Expression of MAGE-A3, NY-ESO-1, LAGE-1 and PRAME in urothelial carcinoma

Clinical and molecular response to alpha1-oleate treatment in patients with bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

The tumoricidal complex alpha1-oleate targets bladder cancer cells, triggering rapid, apoptosis-like tumor cell death. Clinical effects of alpha1-oleate were recently observed in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), using a randomized, placebo-controlled study protocol.

AIMS

To investigate if there are dose-dependent effects of alpha1-oleate.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Here, patients with NMIBC were treated by intravesical instillation of increasing concentrations of alpha1-oleate (1.7, 8.5, or 17 mM) and the treatment response was defined relative to a placebo group.

RESULTS

Strong, dose-dependent anti-tumor effects were detected in alpha1-oleate treated patients for a combination of molecular and clinical indicators; a complete or partial response was detected in 88% of tumors treated with 8.5 mM compared to 47% of tumors treated with 1.7 mM of alpha1-oleate. Uptake of alpha1-oleate by the tumor triggered rapid shedding of tumor cells into the urine and cell death by an apoptosis-like mechanism. RNA sequencing of tissue biopsies confirmed the activation of apoptotic cell death and strong inhibition of cancer gene networks, including bladder cancer related genes. Drug-related side effects were not recorded, except for local irritation at the site of instillation.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

These dose-dependent anti-tumor effects of alpha1-oleate are promising and support the potential of alpha1-oleate treatment in patients with NMIBC.

Cancer testis antigen MAGEA3 in serum and serum-derived exosomes serves as a promising biomarker in lung adenocarcinoma

Cancer testis antigen (CTA) Melanoma Antigen Gene A3 (MAGEA3) were overexpressed in multiple tumor types, but the expression pattern of MAGEA3 in the serum of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear. Clinically derived serum and serum exosome samples were used to assess the mRNA expression of MAGEA3 and MAGEA4 by qRT-PCR, and serum MAGEA3 and MAGEA4 protein expression were evaluated by ELISA in total 133 healthy volunteers' and 289 LUAD patients' serum samples. An analysis of the relationship of the mRNA and protein expression of MAGEA3 and MAGEA4 with clinicopathologic parameters was performed and the diagnostic value of MAGEA3 and MAGEA4 was plotted on an ROC curve. In addition, the correlation of MAGEA3 mRNA with infiltrating immune cells was investigated through TIMER, the CIBERSORT algorithm and the TISIDB database. Expression of serum and serum exosome MAGEA3 and MAGEA4 mRNA were significantly higher in LUAD patients than in healthy donors. MAGEA3 mRNA associated with tumor diameter, TMN stage, and NSE in LUAD serum samples, and MAGEA3 mRNA correlated with N stage in serum-derived exosomes, possessing areas under the curve (AUC) of 0.721 and 0.832, respectively. Besides, serum MAGEA3 protein levels were elevated in LUAD patients, and were closely related to stage and NSE levels, possessing AUC of 0.781. Further analysis signified that the expression of MAGEA3 mRNA was positive correlation with neutrophil, macrophages M2, dendritic cells resting, and eosinophilic, but negatively correlated with B cells, plasma cells, CD8 + T cells, CD4 + T cells, Th17 cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. Collectively, our results suggested that the MAGEA3 expression in mRNA and protein were upregulated in LUAD, and MAGEA3 could be used as a diagnostic biomarker and immunotherapy target for LUAD patients.

Comprehensive multiplexed autoantibody profiling of patients with advanced urothelial cancer

BACKGROUND

Comprehensive profiling of autoantibodies (AAbs) in metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC) has not been performed to date. This may aid in diagnosis of UC, uncover novel therapeutic targets in this disease as well as identify associations between AAbs and response and toxicity to systemic therapies.

METHODS

We used serum from patients with mUC collected prior to and after systemic therapy (immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) or platinum-based chemotherapy (PBC)) at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 38 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) from healthy blood donors were also evaluated. The SeroTag immuno-oncology discovery array (Oncimmune) was used, with quantification of the AAb reactivity toward 1132 antigens. Bound AAbs were detected using an anti-immunoglobulin G-specific detection antibody conjugated to the fluorescent reporter dye phycoerythrin. The AAb reactivity was reported as the median fluorescence intensity for each color and sample using a Luminex FlexMAP3D analyzer. Clinical outcomes of interest included radiographic response and development of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Significance analysis of microarray was used to compare mUC versus HC and radiographic response. Associations with irAE were evaluated using a logistic regression model. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

66 patients were included with a median age of 68 years; 54 patients (82%) received ICI and 12 patients (18%) received PBC. Compared with HCs, AAbs against the cancer/testis antigens (CTAG1B, CTAG2, MAGEB18), HSPA1A, TP53, KRAS, and FGFR3 were significantly elevated in patients with mUC. AAbs against BRCA2, TP53, and CTNBB1 were associated with response, and those against BICD2 and UACA were associated with resistance to ICI therapy. AAbs against MITF, CDH3, and KDM4A were associated with development of irAEs in patient who received an ICI. A higher variance in pre-to-post treatment fold change in AAb levels was seen in patients treated with ICI versus PBC and was associated with response to ICI.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first report of comprehensive AAb profiling of patients with mUC and identified key AAbs that were elevated in patients with mUC versus HCs as well as AAbs associated with therapeutic response to ICI. These findings are hypothesis generating and further mechanistic studies evaluating humoral immunity in UC are required.

Melanoma Antigen Family A (MAGE A) as Promising Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets in Bladder Cancer

The Melanoma Antigen Gene (MAGE) is a large family of highly conserved proteins that share a common MAGE homology domain. Interestingly, many MAGE family members exhibit restricted expression in reproductive tissues but are abnormally expressed in various human malignancies, including bladder cancer, which is a common urinary malignancy associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The recent literature suggests a more prominent role for MAGEA family members in driving bladder tumorigenesis. This review highlights the role of MAGEA proteins, the potential for them to serve as diagnostic or prognostic biomarker(s), and as therapeutic targets for bladder cancer.

Expression of Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma, a Cancer/Testis Antigen, in Carcinoma In Situ of the Urinary Tract

Carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary tract comprises 1-3% of all urothelial malignancies and is often a precursor to muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (UC). This study aimed to examine the expression profiles of preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME), a cancer/testis antigen, and assess its diagnostic and therapeutic applications in CIS, given that its expression in UC has been minimally studied and has not yet been analyzed in CIS. We selected consecutive patients with CIS who underwent biopsy and/or transurethral tumor resection at the Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital. Immunohistochemical staining for PRAME and p53 was performed. Overall, 53 patients with CIS (6 females and 47 males) were included. Notably, PRAME expression was observed in 23 of the 53 patients (43.4%), whereas it was absent in the non-neoplastic urothelial epithelium. Furthermore, no correlation was found between PRAME expression and aberrant p53 expression. Therefore, PRAME expression may serve as a useful marker for CIS of the urinary tract. Furthermore, PRAME may be a candidate for the novel therapeutic target for standard treatment-refractory CIS patients.

