1
|
Yu SJ. Immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma: Recent advances and future targets. Pharmacol Ther 2023; 244:108387. [PMID: 36948423 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2023.108387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a promising approach to treating various types of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While single immunotherapy drugs show limited effectiveness on a small subset of patients, the combination of the anti PD-L1 atezolizumab and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor bevacizumab has shown significant improvement in survival compared to sorafenib as a first-line treatment. However, the current treatment options still have a low success rate of about 30%. Thus, more effective treatments for HCC are urgently required. Several novel immunotherapeutic methods, including the use of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors, innovative immune cell therapies like chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), TCR gene-modified T cells and stem cells, as well as combination strategies are being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of HCC. However, some crucial issues still exist such as the presence of heterogeneous antigens in solid tumors, the immune-suppressive environment within tumors, the risk of on-target/off-tumor, infiltrating CAR-T cells, immunosuppressive checkpoint molecules, and cytokines. Overall, immunotherapy is on the brink of major advancements in the fight against HCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Su Jong Yu
- Department of Internal Medicine and Liver Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang H, Song Z, Xie E, Chen J, Tang B, Wang F, Min J. Targeting the LSD1-G9a-ER Stress Pathway as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. RESEARCH 2022; 2022:9814652. [PMID: 35707047 PMCID: PMC9185438 DOI: 10.34133/2022/9814652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Despite recent advances in the management and treatment of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the prognosis remains extremely poor, and current nonsurgical treatment options are limited. To identify new therapeutic targets, we screened a curated library of epigenetic compounds using a panel of cancer cell lines and found that coinhibiting the histone demethylase LSD1 and the histone methyltransferase G9a potently suppresses cell growth; similar results were obtained by knocking down both LSD1 and G9a expression. Importantly, we also found that inhibiting LSD1 and G9a significantly decreased tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model with ESCC cell lines. To examine the clinical relevance of these findings, we performed immunohistochemical analyses of microarray profiling data obtained from human esophageal squamous cancer tissues and found that both LSD1 and G9a are upregulated in cancer tissues compared to healthy tissues, and this increased expression was significantly correlated with poor prognosis. Mechanistically, we discovered that inhibiting LSD1 and G9a induces cell death via S-phase arrest and apoptosis, and cotargeting ER stress pathways increased this effect both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, these findings provide compelling evidence that targeting LSD1, G9a, and ER stress-related pathways may serve as a viable therapeutic strategy for ESCC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongxiao Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Basic Medical Sciences, School of Public Health, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
- Department of Pathology, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University, People’s Hospital of Henan University, Zhengzhou 450003, China
| | - Zijun Song
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Enjun Xie
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Junyi Chen
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Biyao Tang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Fudi Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Basic Medical Sciences, School of Public Health, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang 421001, China
| | - Junxia Min
- The First Affiliated Hospital, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Public Health, Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Braghini MR, Lo Re O, Romito I, Fernandez-Barrena MG, Barbaro B, Pomella S, Rota R, Vinciguerra M, Avila MA, Alisi A. Epigenetic remodelling in human hepatocellular carcinoma. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:107. [PMID: 35331312 PMCID: PMC8943959 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02297-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary liver cancer, being the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death. As other heterogeneous solid tumours, HCC results from a unique synergistic combination of genetic alterations mixed with epigenetic modifications.In HCC the patterns and frequencies of somatic variations change depending on the nearby chromatin. On the other hand, epigenetic alterations often induce genomic instability prone to mutations. Epigenetics refers to heritable states of gene expression without alteration to the DNA sequence itself and, unlike genetic changes, the epigenetic modifications are reversible and affect gene expression more extensively than genetic changes. Thus, studies of epigenetic regulation and the involved molecular machinery are greatly contributing to the understanding of the mechanisms that underline HCC onset and heterogeneity. Moreover, this knowledge may help to identify biomarkers for HCC diagnosis and prognosis, as well as future new targets for more efficacious therapeutic approaches.In this comprehensive review we will discuss the state-of-the-art knowledge about the epigenetic landscape in hepatocarcinogenesis, including evidence on the diagnostic and prognostic role of non-coding RNAs, modifications occurring at the chromatin level, and their role in the era of precision medicine.Apart from other better-known risk factors that predispose to the development of HCC, characterization of the epigenetic remodelling that occurs during hepatocarcinogenesis could open the way to the identification of personalized biomarkers. It may also enable a more accurate diagnosis and stratification of patients, and the discovery of new targets for more efficient therapeutic approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rita Braghini
- Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Viale S. Paolo, 15, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Oriana Lo Re
- Department of Translational Stem Cell Biology, Research Institute of the Medical University of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria
| | - Ilaria Romito
- Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Viale S. Paolo, 15, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Maite G Fernandez-Barrena
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Center for the Study of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (CIBERehd), Carlos III National Institute of Health, Madrid, Spain
| | - Barbara Barbaro
- Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Viale S. Paolo, 15, 00146, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Pomella
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cellular and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Rota
- Department of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology and Cellular and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Manlio Vinciguerra
- Department of Translational Stem Cell Biology, Research Institute of the Medical University of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria
| | - Matias A Avila
- Hepatology Program, CIMA, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
- Center for the Study of Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases (CIBERehd), Carlos III National Institute of Health, Madrid, Spain
| | - Anna Alisi
- Unit of Molecular Genetics of Complex Phenotypes, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Viale S. Paolo, 15, 00146, Rome, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|