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Johnson AL, Lopez-Bertoni H. Cellular diversity through space and time: adding new dimensions to GBM therapeutic development. Front Genet 2024; 15:1356611. [PMID: 38774283 PMCID: PMC11106394 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1356611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The current median survival for glioblastoma (GBM) patients is only about 16 months, with many patients succumbing to the disease in just a matter of months, making it the most common and aggressive primary brain cancer in adults. This poor outcome is, in part, due to the lack of new treatment options with only one FDA-approved treatment in the last decade. Advances in sequencing techniques and transcriptomic analyses have revealed a vast degree of heterogeneity in GBM, from inter-patient diversity to intra-tumoral cellular variability. These cutting-edge approaches are providing new molecular insights highlighting a critical role for the tumor microenvironment (TME) as a driver of cellular plasticity and phenotypic heterogeneity. With this expanded molecular toolbox, the influence of TME factors, including endogenous (e.g., oxygen and nutrient availability and interactions with non-malignant cells) and iatrogenically induced (e.g., post-therapeutic intervention) stimuli, on tumor cell states can be explored to a greater depth. There exists a critical need for interrogating the temporal and spatial aspects of patient tumors at a high, cell-level resolution to identify therapeutically targetable states, interactions and mechanisms. In this review, we discuss advancements in our understanding of spatiotemporal diversity in GBM with an emphasis on the influence of hypoxia and immune cell interactions on tumor cell heterogeneity. Additionally, we describe specific high-resolution spatially resolved methodologies and their potential to expand the impact of pre-clinical GBM studies. Finally, we highlight clinical attempts at targeting hypoxia- and immune-related mechanisms of malignancy and the potential therapeutic opportunities afforded by single-cell and spatial exploration of GBM patient specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L. Johnson
- Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Hernando Lopez-Bertoni
- Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Neurology, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Oncology, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Xing JL, Stea B. Molecular mechanisms of sensitivity and resistance to radiotherapy. Clin Exp Metastasis 2024:10.1007/s10585-023-10260-4. [PMID: 38231337 DOI: 10.1007/s10585-023-10260-4] [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: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms underlying sensitivity and resistance to radiotherapy is an area of active investigation and discovery as its clinical applications have the potential to improve cancer patients' outcomes. In addition to the traditional pathways of radiation biology, our knowledge now includes molecular pathways of radiation sensitivity and resistance which have provided insights into potential targets for enhancing radiotherapy efficacy. Sensitivity to radiotherapy is influenced by the intricate interplay of various molecular mechanisms involved in DNA damage repair, apoptosis, cellular senescence, and epigenetics. Translationally, there have been several successful applications of this new knowledge into the clinic, such as biomarkers for improved response to chemo-radiation. New therapies to modify radiation response, such as the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, derived from research on DNA repair pathways leading to radiotherapy resistance, are being used clinically. In addition, p53-mediated pathways are critical for DNA damage related apoptosis, cellular senescence, and cell cycle arrest. As the understanding of genetic markers, molecular profiling, molecular imaging, and functional assays improve, these advances once translated clinically, will help propel modern radiation therapy towards more precise and individualized practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Xing
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Arizona, 3838 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
| | - Baldassarre Stea
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Arizona, 3838 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA.
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Brighi C, Waddington DEJ, Keall PJ, Booth J, O’Brien K, Silvester S, Parkinson J, Mueller M, Yim J, Bailey DL, Back M, Drummond J. The MANGO study: a prospective investigation of oxygen enhanced and blood-oxygen level dependent MRI as imaging biomarkers of hypoxia in glioblastoma. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1306164. [PMID: 38192626 PMCID: PMC10773871 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1306164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive type of brain cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of ~5% and most tumours recurring locally within months of first-line treatment. Hypoxia is associated with worse clinical outcomes in GBM, as it leads to localized resistance to radiotherapy and subsequent tumour recurrence. Current standard of care treatment does not account for tumour hypoxia, due to the challenges of mapping tumour hypoxia in routine clinical practice. In this clinical study, we aim to investigate the role of oxygen enhanced (OE) and blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) MRI as non-invasive imaging biomarkers of hypoxia in GBM, and to evaluate their potential role in dose-painting radiotherapy planning and treatment response assessment. Methods The primary endpoint is to evaluate the quantitative and spatial correlation between OE and BOLD MRI measurements and [18F]MISO values of uptake in the tumour. The secondary endpoints are to evaluate the repeatability of MRI biomarkers of hypoxia in a test-retest study, to estimate the potential clinical benefits of using MRI biomarkers of hypoxia to guide dose-painting radiotherapy, and to evaluate the ability of MRI biomarkers of hypoxia to assess treatment response. Twenty newly diagnosed GBM patients will be enrolled in this study. Patients will undergo standard of care treatment while receiving additional OE/BOLD MRI and [18F]MISO PET scans at several timepoints during treatment. The ability of OE/BOLD MRI to map hypoxic tumour regions will be evaluated by assessing spatial and quantitative correlations with areas of hypoxic tumour identified via [18F]MISO PET imaging. Discussion MANGO (Magnetic resonance imaging of hypoxia for radiation treatment guidance in glioblastoma multiforme) is a diagnostic/prognostic study investigating the role of imaging biomarkers of hypoxia in GBM management. The study will generate a large amount of longitudinal multimodal MRI and PET imaging data that could be used to unveil dynamic changes in tumour physiology that currently limit treatment efficacy, thereby providing a means to develop more effective and personalised treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caterina Brighi
- Image X Institute, Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - David E. J. Waddington
- Image X Institute, Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul J. Keall
- Image X Institute, Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jeremy Booth
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Institute of Medical Physics, School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Shona Silvester
- Image X Institute, Sydney School of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jonathon Parkinson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Brain Cancer Group Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - Marco Mueller
- Siemens Healthcare Pty Ltd, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jackie Yim
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Brain Cancer Group Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
- Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Dale L. Bailey
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael Back
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Brain Cancer Group Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
| | - James Drummond
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Brain Cancer Group Sydney, St Leonards, NSW, Australia
- Department of Neuroradiology, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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