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Kilroy MK, Park S, Feroz W, Patel H, Mishra R, Alanazi S, Garrett JT. HER3 Alterations in Cancer and Potential Clinical Implications. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14246174. [PMID: 36551663 PMCID: PMC9776947 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14246174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the third member of the HER family, kinase impaired HER3, has become a target of interest in cancer as there is accumulating evidence that HER3 plays a role in tumor growth and progression. This review focuses on HER3 activation in bladder, breast, colorectal, and lung cancer disease progression. HER3 mutations occur at a rate up to ~10% of tumors dependent on the tumor type. With patient tumors routinely sequenced for gene alterations in recent years, we have focused on HER3 mutations in bladder, breast, colon, and lung cancers particularly in response to targeted therapies and the potential to become a resistance mechanism. There are currently several HER3 targeting drugs in the pipeline, possibly improving outcomes for cancer patients with tumors containing HER3 activation and/or alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Kate Kilroy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - SoYoung Park
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
- Cancer Research Scholars Program, College of Allied Health Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Wasim Feroz
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Hima Patel
- Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Rosalin Mishra
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Samar Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
| | - Joan T. Garrett
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
- Correspondence:
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2
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Mellinghoff IK, Cloughesy TF. Balancing Risk and Efficiency in Drug Development for Rare and Challenging Tumors: A New Paradigm for Glioma. J Clin Oncol 2022; 40:3510-3519. [PMID: 35201903 PMCID: PMC10166355 DOI: 10.1200/jco.21.02166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The process of developing cancer therapies is well established and has enabled the incorporation of many new drugs and classes of agents into the standard of care for common cancers. Clinical drug development is fundamentally different for rare and difficult-to-treat solid tumors, such as glioma or pancreatic cancer. The failure to develop effective new agents for the latter diseases has discouraged the development of therapeutics for these cancers. Using glioma as an example, we describe a process toward obtaining more reliable early-stage signals of drug activity and a process toward translating those signals into clinical benefits with more efficient late-stage development. If linked together, these processes should increase the likelihood of benefit in late-stage settings at a lower cost and encourage more drug development for patients with rare and difficult-to-treat cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingo K. Mellinghoff
- Department of Neurology and Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Timothy F. Cloughesy
- Department of Neurology, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
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3
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Bagchee-Clark AJ, Mucaki EJ, Whitehead T, Rogan PK. Pathway-extended gene expression signatures integrate novel biomarkers that improve predictions of patient responses to kinase inhibitors. MedComm (Beijing) 2021; 1:311-327. [PMID: 34766125 PMCID: PMC8491218 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer chemotherapy responses have been related to multiple pharmacogenetic biomarkers, often for the same drug. This study utilizes machine learning to derive multi‐gene expression signatures that predict individual patient responses to specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including erlotinib, gefitinib, sorafenib, sunitinib, lapatinib and imatinib. Support vector machine (SVM) learning was used to train mathematical models that distinguished sensitivity from resistance to these drugs using a novel systems biology‐based approach. This began with expression of genes previously implicated in specific drug responses, then expanded to evaluate genes whose products were related through biochemical pathways and interactions. Optimal pathway‐extended SVMs predicted responses in patients at accuracies of 70% (imatinib), 71% (lapatinib), 83% (sunitinib), 83% (erlotinib), 88% (sorafenib) and 91% (gefitinib). These best performing pathway‐extended models demonstrated improved balance predicting both sensitive and resistant patient categories, with many of these genes having a known role in cancer aetiology. Ensemble machine learning‐based averaging of multiple pathway‐extended models derived for an individual drug increased accuracy to >70% for erlotinib, gefitinib, lapatinib and sorafenib. Through incorporation of novel cancer biomarkers, machine learning‐based pathway‐extended signatures display strong efficacy predicting both sensitive and resistant patient responses to chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashis J Bagchee-Clark
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry University of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 2C8 Canada
| | - Eliseos J Mucaki
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry University of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 2C8 Canada
| | - Tyson Whitehead
- SHARCNET University of Western Ontario London Ontario N6A 5B7 Canada
| | - Peter K Rogan
- Department of Biochemistry, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry University of Western Ontario, London, Canada N6A 2C8 Canada.,Cytognomix Inc., 60 North Centre Road, Box 27052, London, Canada N5X 3X5 Canada
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4
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Joosten SEP, Wellenstein M, Koornstra R, van Rossum A, Sanders J, van der Noort V, Ferrandez MC, Harkes R, Mandjes IAM, Rosing H, Huitema A, Beijnen JH, Wesseling J, van Diest PJ, Horlings HM, Linn SC, Zwart W. IHC-based Ki67 as response biomarker to tamoxifen in breast cancer window trials enrolling premenopausal women. NPJ Breast Cancer 2021; 7:138. [PMID: 34671036 PMCID: PMC8528844 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-021-00344-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Window studies are gaining traction to assess (molecular) changes in short timeframes. Decreased tumor cell positivity for the proliferation marker Ki67 is often used as a proxy for treatment response. Immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based Ki67 on tissue from neo-adjuvant trials was previously reported to be predictive for long-term response to endocrine therapy for breast cancer in postmenopausal women, but none of these trials enrolled premenopausal women. Nonetheless, the marker is being used on this subpopulation. We compared pathologist assessed IHC-based Ki67 in samples from pre- and postmenopausal women in a neo-adjuvant, endocrine therapy focused trial (NCT00738777), randomized between tamoxifen, anastrozole, or fulvestrant. These results were compared with (1) IHC-based Ki67 scoring by AI, (2) mitotic figures, (3) mRNA-based Ki67, (4) five independent gene expression signatures capturing proliferation, and (5) blood levels for tamoxifen and its metabolites as well as estradiol. Upon tamoxifen, IHC-based Ki67 levels were decreased in both pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer patients, which was confirmed using mRNA-based cell proliferation markers. The magnitude of decrease of Ki67 IHC was smaller in pre- versus postmenopausal women. We found a direct relationship between post-treatment estradiol levels and the magnitude of the Ki67 decrease in tumors. These data suggest IHC-based Ki67 may be an appropriate biomarker for tamoxifen response in premenopausal breast cancer patients, but anti-proliferative effect size depends on estradiol levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey E P Joosten
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Rutger Koornstra
- Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology, Rijnstate hospital, Arnhem, The Netherlands
| | - Annelot van Rossum
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Joyce Sanders
- Department of Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent van der Noort
- Department of Biometrics, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maria C Ferrandez
- Department of Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rolf Harkes
- Department of Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ingrid A M Mandjes
- Department of Biometrics, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hilde Rosing
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek-The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Alwin Huitema
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek-The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Division of Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jos H Beijnen
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek-The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Division of Pharmacology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Clinical Pharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jelle Wesseling
- Department of Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Paul J van Diest
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Hugo M Horlings
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Sabine C Linn
- Division of Molecular Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Department of Pathology, University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands. .,Department of Medical Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Wilbert Zwart
- Division of Oncogenomics, Oncode Institute, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. .,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
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5
