1
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Zhang H, Qi L, Cai Y, Gao X. Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) as a novel biomarker and therapeutic target in prostate cancer. Ann Med 2024; 56:2320301. [PMID: 38442298 PMCID: PMC10916925 DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2024.2320301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Aim: This comprehensive review aims to explore the potential applications of Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. Additionally, the study investigates the role of GRPR in prognostic assessment for individuals afflicted with prostate cancer.Methods: The review encompasses a thorough examination of existing literature and research studies related to the upregulation of GRPR in various tumor types, with a specific focus on prostate. The review also evaluates the utility of GRPR as a molecular target in prostate cancer research, comparing its significance to the well-established Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). The integration of radionuclide-targeted therapy with GRPR antagonists is explored as an innovative therapeutic approach for individuals with prostate cancer.Results: Research findings suggest that GRPR serves as a promising molecular target for visualizing low-grade prostate cancer. Furthermore, it is demonstrated to complement the detection of lesions that may be negative for PSMA. The integration of radionuclide-targeted therapy with GRPR antagonists presents a novel therapeutic paradigm, offering potential benefits for individuals undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.Conclusions: In conclusion, this review highlights the emerging role of GRPR in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, the integration of radionuclide-targeted therapy with GRPR antagonists introduces an innovative therapeutic approach that holds promise for improving outcomes in individuals dealing with prostate cancer. The potential prognostic value of GRPR in assessing the disease's progression adds another dimension to its clinical significance in the realm of urology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honghu Zhang
- Department of Urology, Disorders of Prostate Cancer Multidisciplinary Team, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha City, P. R. China
| | - Lin Qi
- Department of Urology, Disorders of Prostate Cancer Multidisciplinary Team, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha City, P. R. China
| | - Yi Cai
- Department of Urology, Disorders of Prostate Cancer Multidisciplinary Team, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha City, P. R. China
| | - Xiaomei Gao
- Department of Pathology, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha City, P. R. China
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2
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Bhattacharya S, Stillahn A, Smith K, Muders M, Datta K, Dutta S. Understanding the molecular regulators of neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Adv Cancer Res 2024; 161:403-429. [PMID: 39032955 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acr.2024.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Worldwide, prostate cancer (PCa) remains a leading cause of death in men. Histologically, the majority of PCa cases are classified as adenocarcinomas, which are mainly composed of androgen receptor-positive luminal cells. PCa is initially driven by the androgen receptor axis, where androgen-mediated activation of the receptor is one of the primary culprits for disease progression. Therefore, in advanced stage PCa, patients are generally treated with androgen deprivation therapies alone or in combination with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors. However, after an initial decrease, the cancer recurs for majority patients. At this stage, cancer is known as castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Majority of CRPC tumors still depend on androgen receptor axis for its progression to metastasis. However, in around 20-30% of cases, CRPC progresses via an androgen receptor-independent pathway and is often presented as neuroendocrine cancer (NE). This NE phenotype is highly aggressive with poor overall survival as compared to CRPC adenocarcinoma. NE cancers are resistant to standard taxane chemotherapies, which are often used to treat metastatic disease. Pathologically and morphologically, NE cancers are highly diverse and often co-exist with adenocarcinoma. Due to the lack of proper biomarkers, it is often difficult to make an early diagnosis of this lethal disease. Moreover, increased tumor heterogeneity and admixtures of adeno and NE subtypes in the same tumor make early detection of NE tumors very difficult. With the advancement of our knowledge and sequencing technology, we are now able to better understand the molecular mediators of this transformation pathway. This current study will give an update on how various molecular regulators are involved in these lineage transformation processes and what challenges we are still facing to detect and treat this cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreyashi Bhattacharya
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Massy Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Avery Stillahn
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, United States
| | - Kaitlin Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, United States
| | | | - Kaustubh Datta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Massy Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Samikshan Dutta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Massy Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
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3
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Ajkunic A, Sayar E, Roudier MP, Patel RA, Coleman IM, De Sarkar N, Hanratty B, Adil M, Zhao J, Zaidi S, True LD, Sperger JM, Cheng HH, Yu EY, Montgomery RB, Hawley JE, Ha G, Persse T, Galipeau P, Lee JK, Harmon SA, Corey E, Lang JM, Sawyers CL, Morrissey C, Schweizer MT, Gulati R, Nelson PS, Haffner MC. Assessment of TROP2, CEACAM5 and DLL3 in metastatic prostate cancer: Expression landscape and molecular correlates. NPJ Precis Oncol 2024; 8:104. [PMID: 38760413 PMCID: PMC11101486 DOI: 10.1038/s41698-024-00599-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic approaches targeting proteins on the surface of cancer cells have emerged as an important strategy for precision oncology. To capitalize on the potential impact of drugs targeting surface proteins, detailed knowledge about the expression patterns of the target proteins in tumor tissues is required. In castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), agents targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have demonstrated clinical activity. However, PSMA expression is lost in a significant number of CRPC tumors. The identification of additional cell surface targets is necessary to develop new therapeutic approaches. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression heterogeneity and co-expression patterns of trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2), delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3), and carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5) in CRPC samples from a rapid autopsy cohort. We show that DLL3 and CEACAM5 exhibit the highest expression in neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), while TROP2 is expressed across different CRPC molecular subtypes, except for NEPC. We further demonstrated that AR alterations were associated with higher expression of PSMA and TROP2. Conversely, PSMA and TROP2 expression was lower in RB1-altered tumors. In addition to genomic alterations, we show a tight correlation between epigenetic states, particularly histone H3 lysine 27 methylation (H3K27me3) at the transcriptional start site and gene body of TACSTD2 (encoding TROP2), DLL3, and CEACAM5, and their respective protein expression in CRPC patient-derived xenografts. Collectively, these findings provide insights into patterns and determinants of expression of TROP2, DLL3, and CEACAM5 with implications for the clinical development of cell surface targeting agents in CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azra Ajkunic
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Erolcan Sayar
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Radhika A Patel
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ilsa M Coleman
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Navonil De Sarkar
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Brian Hanratty
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mohamed Adil
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jimmy Zhao
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samir Zaidi
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lawrence D True
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Heather H Cheng
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Evan Y Yu
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robert B Montgomery
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jessica E Hawley
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gavin Ha
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Thomas Persse
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Patricia Galipeau
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John K Lee
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stephanie A Harmon
