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Peng M, Chu X, Peng Y, Li D, Zhang Z, Wang W, Zhou X, Xiao D, Yang X. Targeted therapies in bladder cancer: signaling pathways, applications, and challenges. MedComm (Beijing) 2023; 4:e455. [PMID: 38107059 PMCID: PMC10724512 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Bladder cancer (BC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies in men. Understanding molecular characteristics via studying signaling pathways has made tremendous breakthroughs in BC therapies. Thus, targeted therapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) have markedly improved advanced BC outcomes over the last few years. However, the considerable patients still progress after a period of treatment with current therapeutic regimens. Therefore, it is crucial to guide future drug development to improve BC survival, based on the molecular characteristics of BC and clinical outcomes of existing drugs. In this perspective, we summarize the applications and benefits of these targeted drugs and highlight our understanding of mechanisms of low response rates and immune escape of ICIs, ADCs toxicity, and TKI resistance. We also discuss potential solutions to these problems. In addition, we underscore the future drug development of targeting metabolic reprogramming and cancer stem cells (CSCs) with a deep understanding of their signaling pathways features. We expect that finding biomarkers, developing novo drugs and designing clinical trials with precisely selected patients and rationalized drugs will dramatically improve the quality of life and survival of patients with advanced BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Peng
- Department of PharmacyXiangya HospitalCentral South UniversityChangshaHunanChina
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Xuetong Chu
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Yan Peng
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Duo Li
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Zhirong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Weifan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Xiaochen Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Di Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
| | - Xiaoping Yang
- Key Laboratory of Study and Discovery of Small Targeted Molecules of Hunan ProvinceThe Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan ProvinceKey Laboratory of Chemical Biology & Traditional Chinese Medicine Research of Ministry of EducationDepartment of PharmacySchool of MedicineHunan Normal UniversityChangshaHunanChina
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Rehman H, Chandrashekar DS, Balabhadrapatruni C, Nepal S, Balasubramanya SAH, Shelton AK, Skinner KR, Ma AH, Rao T, Eich ML, Robinson AD, Naik G, Manne U, Netto GJ, Miller CR, Pan CX, Sonpavde G, Varambally S, Ferguson III JE. ARID1A-deficient bladder cancer is dependent on PI3K signaling and sensitive to EZH2 and PI3K inhibitors. JCI Insight 2022; 7:155899. [PMID: 35852858 PMCID: PMC9462490 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.155899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Metastatic urothelial carcinoma is generally incurable with current systemic therapies. Chromatin modifiers are frequently mutated in bladder cancer, with ARID1A-inactivating mutations present in about 20% of tumors. EZH2, a histone methyltransferase, acts as an oncogene that functionally opposes ARID1A. In addition, PI3K signaling is activated in more than 20% of bladder cancers. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo data, including patient-derived xenografts, we show that ARID1A-mutant tumors were more sensitive to EZH2 inhibition than ARID1A WT tumors. Mechanistic studies revealed that (a) ARID1A deficiency results in a dependency on PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling via upregulation of a noncanonical PI3K regulatory subunit, PIK3R3, and downregulation of MAPK signaling and (b) EZH2 inhibitor sensitivity is due to upregulation of PIK3IP1, a protein inhibitor of PI3K signaling. We show that PIK3IP1 inhibited PI3K signaling by inducing proteasomal degradation of PIK3R3. Furthermore, ARID1A-deficient bladder cancer was sensitive to combination therapies with EZH2 and PI3K inhibitors in a synergistic manner. Thus, our studies suggest that bladder cancers with ARID1A mutations can be treated with inhibitors of EZH2 and/or PI3K and revealed mechanistic insights into the role of noncanonical PI3K constituents in bladder cancer biology.