From mucosal infection to successful cancer immunotherapy

The clinical management of advanced malignancies of the upper and lower urinary tract has been revolutionized with the advent of immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs). ICBs reinstate or bolster pre-existing immune responses while creating new T cell specificities. Immunogenic cancers, which tend to benefit more from immunotherapy than cold tumours, harbour tumour-specific neoantigens, often associated with a high tumour mutational burden, as well as CD8+ T cell infiltrates and ectopic lymphoid structures. The identification of beneficial non-self tumour antigens and natural adjuvants is the focus of current investigation. Moreover, growing evidence suggests that urinary or intestinal commensals, BCG and uropathogenic Escherichia coli influence long-term responses in patients with kidney or bladder cancer treated with ICBs. Bacteria infecting urothelium could be a prominent target for T follicular helper cells and B cells, linking innate and cognate CD8+ memory responses. In the urinary tract, commensal flora differ between healthy and tumoural mucosae. Although antibiotics can affect the prognosis of urinary tract malignancies, bacteria can have a major influence on cancer immunosurveillance. Beyond their role as biomarkers, immune responses against uropathogenic commensals could be harnessed for the design of future immunoadjuvants that can be advantageously combined with ICBs.

Investigating the inhibitory and penetrating properties of three novel anticancer and antimicrobial scorpion peptides via molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation

The two types of bladder cancer, muscle invasive and non-muscle invasive (NMIBC), are among the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Despite this, even though muscle-invasive bladder cancer is more deadly, NMIBC requires more therapy due to a greater recurrence rate and more extended and expensive care. Immunotherapy, intravesical chemotherapy, cystoscopy, and transurethral resection (TUR) are among the treatments available. Crude scorpion venomand purified proteins and peptides, can suppress cancer metastasis in an in vitro or in vivo context, suppress cancer growth, halt the cell cycle, and cause cell apoptosis, according to an increasing number of experimental and preclinical studies. In this research, three novels discovered peptides (P2, P3 and P4. ProteomeXchange: PXD036231) from Buthotus saulcyi and, Odontobuthus doriae scorpions were used along with a peptide called pantinin (as a control). The phylogenetic tree showed that the peptides belong to Chaperonin HSP60, Chrysophsin2 and Pheromone-binding protein2, respectively. These peptides were docked with four known antigens, BAGE, BLCAP, PRAME and ROR1 related to bladder cancer and three bacterial antigens FliC, FliD and FimH to investigate their antimicrobial and anticancer properties. The results showed that peptides 2 and 3 have the best binding rate. The MD simulation results also confirmed the binding of peptides 2 and 3 to antigens. The penetration power of peptides 2 and 3 in the membrane of cancer cells and bacterial cells was also simulated, and the results of RMSD and PD confirmed it. QSAR suggests that peptides 2 and 3 can act as anti-cancer and anti-microbial peptides.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Transcriptomic insights into adenoid cystic carcinoma via RNA sequencing

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) at the transcriptome level. Materials and methods: We obtained paired tumor and normal salivary gland tissues from 15 ACC patients, which were prepared for RNA sequencing. Results: Gene enrichment analysis revealed that the upregulated pathways were mainly involved in axonogenesis, and the downregulated pathways were mainly related to leukocyte migration, the adaptive immune response, lymphocyte-mediated immunity, and the humoral immune response. T-cells, B-cells and NK cells showed low infiltration in ACC tissues. In addition to the gene fusions MYB-NFIB and MYBL1-NFIB, a new gene fusion, TVP23C-CDRT4, was also detected in 3 ACC tissues. PRAME was significantly upregulated in ACC tissues, while antigen-presenting human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes were downregulated. Conclusion: We found a new gene fusion, TVP23C-CDRT4, that was highly expressed in ACC. PRAME may be an attractive target for ACC immunotherapy.

PRAME Expression in Cancer. A Systematic Immunohistochemical Study of >5800 Epithelial and Nonepithelial Tumors

Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) is considered a useful marker in the differential diagnosis between malignant melanoma and its melanocytic mimics. Recently PRAME expression was documented in nonmelanocytic tumors, but much of the data are based on mRNA studies. This investigation evaluated PRAME expression in the spectrum of normal tissues and >5800 human tumors using immunohistochemistry and EP461 monoclonal antibody. In normal tissues, PRAME was expressed in the testis and proliferative endometrium. In tumors, PRAME was variably expressed in malignancies of different lineages. Among epithelial tumors, >50% of PRAME-positive lesions were found among endometrial carcinomas (82%), uterine serous carcinomas (82%), uterine carcinosarcomas (60%), ovarian clear cell carcinomas (90%), ovarian serous carcinomas (63%), adenoid cystic carcinomas (81%), seminomas (78%), thymic carcinomas (75%), and basal cell carcinomas (62%). In mesenchymal and neuroectodermal malignancies, PRAME was frequently expressed in synovial sarcoma (71%), myxoid liposarcoma (76%), neuroblastoma (61%) and metastatic melanoma (87%). Also, PRAME was consistently expressed in 4 melanomas that lacked all melanoma markers including S100 protein and SOX10 but harbored typical for melanoma BRAF or NRAS driver mutations. However, strong and diffuse PRAME immunoreactivity was seen in many types of nonmelanocytic poorly differentiated carcinomas and sarcomas. Based on this study, PRAME is a relatively unspecific immunohistochemical marker, which limits its use in diagnostic surgical pathology. However, immunohistochemistry is a reliable and unexpensive method useful in detecting PRAME-positive malignancies for potential immunotherapy.

Peptide-Based Vaccines in Clinical Phases and New Potential Therapeutic Targets as a New Approach for Breast Cancer: A Review

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women from 20 to 59 years old. The conventional treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, and immunotherapy. This immunotherapy is based on administering monoclonal therapeutic antibodies (passive) or vaccines (active) with therapeutic purposes. Several types of vaccines could be used as potential treatments for cancer, including whole-cell, DNA, RNA, and peptide-based vaccines. Peptides used to develop vaccines are derived from tumor-associated antigens or tumor-specific antigens, such as HER-2, MUC1, ErbB2, CEA, FRα, MAGE A1, A3, and A10, NY-ESO-1, among others. Peptide-based vaccines provide some advantages, such as low cost, purity of the antigen, and the induction of humoral and cellular immune response. In this review, we explore the different types of vaccines against breast cancer with a specific focus on the description of peptide-based vaccines, their composition, immune response induction, and the description of new potential therapeutic targets.

Current State of Cell Therapies for Genitourinary Malignancies

ABSTRACT

Genitourinary (GU) cancers have greatly benefited from immunotherapy treatments, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, the durable clinical response rate for these agents remains relatively low, calling for more innovative immunotherapy approaches. Adoptive cell therapy has shown a significant advancement in the treatment of cancer in recent years and represents a great potential for the treatment of GU cancers. This review summarizes the current advancements in cellular therapy strategies for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, and prostate and penile cancers. Further, current and past clinical trials of adoptive cell therapy in GU tumors are reviewed. Finally, a perspective on the future of cell therapy in GU tumors is discussed.

