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Barzegar Behrooz A, Darzi Ramandi H, Latifi-Navid H, Peymani P, Tarharoudi R, Momeni N, Sabaghpour Azarian MM, Eltonsy S, Pour-Rashidi A, Ghavami S. Genetic Prognostic Factors in Adult Diffuse Gliomas: A 10-Year Experience at a Single Institution. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:2121. [PMID: 38893240 PMCID: PMC11172038 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16112121] [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: 04/04/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Gliomas are primary brain lesions involving cerebral structures without well-defined boundaries and constitute the most prevalent central nervous system (CNS) neoplasms. Among gliomas, glioblastoma (GB) is a glioma of the highest grade and is associated with a grim prognosis. We examined how clinical variables and molecular profiles may have affected overall survival (OS) over the past ten years. A retrospective study was conducted at Sina Hospital in Tehran, Iran and examined patients with confirmed glioma diagnoses between 2012 and 2020. We evaluated the correlation between OS in GB patients and sociodemographic as well as clinical factors and molecular profiling based on IDH1, O-6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT), TERTp, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) amplification (EGFR-amp) status. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression models were used to assess patient survival. A total of 178 patients were enrolled in the study. The median OS was 20 months, with a 2-year survival rate of 61.0%. Among the 127 patients with available IDH measurements, 100 (78.7%) exhibited mutated IDH1 (IDH1-mut) tumors. Of the 127 patients with assessed MGMT promoter methylation (MGMTp-met), 89 (70.1%) had MGMT methylated tumors. Mutant TERTp (TERTp-mut) was detected in 20 out of 127 cases (15.7%), while wildtype TERTp (wildtype TERTp-wt) was observed in 107 cases (84.3%). Analyses using multivariable models revealed that age at histological grade (p < 0.0001), adjuvant radiotherapy (p < 0.018), IDH1 status (p < 0.043), and TERT-p status (p < 0.014) were independently associated with OS. Our study demonstrates that patients with higher tumor histological grades who had received adjuvant radiotherapy exhibited IDH1-mut or presented with TERTp-wt experienced improved OS. Besides, an interesting finding showed an association between methylation of MGMTp and TERTp status with tumor location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Barzegar Behrooz
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada;
- Electrophysiology Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1416634793, Iran;
- Brain Cancer Research Group, Department of Cancer, Asu Vanda Gene Industrial Research Company, Tehran 1533666398, Iran; (R.T.); (N.M.)
| | - Hadi Darzi Ramandi
- Department of Plant Production and Genetics, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan 6517838623, Iran;
- Department of Molecular Physiology, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran, Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj 7155863511, Iran
- Department of Biostatistics, Asu Vanda Gene Industrial Research Company, Tehran 1533666398, Iran
| | - Hamid Latifi-Navid
- Electrophysiology Research Center, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1416634793, Iran;
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, P.O. Box 14965/161, Tehran 1497716316, Iran
- School of Biological Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran 1953833511, Iran
| | - Payam Peymani
- College of Pharmacy, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada; (P.P.); (S.E.)
| | - Rahil Tarharoudi
- Brain Cancer Research Group, Department of Cancer, Asu Vanda Gene Industrial Research Company, Tehran 1533666398, Iran; (R.T.); (N.M.)
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Sciences, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1477893855, Iran
| | - Nasrin Momeni
- Brain Cancer Research Group, Department of Cancer, Asu Vanda Gene Industrial Research Company, Tehran 1533666398, Iran; (R.T.); (N.M.)
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Sciences, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technology, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 1477893855, Iran
| | | | - Sherif Eltonsy
- College of Pharmacy, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada; (P.P.); (S.E.)
| | - Ahmad Pour-Rashidi
- Brain Cancer Research Group, Department of Cancer, Asu Vanda Gene Industrial Research Company, Tehran 1533666398, Iran; (R.T.); (N.M.)
