1
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Strobl MAR, Gallaher J, Robertson-Tessi M, West J, Anderson ARA. Treatment of evolving cancers will require dynamic decision support. Ann Oncol 2023; 34:867-884. [PMID: 37777307 PMCID: PMC10688269 DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2023.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer research has traditionally focused on developing new agents, but an underexplored question is that of the dose and frequency of existing drugs. Based on the modus operandi established in the early days of chemotherapies, most drugs are administered according to predetermined schedules that seek to deliver the maximum tolerated dose and are only adjusted for toxicity. However, we believe that the complex, evolving nature of cancer requires a more dynamic and personalized approach. Chronicling the milestones of the field, we show that the impact of schedule choice crucially depends on processes driving treatment response and failure. As such, cancer heterogeneity and evolution dictate that a one-size-fits-all solution is unlikely-instead, each patient should be mapped to the strategy that best matches their current disease characteristics and treatment objectives (i.e. their 'tumorscape'). To achieve this level of personalization, we need mathematical modeling. In this perspective, we propose a five-step 'Adaptive Dosing Adjusted for Personalized Tumorscapes (ADAPT)' paradigm to integrate data and understanding across scales and derive dynamic and personalized schedules. We conclude with promising examples of model-guided schedule personalization and a call to action to address key outstanding challenges surrounding data collection, model development, and integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A R Strobl
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa; Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, USA
| | - J Gallaher
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa
| | - M Robertson-Tessi
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa
| | - J West
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa
| | - A R A Anderson
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa.
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2
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Natterson-Horowitz B, Aktipis A, Fox M, Gluckman PD, Low FM, Mace R, Read A, Turner PE, Blumstein DT. The future of evolutionary medicine: sparking innovation in biomedicine and public health. FRONTIERS IN SCIENCE 2023; 1:997136. [PMID: 37869257 PMCID: PMC10590274 DOI: 10.3389/fsci.2023.997136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Evolutionary medicine - i.e. the application of insights from evolution and ecology to biomedicine - has tremendous untapped potential to spark transformational innovation in biomedical research, clinical care and public health. Fundamentally, a systematic mapping across the full diversity of life is required to identify animal model systems for disease vulnerability, resistance, and counter-resistance that could lead to novel clinical treatments. Evolutionary dynamics should guide novel therapeutic approaches that target the development of treatment resistance in cancers (e.g., via adaptive or extinction therapy) and antimicrobial resistance (e.g., via innovations in chemistry, antimicrobial usage, and phage therapy). With respect to public health, the insight that many modern human pathologies (e.g., obesity) result from mismatches between the ecologies in which we evolved and our modern environments has important implications for disease prevention. Life-history evolution can also shed important light on patterns of disease burden, for example in reproductive health. Experience during the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has underlined the critical role of evolutionary dynamics (e.g., with respect to virulence and transmissibility) in predicting and managing this and future pandemics, and in using evolutionary principles to understand and address aspects of human behavior that impede biomedical innovation and public health (e.g., unhealthy behaviors and vaccine hesitancy). In conclusion, greater interdisciplinary collaboration is vital to systematically leverage the insight-generating power of evolutionary medicine to better understand, prevent, and treat existing and emerging threats to human, animal, and planetary health.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. Natterson-Horowitz
- Division of Cardiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Athena Aktipis
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Molly Fox
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Peter D. Gluckman
- Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Felicia M. Low
- Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ruth Mace
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Read
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
- Department of Entomology, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Paul E. Turner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Program in Microbiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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3
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Artzy-Randrup Y, Epstein T, Brown JS, Costa RLB, Czerniecki BJ, Gatenby RA. Novel evolutionary dynamics of small populations in breast cancer adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy. NPJ Breast Cancer 2021; 7:26. [PMID: 33707440 PMCID: PMC7952601 DOI: 10.1038/s41523-021-00230-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Disseminated cancer cells (DCCs) are detected in the circulation and bone marrow of up to 40% of breast cancer (BC) patients with clinically localized disease. The formation of metastases is governed by eco-evolutionary interactions of DCCs with the tissue during the transition from microscopic populations to macroscopic disease. Here, we view BC adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments in the context of small population extinction dynamics observed in the Anthropocene era. Specifically, the unique eco-evolutionary dynamics of small asexually reproducing cancer populations render them highly vulnerable to: (1) environmental and demographic fluctuations, (2) Allee effects, (3) genetic drift and (4) population fragmentation. Furthermore, these typically interact, producing self-reinforcing, destructive dynamics—termed the Extinction Vortex—eradicating the population even when none of the perturbations is individually capable of causing extinction. We propose that developing BC adjuvant and neoadjuvant protocols may exploit these dynamics to prevent recovery and proliferation of small cancer populations during and after treatment—termed “Eco-evolutionary rescue” in natural extinctions. We hypothesize more strategic application of currently available agents based on the extinction vulnerabilities of small populations could improve clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yael Artzy-Randrup
- Department of Theoretical and Computational Ecology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Institute of Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tamir Epstein
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.,Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Joel S Brown
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.,Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Ricardo L B Costa
- Breast Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Brian J Czerniecki
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.,Breast Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Robert A Gatenby
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA. .,Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA. .,Diagnostic Imaging Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA.
