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EGFR Mutations in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073818. [PMID: 35409179 PMCID: PMC8999014 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
EGFR is a prototypical receptor tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed in multiple cancers including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The standard of care for HNSCC remains largely unchanged despite decades of research. While EGFR blockade is an attractive target in HNSCC patients and anti-EGFR strategies including monoclonal antibodies and kinase inhibitors have shown some clinical benefit, efficacy is often due to the eventual development of resistance. In this review, we discuss how the acquisition of mutations in various domains of the EGFR gene not only alter drug binding dynamics giving rise to resistance, but also how mutations can impact radiation response and overall survival in HNSCC patients. A better understanding of the EGFR mutational landscape and its dynamic effects on treatment resistance hold the potential to better stratify patients for targeted therapies in order to maximize therapeutic benefits.
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Bekampytė J, Bartnykaitė A, Savukaitytė A, Ugenskienė R, Korobeinikova E, Gudaitienė J, Juozaitytė E. The Investigation of Associations between TP53 rs1042522, BBC3 rs2032809, CCND1 rs9344, EGFR rs2227983 Polymorphisms and Breast Cancer Phenotype and Prognosis. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:1419. [PMID: 34441352 PMCID: PMC8393676 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11081419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is one of the most common oncological diseases among women worldwide. Cell cycle and apoptosis-related genes TP53, BBC3, CCND1 and EGFR play an important role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. However, the roles of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in these genes have not been fully defined. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the association between TP53 rs1042522, BBC3 rs2032809, CCND1 rs9344 and EGFR rs2227983 polymorphisms and breast cancer phenotype and prognosis. For the purpose of the analysis, 171 Lithuanian women were enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood; PCR-RFLP was used for SNPs analysis. The results showed that BBC3 rs2032809 was associated with age at the time of diagnosis, disease progression, metastasis and death. CCND1 rs9344 was associated with tumor size, however an association resulted in loss of significance after Bonferroni correction. In survival analysis, significant associations were observed between BBC3 rs2032809 and OS, PFS and MFS. EGFR rs2227983 also showed some associations with OS and PFS (univariate Cox regression analysis). However, the results were in loss of significance (multivariate Cox regression analysis). In conclusion, BBC3 rs2032809 polymorphism was associated with breast cancer phenotype and prognosis. Therefore, it could be applied as potential markers for breast cancer prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justina Bekampytė
- Oncology Research Laboratory, Oncology Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania; (A.B.); (A.S.); (R.U.)
| | - Agnė Bartnykaitė
- Oncology Research Laboratory, Oncology Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania; (A.B.); (A.S.); (R.U.)
| | - Aistė Savukaitytė
- Oncology Research Laboratory, Oncology Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania; (A.B.); (A.S.); (R.U.)
| | - Rasa Ugenskienė
- Oncology Research Laboratory, Oncology Institute, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania; (A.B.); (A.S.); (R.U.)
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Erika Korobeinikova
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania; (E.K.); (J.G.); (E.J.)
| | - Jurgita Gudaitienė
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania; (E.K.); (J.G.); (E.J.)
| | - Elona Juozaitytė
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics, LT-50161 Kaunas, Lithuania; (E.K.); (J.G.); (E.J.)
