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Zhong Z, Sepramaniam S, Chew XH, Wood K, Lee MA, Madan B, Virshup DM. PORCN inhibition synergizes with PI3K/mTOR inhibition in Wnt-addicted cancers. Oncogene 2019; 38:6662-6677. [PMID: 31391551 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-0908-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, PDAC) is aggressive and lethal. Although there is an urgent need for effective therapeutics in treating pancreatic cancer, none of the targeted therapies tested in clinical trials to date significantly improve its outcome. PORCN inhibitors show efficacy in preclinical models of Wnt-addicted cancers, including RNF43-mutant pancreatic cancers and have advanced to clinical trials. In this study, we aimed to develop drug combination strategies to further enhance the therapeutic efficacy of the PORCN inhibitor ETC-159. To identify additional druggable vulnerabilities in Wnt-driven pancreatic cancers, we performed an in vivo CRISPR loss-of-function screen. CTNNB1, KRAS, and MYC were reidentified as key oncogenic drivers. Notably, glucose metabolism pathway genes were important in vivo but less so in vitro. Knockout of multiple genes regulating PI3K/mTOR signaling impacted the growth of Wnt-driven pancreatic cancer cells in vivo. Importantly, multiple PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitors in combination with ETC-159 synergistically suppressed the growth of multiple Wnt-addicted cancer cell lines in soft agar. Furthermore, the combination of the PORCN inhibitor ETC-159 and the pan-PI3K inhibitor GDC-0941 potently suppressed the in vivo growth of RNF43-mutant pancreatic cancer xenografts. This was largely due to enhanced suppressive effects on both cell proliferation and glucose metabolism. These findings demonstrate that dual PORCN and PI3K/mTOR inhibition is a potential strategy for treating Wnt-driven pancreatic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zhong
- Program in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Xin Hui Chew
- Experimental Therapeutics Centre, A*STAR, Biopolis, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kris Wood
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - May Ann Lee
- Experimental Therapeutics Centre, A*STAR, Biopolis, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Babita Madan
- Program in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - David M Virshup
- Program in Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore. .,Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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2
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Jiang H, Xu M, Li L, Grierson P, Dodhiawala P, Highkin M, Zhang D, Li Q, Wang-Gillam A, Lim KH. Concurrent HER or PI3K Inhibition Potentiates the Antitumor Effect of the ERK Inhibitor Ulixertinib in Preclinical Pancreatic Cancer Models. Mol Cancer Ther 2018; 17:2144-2155. [PMID: 30065098 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-17-1142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2017] [Revised: 04/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Effective treatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an urgent, unmet medical need. Targeting KRAS, the oncogene that is present in >95% of PDAC, is a heavily pursued strategy, but remains unsuccessful in the clinic. Therefore, targeting key effector cascades of KRAS oncoprotein, particularly the mitogenic RAF-MEK-ERK pathway, represents the next best strategy. However, RAF or MEK inhibitors have failed to show clinical efficacy in PDAC. Several studies have shown that cancer cells treated with RAF or MEK inhibitors adopt multiple mechanisms to reactivate ERK signaling. Therefore, development of ERK-specific inhibitors carries the promise to effectively abrogate this pathway. Ulixertinib (or BVD-523) is a first-in-class ERK-specific inhibitor that has demonstrated promising antitumor activity in a phase I clinical trial for advanced solid tumors with NRAS and BRAF mutations, providing a strong rationale to test this inhibitor in PDAC. In this study, we show that ulixertinib effectively inhibits in vitro growth of multiple PDAC lines and potentiates the cytotoxic effect of gemcitabine. Moreover, we found that PDAC cells treated with ulixertinib upregulates the parallel PI3K-AKT pathway through activating the HER/ErbB family proteins. Concurrent inhibition of PI3K or HER proteins synergizes with ulixertinib in suppressing PDAC cell growth in vitro and in vivo Overall, our study provides the preclinical rationale for testing combinations of ulixertinib with chemotherapy or PI3K and HER inhibitors in PDAC patients. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(10); 2144-55. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Jiang
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Mai Xu
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Lin Li
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Patrick Grierson
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Paarth Dodhiawala
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Maureen Highkin
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Daoxiang Zhang
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri
| | - Qiong Li
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Andrea Wang-Gillam
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri.
| | - Kian-Huat Lim
- Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri.