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Riedel F, Münker M, Roghmann F, Breyer J, Schnabel MJ, Burger M, Sikic D, Büttner T, Ritter M, Hiller K, Wezel F, Bolenz C, Zengerling F. Efficacy of Vinflunine for Patients with Metastatic Urothelial Cancer after Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Pretreatment-A Retrospective Multicenter Analysis. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14122850. [PMID: 35740516 PMCID: PMC9220857 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14122850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary With the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in recent years, the treatment landscape of metastatic urothelial cancer has undergone a substantial transformation. Nevertheless, disease progression after prior platinum-based chemotherapy and ICI pretreatment remains a challenging clinical situation with little evidence for following therapeutic options. The aim of this multicenter analysis was to examine the efficacy of the vinca alkaloid vinflunine after previous ICI therapy. In our cohort, post-ICI patients showed an overall response rate (ORR) of 22.4% compared to 15.6% within ICI-naïve patients (p = 0.451), and the clinical benefit rate (CBR) was 51.0% vs. 25.0% (p = 0.020), respectively. Post-ICI patients showed longer OS (8.78 vs. 5.72 months; p = 0.467) and longer PFS (3.09 vs. 2.14 months; p = 0.105). Our analysis demonstrates the clinical activity of vinflunine in a third- or later-line post-ICI setting, and the therapeutic benefit may be considerably higher than demonstrated in previous studies. Abstract Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are standard of care in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) ineligible for cisplatin, and as second-line therapy after platinum-based chemotherapy. To date, few data exist about the efficacy of the former second-line chemotherapeutic agent vinflunine after the failure of sequential platinum-based chemotherapy and ICI treatment. The aim of this analysis was to examine the efficacy of vinflunine in a post-ICI third- or later-line setting. Methods: In this retrospective German multicenter study, data of mUC patients treated with vinflunine were reviewed in six centers between February 2010 and December 2021. All of the 105 included patients had radiologic progression after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. The objective was to describe the efficacy of vinflunine in terms of overall response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) for post-ICI and ICI-naïve patients, respectively. Results: In our cohort, 61 patients (58.1%) had preceding immunotherapy before vinflunine administration, and 44 patients (41.9%) were ICI-naïve. Patients with ICI pretreatment showed an ORR of 22.4% compared to 15.6% within ICI-naïve patients (p = 0.451), and CBR was 51.0% vs. 25.0% (p = 0.020), respectively. Post-ICI patients showed longer OS (8.78 vs. 5.72 months; p = 0.467) and longer PFS (3.09 vs. 2.14 months; p = 0.105). Conclusion: This analysis supports the sequential use of vinflunine in post-ICI patients since the vinca-alkaloid retains a measurable clinical activity in these heavily pretreated patients. The therapeutic benefit may be higher than demonstrated in previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Riedel
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (F.W.); (C.B.); (F.Z.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-175-1505482
| | - Mara Münker
- Department of Urology, Marien Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44625 Herne, Germany; (M.M.); (F.R.)
| | - Florian Roghmann
- Department of Urology, Marien Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44625 Herne, Germany; (M.M.); (F.R.)
| | - Johannes Breyer
- Department of Urology, Caritas Hospital St. Josef, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (J.B.); (M.J.S.); (M.B.)
| | - Marco J. Schnabel
- Department of Urology, Caritas Hospital St. Josef, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (J.B.); (M.J.S.); (M.B.)
| | - Maximilian Burger
- Department of Urology, Caritas Hospital St. Josef, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (J.B.); (M.J.S.); (M.B.)
| | - Danijel Sikic
- Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Thomas Büttner
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), 53127 Bonn, Germany; (T.B.); (M.R.)
| | - Manuel Ritter
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Bonn (UKB), 53127 Bonn, Germany; (T.B.); (M.R.)
| | - Kiriaki Hiller
- National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
| | - Felix Wezel
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (F.W.); (C.B.); (F.Z.)
| | - Christian Bolenz
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (F.W.); (C.B.); (F.Z.)
| | - Friedemann Zengerling
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany; (F.W.); (C.B.); (F.Z.)
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Epstein RJ, Tian LJ, Gu YF. 2b or Not 2b: How Opposing FGF Receptor Splice Variants Are Blocking Progress in Precision Oncology. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2021; 2021:9955456. [PMID: 34007277 PMCID: PMC8110382 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9955456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
More than ten thousand peer-reviewed studies have assessed the role of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors (FGFRs) in cancer, but few patients have yet benefited from drugs targeting this molecular family. Strategizing how best to use FGFR-targeted drugs is complicated by multiple variables, including RNA splicing events that alter the affinity of ligands for FGFRs and hence change the outcomes of stromal-epithelial interactions. The effects of splicing are most relevant to FGFR2; expression of the FGFR2b splice isoform can restore apoptotic sensitivity to cancer cells, whereas switching to FGFR2c may drive tumor progression by triggering epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The differentiating and regulatory actions of wild-type FGFR2b contrast with the proliferative actions of FGFR1 and FGFR3, and may be converted to mitogenicity either by splice switching or by silencing of tumor suppressor genes such as CDH1 or PTEN. Exclusive use of small-molecule pan-FGFR inhibitors may thus cause nonselective blockade of FGFR2 isoforms with opposing actions, undermining the rationale of FGFR2 drug targeting. This splice-dependent ability of FGFR2 to switch between tumor-suppressing and -driving functions highlights an unmet oncologic need for isoform-specific drug targeting, e.g., by antibody inhibition of ligand-FGFR2c binding, as well as for more nuanced molecular pathology prediction of FGFR2 actions in different stromal-tumor contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J. Epstein
- New Hope Cancer Center, Beijing United Hospital, 9-11 Jiangtai West Rd, Chaoyang, Beijing 100015, China
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Clinical School, 84 Victoria St, Darlinghurst 2010 Sydney, Australia
| | - Li Jun Tian
- New Hope Cancer Center, Beijing United Hospital, 9-11 Jiangtai West Rd, Chaoyang, Beijing 100015, China
| | - Yan Fei Gu
- New Hope Cancer Center, Beijing United Hospital, 9-11 Jiangtai West Rd, Chaoyang, Beijing 100015, China
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