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Cioppi F, Cantini G, Ercolino T, Chetta M, Zanatta L, Nesi G, Mannelli M, Maggi M, Canu L, Luconi M. Targeted Next Generation Sequencing molecular profiling and its clinical application in adrenocortical cancer. Eur J Endocrinol 2024; 191:17-30. [PMID: 38917236 DOI: 10.1093/ejendo/lvae077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with a generally poor but heterogeneous prognosis, especially depending on the tumour stage at diagnosis. Identification of somatic gene alterations combined with clinical/histopathological evaluation of the tumour can help improve prognostication. We applied a simplified targeted-Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) panel to characterise the mutational profiles of ACCs, providing potentially relevant information for better patient management. DESIGN AND METHODS Thirty frozen tumour specimens from a local ACC series were retrospectively analysed by a custom-NGS panel (CDKN2A, CTNNB1, DAXX, MED12, NF1, PRKAR1A, RB1, TERT, TP53, ZNRF3) to detect somatic prioritised single-nucleotide variants. This cohort was integrated with 86 patients from the ACC-TCGA series bearing point-mutations in the same genes and their combinations identified by our panel. Primary endpoints of the analysis on the total cohort (113 patients) were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), and hazard ratio (HR) for the different alterations grouped by the signalling pathways/combinations affected. RESULTS Different PFS, OS, and HR were associated to the different pathways/combinations, being NF1 + TP53 and Wnt/β-catenin + Rb/p53 combined mutations the most deleterious, with a statistical significance for progression HR which is retained only in low-(I/II) stages-NF1 + TP53 combination: HR = 2.96[1.01-8.69] and HR = 13.23[3.15-55.61], all and low stages, respectively; Wnt/β-catenin + Rb/p53 combined pathways: HR = 6.47[2.54-16.49] and HR = 16.24[3.87-68.00], all and low-stages, respectively. CONCLUSIONS A simplified targeted-NGS approach seems the best routinely applicable first step towards somatic genetic characterisation of ACC for prognostic assessment. This approach proved to be particularly promising in low-stage cases, suggesting the need for more stringent surveillance and personalised treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Cioppi
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) Centre of Excellence, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Giulia Cantini
- European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) Centre of Excellence, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Endocrinology Section, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca e Innovazione sulle Patologie Surrenaliche, AOU Careggi, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Tonino Ercolino
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, (AOUC), 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Chetta
- Medical Genetics, Azienda Ospedaliera di Rilievo Nazionale (A.O.R.N.) Cardarelli, Padiglione, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Zanatta
- European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) Centre of Excellence, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Endocrinology Section, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, (AOUC), 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Gabriella Nesi
- Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Massimo Mannelli
- European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) Centre of Excellence, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Endocrinology Section, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca e Innovazione sulle Patologie Surrenaliche, AOU Careggi, 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Mario Maggi
- European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) Centre of Excellence, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Endocrinology Section, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca e Innovazione sulle Patologie Surrenaliche, AOU Careggi, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, (AOUC), 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Letizia Canu
- European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) Centre of Excellence, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Endocrinology Section, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca e Innovazione sulle Patologie Surrenaliche, AOU Careggi, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, (AOUC), 50139 Florence, Italy
| | - Michaela Luconi
- European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENSAT) Centre of Excellence, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Endocrinology Section, University of Florence, 50139 Florence, Italy
- Centro di Ricerca e Innovazione sulle Patologie Surrenaliche, AOU Careggi, 50139 Florence, Italy
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Warmington E, Smith G, Chortis V, Liang R, Lippert J, Steinhauer S, Landwehr LS, Hantel C, Kiseljak-Vassiliades K, Wierman ME, Altieri B, Foster PA, Ronchi CL. PLK1 inhibitors as a new targeted treatment for adrenocortical carcinoma. Endocr Connect 2024; 13:e230403. [PMID: 37992487 PMCID: PMC10762563 DOI: 10.1530/ec-23-0403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive malignancy with limited treatment options. Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a promising drug target; PLK1 inhibitors (PLK1i) have been investigated in solid cancers and are more effective in TP53-mutated cases. We evaluated PLK1 expression in ACC samples and the efficacy of two PLK1i in ACC cell lines with different genetic backgrounds. PLK1 protein expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry in tissue samples and correlated with clinical data. The efficacy of rigosertib (RGS), targeting RAS/PI3K, CDKs and PLKs, and poloxin (Pol), specifically targeting the PLK1 polo-box domain, was tested in TP53-mutated NCI-H295R, MUC-1, and CU-ACC2 cells and in TP53 wild-type CU-ACC1. Effects on proliferation, apoptosis, and viability were determined. PLK1 immunostaining was stronger in TP53-mutated ACC samples vs wild-type (P = 0.0017). High PLK1 expression together with TP53 mutations correlated with shorter progression-free survival (P= 0.041). NCI-H295R showed a time- and dose-dependent reduction in proliferation with both PLK1i (P< 0.05at 100 nM RGS and 30 µM Pol). In MUC-1, a less pronounced decrease was observed (P< 0.05at 1000 nM RGS and 100 µM Pol). 100 nM RGS increased apoptosis in NCI-H295R (P< 0.001), with no effect on MUC-1. CU-ACC2 apoptosis was induced only at high concentrations (P < 0.05 at 3000 nM RGS and 100 µM Pol), while proliferation decreased at 1000 nM RGS and 30 µM Pol. CU-ACC1 proliferation reduced, and apoptosis increased, only at 100 µM Pol. TP53-mutated ACC cell lines demonstrated better response to PLK1i than wild-type CU-ACC1. These data suggest PLK1i may be a promising targeted treatment of a subset of ACC patients, pre-selected according to tumour genetic signature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Warmington
- Institute of Metabolism and System Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Gabrielle Smith
- Institute of Metabolism and System Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Vasileios Chortis
- Institute of Metabolism and System Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Raimunde Liang
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
- Department of Neurosurgery, Technical University Munich (TMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Juliane Lippert
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Sonja Steinhauer
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Laura-Sophie Landwehr
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Constanze Hantel
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital Zurich (USZ) and University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
- Medizinische Klinik Und Poliklinik III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany
| | - Katja Kiseljak-Vassiliades
- Division of Endocrinology Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Margaret E Wierman
- Division of Endocrinology Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Barbara Altieri
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Paul A Foster
- Institute of Metabolism and System Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK
| | - Cristina L Ronchi
- Institute of Metabolism and System Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, UK
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3
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Dong H, Lin W, Du L, Yao Z, Luo Y, Li F, Chen S, Huang Y, Ren H, Cai S, Chen Y, Tang H, Qiu X, Pan Y, Huang X, Zhang D, Gao S, Yeung SCJ, Zhang H. PTPRO suppresses lymph node metastasis of esophageal carcinoma by dephosphorylating MET. Cancer Lett 2023:216283. [PMID: 37331584 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor-type O (PTPRO) is a membrane-bound tyrosine phosphatase. Notably, epigenetically silenced PTPRO due to promoter hypermethylation is frequently linked to malignancies. In this study, we used cellular and animal models, and patient samples to demonstrate that PTPRO can suppress the metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Mechanistically, PTPRO can inhibit MET-mediated metastasis by dephosphorylating Y1234/1235 in the kinase activation loop of MET. Patients with PTPROlow/p-METhigh had significantly poor prognosis, suggesting that PTPROlow/p-METhigh can serve as an independent prognostic factor for patients with ESCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Dong
- Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, And Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, And Minister of Education Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Wan Lin
- Cancer Research Center, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China
| | - Liang Du
- Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, And Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, And Minister of Education Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhimeng Yao
- Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, And Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, And Minister of Education Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Urology Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yichen Luo
- Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, And Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, And Minister of Education Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Feifei Li
- Department of Oncology, People's Hospital of Leshan, Leshan, Sichuan, China
| | - Shuanglong Chen
- Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, And Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, And Minister of Education Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yiteng Huang
- Health Care Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China
| | - Hongzheng Ren
- Department of Pathology, Gongli Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China; Department of Pathology, Heping Hospital, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi, Shanxi, China
| | - Songwang Cai
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yexi Chen
- Department of General Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China
| | - Hui Tang
- Department of Central Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University (Heyuan Shenhe People's Hospital), Heyuan, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaofu Qiu
- Department of Urology, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yunlong Pan
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xingxu Huang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center of Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Dianzheng Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shegan Gao
- College of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology, Henan Key Laboratory of Cancer Epigenetics, Luoyang, Henan, China.
| | - Sai-Ching Jim Yeung
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, USA.
| | - Hao Zhang
- Institute of Precision Cancer Medicine and Pathology, And Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, And Minister of Education Key Laboratory of Tumor Molecular Biology, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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4
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Abstract
Adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive malignancy that poses challenging issues regarding the diagnostic workup. Indeed, no presurgical technique or clinical parameters can reliably distinguish between adrenal cortical adenomas, which are more frequent and have a favorable outcome, and ACC, and the final diagnosis largely relies on histopathologic analysis of the surgical specimen. However, even the pathologic assessment of malignancy in an adrenal cortical lesion is not straightforward and requires a combined evaluation of multiple histopathologic features. Starting from the Weiss score, which was developed in 1984, several histopathologic scoring systems have been designed to tackle the difficulties of ACC diagnosis. Dealing with specific histopathologic variants (eg, Liss-Weiss-Bisceglia scoring system for oncocytic ACC) or patient characteristics (eg, Wieneke index in the pediatric setting), these scores remarkably improved the diagnostic workup of ACC and its subtypes. Nevertheless, cases with misleading features or discordant correlations between pathologic findings and clinical behavior still occur. Owing to multicentric collaborative studies integrating morphologic features with ancillary immunohistochemical markers and molecular analysis, ACC has eventually emerged as a multifaceted, heterogenous malignancy, and, while innovative and promising approaches are currently being tested, the future clinical management of patients with ACC will mainly rely on personalized medicine and target-therapy protocols. At the dawn of the new Fifth World Health Organization classification of endocrine tumors, this review will tackle ACC from the pathologist's perspective, thus focusing on the main available diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive tissue-tethered features and biomarkers and providing relevant clinical and molecular correlates.