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Maisel SA, Broka D, Atwell B, Bunch T, Kupp R, Singh SK, Mehta S, Schroeder J. Stapled EGFR peptide reduces inflammatory breast cancer and inhibits additional HER-driven models of cancer. J Transl Med 2019; 17:201. [PMID: 31215437 PMCID: PMC6582486 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-019-1939-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family of transmembrane tyrosine kinases is overexpressed and correlates with poor prognosis and decreased survival in many cancers. The receptor family has been therapeutically targeted, yet tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) do not inhibit kinase-independent functions and antibody-based targeting does not affect internalized receptors. We have previously demonstrated that a peptide mimicking the internal juxtamembrane domain of HER1 (EGFR; EJ1) promotes the formation of non-functional HER dimers that inhibit kinase-dependent and kinase-independent functions of HER1 (ERBB1/EGFR), HER2 (ERBB2) and HER3 (ERBB3). Despite inducing rapid HER-dependent cell death in vitro, EJ1 peptides are rapidly cleared in vivo, limiting their efficacy. Method To stabilize EJ1 activity, hydrocarbon staples (SAH) were added to the active peptide (SAH-EJ1), resulting in a 7.2-fold increase in efficacy and decreased in vivo clearance. Viability assays were performed across HER1 and HER2 expressing cell lines, therapeutic-resistant breast cancer cells, clinically relevant HER1-mutated lung cancer cells, and patient-derived glioblastoma cells, in all cases demonstrating improved efficacy over standard of care pan-HER therapeutics. Tumor burden studies were also performed in lung, glioblastoma, and inflammatory breast cancer mouse models, evaluating tumor growth and overall survival. Results When injected into mouse models of basal-like and inflammatory breast cancers, EGFRvIII-driven glioblastoma, and lung adenocarcinoma with Erlotinib resistance, tumor growth is inhibited and overall survival is extended. Studies evaluating the toxicity of SAH-EJ1 also demonstrate a broad therapeutic window. Conclusions Taken together, these data indicate that SAH-EJ1 may be an effective therapeutic for HER-driven cancers with the potential to eliminate triple negative inflammatory breast cancer. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12967-019-1939-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina A Maisel
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Derrick Broka
- Arizona Cancer Therapeutics/Alliance Therapeutics, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Benjamin Atwell
- Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, 1515 N Campbell Ave 3945, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Thomas Bunch
- Arizona Cancer Therapeutics/Alliance Therapeutics, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Robert Kupp
- Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Shiv K Singh
- Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Shwetal Mehta
- Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Joyce Schroeder
- Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, 1515 N Campbell Ave 3945, Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA. .,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA. .,Arizona Cancer Therapeutics/Alliance Therapeutics, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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Tintelnot J, Baum N, Schultheiß C, Braig F, Trentmann M, Finter J, Fumey W, Bannas P, Fehse B, Riecken K, Schuetze K, Bokemeyer C, Rösner T, Valerius T, Peipp M, Koch-Nolte F, Binder M. Nanobody Targeting of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Ectodomain Variants Overcomes Resistance to Therapeutic EGFR Antibodies. Mol Cancer Ther 2019; 18:823-833. [PMID: 30824613 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-18-0849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ectodomain variants mediating primary resistance or secondary treatment failure in cancer patients treated with cetuximab or panitumumab support the need for more resistance-preventive or personalized ways of targeting this essential pathway. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the EGFR nanobody 7D12 fused to an IgG1 Fc portion (7D12-hcAb) would overcome EGFR ectodomain-mediated resistance because it targets a very small binding epitope within domain III of EGFR. Indeed, we found that 7D12-hcAb bound and inhibited all tested cell lines expressing common resistance-mediating EGFR ectodomain variants. Moreover, we assessed receptor functionality and binding properties in synthetic mutants of the 7D12-hcAb epitope to model resistance to 7D12-hcAb. Because the 7D12-hcAb epitope almost completely overlaps with the EGF-binding site, only position R377 could be mutated without simultaneous loss of receptor functionality, suggesting a low risk of developing secondary resistance toward 7D12-hcAb. Our binding data indicated that if 7D12-hcAb resistance mutations occurred in position R377, which is located within the cetuximab and panitumumab epitope, cells expressing these receptor variants would retain sensitivity to these antibodies. However, 7D12-hcAb was equally ineffective as cetuximab in killing cells expressing the cetuximab/panitumumab-resistant aberrantly N-glycosylated EGFR R521K variant. Yet, this resistance could be overcome by introducing mutations into the Fc portion of 7D12-hcAb, which enhanced immune effector functions and thereby allowed killing of cells expressing this variant. Taken together, our data demonstrate a broad range of activity of 7D12-hcAb across cells expressing different EGFR variants involved in primary and secondary EGFR antibody resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Tintelnot
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Natalie Baum
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Schultheiß
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Friederike Braig
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Marie Trentmann
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Finter
- Department of Pediatrics, Center for Obstetrics and Pediatrics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - William Fumey
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Peter Bannas
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Boris Fehse
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kristoffer Riecken
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Schuetze