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4
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Noë M, Hong SM, Wood LD, Thompson ED, Roberts NJ, Goggins MG, Klein AP, Eshleman JR, Kern SE, Hruban RH. Pancreatic cancer pathology viewed in the light of evolution. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2021; 40:661-674. [PMID: 33555482 PMCID: PMC8556193 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-020-09953-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
One way to understand ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (pancreatic cancer) is to view it as unimaginably large numbers of evolving living organisms interacting with their environment. This “evolutionary view” creates both expected and surprising perspectives in all stages of neoplastic progression. Advances in the field will require greater attention to this critical evolutionary prospective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaël Noë
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Seung-Mo Hong
- Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Laura D Wood
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Elizabeth D Thompson
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Nicholas J Roberts
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Michael G Goggins
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Alison P Klein
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA
| | - James R Eshleman
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Scott E Kern
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Ralph H Hruban
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Pathology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Carnegie 415, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
- Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
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5
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Ibrahim-Hashim A, Luddy K, Abrahams D, Enriquez-Navas P, Damgaci S, Yao J, Chen T, Bui MM, Gillies RJ, O'Farrelly C, Richards CL, Brown JS, Gatenby RA. Artificial selection for host resistance to tumour growth and subsequent cancer cell adaptations: an evolutionary arms race. Br J Cancer 2021; 124:455-465. [PMID: 33024265 PMCID: PMC7852689 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-020-01110-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer progression is governed by evolutionary dynamics in both the tumour population and its host. Since cancers die with the host, each new population of cancer cells must reinvent strategies to overcome the host's heritable defences. In contrast, host species evolve defence strategies over generations if tumour development limits procreation. METHODS We investigate this "evolutionary arms race" through intentional breeding of immunodeficient SCID and immunocompetent Black/6 mice to evolve increased tumour suppression. Over 10 generations, we injected Lewis lung mouse carcinoma cells [LL/2-Luc-M38] and selectively bred the two individuals with the slowest tumour growth at day 11. Their male progeny were hosts in the subsequent round. RESULTS The evolved SCID mice suppressed tumour growth through biomechanical restriction from increased mesenchymal proliferation, and the evolved Black/6 mice suppressed tumour growth by increasing immune-mediated killing of cancer cells. However, transcriptomic changes of multicellular tissue organisation and function genes allowed LL/2-Luc-M38 cells to adapt through increased matrix remodelling in SCID mice, and reduced angiogenesis, increased energy utilisation and accelerated proliferation in Black/6 mice. CONCLUSION Host species can rapidly evolve both immunologic and non-immunologic tumour defences. However, cancer cell plasticity allows effective phenotypic and population-based counter strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arig Ibrahim-Hashim
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Cancer Physiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Kimberly Luddy
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Cancer Physiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Dominique Abrahams
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Cancer Physiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Pedro Enriquez-Navas
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Cancer Physiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Sultan Damgaci
- Department of Cancer Physiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Jiqiang Yao
- Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Tingan Chen
- Analytic Microscopy Core, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Marilyn M Bui
- Analytic Microscopy Core, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Pathology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Robert J Gillies
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Cancer Physiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Radiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Cliona O'Farrelly
- School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Joel S Brown
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois, at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Robert A Gatenby