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Oshi M, Kawaguchi T, Yan L, Peng X, Qi Q, Tian W, Schulze A, McDonald KA, Narayanan S, Young J, Liu S, Morris LGT, Chan TA, Kalinski P, Matsuyama R, Otsuji E, Endo I, Takabe K. Immune cytolytic activity is associated with reduced intra-tumoral genetic heterogeneity and with better clinical outcomes in triple negative breast cancer. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:3628-3644. [PMID: 34354864 PMCID: PMC8332854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Evaluation of the functional aspects if the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), such as the recently introduced cytolytic activity score (CYT) index have been under the spotlight in cancer research; however, clinical relevance of immune cell killing activity in breast cancer has never been analyzed in large patient cohorts. We hypothesized that CYT reflects the immune activity of TIME and can predict patient survival. A total of 7533 breast cancer patients were analyzed as both discovery and validation cohorts. We found that high CYT was associated with advanced histological grade and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). High CYT in tumors was significantly associated with better survival in TNBC, but unexpectedly, not in other breast cancer subtypes. High CYT TNBC included both favorable immune-related, as well as unfavorable (suppressive) inflammation-related gene sets, and characterized by high infiltration with T cells and B cells. High CYT TNBC was associated with high homologous recombination deficiency and low somatic copy number alteration score and less mutant allele tumor heterogeneity, but not with tumor mutation burden (TMB). Although CYT was not associated with pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, it was significantly associated with high expression of multiple immune checkpoint molecules. In conclusion, CYT of TNBC is associated with enhanced anti-cancer immunity, less intra-tumoral heterogeneity, and with better survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanori Oshi
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of MedicineYokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Kawaguchi
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
- Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of MedicineKyoto, Japan
| | - Li Yan
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Xuan Peng
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Qianya Qi
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Wanqing Tian
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Amy Schulze
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Kerry-Ann McDonald
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Sumana Narayanan
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Jessica Young
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
- Department of Surgery, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical SciencesBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Song Liu
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
| | - Luc GT Morris
- Immunogenomics and Precision Oncology Platform, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Timothy A Chan
- Immunogenomics and Precision Oncology Platform, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew York, NY 10065, USA
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterNew York, NY 10065, USA
- Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology, Cleveland ClinicCleveland, OH USA
- Lerner Research Institute and Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland ClinicCleveland, OH, USA
| | - Pawel Kalinski
- Department of Medicine and Center for Immunotherapy, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY, USA
| | - Ryusei Matsuyama
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of MedicineYokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Eigo Otsuji
- Department of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of MedicineKyoto, Japan
| | - Itaru Endo
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of MedicineYokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
| | - Kazuaki Takabe
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Cancer InstituteBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of MedicineYokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0004, Japan
- Department of Surgery, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical SciencesBuffalo, NY 14263, USA
- Department of Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental SciencesNiigata, Japan
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical UniversityTokyo, Japan
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fukushima Medical UniversityFukushima, Japan
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6
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Altaf R, Nadeem H, Babar MM, Ilyas U, Muhammad SA. Genome-scale meta-analysis of breast cancer datasets identifies promising targets for drug development. JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH (THESSALONIKE, GREECE) 2021; 28:5. [PMID: 33593445 PMCID: PMC7885587 DOI: 10.1186/s40709-021-00136-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Background Because of the highly heterogeneous nature of breast cancer, each subtype differs in response to several treatment regimens. This has limited the therapeutic options for metastatic breast cancer disease requiring exploration of diverse therapeutic models to target tumor specific biomarkers. Methods Differentially expressed breast cancer genes identified through extensive data mapping were studied for their interaction with other target proteins involved in breast cancer progression. The molecular mechanisms by which these signature genes are involved in breast cancer metastasis were also studied through pathway analysis. The potential drug targets for these genes were also identified. Results From 50 DEGs, 20 genes were identified based on fold change and p-value and the data curation of these genes helped in shortlisting 8 potential gene signatures that can be used as potential candidates for breast cancer. Their network and pathway analysis clarified the role of these genes in breast cancer and their interaction with other signaling pathways involved in the progression of disease metastasis. The miRNA targets identified through miRDB predictor provided potential miRNA targets for these genes that can be involved in breast cancer progression. Several FDA approved drug targets were identified for the signature genes easing the therapeutic options for breast cancer treatment. Conclusion The study provides a more clarified role of signature genes, their interaction with other genes as well as signaling pathways. The miRNA prediction and the potential drugs identified will aid in assessing the role of these targets in breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reem Altaf
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan.
| | - Humaira Nadeem
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Mustafeez Mujtaba Babar
- Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-E-Millat University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Umair Ilyas
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan
| | - Syed Aun Muhammad
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, 66000, Pakistan
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7
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Oshi M, Tokumaru Y, Angarita FA, Yan L, Matsuyama R, Endo I, Takabe K. Degree of Early Estrogen Response Predict Survival after Endocrine Therapy in Primary and Metastatic ER-Positive Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E3557. [PMID: 33260779 PMCID: PMC7760577 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12123557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocrine therapy is the gold-standard treatment for ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer. Although its clear benefit, patient compliance is poor (50-80%) due to its long administration period and adverse effects. Therefore, a predictive biomarker that can predict whether endocrine therapy is truly beneficial may improve patient compliance. In this study, we use estrogen response early gene sets of gene set enrichment assay algorithm as the score. We hypothesize that the score could predict the response to endocrine therapy and survival of breast cancer patients. A total of 6549 breast cancer from multiple patient cohorts were analyzed. The score was highest in ER-positive/HER2-negative compared to the other subtypes. Earlier AJCC stage, as well as lower Nottingham pathological grade, were associated with a high score. Low score tumors enriched only allograft rejection gene set, and was significantly infiltrated with immune cells, and high cytolytic activity score. A low score was significantly associated with a worse response to endocrine therapy and worse survival in both primary and metastatic breast cancer patients. The hazard ratio was double that of ESR1 expression. In conclusion, the estrogen response early score predicts response to endocrine therapy and is associated with survival in primary and metastatic breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanori Oshi
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, NY 14263, USA; (M.O.); (Y.T.); (F.A.A.)
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan; (R.M.); (I.E.)
| | - Yoshihisa Tokumaru
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, NY 14263, USA; (M.O.); (Y.T.); (F.A.A.)
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1194, Japan
| | - Fernando A. Angarita
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, NY 14263, USA; (M.O.); (Y.T.); (F.A.A.)
| | - Li Yan
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, NY 14263, USA;
| | - Ryusei Matsuyama
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan; (R.M.); (I.E.)
| | - Itaru Endo
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan; (R.M.); (I.E.)
| | - Kazuaki Takabe
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, New York, NY 14263, USA; (M.O.); (Y.T.); (F.A.A.)
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama 236-0004, Japan; (R.M.); (I.E.)
- Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8520, Japan
- Department of Breast Surgery, School of Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
- Department of Surgery, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, NY 14263, USA
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan
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8
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Oshi M, Takahashi H, Tokumaru Y, Yan L, Rashid OM, Nagahashi M, Matsuyama R, Endo I, Takabe K. The E2F Pathway Score as a Predictive Biomarker of Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in ER+/HER2- Breast Cancer. Cells 2020; 9:E1643. [PMID: 32650578 PMCID: PMC7407968 DOI: 10.3390/cells9071643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
E2F transcription factors play critical roles in the cell cycle. Therefore, their activity is expected to reflect tumor aggressiveness and responsiveness to therapy. We scored 3905 tumors of nine breast cancer cohorts for this activity based on their gene expression for the Hallmark E2F targets gene set. As expected, tumors with a high score had an increased expression of cell proliferation-related genes. A high score was significantly associated with shorter patient survival, greater MKI67 expression, histological grade, stage, and genomic aberrations. Furthermore, metastatic tumors had higher E2F scores than the primary tumors from which they arose. Although tumors with a high score had greater infiltration by both pro- and anti-cancerous immune cells, they had an increased expression of immune checkpoint genes. Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative cancer with a high E2F score achieved a significantly higher pathological complete response (pCR) rate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The E2F score was significantly associated with the expression of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-related genes and strongly correlated with sensitivity to CDK inhibition in cell lines. In conclusion, the E2F score is a marker of breast cancer aggressiveness and predicts the responsiveness of ER-positive/HER2-negative patients to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and possibly to CDK and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masanori Oshi
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (M.O.); (H.T.); (Y.T.)
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama 2360004, Japan; (R.M.); (I.E.)
| | - Hideo Takahashi
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (M.O.); (H.T.); (Y.T.)
| | - Yoshihisa Tokumaru
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (M.O.); (H.T.); (Y.T.)
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, Gifu 501-1194, Japan
| | - Li Yan
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA;
| | - Omar M. Rashid
- Department of Surgery, Holy Cross Hospital, Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308, USA;
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Masayuki Nagahashi
- Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 9518520, Japan;
| | - Ryusei Matsuyama
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama 2360004, Japan; (R.M.); (I.E.)
| | - Itaru Endo
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama 2360004, Japan; (R.M.); (I.E.)
| | - Kazuaki Takabe
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA; (M.O.); (H.T.); (Y.T.)
- Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Yokohama 2360004, Japan; (R.M.); (I.E.)
- Department of Gastrointestinal Tract Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 9601295, Japan
- Department of Surgery, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA
- Department of Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 9518510, Japan
- Department of Breast Surgery and Oncology, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 1608402, Japan
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9
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A Novel 4-Gene Score to Predict Survival, Distant Metastasis and Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Breast Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12051148. [PMID: 32370309 PMCID: PMC7281399 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12051148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We generated a 4-gene score with genes upregulated in LM2-4, a metastatic variant of MDA-MB-231 (DOK 4, HCCS, PGF, and SHCBP1) that was strongly associated with disease-free survival (DFS) in TCGA cohort (hazard ratio [HR]>1.2, p < 0.02). The 4-gene score correlated with overall survival of TCGA (HR = 1.44, p < 0.001), which was validated with DFS and disease-specific survival of METABRIC cohort. The 4-gene score was able to predict worse survival or clinically aggressive tumors, such as high Nottingham pathological grade and advanced cancer staging. High score was associated with worse survival in the hormonal receptor (HR)-positive/Her2-negative subtype. High score enriched cell proliferation-related gene sets in GSEA. The score was high in primary tumors that originated, in and metastasized to, brain and lung, and it predicted worse progression-free survival for metastatic tumors. Good tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy or hormonal therapy was accompanied by score reduction. High scores were also predictive of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HR-positive/Her2-negative subtype. High score tumors had increased expression of T cell exhaustion marker genes, suggesting that the score may also be a biomarker for immunotherapy response. Our novel 4-gene score with both prognostic and predictive values may, therefore, be clinically useful particularly in HR-positive breast cancer.
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10
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G2M Cell Cycle Pathway Score as a Prognostic Biomarker of Metastasis in Estrogen Receptor (ER)-Positive Breast Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21082921. [PMID: 32331421 PMCID: PMC7215898 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21082921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The vast majority of breast cancer death is a result of metastasis. Thus, accurate identification of patients who are likely to have metastasis is expected to improve survival. The G2M checkpoint plays a critical role in cell cycle. We hypothesized that breast cancer tumors with high activity of G2M pathway genes are more aggressive and likely to metastasize. To test this, we used the single-sample gene set variation analysis method to calculate the score for the Hallmark G2M checkpoint pathway using gene expression data of a total of 4626 samples from 12 human breast cancer cohorts. As expected, a high G2M pathway score correlated with enriched tumor expression of other cell proliferation-related gene sets. The score was significantly associated with clinical aggressive features of tumors and patient survival in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer. Interestingly, a high G2M score of metastasis tumors was also significantly associated with worse survival. In primary as well as metastasis tumors with high scores, the infiltration of both pro- and anti-cancerous immune cells increased. Tumor G2M score was also associated with treatment response to systemic chemotherapy in ER-positive/HER2-negative cancer, and was predictive of response to cyclin-dependent kinase inhibition therapy.
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11
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Bacci M, Lorito N, Ippolito L, Ramazzotti M, Luti S, Romagnoli S, Parri M, Bianchini F, Cappellesso F, Virga F, Gao Q, Simões BM, Marangoni E, Martin LA, Comito G, Ferracin M, Giannoni E, Mazzone M, Chiarugi P, Morandi A. Reprogramming of Amino Acid Transporters to Support Aspartate and Glutamate Dependency Sustains Endocrine Resistance in Breast Cancer. Cell Rep 2019; 28:104-118.e8. [PMID: 31269432 PMCID: PMC6616584 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Endocrine therapy (ET) is the standard of care for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancers. Despite its efficacy, ∼40% of women relapse with ET-resistant (ETR) disease. A global transcription analysis in ETR cells reveals a downregulation of the neutral and basic amino acid transporter SLC6A14 governed by enhanced miR-23b-3p expression, resulting in impaired amino acid metabolism. This altered amino acid metabolism in ETR cells is supported by the activation of autophagy and the enhanced import of acidic amino acids (aspartate and glutamate) mediated by the SLC1A2 transporter. The clinical significance of these findings is validated by multiple orthogonal approaches in a large cohort of ET-treated patients, in patient-derived xenografts, and in in vivo experiments. Targeting these amino acid metabolic dependencies resensitizes ETR cells to therapy and impairs the aggressive features of ETR cells, offering predictive biomarkers and potential targetable pathways to be exploited to combat or delay ETR in ER+ breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Bacci
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Nicla Lorito
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Luigi Ippolito
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Matteo Ramazzotti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Simone Luti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Simone Romagnoli
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Matteo Parri
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Francesca Bianchini
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Federica Cappellesso
- VIB Center for Cancer Biology, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Federico Virga
- VIB Center for Cancer Biology, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium; Molecular Biotechnology Center (MBC), Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Turin 10126, Italy
| | - Qiong Gao
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Bruno M Simões
- Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, Division of Cancer Sciences, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester M20 4GJ, UK
| | - Elisabetta Marangoni
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Translational Research Department, Paris 75248, France
| | - Lesley-Ann Martin
- The Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SW3 6JB, UK
| | - Giuseppina Comito
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Manuela Ferracin
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic, and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna 40126, Italy
| | - Elisa Giannoni
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Mazzone
- VIB Center for Cancer Biology, Department of Oncology, University of Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Paola Chiarugi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy
| | - Andrea Morandi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence 50134, Italy.