- Artificial Intelligence Resource, Molecular Imaging Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eva Corey
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Charles L Sawyers
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Colm Morrissey
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael T Schweizer
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Roman Gulati
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Peter S Nelson
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael C Haffner
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
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4
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Wang J, Ding HK, Xu HJ, Hu DK, Hankey W, Chen L, Xiao J, Liang CZ, Zhao B, Xu LF. Single-cell analysis revealing the metabolic landscape of prostate cancer. Asian J Androl 2024:00129336-990000000-00179. [PMID: 38657119 DOI: 10.4103/aja20243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Tumor metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer development, and targeting metabolic vulnerabilities has been proven to be an effective approach for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treatment. Nevertheless, treatment failure inevitably occurs, largely due to cellular heterogeneity, which cannot be deciphered by traditional bulk sequencing techniques. By employing computational pipelines for single-cell RNA sequencing, we demonstrated that epithelial cells within the prostate are more metabolically active and plastic than stromal cells. Moreover, we identified that neuroendocrine (NE) cells tend to have high metabolic rates, which might explain the high demand for nutrients and energy exhibited by neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), one of the most lethal variants of prostate cancer (PCa). Additionally, we demonstrated through computational and experimental approaches that variation in mitochondrial activity is the greatest contributor to metabolic heterogeneity among both tumor cells and nontumor cells. These results establish a detailed metabolic landscape of PCa, highlight a potential mechanism of disease progression, and emphasize the importance of future studies on tumor heterogeneity and the tumor microenvironment from a metabolic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- Department of Urologic Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230031, China
| | - He-Kang Ding
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Institute of Urology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Genitourinary Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Han-Jiang Xu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Institute of Urology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Genitourinary Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
| | - De-Kai Hu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Institute of Urology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Genitourinary Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
| | - William Hankey
- Department of Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Li Chen
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Jun Xiao
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Chao-Zhao Liang
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Institute of Urology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Genitourinary Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Bing Zhao
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China
| | - Ling-Fan Xu
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Institute of Urology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Genitourinary Diseases, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230001, China
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5
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Turnham DJ, Mullen MS, Bullock NP, Gilroy KL, Richards AE, Patel R, Quintela M, Meniel VS, Seaton G, Kynaston H, Clarkson RWE, Phesse TJ, Nelson PS, Haffner MC, Staffurth JN, Pearson HB. Development and Characterisation of a New Patient-Derived Xenograft Model of AR-Negative Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer. Cells 2024; 13:673. [PMID: 38667288 PMCID: PMC11049137 DOI: 10.3390/cells13080673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
As the treatment landscape for prostate cancer gradually evolves, the frequency of treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) and double-negative prostate cancer (DNPC) that is deficient for androgen receptor (AR) and neuroendocrine (NE) markers has increased. These prostate cancer subtypes are typically refractory to AR-directed therapies and exhibit poor clinical outcomes. Only a small range of NEPC/DNPC models exist, limiting our molecular understanding of this disease and hindering our ability to perform preclinical trials exploring novel therapies to treat NEPC/DNPC that are urgently needed in the clinic. Here, we report the development of the CU-PC01 PDX model that represents AR-negative mCRPC with PTEN/RB/PSMA loss and CTNN1B/TP53/BRCA2 genetic variants. The CU-PC01 model lacks classic NE markers, with only focal and/or weak expression of chromogranin A, INSM1 and CD56. Collectively, these findings are most consistent with a DNPC phenotype. Ex vivo and in vivo preclinical studies revealed that CU-PC01 PDX tumours are resistant to mCRPC standard-of-care treatments enzalutamide and docetaxel, mirroring the donor patient's treatment response. Furthermore, short-term CU-PC01 tumour explant cultures indicate this model is initially sensitive to PARP inhibition with olaparib. Thus, the CU-PC01 PDX model provides a valuable opportunity to study AR-negative mCRPC biology and to discover new treatment avenues for this hard-to-treat disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J. Turnham
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Manisha S. Mullen
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Nicholas P. Bullock
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | | | - Anna E. Richards
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Radhika Patel
- Division of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Marcos Quintela
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Valerie S. Meniel
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Gillian Seaton
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Howard Kynaston
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
- Department of Urology, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK
| | - Richard W. E. Clarkson
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Toby J. Phesse
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
- The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Peter S. Nelson
- Division of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Michael C. Haffner
- Division of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - John N. Staffurth
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Helen B. Pearson
- The European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
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6
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Bernal A, Bechler AJ, Mohan K, Rizzino A, Mathew G. The Current Therapeutic Landscape for Metastatic Prostate Cancer. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:351. [PMID: 38543137 PMCID: PMC10974045 DOI: 10.3390/ph17030351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
In 2024, there will be an estimated 1,466,718 cases of prostate cancer (PC) diagnosed globally, of which 299,010 cases are estimated to be from the US. The typical clinical approach for PC involves routine screening, diagnosis, and standard lines of treatment. However, not all patients respond to therapy and are subsequently diagnosed with treatment emergent neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). There are currently no approved treatments for this form of aggressive PC. In this review, a compilation of the clinical trials regimen to treat late-stage NEPC using novel targets and/or a combination approach is presented. The novel targets assessed include DLL3, EZH2, B7-H3, Aurora-kinase-A (AURKA), receptor tyrosine kinases, PD-L1, and PD-1. Among these, the trials administering drugs Alisertib or Cabozantinib, which target AURKA or receptor tyrosine kinases, respectively, appear to have promising results. The least effective trials appear to be ones that target the immune checkpoint pathways PD-1/PD-L1. Many promising clinical trials are currently in progress. Consequently, the landscape of successful treatment regimens for NEPC is extremely limited. These trial results and the literature on the topic emphasize the need for new preventative measures, diagnostics, disease specific biomarkers, and a thorough clinical understanding of NEPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Bernal
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68106, USA; (A.B.); (A.J.B.); (K.M.); (A.R.)
| | - Alivia Jane Bechler
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68106, USA; (A.B.); (A.J.B.); (K.M.); (A.R.)
| | - Kabhilan Mohan
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68106, USA; (A.B.); (A.J.B.); (K.M.); (A.R.)
| | - Angie Rizzino
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68106, USA; (A.B.); (A.J.B.); (K.M.); (A.R.)
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68106, USA
| | - Grinu Mathew
- Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68106, USA; (A.B.); (A.J.B.); (K.M.); (A.R.)
- Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68106, USA
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7
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Chen Y, Han L, Dufour CR, Alfonso A, Giguère V. Canonical and Nuclear mTOR Specify Distinct Transcriptional Programs in Androgen-Dependent Prostate Cancer Cells. Mol Cancer Res 2024; 22:113-124. [PMID: 37889103 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-23-0087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
mTOR is a serine/threonine kinase that controls prostate cancer cell growth in part by regulating gene programs associated with metabolic and cell proliferation pathways. mTOR-mediated control of gene expression can be achieved via phosphorylation of transcription factors, leading to changes in their cellular localization and activities. mTOR also directly associates with chromatin in complex with transcriptional regulators, including the androgen receptor (AR). Nuclear mTOR (nmTOR) has been previously shown to act as a transcriptional integrator of the androgen signaling pathway in association with the chromatin remodeling machinery, AR, and FOXA1. However, the contribution of cytoplasmic mTOR (cmTOR) and nmTOR and the role played by FOXA1 in this process remains to be explored. Herein, we engineered cells expressing mTOR tagged with nuclear localization and export signals dictating mTOR localization. Transcriptome profiling in AR-positive prostate cancer cells revealed that nmTOR generally downregulates a subset of the androgen response pathway independently of its kinase activity, while cmTOR upregulates a cell cycle-related gene signature in a kinase-dependent manner. Biochemical and genome-wide transcriptomic analyses demonstrate that nmTOR functionally interacts with AR and FOXA1. Ablation of FOXA1 reprograms the nmTOR cistrome and transcriptome of androgen responsive prostate cancer cells. This works highlights a transcriptional regulatory pathway in which direct interactions between nmTOR, AR and FOXA1 dictate a combinatorial role for these factors in the control of specific gene programs in prostate cancer cells. IMPLICATIONS The finding that canonical and nuclear mTOR signaling pathways control distinct gene programs opens therapeutic opportunities to modulate mTOR activity in prostate cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghong Chen
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Lingwei Han
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Anthony Alfonso
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Vincent Giguère
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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8
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Ajkunic A, Sayar E, Roudier MP, Patel RA, Coleman IM, De Sarkar N, Hanratty B, Adil M, Zhao J, Zaidi S, True LD, Sperger JM, Cheng HH, Yu EY, Montgomery RB, Hawley JE, Ha G, Lee JK, Harmon SA, Corey E, Lang JM, Sawyers CL, Morrissey C, Schweizer MT, Gulati R, Nelson PS, Haffner MC. ASSESSMENT OF CELL SURFACE TARGETS IN METASTATIC PROSTATE CANCER: EXPRESSION LANDSCAPE AND MOLECULAR CORRELATES. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3745991. [PMID: 38196594 PMCID: PMC10775381 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3745991/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Therapeutic approaches targeting proteins on the surface of cancer cells have emerged as an important strategy for precision oncology. To fully capitalize on the potential impact of drugs targeting surface proteins, detailed knowledge about the expression patterns of the target proteins in tumor tissues is required. In castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), agents targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have demonstrated clinical activity. However, PSMA expression is lost in a significant number of CRPC tumors, and the identification of additional cell surface targets is necessary in order to develop new therapeutic approaches. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression and co-expression patterns of trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2), delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3), and carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5) in CRPC samples from a rapid autopsy cohort. We show that DLL3 and CEACAM5 exhibit the highest expression in neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), while TROP2 is expressed across different CRPC molecular subtypes, except for NEPC. We observed variable intra-tumoral and inter-tumoral heterogeneity and no dominant metastatic site predilections for TROP2, DLL3, and CEACAM5. We further show that AR amplifications were associated with higher expression of PSMA and TROP2 but lower DLL3 and CEACAM5 levels. Conversely, PSMA and TROP2 expression was lower in RB1-altered tumors. In addition to genomic alterations, we demonstrate a tight correlation between epigenetic states, particularly histone H3 lysine 27 methylation (H3K27me3) at the transcriptional start site and gene body of TACSTD2 (encoding TROP2), DLL3, and CEACAM5, and their respective protein expression in CRPC patient-derived xenografts. Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the patterns and determinants of expression of TROP2, DLL3, and CEACAM5 with important implications for the clinical development of cell surface targeting agents in CRPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azra Ajkunic
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Erolcan Sayar
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Radhika A Patel
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ilsa M Coleman
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Navonil De Sarkar
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, WI, USA
| | - Brian Hanratty
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mohamed Adil
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jimmy Zhao
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samir Zaidi
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lawrence D True
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Heather H Cheng
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Evan Y Yu
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robert B Montgomery
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jessica E Hawley
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gavin Ha
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John K Lee
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stephanie A Harmon
- Artificial Intelligence Resource, Molecular Imaging Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eva Corey
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Charles L Sawyers
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Colm Morrissey
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael T Schweizer
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Roman Gulati
- Public Health Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Peter S Nelson
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael C Haffner
- Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Division of Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
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9
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Dutta S, Bhattacharya S, Harris H, Islam R, Bodas S, Polavaram N, Mishra J, Das D, Seshacharyulu P, Kalluchi A, Pal A, Kohli M, Lele S, Muders M, Batra S, Ghosh P, Datta K, Rowley M. Understanding the role of Pax5 in development of taxane-resistant neuroendocrine like prostate cancers. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3464475. [PMID: 38168280 PMCID: PMC10760218 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3464475/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Resistance to the current Androgen Receptor Signaling Inhibitor (ARSI) therapies has led to higher incidences of therapy-induced neuroendocrine-like prostate cancer (t-NEPC). This highly aggressive subtype with predominant small cell-like characteristics is resistant to taxane chemotherapies and has a dismal overall survival. t-NEPCs are mostly treated with platinum-based drugs with a combination of etoposide or taxane and have less selectivity and high systemic toxicity, which often limit their clinical potential. During t-NEPC transformation, adenocarcinomas lose their luminal features and adopt neuro-basal characteristics. Whether the adaptive neuronal characteristics of t-NEPC are responsible for such taxane resistance remains unknown. Pathway analysis from patient gene-expression databases indicates that t-NEPC upregulates various neuronal pathways associated with enhanced cellular networks. To identify transcription factor(s) (TF) that could be important for promoting the gene expression for neuronal characters in t-NEPC, we performed ATAC-Seq, acetylated-histone ChIP-seq, and RNA-seq in our NE-like cell line models and analyzed the promoters of transcriptionally active and significantly enriched neuroendocrine-like (NE-like) cancer-specific genes. Our results indicate that Pax5 could be an important transcription factor for neuronal gene expression and specific to t-NEPC. Pathway analysis revealed that Pax5 expression is involved in axonal guidance, neurotransmitter regulation, and neuronal adhesion, which are critical for strong cellular communications. Further results suggest that depletion of Pax5 disrupts cellular interaction in NE-like cells and reduces surface growth factor receptor activation, thereby, sensitizing them to taxane therapies. Moreover, t-NEPC specific hydroxymethylation of Pax5 promoter CpG islands favors Pbx1 binding to induce Pax5 expression. Based on our study, we concluded that continuous exposure to ARSI therapies leads to epigenetic modifications and Pax5 activation in t-NEPC, which promotes the expression of genes necessary to adopt taxane-resistant NE-like cancer. Thus, targeting the Pax5 axis can be beneficial for reverting their taxane sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Michael Muders
- Rudolf Becker Laboratory for Prostate Cancer Research, Center of Pathology, University of Bonn Medical Center
| | - Surinder Batra
- University of Nebraska Medical Center, Buffett Cancer Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
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10
