induces a 'molecular switch' to alter the histologic characteristics of an endometrial cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaa Nakad Borrego
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Chicago Department of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Katherine Kurnit
- Section of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Laura Jane Turner
- Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Russell R Broaddus
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Klapp V, Álvarez-Abril B, Leuzzi G, Kroemer G, Ciccia A, Galluzzi L. The DNA Damage Response and Inflammation in Cancer. Cancer Discov 2023; 13:1521-1545. [PMID: 37026695 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-22-1220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023]
Abstract
Genomic stability in normal cells is crucial to avoid oncogenesis. Accordingly, multiple components of the DNA damage response (DDR) operate as bona fide tumor suppressor proteins by preserving genomic stability, eliciting the demise of cells with unrepairable DNA lesions, and engaging cell-extrinsic oncosuppression via immunosurveillance. That said, DDR sig-naling can also favor tumor progression and resistance to therapy. Indeed, DDR signaling in cancer cells has been consistently linked to the inhibition of tumor-targeting immune responses. Here, we discuss the complex interactions between the DDR and inflammation in the context of oncogenesis, tumor progression, and response to therapy. SIGNIFICANCE Accumulating preclinical and clinical evidence indicates that DDR is intimately connected to the emission of immunomodulatory signals by normal and malignant cells, as part of a cell-extrinsic program to preserve organismal homeostasis. DDR-driven inflammation, however, can have diametrically opposed effects on tumor-targeting immunity. Understanding the links between the DDR and inflammation in normal and malignant cells may unlock novel immunotherapeutic paradigms to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Klapp
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
- Tumor Stroma Interactions, Department of Cancer Research, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Beatriz Álvarez-Abril
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain
| | - Giuseppe Leuzzi
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le Cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, Inserm U1138, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Institut du Cancer Paris CARPEM, Department of Biology, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Alberto Ciccia
- Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Institute for Cancer Genetics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Lorenzo Galluzzi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York, New York
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Aravantinou-Fatorou A, Andrikopoulou A, Liontos M, Fiste O, Georgakopoulou VE, Dimopoulos MA, Gavriatopoulou M, Zagouri F. Pembrolizumab in endometrial cancer: Where we stand now. Oncol Lett 2021; 22:821. [PMID: 34691248 PMCID: PMC8527559 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2021.13082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, immunotherapy has shown promising results in solid tumors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of published literature synthesizing all the available data and evaluating both the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab in endometrial cancer. The present study was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Eligible articles were identified by searching the MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov databases, using a predefined combination of the terms 'endometrial cancer' and 'pembrolizumab'. Overall, nine articles incorporating data from 712 patients were eligible. Pembrolizumab was demonstrated to be an effective and safe therapeutic option for the management of advanced/metastatic endometrial cancer. Results of ongoing trials evaluating either pembrolizumab alone or in combination with other antineoplastic regimens are expected to confirm its efficacy in this setting of patients. Pembrolizumab appears to be both durable and robust in endometrial cancer. However, there is an emerging need for novel predictive biomarkers to guide clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aikaterini Aravantinou-Fatorou
- First Department of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Angeliki Andrikopoulou
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11528, Greece
| | - Michael Liontos
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11528, Greece
| | - Oraianthi Fiste
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11528, Greece
| | - Vasiliki E. Georgakopoulou
- First Department of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Meletios-Athanasios Dimopoulos
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11528, Greece
| | - Maria Gavriatopoulou
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11528, Greece
| | - Flora Zagouri
- Department of Clinical Therapeutics, Alexandra Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11528, Greece
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Roudko V, Cimen Bozkus C, Greenbaum B, Lucas A, Samstein R, Bhardwaj N. Lynch Syndrome and MSI-H Cancers: From Mechanisms to "Off-The-Shelf" Cancer Vaccines. Front Immunol 2021; 12:757804. [PMID: 34630437 PMCID: PMC8498209 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.757804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Defective DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) is associated with many cancer types including colon, gastric, endometrial, ovarian, hepatobiliary tract, urinary tract, brain and skin cancers. Lynch syndrome - a hereditary cause of dMMR - confers increased lifetime risk of malignancy in different organs and tissues. These Lynch syndrome pathogenic alleles are widely present in humans at a 1:320 population frequency of a single allele and associated with an up to 80% risk of developing microsatellite unstable cancer (microsatellite instability - high, or MSI-H). Advanced MSI-H tumors can be effectively treated with checkpoint inhibitors (CPI), however, that has led to response rates of only 30-60% despite their high tumor mutational burden and favorable immune gene signatures in the tumor microenvironment (TME). We and others have characterized a subset of MSI-H associated highly recurrent frameshift mutations that yield shared immunogenic neoantigens. These frameshifts might serve as targets for off-the-shelf cancer vaccine designs. In this review we discuss the current state of research around MSI-H cancer vaccine development, its application to MSI-H and Lynch syndrome cancer patients and the utility of MSI-H as a biomarker for CPI therapy. We also summarize the tumor intrinsic mechanisms underlying the high occurrence rates of certain frameshifts in MSI-H. Finally, we provide an overview of pivotal clinical trials investigating MSI-H as a biomarker for CPI therapy and MSI-H vaccines. Overall, this review aims to inform the development of novel research paradigms and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir Roudko
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Cansu Cimen Bozkus
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Benjamin Greenbaum
- Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Computational Oncology program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, United States.,Physiology, Biophysics & Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, United States
| | - Aimee Lucas
- Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology, Samuel D. Bronfman Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Robert Samstein
- Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Radiation Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nina Bhardwaj
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.,Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
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