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Nahar Metu CL, Sutihar SK, Sohel M, Zohora F, Hasan A, Miah MT, Rani Kar T, Hossain MA, Rahman MH. Unraveling the signaling mechanism behind astrocytoma and possible therapeutics strategies: A comprehensive review. Cancer Rep (Hoboken) 2023; 6:e1889. [PMID: 37675821 PMCID: PMC10598261 DOI: 10.1002/cnr2.1889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A form of cancer called astrocytoma can develop in the brain or spinal cord and sometimes causes death. A detailed overview of the precise signaling cascade underlying astrocytoma formation has not yet been revealed, although various factors have been investigated. Therefore, our objective was to unravel and summarize our current understanding of molecular genetics and associated signaling pathways with some possible therapeutic strategies for astrocytoma. RECENT FINDINGS In general, four different forms of astrocytoma have been identified in individuals, including circumscribed, diffuse, anaplastic, and multiforme glioblastoma, according to a recent literature review. All types of astrocytoma have a direct connection with some oncogenic signaling cascade. Common signaling is MAPK cascade, including Ras-Raf-ERK, up-regulated with activating EGFR/AKT/PTEN/mTOR and PDGFR. Recent breakthrough studies found that BRAF mutations, including KIAA1549: BRAF and BRAF V600E are responsible for astrocytoma progression. Additionally, cancer progression is influenced by mutations in some tumor suppressor genes, such as the Tp53/ATRX and MGMT mutant. As synthetic medications must cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), modulating signal systems such as miRNA is the primary option for treating patients with astrocytoma. However, available surgery, radiation therapy, and experimental therapies such as adjuvant therapy, anti-angiogenic therapy, and EGFR-targeting antibody drug are the usual treatment for most types of astrocytoma. Similar to conventional anticancer medications, some phytochemicals slow tumor growth by simultaneously controlling several cellular proteins, including those involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, metastatic spread, tyrosine kinase, growth factor receptor, and antioxidant-related proteins. CONCLUSION In conclusion, cellular and molecular signaling is directly associated with the development of astrocytoma, and a combination of conventional and alternative therapies can improve the malignancy of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chowdhury Lutfun Nahar Metu
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyBangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology UniversityGopalganjBangladesh
| | - Sunita Kumari Sutihar
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyBangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology UniversityGopalganjBangladesh
| | - Md Sohel
- Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyPrimeasia UniversityDhakaBangladesh
| | - Fatematuz Zohora
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of DhakaDhakaBangladesh
| | - Akayed Hasan
- Department of PharmacyMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Md. Thandu Miah
- Department of PharmacyMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Tanu Rani Kar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyPrimeasia UniversityDhakaBangladesh
| | - Md. Arju Hossain
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic EngineeringMawlana Bhashani Science and Technology UniversityTangailBangladesh
| | - Md Habibur Rahman
- Department of Computer Science and EngineeringIslamic UniversityKushtiaBangladesh
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Thomale UW, Gnekow AK, Kandels D, Bison B, Hernáiz Driever P, Witt O, Pietsch T, Koch A, Capper D, Kortmann RD, Timmermann B, Harrabi S, Simon M, El Damaty A, Krauss J, Schuhmann MU, Aigner A. Long-term follow-up of surgical intervention pattern in pediatric low-grade gliomas: report from the German SIOP-LGG 2004 cohort. J Neurosurg Pediatr 2022; 30:316-329. [PMID: 35901673 DOI: 10.3171/2022.6.peds22108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Neurosurgical treatment is an integral part of the treatment algorithms for pediatric low-grade glioma (LGG), yet patterns of surgical procedures are rarely challenged. The objective of this study was to evaluate surgical treatment patterns in pediatric LGG. METHODS The German Societé Internationale d'Oncologie Pédiatrique (SIOP)-LGG 2004 cohort was analyzed to identify relevant patient and tumor characteristics associated with time to death, next surgery, number of resections, and radiological outcome. RESULTS A total of 1271 patients underwent 1713 neurosurgical interventions (1 intervention in 947, 2 in 230, 3 in 70, and 4-6 in 24). The median age of the study population was 8.57 years at first surgery, and 46.1% were female. Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) was found in 4.4%, and 5.4% had tumor dissemination. Three hundred fifty-four patients (27.9%) had chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. The cumulative incidence of second surgery at 10 years was 26%, and was higher for infants, those with spinal and supratentorial midline (SML) tumors, and those with pilomyxoid astrocytomas. The hazard ratio for subsequent surgery was higher given dissemination and noncomplete initial resection, and lower for caudal brainstem and SML tumors. Among 1225 patients with fully documented surgical records and radiological outcome, 613 reached complete remission during the observation period, and 50 patients died. Patients with pilocytic astrocytoma had higher chances for a final complete remission, whereas patients with initial partial or subtotal tumor resection, dissemination, NF1, or primary tumor sites in the spinal cord and SML had lower chances. CONCLUSIONS Neurosurgery is a key element of pediatric LGG treatment. In almost 50% of the patients, however, at least some tumor burden will remain during long-term follow-up. This study found that most of these patients reached a stable disease status without further surgeries. Multidisciplinary team decisions must balance the goal of complete resection, risk factors, repeated surgeries, and possible treatment alternatives in a wide range of heterogeneous entities. Procedural details and neurological outcome should be recorded to better assess their impact on long-term outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich-Wilhelm Thomale
- 1Pediatric Neurosurgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
| | - Astrid K Gnekow
- 2Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Swabian Children's Cancer Research Center, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg
| | - Daniela Kandels
- 2Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Swabian Children's Cancer Research Center, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg
| | - Brigitte Bison
- 3Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Würzburg
- 4Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg
| | - Pablo Hernáiz Driever
- 5Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
| | - Olaf Witt
- 6Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), and Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg
| | - Torsten Pietsch
- 7Department of Neuropathology, DGNN Brain Tumor Reference Centre, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn
| | - Arend Koch
- 8Institute for Neuropathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
| | - David Capper
- 8Institute for Neuropathology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
| | | | - Beate Timmermann
- 10Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen
| | - Semi Harrabi
- 11Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg
| | - Michèle Simon
- 5Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
| | - Ahmed El Damaty
- 12Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg
| | - Juergen Krauss
- 13Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, University Children's Hospital, University of Würzburg
| | - Martin U Schuhmann
- 14Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen; and
| | - Annette Aigner
- 15Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
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Anaplastic astrocytoma with piloid features, a novel molecular class of IDH wildtype glioma with recurrent MAPK pathway, CDKN2A/B and ATRX alterations. Acta Neuropathol 2018; 136:273-291. [PMID: 29564591 DOI: 10.1007/s00401-018-1837-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Tumors with histological features of pilocytic astrocytoma (PA), but with increased mitotic activity and additional high-grade features (particularly microvascular proliferation and palisading necrosis) have often been designated anaplastic pilocytic astrocytomas. The status of these tumors as a separate entity has not yet been conclusively demonstrated and molecular features have only been partially characterized. We performed DNA methylation profiling of 102 histologically defined anaplastic pilocytic astrocytomas. T-distributed stochastic neighbor-embedding (t-SNE) and hierarchical clustering analysis of these 102 cases against 158 reference cases from 12 glioma reference classes revealed that a subset of 83 of these tumors share a common DNA methylation profile that is distinct from the reference classes. These 83 tumors were thus denominated DNA methylation class anaplastic astrocytoma with piloid features (MC AAP). The 19 remaining tumors were distributed amongst the reference classes, with additional testing confirming the molecular diagnosis in most cases. Median age of patients with MC AAP was 41.5 years. The most frequent localization was the posterior fossa (74%). Deletions of CDKN2A/B (66/83, 80%), MAPK pathway gene alterations (49/65, 75%, most frequently affecting NF1, followed by BRAF and FGFR1) and mutations of ATRX or loss of ATRX expression (33/74, 45%) were the most common molecular alterations. All tumors were IDH1/2 wildtype. The MGMT promoter was methylated in 38/83 tumors (45%). Outcome analysis confirmed an unfavorable clinical course in comparison to PA, but better than IDH wildtype glioblastoma. In conclusion, we show that a subset of histologically defined anaplastic pilocytic astrocytomas forms a separate DNA methylation cluster, harbors recurrent alterations in MAPK pathway genes in combination with alterations of CDKN2A/B and ATRX, affects patients who are on average older than those diagnosed with PA and has an intermediate clinical outcome.