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Agarwal S, Fang L, McGowen K, Yin J, Bowman J, Ku AT, Alilin AN, Corey E, Roudier MP, True LD, Dumpit R, Coleman I, Lee JK, Nelson PS, Capaldo BJ, Mariani A, Hoover C, Senatorov IS, Beshiri M, Sowalsky AG, Hurt EM, Kelly K. Tumor-derived biomarkers predict efficacy of B7H3 antibody-drug conjugate treatment in metastatic prostate cancer models. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e162148. [PMID: 37725435 PMCID: PMC10645377 DOI: 10.1172/jci162148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a promising targeted cancer therapy; however, patient selection based solely on target antigen expression without consideration for cytotoxic payload vulnerabilities has plateaued clinical benefits. Biomarkers to capture patients who might benefit from specific ADCs have not been systematically determined for any cancer. We present a comprehensive therapeutic and biomarker analysis of a B7H3-ADC with pyrrolobenzodiazepine(PBD) payload in 26 treatment-resistant, metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) models. B7H3 is a tumor-specific surface protein widely expressed in mPC, and PBD is a DNA cross-linking agent. B7H3 expression was necessary but not sufficient for B7H3-PBD-ADC responsiveness. RB1 deficiency and/or replication stress, characteristics of poor prognosis, and conferred sensitivity were associated with complete tumor regression in both neuroendocrine (NEPC) and androgen receptor positive (ARPC) prostate cancer models, even with low B7H3 levels. Non-ARPC models, which are currently lacking efficacious treatment, demonstrated the highest replication stress and were most sensitive to treatment. In RB1 WT ARPC tumors, SLFN11 expression or select DNA repair mutations in SLFN11 nonexpressors governed response. Importantly, WT TP53 predicted nonresponsiveness (7 of 8 models). Overall, biomarker-focused selection of models led to high efficacy of in vivo treatment. These data enable a paradigm shift to biomarker-driven trial designs for maximizing clinical benefit of ADC therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supreet Agarwal
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Lei Fang
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kerry McGowen
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - JuanJuan Yin
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Joel Bowman
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anson T. Ku
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Aian Neil Alilin
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | - Lawrence D. True
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Ruth Dumpit
- Divisions of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Ilsa Coleman
- Divisions of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - John K. Lee
- Divisions of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Peter S. Nelson
- Divisions of Human Biology and Clinical Research, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Brian J. Capaldo
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | - Ilya S. Senatorov
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael Beshiri
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Adam G. Sowalsky
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Kathleen Kelly
- Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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11
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Zamora I, Freeman MR, Encío IJ, Rotinen M. Targeting Key Players of Neuroendocrine Differentiation in Prostate Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13673. [PMID: 37761978 PMCID: PMC10531052 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a highly aggressive subtype of prostate cancer (PC) that commonly emerges through a transdifferentiation process from prostate adenocarcinoma and evades conventional therapies. Extensive molecular research has revealed factors that drive lineage plasticity, uncovering novel therapeutic targets to be explored. A diverse array of targeting agents is currently under evaluation in pre-clinical and clinical studies with promising results in suppressing or reversing the neuroendocrine phenotype and inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis. This new knowledge has the potential to contribute to the development of novel therapeutic approaches that may enhance the clinical management and prognosis of this lethal disease. In the present review, we discuss molecular players involved in the neuroendocrine phenotype, and we explore therapeutic strategies that are currently under investigation for NEPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Zamora
- Department of Health Science, Public University of Navarre, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Michael R. Freeman
- Departments of Urology and Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ignacio J. Encío
- Department of Health Science, Public University of Navarre, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Navarre Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Mirja Rotinen
- Department of Health Science, Public University of Navarre, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Navarre Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
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12
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Dondi F, Antonelli A, Suardi N, Guerini AE, Albano D, Lucchini S, Camoni L, Treglia G, Bertagna F. PET/CT and Conventional Imaging for the Assessment of Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4404. [PMID: 37686680 PMCID: PMC10486674 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174404] [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: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a rare neoplasm, and the role of both conventional imaging (CI) and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for its assessment has not been clearly evaluated and demonstrated. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the diagnostic performances of these imaging modalities in this setting. METHODS A wide literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was made to find relevant published articles about the role of CI and PET/CT for the evaluation of NEPC. RESULTS 13 studies were included in the systematic review. PET/CT imaging with different radiopharmaceuticals has been evaluated in many studies (10) compared to CI (3 studies), which has only a limited role in NEPC. Focusing on PET/CT, a study used [18F]FDG, labeled somatostatin analogs were used in 5 cases, a study used [68Ga]Ga-FAPI-04, [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 was evaluated in a single case, and two works used different tracers. CONCLUSION Published data on the role of PET/CT for the assessment of NEPC are limited. At present, it is still uncertain which tracer performs best, and although [18F]FDG has been evaluated and seems to offer some advantages in availability and clinical staging, other tracers may be more useful to understand tumor biology or identify targets for subsequent radioligand therapy. Further research is therefore desirable. In contrast, data are still limited to draw a final conclusion on the role and the specific characteristics of CI in this rare form of neoplasm, and therefore, more studies are needed in this setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Dondi
- Nuclear Medicine Department, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Nazareno Suardi
- Department of Urology, Spedali Civili di Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Andrea Emanuele Guerini
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Domenico Albano
- Nuclear Medicine Department, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Silvia Lucchini
- Nuclear Medicine Department, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Luca Camoni
- Nuclear Medicine Department, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Giorgio Treglia
- Nuclear Medicine, Imaging Institute of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, 6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Bertagna
- Nuclear Medicine Department, University of Brescia and ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
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13
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Abbott T, Ng K, Nobes J, Muehlschlegel P. Small-Cell Carcinoma of the Prostate - Challenges of Diagnosis and Treatment: A Next of Kin and Physician Perspective Piece. Oncol Ther 2023; 11:291-301. [PMID: 37358792 PMCID: PMC10447819 DOI: 10.1007/s40487-023-00238-3] [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: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
This article was co-authored by a patient's relative describing their experiences of receiving a diagnosis and subsequent clinical management of a rare form of prostate cancer, neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). The difficulty of receiving this diagnosis, particularly as this was terminal with no options for systemic treatment, and experiences throughout this process are detailed. The relative's questions regarding the care of her partner, NEPC and clinical management are answered. The treating physician's perspective regarding clinical management is enclosed. Prostate cancer remains one of the most common cancer diagnoses, with small-cell carcinoma (SCC) of the prostate representing 0.5-2% of these. Prostatic SCC frequently develops in patients previously treated for prostate adenocarcinoma, more rarely arising de novo. Diagnosis and management present clinical challenges owing to its rarity, frequently aggressive disease course, lack of specific diagnostic and monitoring biomarkers, and treatment limitations. Current pathophysiological understanding of prostatic SCC, genomics and contemporary and evolving treatment options in addition to current guidelines are discussed. Written principally from the patient's relatives and physician experience with discussion of current evidence, diagnostic and treatment options, we hope this piece is informative for both patients and healthcare professionals alike.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kenrick Ng
- Department of Medical Oncology, University College London Hospitals, London, UK
| | - Jenny Nobes
- Department of Oncology, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - Paula Muehlschlegel
- Department of Medical Oncology, University College London Hospitals, London, UK.