RAF1 promotes lymphatic metastasis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma via regulating LAGE1: an experimental research

BACKGROUND

Lymphatic metastasis was an independent prognostic risk factor for hypopharyngeal carcinoma and was the main cause of treatment failure. The purpose of this study was to screen the differential genes and investigate the mechanism of lymphatic metastasis in hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

METHODS

Transcriptome sequencing was performed on primary tumors of patients, and differential genes were screened by bioinformatics analysis. The expression of differential genes was verified by qRT-PCR, western-blotting and immunohistochemical, and prognostic value was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test and Cox's test. Next, FADU and SCC15 cell lines were used to demonstrate the function of differential genes both in vitro by EdU, Flow cytometry, Wound Healing and Transwell assays and in vivo by a foot-pad xenograft mice model. Proteomic sequencing was performed to screen relevant targets. In addition, in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to verify the mechanism of lymphatic metastasis.

RESULTS

Results of transcriptome sequencing showed that RAF1 was a significantly differential gene in lymphatic metastasis and was an independent prognostic risk factor. In vitro experiments suggested that decreased expression of RAF1 could inhibit proliferation, migration and invasion of tumor cells and promote apoptosis. In vivo experiments indicated that RAF1 could promote tumor growth and lymphatic metastasis. Proteomic sequencing and subsequent experiments suggested that LAGE1 could promote development of tumor and lymphatic metastasis, and was regulated by RAF1.

CONCLUSIONS

It suggests that RAF1 can promote lymphatic metastasis of hypopharyngeal carcinoma by regulating LAGE1, and provide a basis for the exploring of novel therapeutic target and ultimately provide new guidance for the establishment of intelligent diagnosis and precise treatment of hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

PRAME protein expression in DICER1-related tumours

DICER1 syndrome is an autosomal dominant tumour predisposition syndrome usually affecting persons under 30 years of age. Many of the associated benign and malignant lesions occur almost exclusively in DICER1 syndrome. One such tumour, pituitary blastoma (pitB), overexpresses PRAME 500x above control levels. PRAME (PReferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma) is expressed in malignancies that are not DICER1-related (e.g. melanoma). To address whether PRAME expression is part of the DICER1 phenotype, or simply a feature of pitB, a series of 75 DICER1-mutated specimens and 33 non-mutated specimens was surveyed using immunohistochemistry for PRAME, together with EZH2, which complexes with PRAME. In DICER1-mutated specimens, positive staining for PRAME was only seen in malignant tumours; 7 of 11 histological types and 34/62 individual tumours were positive, while non-tumourous lesions were always negative. Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) showed a continuum in staining, with type I lesions being PRAME negative (n = 7) but all type II and type III lesions PRAME positive (n = 7). Similarly, cystic nephroma (CN) was negative (n = 8), with anaplastic sarcoma of the kidney being positive (n = 2). However, one atypical CN with mesenchymal cell proliferation was PRAME-positive. Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) with DICER1 pathogenic variants (PVs) was positive for PRAME (5/6), but the same tumour type without DICER1 PVs was also positive (9/15). Staining for EZH2 corresponded to that seen with PRAME, validating the latter. This study leads us to conclude that (1) PRAME expression occurs in two-thirds of DICER1-related malignancies; (2) PRAME may be a marker for the progression that certain DICER1-related lesions are thought to undergo, such as PPB and CN; and (3) PRAME expression in some tumours, such as RMS, appears to be an intrinsic feature of the tumour, rather than specifically related to DICER1 PVs. Therapy directed against PRAME may offer novel treatment options in patients with the DICER1 syndrome.

A Novel Multiepitope Vaccine Against Bladder Cancer Based on CTL and HTL Epitopes for Induction of Strong Immune Using Immunoinformatics Approaches

Bladder cancer is well-known cancer in two forms of muscle-invasive and non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer which is responsible for annual deaths worldwide. Common therapies methods are somewhat successful; however, these methods have the limitations such as the side effects of chemotherapy which necessitate the requirement for new preventive methods against bladder cancer. Hence, we explain a novel designed multi-epitope vaccine against bladder cancer using the immunoinformatics tool. Three well-known BLCAP, PRAM, and BAGE4 antigens were evaluated due to most repetitive CTL and HTL epitopes binding. IFNγ and IL10 inducer potential of selected epitopes were investigated, as well as liner and conformational B-cell epitopes. Human beta-defensin 3 and PADRE sequence were added to construct as adjuvants, along with EAAAK, AAY, and GGGS linkers to fuse CTL and HTL epitopes. Results showed this construct encodes a soluble, non-toxic, and non-allergic protein with 70 kDa molecular weight. Modeled 3D structure of vaccine was docked whit Toll-Like Receptors (TLR) of 7/8. Docking, molecular dynamics simulation and MMBPSA analysis confirmed stability of vaccine-TLR complexes. The immunogenicity showed this construct could elicit humoral and cellular immune responses. In silico and immunoinformatics evaluations suggest that this construct is a recombinant candidate vaccine against bladder cancer.

CASC5 is a potential cancer-testis gene in human urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma

Urinary Bladder cancer (UBC) is a diversified disease with an array of clinicopathological attributes. Several studies have shown that cancer susceptibility candidate 5 (CASC5) plays important roles in various types of malignancies; however its expression and clinical significance in human UBC remain largely unknown. This research study was intended to explore mRNA/protein expression pattern of CASC5 as a member of the cancer-testis (CT) gene family and assess its clinical utility in diagnostic management of patients with UBC. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to appraise the detailed expression profile of CASC5 in patients with UBC. The mRNA over expression of CASC5 was detected in testis tissue and relatively high frequency 59.2% (45 of 76) of CASC5 mRNA was detected in UBC tissues. CASC5 mRNA relative mean fold expression was also significantly (p < 0.01) higher in the muscle-invasive tumor tissues compared to non-muscle-invasive tumor tissues (12.26 ± 9.53 vs. 4.64 ± 2.50, p = 0.005). Heterogeneous staining pattern of CASC5 protein was exclusively detected using IHC. The frequency of CASC5 protein over expression was detected in 67.7% (44 of 65) UBC patients and negative in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Further, CASC5 protein expression was significantly (p < 0.001) associated with cigarette smoking habit in UBC patients. Our study findings testified that CASC5 over expression among patients with UBC as compared to controls and concludes that CASC5 is a potential CT gene in UBC.

PRAME immunohistochemistry as an adjunct for evaluating ambiguous melanocytic proliferation

BACKGROUND

The histopathological assessment of diagnostically ambiguous melanocytic proliferation remains one of the biggest challenges in the dermatopathology field. PRAME (Preferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma) immunostaining has been shown highly specific for distinguishing unequivocal malignant melanocytic proliferation from benign ones. Knowledge on its utility for evaluating ambiguous melanocytic neoplasms remains limited.

METHODS

We retrieved in our institutional database all cases of diagnostically ambiguous melanocytic neoplasms from January 2016 to January 2021. Each case was subclassified into "favor benign" or "favor malignant" neoplasm using all collected data. Immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of PRAME was assessed and correlated with the final subclassification. Using a previously proposed scoring system, diffuse immunopositivity (>75% of tumor cells) was considered positive. Furthermore, for ambiguous melanocytic proliferation occurring on a pre-existing nevus, the staining was considered positive if more than 75% of the morphologically atypical neoplastic cells were labeled, excluding morphologically unambiguous benign nevocytes.

