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Yamaguchi J, Ohka F, Motomura K, Saito R. Latest classification of ependymoma in the molecular era and advances in its treatment: a review. Jpn J Clin Oncol 2023; 53:653-663. [PMID: 37288489 DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hyad056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Ependymoma is a rare central nervous system (CNS) tumour occurring in all age groups and is one of the most common paediatric malignant brain tumours. Unlike other malignant brain tumours, ependymomas have few identified point mutations and genetic and epigenetic features. With advances in molecular understanding, the latest 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of CNS tumours divided ependymomas into 10 diagnostic categories based on the histology, molecular information and location; this accurately reflected the prognosis and biology of this tumour. Although maximal surgical resection followed by radiotherapy is considered the standard treatment method, and chemotherapy is considered ineffective, the validation of the role of these treatment modalities continues. Although the rarity and long-term clinical course of ependymoma make designing and conducting prospective clinical trials challenging, knowledge is steadily accumulating and progress is being made. Much of the clinical knowledge obtained from clinical trials to date was based on the previous histology-based WHO classifications, and the addition of new molecular information may lead to more complex treatment strategies. Therefore, this review presents the latest findings on the molecular classification of ependymomas and advances in its treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junya Yamaguchi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Fumiharu Ohka
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Kazuya Motomura
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Ryuta Saito
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan
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Tang-Schomer MD, Bookland MJ, Sargent JE, N Jackvony T. Human Patient-Derived Brain Tumor Models to Recapitulate Ependymoma Tumor Vasculature. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:840. [PMID: 37508868 PMCID: PMC10376907 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10070840] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite in vivo malignancy, ependymoma lacks cell culture models, thus limiting therapy development. Here, we used a tunable three-dimensional (3D) culture system to approximate the ependymoma microenvironment for recapitulating a patient's tumor in vitro. Our data showed that the inclusion of VEGF in serum-free, mixed neural and endothelial cell culture media supported the in vitro growth of all four ependymoma patient samples. The growth was driven by Nestin and Ki67 double-positive cells in a putative cancer stem cell niche, which was manifested as rosette-looking clusters in 2D and spheroids in 3D. The effects of extracellular matrix (ECM) such as collagen or Matrigel superseded that of the media conditions, with Matrigel resulting in the greater enrichment of Nestin-positive cells. When mixed with endothelial cells, the 3D co-culture models developed capillary networks resembling the in vivo ependymoma vasculature. The transcriptomic analysis of two patient cases demonstrated the separation of in vitro cultures by individual patients, with one patient's culture samples closely clustered with the primary tumor tissue. While VEGF was found to be necessary for preserving the transcriptomic features of in vitro cultures, the presence of endothelial cells shifted the gene's expression patterns, especially genes associated with ECM remodeling. The homeobox genes were mostly affected in the 3D in vitro models compared to the primary tumor tissue and between different 3D formats. These findings provide a basis for understanding the ependymoma microenvironment and enabling the further development of patient-derived in vitro ependymoma models for personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min D Tang-Schomer
- UConn Health, Department of Pediatrics, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Markus J Bookland
- Connecticut Children's Medical Center, 282 Washington St., Hartford, CT 06106, USA
| | - Jack E Sargent
- The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, 10 Discovery Drive, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
| | - Taylor N Jackvony
- UConn Health, Department of Pediatrics, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
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Vaquero J, Pavy A, Gonzalez-Sanchez E, Meredith M, Arbelaiz A, Fouassier L. Genetic alterations shaping tumor response to anti-EGFR therapies. Drug Resist Updat 2022; 64:100863. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drup.2022.100863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Gilbert MR, Yuan Y, Wu J, Mendoza T, Vera E, Omuro A, Lieberman F, Robins HI, Gerstner ER, Wu J, Wen PY, Mikkelsen T, Aldape K, Armstrong TS. A phase II study of dose-dense temozolomide and lapatinib for recurrent low-grade and anaplastic supratentorial, infratentorial, and spinal cord ependymoma. Neuro Oncol 2021; 23:468-477. [PMID: 33085768 DOI: 10.1093/neuonc/noaa240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND No standard medical treatment exists for adult patients with recurrent ependymoma, and prospective clinical trials in this population have not succeeded because of its rarity and challenges in accruing patients. The Collaborative Ependymoma Research Network conducted a prospective phase II clinical trial of dose-dense temozolomide (TMZ) and lapatinib, targeting the unmethylated O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter status and increased expression of ErbB2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) and ErbB1 (epidermal growth factor receptor) in ependymomas. METHODS Patients age 18 or older with histologically proven and progressive ependymoma or anaplastic ependymoma were eligible and received dose-dense TMZ and daily lapatinib. The primary outcome measure was median progression-free survival (PFS). Landmark 6- and 12-month PFS and objective response were measured. Serial assessments of symptom burden using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Brain Tumor (MDASI-BT)/MDASI-Spine Tumor modules were collected. RESULTS The 50 patients enrolled had a median age of 43.5 years, median Karnofsky performance status of 90, and a median of 2 prior relapses. Twenty patients had grade III, 16 grade II, and 8 grade I ependymoma. Half had spinal cord tumors; 15 had a supratentorial tumor, 8 infratentorial, and 2 had disseminated disease. Treatment was well tolerated. The median PFS was 7.8 months (95% CI: 5.5,12.2); the 6- and 12-month PFS rates were 55% and 38%, with 2 complete and 6 partial responses. Measures of symptom burden showed reduction in moderate-severe pain and other disease-related symptoms in most patients. CONCLUSIONS This treatment, with demonstrated clinical activity with objective responses and prolonged disease control associated with disease-related symptom improvements, is an option as a salvage regimen for adult patients with recurrent ependymoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark R Gilbert