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
- Department of Radiology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
- Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
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6
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Erenpreisa J, Salmina K, Anatskaya O, Cragg MS. Paradoxes of cancer: Survival at the brink. Semin Cancer Biol 2020; 81:119-131. [PMID: 33340646 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The fundamental understanding of how Cancer initiates, persists and then progresses is evolving. High-resolution technologies, including single-cell mutation and gene expression measurements, are now attainable, providing an ever-increasing insight into the molecular details. However, this higher resolution has shown that somatic mutation theory itself cannot explain the extraordinary resistance of cancer to extinction. There is a need for a more Systems-based framework of understanding cancer complexity, which in particular explains the regulation of gene expression during cell-fate decisions. Cancer displays a series of paradoxes. Here we attempt to approach them from the view-point of adaptive exploration of gene regulatory networks at the edge of order and chaos, where cell-fate is changed by oscillations between alternative regulators of cellular senescence and reprogramming operating through self-organisation. On this background, the role of polyploidy in accessing the phylogenetically pre-programmed "oncofetal attractor" state, related to unicellularity, and the de-selection of unsuitable variants at the brink of cell survival is highlighted. The concepts of the embryological and atavistic theory of cancer, cancer cell "life-cycle", and cancer aneuploidy paradox are dissected under this lense. Finally, we challenge researchers to consider that cancer "defects" are mostly the adaptation tools of survival programs that have arisen during evolution and are intrinsic of cancer. Recognition of these features should help in the development of more successful anti-cancer treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kristine Salmina
- Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, LV-1067, Latvia
| | | | - Mark S Cragg
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
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7
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Anatskaya OV, Vinogradov AE, Vainshelbaum NM, Giuliani A, Erenpreisa J. Phylostratic Shift of Whole-Genome Duplications in Normal Mammalian Tissues towards Unicellularity Is Driven by Developmental Bivalent Genes and Reveals a Link to Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21228759. [PMID: 33228223 PMCID: PMC7699474 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumours were recently revealed to undergo a phylostratic and phenotypic shift to unicellularity. As well, aggressive tumours are characterized by an increased proportion of polyploid cells. In order to investigate a possible shared causation of these two features, we performed a comparative phylostratigraphic analysis of ploidy-related genes, obtained from transcriptomic data for polyploid and diploid human and mouse tissues using pairwise cross-species transcriptome comparison and principal component analysis. Our results indicate that polyploidy shifts the evolutionary age balance of the expressed genes from the late metazoan phylostrata towards the upregulation of unicellular and early metazoan phylostrata. The up-regulation of unicellular metabolic and drug-resistance pathways and the downregulation of pathways related to circadian clock were identified. This evolutionary shift was associated with the enrichment of ploidy with bivalent genes (p < 10−16). The protein interactome of activated bivalent genes revealed the increase of the connectivity of unicellulars and (early) multicellulars, while circadian regulators were depressed. The mutual polyploidy-c-MYC-bivalent genes-associated protein network was organized by gene-hubs engaged in both embryonic development and metastatic cancer including driver (proto)-oncogenes of viral origin. Our data suggest that, in cancer, the atavistic shift goes hand-in-hand with polyploidy and is driven by epigenetic mechanisms impinging on development-related bivalent genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga V. Anatskaya
- Department of Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of sciences, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Correspondence: (O.V.A.); (A.E.V.); (J.E.)
| | - Alexander E. Vinogradov
- Department of Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics, Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of sciences, 194064 St. Petersburg, Russia
- Correspondence: (O.V.A.); (A.E.V.); (J.E.)
| | - Ninel M. Vainshelbaum
- Department of Oncology, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Cancer Research Division, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia;
- Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, LV-1586 Riga, Latvia
| | | | - Jekaterina Erenpreisa
- Department of Oncology, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Cancer Research Division, LV-1067 Riga, Latvia;
- Correspondence: (O.V.A.); (A.E.V.); (J.E.)