RESULTS

Fifty-five cases of ambiguous melanocytic proliferation were examined. Thirty-one cases were finally subclassified as "favor malignant" neoplasms and 24 as "favor benign" neoplasms. Thirty-one tumors showed immunopositivity for PRAME, representing respectively 8.3% and 93.5% of "favor benign" and "favor malignant" neoplasms. The specificity and sensitivity of PRAME IHC for benign/malignant distinction were respectively 91.7% and 93.5%.

CONCLUSIONS

PRAME IHC shows high sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing malignant challenging melanocytic proliferations from benign ones and could be used as an everyday tool. However, PRAME immunoreactivity should be interpreted cautiously, knowing that rare benign melanocytic neoplasms could show diffuse positivity.

Lack of PRAME Expression in Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphomas

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are rare tumors with no established markers that can reliably distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma (PRAME) is a cancer/testis antigen that is found in many solid and hematologic malignancies. PRAME overexpression typically portends a poor prognosis and lower chemotherapeutic response. To date, no studies have established a role for PRAME in CTCL. An analysis was performed on 47 cases definitively diagnosed as CTCL: 25 cases of mycosis fungoides, 2 of Sezary syndrome, 5 of CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorder, 7 of primary cutaneous anaplastic large T-cell lymphoma, 3 of primary cutaneous CD4+ small/medium T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, 1 of subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma, and 4 of angiocentric T-cell lymphoma. PRAME immunohistochemistry was completely negative in all cases. PRAME expression was not found in any CTCL subtypes, suggesting that the pathogenesis of CTCL is not mediated by PRAME. Further study is required to identify biomarkers that might aid in the diagnosis and prognostication of CTCLs.

Frequent expression of a novel cancer testis antigen, protein kinase human monopolar spindle 1 (hMps1/TTK) in human urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma

Urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) is a frequently occurring malignancy of the urinary tract. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the mRNA and immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of protein kinase human monopolar spindle 1 (hMps1/TTK) gene in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder and correlate its expression with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients. In the present study, quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate TTK mRNA expression in TCC. IHC analysis of TTK was also evaluated. Independent Student's t, ANOVA and chi-square (χ²) tests were used to analyze the data statistically. The frequency of TTK mRNA over expression was detected in 50% of UBC (38/76) by qRT-PCR. Relative mean fold expression of TTK mRNA was found significantly (p < 0.05) higher in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) as compared to non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients (8.96 ± 4.51 vs. 5.64 ± 3.53, p = 0.03). Moreover, IHC reveals heterogenous immunostaining pattern of TTK in TCC tissues. The frequency of TTK protein over expression was detected in 56.9% (37 of 65) UBC patients. No significant IHC expression of TTK was detected among adjacent noncancerous tissues (ANCTs) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) used as control. Collectively our study observations conclude that TTK is a novel cancer/testis antigen (CTA) as a diagnostic marker for early diagnosis of UBC.

Prognostic Value of Melanoma-Associated Antigen-A (MAGE-A) Gene Expression in Various Human Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 7428 Patients and 44 Studies

Background

Members of the melanoma-associated antigen-A (MAGE-A) subfamily are overexpressed in many cancers and can drive cancer progression, metastasis, and therapeutic recurrence.

Objective

This study is the first comprehensive meta-analysis evaluating the prognostic utility of MAGE-A members in different cancers.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Web of Science. The pooled hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated to evaluate the prognostic significance of MAGE-A expression in various cancers.

Results

In total, 44 eligible studies consisting of 7428 patients from 11 countries were analysed. Univariate and multivariate analysis for overall survival, progression-free survival, and disease-free survival showed a significant association between high MAGE-A expression and various cancers (P < 0.00001). Additionally, subgroup analysis demonstrated that high MAGE-A expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis for lung, gastrointestinal, breast, and ovarian cancer in both univariate and multivariate analysis for overall survival.

Conclusion

Overexpression of MAGE-A subfamily members is linked to poor prognosis in multiple cancers. Therefore, it could serve as a potential prognostic marker of poor prognosis in cancers.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s40291-020-00476-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Oncogenic activity and cellular functionality of melanoma associated antigen A3

Cancer testis antigen Melanoma associated antigen A3 (MAGE-A3) has been subject of research for many years. Being expressed in various tumor types and influencing proliferation, metastasis, and tumor pathogenicity, MAGE-A3 is an attractive target for cancer therapy, particularly because in healthy tissues, MAGE-A3 is only expressed in testes and placenta. MAGE-A3 acts as a cellular master regulator by stimulating E3 ubiquitin ligase tripartite motif-containing protein 28 (TRIM28), resulting in regulation of various cellular targets. These include tumor suppressor protein p53 and cellular energy sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). The restricted expression of MAGE-A3 in tumor cells makes MAGE-A3 an attractive target for vaccine-based immune therapy. However, although phase I and phase II clinical trials involving MAGE-A3-specific immunotherapeutic interventions were promising, large phase III studies failed. This article gives an overview about the role of MAGE-A3 as a cellular master switch and discusses approaches to improve MAGE-A3-based immunotherapies.

Expression of cancer testis antigens in thymic epithelial tumors

Cancer testis antigens (CTAs) are detected in cancer cells but not in healthy normal tissues, with the exception of gametogenic tissues. However, to our knowledge, expression of the antigens in thymic epithelial tumors has not been examined yet. We examined the immunohistochemical expression of five CTAs (MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, MAGE-C1, SAGE and GAGE7) in 192 cases of thymic epithelial tumor. The CTAs were variably expressed in the thymic epithelial tumors. Type B component of type AB thymomas, type B1/B2/B3 thymomas, and thymic carcinomas showed a generally positive correlation between the malignancy grades and positive expression rates in four CTAs other than MAGE-C1. In thymic squamous cell carcinomas (SqCCs), four antigens except for MAGE-C1 showed high expression rates ranging from 23.1% to 43.6%. In the prognostic analysis, a positive expression of SAGE (P = 0.0485) and GAGE7 (P = 0.0289) were associated with a shorter overall survival in type B2/B3 thymomas, respectively. In thymic SqCC, a positive MAGE-A expression was significantly associated with an increased level of programmed death ligand in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (P = 0.0181). We showed (i) a frequent CTA expression, (ii) a general correlation of CTA expression with tumor malignancy grades and (iii) a prognostic impact in some of the CTAs.

Clinicopathological and Prognostic Significance of PRAME Overexpression in Human Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Numerous studies have demonstrated that preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) is abnormally expressed in various solid tumours. However, the clinicopathological features and prognostic value of the PRAME expression in patients with cancer remain unclear. Accordingly, we performed a meta-analysis to accurately assess the association of the expression level of PRAME with clinicopathological features and cancer prognosis. Relevant study collection was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase until 28 February 2020. A total of 14 original studies involving 2,421 patients were included. Our data indicated that the PRAME expression was significantly associated with tumour stage (OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.48–2.67, P < 0.001) and positive lymph node metastasis (OR = 3.14, 95% CI: 1.99–4.97, P < 0.001). Pooled results showed that overexpression of PRAME is positively correlated with poor disease-free survival (HR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.36–1.88, P < 0.001), progression-free survival (HR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.02–3.46, P = 0.042), metastasis-free survival (HR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.05–3.31, P = 0.034), and overall survival (HR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.53–1.99, P < 0.001). In summary, these data are suggesting that PRAME is tumorigenic and may serve as a prognostic biomarker for cancer.