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5
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Nazha B, Zhuang TZ, Dada HI, Drusbosky LM, Brown JT, Ravindranathan D, Carthon BC, Kucuk O, Goldman J, Master VA, Bilen MA. Blood-Based Next-Generation Sequencing in Adrenocortical Carcinoma. Oncologist 2022; 27:462-468. [PMID: 35462410 PMCID: PMC9177103 DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyac061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and heterogeneous malignancy with poor prognosis. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing of circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients with ACC, to characterize the genomic landscape of alterations, and to identify potential clinically actionable mutations. METHODS Retrospective analysis of genomic data from 120 patients with ACC who had ctDNA testing between 12/2016 and 10/2021 using Guardant360 (Guardant Health, CA) was performed. ctDNA NGS analysis interrogated single nucleotide variants, fusions, indels, and copy number amplifications of up to 83 genes. The frequency of genomic alterations, landscape of co-occurring mutations, and pathogenic/likely pathogenic alterations with potential targeted therapies was identified. The prevalence of alterations identified in ctDNA was compared to those detected in tissue using a publicly available database (cBioPortal). RESULTS The median age of this cohort was 53 years (range 21-81), and 56% of patients were female. Ninety-six patients (80%) had ≥1 somatic alteration detected. TP53 (52%), EGFR (23%), CTNNB1 (18%), MET (18%), and ATM (14%) were found to be the most frequently altered genes in ACC samples. Pathogenic and/or likely pathogenic mutations in therapeutically relevant genes were observed in 56 patients (47%) and included EGFR, BRAF, MET, CDKN2A, CDK4/6, and ATM. The most frequent co-occurring mutations were EGFR + MET (9%), MET + CDK4 (7%), EGFR + CDK4 (7%), and BRAF + MET (7%). The frequencies of mutations detected in ctDNA were similar to those detected in tissue. CONCLUSIONS Utilizing blood-based NGS to characterize genomic alterations in advanced ACC is feasible in over 80% of patients. Almost half of the patients had actionable mutations with approved therapies in other cancers. This approach might inform the development of personalized treatment options or identify clinical trials available for this aggressive malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bassel Nazha
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tony Z Zhuang
- Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | - Jacqueline T Brown
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Deepak Ravindranathan
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Bradley C Carthon
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Omer Kucuk
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jamie Goldman
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Viraj A Master
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Urology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Mehmet Asim Bilen
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Milbury CA, Creeden J, Yip WK, Smith DL, Pattani V, Maxwell K, Sawchyn B, Gjoerup O, Meng W, Skoletsky J, Concepcion AD, Tang Y, Bai X, Dewal N, Ma P, Bailey ST, Thornton J, Pavlick DC, Frampton GM, Lieber D, White J, Burns C, Vietz C. Clinical and analytical validation of FoundationOne®CDx, a comprehensive genomic profiling assay for solid tumors. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264138. [PMID: 35294956 PMCID: PMC8926248 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 53.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
FoundationOne®CDx (F1CDx) is a United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved companion diagnostic test to identify patients who may benefit from treatment in accordance with the approved therapeutic product labeling for 28 drug therapies. F1CDx utilizes next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) technology to examine 324 cancer genes in solid tumors. F1CDx reports known and likely pathogenic short variants (SVs), copy number alterations (CNAs), and select rearrangements, as well as complex biomarkers including tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI), in addition to genomic loss of heterozygosity (gLOH) in ovarian cancer. CGP services can reduce the complexity of biomarker testing, enabling precision medicine to improve treatment decision-making and outcomes for cancer patients, but only if test results are reliable, accurate, and validated clinically and analytically to the highest standard available. The analyses presented herein demonstrate the extensive analytical and clinical validation supporting the F1CDx initial and subsequent FDA approvals to ensure high sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of the data reported. The analytical validation included several in-depth evaluations of F1CDx assay performance including limit of detection (LoD), limit of blank (LoB), precision, and orthogonal concordance for SVs (including base substitutions [SUBs] and insertions/deletions [INDELs]), CNAs (including amplifications and homozygous deletions), genomic rearrangements, and select complex biomarkers. The assay validation of >30,000 test results comprises a considerable and increasing body of evidence that supports the clinical utility of F1CDx to match patients with solid tumors to targeted therapies or immunotherapies based on their tumor’s genomic alterations and biomarkers. F1CDx meets the clinical needs of providers and patients to receive guideline-based biomarker testing, helping them keep pace with a rapidly evolving field of medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Coren A. Milbury
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - James Creeden
- Global Medical Affairs, Basel, MA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Wai-Ki Yip
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - David L. Smith
- Department of Franchise Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Varun Pattani
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Kristi Maxwell
- Department of Health Economic and Outcomes Research & Payer Policy, Reimbursement, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Bethany Sawchyn
- Department of Scientific and Medical Publications, Clinical Operations, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Ole Gjoerup
- Department of Scientific and Medical Publications, Clinical Operations, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Wei Meng
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Joel Skoletsky
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | | | - Yanhua Tang
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Xiaobo Bai
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Ninad Dewal
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Pei Ma
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Shannon T. Bailey
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - James Thornton
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Dean C. Pavlick
- Department of Cancer Genomics, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | | | - Daniel Lieber
- Department of Computational Biology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Jared White
- Department of Computational Biology, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Christine Burns
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Christine Vietz
- Department Product Development, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
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7
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Yu S. Overexpression of SKA Complex Is Associated With Poor Prognosis in Gliomas. Front Neurol 2022; 12:755681. [PMID: 35095717 PMCID: PMC8791909 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.755681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The spindle and kinetochore-associated complex is composed of three members: SKA1, SKA2, and SKA3. It is necessary for stabilizing spindle microtubules attaching to kinetochore (KT) in the middle stage of mitosis. The SKA complex is associated with poor prognosis in several human cancers. However, the role of SKA complex in rare malignant diseases, such as gliomas, has not been fully investigated. We investigated several databases, including Oncomine, UALCAN, and cBioPortal to explore the expression profile and prognostic significance of SKA complex in patients with gliomas. Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathways were used to analyze the potential enriched pathways. The genes co-expressed with SKA complex were identified and used for developing a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network using the STRING database. We found a significant overexpression of the mRNA levels of SKA1, SKA2, and SKA3 in patients with glioma patients. Higher expression of SKA1 and SKA3, but not SKA2, was significantly correlated with shorter overall survival of patients with glioma. In glioma, SKA complex was found to be involved in nuclear division, chromosome segregation, and DNA replication. The results of PPI network identified 10 hub genes (CCNB2, UBE2C, BUB1B, TPX2, CCNA2, CCNB1, MELK, TOP2A, PBK, and KIF11), all of which were overexpressed and negatively associated with prognosis of patients with glioma. In conclusion, our study sheds new insights into the biological role and prognostic significance of SKA complex in glioma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoukai Yu
- Hongqiao International Institute of Medicine, Shanghai Tongren Hospital and Clinical Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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8
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Abate A, Rossini E, Tamburello M, Laganà M, Cosentini D, Grisanti S, Fiorentini C, Tiberio GAM, Scatolini M, Grosso E, Hantel C, Memo M, Berruti A, Sigala S. Ribociclib Cytotoxicity Alone or Combined With Progesterone and/or Mitotane in in Vitro Adrenocortical Carcinoma Cells. Endocrinology 2022; 163:6455501. [PMID: 34875044 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqab248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Mitotane is the only approved drug for treating adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). The regimen added to mitotane is chemotherapy with etoposide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin. This pharmacological approach, however, has a limited efficacy and significant toxicity. Target-therapy agents represent a new promising approach to cancer therapy. Among these, a preeminent role is played by agents that interfere with cell-cycle progression, such as CDK4/6-inhibitors. Here, we investigate whether ribociclib could induce a cytotoxic effect both in ACC cell line and patient-derived primary cell cultures, alone or in combined settings. Cell viability was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazol)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay, whereas cell proliferation was evaluated by direct count. Binary combination experiments were performed using Chou and Talalay method. Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR, whereas protein expression was evaluated by immunofluorescence. A double staining assay revealed that ribociclib induced a prevalent apoptotic cell death. Cell-cycle analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of ribociclib treatment on cell-cycle progression in ACC cell models. Our results indicate that ribociclib was cytotoxic and reduced the cell proliferation rate. The effect on cell viability was enhanced when ribociclib was combined with progesterone and/or mitotane. The effect of ribociclib on cell-cycle progression revealed a drug-induced cell accumulation in G2 phase. The positive relationship underlined by our results between ribociclib, progesterone, and mitotane strengthen the clinical potential of this combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Abate
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Elisa Rossini
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Mariangela Tamburello
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Marta Laganà
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Deborah Cosentini
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Salvatore Grisanti
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Chiara Fiorentini
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Guido A M Tiberio
- Surgical Clinic, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia at ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Maria Scatolini
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, "Edo ed Elvo Tempia" Foundation, Ponderano, 13875, Biella, Italy
| | - Enrico Grosso
- Molecular Oncology Laboratory, "Edo ed Elvo Tempia" Foundation, Ponderano, 13875, Biella, Italy
| | - Constanze Hantel
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital Zurich (USZ) and University of Zurich (UZH), Zurich, Switzerland
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Maurizio Memo
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Alfredo Berruti
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
| | - Sandra Sigala
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, 25123, Italy
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9
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Viëtor CL, Creemers SG, van Kemenade FJ, van Ginhoven TM, Hofland LJ, Feelders RA. How to Differentiate Benign from Malignant Adrenocortical Tumors? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13174383. [PMID: 34503194 PMCID: PMC8431066 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13174383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare cancer with a poor prognosis. Adrenal tumors are, however, commonly identified in clinical practice. Discrimination between benign and malignant adrenal tumors is of great importance to determine the appropriate treatment and follow-up strategy. This review summarizes the current diagnostic strategies and challenges to distinguish benign from malignant adrenal lesions. We will focus both on radiological and biochemical assessments, enabling diagnosis of the adrenal lesion preoperatively, and on histopathological and a wide variety of molecular assessments that can be done after surgical removal of the adrenal lesion. Furthermore, new non-invasive strategies such as liquid biopsies, in which blood samples are used to study circulating tumor cells, tumor DNA and microRNA, will be addressed in this review. Abstract Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare cancer with a poor prognosis. Adrenal incidentalomas are, however, commonly identified in clinical practice. Discrimination between benign and malignant adrenal tumors is of great importance considering the large differences in clinical behavior requiring different strategies. Diagnosis of ACC starts with a thorough physical examination, biochemical evaluation, and imaging. Computed tomography is the first-level imaging modality in adrenal tumors, with tumor size and Hounsfield units being important features for determining malignancy. New developments include the use of urine metabolomics, also enabling discrimination of ACC from adenomas preoperatively. Postoperatively, the Weiss score is used for diagnosis of ACC, consisting of nine histopathological criteria. Due to known limitations as interobserver variability and lack of accuracy in borderline cases, much effort has been put into new tools to diagnose ACC. Novel developments vary from immunohistochemical markers and pathological scores, to markers at the level of DNA, methylome, chromosome, or microRNA. Molecular studies have provided insights into the most promising and most frequent alterations in ACC. The use of liquid biopsies for diagnosis of ACC is studied, although in a small number of patients, requiring further investigation. In this review, current diagnostic modalities and challenges in ACC will be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte L. Viëtor
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Gastrointestinal Surgery, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, 3015GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (C.L.V.); (T.M.v.G.)
| | - Sara G. Creemers
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, 3015GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (S.G.C.); (L.J.H.)
| | - Folkert J. van Kemenade
- Department of Pathology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, 3015GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands;
| | - Tessa M. van Ginhoven
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Gastrointestinal Surgery, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, 3015GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (C.L.V.); (T.M.v.G.)
| | - Leo J. Hofland
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, 3015GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (S.G.C.); (L.J.H.)
| | - Richard A. Feelders
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, 3015GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (S.G.C.); (L.J.H.)