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8
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Gatenby RA, Brown JS. Integrating evolutionary dynamics into cancer therapy. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2020; 17:675-686. [PMID: 32699310 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-020-0411-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Many effective drugs for metastatic and/or advanced-stage cancers have been developed over the past decade, although the evolution of resistance remains the major barrier to disease control or cure. In large, diverse populations such as the cells that compose metastatic cancers, the emergence of cells that are resistant or that can quickly develop resistance is virtually inevitable and most likely cannot be prevented. However, clinically significant resistance occurs only when the pre-existing resistant phenotypes are able to proliferate extensively, a process governed by eco-evolutionary dynamics. Attempts to disrupt the molecular mechanisms of resistance have generally been unsuccessful in clinical practice. In this Review, we focus on the Darwinian processes driving the eco-evolutionary dynamics of treatment-resistant cancer populations. We describe a variety of evolutionarily informed strategies designed to increase the probability of disease control or cure by anticipating and steering the evolutionary dynamics of acquired resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Gatenby
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
- Diagnostic Imaging Department, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA.
| | - Joel S Brown
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Integrated Mathematical Oncology Department, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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9
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Characterizing the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of cancer. Nat Genet 2020; 52:759-767. [DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-0668-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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10
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Using antagonistic pleiotropy to design a chemotherapy-induced evolutionary trap to target drug resistance in cancer. Nat Genet 2020; 52:408-417. [PMID: 32203462 PMCID: PMC7398704 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-0590-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Local adaptation directs populations towards environment-specific fitness maxima through acquisition of positively selected traits. However, rapid environmental changes can identify hidden fitness trade-offs that turn adaptation into maladaptation, resulting in evolutionary traps. Cancer, a disease that is prone to drug resistance, is in principle susceptible to such traps. We therefore performed pooled CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screens in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells treated with various chemotherapies to map the drug-dependent genetic basis of fitness trade-offs, a concept known as antagonistic pleiotropy (AP). We identified a PRC2-NSD2/3-mediated MYC regulatory axis as a drug-induced AP pathway whose ability to confer resistance to bromodomain inhibition and sensitivity to BCL-2 inhibition templates an evolutionary trap. Across diverse AML cell-line and patient-derived xenograft models, we find that acquisition of resistance to bromodomain inhibition through this pathway exposes coincident hypersensitivity to BCL-2 inhibition. Thus, drug-induced AP can be leveraged to design evolutionary traps that selectively target drug resistance in cancer.
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11
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Parks SK, Mueller-Klieser W, Pouysségur J. Lactate and Acidity in the Cancer Microenvironment. ANNUAL REVIEW OF CANCER BIOLOGY-SERIES 2020. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-cancerbio-030419-033556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Fermentative glycolysis, an ancient evolved metabolic pathway, is exploited by rapidly growing tissues and tumors but also occurs in response to the nutritional and energetic demands of differentiated tissues. The lactic acid it produces is transported across cell membranes through reversible H+/lactate−symporters (MCT1 and MCT4) and is recycled in organs as a major metabolic precursor of gluconeogenesis and an energy source. Concentrations of lactate in the tumor environment, investigated utilizing an induced metabolic bioluminescence imaging (imBI) technique, appear to be dominant biomarkers of tumor response to irradiation and resistance to treatment. Suppression of lactic acid formation by genetic disruption of lactate dehydrogenases A and B in aggressive tumors reactivated OXPHOS (oxidative phosphorylation) to maintain xenograft tumor growth at a halved rate. In contrast, disruption of the lactic acid transporters MCT1/4 suppressed glycolysis, mTORC1, and tumor growth as a result of intracellular acidosis. Furthermore, the global reduction of tumor acidity contributes to activation of the antitumor immune responses, offering hope for future clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott K. Parks
- Department of Medical Biology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM), 98000 Monaco
| | - Wolfgang Mueller-Klieser
- Institute of Pathophysiology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jacques Pouysségur
- Department of Medical Biology, Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM), 98000 Monaco
- Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice (IRCAN), CNRS UMR 7284, INSERM U1081, Centre A. Lacassagne, University Côte d'Azur, 06189 Nice, France
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12
