Immunobiology of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the context of radiotherapy

Abscopal effect: from a rare phenomenon to a new frontier in cancer therapy

Radiotherapy (RT) controls local lesions, meantime it has the capability to induce systemic response to inhibit distant, metastatic, non-radiated tumors, which is referred to as the "abscopal effect". It is widely recognized that radiotherapy can stimulate systemic immune response. This provides a compelling theoretical basis for the combination of immune therapy combined with radiotherapy(iRT). Indeed, this phenomenon has also been observed in clinical treatment, bringing significant clinical benefits to patients, and a series of basic studies are underway to amplify this effect. However, the molecular mechanisms of immune response induced by RT, determination of the optimal treatment regimen for iRT, and how to amplify the abscopal effect. In order to amplify and utilize this effect in clinical management, these key issues require to be well addressed; In this review, we comprehensively summarize the growing consensus and emphasize the emerging limitations of enhancing the abscopal effect with radiotherapy or immunotherapy. Finally, we discuss the prospects and barriers to the current clinical translational applications.

The preclinical gap in pancreatic cancer and radiotherapy

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an aggressive malignancy with limited treatment options. Chemotherapy offers little benefit and, although there is some evidence that radiotherapy may improve response, its use in the clinical management of pancreatic cancer remains controversial due to conflicting reports on its survival benefit. There has also been a lack of clinical trials that directly investigate the efficacy of radiotherapy in pancreatic cancer. The limited progress in the development of radiotherapeutic strategies in pancreatic cancer can be attributed, at least in part, to a dearth of preclinical research and our limited understanding of the effects of radiation on the pancreatic tumour microenvironment. In this Perspective, we discuss how insight into the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment and the complex signalling between tumour and stromal cells following radiation is needed to develop effective radiosensitising strategies for pancreatic cancer. We also highlight that to have the best chance for successful clinical translation, more preclinical research is required in appropriately complex models.

Radiation-induced effects on TGF-β and PDGF receptor signaling in cancer-associated fibroblasts

BACKGROUND

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) consist of heterogeneous connective tissue cells and are often constituting the most abundant cell type in the tumor stroma. Radiation effects on tumor stromal components like CAFs in the context of radiation treatment is not well-described.

AIM

This study explores potential changes induced by ionizing radiation (IR) on platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)/PDGFRs and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)/TGFβRs signaling systems in CAFs.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Experiments were carried out by employing primary cultures of human CAFs isolated from freshly resected non-small cell lung carcinoma tumor tissues. CAF cultures from nine donors were treated with one high (1 × 18 Gy) or three fractionated (3 × 6 Gy) radiation doses. Alterations in expression levels of TGFβRII and PDGFRα/β induced by IR were analyzed by western blots and flow cytometry. In the presence or absence of cognate ligands, receptor activation was studied in nonirradiated and irradiated CAFs. Radiation exposure did not exert changes in expression of PDGF or TGF-β receptors in CAFs. Additionally, IR alone was unable to trigger activation of either receptor. The radiation regimens tested did not affect PDGFRβ signaling in the presence of PDGF-BB. In contrast, signaling via pSmad2/3 and pSmad1/5/8 appeared to be down-regulated in irradiated CAFs after stimulation with TGF-β, as compared with controls.

CONCLUSION

Our data demonstrate that IR by itself is insufficient to induce measurable changes in PDGF or TGF-β receptor expression levels or to induce receptor activation in CAFs. However, in the presence of their respective ligands, exposure to radiation at certain doses appear to interfere with TGF-β receptor signaling.

Current trends in the promising immune checkpoint inhibition and radiotherapy combination for locally advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinoma

Locally advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) remains a challenging malignancy, though several novel therapeutic drugs have been developed in recent years. Over the past decade, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have shifted the paradigm of therapeutic strategies for UC; however, only a limited number of patients respond to ICI. Since radiotherapy (RT) is widely known to induce systemic immune activation, it may boost the efficacy of ICI. Conversely, RT also causes exhaustion of cytotoxic T cells, and the activation and recruitment of immunosuppressive cells; ICI may help overcome these immunosuppressive effects. Therefore, the combination of ICI and RT has attracted attention in recent years. The therapeutic benefits of this combination therapy and its optimal regimen have not yet been determined through prospective studies. Therefore, this review article aimed to provide an overview of the current preclinical and clinical studies that illustrate the underlying mechanisms and explore the optimization of the RT regimen along with the ICI and RT combination sequence. We also analyzed ongoing prospective studies on ICI and RT combination therapies for metastatic UC. We noted that the tumor response to ICI and RT combination seemingly differs among cancer types. Thus, our findings highlight the need for well-designed prospective trials to determine the optimal combination of ICI and RT for locally advanced and metastatic UC.