- Correspondence:
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10
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Pozdeyev N, Fishbein L, Gay LM, Sokol ES, Hartmaier R, Ross JS, Darabi S, Demeure MJ, Kar A, Foust L, Koc K, Bowles DW, Leong S, Wierman ME, Kiseljak-Vassiliades K. Targeted genomic analysis of 364 adrenocortical carcinomas. Endocr Relat Cancer 2021; 28:671-681. [PMID: 34410225 PMCID: PMC8384129 DOI: 10.1530/erc-21-0040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [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] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite recent advances in elucidating molecular pathways underlying adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), this orphan malignancy is associated with poor survival. Identification of targetable genomic alterations is critical to improve outcomes. The objective of this study was to characterize the genomic profile of a large cohort of patient ACC samples to identify actionable genomic alterations. Three hundred sixty-four individual patient ACC tumors were analyzed. The median age of the cohort was 52 years and 60.9% (n = 222) were female. ACC samples had common alterations in epigenetic pathways with 38% of tumors carrying alterations in genes involved in histone modification, 21% in telomere lengthening, and 21% in SWI/SNF complex. Tumor suppressor genes and WNT signaling pathway were each mutated in 51% of tumors. Fifty (13.7%) ACC tumors had a genomic alteration in genes involved in the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) pathway with many tumors also displaying an unusually high number of mutations and a corresponding MMR mutation signature. In addition, genomic alterations in several genes not previously associated with ACC were observed, including IL7R, LRP1B, FRS2 mutated in 6, 8 and 4% of tumors, respectively. In total, 58.5% of ACC (n = 213) had at least one potentially actionable genomic alteration in 46 different genes. As more than half of ACC have one or more potentially actionable genomic alterations, this highlights the value of targeted sequencing for this orphan cancer with a poor prognosis. In addition, significant incidence of MMR gene alterations suggests that immunotherapy is a promising therapeutic for a considerable subset of ACC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikita Pozdeyev
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
- Division of Biomedical Informatics & Personalized Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
| | - Lauren Fishbein
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
- Division of Biomedical Informatics & Personalized Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
| | | | | | | | - Jeffrey S. Ross
- Foundation Medicine Inc. Cambridge Massachusetts
- Departments of Pathology and Urology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York
| | - Sourat Darabi
- Hoag Family Center Institute, Newport Beach, California
| | - Michael J. Demeure
- Hoag Family Center Institute, Newport Beach, California
- Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
| | - Adwitiya Kar
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
| | - Lindsey Foust
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
| | - Katrina Koc
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
| | - Daniel W. Bowles
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
| | - Stephen Leong
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
| | - Margaret E. Wierman
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
- Research Service Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora Colorado 80045
| | - Katja Kiseljak-Vassiliades
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, Colorado
- Research Service Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Aurora Colorado 80045
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11
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Georgantzoglou N, Kokkali S, Tsourouflis G, Theocharis S. Tumor Microenvironment in Adrenocortical Carcinoma: Barrier to Immunotherapy Success? Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1798. [PMID: 33918733 PMCID: PMC8069982 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13081798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare malignancy with aggressive behavior, with up to 40% of patients presenting with metastases at the time of diagnosis. Both conventional chemotherapeutic regimens and novel immunotherapeutic agents, many of which are currently being tested in ongoing clinical trials, have yielded modest results so far, bringing the need for a deeper understanding of adrenal cancer behavior to the forefront. In the recent years, the tumor microenvironment has emerged as a major determinant of cancer response to immunotherapy and an increasing number of studies on other solid tumors have focused on manipulating the microenvironment in the favor of the host and discovering new potential target molecules. In the present review we aim to explore the characteristics of adrenocortical cancer's microenvironment, highlighting the mechanisms of immune evasion responsible for the modest immunotherapeutic results, and identify novel potential strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Georgantzoglou
- First Department of Pathology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece; (N.G.); (S.K.)
| | - Stefania Kokkali
- First Department of Pathology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece; (N.G.); (S.K.)
- First Medical Oncology Clinic, Saint-Savvas Anti Cancer Hospital, 115 27 Athens, Greece
| | - Gerasimos Tsourouflis
- Second Department of Propedeutic Surgery, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece;
| | - Stamatios Theocharis
- First Department of Pathology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 115 27 Athens, Greece; (N.G.); (S.K.)
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12
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Alam W, Bouferraa Y, Haibe Y, Shamseddine A. Complete Radiological Response of Recurrent Metastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma to Pembrolizumab and Mitotane. CLINICAL MEDICINE INSIGHTS-ONCOLOGY 2021; 15:11795549211007682. [PMID: 33889043 PMCID: PMC8040600 DOI: 10.1177/11795549211007682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis. Treatment options for ACC are limited, with resection the main intervention. Most cases present in late metastatic cases, and data regarding effective therapies is limited. We report a case of ACC in a 40-year-old woman with history of ACC postadrenalectomy, who presented with recurrent metastatic ACC in the left perinephric space. She was started on pembrolizumab which was added to her mitotane maintenance therapy. Complete radiological response was achieved after 4 cycles of pembrolizumab. As far as we know, this is the first case to achieve complete radiological response with mitotane and pembrolizumab in recurrent metastatic ACC, with negative prognostic markers and no prior radiotherapy. As our findings are in the setting of one clinical case, we suggest the need to perform a trial to assess the benefit of combining mitotane and pembrolizumab in treating metastatic ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walid Alam
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Youssef Bouferraa
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Yolla Haibe
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Ali Shamseddine
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
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13
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Torres MB, Diggs LP, Wei JS, Khan J, Miettinen M, Fasaye GA, Gillespie A, Widemann BC, Kaplan RN, Davis JL, Hernandez JM, Rivero JD. Ataxia telangiectasia mutated germline pathogenic variant in adrenocortical carcinoma. Cancer Genet 2021; 256-257:21-25. [PMID: 33836455 DOI: 10.1016/j.cancergen.2021.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy arising from the adrenal cortex. ACC carries a dismal prognosis and surgery offers the only chance for a cure. Germline pathogenic variants among certain oncogenes have been implicated in ACC. Here, we report the first case of ACC in a patient with a pathogenic variant in the Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) gene. PATIENTS AND METHODS A 56-year-old Caucasian woman with biopsy proven ACC deemed unresectable and treated with etoposide, doxorubicin and cisplatin (EDP), and mitotane presented to our institution for evaluation. The tumor specimen was examined pathologically, and genetic analyses were performed on the tumor and germline using next-generation sequencing. RESULTS Pathologic evaluation revealed an 18.0 × 14.0 × 9.0 cm low-grade ACC with tumor free resection margins. Immunohistochemistry stained for inhibin, melan-A, and chromogranin. ClinOmics analysis revealed a germline pathogenic deletion mutation of one nucleotide in ATM is denoted as c.1215delT at the cDNA level and p.Asn405LysfsX15 (N405KfsX15) at the protein level. Genomic analysis of the tumor showed loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of chromosome 11 on which the ATM resides. CONCLUSION ACC is an aggressive malignancy for which surgical resection currently offers the only curative option. Here we report a heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in germline DNA and LOH of ATM in tumor in an ACC patient, a classic two-hit scenario in a well-known cancer suppresser gene, suggesting a pathogenic role of the ATM gene in certain ACC cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline B Torres
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States; Department of Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Laurence P Diggs
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States; Department of Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson University School of Medicine, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, United States
| | - Jun S Wei
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | - Javed Khan
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | - Markku Miettinen
- Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Grace-Ann Fasaye
- Genetics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | - Andy Gillespie
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Brigitte C Widemann
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Rosandra N Kaplan
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jeremy L Davis
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jonathan M Hernandez
- Surgical Oncology Program, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jaydira Del Rivero
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States; Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, United States.