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Gatenby RA, Artzy-Randrup Y, Epstein T, Reed DR, Brown JS. Eradicating Metastatic Cancer and the Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Anthropocene Extinctions. Cancer Res 2020; 80:613-623. [PMID: 31772037 PMCID: PMC7771333 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-1941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Curative therapy for metastatic cancers is equivalent to causing extinction of a large, heterogeneous, and geographically dispersed population. Although eradication of dinosaurs is a dramatic example of extinction dynamics, similar application of massive eco-evolutionary force in cancer treatment is typically limited by host toxicity. Here, we investigate the evolutionary dynamics of Anthropocene species extinctions as an alternative model for curative cancer therapy. Human activities can produce extinctions of large, diverse, and geographically distributed populations. The extinction of a species typically follows a pattern in which initial demographic and ecological insults reduce the size and heterogeneity of the population. The surviving individuals, with decreased genetic diversity and often fragmented ecology, are then vulnerable to small stochastic perturbations that further reduce the population until extinction is inevitable. We hypothesize large, diverse, and disseminated cancer populations can be eradicated using similar evolutionary dynamics. Initial therapy is applied to reduce population size and diversity and followed by new treatments to exploit the eco-evolutionary vulnerability of small and/or declining populations. Mathematical models and computer simulations demonstrate initial reductive treatment followed immediately by demographic and ecological perturbations, similar to the empirically derived treatment of pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia, can consistently achieve curative outcomes in nonpediatric cancers. SIGNIFICANCE: Anthropocene extinctions suggest a strategy for eradicating metastatic cancers in which initial therapy, by reducing the size and diversity of the population, renders it vulnerable to extinction by rapidly applied additional perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Gatenby
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, Tampa, Florida.
- Department of Radiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
| | - Yael Artzy-Randrup
- Department of Theoretical and Computational Ecology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Tamir Epstein
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, Tampa, Florida
| | - Damon R Reed
- Department of Interdisciplinary Cancer Management, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
| | - Joel S Brown
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, Tampa, Florida
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13
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Erenpreisa J, Giuliani A. Resolution of Complex Issues in Genome Regulation and Cancer Requires Non-Linear and Network-Based Thermodynamics. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 21:E240. [PMID: 31905791 PMCID: PMC6981914 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The apparent lack of success in curing cancer that was evidenced in the last four decades of molecular medicine indicates the need for a global re-thinking both its nature and the biological approaches that we are taking in its solution. The reductionist, one gene/one protein method that has served us well until now, and that still dominates in biomedicine, requires complementation with a more systemic/holistic approach, to address the huge problem of cross-talk between more than 20,000 protein-coding genes, about 100,000 protein types, and the multiple layers of biological organization. In this perspective, the relationship between the chromatin network organization and gene expression regulation plays a fundamental role. The elucidation of such a relationship requires a non-linear thermodynamics approach to these biological systems. This change of perspective is a necessary step for developing successful 'tumour-reversion' therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jekaterina Erenpreisa
- Cancer Research Division, Latvian Biomedicine Research and Study Centre, LV1067 Riga, Latvia
| | - Alessandro Giuliani
- Environmental and Health Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy;
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14
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Gatenby RA, Zhang J, Brown JS. First Strike-Second Strike Strategies in Metastatic Cancer: Lessons from the Evolutionary Dynamics of Extinction. Cancer Res 2019; 79:3174-3177. [PMID: 31221821 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-19-0807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 04/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
While clinical cancer research has produced many highly effective drugs, the diversity and evolutionary capacity of most cancer populations remain insurmountable barriers to cure. Here, we propose that curative outcomes may, nevertheless, be achieved by sequencing therapies that are individually effective but noncurative. Basic principles for such an approach are derived from the eco-evolutionary dynamics of background extinctions in which a "first strike" reduces the size and heterogeneity of the population. When followed immediately by demographic and ecological "second strikes," the population can be reduced below some minimum threshold, leading inevitably to extinction. This strategy bears strong similarity to the empirically-derived curative therapy in childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A Gatenby
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida. .,Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida.,Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
| | - Jingsong Zhang
- Department of GU Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
| | - Joel S Brown
- Cancer Biology and Evolution Program, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida.,Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