Review of non-invasive urinary biomarkers in bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) is the sixth-most prevalent cancer. The standard diagnostic tool of BC is cystoscopy, whereas cystoscopy has several disadvantages in terms of symptomatic invasiveness and operator-dependency. The urinary markers are attractive because the testing is non-invasive and cost-efficient, and sample collection is easy. Urinary marker is thereby a good tool to detect exfoliated tumor cell in the urine samples for the diagnosis and therapeutic surveillance of BC to supplement the limitations of the cystoscopy. However, they are not recommended as a population-based screening tool because of the low rate of BC prevalence. Although both cystoscopy and urine cytology improve BC diagnostic power, the field still needs additional non-invasive, cost-effective, and highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tools. Various urinary markers with different mechanisms and different targets have been developed and under investigation in these days. However, the accuracy of the urinary marker including its sensitivity and specificity is the most important factor for the diagnosis and surveillance in cancer that this review deals with multiple FDA-approved and non-FDA approved commercialized urinary markers with their accuracy in different purposes for BC. We then discuss more about the potential candidate targets for the future urinary markers in BC.

Immunological and functional aspects of MAGEA3 cancer/testis antigen

Identification of ectopic gene activation in cancer cells serves as a basis for both gene signature-guided tumor targeting and unearthing of oncogenic mechanisms to expand the understanding of tumor biology/oncogenic process. Proteins expressed only in germ cells of testis and/or placenta (immunoprivileged organs) and in malignancies are called cancer testis antigens; they are antigenic because of the lack of antigen presentation by those specific cell types (germ cells), which limits the exposure of the proteins to the immune cells. Since the Cancer Testis Antigens (CTAs) are immunogenic and expressed in a wide variety of cancer types, CT antigens have become interesting target for immunotherapy against cancer. Among CT antigens MAGEA family is reported to have 12 members (MAGEA1 to MAGEA12). The current review highlights the studies on MAGEA3 which is a CT antigen and reported in almost all types of cancer. MAGEA3 is well tried for cancer immunotherapy. Recent advances on its functional and immunological aspect warranted much deliberation on effective therapeutic approach, thus making it a more interesting target for cancer therapy.

Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma as a novel diagnostic marker differentiating thymic squamous cell carcinoma from thymoma

Thymic squamous cell carcinoma (TSQCC), accounting for 70-80% of thymic carcinoma cases, is distinct from thymoma. However, differential diagnosis for type B3 thymoma is sometimes challenging, even with established markers for TSQCC, including KIT and CD5, which are expressed in ~ 80% of TSQCCs and ~ 3% of thymomas. Novel TSQCC-specific markers would facilitate precise diagnosis and optimal treatment. Herein, we found that preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) may be a novel TSQCC-specific diagnostic marker. We comprehensively profiled 770 immune-related mRNAs in 10 patients with TSQCC and two healthy controls, showing that PRAME and KIT were significantly upregulated in TSQCC (adjusted p values = 0.045 and 0.0011, respectively). We then examined PRAME expression in 17 TSQCCs and 116 thymomas via immunohistochemistry. All 17 (100%) TSQCCs displayed diffuse and strong PRAME expression, whereas eight of 116 (6.8%) thymomas displayed focal and weak expression (p < 0.0001). KIT and CD5 were positive in 17 (100%) and 16 (94.1%) TSQCCs, respectively, whereas one (0.9%) type B3 thymoma showed double positivity for KIT and CD5. The KIT-/CD5-positive type B3 thymoma was negative for PRAME. Thus, combinatorial evaluation of PRAME with KIT and CD5 may facilitate a more precise diagnosis of TSQCC.

The role of the cancer testis antigen PRAME in tumorigenesis and immunotherapy in human cancer

Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME), which belongs to the cancer/testis antigen (CTA) gene family, plays a pivotal role in multiple cellular processes and immunotherapy response in human cancers. PRAME is highly expressed in different types of cancers and is involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation and metastasis as well as the outcomes of patients with cancer. In this review article, we discuss the potential roles and physiological functions of PRAME in various types of cancers. Moreover, this review highlights immunotherapeutic strategies that target PRAME in human malignancies. Therefore, the modulation of PRAME might be useful for the treatment of patients with cancer.

First-in-human phase I clinical trial of the NY-ESO-1 protein cancer vaccine with NOD2 and TLR9 stimulants in patients with NY-ESO-1-expressing refractory solid tumors

Cholesteryl pullulan (CHP) is a novel antigen delivery system. CHP and New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 (NY-ESO-1) antigen complexes (CHP-NY-ESO-1) present multiple epitope peptides to the MHC class I and II pathways. Adjuvants are essential for cancer vaccines. MIS416 is a non-toxic microparticle that activates immunity via the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) and TLR9 pathways. However, no reports have explored MIS416 as a cancer vaccine adjuvant. We conducted a first-in-human clinical trial of CHP-NY-ESO-1 with MIS416 in patients with NY-ESO-1-expressing refractory solid tumors. CHP-NY-ESO-1/MIS416 (μg/μg) was administered at 100/200, 200/200, 200/400 or 200/600 (cohorts 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively) every 2 weeks for a total of 6 doses (treatment phase) followed by one vaccination every 4 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity (maintenance phase). The primary endpoints were safety and tolerability, and the secondary endpoint was the immune response. In total, 26 patients were enrolled. Seven patients (38%) continued vaccination in the maintenance phase. Grade 3 drug-related adverse events (AEs) were observed in six patients (23%): anorexia and hypertension were observed in one and five patients, respectively. No grade 4–5 drug-related AEs were observed. Eight patients (31%) had stable disease (SD). Neither augmentation of the NY-ESO-1-specific IFN-γ-secreting CD8⁺ T cell response nor an increase in the level of anti-NY-ESO-1 IgG1 was observed as the dose of MIS416 was increased. In a preclinical study, adding anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody to CHP-NY-ESO-1 and MIS416 induced significant tumor suppression. This combination therapy is a promising next step.

Prognostic Significance of Lymphocyte Infiltration and a Stromal Immunostaining of a Bladder Cancer Associated Diagnostic Panel in Urothelial Carcinoma

We set out to expand on our previous work in which we reported the epithelial expression pattern of a urine-based bladder cancer-associated diagnostic panel (A1AT, ANG, APOE, CA9, IL8, MMP9, MMP10, PAI1, SDC1, and VEGFA). Since many of the analytes in the bladder cancer-associated diagnostic signature were chemokines, cytokines, or secreted proteins, we set out to report the stromal staining pattern of the diagnostic signature as well as CD3⁺ (T-cell) cell and CD68⁺ (macrophage) cell staining in human bladder tumors as a snapshot of the tumor immune landscape. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on 213 tumor specimens and 74 benign controls. Images were digitally captured and quantitated using Aperio (Vista, CA). The expression patterns were correlated with tumor grade, tumor stage, and outcome measures. We noted a positive correlation of seven of the 10 proteins (excluding A1AT and IL8 which had a negative association and VEGFA had no association) in bladder cancer. The overexpression of MMP10 was associated with higher grade disease, while overexpression of MMP10, PAI1, SDC1 and ANG were associated with high stage bladder cancer and CA9 was associated with low stage bladder cancer. Increased tumor infiltration of CD68⁺ cells were associated with higher stage disease. Overall survival was significantly reduced in bladder cancer patients' whose tumors expressed eight or more of the 10 proteins that comprise the bladder cancer diagnostic panel. These findings confirm that the chemokines, cytokines, and secreted proteins in a urine-based diagnostic panel are atypically expressed, not only in the epithelial component of bladder tumors, but also in the stromal component of bladder tumors and portends a worse overall survival. Thus, when assessing immunohistochemical staining, it is important to report staining patterns within the stroma as well as the entire stroma itself.