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and FAPα-based cancer vaccine suppresses metastatic tumor growth in 4T1 mouse breast cancer

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

This study tested the hypothesis that a novel combination of stereotactic ablation radiotherapy (SABR) and a cancer vaccine against fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAPα) can suppress established tumor growth and impede potential metastasis.

METHODS

The poorly immunogenic metastatic mouse mammary carcinoma 4T1 was used as a model. Mice were randomly assigned to five treatment groups: (1) untreated control, (2) FAPα-based cancer vaccine, (3) SABR, (4) SABR + pCDH (lentiviral control vector), (5) SABR + FAPα-based cancer vaccine (SABR/FAPα-Vax). FAPα-based cancer vaccine were administered subcutaneously every week for a total of three treatments. SABR was delivered to the primary tumor by 3 × 8 Gy after the first vaccination.

RESULTS

Consistent with the poorly immunogenic nature of 4T1, tumor-bearing mice receiving FAPα-based cancer vaccine or SABR monotherapy showed a modest reduction in tumor volume and increased animal lifespan. In contrast, SABR/FAPα-Vax was well-tolerated, significantly reduced tumor burden, and increased survival compared to monotherapy. The increased survival correlated with inhibition of extracellular matrix (ECM) production, tumor vascularization and lymphangiogenesis. SABR/FAPα-Vax also resulted in an abscopal effect capable of eliminating lung metastases. SABR/FAPα-Vax recruited and activated CD8 + T cells to attack tumor cells and FAPα + stromal cells, and initiated suppressor cell reprogramming, including facilitating macrophage polarization toward an anti-tumor (M1) state, as well as depleting myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs).

CONCLUSION

These findings provide a novel therapeutic combination of radiation and FAPα-based cancer vaccine with promising results against poorly immunogenic metastatic cancer. This study may pave the way to overcome the therapeutic resistance caused by FAPα + CAFs.

Ablative radiotherapy improves survival but does not cure autochthonous mouse models of prostate and colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of cancer are powerful tools to study mechanisms of disease progression and therapy response, yet little is known about how these models respond to multimodality therapy used in patients. Radiation therapy (RT) is frequently used to treat localized cancers with curative intent, delay progression of oligometastases, and palliate symptoms of metastatic disease.

METHODS

Here we report the development, testing, and validation of a platform to immobilize and target tumors in mice with stereotactic ablative RT (SART). Xenograft and autochthonous tumor models were treated with hypofractionated ablative doses of radiotherapy.

RESULTS

We demonstrate that hypofractionated regimens used in clinical practice can be effectively delivered in mouse models. SART alters tumor stroma and the immune environment, improves survival in GEMMs of primary prostate and colorectal cancer, and synergizes with androgen deprivation in prostate cancer. Complete pathologic responses were achieved in xenograft models, but not in GEMMs.

CONCLUSIONS

While SART is capable of fully ablating xenografts, it is unable to completely eradicate disease in GEMMs, arguing that resistance to potentially curative therapy can be modeled in GEMMs.

3D Cell Models in Radiobiology: Improving the Predictive Value of In Vitro Research

Cancer is intrinsically complex, comprising both heterogeneous cellular composition and extracellular matrix. In vitro cancer research models have been widely used in the past to model and study cancer. Although two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models have traditionally been used for cancer research, they have many limitations, such as the disturbance of interactions between cellular and extracellular environments and changes in cell morphology, polarity, division mechanism, differentiation and cell motion. Moreover, 2D cell models are usually monotypic. This implies that 2D tumor models are ineffective at accurately recapitulating complex aspects of tumor cell growth, as well as their radiation responses. Over the past decade there has been significant uptake of three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models by cancer researchers, highlighting a complementary model for studies of radiation effects on tumors, especially in conjunction with chemotherapy. The introduction of 3D cell culture approaches aims to model in vivo tissue interactions with radiation by positioning itself halfway between 2D cell and animal models, and thus opening up new possibilities in the study of radiation response mechanisms of healthy and tumor tissues.