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14
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Brown LC, Tucker MD, Sedhom R, Schwartz EB, Zhu J, Kao C, Labriola MK, Gupta RT, Marin D, Wu Y, Gupta S, Zhang T, Harrison MR, George DJ, Alva A, Antonarakis ES, Armstrong AJ. LRP1B mutations are associated with favorable outcomes to immune checkpoint inhibitors across multiple cancer types. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:e001792. [PMID: 33653800 PMCID: PMC7929846 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1b (encoded by LRP1B) is a putative tumor suppressor, and preliminary evidence suggests LRP1B-mutated cancers may have improved outcomes with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). METHODS We conducted a multicenter, retrospective pan-cancer analysis of patients with LRP1B alterations treated with ICI at Duke University, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and University of Michigan (UM). The primary objective was to assess the association between overall response rate (ORR) to ICI and pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) LRP1B alterations compared with LRP1B variants of unknown significance (VUS). Secondary outcomes were the associations with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) by LRP1B status. RESULTS We identified 101 patients (44 Duke, 35 JHU, 22 UM) with LRP1B alterations who were treated with ICI. The most common tumor types by alteration (P/LP vs VUS%) were lung (36% vs 49%), prostate (9% vs 7%), sarcoma (5% vs 7%), melanoma (9% vs 0%) and breast cancer (3% vs 7%). The ORR for patients with LRP1B P/LP versus VUS alterations was 54% and 13%, respectively (OR 7.5, 95% CI 2.9 to 22.3, p=0.0009). P/LP LRP1B alterations were associated with longer PFS (HR 0.42, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.68, p=0.0003) and OS (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.01, p=0.053). These results remained consistent when excluding patients harboring microsatellite instability (MSI) and controlling for tumor mutational burden (TMB). CONCLUSIONS This multicenter study shows significantly better outcomes with ICI therapy in patients harboring P/LP versus VUS LRP1B alterations, independently of TMB/MSI status. Further mechanistic and prospective validation studies are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Landon C Brown
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Matthew D Tucker
- Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ramy Sedhom
- Johns Hopkins Medicine Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Eric B Schwartz
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jason Zhu
- Levine Cancer Institute, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chester Kao
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Matthew K Labriola
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rajan T Gupta
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Daniele Marin
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Yuan Wu
- Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Santosh Gupta
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Tian Zhang
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael R Harrison
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Daniel J George
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ajjai Alva
- Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Emmanuel S Antonarakis
- Johns Hopkins Medicine Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Andrew J Armstrong
- Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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15
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Mizdrak M, Tičinović Kurir T, Božić J. The Role of Biomarkers in Adrenocortical Carcinoma: A Review of Current Evidence and Future Perspectives. Biomedicines 2021; 9:174. [PMID: 33578890 PMCID: PMC7916711 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9020174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy arising from the adrenal cortex often with unexpected biological behavior. It can occur at any age, with two peaks of incidence: in the first and between fifth and seventh decades of life. Although ACC are mostly hormonally active, precursors and metabolites, rather than end products of steroidogenesis are produced by dedifferentiated and immature malignant cells. Distinguishing the etiology of adrenal mass, between benign adenomas, which are quite frequent in general population, and malignant carcinomas with dismal prognosis is often unfeasible. Even after pathohistological analysis, diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinomas is not always straightforward and represents a great challenge for experienced and multidisciplinary expert teams. No single imaging method, hormonal work-up or immunohistochemical labelling can definitively prove the diagnosis of ACC. Over several decades' great efforts have been made in finding novel reliable and available diagnostic and prognostic factors including steroid metabolome profiling or target gene identification. Despite these achievements, the 5-year mortality rate still accounts for approximately 75% to 90%, ACC is frequently diagnosed in advanced stages and therapeutic options are unfortunately limited. Therefore, imperative is to identify new biological markers that can predict patient prognosis and provide new therapeutic options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Mizdrak
- Department of Nephrology and Hemodialysis, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia;
- Department of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, Croatia;
| | - Tina Tičinović Kurir
- Department of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, Croatia;
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders, University Hospital of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
| | - Joško Božić
- Department of Pathophysiology, University of Split School of Medicine, 21000 Split, Croatia;
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16
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Amodru V, Garcia ME, Libe R, Brue T, Reznik Y, Castinetti F. Medical management of adrenocortical carcinoma: Current recommendations, new therapeutic options and future perspectives. ANNALES D'ENDOCRINOLOGIE 2020; 82:52-58. [PMID: 33279475 DOI: 10.1016/j.ando.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor of poor prognosis, frequently requiring additional treatments after initial surgery. Due to its adrenolytic action, mitotane has become the first-line medical treatment in patients with aggressive adrenocortical carcinoma. Over the last 2years, apart from the classical chemotherapy based on etoposide and platinum salts, several studies reported the use of drugs such as temozolomide, tyrosine kinase inhibitors or immunotherapy, with more or less convincing results. The aim of this review is to give further insights in the use of these drugs, and to describe potential therapeutic perspectives based on recent pangenomic studies, for the future management of these still difficult to treat tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Amodru
- Aix-Marseille University, Marseille Medical Genetics, INSERM, Department of endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, France
| | - Marie-Eve Garcia
- Aix-Marseille University, Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Multidisciplinary Oncology & Therapeutic Innovations department, Marseille, France
| | - Rossella Libe
- Réseau National "ENDOCAN-COMETE-Cancers de la surrénale", Service d'Endocrinologie, Hôpital Cochin, 27, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Jacques, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Thierry Brue
- Aix-Marseille University, Marseille Medical Genetics, INSERM, Department of endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, France
| | - Yves Reznik
- Department of Endocrinology-Diabetology, Caen University Hospital, Caen, France
| | - Frederic Castinetti
- Aix-Marseille University, Marseille Medical Genetics, INSERM, Department of endocrinology, La Conception Hospital, Marseille, France.
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17
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Duan K, Gucer H, Kefeli M, Asa SL, Winer DA, Mete O. Immunohistochemical Analysis of the Metabolic Phenotype of Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma. Endocr Pathol 2020; 31:231-238. [PMID: 32367334 DOI: 10.1007/s12022-020-09624-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Metabolic reprogramming is a cellular process contributing to carcinogenesis. However, it remains poorly understood in adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC), an aggressive malignancy with overall poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. We characterized the metabolic phenotype of ACC, by examining the immunoprofile of key proteins involved in glucose metabolism, hexokinase (HK1), pyruvate kinase (PKM1, PKM2), succinate dehydrogenase (SDHB), and phospho-S6 ribosomal protein (pS6), in a tissue microarray of 137 adrenal cortical tissue samples. Protein expression was compared between ACC (n = 42), adrenal cortical adenoma (ACA; n = 50), and normal adrenal cortical tissue samples (n = 45). Cytoplasmic expression of HK1 and PKM2 was significantly higher in ACC than in ACA (p < 0.001 and p = 0.014, respectively) or normal adrenal cortical tissue samples (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Expression of HK1 and PKM2 was also higher in ACA than in normal adrenal cortical tissue samples (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). PKM1 expression was overall low in ACC, ACA, and normal samples, although expression of PKM1 was higher in ACC than in ACA (p = 0.027). There was no loss of cytoplasmic granular SDHB expression in our cohort of adrenal cortical tumors, and cytoplasmic expression of pS6 was lower in ACC than in ACA (p = 0.003) or normal adrenal cortical tissue samples (p = 0.008). Significantly, HK1 expression correlated with pyruvate kinase isoform (PKM2 and PKM1) expression (p < 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively). Although functional validation was not performed, this study provides further evidence that metabolic reprogramming and altered glucose metabolism may occur in a subset of ACC through overexpression of intracellular glycolytic enzymes, notably HK1 and PKM2. The possibility of utilizing the reprogrammed glucose metabolism in ACC for novel therapeutic strategies should be explored in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Duan
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, 11th floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hasan Gucer
- Department of Pathology, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Kefeli
- Department of Pathology, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Sylvia L Asa
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, 11th floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada
- Department of Pathology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Daniel A Winer
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, 11th floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of Cellular & Molecular Biology, Diabetes Research Group, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI), University Health Network, Toronto, Canada
- Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Boulevard, Novato, CA, USA
| | - Ozgur Mete
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, 11th floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada.
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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18
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Altieri B, Ronchi CL, Kroiss M, Fassnacht M. Next-generation therapies for adrenocortical carcinoma. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2020; 34:101434. [PMID: 32622829 DOI: 10.1016/j.beem.2020.101434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Almost one decade ago, etoposide, doxorubicin, cisplatin and mitotane (EDP-M) has been established as first-line systemic therapy of metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Although heterogeneous, the prognosis of advanced stage ACC is still poor and novel treatments are urgently needed. This article provides a short summary of current systemic ACC treatment and provides a comprehensive overview of new therapeutic approaches that have been investigated in the past years, including drugs targeting the IGF pathway, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, radionuclide treatment, and immunotherapy. The results of most of these trials were disappointing and we will discuss possible reasons why these drugs failed (e.g. drug interactions with mitotane, disease heterogeneity with exceptional responses in very few patients, and resistance mechanisms to immunotherapy). We then will present potential new drug targets that have emerged from many molecular studies (e.g. wnt/β-catenin, cyclin-dependent kinases, PARP1) that may be the foundation of next-generation therapies of ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Altieri
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Cristina L Ronchi
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Institute of Metabolism and System Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Matthias Kroiss
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Comprehensive Cancer Mainfranken, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Central Laboratory, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Fassnacht
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Comprehensive Cancer Mainfranken, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Central Laboratory, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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19
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Rizk-Rabin M, Chaoui-Ibadioune S, Vaczlavik A, Ribes C, Polak M, Ragazzon B, Bertherat J. Link between steroidogenesis, the cell cycle, and PKA in adrenocortical tumor cells. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 500:110636. [PMID: 31678420 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Adrenocortical tumors (ACTs) frequently cause steroid excess and present cell-cycle dysregulation. cAMP/PKA signaling is involved in steroid synthesis and play a role in cell-cycle regulation. We investigated, by cell synchronization in the different phases of the cell-cycle, the control of steroidogenesis and the contribution of PKA in adrenocortical cells (H295R and culture of primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease cells). Cells showed increased steroidogenesis and a maximal PKA activity at G2 phase, and a reduction at G1 phase. PRKACA overexpression, or cAMP stimulation, enhanced PKA activity and induced steroidogenesis in all synchronized groups but is not sufficient to drive cell-cycle progression. PRKAR1A inactivation enhanced PKA activity and induced STAR gene expression, only in cells in G1, and triggered cell-cycle progression in all groups. These findings provide evidence for a tight association between steroidogenesis and cell-cycle in ACTs. Moreover, PRKAR1A is essential for mediating the function of PKA activity on both steroidogenesis and cell-cycle progression in adrenocortical cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marthe Rizk-Rabin
- Institut Cochin, U1016, CNRS (UMR 8104), Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
| | | | - Anna Vaczlavik
- Institut Cochin, U1016, CNRS (UMR 8104), Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Christopher Ribes
- Institut Cochin, U1016, CNRS (UMR 8104), Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Michel Polak
- Institut Cochin, U1016, CNRS (UMR 8104), Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France; Hopital Necker Enfants Maladies, Department of Endocrinology, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Ragazzon
- Institut Cochin, U1016, CNRS (UMR 8104), Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Jerôme Bertherat
- Institut Cochin, U1016, CNRS (UMR 8104), Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France; Hôpital Cochin, Department of Endocrinology. Center for Rare Adrenal Diseases, Paris, France
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20
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Liang R, Weigand I, Lippert J, Kircher S, Altieri B, Steinhauer S, Hantel C, Rost S, Rosenwald A, Kroiss M, Fassnacht M, Sbiera S, Ronchi CL. Targeted Gene Expression Profile Reveals CDK4 as Therapeutic Target for Selected Patients With Adrenocortical Carcinoma. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:219. [PMID: 32373071 PMCID: PMC7176906 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) are aggressive tumors with a heterogeneous prognosis and limited therapeutic options for advanced stages. This study aims to identify novel drug targets for a personalized treatment in ACC. RNA was isolated from 40 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded ACC samples. We evaluated gene expression of 84 known cancer drug targets by reverse transcriptase quantitative real time-PCR and calculated fold change using 5 normal adrenal glands as reference (overexpression by fold change >2.0). The most promising candidate cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) was investigated at protein level in 104 ACC samples and tested by in vitro experiments in two ACC cell lines (NCI-H295R and MUC1). The most frequently overexpressed genes were TOP2A (100% of cases, median fold change = 16.5), IGF2 (95%, fold change = 52.9), CDK1 (80%, fold change = 6.7), CDK4 (62%, fold change = 2.6), PLK4 (60%, fold change = 2.8), and PLK1 (52%, fold change = 2.3). CDK4 was chosen for functional validation, as it is actionable by approved CDK4/6-inhibitors (e.g., palbociclib). Nuclear immunostaining of CDK4 significantly correlated with mRNA expression (R = 0.52, P < 0.005). We exposed both NCI-H295R and MUC1 cell lines to palbociclib and found a concentration- and time-dependent reduction of cell viability, which was more pronounced in the NCI-H295R cells in line with higher CDK4 expression. Furthermore, we tested palbociclib in combination with insulin-like growth factor 1/insulin receptor inhibitor linsitinib showing an additive effect. In conclusion, we demonstrate that RNA profiling is useful to discover potential drug targets and that CDK4/6 inhibitors are promising candidates for treatment of selected patients with ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raimunde Liang
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Isabel Weigand
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Juliane Lippert
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Kircher
- Institute of Pathology, University of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Barbara Altieri
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Sonja Steinhauer
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Constanze Hantel
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik III, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Simone Rost
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Rosenwald
- Institute of Pathology, University of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Kroiss
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Fassnacht
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Silviu Sbiera
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Cristina L. Ronchi
- Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Institute of Metabolism and System Research (IMSR), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Cristina L. Ronchi ;
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21
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Abstract
Adrenocortical tumors range from primary bilateral micronodular or macronodular forms of adrenocortical disease to conventional adrenocortical adenomas and carcinomas. Accurate classification of these neoplasms is critical given the varied pathogenesis, clinical behavior, and outcome of these different lesions. Confirmation of adrenocortical origin, diagnosing malignancy, providing relevant prognostic information in adrenocortical carcinoma, and correlation of laboratory results with clinicopathologic findings are among the important responsibilities of pathologists who evaluate these lesions. This article focuses on a practical approach to the evaluation of adrenocortical tumors with an emphasis on clinical and imaging findings, morphologic characteristics, and multifactorial diagnostic schemes and algorithms.