NY-ESO-1 expression in solid tumors predicts prognosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 (NY-ESO-1) is a member of the cancer testis antigen family. NY-ESO-1 has documented potential as an effective target for cancer immunotherapy. The prognostic value of NY-ESO-1 expression in solid tumors, however, remains controversial because of inconclusive data.

METHODS

For this analysis, the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to February 2018 for studies investigating NY-ESO-1 expression in solid tumors and overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), or disease-free survival (DFS). Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted from each study. Pooled HRs and CIs were calculated using the Mantel-Haenszel fixed effects or random effects model.

RESULTS

A total of 23 studies were included in the analysis. The combined HR (95% CI) estimates for OS, PFS, and DFS were 1.41 (95% CI: 1.24-1.61; I = 0%), 1.62 (95% CI: 1.42-1.84; I = 17%), and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.56-1.59; I = 57%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

NY-ESO-1 expression in solid tumors is associated with worse OS and PFS. Studies are still needed to provide more evidence.

Identification of cancer/testis antigen 2 gene as a potential hepatocellular carcinoma therapeutic target by hub gene screening with topological analysis

The 5-year survival rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is <20%; thus, identifying new potential therapeutic targets or novel biomarkers for prognosis prediction is crucial. The present study aimed to screen hub genes by constructing protein-protein interaction (PPI) subnetworks using topological analysis methods, as well as reveal their clinical significance through big data analytics and their association with the clinicopathological features. Firstly, the PPI subnetworks were constructed using four topological analysis methods, including the MCC, DMNC, MNC and degree methods, to obtain 6 hub genes. Subsequently, the hub gene cancer/testis antigen 2 (CTAG2), which affects the prognosis of HCC (overall survival, P=0.035), was acquired by analysing clinical data in The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Meanwhile, CTAG2 expression was significantly associated with the age at diagnosis (P=0.003), T stage (P=0.028), TNM stage (P=0.028) and α-fetoprotein (AFP) expression (P=0.045). Further immunohistochemical analysis of samples collected in our hospital revealed that the expression level of CTAG2 in 46 HCC tissues was significantly higher in comparison with that in paired adjacent tissues. The clinical data indicated that the expression of CTAG2 was significantly correlated with the hepatitis B virus status (P=0.010) and AFP expression (P=0.004). These results were then found to be consistent with the results of big data analytics. Furthermore, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis demonstrated that the function of CTAG2 in HCC may be associated with the cell cycle. Taken together, these findings suggest that CTAG2 may serve as a new potential therapeutic target for HCC patients.

Melanoma-associated antigen-A and programmed death-ligand 1 expression are associated with advanced urothelial carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Melanoma-associated antigen-A (MAGE-A) and programmed-death ligand 1 (PD-L1) are present in urothelial carcinoma (UC). We assessed survival outcomes in patients with MAGE-A and PD-L1 expression.

METHODS

MAGE-A and PD-L1 expression on neoplastic cells was analyzed using tissue microarrays from patients with UC. We compared differential expression between disease stage and grade. MAGE-A and PD-L1 co-expression was subcategorized. Fisher's exact test was done for categorical variables followed by univariable and multivariable analysis of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

Co-expression of MAGE+/PD-L1+ was higher in advanced disease; however, only MAGE+/PD-L1- was associated with shorter RFS [hazard ratio (HR) 1.89; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.19-2.99; p = .006]. MAGE+/PD-L1+ was associated with the worst PFS (HR 17.1; 95% CI 5.96-49.4; p ≤ .001). MAGE-A expression was more prevalent with high-grade (p = .015), and higher-stage ≥ pT2 (p = .001) disease. The 5-year RFS was 44% for MAGE+ versus 58% for MAGE- patients. On multivariable analysis, MAGE+ was also associated with shorter RFS (HR 1.55; 95% CI 1.05-2.30; p = .03). Similarly, MAGE+ was associated with shorter PFS (HR 3.12; 95% CI 1.12-8.68; p = .03).

CONCLUSION

MAGE-A and PD-L1 expression is increased in advanced disease and associated with shorter PFS. Furthermore, MAGE-A expression was significantly associated with higher-grade and -stage disease and associated with shorter RFS and PFS. The worse prognosis associated with MAGE-A+/PD-L1+ provides evidence that a combinatorial treatment strategy co-targeting MAGE/PD-L1 might be feasible. Further studies are needed to validate these findings.

Expression of cancer-testis antigens in esophageal cancer and their progress in immunotherapy

PURPOSE

Esophageal cancer is a common disease in China with low survival rate due to no obvious early symptoms and lack of effective screening strategies. Traditional treatments usually do not produce desirable results in patients with advanced esophageal cancer, so immunotherapy which relies on tumor-related antigens is needed to combat low survival rates effectively. Cancer-testis antigens (CTA), a large family of tumor-related antigens, have a strong in vivo immunogenicity and tumor-restricted expressing patterns in normal adult tissues. These two characteristics are ideal features of anticancer immunotherapy targets and, therefore, promoted the development of some studies of CTA-based therapy. To provide ideas for the role of the cancer-testis antigens MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, LAGE-1, and TTK in esophageal cancer, we summarized their expression, prognostic value, and development in immunotherapy.

METHODS

The relevant literature from PubMed is reviewed in this study.

RESULTS

In esophageal cancer, although the relationship between expression of MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, LAGE-1, and TTK and prognosis value is still in a controversial situation, MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, LAGE-1, and TTK are highly expressed and can induce specific CTL cells to produce particular killing effect on tumor cells, and some clinical trials have demonstrated that immunotherapy for esophageal cancer patients is effective and safe, which provides a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of esophageal cancer in the future.

CONCLUSION

In this review, we summarize expression and prognostic value of MAGE-A, NY-ESO-1, LAGE-1, and TTK in esophageal cancer and point out recent advances in immunotherapy about them.

Novel urinary biomarkers for the detection of bladder cancer: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Urinary biomarkers for the diagnosis of bladder cancer represents an area of considerable research which has been tested in both patients presenting with haematuria and non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients requiring surveillance cystoscopy. In this systematic review, we identify and appraise the diagnostic sensitive and specificity of reported novel biomarkers of different 'omic' class and highlight promising biomarkers investigated to date.

METHODS

A MEDLINE/Pubmed systematic search was performed between January 2013 and July 2017 using the following keywords: (bladder cancer OR transitional cell carcinoma OR urothelial cell carcinoma) AND (detection OR diagnosis) AND urine AND (biomarker OR assay). All studies had a minimum of 20 patients in both bladder cancer and control arms and reported sensitivity and/or specificity and/or receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. QUADAS-2 tool was used to assess risk of bias and applicability of studies. The search protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42016049918).