The Histological Background of Recurrence in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: An Insight into the Modifications of Tumor Microenvironment

Recurrent laryngeal carcinoma presents differences from the primary tumor that largely depend on the treatment. In this article, we review the histologic and molecular treatment-induced changes that may affect the diagnosis of recurrent laryngeal carcinoma, the assessment of predictive markers, and the response to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Radiotherapy induces profound modifications that are strictly related to necrosis of different tissue components, fibrosis, and damage of the tumor vessels. Postradiotherapy recurrent/persistent laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma typically presents a discohesive growth pattern within a fibrotic background associated with significant changes of the tumor immune microenvironment, with both important immunosuppressive and immunostimulatory effects. Overall, the increase of immunoregulatory cells and immune checkpoints such as CTLA-4, TIM-3, PD-1, and PD-L1 induced by radiotherapy and chemotherapy strongly supports the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in recurrent/persistent laryngeal carcinoma. Future studies aiming to identify predictive factors of the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors should consider such treatment-induced modifications.

Mechanistic rationales for combining immunotherapy with radiotherapy

Immunotherapy consisted mainly of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has led to significantly improved antitumor response. However, such response has been observed only in tumors possessing an overall responsive tumor immune micro-environment (TIME), in which the presence of functional tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is critical. Various mechanisms of immune escape from immunosurveillance exist, leading to different TIME phenotypes in correlation with primary or acquired resistance to ICIs. Radiotherapy has been shown to induce antitumor immunity not only in the irradiated primary tumor, but also at unirradiated distant sites of metastases. Such antitumor immunity is mainly elicited by radiation's stimulatory effects on antigenicity and adjuvanticity. Furthermore, it may be significantly augmented when irradiation is combined with immunotherapy, such as ICIs. Therefore, radiotherapy represents one potential therapeutic strategy to restore anti-tumor immunity in tumors presenting with an unresponsive TIME. In this review, the generation of anti-tumor immunity, its impairment, radiation's immunogenic properties, and the antitumor effects of combining radiation with immunotherapy will be comprehensively discussed.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts in radiotherapy: Bystanders or protagonists?

BACKGROUND

The primary goal of radiotherapy (RT) is to induce cellular damage on malignant cells; however, it is becoming increasingly recognized the important role played by the tumor microenvironment (TME) in therapy outcomes. Therapeutic irradiation of tumor lesions provokes profound cellular and biological reconfigurations within the TME that ultimately may influence the fate of the therapy.

MAIN CONTENT

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are known to participate in all stages of cancer progression and are increasingly acknowledged to contribute to therapy resistance. Accumulated evidence suggests that, upon radiation, fibroblasts/CAFs avoid cell death but instead enter a permanent senescent state, which in turn may influence the behavior of tumor cells and other components of the TME. Despite the proposed participation of senescent fibroblasts on tumor radioprotection, it is still incompletely understood the impact that RT has on CAFs and the ultimate role that irradiated CAFs have on therapy outcomes. Some of the current controversies may emerge from generalizing observations obtained using normal fibroblasts and CAFs, which are different cell entities that may respond differently to radiation exposure.

CONCLUSION

In this review we present current knowledge on the field of CAFs role in radiotherapy; we discuss the potential tumorigenic functions of radiation-induced senescent fibroblasts and CAFs and we make an effort to integrate the knowledge emerging from preclinical experimentation with observations from the clinics. Video Abstract.

Radiotherapy-induced tumor physical microenvironment remodeling to overcome immunotherapy resistance

The clinical benefits of immunotherapy are proven in many cancers, but a significant number of patients do not respond well to immunotherapy. The tumor physical microenvironment (TpME) has recently been shown to affect the growth, metastasis and treatment of solid tumors. The tumor microenvironment (TME) has unique physical hallmarks: 1) unique tissue microarchitecture, 2) increased stiffness, 3) elevated solid stress, and 4) elevated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP), which contribute to tumor progression and immunotherapy resistance in a variety of ways. Radiotherapy, a traditional and powerful treatment, can remodel the matrix and blood flow associated with the tumor to improve the response rate of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to a certain extent. Herein, we first review the recent research advances on the physical properties of the TME and then explain how TpME is involved in immunotherapy resistance. Finally, we discuss how radiotherapy can remodel TpME to overcome immunotherapy resistance.