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22
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Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive and rare neoplasm that originates in the cortex of the adrenal gland. The disease is associated with heterogeneous but mostly poor outcomes and lacks effective pharmaceutical treatment options. Multi-omics studies have defined the landscape of molecular alterations in ACC. Specific molecular signatures can be detected in body fluids, potentially enabling improved diagnostic applications for patients with adrenal tumours. Importantly, pan-molecular data sets further reveal a spectrum within ACC, with three major subgroups that have different disease outcomes. These new subgroups have value as prognostic biomarkers. Research has revealed that the p53-RB and the WNT-β-catenin pathways are common disease drivers in ACC. However, these pathways remain difficult to target by therapeutic interventions. Instead, a unique characteristic of ACC is steroidogenic differentiation, which has emerged as a potential treatment target, with several agents undergoing preclinical or clinical investigations. Finally, a large proportion of ACC tumours have genetic profiles that are associated with promising therapeutic responsiveness in other cancers. All these opportunities now await translation from the laboratory into the clinical setting, thereby offering a real potential of improved survival outcomes and increased quality of life for patients with this serious condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joakim Crona
- Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala Universitet, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Felix Beuschlein
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany.
- Klinik für Endokrinologie, Diabetologie und Klinische Ernährung, UniversitätsSpital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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23
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Zou Y, Jing L. Identification of key modules and prognostic markers in adrenocortical carcinoma by weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Oncol Lett 2019; 18:3673-3681. [PMID: 31516579 PMCID: PMC6733001 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.10725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and aggressive cancer with a high relapse rate and limited treatment options. Therefore, the identification of potential prognostic markers in patients with ACC may improve early detection, survival rates and may additionally provide novel insights into the early detection of recurrence. In the present study, clinical traits and RNA-seq data of 79 patients with ACC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was carried out and 17 distinct co-expression modules were built to examine the association between the modules and the clinical traits. Of the 17 modules, two co-expression modules, which contained 214 and 168 genes, were significantly correlated with two clinical traits, tumor stage and vital status. Functional enrichment analysis was performed on the selected modules. The results showed that one of the modules was primarily enriched in cell division and the other module was enriched in metabolic pathways, suggesting their involvement in tumor progression. Furthermore, cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and ubiquitin C (UBC) were identified as hub genes in both modules. Survival analysis revealed that the high expression of the hub genes significantly correlated with the poor survival rate of patients, suggesting that CDK1 and UBC have vital roles in the progression of ACC. In the present study, a co-expression gene module of ACC was provided and the prognostic genes that may serve as new diagnostic markers in the future were defined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Zou
- Department of Oncology, The People's Hospital of Hanchuan, Hanchuan, Hubei 431600, P.R. China
| | - Luanlian Jing
- Department of Oncology, The People's Hospital of Hanchuan, Hanchuan, Hubei 431600, P.R. China
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24
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Fiorentini C, Grisanti S, Cosentini D, Abate A, Rossini E, Berruti A, Sigala S. Molecular Drivers of Potential Immunotherapy Failure in Adrenocortical Carcinoma. JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2019; 2019:6072863. [PMID: 31057613 PMCID: PMC6463568 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6072863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, highly aggressive cancer, often insensitive to conventional chemotherapeutics agents. Early diagnosis, followed by radical surgical resection plus/minus adjuvant mitotane therapy, is nowadays the only valuable option. Unfortunately, one out of four patients has metastatic disease at diagnosis and most of radically resected ACC patients are destined to recur with local or metastatic disease. Numerous efforts aimed at identifying molecular alterations crucial for ACC pathogenesis have been extensively conducted, with the hope to develop new treatments. Indeed, multiple genes and pathways have been identified as potentially targetable in ACC patients; however, despite the strong preclinical rationale, translational findings to clinical trials led to date to disappointing results. The immunotherapeutic intervention targeting T-cell checkpoint molecules has been proposed as well, but results obtained in early studies indicate that ACC patients would be unlikely to benefit from immunotherapy. Genetic alterations of different pathways involved in ACC carcinogenesis are also known substrates of resistance to immunotherapy. Among them, β-catenin gene CTNNB1 and TP53 gene are frequently mutated in ACC samples. Overactivation of the β-catenin pathway and loss of p53 protein function are potential tumor-intrinsic factors that, impacting on the ability of ACC cells to recruit dendritic cells, leading to T-cell exclusion, put this tumor among those that are potentially resistant to immunotherapy. Moreover, the steroid phenotype, which implies glucocorticoids hypersecretion in a subset of ACC, contributes to generating an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Here, we review clinical results of immunotherapy in ACC and we highlight molecular mechanisms driving immunotherapy failure in ACC, suggesting possible approaches to overcome resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Fiorentini
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia, Italy
| | - Salvatore Grisanti
- Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Piazzale Spedali Civili 1, Brescia, Italy
| | - Deborah Cosentini
- Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Piazzale Spedali Civili 1, Brescia, Italy
| | - Andrea Abate
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia, Italy
| | - Elisa Rossini
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia, Italy
| | - Alfredo Berruti
- Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Piazzale Spedali Civili 1, Brescia, Italy
| | - Sandra Sigala
- Section of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia, Italy
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25
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Abstract
The diagnosis of low-grade adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) confined to the adrenal gland can be challenging. Although there are diagnostic and prognostic molecular tests for ACC, they remain largely unutilized. We examined the diagnostic and prognostic value of altered reticulin framework and the immunoprofile of biomarkers including IGF-2, proteins involved in cell proliferation and mitotic spindle regulation (Ki67, p53, BUB1B, HURP, NEK2), DNA damage repair (PBK, γ-H2AX), telomere regulation (DAX, ATRX), wnt-signaling pathway (beta-catenin) and PI3K signaling pathway (PTEN, phospho-mTOR) in a tissue microarray of 50 adenomas and 43 carcinomas that were characterized for angioinvasion as defined by strict criteria, Weiss score, and mitotic rate-based tumor grade. IGF-2 and proteins involved in cell proliferation and mitotic spindle regulation (Ki67, p53, BUB1B, HURP, NEK2), DNA damage proteins (PBK, γ-H2AX), regulators of telomeres (DAXX, ATRX), and beta-catenin revealed characteristic expression profiles enabling the distinction of carcinomas from adenomas. Not all biomarkers were informative in all carcinomas. IGF-2 was the most useful biomarker of malignancy irrespective of tumor grade and cytomorphologic features, as juxtanuclear Golgi-pattern IGF-2 reactivity optimized for high specificity was identified in up to 80% of carcinomas and in no adenomas. Loss rather than qualitative alterations of the reticulin framework yielded statistical difference between carcinoma and adenoma. Angioinvasion defined as tumor cells invading through a vessel wall and intravascular tumor cells admixed with thrombus proved to be the best prognostic parameter, predicting adverse outcome in the entire cohort as well as within low-grade ACCs. Low mitotic tumor grade, Weiss score, global loss of DAXX expression, and high phospho-mTOR expression correlated with disease-free survival, but Weiss score and biomarkers failed to predict adverse outcome in low-grade disease. Our results underscore the importance of careful morphologic assessment coupled with ancillary diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of ACC.