RESULTS

Systematic search yielded 115 reports were included for analysis. In single target biomarkers had a sensitivity of 2-94%, specificity of 46-100%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 47-100% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 21-94%. Multi-target biomarkers achieved a sensitivity of 24-100%, specificity of 48-100%, PPV of 42-95% and NPV of 32-100%. 50 studies achieved a sensitivity and specificity of ≥80%. Protein (n = 59) and transcriptomic (n = 21) biomarkers represents the most studied biomarkers. Multi-target biomarker panels had a better diagnostic accuracy compared to single biomarker targets. Urinary cytology with urinary biomarkers improved the diagnostic ability of the biomarker. The sensitivity and specificity of biomarkers were higher for primary diagnosis compared to patients in the surveillance setting. Most studies were case control studies and did not have a predefined threshold to determine a positive test result indicating a possible risk of bias.

CONCLUSION

This comprehensive systematic review provides an update on urinary biomarkers of different 'omic' class and highlights promising biomarkers. Few biomarkers achieve a high sensitivity and negative predictive value. Such biomarkers will require external validation in a prospective observational setting before adoption in clinical practice.

Precision medicine for urothelial bladder cancer: update on tumour genomics and immunotherapy

Effective management of advanced urothelial bladder cancer is challenging. New discoveries that improve our understanding of molecular bladder cancer subtypes have revealed numerous potentially targetable genomic alterations and demonstrated the efficacy of treatments that harness the immune system. These findings have begun to change paradigms of bladder cancer therapy. For example, DNA repair pathway mutations in genes such as ERCC2, FANCC, ATM, RB1, and others can predict responses to neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapies and to targeted therapies on the basis of mutation status. Furthermore, an increasing number of pan-cancer clinical trials (commonly referred to as basket or umbrella trials) are enrolling patients on the basis of molecular and genetic predictors of response. These studies promise to provide improved insight into the true utility of personalized medicine in the treatment of bladder cancer and many other cancer types. Finally, therapies that modulate immune responses have shown great benefit in many cancer types. Several immune checkpoint inhibitors that target programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1), its ligand PDL1, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) have already been approved for use in bladder cancer, representing the most important change to the urological oncologist's tool-kit in over a decade. These advances also provide opportunities for personalization of bladder cancer therapy.

Cancer-Testis Antigens as New Candidate Diagnostic Biomarkers for Transitional Cell Carcinoma of Bladder

To evaluate the diagnostic potential of 23 candidate genes, belonging to a category of tumor-specific antigens known as cancer-testis antigens (CTAs), in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) patients. The expression of 16 known candidate CTAs and seven testis restricted/selective genes, predominantly expressed in the testis, was evaluated by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Urinary exfoliated cells (UECs) and cancerous tissues of 73 TCC patients were used as cases, while 25 tumor-free adjacent bladder tissue specimens along with bladder tissue specimens and UECs of five non-TCC individuals were analyzed as controls. Among the known CTAs only MAGEA3, MAGEB4, TSGA10, PIWIL2, OIP5, and ODF4 were expressed specifically in TCC tissues and UEC samples. ACTL7A, AURKC, and CGB2 were testis-restricted/selective genes that indicated specific expression in cases in comparison to controls. MAGEA3, MAGEB4, and ODF4 mRNA was detectable in more than 50% of both TCC tissues, and UEC samples. Slight differences were detected in the mRNA expression pattern of candidate genes between the UEC samples and tumor tissues. Different panels formed by combinations of these genes can show up to 95.9% and 94.5% of positivity in TCC tissues and UEC samples, respectively, suggesting their diagnostic and surveillance potential. Meanwhile the RT-PCR assay of at least MAGEA3, MAGEB4, and ODF4 may be particularly useful for diagnostic and surveillance of TCC in the form of a multi-biomarker panel.

Cancer-testis antigen expression is shared between epithelial ovarian cancer tumors

OBJECTIVES

Cancer-testis (CT) antigens have been proposed as potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. Our objective was to evaluate the expression of a panel of CT antigens in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) tumor specimens, and to determine if antigen sharing occurs between tumors.

METHODS

RNA was isolated from EOC tumor specimens, EOC cell lines and benign ovarian tissue specimens. Real time-PCR analysis was performed to determine the expression level of 20 CT antigens.

RESULTS

A total of 62 EOC specimens, 8 ovarian cancer cell lines and 3 benign ovarian tissues were evaluated for CT antigen expression. The majority of the specimens were: high grade (62%), serous (68%) and advanced stage (74%). 58 (95%) of the EOC tumors analyzed expressed at least one of the CT antigens evaluated. The mean number of CT antigen expressed was 4.5 (0-17). The most frequently expressed CT antigen was MAGE A4 (65%). Antigen sharing analysis showed the following: 9 tumors shared only one antigen with 62% of the evaluated specimens, while 37 tumors shared 4 or more antigens with 82%. 5 tumors expressed over 10 CT antigens, which were shared with 90% of the tumor panel.

CONCLUSION

CT antigens are expressed in 95% of EOC tumor specimens. However, not a single antigen was universally expressed across all samples. The degree of antigen sharing between tumors increased with the total number of antigens expressed. These data suggest a multi-epitope approach for development of immunotherapy for ovarian cancer treatment.

The prevalence and expression pattern of melanoma-associated antigen 1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a historical cohort study

Introduction

Melanoma-associated antigen 1 (MAGE1) expression in normal tissues is restricted to the testes, whilst being over-expressed in a number of human cancers. This feature of MAGE1 makes it a promising cancer biomarker. This study aimed to determine the expression of MAGE1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its relationship with clinicopathological factors.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study conducted on pretreatment endoscopic tissue specimens of 43 patients with non-metastatic esophageal SCC, admitted to Omid Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, between 2011 and 2013. Out of 127 esophageal SCC patients who had already enrolled in a trial of trimodality therapy, we chose 43 patients whose paraffin blocks of endoscopic samples were accessible, which we then stained for MAGE1 expression by immunohistochemistry. Correlation of MAGE1expression and clinicopathological data (age, sex, stage, grade, and outcome) was assessed using SPSS 16 by T test, chi-square, and Pearson tests (p <0.05 was considered significant).

Results

MAGE1 was expressed in 46.5% (20 out of 43) of esophageal SCC specimens. The MAGE1 nuclear staining increased significantly by age; its expression for <40, 41–49, 50–59, 60–69, and ≥70 years old was 0%, 0%, 8.3%, 26.3%, and 100%, respectively (p=0.02; Person’s R value = 0.3 and p=0.04). There was no significant correlation between MAGE1 expression and other clinicopathological parameters.

Conclusion

MAGE1 antigen has considerable expression in the esophageal SCC among the Iranian population; it can be potentially applied as a cancer biomarker as well as a target for immunotherapy in patients with esophageal SCC.

