Synergism of peptide receptor-targeted Auger electron radiation therapy with anti-angiogenic compounds in a mouse model of neuroendocrine tumors

Overcoming Immunotherapeutic Resistance in PDAC: SIRPα-CD47 blockade

A daily increase in the number of new cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains an issue of contention in cancer research. The data revealed that a global cumulated case of about 500, 000 have been reported. This has made PDAC the fourteenth most occurring tumor case in cancer research. Furthermore, PDAC is responsible for about 466,003 deaths annually, representing the seventh prevalent type of cancer mortality. PDAC has no salient symptoms in its early stages. This has exasperated several attempts to produce a perfect therapeutic agent against PDAC. Recently, immunotherapeutic research has shifted focus to the blockade of checkpoint proteins in the management and of some cancers. Investigations have centrally focused on developing therapeutic agents that could at least to a significant extent block the SIRPα-CD47 signaling cascade (a cascade which prevent phagocytosis of tumors by dendritic cells, via the deactivation of innate immunity and subsequently resulting in tumor regression) with minimal side effects. The concept on the blockade of this interaction as a possible mechanism for inhibiting the progression of PDAC is currently being debated. This review examined the structure--function activity of SIRPα-CD47 interaction while discussing in detail the mechanism of tumor resistance in PDAC. Further, this review details how the blockade of SIRPα-CD47 interaction serve as a therapeutic option in the management of PDAC.

Angiogenesis in Pancreatic Cancer: Pre-Clinical and Clinical Studies

Angiogenesis is a crucial event in tumor development and progression, occurring by different mechanisms and it is driven by pro- and anti-angiogenic molecules. Pancreatic cancer vascularization is characterized by a high microvascular density, impaired microvessel integrity and poor perfused vessels with heterogeneous distribution. In this review article, after a brief introduction on pancreatic cancer classification and on angiogenesis mechanisms involved in its progression, the pre-clinical and clinical trials conducted in pancreatic cancer treatment using anti-angiogenic inhibitors will be described. Finally, we will discuss the anti-angiogenic therapy paradox between the advantage to abolish vessel supply to block tumor growth and the disadvantage due to reduction of drug delivery at the same time. The purpose is to identify new anti-angiogenic molecules that may enhance treatment regimen.

Combining antiangiogenic therapy and radiation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Radiation therapy is the primary treatment in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and the effect of radiation therapy is strongly related to the oxygen content of cancer cells. That means, it is imperative to balance the interactions between radiotherapy and anti-angiogenesis therapy when giving combination therapy to improve clinical outcomes. The complicated mechanisms between antiangiogenic agents and radiation involve many interactions between the cancer cells, vasculature, and cancer stroma. The proliferation and metastasis of cancer depends on angiogenesis, while rapid growth of cancers will cause hypoxia, which contributes to radioresistance. Antiangiogenic agents can modulate the cancer blood flow and oxygenation through target cancer vasculature, leading to increased radiosensitivity. This study discusses the mechanisms of the synergistic effect of the antiangiogenic therapy with radiation therapy in metastatic NPC, and reviews the data supporting this strategy as a promising treatment for metastatic NPC.