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26
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Lippert J, Appenzeller S, Liang R, Sbiera S, Kircher S, Altieri B, Nanda I, Weigand I, Gehrig A, Steinhauer S, Riemens RJM, Rosenwald A, Müller CR, Kroiss M, Rost S, Fassnacht M, Ronchi CL. Targeted Molecular Analysis in Adrenocortical Carcinomas: A Strategy Toward Improved Personalized Prognostication. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2018; 103:4511-4523. [PMID: 30113656 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2018-01348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) has a heterogeneous prognosis, and current medical therapies have limited efficacy in its advanced stages. Genome-wide multiomics studies identified molecular patterns associated with clinical outcome. OBJECTIVE Here, we aimed at identifying a molecular signature useful for both personalized prognostic stratification and druggable targets, using methods applicable in clinical routine. DESIGN In total, 117 tumor samples from 107 patients with ACC were analyzed. Targeted next-generation sequencing of 160 genes and pyrosequencing of 4 genes were applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens to detect point mutations, copy number alterations, and promoter region methylation. Molecular results were combined with clinical/histopathological parameters (tumor stage, age, symptoms, resection status, and Ki-67) to predict progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS In addition to known driver mutations, we detected recurrent alterations in genes not previously associated with ACC (e.g., NOTCH1, CIC, KDM6A, BRCA1, BRCA2). Best prediction of PFS was obtained integrating molecular results (more than one somatic mutation, alterations in Wnt/β-catenin and p53 pathways, high methylation pattern) and clinical/histopathological parameters into a combined score (P < 0.0001, χ2 = 68.6). Accuracy of prediction for early disease progress was 83.3% (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.872, 95% confidence interval 0.80 to 0.94). Furthermore, 17 potentially targetable alterations were found in 64 patients (e.g., in CDK4, NOTCH1, NF1, MDM2, and EGFR and in DNA repair system). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that molecular profiling of FFPE tumor samples improves prognostication of ACC beyond clinical/histopathological parameters and identifies new potential drug targets. These findings pave the way to precision medicine in this rare disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliane Lippert
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Silke Appenzeller
- Core Unit Bioinformatics, Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Raimunde Liang
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Silviu Sbiera
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Kircher
- Institute for Pathology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Barbara Altieri
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Indrajit Nanda
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Isabel Weigand
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Gehrig
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sonja Steinhauer
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Renzo J M Riemens
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, LK Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Andreas Rosenwald
- Institute for Pathology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Clemens R Müller
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Kroiss
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Simone Rost
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Martin Fassnacht
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Central Labor, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Cristina L Ronchi
- Department of Medicine I, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Institute of Metabolism and System Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, England
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27
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Persani L, de Filippis T, Colombo C, Gentilini D. GENETICS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: Genetic diagnosis of endocrine diseases by NGS: novel scenarios and unpredictable results and risks. Eur J Endocrinol 2018; 179:R111-R123. [PMID: 29880707 DOI: 10.1530/eje-18-0379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The technological advancements in genetics produced a profound impact on the research and diagnostics of non-communicable diseases. The availability of next-generation sequencing (NGS) allowed the identification of novel candidate genes but also an in-depth modification of the understanding of the architecture of several endocrine diseases. Several different NGS approaches are available allowing the sequencing of several regions of interest or the whole exome or genome (WGS, WES or targeted NGS), with highly variable costs, potentials and limitations that should be clearly known before designing the experiment. Here, we illustrate the NGS scenario, describe the advantages and limitations of the different protocols and review some of the NGS results obtained in different endocrine conditions. We finally give insights on the terminology and requirements for the implementation of NGS in research and diagnostic labs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Persani
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Labs of Endocrine and Metabolic Research, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Tiziana de Filippis
- Labs of Endocrine and Metabolic Research, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Carla Colombo
- Labs of Endocrine and Metabolic Research, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Davide Gentilini
- Labs of Molecular Biology Research, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
- Labs of University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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28
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Pereira SS, Monteiro MP, Bourdeau I, Lacroix A, Pignatelli D. MECHANISMS OF ENDOCRINOLOGY: Cell cycle regulation in adrenocortical carcinoma. Eur J Endocrinol 2018; 179:R95-R110. [PMID: 29773584 DOI: 10.1530/eje-17-0976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs) are rather rare endocrine tumors that often have a poor prognosis. The reduced survival rate associated with these tumors is due to their aggressive biological behavior, combined with the scarcity of effective treatment options that are currently available. The recent identification of the genomic alterations present in ACC have provided further molecular mechanisms to develop consistent strategies for the diagnosis, prevention of progression and treatment of advanced ACCs. Taken together, molecular and genomic advances could be leading the way to develop personalized medicine in ACCs similarly to similar developments in lung or breast cancers. In this review, we focused our attention to systematically compile and summarize the alterations in the cell cycle regulation that were described so far in ACC as they are known to play a crucial role in cell differentiation and growth. We have divided the analysis according to the major transition phases of the cell cycle, G1 to S and G2 to M. We have analyzed the most extensively studied checkpoints: the p53/Rb1 pathway, CDC2/cyclin B and topoisomerases (TOPs). We reached the conclusion that the most important alterations having a potential application in clinical practice are the ones related to p53/Rb1 and TOP 2. We also present a brief description of on-going clinical trials based on molecular alterations in ACC. The drugs have targeted the insulin-like growth factor receptor 1, TOP 2, polo-like kinase1, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, p53 reactivation and CDC25.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia S Pereira
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Anatomy, Multidisciplinary Unit for Biomedical Research (UMIB), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, University of Porto (ICBAS/UP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Mariana P Monteiro
- Clinical and Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Anatomy, Multidisciplinary Unit for Biomedical Research (UMIB), Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, University of Porto (ICBAS/UP), Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabelle Bourdeau
- Endocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Canada
| | - André Lacroix
- Endocrinology Division, Department of Medicine, Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), Montréal, Canada
| | - Duarte Pignatelli
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital S. João, Porto, Portugal
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29
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Abstract
Careful morphological evaluation forms the basis of the workup of an adrenal cortical neoplasm. However, the adoption of immunohistochemical biomarkers has added tremendous value to enhance diagnostic accuracy. The authors provide a brief review of immunohistochemical biomarkers that have been used in the confirmation of adrenal cortical origin and in the detection of the source of functional adrenal cortical proliferations, as well as diagnostic, predictive, and prognostic biomarkers of adrenal cortical carcinoma. In addition, a brief section on potential novel theranostic biomarkers in the prediction of treatment response to mitotane and other relevant chemotherapeutic agents is also provided. In the era of precision and personalized medical practice, adoption of combined morphology and immunohistochemistry provides a new approach to the diagnostic workup of adrenal cortical neoplasms, reflecting the evolution of clinical responsibility of pathologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ozgur Mete
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, 11th floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada.
| | - Sylvia L Asa
- Department of Pathology, University Health Network, 200 Elizabeth Street, 11th floor, Toronto, ON, M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Thomas J Giordano
- Departments of Pathology and Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Mauro Papotti
- Department of Pathology, Turin University at Molinette Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Hironobu Sasano
- Department of Pathology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Marco Volante
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin at San Luigi Hospital, Turin University, Orbassano, Turin, Italy
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30
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Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with poor prognosis. It has undergone in-depth clinical and laboratory investigations, with the help of the most important research groups all over the world. Nonetheless the cure for this kind of neoplasia is not right around the corner, given its complexity and multi-faceted feature, that lead researchers to think at "one person one ACC." Currently total resection is the most concrete option for ACC patients, whenever possible. Mitotane remains the main drug for primary or adjuvant therapy, but gives partial and unsatisfactory therapeutic results, especially in metastatic ACC. This prompted the researchers to find other ways to fight against this malignancy: targeted therapy seems the most promising answer, as it is based on biomolecular and genetic cancer signature. Numerous specific targets were explored for the treatment of ACC, such as those involving angiogenesis, steroidogenesis, Wnt/β-catenin pathway and many others key factors. Even if large efforts have been made, no effective target therapy entered in the clinical use. This data should not be considered only as detrimental, rather it should propel scientific research to invest more resources into the therapeutic exploration of ACC and in particular on the most promising strategy, the targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Manso
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Raffaele Pezzani
- Unit of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padua, Padua, Italy - .,Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca Oncologica di Base (AIROB), Padua, Italy
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31
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Armignacco R, Cantini G, Canu L, Poli G, Ercolino T, Mannelli M, Luconi M. Adrenocortical carcinoma: the dawn of a new era of genomic and molecular biology analysis. J Endocrinol Invest 2018; 41:499-507. [PMID: 29080966 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-017-0775-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decade, the development of novel and high penetrance genomic approaches to analyze biological samples has provided very new insights in the comprehension of the molecular biology and genetics of tumors. The use of these techniques, consisting of exome sequencing, transcriptome, miRNome, chromosome alteration, genome, and epigenome analysis, has also been successfully applied to adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). In fact, the analysis of large cohorts of patients allowed the stratification of ACC with different patterns of molecular alterations, associated with different outcomes, thus providing a novel molecular classification of the malignancy to be associated with the classical pathological analysis. Improving our knowledge about ACC molecular features will result not only in a better diagnostic and prognostic accuracy, but also in the identification of more specific therapeutic targets for the development of more effective pharmacological anti-cancer approaches. In particular, the specific molecular alteration profiles identified in ACC may represent targetable events by the use of already developed or newly designed drugs enabling a better and more efficacious management of the ACC patient in the context of new frontiers of personalized precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Armignacco
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139, Florence, Italy
| | - G Cantini
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139, Florence, Italy
| | - L Canu
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139, Florence, Italy
| | - G Poli
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139, Florence, Italy
| | - T Ercolino
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139, Florence, Italy
| | - M Mannelli
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139, Florence, Italy
| | - M Luconi
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences "Mario Serio", University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini, 6, 50139, Florence, Italy.