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Gao A, Sun T, Ma G, Cao J, Hu Q, Chen L, Wang Y, Wang Q, Sun J, Wu R, Wu Q, Zhou J, Liu L, Hu J, Dong JT, Zhu Z. LEM4 confers tamoxifen resistance to breast cancer cells by activating cyclin D-CDK4/6-Rb and ERα pathway. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4180. [PMID: 30301939 PMCID: PMC6177406 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06309-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The elucidation of molecular events that confer tamoxifen resistance to estrogen receptor α (ER) positive breast cancer is of major scientific and therapeutic importance. Here, we report that LEM4 overexpression renders ER+ breast cancer cells resistant to tamoxifen by activating the cyclin D-CDK4/6 axis and the ERα signaling. We show that LEM4 overexpression accelerates tumor growth. Interaction with LEM4 stabilizes CDK4 and Rb, promotes Rb phosphorylation and the G1/S phase transition. LEM4 depletion or combined tamoxifen and PD0332991 treatment significantly reverses tamoxifen resistance. Furthermore, LEM4 interacts with and stabilizes both Aurora-A and ERα, promotes Aurora-A mediated phosphorylation of ERα-Ser167, leading to increase in ERα DNA-binding and transactivation activity. Elevated levels of LEM4 correlates with poorer relapse-free survival in patients with ER+ breast cancer undergoing endocrine therapy. Thus, LEM4 represents a prognostic marker and an attractive target for breast cancer therapeutics. Functional antagonism of LEM4 could overcome tamoxifen resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ang Gao
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Tonghua Sun
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Gui Ma
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Jiangran Cao
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Qingxia Hu
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Ling Chen
- Department of Pathology, Tianjin Central Hospital of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tianjin, 300100, China
| | - Yanxin Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qianying Wang
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Jiafu Sun
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Rui Wu
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Qiao Wu
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Jiaxi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 288 Nanjing Road, Tianjin, 300020, China
| | - Lin Liu
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Junjie Hu
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
- National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
| | - Jin-Tang Dong
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
| | - Zhengmao Zhu
- Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China.
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Rocca A, Maltoni R, Bravaccini S, Donati C, Andreis D. Clinical utility of fulvestrant in the treatment of breast cancer: a report on the emerging clinical evidence. Cancer Manag Res 2018; 10:3083-3099. [PMID: 30214302 PMCID: PMC6124791 DOI: 10.2147/cmar.s137772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Fulvestrant is the first selective estrogen receptor (ER) downregulator available in clinical practice. It is a pure antiestrogen with no agonistic effects, leading to degradation of ER alpha, with activity in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer (BC) models. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies and several postmarketing clinical trials led to the definition of the optimal dose at 500 mg intramuscularly on days 1, 15, and 29 and then every 28 days. Targeting ER alpha, fulvestrant is a cornerstone of treatment in luminal BCs, whose growth is largely driven by the ER pathway. In endocrine therapy-naïve patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2− advanced BC (ABC), fulvestrant yielded significantly longer progression-free survival compared to anastrozole in the Phase III FALCON study. Due to its mechanism of action and pharmacokinetic properties, fulvestrant is an ideal backbone for combination therapies. Preclinical studies have shown synergism with drugs acting on signaling pathways involved in the development of endocrine resistance, among which the cyclin D/cyclin-dependent kinase 4-6/retinoblastoma pathway and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway, contributing to overcoming or delaying endocrine resistance. In the Phase III PALOMA-3 trial, a combination of the cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor palbociclib with fulvestrant significantly improved progression-free survival over fulvestrant alone in women with hormone receptor positive, HER2− ABC progressing during prior endocrine therapy. This led to approval of the combination in this clinical setting. Similar results were obtained with abemaciclib and ribociclib. Combination with pan-PI3K inhibitors, though showing some efficacy, was hampered by the toxicity of these agents, and studies in combinations with more selective inhibitors of the α-catalytic subunit of PI3K are ongoing. Fulvestrant has shown partial activity also in patients with tumors harboring mutations of the ESR1 gene. It is thus a key drug in the treatment of ABC, whose role in combination with new targeted agents is still evolving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Rocca
- Breast Cancer Unit, Department of Medical Oncology, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS,
| | - Roberta Maltoni
- Breast Cancer Unit, Department of Medical Oncology, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS,
| | - Sara Bravaccini
- Cyto-Histo-Molecular Pathology, Bioscience Laboratory, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS
| | - Caterina Donati
- Pharmacy, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS
| | - Daniele Andreis
- Unit of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS, Meldola, Italy
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14
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Lubet RA, Steele VE, Juliana MM, Bode A, Moeinpour F, Grubbs CJ. Daily or weekly dosing with EGFR inhibitors, gefitinib and lapatinib, and AKt inhibitor MK2206 in mammary cancer models. Oncol Rep 2018; 40:1545-1553. [PMID: 29565450 PMCID: PMC6072405 DOI: 10.3892/or.2018.6313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Daily vs. weekly dosing with EGFR inhibitors (gefitinib and lapatinib) and an AKT inhibitor (MK2206) were compared in two rodent breast cancer models. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were administered methylnitrosourea (MNU) at 50 days of age, and gefitinib (daily/weekly dosing at 10/70 mg/kg BW) or lapatinib (daily/weekly dosing at 75/525 mg/kg BW) were administered by gavage beginning 5 days after MNU. For the prevention studies, weekly or daily dosing with gefitinib or lapatinib reduced cancer multiplicity >75%, and all treatments reduced tumor weights by >90%. For the therapeutic studies, MNU-treated rats were followed until small palpable mammary cancers developed. The rats were then treated daily or weekly as above for 6 weeks. Either daily or weekly dosing with lapatinib or gefitinib caused regression in >50% of the tumors. Immunohistochemistry biomarker studies in palpable mammary cancers following a weekly dose of gefitinib showed that 1 day (but not 7 days) after treatment, the levels of phosphorylated EGFR1 were significantly decreased. In an ER-negative (ER−) Neu-overexpressing model employing MMTV-Neu/P53KO mice, daily (100 mg/kg BW/day, 5 days each week), or weekly dosing (500 or 250 mg/kg BW) with gefitinib reduced tumor multiplicity 65, 85 and 75%, respectively. In the MNU prevention model, daily dosing (100 mg/kg BW/day) with the allosteric AKT inhibitor MK2206 was ineffective, while weekly dosing (700 mg/kg BW) reduced the final tumor weight >70%. Combining weekly MK2206 with the aromatase inhibitor vorozole (0.12 mg/kg BW/day) showed that each compound alone reduced tumor multiplicity 40–50%. The combination reduced cancer multiplicity ~70%. These studies demonstrate the efficacy of weekly dosing with various protein kinase inhibitors; raising the possibility of employing these agents in a breast cancer preventive setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald A Lubet
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20852, USA
| | - Vernon E Steele
- Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20852, USA
| | - M M Juliana
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Ann Bode