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14
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Goyette MA, Lipsyc-Sharf M, Polyak K. Clinical and translational relevance of intratumor heterogeneity. Trends Cancer 2023; 9:726-737. [PMID: 37248149 PMCID: PMC10524913 DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2023.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) is a driver of tumor evolution and a main cause of therapeutic resistance. Despite its importance, measures of ITH are still not incorporated into clinical practice. Consequently, standard treatment is frequently ineffective for patients with heterogeneous tumors as changes to treatment regimens are made only after recurrence and disease progression. More effective combination therapies require a mechanistic understanding of ITH and ways to assess it in clinical samples. The growth of technologies enabling the spatially intact analysis of tumors at the single-cell level and the development of sophisticated preclinical models give us hope that ITH will not simply be used as a predictor of a poor outcome but will guide treatment decisions from diagnosis through treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Anne Goyette
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marla Lipsyc-Sharf
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kornelia Polyak
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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15
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Bhinder B, Ferguson A, Sigouros M, Uppal M, Elsaeed AG, Bareja R, Alnajar H, Eng KW, Conteduca V, Sboner A, Mosquera JM, Elemento O, Beltran H. Immunogenomic Landscape of Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:2933-2943. [PMID: 37223924 PMCID: PMC10524949 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-22-3743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Patients with neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) are often managed with immunotherapy regimens extrapolated from small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). We sought to evaluate the tumor immune landscape of NEPC compared with other prostate cancer types and SCLC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In this retrospective study, a cohort of 170 patients with 230 RNA-sequencing and 104 matched whole-exome sequencing data were analyzed. Differences in immune and stromal constituents, frequency of genomic alterations, and associations with outcomes were evaluated. RESULTS In our cohort, 36% of the prostate tumors were identified as CD8+ T-cell inflamed, whereas the remaining 64% were T-cell depleted. T-cell-inflamed tumors were enriched in anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages and exhausted T cells and associated with shorter overall survival relative to T-cell-depleted tumors (HR, 2.62; P < 0.05). Among all prostate cancer types in the cohort, NEPC was identified to be the most immune depleted, wherein only 9 out of the 36 total NEPC tumors were classified as T-cell inflamed. These inflamed NEPC cases were enriched in IFN gamma signaling and PD-1 signaling compared with other NEPC tumors. Comparison of NEPC with SCLC revealed that NEPC had poor immune content and less mutations compared with SCLC, but expression of checkpoint genes PD-L1 and CTLA-4 was comparable between NEPC and SCLC. CONCLUSIONS NEPC is characterized by a relatively immune-depleted tumor immune microenvironment compared with other primary and metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma except in a minority of cases. These findings may inform development of immunotherapy strategies for patients with advanced prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavneet Bhinder
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Alison Ferguson
- Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Michael Sigouros
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Manik Uppal
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Ahmed G. Elsaeed
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Rohan Bareja
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Hussein Alnajar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Kenneth Wha Eng
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
| | - Vincenza Conteduca
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Unit of Medical Oncology and Biomolecular Therapy, University of Foggia, Policlinico Riuniti, 71122 Foggia, Italy
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215 USA
| | - Andrea Sboner
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Juan Miguel Mosquera
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Olivier Elemento
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- The HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Institute for Computational Biomedicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Himisha Beltran
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215 USA
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16
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Shin HJ, Hua JT, Li H. Recent advances in understanding DNA methylation of prostate cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1182727. [PMID: 37234978 PMCID: PMC10206257 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1182727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, is widely studied in cancer. DNA methylation patterns have been shown to distinguish between benign and malignant tumors in various cancers, including prostate cancer. It may also contribute to oncogenesis, as it is frequently associated with downregulation of tumor suppressor genes. Aberrant patterns of DNA methylation, in particular the CpG island hypermethylator phenotype (CIMP), have shown associative evidence with distinct clinical features and outcomes, such as aggressive subtypes, higher Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and overall tumor stage, overall worse prognosis, as well as reduced survival. In prostate cancer, hypermethylation of specific genes is significantly different between tumor and normal tissues. Methylation patterns could distinguish between aggressive subtypes of prostate cancer, including neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) and castration resistant prostate adenocarcinoma. Further, DNA methylation is detectable in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and is reflective of clinical outcome, making it a potential biomarker for prostate cancer. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding DNA methylation alterations in cancers with the focus on prostate cancer. We discuss the advanced methodology used for evaluating DNA methylation changes and the molecular regulators behind these changes. We also explore the clinical potential of DNA methylation as prostate cancer biomarkers and its potential for developing targeted treatment of CIMP subtype of prostate cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Jin Shin
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Junjie T Hua
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Haolong Li
- Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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17
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Preclinical models of prostate cancer - modelling androgen dependency and castration resistance in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo. Nat Rev Urol 2023:10.1038/s41585-023-00726-1. [PMID: 36788359 DOI: 10.1038/s41585-023-00726-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Prostate cancer is well known to be dependent on the androgen receptor (AR) for growth and survival. Thus, AR is the main pharmacological target to treat this disease. However, after an initially positive response to AR-targeting therapies, prostate cancer will eventually evolve to castration-resistant prostate cancer, which is often lethal. Tumour growth was initially thought to become androgen-independent following treatments; however, results from molecular studies have shown that most resistance mechanisms involve the reactivation of AR. Consequently, tumour cells become resistant to castration - the blockade of testicular androgens - and not independent of AR per se. However, confusion still remains on how to properly define preclinical models of prostate cancer, including cell lines. Most cell lines were isolated from patients for cell culture after evolution of the tumour to castration-resistant prostate cancer, but not all of these cell lines are described as castration resistant. Moreover, castration refers to the blockade of testosterone production by the testes; thus, even the concept of "castration" in vitro is questionable. To ensure maximal transfer of knowledge from scientific research to the clinic, understanding the limitations and advantages of preclinical models, as well as how these models recapitulate cancer cell androgen dependency and can be used to study castration resistance mechanisms, is essential.
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Gonzalez P, Debnath S, Chen YA, Hernandez E, Jha P, Dakanali M, Hsieh JT, Sun X. A Theranostic Small-Molecule Prodrug Conjugate for Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:481. [PMID: 36839802 PMCID: PMC9967013 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15020481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
After androgen deprivation therapy, a significant number of prostate cancer cases progress with a therapy-resistant neuroendocrine phenotype (NEPC). This represents a challenge for diagnosis and treatment. Based on our previously reported design of theranostic small-molecule prodrug conjugates (T-SMPDCs), herein we report a T-SMPDC tailored for targeted positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and chemotherapy of NEPC. The T-SMPDC is built upon a triazine core (TZ) to present three functionalities: (1) a chelating moiety (DOTA: 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid) for PET imaging when labeled with 68Ga (t1/2 = 68 min) or other relevant radiometals; (2) an octreotide (Octr) that targets the somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2), which is overexpressed in the innervated tumor microenvironment (TME); and (3) fingolimod, FTY720-an antagonist of sphingosine kinase 1 that is an intracellular enzyme upregulated in NEPC. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains were incorporated via conventional conjugation methods or a click chemistry reaction forming a 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazole (Trz) linkage for the optimization of in vivo kinetics as necessary. The T-SMPDC, DOTA-PEG3-TZ(PEG4-Octr)-PEG2-Trz-PEG3-Val-Cit-pABOC-FTY720 (PEGn: PEG with n repeating ethyleneoxy units (n = 2, 3, or 4); Val: valine; Cit: citrulline; pABOC: p-amino-benzyloxycarbonyl), showed selective SSTR2 binding and mediated internalization of the molecule in SSTR2 high cells. Release of FTY720 was observed when the T-SMPDC was exposed to cathepsin B, and the released FTY720 exerted cytotoxicity in cells. In vivo PET imaging showed significantly higher accumulation (2.1 ± 0.3 %ID/g; p = 0.02) of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-PEG3-TZ(PEG4-Octr)-PEG2-Trz-PEG3-Val-Cit-pABOC-FTY720 in SSTR2high prostate cancer xenografts than in the SSTR2low xenografts (1.5 ± 0.4 %ID/g) at 13 min post-injection (p.i.) with a rapid excretion through the kidneys. Taken together, these proof-of-concept results validate the design concept of the T-SMPDC, which may hold a great potential for targeted diagnosis and therapy of NEPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulina Gonzalez
- Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Sashi Debnath
- Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Yu-An Chen
- Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Elizabeth Hernandez
- Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Preeti Jha
- Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Marianna Dakanali
- Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jer-Tsong Hsieh
- Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Xiankai Sun
- Department of Radiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Advanced Imaging Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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19
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Sreekumar A, Saini S. Role of transcription factors and chromatin modifiers in driving lineage reprogramming in treatment-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1075707. [PMID: 36711033 PMCID: PMC9879360 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1075707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapy-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a highly lethal variant of prostate cancer that is increasing in incidence with the increased use of next-generation of androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitors. It arises via a reversible trans-differentiation process, referred to as neuroendocrine differentiation (NED), wherein prostate cancer cells show decreased expression of AR and increased expression of neuroendocrine (NE) lineage markers including enolase 2 (ENO2), chromogranin A (CHGA) and synaptophysin (SYP). NEPC is associated with poor survival rates as these tumors are aggressive and often metastasize to soft tissues such as liver, lung and central nervous system despite low serum PSA levels relative to disease burden. It has been recognized that therapy-induced NED involves a series of genetic and epigenetic alterations that act in a highly concerted manner in orchestrating lineage switching. In the recent years, we have seen a spurt in research in this area that has implicated a host of transcription factors and epigenetic modifiers that play a role in driving this lineage switching. In this article, we review the role of important transcription factors and chromatin modifiers that are instrumental in lineage reprogramming of prostate adenocarcinomas to NEPC under the selective pressure of various AR-targeted therapies. With an increased understanding of the temporal and spatial interplay of transcription factors and chromatin modifiers and their associated gene expression programs in NEPC, better therapeutic strategies are being tested for targeting NEPC effectively.