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Koperski Ł, Kotlarek M, Świerniak M, Kolanowska M, Kubiak A, Górnicka B, Jażdżewski K, Wójcicka A. Next-generation sequencing reveals microRNA markers of adrenocortical tumors malignancy. Oncotarget 2018; 8:49191-49200. [PMID: 28423361 PMCID: PMC5564760 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare finding among common adrenocortical tumors, but it is highly aggressive and requires early detection and treatment. Still, the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant lesions is difficult even for experienced pathologists and there is a significant need for novel diagnostic methods. In this study we aimed to reveal a complete set of microRNAs expressed in the adrenal gland and to identify easily detectable, stable and objective biomarkers of adrenocortical malignancy. Methods We employed next-generation sequencing to analyze microRNA profiles in a unique set of 51 samples, assigned to either a learning dataset including 7 adrenocortical carcinomas (ACCs), 8 adrenocortical adenomas (AAs) and 8 control samples (NAs), or a validation dataset including 8 ACCs, 10 AAs and 10 NAs. The results were validated in real-time Q-PCR. Results We detected 411 miRNAs expressed in 1763 length isoforms in the examined samples. Fifteen miRNAs differentiate between malignant (ACC) and non-malignant (AA + NA) tissue in the test set of independent samples. Expression levels of 6 microRNAs, miR-503-5p, miR-483-3p, miR-450a-5p, miR-210, miR-483-5p, miR-421, predict sample status (malignancy/non-malignancy) with at least 95% accuracy in both datasets. The best single-gene malignancy marker, miR-483-3p, has been validated by real-time RT PCR. Conclusions As a result of the study we propose clinically valid and easily detectable biomarkers of adrenocortical malignancy that may significantly facilitate morphological examination. Since microRNAs can be detected in blood, the study brings tools for development of non-invasive diagnostics of adrenocortical carcinomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Koperski
- Department of Pathology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta Kotlarek
- Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics, Center of New Technologies, CENT, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michał Świerniak
- Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics, Center of New Technologies, CENT, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.,Genomic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Monika Kolanowska
- Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics, Center of New Technologies, CENT, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.,Genomic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Kubiak
- Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics, Center of New Technologies, CENT, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.,Genomic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Barbara Górnicka
- Department of Pathology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Krystian Jażdżewski
- Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics, Center of New Technologies, CENT, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.,Genomic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Wójcicka
- Laboratory of Human Cancer Genetics, Center of New Technologies, CENT, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.,Genomic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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Kieler M, Müllauer L, Koperek O, Bianconi D, Unseld M, Raderer M, Prager GW. Analysis of 10 Adrenocortical Carcinoma Patients in the Cohort of the Precision Medicine Platform MONDTI. Oncology 2018; 94:306-310. [PMID: 29444511 DOI: 10.1159/000486678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare disease with a dismal prognosis. We aimed to evaluate if a personalized medicine approach may be useful for matching patients with ACC to targeted therapies. METHODS This is an analysis of 10 molecularly profiled ACCs that were progressing under standard of care treatment. The profile consisted of a 50-gene next-generation sequencing panel, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and fluorescence in situ hybridization for several proteins or chromosomal aberrations. RESULTS In 6 (60%) tumor samples, no somatic mutation was detected, while in 3 (30%) tumors 1 mutation was detected and in 1 (10%) tumor 2 mutations were detected. These mutations were CTNNB1 (2 samples), TP53 (1 sample), RB1 (1 sample) and APC (1 sample). Expression of phospho-mTOR and of EGFR was commonly detected by IHC (87.5 and 62.5%). In 4 (50%) samples, IHC revealed a weak expression of progesterone receptor. Less frequent alterations were expression of PDGFR-α, c-KIT, and estrogen receptor, each in 1 case. CONCLUSIONS Based on the molecular profile, no recommendation for targeted therapy was made by the multi-disciplinary team. Currently, ACC might not be suitable for a precision medicine approach according to our tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Kieler
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Leonhard Müllauer
- Clinical Institute of Pathology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Oskar Koperek
- Clinical Institute of Pathology, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela Bianconi
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Unseld
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Raderer
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald W Prager
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine I, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Expression of a recombinant full-length LRP1B receptor in human non-small cell lung cancer cells confirms the postulated growth-suppressing function of this large LDL receptor family member. Oncotarget 2018; 7:68721-68733. [PMID: 27626682 PMCID: PMC5356585 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.11897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-related protein 1B (LRP1B), a member of the LDL receptor family, is frequently inactivated in multiple malignancies including lung cancer. LRP1B is therefore considered as a putative tumor suppressor. Due to its large size (4599 amino acids), until now only minireceptors or receptor fragments have been successfully cloned. To assess the effect of LRP1B on the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer cells, we constructed and expressed a transfection vector containing the 13.800 bp full-length murine Lrp1b cDNA using a PCR-based cloning strategy. Expression of LRP1B was analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) using primers specific for human LRP1B or mouse Lrp1b. Effective expression of the full length receptor was demonstrated by the appearance of a single 600 kDa band on Western Blots of HEK 293 cells. Overexpression of Lrp1b in non-small cell lung cancer cells with low or absent endogenous LRP1B expression significantly reduced cellular proliferation compared to empty vector-transfected control cells. Conversely, in Calu-1 cells, which express higher endogenous levels of the receptor, siRNA-mediated LRP1B knockdown significantly enhanced cellular proliferation. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that, consistent with the postulated tumor suppressor function, overexpression of full-length Lrp1b leads to impaired cellular proliferation, while LRP1B knockdown has the opposite effect. The recombinant Lrp1b construct represents a valuable tool to unravel the largely unknown physiological role of LRP1B and its potential functions in cancer pathogenesis.
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35
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Costa R, Carneiro BA, Tavora F, Pai SG, Kaplan JB, Chae YK, Chandra S, Kopp PA, Giles FJ. The challenge of developmental therapeutics for adrenocortical carcinoma. Oncotarget 2018; 7:46734-46749. [PMID: 27102148 PMCID: PMC5216833 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2016] [Accepted: 04/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare disease with an estimated incidence of only 0.7 new cases per million per year. Approximately 30-70% of the patients present with advanced disease with very poor prognosis and without effective therapeutic options. In the recent years, unprecedented progresses in cancer biology and genomics have fostered the development of numerous targeted therapies for various malignancies. Immunotherapy has also transformed the treatment landscape of malignancies such as melanoma, among others. However, these advances have not brought meaningful benefits for patients with ACC. Extensive genomic analyses of ACC have revealed numerous signal transduction pathway aberrations (e.g., insulin growth factor receptor and Wnt/β-catenin pathways) that play a central role in pathophysiology. These molecular alterations have been explored as potential therapeutic targets for drug development. This manuscript summarizes recent discoveries in ACC biology, reviews the results of early clinical studies with targeted therapies, and provides the rationale for emerging treatment strategies such as immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Costa
- Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Benedito A Carneiro
- Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Fabio Tavora
- Department of Pathology, Messejana Heart and Lung Hospital, Fortaleza, Brazil
| | - Sachin G Pai
- Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jason B Kaplan
- Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Young Kwang Chae
- Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sunandana Chandra
- Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Peter A Kopp
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francis J Giles
- Northwestern Medicine Developmental Therapeutics Institute, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Division of Hematology and Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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36
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Zhu Y, Wang M, Zhao X, Zhang L, Wu Y, Wang B, Hu W. Rottlerin as a novel chemotherapy agent for adrenocortical carcinoma. Oncotarget 2017; 8:22825-22834. [PMID: 28423559 PMCID: PMC5410265 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.15221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, but aggressive endocrine malignancy with a generally poor clinical outcome. There is no effective therapy for advanced and metastatic ACC. In our study, we found that an existing drug (rottlerin) exerted its tumour-suppressive function in ACC. Specifically, rottlerin inhibited cellular proliferation of ACC cell lines (NCI-H295R and SW-13) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We also found that rottlerin induced cell apoptosis and promoted G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in ACC cell lines. The cellular migration and invasion of ACC cell lines were decreased after treatment with rottlerin. Further, the molecular expression of lipoprotein receptor related protein 6 (LRP6) and β-catenin were down-regulated in rottlerin-treated ACC cells, which indicated that Wnt/β-catenin signaling was involved in the tumour-suppressive function of rottlerin. To further confirm the anti-tumour function of rottlerin, a nude mouse ACC xenograft model was used. The xenograft growth curves and TUNEL assays demonstrated that rottlerin inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in the ACC xenograft model. Furthermore, we verified that rottlerin down-regulated the expression of LRP6 and β-catenin in vivo. The ACC cell line and xenograft mouse model data indicated that rottlerin significantly inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of ACC cells, likely via suppression of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Our study indicated the potential therapeutic utility of rottlerin as a novel and potential chemotherapeutic agent for ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhu
- Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P.R. China.,Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Minjie Wang
- No. 422 Hospital of PLA, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Xu Zhao
- Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China.,Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Yigao Wu
- Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Bangqi Wang
- Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
| | - Weilie Hu
- Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China
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37
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Suresh PS, Venkatesh T, Tsutsumi R, Shetty A. Next-generation sequencing for endocrine cancers: Recent advances and challenges. Tumour Biol 2017; 39:1010428317698376. [DOI: 10.1177/1010428317698376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Contemporary molecular biology research tools have enriched numerous areas of biomedical research that address challenging diseases, including endocrine cancers (pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, testicular, ovarian, and neuroendocrine cancers). These tools have placed several intriguing clues before the scientific community. Endocrine cancers pose a major challenge in health care and research despite considerable attempts by researchers to understand their etiology. Microarray analyses have provided gene signatures from many cells, tissues, and organs that can differentiate healthy states from diseased ones, and even show patterns that correlate with stages of a disease. Microarray data can also elucidate the responses of endocrine tumors to therapeutic treatments. The rapid progress in next-generation sequencing methods has overcome many of the initial challenges of these technologies, and their advantages over microarray techniques have enabled them to emerge as valuable aids for clinical research applications (prognosis, identification of drug targets, etc.). A comprehensive review describing the recent advances in next-generation sequencing methods and their application in the evaluation of endocrine and endocrine-related cancers is lacking. The main purpose of this review is to illustrate the concepts that collectively constitute our current view of the possibilities offered by next-generation sequencing technological platforms, challenges to relevant applications, and perspectives on the future of clinical genetic testing of patients with endocrine tumors. We focus on recent discoveries in the use of next-generation sequencing methods for clinical diagnosis of endocrine tumors in patients and conclude with a discussion on persisting challenges and future objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thejaswini Venkatesh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Central University of Kerala, Kasargod, India
| | - Rie Tsutsumi
- Division of Nutrition and Metabolism, Institute of Biomedical Science, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Abhishek Shetty
- Department of Biosciences, Mangalore University, Mangalore, India