The current understanding of the immune landscape relative to radiotherapy across tumor types

Radiotherapy is part of the standard of care treatment for a great majority of cancer patients. As a result of radiation, both tumor cells and the environment around them are affected directly by radiation, which mainly primes but also might limit the immune response. Multiple immune factors play a role in cancer progression and response to radiotherapy, including the immune tumor microenvironment and systemic immunity referred to as the immune landscape. A heterogeneous tumor microenvironment and the varying patient characteristics complicate the dynamic relationship between radiotherapy and this immune landscape. In this review, we will present the current overview of the immunological landscape in relation to radiotherapy in order to provide insight and encourage research to further improve cancer treatment. An investigation into the impact of radiation therapy on the immune landscape showed in several cancers a common pattern of immunological responses after radiation. Radiation leads to an upsurge in infiltrating T lymphocytes and the expression of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) which can hint at a benefit for the patient when combined with immunotherapy. In spite of this, lymphopenia in the tumor microenvironment of 'cold' tumors or caused by radiation is considered to be an important obstacle to the patient's survival. In several cancers, a rise in the immunosuppressive populations is seen after radiation, mainly pro-tumoral M2 macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). As a final point, we will highlight how the radiation parameters themselves can influence the immune system and, therefore, be exploited to the advantage of the patient.

Cancer-associated Fibroblasts in Bladder Cancer: Origin, Biology, and Therapeutic Opportunities

CONTEXT

Bladder cancer (BLCA) is a highly prevalent tumour and a health problem worldwide, especially among men. Recent work has highlighted the relevance of the tumour microenvironment (TME) in cancer biology with translational implications. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a prominent, heterogeneous population of cells in the TME. CAFs have been associated with tumour development, progression, and poor prognosis in several neoplasms. However, their role in BLCA has not yet been exploited deeply.

OBJECTIVE

To review the role of CAFs in BLCA biology and provide an understanding of CAF origin, subtypes, markers, and phenotypic and functional characteristics to improve patient management.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A PubMed search was performed to review manuscripts published using the terms "cancer associated fibroblast" and "bladder cancer" or "urothelial cancer". All abstracts were reviewed, and the full content of all relevant manuscripts was analysed. In addition, selected manuscripts on CAFs in other tumours were considered.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

CAFs have been studied less extensively in BLCA than in other tumours. Thanks to new techniques, such as single-cell RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics, it is now possible to accurately map and molecularly define the phenotype of fibroblasts in normal bladder and BLCA. Bulk transcriptomic analyses have revealed the existence of subtypes among both non-muscle-invasive and muscle-invasive BLCA; these subtypes display distinct features regarding their CAF content. We provide a higher-resolution map of the phenotypic diversity of CAFs in these tumour subtypes. Preclinical studies and recent promising clinical trials leverage on this knowledge through the combined targeting of CAFs or their effectors and the immune microenvironment.

CONCLUSIONS

Current knowledge of BLCA CAFs and the TME is being increasingly applied to improve BLCA therapy. There is a need to acquire a deeper understanding of CAF biology in BLCA.

PATIENT SUMMARY

Tumour cells are surrounded by nontumoural cells that contribute to the determination of the behaviour of cancers. Among them are cancer-associated fibroblasts. The "neighbourhoods" established through these cellular interactions can now be studied with much greater resolution. Understanding these features of tumours will contribute to the designing of more effective therapies, especially in relationship to bladder cancer immunotherapy.

Combination, Modulation and Interplay of Modern Radiotherapy with the Tumor Microenvironment and Targeted Therapies in Pancreatic Cancer: Which Candidates to Boost Radiotherapy?

