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Omar HA, Tolba MF. Tackling molecular targets beyond PD-1/PD-L1: Novel approaches to boost patients' response to cancer immunotherapy. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2019; 135:21-29. [PMID: 30819443 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2019.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
In the new era of immunotherapy, which has changed the clinical oncology practice guidelines, there is a pressing need for finding novel approaches to tune up the clinical outcomes of immunotherapy and extend its benefits to a wider cohort of cancer patients. Several non-classical molecular immune targets beyond PD-1/PD-L1 signaling were shown to be engaged as feedback resistance circuits to shut down the antitumor immune response mediated by the classical immune checkpoint inhibitors. Those include T-cell inducible co-stimulator (ICOS), CD40, CD47, V-domain Ig suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA), cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)12, enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), toll-like receptors (TLRs) and OX-40 (CD134). Herein we critically discussed the latest studies concerned with understanding the mechanisms involved in the negative clinical response to classical immunotherapies and strategies to optimize the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy through novel combinatorial approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hany A Omar
- Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates; Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt.
| | - Mai F Tolba
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt; Biology Department, School of Sciences and Engineering, The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, Egypt.
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Melanom. MEDIKAMENTÖSE TUMORTHERAPIE IN DER DERMATO-ONKOLOGIE 2019. [PMCID: PMC7121576 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-58012-7_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Das Melanom ist der gefährlichste Hautkrebs mit der höchsten Sterblichkeitsrate, der schon bei jungen Menschen auftreten kann und seit Jahrzehnten steigende Inzidenz verzeichnet (Jemal et al. 2007; Little et al. 2012). Jährlich erkranken weltweit etwa 137.000 Menschen am Melanom und 37.000 versterben an der Erkrankung (Boyle et al. 2004). Die Inzidenz liegt weltweit jährlich bei 2,3–2,6/100.000 Einwohner (Pisani et al. 2002). In Deutschland beträgt die Inzidenz 19,2/100.000 Einwohner und es verstarben 2711 Betroffene im Jahre 2010 (Statistisches Bundesamt).
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Frank MJ, Reagan PM, Bartlett NL, Gordon LI, Friedberg JW, Czerwinski DK, Long SR, Hoppe RT, Janssen R, Candia AF, Coffman RL, Levy R. In Situ Vaccination with a TLR9 Agonist and Local Low-Dose Radiation Induces Systemic Responses in Untreated Indolent Lymphoma. Cancer Discov 2018; 8:1258-1269. [PMID: 30154192 PMCID: PMC6171524 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-18-0743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This multicenter phase I/II clinical trial evaluated intratumoral SD-101, a TLR9 agonist, and low-dose radiation in patients with untreated indolent lymphoma. Twenty-nine enrolled patients received 4 Gy of radiation followed by 5 weekly intratumoral injections of SD-101 at a single tumor site. No treatment-related grade 4 or serious adverse events occurred. Nearly all patients had tumor reduction at their treated site. More importantly, 24 patients had tumor reduction at their nontreated sites, with 5 patients achieving a partial response and one achieving a complete response. Treatment-related increases of CD8+ and CD4+ effector T cells and decreases of T follicular helper and T regulatory cells (Treg) were observed in the tumor microenvironment. Low pretreatment levels of CD4+ Tregs, proliferating CD8+ T cells, and Granzyme B+ CD8+ T cells were associated with favorable outcomes. Intratumoral SD-101 in combination with low-dose radiation is well tolerated and results in regression of both treated and untreated sites of disease.Significance: In situ vaccination with the TLR9 agonist SD-101, along with low-dose radiation, was safe and induced systemic responses in patients with indolent lymphoma. Low levels of CD4+ Tregs, proliferating CD8+ T cells, and Granzyme B+ CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment predicted favorable response to treatment. Cancer Discov; 8(10); 1258-69. ©2018 AACR. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1195.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Frank
- Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Division of Oncology, Stanford, California
| | | | - Nancy L Bartlett
- Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Leo I Gordon
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | - Debra K Czerwinski
- Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Division of Oncology, Stanford, California
| | - Steven R Long
- Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Division of Oncology, Stanford, California
| | - Richard T Hoppe
- Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford, California
| | | | | | | | - Ronald Levy
- Stanford University Hospital and Clinics, Division of Oncology, Stanford, California.