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Dankner M, Lajoie M, Moldoveanu D, Nguyen TT, Savage P, Rajkumar S, Huang X, Lvova M, Protopopov A, Vuzman D, Hogg D, Park M, Guiot MC, Petrecca K, Mihalcioiu C, Watson IR, Siegel PM, Rose AA. Dual MAPK Inhibition Is an Effective Therapeutic Strategy for a Subset of Class II BRAF Mutant Melanomas. Clin Cancer Res 2018; 24:6483-6494. [DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-17-3384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Biancur DE, Kimmelman AC. The plasticity of pancreatic cancer metabolism in tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2018; 1870:67-75. [PMID: 29702208 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2018.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an aggressive cancer that is highly refractory to the current standards of care. The difficulty in treating this disease is due to a number of different factors, including altered metabolism. In PDA, the metabolic rewiring favors anabolic reactions which supply the cancer cell with necessary cellular building blocks for unconstrained growth. Furthermore, PDA cells display high levels of basal autophagy and macropinocytosis. KRAS is the driving oncogene in PDA and many of the metabolic changes are downstream of its activation. Together, these unique pathways for nutrient utilization and acquisition result in metabolic plasticity enabling cells to rapidly adapt to nutrient and oxygen fluctuations. This remarkable adaptability has been implicated as a cause of the intense therapeutic resistance. In this review, we discuss metabolic pathways in PDA tumors and highlight how they contribute to the pathogenesis and treatment of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas E Biancur
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, NYU Medical School, New York 10016, NY, United States
| | - Alec C Kimmelman
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, NYU Medical School, New York 10016, NY, United States.
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Chin V, Nagrial A, Sjoquist K, O'Connor CA, Chantrill L, Biankin AV, Scholten RJPM, Yip D. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018; 3:CD011044. [PMID: 29557103 PMCID: PMC6494171 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd011044.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly lethal disease with few effective treatment options. Over the past few decades, many anti-cancer therapies have been tested in the locally advanced and metastatic setting, with mixed results. This review attempts to synthesise all the randomised data available to help better inform patient and clinician decision-making when dealing with this difficult disease. OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both for first-line treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. Our primary outcome was overall survival, while secondary outcomes include progression-free survival, grade 3/4 adverse events, therapy response and quality of life. SEARCH METHODS We searched for published and unpublished studies in CENTRAL (searched 14 June 2017), Embase (1980 to 14 June 2017), MEDLINE (1946 to 14 June 2017) and CANCERLIT (1999 to 2002) databases. We also handsearched all relevant conference abstracts published up until 14 June 2017. SELECTION CRITERIA All randomised studies assessing overall survival outcomes in patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy, alone or in combination, were the eligible treatments. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently analysed studies, and a third settled any disputes. We extracted data on overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), response rates, adverse events (AEs) and quality of life (QoL), and we assessed risk of bias for each study. MAIN RESULTS We included 42 studies addressing chemotherapy in 9463 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. We did not identify any eligible studies on radiotherapy.We did not find any benefit for chemotherapy over best supportive care. However, two identified studies did not have sufficient data to be included in the analysis, and many of the chemotherapy regimens studied were outdated.Compared to gemcitabine alone, participants receiving 5FU had worse OS (HR 1.69, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.27, moderate-quality evidence), PFS (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.92) and QoL. On the other hand, two studies showed FOLFIRINOX was better than gemcitabine for OS (HR 0.51 95% CI 0.43 to 0.60, moderate-quality evidence), PFS (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.38 to 0.57) and response rates (RR 3.38, 95% CI 2.01 to 5.65), but it increased the rate of side effects. The studies evaluating CO-101, ZD9331 and exatecan did not show benefit or harm when compared with gemcitabine alone.Giving gemcitabine at a fixed dose rate improved OS (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.94, high-quality evidence) but increased the rate of side effects when compared with bolus dosing.When comparing gemcitabine combinations to gemcitabine alone, gemcitabine plus platinum improved PFS (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.95) and response rates (RR 1.48, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.98) but not OS (HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.08, low-quality evidence). The rate of side effects increased. Gemcitabine plus fluoropyrimidine improved OS (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.95), PFS (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.87) and response rates (RR 1.78, 95% CI 1.29 to 2.47, high-quality evidence), but it also increased side effects. Gemcitabine plus topoisomerase inhibitor did not improve survival outcomes but did increase toxicity. One study demonstrated that gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel improved OS (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.84, high-quality evidence), PFS (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.82) and response rates (RR 3.29, 95% CI 2.24 to 4.84) but increased side effects. Gemcitabine-containing multi-drug combinations (GEMOXEL or cisplatin/epirubicin/5FU/gemcitabine) improved OS (HR 0.55, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.79, low-quality evidence), PFS (HR 0.43, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.62) and QOL.We did not find any survival advantages when comparing 5FU combinations to 5FU alone. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Combination chemotherapy has recently overtaken the long-standing gemcitabine as the standard of care. FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel are highly efficacious, but our analysis shows that other combination regimens also offer a benefit. Selection of the most appropriate chemotherapy for individual patients still remains difficult, with clinicopathological stratification remaining elusive. Biomarker development is essential to help rationalise treatment selection for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venessa Chin
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchThe Kinghorn Cancer Centre384 Victoria Street DarlinghurstSydneyNSWAustralia2010
- St Vincent's HospitalSydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Adnan Nagrial
- Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchThe Kinghorn Cancer Centre384 Victoria Street DarlinghurstSydneyNSWAustralia2010
- The Crown Princess Mary Cancer CentreDarcy RoadWestmeadNSWAustralia2145
| | - Katrin Sjoquist
- University of SydneyNHMRC Clinical Trials CentreK25 ‐ Medical Foundation BuildingSydneyNSWAustralia2006
- Cancer Care Centre, St George HospitalMedical OncologySt George Hospital, Gray StKogarahAustraliaNSW 2217
| | - Chelsie A O'Connor
- St Vincent's HospitalSydneyNSWAustralia
- Genesis Cancer CareSydneyNSWAustralia
- Macquarie University HospitalSydneyAustralia
| | - Lorraine Chantrill
- The Kinghorn Cancer Centre, Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchDepartment of Pancreatic Cancer382 Victoria Street DarlinghurstSydneyNSWAustralia2010
| | - Andrew V Biankin
- University of GlasgowInstitute of Cancer SciencesWolfson Wohl Cancer Research CentreGarscube Estate, Switchback RoadGlasgowUKG61 1QH
- University of New South WalesSouth Western Sydney Clinical School, Faculty of MedicineLiverpoolNSWAustralia2170
- West of Scotland Pancreatic Unit and Glasgow Royal InfirmaryGlasgowUK
| | - Rob JPM Scholten
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care / University Medical Center UtrechtCochrane NetherlandsRoom Str. 6.126P.O. Box 85500UtrechtNetherlands3508 GA
| | - Desmond Yip
- The Canberra HospitalDepartment of Medical OncologyYamba DriveGarranACTAustralia2605
- Australian National UniversityANU Medical SchoolActonACTAustralia0200
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Chiaravalli M, Reni M, O'Reilly EM. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: State-of-the-art 2017 and new therapeutic strategies. Cancer Treat Rev 2017; 60:32-43. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2017.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2017] [Revised: 08/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Pancreatic cancer heterogeneity and response to Mek inhibition. Oncogene 2017; 36:5639-5647. [DOI: 10.1038/onc.2017.174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Abstract
Immunotherapy shows promise for positively changing the landscape of the management of many advanced solid tumors, including gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies. Many of these developments have been focused on vaccine-based, monoclonal antibody therapies and more recently, checkpoint inhibitors, although many small molecule inhibitors can function as immunomodulators. Small molecule compounds have several advantages over conventional immunotherapeutic agents including: ease of production and the potential for oral administration. There is a potential niche for small molecule immunomodulators to enhance the efficacy of existing immunotherapeutic and cytotoxic agents. This article focuses on two categories of small molecule compounds with immunomodulatory effects: IDO and MEK inhibitors. Indoleamine -2, 3- dioxygenase (IDO) is known for its effects in tumor immunity. IDO inhibitors are generally well-tolerated and have the potential to enhance anti-tumor responses when combined with checkpoint inhibitors. MEK inhibitors affect signal transduction of the RAS-RAF-MEK pathway and numerous MEK inhibitors are currently being investigated in solid tumors. Small molecule immunomodulators are currently being investigated for their potential role in augmenting the effects of conventional immunotherapeutic agents although further research is required to identify those patients most likely to respond to combination therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian G Murphy
- a The Bunting-Blaustein Cancer Research Building ; Baltimore , MD USA
| | - Lei Zheng
- a The Bunting-Blaustein Cancer Research Building ; Baltimore , MD USA
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Abstract
The outcomes for treatment of pancreatic cancer have not improved dramatically in many decades. However, the recent promising results with combination chemotherapy regimens for metastatic disease increase optimism for future treatments. With greater control of overt or occult metastatic disease, there will likely be an expanding role for local treatment modalities, especially given that nearly a third of pancreatic cancer patients have locally destructive disease without distant metastatic disease at the time of death. Technical advances have allowed for the safe delivery of dose-escalated radiation therapy, which can then be combined with chemotherapy, targeted agents, immunotherapy, and nanoparticulate drug delivery techniques to produce novel and improved synergistic effects. Here we discuss recent advances and future directions for multimodality therapy in pancreatic cancer.