- Division of Cancer Biomarkers and Drug Resistance, University of Minnesota Hormel Institute, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Fariba Moeinpour
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Clinton J Grubbs
- Department of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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15
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Williams MM, Lee L, Werfel T, Joly MMM, Hicks DJ, Rahman B, Elion D, McKernan C, Sanchez V, Estrada MV, Massarweh S, Elledge R, Duvall C, Cook RS. Intrinsic apoptotic pathway activation increases response to anti-estrogens in luminal breast cancers. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:21. [PMID: 29343814 PMCID: PMC5833697 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-017-0072-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Estrogen receptor-α positive (ERα+) breast cancer accounts for approximately 70–80% of the nearly 25,0000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in the US each year. Endocrine-targeted therapies (those that block ERα activity) serve as the first line of treatment in most cases. Despite the proven benefit of endocrine therapies, however, ERα+ breast tumors can develop resistance to endocrine therapy, causing disease progression or relapse, particularly in the metastatic setting. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins enhance breast tumor cell survival, often promoting resistance to targeted therapies, including endocrine therapies. Herein, we investigated whether blockade of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins could sensitize luminal breast cancers to anti-estrogen treatment. We used long-term estrogen deprivation (LTED) of human ERα+ breast cancer cell lines, an established model of sustained treatment with and acquired resistance to aromatase inhibitors (AIs), in combination with Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibition (ABT-263), finding that ABT-263 induced only limited tumor cell killing in LTED-selected cells in culture and in vivo. Interestingly, expression and activity of the Bcl-2-related factor Mcl-1 was increased in LTED cells. Genetic Mcl-1 ablation induced apoptosis in LTED-selected cells, and potently increased their sensitivity to ABT-263. Increased expression and activity of Mcl-1 was similarly seen in clinical breast tumor specimens treated with AI + the selective estrogen receptor downregulator fulvestrant. Delivery of Mcl-1 siRNA loaded into polymeric nanoparticles (MCL1 si-NPs) decreased Mcl-1 expression in LTED-selected and fulvestrant-treated cells, increasing tumor cell death and blocking tumor cell growth. These findings suggest that Mcl-1 upregulation in response to anti-estrogen treatment enhances tumor cell survival, decreasing response to therapeutic treatments. Therefore, strategies blocking Mcl-1 expression or activity used in combination with endocrine therapies would enhance tumor cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle M Williams
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Linus Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Thomas Werfel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Meghan M Morrison Joly
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Donna J Hicks
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Bushra Rahman
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - David Elion
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Courtney McKernan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Violeta Sanchez
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Monica V Estrada
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Suleiman Massarweh
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Richard Elledge
- Cancer Therapy and Research Center, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Craig Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Rebecca S Cook
- Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA. .,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN, USA. .,The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
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16
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Mancuso MR, Massarweh SA. Endocrine therapy and strategies to overcome therapeutic resistance in breast cancer. Curr Probl Cancer 2016; 40:95-105. [PMID: 27839747 DOI: 10.1016/j.currproblcancer.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Despite the remarkable success of endocrine therapy in the treatment of patients with estrogen receptor (ER)- positive breast cancer, not all patients derive benefit from such therapy, or may benefit only temporarily before disease progression or relapse occurs. The value of endocrine therapy, which blocks ER signaling by a variety of strategies, lies in its simplicity, lower toxicity, and better alignment with preserved quality of life, particularly when compared to chemotherapy, which is more toxic and has only modest benefits for many patients with ER-positive breast cancer. It is therefore critical that we discover ways to extend endocrine therapy benefit in patients and prevent therapeutic resistance whenever possible. The tremendous evolution in our understanding of endocrine resistance mechanisms, coupled with the increasing availability of novel agents that target resistance pathways, has led to enhanced treatment approaches for patients with ER-positive breast cancer, primarily through combinations of endocrine agents with a variety of pathway inhibitors. Despite these treatment advances and our changing view of ER-positive breast cancer, there is much work that needs to be done. It remains a problem that we cannot reliably predict which subsets of patients will experience disease relapse or progression on endocrine therapy, and as such, combination strategies with targeted agents have largely been used in unselected patients with ER-positive breast cancer, including those who continue to have endocrine-sensitive disease. Patient selection is a significant issue since most of the targeted therapeutics that we use with endocrine therapy are expensive and can be toxic, and we may be inadvertently overtreating patients whose disease can still be controlled with endocrine therapy alone. In this article, we will review current and future strategies in the treatment of ER-positive breast cancer, as well as the evolving role of targeted therapy in the management of endocrine-resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Suleiman Alfred Massarweh
- Division of Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA, 94305.
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17
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van Dam PA, van Dam VCN, Altintas S, Papadimitriou K, Rolfo C, Trinh XB. Neoadjuvant endocrine treatment in early breast cancer: An overlooked alternative? Eur J Surg Oncol 2015; 42:333-42. [PMID: 26776766 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejso.2015.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
During the last decade neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) has moved from being reserved for elderly and frail non-chemotherapy candidates to a primary systemic modality in selected patients with hormone sensitive breast cancer. Neoadjuvant hormonal treatment in patients with hormone receptor positive, HER-2 negative early breast cancer is proven to be an effective and safe option; it is associated with a higher rate of breast conserving surgery (BCS), may reduce the need for adjuvant chemotherapy and enables a delay of surgery for medical or practical reasons. Clinical responses range from 13% to 100% with at least 3 months of NET. Methods of assessing response should include MRI of the breast, particularly in lobular tumours. In studies comparing tamoxifen with aromatase inhibitors (AI), AI proved to be superior in terms of tumour response and rates of BCS. Change in Ki67 is accepted as a validated endpoint for comparing endocrine neoadjuvant agents. Levels of Ki67 during treatment are more closely related to long-term prognosis than pretreatment Ki67. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy provides a unique opportunity for studies of endocrine responsiveness and the development of new experimental drugs combined with systemic hormonal treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A van Dam
- Breast Unit of the Multidisciplinary Oncologic Centre Antwerp (MOCA), Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium.