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15
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Lorenzi T, Venkataraman C, Lorz A, Chaplain MAJ. The role of spatial variations of abiotic factors in mediating intratumour phenotypic heterogeneity. J Theor Biol 2018; 451:101-110. [PMID: 29750997 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Revised: 05/01/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
We present here a space- and phenotype-structured model of selection dynamics between cancer cells within a solid tumour. In the framework of this model, we combine formal analyses with numerical simulations to investigate in silico the role played by the spatial distribution of abiotic components of the tumour microenvironment in mediating phenotypic selection of cancer cells. Numerical simulations are performed both on the 3D geometry of an in silico multicellular tumour spheroid and on the 3D geometry of an in vivo human hepatic tumour, which was imaged using computerised tomography. The results obtained show that inhomogeneities in the spatial distribution of oxygen, currently observed in solid tumours, can promote the creation of distinct local niches and lead to the selection of different phenotypic variants within the same tumour. This process fosters the emergence of stable phenotypic heterogeneity and supports the presence of hypoxic cells resistant to cytotoxic therapy prior to treatment. Our theoretical results demonstrate the importance of integrating spatial data with ecological principles when evaluating the therapeutic response of solid tumours to cytotoxic therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Lorenzi
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9SS, United Kingdom
| | | | - Alexander Lorz
- CEMSE Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7598, Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions, Paris, France
| | - Mark A J Chaplain
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9SS, United Kingdom.
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16
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Vignola-Gagné E, Keating P, Cambrosio A. Informing materials: drugs as tools for exploring cancer mechanisms and pathways. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES 2017; 39:10. [PMID: 28523636 DOI: 10.1007/s40656-017-0135-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This paper builds on previous work that investigated anticancer drugs as 'informed materials', i.e., substances that undergo an informational enrichment that situates them in a dense relational web of qualifications and measurements generated by clinical experiments and clinical trials. The paper analyzes the recent transformation of anticancer drugs from 'informed' to 'informing material'. Briefly put: in the post-genomic era, anti-cancer drugs have become instruments for the production of new biological, pathological, and therapeutic insights into the underlying etiology and evolution of cancer. Genomic platforms characterize individual patients' tumors based on their mutational landscapes. As part of this new approach, drugs targeting specific mutations transcend informational enrichment to become tools for informing (and destabilizing) their targets, while also problematizing the very notion of a 'target'. In other words, they have become tools for the exploration of cancer pathways and mechanisms. While several studies in the philosophy and history of biomedicine have called attention to the heuristic relevance and experimental use of drugs, few have investigated concrete instances of this role of drugs in clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Vignola-Gagné
- Department of Social Studies of Medicine, McGill University, 3647 Peel, Montreal, QC, H3A 1X1, Canada.
| | - Peter Keating
- Department of History, University of Quebec at Montreal, Case Postale 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Alberto Cambrosio
- Department of Social Studies of Medicine, McGill University, 3647 Peel, Montreal, QC, H3A 1X1, Canada
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17
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Abstract
The technique of induced metabolic bioluminescence imaging (imBI) has been developed to obtain a "snapshot" of the momentary metabolic status of biological tissues. Using cryosections of snap-frozen tissue specimens, imBI combines highly specific and sensitive in situ detection of metabolites with a spatial resolution on a microscopic level and with metabolic imaging in relation to tissue histology. Here, we present the application of imBI in human colorectal cancer. Comparing the metabolic information of one biopsy with that of 2 or 3 biopsies per individual cancer, the classification into high versus low lactate tumors, reflecting different glycolytic activities, based on a single biopsy was in agreement with the result from multiple biopsies in 83 % of all cases. We further demonstrate that the metabolic status of tumor tissue can be preserved at least over 10 years by storage in liquid nitrogen, but not by storage at -80 °C. This means that tissue banking with long-term preservation of the metabolic status is possible at -180 °C, which may be relevant for studies on long-term survival of cancer patients. As with other tumor entities, tissue lactate concentration was shown to be correlated with tumor development and progression in colorectal cancer. At first-time diagnosis, lactate values were low in rectal normal tissue and adenomas, were significantly elevated to intermediate levels in non-metastatic adenocarcinomas, and were very high in carcinomas with distant metastasis. There was an inverse behavior of tissue glucose concentration under corresponding conditions. The expression level of monocarboxylate transporter-4 (MCT4) was positively correlated with the tumor lactate concentration and may thus contribute to high lactate tumors being associated with a high degree of malignancy.