Expression profile of SPACA5/Spaca5 in spermatogenesis and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

The majority of bladder cancer-associated mortalities are due to transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), which is the most prevalent and chemoresistant malignancy of the bladder. Sperm acrosome associated 5 (SPACA5)/Spaca5 is a sperm acrosome-associated, c-type lysozyme-like protein that has been recently identified, and has been designated as an attractive candidate antigen for cancer testis. In the present study, the expression profile of SPACA5/Spaca5 was analyzed in spermatogenesis and TCC of the bladder using diverse molecular and cellular biology methods. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to analyze the multi-tissue distribution and temporal expression of SPACA5/Spaca5, the SPACA5/Spaca5 gene was determined to be generally not expressed in normal tissue, with the exception of the testis, and it could be detected at a low level on day 20 after birth in mouse testes and at a higher level on day 28. Immunohistochemistry staining revealed that the SPACA5/Spaca5 protein was exclusively observed in the elongated spermatid of the normal testes, and was ectopically expressed in the cytoplasm of TCC, while it was not expressed in normal bladder tissues. The frequency of SPACA5 messenger RNA was detected in 45% of TCC (9/20) by RT-quantitative PCR. Furthermore, SPACA5 protein was more frequently detected in high-grade than in low-grade tumors (61.54 vs. 30.00%, P=0.035). Accordingly, high SPACA5 staining scores were observed to be significantly associated with high-grade tumors (n=65, R=0.279, P=0.027). Collectively, our findings indicated that SPACA5/Spaca5 may be important in male spermatogenesis and may be used as a potential target for specific immunotherapy in patients suffering from TCC.

Identification of a TSPY co-expression network associated with DNA hypomethylation and tumor gene expression in somatic cancers

Testis specific protein Y-encoded (TSPY) is a Y-located proto-oncogene predominantly expressed in normal male germ cells and various types of germ cell tumor. Significantly, TSPY is frequently expressed in somatic cancers including liver cancer but not in adjacent normal tissues, suggesting that ectopic TSPY expression could be associated with oncogenesis in non-germ cell cancers. Various studies demonstrated that TSPY expression promotes growth and proliferation in cancer cells; however, its relationship to other oncogenic events in TSPY-positive cancers remains unknown. The present study seeks to correlate TSPY expression with other molecular features in clinical cancer samples, by analyses of RNA-seq transcriptome and DNA methylation data in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. A total of 53 genes, including oncogenic lineage protein 28 homolog B (LIN28B) gene and RNA-binding motif protein Y-linked (RBMY) gene, are identified to be consistently co-expressed with TSPY, and have been collectively designated as the TSPY co-expression network (TCN). TCN genes were simultaneously activated in subsets of liver hepatocellular carcinoma (30%) and lung adenocarcinoma (10%) regardless of pathological stage, but only minimally in other cancer types. Further analysis revealed that the DNA methylation level was globally lower in the TCN-active than TCN-silent cancers. The specific expression and methylation patterns of TCN genes suggest that they could be useful as biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis and clinical management of cancers, especially those for liver and lung cancers, associated with TSPY co-expression network genes.

New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma-1 and cancer immunotherapy

New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 (NY-ESO-1) is a known cancer testis gene with exceptional immunogenicity and prevalent expression in many cancer types. These characteristics have made it an appropriate vaccine candidate with the potential application against various malignancies. This article reviews recent knowledge about the NY-ESO-1 biology, function, immunogenicity and expression in cancers as well as and the results of clinical trials with this antigen.

Identification of immunogenic MAGED4B peptides for vaccine development in oral cancer immunotherapy

The ever-increasing number of tumor-associated antigens has provided a major stimulus for the development of therapeutic peptides vaccines. Tumor-associated peptides can induce high immune response rates and have been developed as vaccines for several types of solid tumors, and many are at various stages of clinical testing. MAGED4B, a melanoma antigen, is overexpressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and this expression promotes proliferation and cell migration. In this study, we have identified 9 short peptides derived from MAGED4B protein that are restricted in binding to the HLA subtypes common in the Asian population (HLA-A2, A11, and A24). The peptides had good binding affinity with the MHC-Class I molecules and stimulated ex-vivo IFN-gamma and Granzyme-B production in blood samples from OSCC patients, suggesting that they are immunogenic. Further, T cells stimulated with peptide-pulsed dendritic cells showed enhanced T-cell cytotoxic activity against MAGED4B-overexpressing OSCC cell lines. In summary, we have identified MAGED4B peptides that induce anti-tumor immune responses advocating that they could be further developed as vaccine candidates for the treatment of OSCC.

[Expression and significance of MAGE genes in human lung cancer]

肺癌是常见的恶性肿瘤之一，因目前诊断易忽略微转移灶，造成肺癌预后极差，黑色素瘤相关抗原（melanoma associated antigens, MAGE）基因作为一种特异性肿瘤抗原基因，在肺癌的发生、发展和治疗中起着重要作用，其研究为肺癌的诊断和治疗提供了新的方向。

Rates of MAGE-A3 and PRAME expressing tumors in FFPE tissue specimens from bladder cancer patients: potential targets for antigen-specific cancer immunotherapeutics

INTRODUCTION

Antigen-specific active immunotherapy is an investigational therapeutic approach of potential interest for bladder cancer regardless of disease stage. Clinical development of antigen-specific immunotherapeutics against bladder cancer must be preceded by assessment of the expression of relevant genes in bladder tumors. The objectives of this study (NCT01706185) were to assess the rate of expression of the MAGE-A3 and PRAME genes in bladder tumors and to investigate the feasibility of using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor tissues for testing.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Archived FFPE bladder tumor specimens (any stage) were tested for mRNA expression of MAGE-A3 and PRAME using antigen-specific quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. Data on patients and tumor characteristics were obtained from hospital records to investigate these characteristics' possible association with the antigen expression.

RESULTS

Over 92% of the 156 tumors examined gave valid antigen test results. Of the tumors with a valid test, 46.5% were MAGE-A3-positive, 32.2% were PRAME-positive and 59.7% positive for at least one of them. Exploratory analyses of possible associations between antigen expression and patient or tumor characteristics did not identify clear associations between antigen expression and any of the variables investigated.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment of tumor antigen mRNA expression by using FFPE bladder tissues was feasible. The rates of MAGE-A3-positive and PRAME-positive tumors indicate that both antigens may be interesting targets for immunotherapeutics against bladder cancer.

Emerging antibody-based therapeutic strategies for bladder cancer: A systematic review

Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract, presents the highest recurrence rate among solid tumors and is the second leading cause of death in genitourinary cancers. Despite recent advances in understanding of pathophysiology of the disease, the management of bladder cancer patients remains a clinically challenging problem. Particularly, bladder tumors invading the muscularis propria and disseminated disease are often not responsive to currently available therapeutic approaches, which include surgery and conventional chemotherapy. Antibody-based therapeutic strategies have become an established treatment option for over a decade in several types of cancer. However, bladder cancer has remained mostly an "orphan disease" regarding the introduction of these novel therapeutics, which has been translated in few improvements in patients overall survival. In order to shift this paradigm, several clinical studies involving antibody-based therapeutic strategies targeting the most prominent bladder cancer-related biomolecular pathways and immunological mediators are ongoing. This systematic review explores antibody-based therapeutics for bladder cancer undergoing clinical trial and discusses the future perspectives in this field, envisaging the development of more effective guided therapeutics.