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Bossi P, Lorini L, Cosentini D, Grisanti S, Battocchio S, Berruti A. Is it time to tailor treatments in androgen receptor positive salivary gland cancers? Oral Oncol 2023; 136:106274. [PMID: 36516663 DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2022.106274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Bossi
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Luigi Lorini
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Deborah Cosentini
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Salvatore Grisanti
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Alfredo Berruti
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Brescia, Italy
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21
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Karzai F, Madan RA. Deciphering the enigma of neuroendocrine prostate cancer. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:e164611. [PMID: 36317631 PMCID: PMC9621125 DOI: 10.1172/jci164611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the clinical advances in managing metastatic prostate cancer in the last 20 years, treatments for patients with metastatic disease only offer a brief respite from disease progression, especially after first-line therapies. Research into treatment resistance has defined a subset of patients with neuroendocrine differentiation of their prostate adenocarcinoma. Although neuroendocrine findings in conjunction with prostate adenocarcinoma can be seen in pathology samples at all stages of disease, the neuroendocrine variant of prostate cancer associated with poor outcomes occurs in approximately 20% of men with advanced disease. In this issue of JCI, Zhao, Sperger, and colleagues present data for a promising biomarker platform that can detect neuroendocrine prostate cancer after serial sampling of patients' blood with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity. This assay will be tested in several current and future trials to better define its potential clinical role and perhaps provide a greater understanding of neuroendocrine prostate cancer itself.
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22
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D’Abronzo LS, Lombard AP, Ning S, Armstong CM, Leslie AR, Sharifi M, Schaaf ZA, Lou W, Gao AC. Wntless expression promotes lineage plasticity and is associated with neuroendocrine prostate cancer. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL UROLOGY 2022; 10:299-310. [PMID: 36313205 PMCID: PMC9605943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Resistance to androgen receptor (AR) targeted therapies remains as the main reason for most prostate cancer related deaths. Lineage plasticity resulting in altered, treatment insensitive prostate tumor cell phenotypes such neuroendocrine differentiated prostate cancer is a common manifestation within resistant tumors upon AR-targeted therapies. The mechanisms responsible for lineage plasticity in prostate cancer remain incompletely understood. Here we demonstrate that the enzalutamide resistant MDVR cell line possesses lineage plastic characteristics associated with overexpression of the Wnt transporter Wntless (WLS). Furthermore, we present evidence that overexpression of WLS is common in varying cell line models of lineage plastic prostate cancer, is higher in neuroendocrine patient samples, and positively correlates with the neuroendocrine marker SYP in clinical data. Targeting WLS in lineage plastic cellular models reduces viability and represses lineage plasticity associated gene expression. Our study provides insight into the importance of WLS to the development of lethal resistant prostate cancer and provides a potential target for the treatment of advanced disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leandro S D’Abronzo
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
| | - Alan P Lombard
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
- UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
| | - Shu Ning
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
| | - Cameron M Armstong
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
| | - Amy R Leslie
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
| | - Masuda Sharifi
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
| | - Zachary A Schaaf
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
| | - Wei Lou
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
| | - Allen C Gao
- Department of Urologic Surgery, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
- UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California DavisSacramento, California, USA
- VA Northern California Health Care SystemSacramento, California, USA
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23
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Current and emerging therapies for neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Pharmacol Ther 2022; 238:108255. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2022.108255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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24
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Fanciulli G, Modica R, La Salvia A, Campolo F, Florio T, Mikovic N, Plebani A, Di Vito V, Colao A, Faggiano A. Immunotherapy of Neuroendocrine Neoplasms: Any Role for the Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells? Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14163991. [PMID: 36010987 PMCID: PMC9406675 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14163991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 08/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) comprise a heterogeneous group of tumors arising in different organs whose clinical course is variable according to histological differentiation and metastatic spread. Therapeutic options have recently expanded, but there is a need for new effective therapies, especially in less differentiated forms. Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) have shown efficacy in several cancers, mainly hematological, but data on NENs are scattered. We aimed to analyze the available preclinical and clinical data about CAR-T in NENs, to highlight their potential role in clinical practice. A significant therapeutic effect of CAR-T cells in NENs emerges from preclinical studies. Results from clinical trials are expected in order to define their effective role in these cancers. Abstract Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors with variable clinical presentation and prognosis. Surgery, when feasible, is the most effective and often curative treatment. However, NENs are frequently locally advanced or already metastatic at diagnosis. Consequently, additional local or systemic therapeutic approaches are required. Immunotherapy, based on chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T), is showing impressive results in several cancer treatments. The aim of this narrative review is to analyze the available data about the use of CAR-T in NENs, including studies in both preclinical and clinical settings. We performed an extensive search for relevant data sources, comprising full-published articles, abstracts from international meetings, and worldwide registered clinical trials. Preclinical studies performed on both cell lines and animal models indicate a significant therapeutic effect of CAR-T cells in NENs. Ongoing and future clinical trials will clarify the possible role of these drugs in patients with highly aggressive NENs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Fanciulli
- Neuroendocrine Tumour Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacy, University of Sassari—Endocrine Unit, AOU Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Roberta Modica
- Endocrinology, Diabetology and Andrology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Anna La Salvia
- Division of Medical Oncology 2, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Campolo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Tullio Florio
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, 16132 Genoa, Italy
- Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalisation and Healthcare Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genoa, Italy
| | - Nevena Mikovic
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sant’Andrea Hospital, ENETS Center of Excellence, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy
| | - Alice Plebani
- Laboratory of Geriatric and Oncologic Neuroendocrinology Research, Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Cusano Milanino, 20095 Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Di Vito
- Department of Experimental Medicine, “Sapienza” University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Annamaria Colao
- Endocrinology, Diabetology and Andrology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University of Naples, 80131 Naples, Italy
- UNESCO Chair, Education for Health and Sustainable Development, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Antongiulio Faggiano
- Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Sant’Andrea Hospital, ENETS Center of Excellence, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy
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25