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carsten Bokemeyer
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thies Rösner
- Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunotherapy, Department of Internal Medicine ll, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Thomas Valerius
- Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunotherapy, Department of Internal Medicine ll, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Matthias Peipp
- Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Immunotherapy, Department of Internal Medicine ll, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Friedrich Koch-Nolte
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mascha Binder
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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Bashir NA, Ragab ES, Khabour OF, Khassawneh BY, Alfaqih MA, Momani JA. The Association between Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor ( EGFR) Gene Polymorphisms and Lung Cancer Risk. Biomolecules 2018; 8:biom8030053. [PMID: 30011810 PMCID: PMC6164867 DOI: 10.3390/biom8030053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in cell proliferation and signaling. In this study, we examined the association between EGFR gene polymorphisms and lung cancer risk among the Jordanian population. A total of 129 patients with primary lung cancer and 129 matched healthy controls were recruited into this study. EGFR rs712829, rs712830, rs2072454, and rs11543848 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped to test for their association with lung cancer risk. A significant association was observed between the rs712829 SNP and lung cancer risk (p < 0.05) where the GG + GT genotypes were higher in lung cancer patients when compared to controls. In addition, no association was detected between rs712830, rs2072454, and rs11543848 SNPs and lung cancer risk. When patients were stratified according to the lung cancer type, a significant association was detected between both rs712829 and rs2072454 and adenocarcinoma lung cancer (p < 0.05). Haplotype analysis of all four SNPs showed a significant association between the TCCG haplotype and both lung cancer and the adenocarcinoma subtype (p < 0.001). In conclusion, EGFR rs712829, rs2072454 SNPs, and TCCG haplotypes are associated with a risk of lung cancer among Jordanians. Since genetic associations are affected by the genetic background of populations, more studies in other Arab populations are required to confirm the present findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nabil A Bashir
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
| | - Entesar S Ragab
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
| | - Omar F Khabour
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
| | - Basheer Y Khassawneh
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
| | - Mahmoud A Alfaqih
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
| | - Jafar A Momani
- Respiratory Medicine Division, King Hussein Medical Center, Amman 11733, Jordan.
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6
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Sobral-Leite M, Lips EH, Vieira-Monteiro HDA, Giacomin LC, Freitas-Alves DR, Cornelissen S, Mulder L, Wesseling J, Schmidt MK, Vianna-Jorge R. Evaluation of the EGFR polymorphism R497K in two cohorts of neoadjuvantly treated breast cancer patients. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0189750. [PMID: 29267323 PMCID: PMC5739423 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathological response of breast cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) presents great variability, and new prognostic biomarkers are needed. Our aim was to evaluate the association of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) polymorphism R497K (rs2227983) with prognostic features and clinical outcomes of breast cancer, including the pathological response to NAC and the recurrence-free survival (RFS). Tumoral complete response (tCR) was defined by no remaining invasive cancer in the excised breast, whereas pathological complete response (pCR) was defined by no remaining invasive cancer both in the excised breast and lymph nodes. Two independent cohorts were analyzed: one from Brazil (INCA, n = 288) and one from The Netherlands (NKI-AVL, n = 255). In the INCA cohort, the variant (Lys-containing) genotypes were significantly associated with lower proportion of tCR (ORadj = 0.92; 95%CI = 0.85-0.99), whereas in the NKI-AVL cohort they were associated with tumor grade 3 (p = 0.035) and with triple-negative subtype (p = 0.032), but not with clinical outcomes. Such distinct prognostic associations may have arisen due to different neoadjuvant protocols (p < 0.001), or to lower age at diagnosis (p < 0.001) and higher proportion of tumor grade 3 (p = 0.018) at the NKI-AVL cohort. Moreover, NKI-AVL patients achieved better proportion of pCR (21.2% vs 8.3%, p < 0.001) and better RFS (HRadj = 0.48; 95% adjCI = 0.26-0.86) than patients from INCA. In conclusion, large scale studies comprehending different populations are needed to evaluate the impact of genome variants on breast cancer outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Sobral-Leite
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Coordenação de Pesquisa, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Esther H. Lips
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Hayra de Andrade Vieira-Monteiro
- Coordenação de Pesquisa, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública e Meio Ambiente, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública—FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Daniely Regina Freitas-Alves
- Coordenação de Pesquisa, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública e Meio Ambiente, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública—FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Sten Cornelissen
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lennart Mulder
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jelle Wesseling
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Division of Pathology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marjanka K. Schmidt
- Division of Molecular Pathology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rosane Vianna-Jorge
- Coordenação de Pesquisa, Instituto Nacional de Câncer, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública e Meio Ambiente, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública—FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