| | - V C N van Dam
- Centre of Oncologic Research (CORE), Antwerp University, Edegem, Belgium
| | - S Altintas
- Breast Unit of the Multidisciplinary Oncologic Centre Antwerp (MOCA), Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium
| | - K Papadimitriou
- Breast Unit of the Multidisciplinary Oncologic Centre Antwerp (MOCA), Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium
| | - C Rolfo
- Breast Unit of the Multidisciplinary Oncologic Centre Antwerp (MOCA), Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium; Fase 1 Unit for Experimental Oncology, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium
| | - X B Trinh
- Breast Unit of the Multidisciplinary Oncologic Centre Antwerp (MOCA), Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium
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Segovia-Mendoza M, González-González ME, Barrera D, Díaz L, García-Becerra R. Efficacy and mechanism of action of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib, lapatinib and neratinib in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer: preclinical and clinical evidence. Am J Cancer Res 2015; 5:2531-2561. [PMID: 26609467 PMCID: PMC4633889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023] Open
Abstract
An increasing number of tumors, including breast cancer, overexpress proteins of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family. The interaction between family members activates signaling pathways that promote tumor progression and resistance to treatment. Human epidermal growth factor receptor type II (HER2) positive breast cancer represents a clinical challenge for current therapy. It has motivated the development of novel and more effective therapeutic EGFR family target drugs, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). This review focuses on the effects of three TKIs mostly studied in HER2- positive breast cancer, lapatinib, gefitinib and neratinib. Herein, we discuss the mechanism of action, therapeutic advantages and clinical applications of these TKIs. To date, TKIs seem to be promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of HER2-overexpressing breast tumors, either as monotherapy or combined with other pharmacological agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Segovia-Mendoza
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador ZubiránAvenida Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Col. Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan 14080, México, D. F., México
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Interior, Cuidad UniversitariaAv. Universidad 3000, Coyoacán 04510, México D. F, México
| | - María E González-González
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador ZubiránAvenida Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Col. Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan 14080, México, D. F., México
| | - David Barrera
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador ZubiránAvenida Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Col. Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan 14080, México, D. F., México
| | - Lorenza Díaz
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador ZubiránAvenida Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Col. Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan 14080, México, D. F., México
| | - Rocío García-Becerra
- Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador ZubiránAvenida Vasco de Quiroga No. 15, Col. Belisario Domínguez Sección XVI, Tlalpan 14080, México, D. F., México
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19
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Quenel-Tueux N, Debled M, Rudewicz J, MacGrogan G, Pulido M, Mauriac L, Dalenc F, Bachelot T, Lortal B, Breton-Callu C, Madranges N, de Lara CT, Fournier M, Bonnefoi H, Soueidan H, Nikolski M, Gros A, Daly C, Wood H, Rabbitts P, Iggo R. Clinical and genomic analysis of a randomised phase II study evaluating anastrozole and fulvestrant in postmenopausal patients treated for large operable or locally advanced hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Br J Cancer 2015; 113:585-94. [PMID: 26171933 PMCID: PMC4647692 DOI: 10.1038/bjc.2015.247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Revised: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of neoadjuvant anastrozole and fulvestrant treatment of large operable or locally advanced hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer not eligible for initial breast-conserving surgery, and to identify genomic changes occurring after treatment. METHODS One hundred and twenty post-menopausal patients were randomised to receive 1 mg anastrozole (61 patients) or 500 mg fulvestrant (59 patients) for 6 months. Genomic DNA copy number profiles were generated for a subgroup of 20 patients before and after treatment. RESULTS A total of 108 patients were evaluable for efficacy and 118 for toxicity. The objective response rate determined by clinical palpation was 58.9% (95% CI=45.0-71.9) in the anastrozole arm and 53.8% (95% CI=39.5-67.8) in the fulvestrant arm. The breast-conserving surgery rate was 58.9% (95% CI=45.0-71.9) in the anastrozole arm and 50.0% (95% CI=35.8-64.2) in the fulvestrant arm. Pathological responses >50% occurred in 24 patients (42.9%) in the anastrozole arm and 13 (25.0%) in the fulvestrant arm. The Ki-67 score fell after treatment but there was no significant difference between the reduction in the two arms (anastrozole 16.7% (95% CI=13.3-21.0) before, 3.2% (95% CI=1.9-5.5) after, n=43; fulvestrant 17.1% (95%CI=13.1-22.5) before, 3.2% (95% CI=1.8-5.7) after, n=38) or between the reduction in Ki-67 in clinical responders and non-responders. Genomic analysis appeared to show a reduction of clonal diversity following treatment with selection of some clones with simpler copy number profiles. CONCLUSIONS Both anastrozole and fulvestrant were effective and well-tolerated, enabling breast-conserving surgery in over 50% of patients. Clonal changes consistent with clonal selection by the treatment were seen in a subgroup of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Quenel-Tueux
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Marc Debled
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Justine Rudewicz
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- INSERM U916, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- University Bordeaux, 16 Avenue Léon Duguit, F-33608 Pessac, France
- Bordeaux Bioinformatics Centre, University Bordeaux, 146, rue Léo Saignat, F-33076 Bordeaux, France
- CNRS UMR5800, Bordeaux Computer Science Lab, 351 Cours de la Libération, F-33405 Talence, France
| | - Gaetan MacGrogan
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- INSERM U916, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- University Bordeaux, 16 Avenue Léon Duguit, F-33608 Pessac, France
| | - Marina Pulido
- Inserm Clinical Investigation Centre CIC1401, Epidemiological Unit, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, Bordeaux 33076, France
- Clinical and Epidemiological Research Unit, Institut Bergonie, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, Bordeaux 33076, France
| | - Louis Mauriac
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Florence Dalenc
- Institut Claudius Regaud, IUCT-Oncopole Toulouse, 1 Avenue Irène Joliot-Curie, F-31059 Toulouse, France
| | - Thomas Bachelot
- CLCC Lyon, 28 Promenade Léa et Napoléon Bullukian, F-69008 Lyon, France
| | - Barbara Lortal
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Christelle Breton-Callu
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Nicolas Madranges
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Christine Tunon de Lara
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Marion Fournier
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
| | - Hervé Bonnefoi
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- INSERM U916, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- University Bordeaux, 16 Avenue Léon Duguit, F-33608 Pessac, France
| | - Hayssam Soueidan
- Bordeaux Bioinformatics Centre, University Bordeaux, 146, rue Léo Saignat, F-33076 Bordeaux, France
| | - Macha Nikolski
- University Bordeaux, 16 Avenue Léon Duguit, F-33608 Pessac, France
- Bordeaux Bioinformatics Centre, University Bordeaux, 146, rue Léo Saignat, F-33076 Bordeaux, France
- CNRS UMR5800, Bordeaux Computer Science Lab, 351 Cours de la Libération, F-33405 Talence, France
| | - Audrey Gros
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- INSERM U916, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- University Bordeaux, 16 Avenue Léon Duguit, F-33608 Pessac, France
| | - Catherine Daly
- Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
| | - Henry Wood
- Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
| | - Pamela Rabbitts
- Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, University of Leeds, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF, UK
| | - Richard Iggo
- Institut Bergonié Comprehensive Cancer Centre, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- INSERM U916, 229 Cours de l'Argonne, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
- University Bordeaux, 16 Avenue Léon Duguit, F-33608 Pessac, France
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20