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Korsen JA, Gutierrez JA, Tully KM, Carter LM, Samuels ZV, Khitrov S, Poirier JT, Rudin CM, Chen Y, Morris MJ, Bodei L, Pillarsetty N, Lewis JS. Delta-like ligand 3-targeted radioimmunotherapy for neuroendocrine prostate cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203820119. [PMID: 35759660 PMCID: PMC9271187 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203820119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a lethal subtype of prostate cancer with limited meaningful treatment options. NEPC lesions uniquely express delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3) on their cell surface. Taking advantage of DLL3 overexpression, we developed and evaluated lutetium-177 (177Lu)-labeled DLL3-targeting antibody SC16 (177Lu-DTPA-SC16) as a treatment for NEPC. SC16 was functionalized with DTPA-CHX-A" chelator and radiolabeled with 177Lu to produce 177Lu-DTPA-SC16. Specificity and selectivity of 177Lu-DTPA-SC16 were evaluated in vitro and in vivo using NCI-H660 (NEPC, DLL3-positive) and DU145 (adenocarcinoma, DLL3-negative) cells and xenografts. Dose-dependent treatment efficacy and specificity of 177Lu-DTPA-SC16 radionuclide therapy were evaluated in H660 and DU145 xenograft-bearing mice. Safety of the agent was assessed by monitoring hematologic parameters. 177Lu-DTPA-SC16 showed high tumor uptake and specificity in H660 xenografts, with minimal uptake in DU145 xenografts. At all three tested doses of 177Lu-DTPA-SC16 (4.63, 9.25, and 27.75 MBq/mouse), complete responses were observed in H660-bearing mice; 9.25 and 27.75 MBq/mouse doses were curative. Even the lowest tested dose proved curative in five (63%) of eight mice, and recurring tumors could be successfully re-treated at the same dose to achieve complete responses. In DU145 xenografts, 177Lu-DTPA-SC16 therapy did not inhibit tumor growth. Platelets and hematocrit transiently dropped, reaching nadir at 2 to 3 wk. This was out of range only in the highest-dose cohort and quickly recovered to normal range by week 4. Weight loss was observed only in the highest-dose cohort. Therefore, our data demonstrate that 177Lu-DTPA-SC16 is a potent and safe radioimmunotherapeutic agent for testing in humans with NEPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A. Korsen
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021
| | - Julia A. Gutierrez
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - Kathryn M. Tully
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021
| | - Lukas M. Carter
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - Zachary V. Samuels
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - Samantha Khitrov
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - John T. Poirier
- Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY 10016
| | - Charles M. Rudin
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
- Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - Michael J. Morris
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021
| | - Lisa Bodei
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | | | - Jason S. Lewis
- Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10021
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
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26
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Ong S, Pascoe C, Kelly BD, Ballok Z, Webb D, Bolton D, Murphy D, Sengupta S, Bowden P, Lawrentschuk N. PSMA PET-CT Imaging Predicts Treatment Progression in Men with Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer-A Prospective Study of Men with 3 Year Follow Up. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14112717. [PMID: 35681697 PMCID: PMC9179348 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14112717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is an essential imaging tool that is used to locate prostate cancer when it recurs. The results of this scan are used to guide clinical decisions for the management of cancer. However, the long-term effect of these clinical decisions is yet to be determined. In this study, we followed men with recurrent prostate cancer for 3 years after they had a clinical decision made based on a PSMA PET-CT. Our results showed that 75% of men had no addition or change in their treatment plan 3 years after their initial clinical decision was made. In men with a PSMA PET-CT that showed no suspected cancer, 85% had no addition or change to their treatment plan. This indicates that clinical decisions made using PSMA PET-CT in this setting can have a medium- to long-lasting effect. Abstract Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is a novel imaging modality used to stage recurrent prostate cancer. It has the potential to improve prognostication and ultimately guide the timing of treatment for men with recurrent prostate cancer. This study aims to assess the clinical impact of PSMA PET-CT by analyzing its predictive value of treatment progression after 3 years of follow-up. In this prospective cohort study of 100 men, patients received a PSMA PET-CT for restaging of their disease which was used by a multi-disciplinary team to make a treatment decision. The primary endpoint was treatment progression. This was defined as the addition or change of any treatment modalities such as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), radiation therapy or chemotherapy. The median follow-up time was 36 months (IQR 24–40 months). No treatment progression was found in 72 (75%) men and therefore 24 (25%) patients were found to have treatment progression. In men with a negative PSMA PET-CT result, 5/33 (15.1%) had treatment progression and 28/33 (84.8%) had no treatment progression. In conclusion, clinical decisions made with PSMA PET-CT results led to 75% of men having no treatment progression at 3 years of follow-up. In men with negative PSMA PET-CT results, this increased to 85% of men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Ong
- EJ Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia; (C.P.); (D.W.); (D.B.); (D.M.); (P.B.); (N.L.)
- Young Urology Researcher’s Organisation, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +61-039-426-6666
| | - Claire Pascoe
- EJ Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia; (C.P.); (D.W.); (D.B.); (D.M.); (P.B.); (N.L.)
| | - Brian D. Kelly
- Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia;
- Department of Urology, Eastern Health, Box Hill, VIC 3128, Australia;
| | - Zita Ballok
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Richmond Medical Imaging, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia;
| | - David Webb
- EJ Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia; (C.P.); (D.W.); (D.B.); (D.M.); (P.B.); (N.L.)
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia
| | - Damien Bolton
- EJ Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia; (C.P.); (D.W.); (D.B.); (D.M.); (P.B.); (N.L.)
- Young Urology Researcher’s Organisation, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia
| | - Declan Murphy
- EJ Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia; (C.P.); (D.W.); (D.B.); (D.M.); (P.B.); (N.L.)
- Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia;
| | - Shomik Sengupta
- Department of Urology, Eastern Health, Box Hill, VIC 3128, Australia;
- Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Box Hill, VIC 3128, Australia
| | - Patrick Bowden
- EJ Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia; (C.P.); (D.W.); (D.B.); (D.M.); (P.B.); (N.L.)
| | - Nathan Lawrentschuk
- EJ Whitten Prostate Cancer Research Centre, Epworth HealthCare, Richmond, VIC 3121, Australia; (C.P.); (D.W.); (D.B.); (D.M.); (P.B.); (N.L.)
- Young Urology Researcher’s Organisation, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Department of Surgery, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
- Division of Cancer Surgery, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia;
- Department of Urology, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3051, Australia
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27
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Dahiya UR, Heemers HV. Analyzing the Androgen Receptor Interactome in Prostate Cancer: Implications for Therapeutic Intervention. Cells 2022; 11:cells11060936. [PMID: 35326387 PMCID: PMC8946651 DOI: 10.3390/cells11060936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The androgen receptor (AR) is a member of the ligand-activated nuclear receptor family of transcription factors. AR’s transactivation activity is turned on by the binding of androgens, the male sex steroid hormones. AR is critical for the development and maintenance of the male phenotype but has been recognized to also play an important role in human diseases. Most notably, AR is a major driver of prostate cancer (CaP) progression, which remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. Androgen deprivation therapies (ADTs) that interfere with interactions between AR and its activating androgen ligands have been the mainstay for treatment of metastatic CaP. Although ADTs are effective and induce remissions, eventually they fail, while the growth of the majority of ADT-resistant CaPs remains under AR’s control. Alternative approaches to inhibit AR activity and bypass resistance to ADT are being sought, such as preventing the interaction between AR and its cofactors and coregulators that is needed to execute AR-dependent transcription. For such strategies to be efficient, the 3D conformation of AR complexes needs to be well-understood and AR-regulator interaction sites resolved. Here, we review current insights into these 3D structures and the protein interaction sites in AR transcriptional complexes. We focus on methods and technological approaches used to identify AR interactors and discuss challenges and limitations that need to be overcome for efficient therapeutic AR complex disruption.