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer (PDAC) is a highly diverse disease with low tumor immunogenicity. PDAC is also one of the deadliest solid tumor and will remain a common cause of cancer death in the future. Treatment options are limited, and tumors frequently develop resistance to current treatment modalities. Since PDAC patients do not respond well to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), novel methods for overcoming resistance are being explored. Compared to other solid tumors, the PDAC's tumor microenvironment (TME) is unique and complex and prevents systemic agents from effectively penetrating and killing tumor cells. Radiotherapy (RT) has the potential to modulate the TME (e.g., by exposing tumor-specific antigens, recruiting, and infiltrating immune cells) and, therefore, enhance the effectiveness of targeted systemic therapies. Interestingly, combining ICI with RT and/or chemotherapy has yielded promising preclinical results which were not successful when translated into clinical trials. In this context, current standards of care need to be challenged and transformed with modern treatment techniques and novel therapeutic combinations. One way to reconcile these findings is to abandon the concept that the TME is a well-compartmented population with spatial, temporal, physical, and chemical elements acting independently. This review will focus on the most interesting advancements of RT and describe the main components of the TME and their known modulation after RT in PDAC. Furthermore, we will provide a summary of current clinical data for combinations of RT/targeted therapy (tRT) and give an overview of the most promising future directions.

Cancer-associated fibroblast-derived gene signatures predict radiotherapeutic survival in prostate cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play multiple roles in regulating tumor metastasis and treatment response. Current clinical indicators are insufficient to accurately assess disease risk and radiotherapy response, emphasizing the urgent need for additional molecular prognostic markers.

METHODS

In order to investigate CAF-related genes associated with radiotherapy and construct prognostic CAF-related gene signatures for prostate cancer, we firstly established a radio-resistant prostate CAF cell subline (referred to as CAFR) from Mus-CAF (referred to as CAF) through fractionated irradiation using X-rays. Transcriptome sequencing for CAF and CAFR was conducted, and 2626 CAF-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with radiotherapy were identified. Human homologous genes of mouse CAF-related DEGs were then obtained.

RESULTS

Functional enrichment analysis revealed that these CAF-related DEGs were significantly enriched ECM- and immune-related functions and pathways. Based on GSE116918 dataset, 186 CAF-related DEGs were correlated with biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS) of prostate cancer patients, 16 of which were selected to construct a BCRFS-related CAF signature, such as ACPP, THBS2, and KCTD14; 142 CAF-related DEGs were correlated with metastasis-free survival (MFS), 16 of which were used to construct a MFS-related CAF signature, such as HOPX, TMEM132A, and ZNF467. Both Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets confirmed that the two CAF signatures accurately predicted BCRFS and MFS of prostate cancer patients. The risk scores were higher in patients with higher gleason grades and higher clinical T stages. Moreover, the BCRFS-related CAF signature was an independent prognostic factor and a nomogram consisting of BCRFS-related CAF signature and various clinical factors accurately predicted 2-, 3-, and 5-year survival time of prostate cancer patients. Furthermore, the risk score was positively correlated with multiple immune checkpoints.

CONCLUSIONS

Our established CAF signatures could accurately predict BCRFS and MFS in prostate cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy combined with immunotherapy: the dawn of cancer treatment

Radiotherapy (RT) is delivered for purposes of local control, but can also exert systemic effect on remote and non-irradiated tumor deposits, which is called abscopal effect. The view of RT as a simple local treatment has dramatically changed in recent years, and it is now widely accepted that RT can provoke a systemic immune response which gives a strong rationale for the combination of RT and immunotherapy (iRT). Nevertheless, several points remain to be addressed such as the interaction of RT and immune system, the identification of the best schedules for combination with immunotherapy (IO), the expansion of abscopal effect and the mechanism to amplify iRT. To answer these crucial questions, we roundly summarize underlying rationale showing the whole immune landscape in RT and clinical trials to attempt to identify the best schedules of iRT. In consideration of the rarity of abscopal effect, we propose that the occurrence of abscopal effect induced by radiation can be promoted to 100% in view of molecular and genetic level. Furthermore, the “radscopal effect” which refers to using low-dose radiation to reprogram the tumor microenvironment may amplify the occurrence of abscopal effect and overcome the resistance of iRT. Taken together, RT could be regarded as a trigger of systemic antitumor immune response, and with the help of IO can be used as a radical and systemic treatment and be added into current standard regimen of patients with metastatic cancer.