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Feng Y, Luo J, Liu P, Zhu Y, Cheng G, Zheng L, Liu L. Programmed death-ligand 1 and mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway in locally advanced rectal cancer. Discov Oncol 2022; 13:10. [PMID: 35201501 PMCID: PMC8844341 DOI: 10.1007/s12672-022-00471-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the role of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). METHODS Between February 2012 and February 2018, 103 patients with LARC treated by neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (neoCRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME) were included. PD-L1, mTOR and p-mTOR of pair-matched pre-neoCRT biopsies and post-neoCRT surgical tissue were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The mean combined positive score (CPS), tumor proportion score (TPS) and immune cell score (IC) of pre-neoCRT were 2.24 (0-70), 1.87 (0-70) and 0.67 (0-10), respectively. The mean CPS, TPS and IC of post-neoCRT were 2.19 (0-80), 1.38 (0-80) and 1.60 (0-20), respectively. Significant difference was observed in terms of IC between pre-neoCRT and post-neoCRT (p = 0.010). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate of the whole group was 62.4%. Multivariate analysis by Cox model indicated that pre-neoCRT TPS [hazard ratio (HR) 1.052, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.020-1.086, p = 0.001] and post-neoCRT CPS (HR 0.733, 95% CI 0.555-0.967, p = 0.028) were associated with DFS. In the 89 patients without pathological complete response, p-mTOR and IC were upregulated after neoCRT. CONCLUSIONS For patients with LARC treated by neoCRT and TME, p-mTOR and IC were upregulated after neoCRT. Pre-neoCRT TPS and post-neoCRT CPS were independent prognostic predictors of DFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanru Feng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, East Banshan Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jialin Luo
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, East Banshan Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Peng Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, East Banshan Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yuan Zhu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, East Banshan Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guoping Cheng
- Department of Pathology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Linfeng Zheng
- Department of Pathology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China
| | - Luying Liu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, No 1, East Banshan Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Hospital of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhejiang Cancer Hospital), Institute of Basic Medicine and Cancer (IBMC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, China.
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Radiotherapy as a tool to elicit clinically actionable signalling pathways in cancer. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2022; 19:114-131. [PMID: 34819622 PMCID: PMC9004227 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-021-00579-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
A variety of targeted anticancer agents have been successfully introduced into clinical practice, largely reflecting their ability to inhibit specific molecular alterations that are required for disease progression. However, not all malignant cells rely on such alterations to survive, proliferate, disseminate and/or evade anticancer immunity, implying that many tumours are intrinsically resistant to targeted therapies. Radiotherapy is well known for its ability to activate cytotoxic signalling pathways that ultimately promote the death of cancer cells, as well as numerous cytoprotective mechanisms that are elicited by cellular damage. Importantly, many cytoprotective mechanisms elicited by radiotherapy can be abrogated by targeted anticancer agents, suggesting that radiotherapy could be harnessed to enhance the clinical efficacy of these drugs. In this Review, we discuss preclinical and clinical data that introduce radiotherapy as a tool to elicit or amplify clinically actionable signalling pathways in patients with cancer.
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Mardanshahi A, Gharibkandi NA, Vaseghi S, Abedi SM, Molavipordanjani S. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway inhibitors enhance radiosensitivity in cancer cell lines. Mol Biol Rep 2021; 48:1-14. [PMID: 34357550 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-021-06607-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Radiotherapy is one of the most common types of cancer treatment modalities. Radiation can affect both cancer and normal tissues, which limits the whole delivered dose. It is well documented that radiation activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and AKT signaling pathway; hence, the inhibition of this pathway enhances the radiosensitivity of tumor cells. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a regulator that is involved in autophagy, cell growth, proliferation, and survival. CONCLUSION The inhibition of mTOR as a downstream mediator of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway represents a vital option for more effective cancer treatments. The combination of PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors with radiation can increase the radiosensitivity of malignant cells to radiation by autophagy activation. Therefore, this review aims to discuss the impact of such inhibitors on the cell response to radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alireza Mardanshahi
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Nasrin Abbasi Gharibkandi
- Department of Radiopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Samaneh Vaseghi
- Department of Chemistry, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Abedi
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Sajjad Molavipordanjani
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
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The concept and use of the neoadjuvant rectal score as a composite endpoint in rectal cancer. Lancet Oncol 2021; 22:e314-e326. [PMID: 34048686 DOI: 10.1016/s1470-2045(21)00053-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
There is no universally accepted instrument to use as a validated surrogate endpoint for overall survival in phase 2 and phase 3 multimodal rectal cancer trials using chemoradiotherapy. Efforts are hampered by the inaccuracy of clinical TNM staging, the variability of indications for neoadjuvant treatment, and diverse definitions of tumour regression grade. Pathological complete response is commonly used, but fails to capture information from the majority of patients. The neoadjuvant rectal score categorises response and downstaging from the entire trial population to identify whether or not a novel treatment group in a chemoradiation trial is superior by predicting overall survival outcomes. Additionally, the neoadjuvant rectal score assesses the difference between initial clinical and pathological T stage and the presence or absence of nodal involvement after treatment. The neoadjuvant rectal score has been conceptually, but incompletely, statistically validated by two independent trial datasets. However, a fundamental weakness of the score is that no preoperative phase 3 trials in locally advanced rectal cancer in the past 20 years have provided a significant benefit in overall survival to statistically validate the neoadjuvant rectal score as a surrogate endpoint for overall survival. We review the robustness, practical value, applicability, generalisability, advantages, and disadvantages of the neoadjuvant rectal score as a surrogate endpoint for overall survival and recommend how this score could be improved and be acceptable as a standard endpoint in studies investigating neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiation in patients with rectal cancer.