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Gallotta M, Assi H, Degagné É, Kannan SK, Coffman RL, Guiducci C. Inhaled TLR9 Agonist Renders Lung Tumors Permissive to PD-1 Blockade by Promoting Optimal CD4 + and CD8 + T-cell Interplay. Cancer Res 2018; 78:4943-4956. [PMID: 29945961 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-0729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Currently approved inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway represent a major advance for the treatment of lung cancers, yet they are ineffective in a majority of patients due to lack of preexisting T-cell reactivity. Here, we show that a TLR9 agonist delivered by inhalation is able to prime T-cell responses against poorly immunogenic lung tumors and to complement the effects of PD-1 blockade. Inhaled TLR9 agonist causes profound remodeling in tumor-bearing lungs, leading to the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures adjacent to the tumors, CD8+ T-cell infiltration into the tumors, dendritic cell expansion, and antibody production. Inhalation of TLR9 agonist also increased the pool of functional PD-1lowT-bethigh effector CD8+ T cells in tumor-bearing lungs. Effector CD8+ T cells generated by inhaled TLR9 agonist treatment were licensed by PD-1 blockade to become highly functional CTLs, leading to a durable rejection of both lung tumors and tumor lesions outside the lungs. CD4+ T cells activated in response to inhaled TLR9 play a critical role in this process by controlling the proliferation, preventing exhaustion, and guiding the differentiation of optimally functional CTLs. This study characterizes a strategy to apply localized TLR9 stimulation to a tumor type not accessible for direct injection, a strategy that may expand the therapeutic potential of PD-1 blockade in non-small cell lung cancer.Significance: These findings demonstrate that local delivery of a toll-like receptor 9 agonist can change the immune content of an entire organ and enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition.Graphical Abstract: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/78/17/4943/F1.large.jpg Cancer Res; 78(17); 4943-56. ©2018 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hikmat Assi
- Dynavax Technologies Corporation, Berkeley, California
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Sato-Kaneko F, Yao S, Ahmadi A, Zhang SS, Hosoya T, Kaneda MM, Varner JA, Pu M, Messer KS, Guiducci C, Coffman RL, Kitaura K, Matsutani T, Suzuki R, Carson DA, Hayashi T, Cohen EE. Combination immunotherapy with TLR agonists and checkpoint inhibitors suppresses head and neck cancer. JCI Insight 2017; 2:93397. [PMID: 28931759 PMCID: PMC5621908 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.93397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 199] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 08/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, the majority of patients do not benefit from these agents. To improve the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors, intratumoral (i.t.) injection with innate immune activators, TLR7 and TLR9 agonists, were tested along with programmed death-1 receptor (PD-1) blockade. The combination therapy suppressed tumor growth at the primary injected and distant sites in human papillomavirus-negative (HPV-negative) SCC7 and MOC1, and HPV-positive MEER syngeneic mouse models. Abscopal effects and suppression of secondary challenged tumor suggest that local treatment with TLR agonists in combination with anti-PD-1 provided systemic adaptive immunity. I.t. treatment with a TLR7 agonist increased the ratio of M1 to M2 tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and promoted the infiltration of tumor-specific IFNγ-producing CD8+ T cells. Anti-PD-1 treatment increased T cell receptor (TCR) clonality of CD8+ T cells in tumors and spleens of treated mice. Collectively, these experiments demonstrate that combination therapy with i.t. delivery of TLR agonists and PD-1 blockade activates TAMs and induces tumor-specific adaptive immune responses, leading to suppression of primary tumor growth and prevention of metastasis in HNSCC models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shiyin Yao
- Moores Cancer Center, UCSD, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Alast Ahmadi
- Moores Cancer Center, UCSD, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Minya Pu
- Moores Cancer Center, UCSD, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Kazutaka Kitaura
- Repertoire Genesis Inc., Saito Bioincubator, Saito-Asagai, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takaji Matsutani
- Repertoire Genesis Inc., Saito Bioincubator, Saito-Asagai, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ryuji Suzuki
- Repertoire Genesis Inc., Saito Bioincubator, Saito-Asagai, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka, Japan
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Ascierto PA, McArthur GA. Checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma and early phase development in solid tumors: what's the future? J Transl Med 2017; 15:173. [PMID: 28789707 PMCID: PMC5549368 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-017-1278-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Anti-programmed death (PD)-1 and PD-ligand (L)-1 checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the therapy of several cancers. Immunotherapy of cancer can offer long-term durable benefit to patients, is active regardless of tumour histology, has a unique immune-related safety profile, and can be used in combination with other cancer treatments. In addition, recent research has shown that immune-based therapy can be used as adjuvant therapy, that outcomes may be influenced by dose, and that clinical activity is observed in patients with brain metastases. Despite our increased understanding of these agents, there are still several important questions that need to be answered. These include strategies to overcome primary and acquired resistance, the influence of mutational status on treatment outcomes, the optimal duration of treatment, and the need to identify novel combination regimens that offer increased anti-tumour potency and/or reduced toxicity. Here we review recent developments in these areas, with particular focus on new data reported at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo A Ascierto
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione "G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 80131, Naples, Italy.
| | - Grant A McArthur
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. .,University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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