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Ying Yuan
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jimin Wu
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Tito Mendoza
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
- Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
| | - Elizabeth Vera
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | | | - H Ian Robins
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
| | | | - Jing Wu
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | | | - Kenneth Aldape
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Terri S Armstrong
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland
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Servidei T, Meco D, Muto V, Bruselles A, Ciolfi A, Trivieri N, Lucchini M, Morosetti R, Mirabella M, Martini M, Caldarelli M, Lasorella A, Tartaglia M, Riccardi R. Novel SEC61G- EGFR Fusion Gene in Pediatric Ependymomas Discovered by Clonal Expansion of Stem Cells in Absence of Exogenous Mitogens. Cancer Res 2017; 77:5860-5872. [PMID: 29092923 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-17-0790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The basis for molecular and cellular heterogeneity in ependymomas of the central nervous system is not understood. This study suggests a basis for this phenomenon in the selection for mitogen-independent (MI) stem-like cells with impaired proliferation but increased intracranial tumorigenicity. MI ependymoma cell lines created by selection for EGF/FGF2-independent proliferation exhibited constitutive activation of EGFR, AKT, and STAT3 and sensitization to the antiproliferative effects of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). One highly tumorigenic MI line harbored membrane-bound, constitutively active, truncated EGFR. Two EGFR mutants (ΔN566 and ΔN599) were identified as products of intrachromosomal rearrangements fusing the 3' coding portion of the EGFR gene to the 5'-UTR of the SEC61G, yielding products lacking the entire extracellular ligand-binding domain of the receptor while retaining the transmembrane and tyrosine kinase domains. EGFR TKI efficiently targeted ΔN566/ΔN599-mutant-mediated signaling and prolonged the survival of mice bearing intracranial xenografts of MI cells harboring these mutations. RT-PCR sequencing of 16 childhood ependymoma samples identified SEC61G-EGFR chimeric mRNAs in one infratentorial ependymoma WHO III, arguing that this fusion occurs in a small proportion of these tumors. Our findings demonstrate how in vitro culture selections applied to genetically heterogeneous tumors can help identify focal mutations that are potentially pharmaceutically actionable in rare cancers. Cancer Res; 77(21); 5860-72. ©2017 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiziana Servidei
- UOC Oncologia Pediatrica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli," Rome, Italy.
| | - Daniela Meco
- UOC Oncologia Pediatrica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli," Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Muto
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Bruselles
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Ciolfi
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Nadia Trivieri
- Mendel Institute, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | | | - Roberta Morosetti
- UOC Neurologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli," Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Anna Lasorella
- Department of Pediatrics, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Marco Tartaglia
- Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Riccardo Riccardi
- UOC Oncologia Pediatrica, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli," Rome, Italy
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Jia Y, Chen L, Jia Q, Dou X, Xu N, Liao DJ. The well-accepted notion that gene amplification contributes to increased expression still remains, after all these years, a reasonable but unproven assumption. J Carcinog 2016; 15:3. [PMID: 27298590 PMCID: PMC4895059 DOI: 10.4103/1477-3163.182809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
“Gene amplification causes overexpression” is a longstanding and well-accepted concept in cancer genetics. However, raking the whole literature, we find only statistical analyses showing a positive correlation between gene copy number and expression level, but do not find convincing experimental corroboration for this notion, for most of the amplified oncogenes in cancers. Since an association does not need to be an actual causal relation, in our opinion, this widespread notion still remains a reasonable but unproven assumption awaiting experimental verification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuping Jia
- Animal Facilities, Shandong Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ji'nan, Shandong 250101, USA
| | - Lichan Chen
- Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Qingwen Jia
- Animal Facilities, Shandong Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ji'nan, Shandong 250101, USA
| | - Xixi Dou
- Animal Facilities, Shandong Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ji'nan, Shandong 250101, USA
| | - Ningzhi Xu
- Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, Cancer Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing 100021, China
| | - Dezhong Joshua Liao
- Department of Pathology, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guizhou, Guiyang 550004, P.R. China
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