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Tan TZ, Miow QH, Miki Y, Noda T, Mori S, Huang RYJ, Thiery JP. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition spectrum quantification and its efficacy in deciphering survival and drug responses of cancer patients. EMBO Mol Med 2015; 6:1279-93. [PMID: 25214461 PMCID: PMC4287932 DOI: 10.15252/emmm.201404208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 499] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a reversible and dynamic process hypothesized to be co-opted by carcinoma during invasion and metastasis. Yet, there is still no quantitative measure to assess the interplay between EMT and cancer progression. Here, we derived a method for universal EMT scoring from cancer-specific transcriptomic EMT signatures of ovarian, breast, bladder, lung, colorectal and gastric cancers. We show that EMT scoring exhibits good correlation with previously published, cancer-specific EMT signatures. This universal and quantitative EMT scoring was used to establish an EMT spectrum across various cancers, with good correlation noted between cell lines and tumours. We show correlations between EMT and poorer disease-free survival in ovarian and colorectal, but not breast, carcinomas, despite previous notions. Importantly, we found distinct responses between epithelial- and mesenchymal-like ovarian cancers to therapeutic regimes administered with or without paclitaxelin vivo and demonstrated that mesenchymal-like tumours do not always show resistance to chemotherapy. EMT scoring is thus a promising, versatile tool for the objective and systematic investigation of EMT roles and dynamics in cancer progression, treatment response and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuan Zea Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qing Hao Miow
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore
| | - Yoshio Miki
- Cancer Institute of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Noda
- Cancer Institute of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Seiichi Mori
- Cancer Institute of Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ruby Yun-Ju Huang
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Health System, Singapore
| | - Jean Paul Thiery
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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21
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Grassadonia A, Caporale M, Tinari N, Zilli M, DeTursi M, Gamucci T, Vici P, Natoli C. Effect of targeted agents on the endocrine response of breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting: a systematic review. J Cancer 2015; 6:575-82. [PMID: 26000050 PMCID: PMC4439944 DOI: 10.7150/jca.11566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of aberrantly activated pathways cross-talking with hormone receptor (HR) improves response to endocrine therapy in patients with HR-positive advanced breast cancer. We performed a Pubmed database systematic review to ascertain the existence of a better clinical response when combining endocrine therapy with targeted agents in the neoadjuvant setting. Preclinical studies or trials evaluating toxicity were excluded. We found nine phase II trials that fulfilled the research criteria. The endocrine agents used were third generation aromatase inhibitors (AIs), anastrozole, letrozole or exemestane. The investigated targeted agents were inhibitors of tyrosine kinase receptors such as gefitinib, imatinib or trastuzumab/lapatinib, inhibitors of mTOR, such as everolimus, inhibitors of COX-2, such as celecoxib, and inhibitors of angiogenesis, such as bevacizumab. The response rate (RR) observed combining endocrine and targeted agents ranged between 36% and 90%. Overall the studies failed to show a remarkable advantage in RR in the combination group compared to historical control subjects receiving AIs alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Grassadonia
- 1. Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy ; 2. Medical Oncology Unit, "SS. Annunziata" Hospital, Chieti, Italy
| | - Marta Caporale
- 2. Medical Oncology Unit, "SS. Annunziata" Hospital, Chieti, Italy
| | - Nicola Tinari
- 1. Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy ; 2. Medical Oncology Unit, "SS. Annunziata" Hospital, Chieti, Italy
| | - Marinella Zilli
- 2. Medical Oncology Unit, "SS. Annunziata" Hospital, Chieti, Italy
| | - Michele DeTursi
- 1. Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy ; 2. Medical Oncology Unit, "SS. Annunziata" Hospital, Chieti, Italy
| | - Teresa Gamucci
- 3. Department of Oncology, "S.S. Trinita'" Hospital, Sora, Italy
| | - Patrizia Vici
- 4. Division of Medical Oncology B, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy
| | - Clara Natoli
- 1. Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University "G. D'Annunzio", Chieti, Italy ; 2. Medical Oncology Unit, "SS. Annunziata" Hospital, Chieti, Italy
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22
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Fulvestrant and male breast cancer: a pooled analysis. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2014; 149:269-75. [DOI: 10.1007/s10549-014-3240-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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23
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Kalykaki A, Agelaki S, Kallergi G, Xyrafas A, Mavroudis D, Georgoulias V. Elimination of EGFR-expressing circulating tumor cells in patients with metastatic breast cancer treated with gefitinib. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2014; 73:685-93. [DOI: 10.1007/s00280-014-2387-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2013] [Accepted: 01/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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24
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Shen H, Liu J, Wang R, Qian X, Xu R, Xu T, Li Q, Wang L, Shi Z, Zheng J, Chen Q, Shu Y. Fulvestrant increases gefitinib sensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer cells by upregulating let-7c expression. Biomed Pharmacother 2013; 68:307-13. [PMID: 24268810 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2013.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations benefit from treatment with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), namely, gefitinib and erlotinib. However, these patients eventually develop resistance to EGFR-TKIs. About 50% of this acquired resistance may be the result of a secondary mutation in the EGFR gene, such as the one corresponding to T790M. In our previous study, we found that combined treatment with fulvestrant and gefitinib decreases the proliferation of H1975 NSCLC cells, compared to treatment with either fulvestrant or gefitinib alone; however, the molecular mechanism for the improved effects of the combination treatment are still unknown. In this study, we confirmed that fulvestrant increases the gefitinib sensitivity of H1975 cells and found that let-7c was most upregulated in the fulvestrant-treated cells. Our data revealed that let-7c increases gefitinib sensitivity by repressing RAS and inactivating the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and mitogen-activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathways. Taken together, our findings suggest that let-7c plays an important role in fulvestrant-induced upregulation of gefitinib sensitivity in H1975 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Shen
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jinyuan Liu
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Rong Wang
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xu Qian
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, 210029 Nanjing, China
| | - Ruitong Xu
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tongpeng Xu
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qi Li
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, 210029 Nanjing, China
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, 210029 Nanjing, China
| | - Zhumei Shi
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, 210029 Nanjing, China
| | - Jitai Zheng
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, 210029 Nanjing, China
| | - Qiudan Chen
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Nanjing Medical University, 210029 Nanjing, China
| | - Yongqian Shu
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
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25