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38
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The Utilization of Formalin Fixed-Paraffin-Embedded Specimens in High Throughput Genomic Studies. Int J Genomics 2017; 2017:1926304. [PMID: 28246590 PMCID: PMC5299160 DOI: 10.1155/2017/1926304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 01/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
High throughput genomic assays empower us to study the entire human genome in short time with reasonable cost. Formalin fixed-paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue processing remains the most economical approach for longitudinal tissue specimen storage. Therefore, the ability to apply high throughput genomic applications to FFPE specimens can expand clinical assays and discovery. Many studies have measured the accuracy and repeatability of data generated from FFPE specimens using high throughput genomic assays. Together, these studies demonstrate feasibility and provide crucial guidance for future studies using FFPE specimens. Here, we summarize the findings of these studies and discuss the limitations of high throughput data generated from FFPE specimens across several platforms that include microarray, high throughput sequencing, and NanoString.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Adrenal tumor is a relatively common tumor. The discrimination between adrenal cortical adenoma (ACA) and adrenal cortical carcinoma (ACC) is crucial as these two diseases have distinct prognosis. ACA is a benign tumor curable by surgical excision, while the prognosis of ACC is extremely poor, with a 5-year mortality of 75-90%. Therefore, previous proteomic studies focused on markers allowing the differentiation between ACA and ACC. AREAS COVERED Several proteomic approaches based on the analysis of various samples such as human tissues, urine, and cell lines. In this review, we focused on proteomic studies performed to improve adrenal tumor diagnosis and identify ACC therapeutic targets. Expert commentary: The rapid development of cancer genomics provided a lot of information, which affects functional proteomics. In practice, differentially expressed proteins between ACA and ACC have been suggested in several proteomic studies and had a biologic implication in ACC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye Min Kim
- a Department of Pathology , Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul , South Korea
| | - Yu Kyung Lee
- a Department of Pathology , Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul , South Korea
| | - Ja Seung Koo
- a Department of Pathology , Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul , South Korea
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare cancer, but one that carries a poor prognosis due to its aggressive nature and unresponsiveness to conventional chemotherapeutic strategies. Over the past 12 years, there has been renewed interest in developing new therapies for this cancer, including identifying key signaling nodes responsible for cell proliferation. RECENT FINDINGS Clinical trials of tyrosine kinase inhibitors as monotherapy have generally been disappointing, although the identification of exceptional responders may lead to the identification of targeted therapies that may produce responses in subsets of patients. Agents targeted to the Wnt signaling pathway, a known player in adrenal carcinogenesis, have been developed, although they have not yet been used specifically for adrenal cancer. There is current excitement about inhibitors of acetyl-coA cholesterol acetyl transferase 1, an enzyme required for intracellular cholesterol handling, although trials are still underway. Tools to target other proteins such as Steroidogenic Factor 1 and mechanistic target of rapamycin have been developed and are moving towards clinical application. SUMMARY Progress is being made in the fight against adrenocortical carcinoma with the identification of new therapeutic targets and new means by which to attack them. Continued improvement in the prognosis for patients with adrenal cancer is expected as this research continues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavana Konda
- aDivision of OncologybDivision of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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Faillot S, Assie G. ENDOCRINE TUMOURS: The genomics of adrenocortical tumors. Eur J Endocrinol 2016; 174:R249-65. [PMID: 26739091 DOI: 10.1530/eje-15-1118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The last decade witnessed the emergence of genomics, a set of high-throughput molecular measurements in biological samples. These pan-genomic and agnostic approaches have revolutionized the molecular biology and genetics of malignant and benign tumors. These techniques have been applied successfully to adrenocortical tumors. Exome sequencing identified new major drivers in all tumor types, including KCNJ5, ATP1A1, ATP2B3 and CACNA1D mutations in aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA), PRKACA mutations in cortisol-producing adenomas (CPA), ARMC5 mutations in primary bilateral macronodular adrenocortical hyperplasia (PBMAH) and ZNRF3 mutations in adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC). Moreover, the various genomic approaches - including exome sequencing, transcriptome, miRNome, genome and methylome - converge into a single molecular classification of adrenocortical tumors. Especially for ACC, two main molecular groups have emerged, showing major differences in outcomes. These ACC groups differ by their gene expression profiles, but also by recurrent mutations and specific DNA hypermethylation patterns in the subgroup of poor outcome. The clinical impact of these findings is just starting. The main altered signaling pathways now become therapeutic targets. The molecular groups of diseases individualize robust subtypes within diseases such as APA, CPA, PBMAH and ACC. A revised nosology of adrenocortical tumors should impact the clinical research. Obvious consequences also include genetic counseling for the new genetic diseases such as ARMC5 mutations in PBMAH, and a better prognostication of ACC based on targeted measurements of a few discriminant molecular alterations. Identifying the main molecular groups of adrenocortical tumors by extensively gathering the molecular variations is a significant step forward towards precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Faillot
- Institut CochinINSERM U1016, CNRS 8104, Paris Descartes University, Paris, FranceSIRIC (Site de Recherche Intégré sur le Cancer) CARPEM (CAncer Research for PErsonalized Medicine)Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, FranceDepartment of EndocrinologyReference Center for Rare Adrenal Diseases, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Cochin, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France Institut CochinINSERM U1016, CNRS 8104, Paris Descartes University, Paris, FranceSIRIC (Site de Recherche Intégré sur le Cancer) CARPEM (CAncer Research for PErsonalized Medicine)Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, FranceDepartment of EndocrinologyReference Center for Rare Adrenal Diseases, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Cochin, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Guillaume Assie
- Institut CochinINSERM U1016, CNRS 8104, Paris Descartes University, Paris, FranceSIRIC (Site de Recherche Intégré sur le Cancer) CARPEM (CAncer Research for PErsonalized Medicine)Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, FranceDepartment of EndocrinologyReference Center for Rare Adrenal Diseases, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Cochin, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France Institut CochinINSERM U1016, CNRS 8104, Paris Descartes University, Paris, FranceSIRIC (Site de Recherche Intégré sur le Cancer) CARPEM (CAncer Research for PErsonalized Medicine)Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, FranceDepartment of EndocrinologyReference Center for Rare Adrenal Diseases, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Cochin, 27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014 Paris, France
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Rossi A, Sacco PC, Sgambato A, Casaluce F, Santabarbara G, Palazzolo G, Maione P, Gridelli C. Optimal drugs for second-line treatment of patients with small-cell lung cancer. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2016; 17:969-76. [DOI: 10.1517/14656566.2016.1154539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Basham KJ, Hung HA, Lerario AM, Hammer GD. Mouse models of adrenocortical tumors. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2016; 421:82-97. [PMID: 26678830 PMCID: PMC4720156 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2015.11.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Revised: 11/23/2015] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The molecular basis of the organogenesis, homeostasis, and tumorigenesis of the adrenal cortex has been the subject of intense study for many decades. Specifically, characterization of tumor predisposition syndromes with adrenocortical manifestations and molecular profiling of sporadic adrenocortical tumors have led to the discovery of key molecular pathways that promote pathological adrenal growth. However, given the observational nature of such studies, several important questions regarding the molecular pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors have remained. This review will summarize naturally occurring and genetically engineered mouse models that have provided novel tools to explore the molecular and cellular underpinnings of adrenocortical tumors. New paradigms of cancer initiation, maintenance, and progression that have emerged from this work will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin J Basham
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes, USA; Endocrine Oncology Program, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Holly A Hung
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes, USA; Endocrine Oncology Program, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Antonio M Lerario
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes, USA; Endocrine Oncology Program, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Gary D Hammer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes, USA; Endocrine Oncology Program, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
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Di Paolo A, Polillo M, Lastella M, Bocci G, Del Re M, Danesi R. Methods: for studying pharmacogenetic profiles of combination chemotherapeutic drugs. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2015; 11:1253-67. [PMID: 26037261 DOI: 10.1517/17425255.2015.1053460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Molecular and genetic analysis of tumors and individuals has led to patient-centered therapies, through the discovery and identification of genetic markers predictive of drug efficacy and tolerability. Present therapies often include a combination of synergic drugs, each of them directed against different targets. Therefore, the pharmacogenetic profiling of tumor masses and patients is becoming a challenge, and several questions may arise when planning a translational study. AREAS COVERED The review presents the different techniques used to stratify oncology patients and to tailor antineoplastic treatments according to individual pharmacogenetic profiling. The advantages of these methodologies are discussed as well as current limits. EXPERT OPINION Facing the rapid technological evolution for genetic analyses, the most pressing issues are the choice of appropriate strategies (i.e., from gene candidate up to next-generation sequencing) and the possibility to replicate study results for their final validation. It is likely that the latter will be the major obstacle in the future. However, the present landscape is opening up new possibilities, overcoming those hurdles that have limited result translation into clinical settings for years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonello Di Paolo
- University of Pisa, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Via Roma 55, 56126 Pisa , Italy +39 050 2218755 ; +39 050 2218758 ;
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Abstract
Recent developments in the treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) include diagnostic and prognostic risk stratification algorithms, increasing evidence of the impact of historical therapies on overall survival, and emerging targets from integrated epigenomic and genomic analyses. Advances include proper clinical and molecular characterization of all patients with ACC, standardization of proliferative index analyses, referral of these patients to large cancer referral centers at the time of first surgery, and development of new trials in patients with well-characterized ACC. Networking and progress in the molecular characterization of ACC constitute the basis for significant future therapeutic breakthroughs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Baudin
- Département de Médecine, Gustave Roussy, 114, rue Édouard-Vaillant, Paris South University, Villejuif Cedex 94805, France; Département de Nucléaire et de Cancérologie Endocrinienne, Gustave Roussy, 114, rue Édouard-Vaillant, Paris South University, Villejuif Cedex 94805, France; Faculté de Médecine, INSERM UMR 1185, 63 rue Gabriel Péri, F-94276 Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Université Paris Sud, Paris, France.
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Arcaro A. Targeted therapies for small cell lung cancer: Where do we stand? Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2015; 95:154-64. [PMID: 25800975 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2015.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2014] [Revised: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of lung cancer cases and is associated with a dismal prognosis. Standard therapeutic regimens have been improved over the past decades, but without a major impact on patient survival. The development of targeted therapies based on a better understanding of the molecular basis of the disease is urgently needed. At the genetic level, SCLC appears very heterogenous, although somatic mutations targeting classical oncogenes and tumor suppressors have been reported. SCLC also possesses somatic mutations in many other cancer genes, including transcription factors, enzymes involved in chromatin modification, receptor tyrosine kinases and their downstream signaling components. Several avenues have been explored to develop targeted therapies for SCLC. So far, however, there has been limited success with these targeted approaches in clinical trials. Further progress in the optimization of targeted therapies for SCLC will require the development of more personalized approaches for the patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre Arcaro
- Department of Clinical Research, University of Bern, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.
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