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18
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Davis A, Gao R, Navin N. Tumor evolution: Linear, branching, neutral or punctuated? Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2017; 1867:151-161. [PMID: 28110020 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2017.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 01/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Intratumor heterogeneity has been widely reported in human cancers, but our knowledge of how this genetic diversity emerges over time remains limited. A central challenge in studying tumor evolution is the difficulty in collecting longitudinal samples from cancer patients. Consequently, most studies have inferred tumor evolution from single time-point samples, providing very indirect information. These data have led to several competing models of tumor evolution: linear, branching, neutral and punctuated. Each model makes different assumptions regarding the timing of mutations and selection of clones, and therefore has different implications for the diagnosis and therapeutic treatment of cancer patients. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests that models may change during tumor progression or operate concurrently for different classes of mutations. Finally, we discuss data that supports the theory that most human tumors evolve from a single cell in the normal tissue. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Evolutionary principles - heterogeneity in cancer?, edited by Dr. Robert A. Gatenby.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Davis
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ruli Gao
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Nicholas Navin
- Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
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19
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Abstract
Recent developments in studies of tumor heterogeneity have provoked new thoughts on cancer management. There is a desperate need to understand influence of the tumor microenvironment on cancer development and evolution. Applying principles and quantitative methods from ecology can suggest novel solutions to fulfil this need. We discuss spatial heterogeneity as a fundamental biological feature of the microenvironment, which has been largely ignored. Histological samples can provide spatial context of diverse cell types coexisting within the microenvironment. Advanced computer-vision techniques have been developed for spatial mapping of cells in histological samples. This has enabled the applications of experimental and analytical tools from ecology to cancer research, generating system-level knowledge of microenvironmental spatial heterogeneity. We focus on studies of immune infiltrate and tumor resource distribution, and highlight statistical approaches for addressing the emerging challenges based on these new approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinyin Yuan
- Centre for Evolution and Cancer and Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London; and Centre for Molecular Pathology, Royal Marsden Hospital, London
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20
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Yant L, Bomblies K. Genome management and mismanagement--cell-level opportunities and challenges of whole-genome duplication. Genes Dev 2016; 29:2405-19. [PMID: 26637526 PMCID: PMC4691946 DOI: 10.1101/gad.271072.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Whole-genome duplication (WGD) doubles the DNA content in the nucleus and leads to polyploidy. In this review, Yant and Bomblies discuss both the adaptive potential and problems associated with WGD, focusing primarily on cellular effects. Whole-genome duplication (WGD) doubles the DNA content in the nucleus and leads to polyploidy. In whole-organism polyploids, WGD has been implicated in adaptability and the evolution of increased genome complexity, but polyploidy can also arise in somatic cells of otherwise diploid plants and animals, where it plays important roles in development and likely environmental responses. As with whole organisms, WGD can also promote adaptability and diversity in proliferating cell lineages, although whether WGD is beneficial is clearly context-dependent. WGD is also sometimes associated with aging and disease and may be a facilitator of dangerous genetic and karyotypic diversity in tumorigenesis. Scaling changes can affect cell physiology, but problems associated with WGD in large part seem to arise from problems with chromosome segregation in polyploid cells. Here we discuss both the adaptive potential and problems associated with WGD, focusing primarily on cellular effects. We see value in recognizing polyploidy as a key player in generating diversity in development and cell lineage evolution, with intriguing parallels across kingdoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levi Yant
- John Innes Centre, Colney, Norwich NR4 7UH, United Kingdom
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21
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Chowell D, Boddy AM, Mallo D, Tollis M, Maley CC. When (distant) relatives stay too long: implications for cancer medicine. Genome Biol 2016; 17:34. [PMID: 26912072 PMCID: PMC4765205 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-016-0906-3] [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] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Whole-genome analyses of human medulloblastomas show that the dominant clone at relapse is present as a rare subclone at primary diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Chowell
- Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA.,Simon A. Levin Mathematical, Computational and Modeling Sciences Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA
| | - Amy M Boddy
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA.,Center for Evolution and Cancer, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 94158, USA
| | - Diego Mallo
- Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA
| | - Marc Tollis
- Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA
| | - Carlo C Maley
- Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, 85281, USA. .,Center for Evolution and Cancer, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 94158, USA.