- Department of Neurosurgery, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1416634793, Iran
| | - Saeid Ghavami
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, University of Manitoba College of Medicine, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0J9, Canada;
- Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, Cancer Care Manitoba-University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0V9, Canada
- Biology of Breathing Theme, Children Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
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Janneh AH. Sphingolipid Signaling and Complement Activation in Glioblastoma: A Promising Avenue for Therapeutic Intervention. BIOCHEM 2024; 4:126-143. [PMID: 38894892 PMCID: PMC11185840 DOI: 10.3390/biochem4020007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive type of malignant brain tumor with a poor prognosis due to the lack of effective treatment options. Therefore, new treatment options are required. Sphingolipids are essential components of the cell membrane, while complement components are integral to innate immunity, and both play a critical role in regulating glioblastoma survival signaling. This review focuses on recent studies investigating the functional roles of sphingolipid metabolism and complement activation signaling in glioblastoma. It also discusses how targeting these two systems together may emerge as a novel therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alhaji H Janneh
- Hollings Cancer Center, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
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Cordani M, Strippoli R, Trionfetti F, Barzegar Behrooz A, Rumio C, Velasco G, Ghavami S, Marcucci F. Immune checkpoints between epithelial-mesenchymal transition and autophagy: A conflicting triangle. Cancer Lett 2024; 585:216661. [PMID: 38309613 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2024.216661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
Inhibitory immune checkpoint (ICP) molecules are pivotal in inhibiting innate and acquired antitumor immune responses, a mechanism frequently exploited by cancer cells to evade host immunity. These evasion strategies contribute to the complexity of cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. For this reason, ICP molecules have become targets for antitumor drugs, particularly monoclonal antibodies, collectively referred to as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), that counteract such cancer-associated immune suppression and restore antitumor immune responses. Over the last decade, however, it has become clear that tumor cell-associated ICPs can also induce tumor cell-intrinsic effects, in particular epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy). Both of these processes have profound implications for cancer metastasis and drug responsiveness. This article reviews the positive or negative cross-talk that tumor cell-associated ICPs undergo with autophagy and EMT. We discuss that tumor cell-associated ICPs are upregulated in response to the same stimuli that induce EMT. Moreover, ICPs themselves, when overexpressed, become an EMT-inducing stimulus. As regards the cross-talk with autophagy, ICPs have been shown to either stimulate or inhibit autophagy, while autophagy itself can either up- or downregulate the expression of ICPs. This dynamic equilibrium also extends to the autophagy-apoptosis axis, further emphasizing the complexities of cellular responses. Eventually, we delve into the intricate balance between autophagy and apoptosis, elucidating its role in the broader interplay of cellular dynamics influenced by ICPs. In the final part of this article, we speculate about the driving forces underlying the contradictory outcomes of the reciprocal, inhibitory, or stimulatory effects between ICPs, EMT, and autophagy. A conclusive identification of these driving forces may allow to achieve improved antitumor effects when using combinations of ICIs and compounds acting on EMT and/or autophagy. Prospectively, this may translate into increased and/or broadened therapeutic efficacy compared to what is currently achieved with ICI-based clinical protocols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Cordani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Raffaele Strippoli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; Department of Epidemiology, Preclinical Research and Advanced Diagnostics, National Institute for Infectious Diseases L., Spallanzani, IRCCS, Via Portuense, 292, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Flavia Trionfetti
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161 Rome, Italy; Department of Epidemiology, Preclinical Research and Advanced Diagnostics, National Institute for Infectious Diseases L., Spallanzani, IRCCS, Via Portuense, 292, 00149 Rome, Italy
| | - Amir Barzegar Behrooz
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Cristiano Rumio
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Trentacoste 2, 20134 Milan, Italy
| | - Guillermo Velasco
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Saeid Ghavami
- Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada; Faculty of Medicine in Zabrze, University of Technology in Katowice, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland; Research Institute of Oncology and Hematology, Cancer Care Manitoba, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.
| | - Fabrizio Marcucci
- Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Milan, Via Trentacoste 2, 20134 Milan, Italy.
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