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Abstract
Pilocytic and pilomyxoid astrocytomas are some of the most common gliomas in children and young adults. These gliomas are indolent neoplasms with long overall survival probability. The genetic characteristics of these neoplasms are well known, and our deepened understanding of their associated molecular alterations has led to the development of novel treatment strategies and approaches. Currently, we can account for some of the unusual behavior, such as oncogene-induced senescence, associated spontaneous regression, anaplastic transformation, and cerebrospinal dissemination, of these gliomas. Nevertheless, enigmatic issues continue to surround these chronic tumors. Here, we review the classical and uncommon clinical pathological and genetic features of these indolent gliomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristine Ding
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, UCSF School of Medicine, California, USA,Department of Pathology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Novena, Singapore
| | - Tarik Tihan
- Division of Neuropathology, Department of Pathology, UCSF School of Medicine, California, USA
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Yecies D, Fisher PG, Cheshier S, Edwards M, Grant G. Long-term outcomes of primarily metastatic juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma in children. J Neurosurg Pediatr 2018; 21:49-53. [PMID: 29125440 DOI: 10.3171/2017.7.peds17168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Primarily metastatic juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA) is rare, likely representing 2%-3% of all cases of JPA. Due to the rarity of primarily metastatic JPA, there is currently no standard treatment paradigm and the long-term outcomes are not fully known. The goal of this case series was to add to the current understanding of this disease process. METHODS The authors searched a comprehensive database of pediatric patients with brain and spinal cord tumors treated at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital from 1997 to 2016 and identified 5 patients with primarily metastatic JPA. A retrospective chart review was performed and details of the patients' treatment and clinical course were recorded for further analysis. RESULTS For the 5 patients with primarily metastatic JPA, the mean follow-up period was 12.3 years. All patients in our series had biopsies or subtotal resections and upfront treatment. Three patients were treated with chemotherapy alone, one was treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and one was treated with radiotherapy alone. Four patients had stable disease after initial treatment, and one patient had multiple episodes of progressive disease but underwent successful salvage therapy and has had stable disease for 19 years. One patient died of an intracerebral hemorrhage 10 years following initial radiation treatment believed to be secondary to radiation vasculopathy. CONCLUSIONS Evaluation of the entire neuraxis should be performed in all instances of initial JPA diagnosis to properly assess for primarily metastatic disease. Many patients with primarily metastatic JPA will have stable disease after upfront treatment, although the higher rate of stable disease found in this series relative to other reports is likely secondary to the small sample size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Yecies
- 1Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, and
| | - Paul Graham Fisher
- 2Division of Child Neurology, Department of Neurology, Stanford University School of Medicine, and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, California
| | - Samuel Cheshier
- 1Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, and
| | - Michael Edwards
- 1Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, and
| | - Gerald Grant
- 1Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, and
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Neill SG, Saxe DF, Rossi MR, Schniederjan MJ, Brat DJ. Genomic Analysis in the Practice of Surgical Neuropathology: The Emory Experience. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2017; 141:355-365. [DOI: 10.5858/arpa.2016-0276-sai] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The evaluation of central nervous system tumors increasingly relies on molecular genetic methods to aid in classification, offer prognostic information, and predict response to therapy. Available assays make it possible to assess genetic losses, amplifications, translocations, mutations, or the expression levels of specific gene transcripts or proteins. Current molecular diagnostics frequently use a panel-based approach and whole genome analysis, and generally rely either on DNA sequencing or on hybridization-based methodologies, such as those used in cytogenomic microarrays. In some cases, immunohistochemistry can be used as a surrogate for genetic analysis when the mutation of interest consistently results in overexpression or underexpression of a known protein product. In surgical neuropathology practice, the diagnostic workup of diffuse gliomas, medulloblastomas, low-grade circumscribed gliomas, as well as other diseases, now routinely incorporates the results of genomic studies. Here we summarize our institution's current approach to diagnostic surgical neuropathology, using these contemporary molecular diagnostic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Daniel J. Brat
- From the Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Drs Neill, Saxe, Rossi, Schniederjan, and Brat) and Radiation Oncology (Dr Rossi), Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; and the Department of Pathology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Schniederjan)
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