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Bechelli J, Rumfield CS, Walker DH, Widen S, Khanipov K, Fang R. Subversion of Host Innate Immunity by Rickettsia australis via a Modified Autophagic Response in Macrophages. Front Immunol 2021; 12:638469. [PMID: 33912163 PMCID: PMC8071864 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.638469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently reported that the in vitro and in vivo survivals of Rickettsia australis are Atg5-dependent, in association with an inhibited level of anti-rickettsial cytokine, IL-1β. In the present study, we sought to investigate how R. australis interacts with host innate immunity via an Atg5-dependent autophagic response. We found that the serum levels of IFN-γ and G-CSF in R. australis-infected Atg5flox/floxLyz-Cre mice were significantly less compared to Atg5flox/flox mice, accompanied by significantly lower rickettsial loads in tissues with inflammatory cellular infiltrations including neutrophils. R. australis infection differentially regulated a significant number of genes in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) in an Atg5-depdent fashion as determined by RNA sequencing and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, including genes in the molecular networks of IL-1 family cytokines and PI3K-Akt-mTOR. The secretion levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1α, IL-18, TNF-α, and IL-6, by R. australis-infected Atg5flox/floxLyz-Cre BMMs were significantly greater compared to infected Atg5flox/flox BMMs. Interestingly, R. australis significantly increased the levels of phosphorylated mTOR and P70S6K at a time when the autophagic response is induced. Rapamycin treatment nearly abolished the phosphorylated mTOR and P70S6K but did not promote significant autophagic flux during R. australis infection. These results highlight that R. australis modulates an Atg5-dependent autophagic response, which is not sensitive to regulation by mTORC1 signaling in macrophages. Overall, we demonstrate that R. australis counteracts host innate immunity including IL-1β-dependent inflammatory response to support the bacterial survival via an mTORC1-resistant autophagic response in macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Bechelli
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States.,Department of Biological Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, United States
| | - Claire S Rumfield
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States.,Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - David H Walker
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States.,Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Steven Widen
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Kamil Khanipov
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States
| | - Rong Fang
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States.,Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, United States
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Wanigasooriya K, Tyler R, Barros-Silva JD, Sinha Y, Ismail T, Beggs AD. Radiosensitising Cancer Using Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase (PI3K), Protein Kinase B (AKT) or Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Inhibitors. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E1278. [PMID: 32443649 PMCID: PMC7281073 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12051278] [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: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy is routinely used as a neoadjuvant, adjuvant or palliative treatment in various cancers. There is significant variation in clinical response to radiotherapy with or without traditional chemotherapy. Patients with a good response to radiotherapy demonstrate better clinical outcomes universally across different cancers. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway upregulation has been linked to radiotherapy resistance. We reviewed the current literature exploring the role of inhibiting targets along this pathway, in enhancing radiotherapy response. We identified several studies using in vitro cancer cell lines, in vivo tumour xenografts and a few Phase I/II clinical trials. Most of the current evidence in this area comes from glioblastoma multiforme, non-small cell lung cancer, head and neck cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer. The biological basis for radiosensitivity following pathway inhibition was through inhibited DNA double strand break repair, inhibited cell proliferation, enhanced apoptosis and autophagy as well as tumour microenvironment changes. Dual PI3K/mTOR inhibition consistently demonstrated radiosensitisation of all types of cancer cells. Single pathway component inhibitors and other inhibitor combinations yielded variable outcomes especially within early clinical trials. There is ample evidence from preclinical studies to suggest that direct pharmacological inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway components can radiosensitise different types of cancer cells. We recommend that future in vitro and in vivo research in this field should focus on dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors. Early clinical trials are needed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of these dual inhibitors in combination with radiotherapy in brain, lung, head and neck, breast, prostate and rectal cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasun Wanigasooriya
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; (J.D.B.-S.); (Y.S.); (A.D.B.)
- The New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK; (R.T.); (T.I.)
| | - Robert Tyler
- The New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK; (R.T.); (T.I.)
| | - Joao D. Barros-Silva
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; (J.D.B.-S.); (Y.S.); (A.D.B.)
| | - Yashashwi Sinha
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; (J.D.B.-S.); (Y.S.); (A.D.B.)
- The New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK; (R.T.); (T.I.)
| | - Tariq Ismail
- The New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK; (R.T.); (T.I.)
| | - Andrew D. Beggs
- College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK; (J.D.B.-S.); (Y.S.); (A.D.B.)
- The New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK; (R.T.); (T.I.)
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