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Vena F, Li Causi E, Rodriguez-Justo M, Goodstal S, Hagemann T, Hartley JA, Hochhauser D. The MEK1/2 Inhibitor Pimasertib Enhances Gemcitabine Efficacy in Pancreatic Cancer Models by Altering Ribonucleotide Reductase Subunit-1 (RRM1). Clin Cancer Res 2015; 21:5563-77. [PMID: 26228206 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-15-0485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 07/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Gemcitabine, a nucleoside analogue, is an important treatment for locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) but provides only modest survival benefit. Targeting downstream effectors of the RAS/ERK signaling pathway by direct inhibition of MEK1/2 proteins is a promising therapeutic strategy, as aberrant activation of this pathway occurs frequently in PDAC. In this study, the ability of pimasertib, a selective allosteric MEK1/2 inhibitor, to enhance gemcitabine efficacy was tested and the molecular mechanism of their interaction was investigated. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Cell survival and apoptosis were assessed by MTT and Caspase 3/7 Glo assays in human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Protein expression was detected by immunoblotting. The in vivo sensitivity of gemcitabine with pimasertib was evaluated in an orthotopic model of pancreatic tumor. RESULTS Synergistic activity was observed when gemcitabine was combined sequentially with pimasertib, in human pancreatic cancer cells. In particular, pimasertib reduced ribonucleotide reductase subunit 1 (RRM1) protein, and this was associated with sensitivity to gemcitabine. Pretreatment with MG132 impaired reduction of RRM1 protein induced by pimasertib, suggesting that RRM1 is degraded posttranslationally. Immunoprecipitation indicated enhanced MDM2-mediated polyubiquitination of RRM1 through Lys-48-mediated linkage following pimasertib treatment, an effect mediated, in part, by AKT. Finally, the combination treatment with pimasertib and gemcitabine caused significant tumor growth delays in an orthotopic pancreatic cancer model, with RRM1 downregulation in pimasertib-treated mice. CONCLUSIONS These results confirm an important role of RRM1 in gemcitabine response and indicate MEK as a potential target to sensitize gemcitabine therapy for PDAC. Clin Cancer Res; 21(24); 5563-77. ©2015 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Vena
- Cancer Research UK Drug-DNA Interactions Research Group, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eleonora Li Causi
- Barts Cancer Institute, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Samantha Goodstal
- EMD Serono Research and Development Institute, Billerica, Massachusetts
| | - Thorsten Hagemann
- Barts Cancer Institute, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - John A Hartley
- Cancer Research UK Drug-DNA Interactions Research Group, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Hochhauser
- Cancer Research UK Drug-DNA Interactions Research Group, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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Caunt CJ, Sale MJ, Smith PD, Cook SJ. MEK1 and MEK2 inhibitors and cancer therapy: the long and winding road. Nat Rev Cancer 2015; 15:577-92. [PMID: 26399658 DOI: 10.1038/nrc4000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 409] [Impact Index Per Article: 45.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The role of the ERK signalling pathway in cancer is thought to be most prominent in tumours in which mutations in the receptor tyrosine kinases RAS, BRAF, CRAF, MEK1 or MEK2 drive growth factor-independent ERK1 and ERK2 activation and thence inappropriate cell proliferation and survival. New drugs that inhibit RAF or MEK1 and MEK2 have recently been approved or are currently undergoing late-stage clinical evaluation. In this Review, we consider the ERK pathway, focusing particularly on the role of MEK1 and MEK2, the 'gatekeepers' of ERK1/2 activity. We discuss their validation as drug targets, the merits of targeting MEK1 and MEK2 versus BRAF and the mechanisms of action of different inhibitors of MEK1 and MEK2. We also consider how some of the systems-level properties (intrapathway regulatory loops and wider signalling network connections) of the ERK pathway present a challenge for the success of MEK1 and MEK2 inhibitors, discuss mechanisms of resistance to these inhibitors, and review their clinical progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J Caunt
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Matthew J Sale
- Signalling Laboratory, The Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Paul D Smith
- AstraZeneca, Oncology iMed, Cancer Biosciences, Cancer Research UK, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge Institute, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 0RE, UK
| | - Simon J Cook
- Signalling Laboratory, The Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
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Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is expected to be the second deadliest malignancy in the USA by 2020. The survival rates for patients with other gastrointestinal malignancies have increased consistently during the past 30 years; unfortunately, however, the outcomes of patients with pancreatic cancer have not changed significantly. Although surgery remains the only curative treatment for pancreatic cancer, therapeutic strategies based on initial resection have not substantially improved the survival of patients with resectable disease over the past 25 years; presently, more than 80% of patients suffer disease relapse after resection. Preclinical evidence that pancreatic cancer is a systemic disease suggests a possible benefit for early administration of systemic therapy in these patients. In locally advanced disease, the role of chemoradiotherapy is increasingly being questioned, particularly considering the results of the LAP-07 trial. Novel biomarkers are clearly needed to identify subsets of patients likely to benefit from chemoradiotherapy. In the metastatic setting, FOLFIRINOX (folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin), and nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine have yielded only modest improvements in survival. Thus, new treatments are urgently needed for patients with pancreatic cancer. Herein, we review the state-of-the-art of pancreatic cancer treatment, and the upcoming novel therapeutics that hold promise in this disease are also discussed.
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