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Morrison MM, Hutchinson K, Williams MM, Stanford JC, Balko JM, Young C, Kuba MG, Sánchez V, Williams AJ, Hicks DJ, Arteaga CL, Prat A, Perou CM, Earp HS, Massarweh S, Cook RS. ErbB3 downregulation enhances luminal breast tumor response to antiestrogens. J Clin Invest 2013; 123:4329-43. [PMID: 23999432 DOI: 10.1172/jci66764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2013] [Accepted: 07/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Aberrant regulation of the erythroblastosis oncogene B (ErbB) family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and their ligands is common in human cancers. ErbB3 is required in luminal mammary epithelial cells (MECs) for growth and survival. Since breast cancer phenotypes may reflect biological traits of the MECs from which they originate, we tested the hypothesis that ErbB3 drives luminal breast cancer growth. We found higher ERBB3 expression and more frequent ERBB3 gene copy gains in luminal A/B breast cancers compared with other breast cancer subtypes. In cell culture, ErbB3 increased growth of luminal breast cancer cells. Targeted depletion of ErbB3 with an anti-ErbB3 antibody decreased 3D colony growth, increased apoptosis, and decreased tumor growth in vivo. Treatment of clinical breast tumors with the antiendocrine drug fulvestrant resulted in increased ErbB3 expression and PI3K/mTOR signaling. Depletion of ErbB3 in fulvestrant-treated tumor cells reduced PI3K/mTOR signaling, thus decreasing tumor cell survival and tumor growth. Fulvestrant treatment increased phosphorylation of all ErbB family RTKs; however, phospho-RTK upregulation was not seen in tumors treated with both fulvestrant and anti-ErbB3. These data indicate that upregulation of ErbB3 in luminal breast cancer cells promotes growth, survival, and resistance to fulvestrant, thus suggesting ErbB3 as a target for breast cancer treatment.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology
- Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/pharmacology
- Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Breast Neoplasms/metabolism
- Breast Neoplasms/mortality
- Cell Proliferation
- Cell Survival
- Down-Regulation/drug effects
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
- Drug Synergism
- ErbB Receptors/genetics
- ErbB Receptors/metabolism
- Estradiol/analogs & derivatives
- Estradiol/pharmacology
- Estrogen Receptor Modulators/pharmacology
- Female
- Fulvestrant
- Gene Dosage
- Gene Expression
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects
- Humans
- MCF-7 Cells
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Nude
- Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
- Receptor, ErbB-2/genetics
- Receptor, ErbB-2/metabolism
- Receptor, ErbB-3/genetics
- Receptor, ErbB-3/immunology
- Receptor, ErbB-3/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Survival Analysis
- Transcriptome
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
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26
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Masuda M, Miki Y, Hata S, Takagi K, Sakurai M, Ono K, Suzuki K, Yang Y, Abe E, Hirakawa H, Ishida T, Suzuki T, Ohuchi N, Sasano H. An induction of microRNA, miR-7 through estrogen treatment in breast carcinoma. J Transl Med 2013; 10 Suppl 1:S2. [PMID: 23227519 PMCID: PMC3445861 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-10-s1-s2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Estrogen plays an important role in the development of estrogen-dependent breast carcinoma. Recently, several studies demonstrated a possible involvement of several micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the development of resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients, but the correlation between estrogen actions and miRNA expression in breast carcinoma still remains largely unknown. Therefore, in this study, we examined the in vitro effects of estrogen upon miRNA expression profiles in breast carcinoma. Methods We first screened the miRNA expression profiles induced by 17β-Estradiol (E2) using RT2 miRNA PCR Array in the ER-positive breast carcinoma cell line MCF-7. We identified miR-7 as the important miRNA associated with estrogen actions in these cells and further examined the changes of estrogen-dependent EGFR expression by miR-7 in ER-positive or -negative breast carcinoma cell lines including MCF-7. We also evaluated the correlation between miR-7 and EGFR expression in breast carcinoma cells derived from 21 patients using laser capture microdissection combined with quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR. Results Seventeen miRNAs were significantly induced by E2 treatment in the MCF-7 cell line. Among 17 miRNAs induced by estradiol treatment, only miR-7 expression was significantly decreased by subsequent ICI treatment. The expression of miR-7 was up-regulated 2.94-fold by E2 treatment. miR-7 was reported to suppress epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in several human malignancies. Transfection of miR-7 significantly suppressed EGFR mRNA levels in MCF-7 cells. Depletion of E2 from cell culture media also increased the expression level of EGFR mRNA in MCF-7 and T-47D cells but not in ER-negative, MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells. We also evaluated the status of miR-7 in breast carcinoma tissues, but the correlation between the status of miR-7 and EGFR in carcinoma cells isolated by laser capture microscopy was not detected. Conclusions These results suggest that miR-7 may play a role in the development of resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer patients through regulating EGFR expression of carcinoma cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariko Masuda
- Department of Pathology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
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27
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Castillo-Pichardo L, Dharmawardhane SF. Grape polyphenols inhibit Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and potentiate the effects of gefitinib in breast cancer. Nutr Cancer 2013; 64:1058-69. [PMID: 23061908 DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2012.716898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We recently reported that a combination of dietary grape polyphenols resveratrol, quercetin, and catechin (RQC), at low concentrations, was effective at inhibiting metastatic cancer progression. Herein, we investigate the molecular mechanisms of RQC in breast cancer and explore the potential of RQC as a potentiation agent for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapeutic gefitinib. Our in vitro experiments showed RQC induced apoptosis in gefitinib-resistant breast cancer cells via regulation of a myriad of proapoptotic proteins. Because the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is often elevated during development of anti-EGFR therapy resistance, the effect of RQC on the mTOR upstream effector Akt and the negative regulator AMP kinase (AMPK) was investigated. RQC was found to reduce Akt activity, induce the activation of AMPK, and inhibit mTOR signaling in breast cancer cells. Combined RQC and gefitinib decreased gefitinib resistant breast cancer cell viability to a greater extent than RQC or gefitinib alone. Moreover, RQC inhibited Akt and mTOR and activated AMPK even in the presence of gefitinib. Our in vivo experiments showed combined RQC and gefitinib was more effective than the individual treatments at inhibiting mammary tumor growth and metastasis in nude mice. Therefore, RQC treatment inhibits breast cancer progression and may potentiate anti-EGFR therapy by inhibition of Akt/mTOR signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linette Castillo-Pichardo
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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28
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Eastman BM, Jo M, Webb DL, Takimoto S, Gonias SL. A transformation in the mechanism by which the urokinase receptor signals provides a selection advantage for estrogen receptor-expressing breast cancer cells in the absence of estrogen. Cell Signal 2012; 24:1847-55. [PMID: 22617030 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2012.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2012] [Revised: 05/08/2012] [Accepted: 05/13/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Binding of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) to its receptor, uPAR, in estrogen receptor-α (ERα) expressing breast cancer cells, transiently activates ERK downstream of FAK, Src family kinases, and H-Ras. Herein, we show that when uPAR is over-expressed, in two separate ERα-positive breast cancer cell lines, ERK activation occurs autonomously of uPA and is sustained. Autonomous ERK activation by uPAR requires H-Ras and Rac1. A mutated form of uPAR, which does not bind vitronectin (uPAR-W32A), failed to induce autonomous ERK activation. Expression of human uPAR or mouse uPAR but not uPAR-W32A in MCF-7 cells provided a selection advantage when these cells were deprived of estrogen in cell culture for two weeks. Similarly, MCF-7 cells that express mouse uPAR formed xenografts in SCID mice that survived and increased in volume in the absence of estrogen supplementation, probably reflecting the pro-survival activity of phospho-ERK. Autonomous uPAR signaling to ERK was sensitive to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Erlotinib and Gefitinib. The transition in uPAR signaling from uPA-dependent and transient to autonomous and sustained is reminiscent of the transformation in ErbB2/HER2 signaling observed when this gene is amplified in breast cancer. uPAR over-expression may provide a pathway for escape of breast cancer cells from ERα-targeting therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boryana M Eastman
- Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093‐0612, USA
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