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22
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Wang G, Chen L, Yu B, Zellmer L, Xu N, Liao DJ. Learning about the Importance of Mutation Prevention from Curable Cancers and Benign Tumors. J Cancer 2016; 7:436-45. [PMID: 26918057 PMCID: PMC4749364 DOI: 10.7150/jca.13832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2015] [Accepted: 12/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Some cancers can be cured by chemotherapy or radiotherapy, presumably because they are derived from those cell types that not only can die easily but also have already been equipped with mobility and adaptability, which would later allow the cancers to metastasize without the acquisition of additional mutations. From a viewpoint of biological dispersal, invasive and metastatic cells may, among other possibilities, have been initial losers in the competition for resources with other cancer cells in the same primary tumor and thus have had to look for new habitats in order to survive. If this is really the case, manipulation of their ecosystems, such as by slightly ameliorating their hardship, may prevent metastasis. Since new mutations may occur, especially during and after therapy, to drive progression of cancer cells to metastasis and therapy-resistance, preventing new mutations from occurring should be a key principle for the development of new anticancer drugs. Such new drugs should be able to kill cancer cells very quickly without leaving the surviving cells enough time to develop new mutations and select resistant or metastatic clones. This principle questions the traditional use and the future development of genotoxic drugs for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gangshi Wang
- 1. Department of Geriatric Gastroenterology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, P.R. China
| | - Lichan Chen
- 2. Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Baofa Yu
- 3. Beijing Baofa Cancer Hospital, Shahe Wangzhuang Gong Ye Yuan, Chang Pin Qu, Beijing 102206, P.R. China
| | - Lucas Zellmer
- 2. Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota, Austin, MN 55912, USA
| | - Ningzhi Xu
- 4. Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, Cancer Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing 100021, P.R. China
| | - D Joshua Liao
- 5. D. Joshua Liao, Clinical Research Center, Guizhou Medical University Hospital, Guizhou, Guiyang 550004, P.R. China
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23
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Martinez-Barbera JP. 60 YEARS OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY: Biology of human craniopharyngioma: lessons from mouse models. J Endocrinol 2015; 226:T161-72. [PMID: 25926515 DOI: 10.1530/joe-15-0145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas (ACP) are clinically relevant tumours that are associated with high morbidity, poor quality of life and occasional mortality. Human and mouse studies have provided important insights into the biology of these aggressive tumours, and we are starting to understand why, how and when these tumours develop in humans. Mutations in β-catenin that result in the over-activation of the WNT/β-catenin signalling pathway are critical drivers of most, perhaps of all, human ACPs. Mouse studies have shown that only pituitary embryonic precursors or adult stem cells are able to generate tumours when targeted with oncogenic β-catenin, which suggests that the cell context is critical in order for mutant β-catenin to exert its oncogenic effect. Interestingly, mutant stem cells do not generate the bulk of the tumour cells; instead, they induce tumours in a paracrine manner. Combining basic studies in mice and humans will provide further insights into the biology of these neoplasms and will reveal pathogenic pathways that could be targeted with specific inhibitors for the benefit of patients. These benign tumours may additionally represent a unique model for investigating the early steps that lead to oncogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Pedro Martinez-Barbera
- Developmental Biology and Cancer ProgrammeInstitute of Child Health, Birth Defects Research Centre, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, WC1N 1EH London, UK
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