- Programa de Farmacologia e Inflamação–Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
- * E-mail:
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7
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Hammoudeh Z, Nikolova D, Balabanski L, Ivanov S, Vazharova R, Weidner S, Malinov M, Toncheva D. Screening of pharmacogenetic variants associated with drug sensitivity in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma using next generation sequencing. BIOTECHNOL BIOTEC EQ 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/13102818.2017.1335614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Zora Hammoudeh
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Dragomira Nikolova
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | | | - Radoslava Vazharova
- SBALGAR “Malinov” Clinic, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Department of Medical Genetics, Medical Faculty, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Sabine Weidner
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Inselspital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Draga Toncheva
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
- SBALGAR “Malinov” Clinic, Sofia, Bulgaria
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8
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Braig F, Kriegs M, Voigtlaender M, Habel B, Grob T, Biskup K, Blanchard V, Sack M, Thalhammer A, Ben Batalla I, Braren I, Laban S, Danielczyk A, Goletz S, Jakubowicz E, Märkl B, Trepel M, Knecht R, Riecken K, Fehse B, Loges S, Bokemeyer C, Binder M. Cetuximab Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer Is Mediated by EGFR-K 521 Polymorphism. Cancer Res 2016; 77:1188-1199. [PMID: 28031227 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-16-0754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) exhibiting resistance to the EGFR-targeting drug cetuximab poses a challenge to their effective clinical management. Here, we report a specific mechanism of resistance in this setting based upon the presence of a single nucleotide polymorphism encoding EGFR-K521 (K-allele), which is expressed in >40% of HNSCC cases. Patients expressing the K-allele showed significantly shorter progression-free survival upon palliative treatment with cetuximab plus chemotherapy or radiation. In several EGFR-mediated cancer models, cetuximab failed to inhibit downstream signaling or to kill cells harboring a high K-allele frequency. Cetuximab affinity for EGFR-K521 was reduced slightly, but ligand-mediated EGFR activation was intact. We found a lack of glycan sialyation on EGFR-K521 that associated with reduced protein stability, suggesting a structural basis for reduced cetuximab efficacy. CetuGEX, an antibody with optimized Fc glycosylation targeting the same epitope as cetuximab, restored HNSCC sensitivity in a manner associated with antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity rather than EGFR pathway inhibition. Overall, our results highlight EGFR-K521 expression as a key mechanism of cetuximab resistance to evaluate prospectively as a predictive biomarker in HNSCC patients. Further, they offer a preclinical rationale for the use of ADCC-optimized antibodies to treat tumors harboring this EGFR isoform. Cancer Res; 77(5); 1188-99. ©2016 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Friederike Braig
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with Section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Malte Kriegs
- Radiation Biology and Radiooncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Minna Voigtlaender
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with Section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Beate Habel
- Bioassays and Nonclinical Studies, GLYCOTOPE GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tobias Grob
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Karina Biskup
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Charité University Medical Center Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Veronique Blanchard
- Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Charité University Medical Center Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Markus Sack
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
| | - Anja Thalhammer
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Potsdam University, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Isabel Ben Batalla
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with Section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ingke Braren
- HEXT Vector Facility/Institute for Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simon Laban
- Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Antje Danielczyk
- Bioassays and Nonclinical Studies, GLYCOTOPE GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Steffen Goletz
- Bioassays and Nonclinical Studies, GLYCOTOPE GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Bruno Märkl
- Pathological Institute, Klinikum Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Martin Trepel
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with Section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Department of Oncology and Hematology, Klinikum Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Rainald Knecht
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Cancer Center of the University Cancer Center Hamburg, University Medical Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Kristoffer Riecken
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Boris Fehse
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sonja Loges
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with Section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,Institute for Tumor Biology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carsten Bokemeyer
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with Section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mascha Binder
- Department of Oncology and Hematology, BMT with Section Pneumology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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The Relations between EGFR R521K Polymorphism and Risk of Cancer: Need for Clarification of Data in a Recent Meta-Analysis. Int J Genomics 2015; 2015:597413. [PMID: 25874199 PMCID: PMC4383517 DOI: 10.1155/2015/597413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 03/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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