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28
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Small cell lung cancer transformation: From pathogenesis to treatment. Semin Cancer Biol 2022; 86:595-606. [PMID: 35276343 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2022.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a type of neuroendocrine tumor with high malignancy and poor prognosis. Besides the de novo SCLC, there is transformed SCLC, which has similar characteristics of pathological morphology, molecular characteristics, clinical manifestations and drug sensitivity. However, de novo SCLC and transformed SCLC have different pathogenesis and tumor microenvironment. SCLC transformation is one of the mechanisms of resistance to chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy in NSCLC. Two hypotheses have been used to explain the pathogenesis of SCLC transformation. Although SCLC transformation is not common in clinical practice, it has been repeatedly identified in many small patient series and case reports. It usually occurs in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant lung adenocarcinoma after treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). SCLC transformation can also occur in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive lung cancer after treatment with ALK inhibitors and in wild-type EGFR or ALK NSCLC treated with immunotherapy. Chemotherapy was previously used to treat transformed SCLC, yet it is associated with an unsatisfactory prognosis. We comprehensively review the advancements in transformed SCLC, including clinical and pathological characteristics, and the potential effective treatment after SCLC transformation, aiming to give a better understanding of transformed SCLC and provide support for clinical uses.
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Joshi BP, Bhandare VV, Patel P, Sharma A, Patel R, Krishnamurthy R. Molecular modelling studies and identification of novel phytochemical inhibitor of DLL3. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2022; 41:3089-3109. [PMID: 35220906 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2045224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Prostate cancer has been recently considered the most diagnosed cancer in male. DLL3 is overexpressed in CRPC-NE but not in localised prostate cancer or BPH. There are no effective treatments for neuroendocrine differentiated prostate cancer due to a lack of understanding of DLL3 structure and function. The structure of DLL3 is not yet determined using any experimental techniques. Hence, the structure-based drug discovery approach against prostate cancer has not shown great success. In present study, molecular modelling techniques were employed to generate three-dimensional structure of DLL3 and performed its thorough structural analysis. Further, all-atom molecular dynamics simulation was performed to obtain energetically favourable conformation. Further, we used a virtual screening using a library of >13800 phytochemicals from the IMPPAT database and other literature to select the best possible phytochemical inhibitor for DLL3 and identified the top five compounds. Relative binding affinity was calculated using the MM-PBSA approach. ADMET properties of the screened compounds reveal the toxic effect of Gnemonol C. We believe these studied physicochemical properties, functional domain identification, and binding site identification would be very useful to gain more structural and functional insights of DLL3; also, it can be used to infer their pharmacodynamics properties of DLL3 which was recently reported as an important prostate cancer target. The current study also proposes that Ergosterol Peroxide, Dioslupecin A, Mulberrofuran K, and Caracurine V have strong affinities and could serve as plausible inhibitors against DLL3. We believe this study would further help develop better drug candidates against neuroendocrine prostate cancer.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Prittesh Patel
- C. G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Tarsadi, Gujarat, India
| | - Abhishek Sharma
- C. G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Tarsadi, Gujarat, India
| | - Rajesh Patel
- Bioinformatics and Supercomputer Lab., Department of Biosciences (UGC-SAP-DRS-II & DST-FIST-I), Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat, Gujarat, India
| | - Ramar Krishnamurthy
- C. G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Tarsadi, Gujarat, India
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Ton AT, Foo J, Singh K, Lee J, Kalyta A, Morin H, Perez C, Ban F, Leblanc E, Lallous N, Cherkasov A. Development of VPC-70619, a Small-Molecule N-Myc Inhibitor as a Potential Therapy for Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23052588. [PMID: 35269731 PMCID: PMC8910697 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23052588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The Myc family of transcription factors are involved in the development and progression of numerous cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). Under the pressure of androgen receptor (AR)-directed therapies resistance can occur, leading to the lethal form of PCa known as neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), characterized among other features by N-Myc overexpression. There are no clinically approved treatments for NEPC, translating into poor patient prognosis and survival. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop novel therapeutic avenues to treat NEPC patients. In this study, we investigate the N-Myc-Max DNA binding domain (DBD) as a potential target for small molecule inhibitors and utilize computer-aided drug design (CADD) approaches to discover prospective hits. Through further exploration and optimization, a compound, VPC-70619, was identified with notable anti-N-Myc potency and strong antiproliferative activity against numerous N-Myc expressing cell lines, including those representing NEPC.
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Christenson M, Song CS, Liu YG, Chatterjee B. Precision Targets for Intercepting the Lethal Progression of Prostate Cancer: Potential Avenues for Personalized Therapy. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:892. [PMID: 35205640 PMCID: PMC8870390 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14040892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Organ-confined prostate cancer of low-grade histopathology is managed with radiation, surgery, active surveillance, or watchful waiting and exhibits a 5-year overall survival (OS) of 95%, while metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) is incurable, holding a 5-year OS of 30%. Treatment options for advanced PCa-metastatic and non-metastatic-include hormone therapy that inactivates androgen receptor (AR) signaling, chemotherapy and genome-targeted therapy entailing synthetic lethality of tumor cells exhibiting aberrant DNA damage response, and immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI), which suppresses tumors with genomic microsatellite instability and/or deficient mismatch repair. Cancer genome sequencing uncovered novel somatic and germline mutations, while mechanistic studies are revealing their pathological consequences. A microRNA has shown biomarker potential for stratifying patients who may benefit from angiogenesis inhibition prior to ICI. A 22-gene expression signature may select high-risk localized PCa, which would not additionally benefit from post-radiation hormone therapy. We present an up-to-date review of the molecular and therapeutic aspects of PCa, highlight genomic alterations leading to AR upregulation and discuss AR-degrading molecules as promising anti-AR therapeutics. New biomarkers and druggable targets are shaping innovative intervention strategies against high-risk localized and metastatic PCa, including AR-independent small cell-neuroendocrine carcinoma, while presenting individualized treatment opportunities through improved design and precision targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Bandana Chatterjee
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA; (M.C.); (C.-S.S.); (Y.-G.L.)
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Ruiz de Porras V, Font A, Aytes A. Chemotherapy in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: Current scenario and future perspectives. Cancer Lett 2021; 523:162-169. [PMID: 34517086 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.08.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Taxanes - docetaxel and cabazitaxel - are the most active chemotherapy drugs currently used for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). However, despite a good initial response and survival benefit, nearly all patients eventually develop resistance, which is an important barrier to long-term survival. Resistance to taxanes is also associated with cross-resistance to androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSIs). Unfortunately, other than platinum-based treatments, which have demonstrated some benefit in a subset of patients with Aggressive Variant Prostate Cancer (AVPC), few therapeutic options are available to patients progressing to taxanes. Hence, more research is required to determine whether platinum-based chemotherapy will confer a survival benefit in mCRPC, and the identification of predictive biomarkers and the clinical evaluation of platinum compounds in molecularly selected patients is an urgent but unmet clinical need. The present review focuses on the current status of chemotherapy treatments in mCRPC, interactions with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and novel ARSIs, and the main mechanisms of resistance. We will examine the impact of platinum-based treatments in mCRPC and summarize the known predictive biomarkers of platinum response. Finally, future approaches and avenues will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicenç Ruiz de Porras
- Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Spain; Catalan Institute of Oncology, Badalona Applied Research Group in Oncology (BARGO), Badalona, Spain.
| | - Albert Font
- Catalan Institute of Oncology, Badalona Applied Research Group in Oncology (BARGO), Badalona, Spain; Department of Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Badalona, Spain
| | - Alvaro Aytes
- Program of Molecular Mechanisms and Experimental Therapeutics in Oncology (ONCOBELL), Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Gran Via de L'Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain; Program Against Cancer Therapeutics Resistance (ProCURE), Catalan Institute of Oncology, Gran Via de L'Hospitalet, Barcelona, Spain.
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Somatic Alterations Impact AR Transcriptional Activity and Efficacy of AR-Targeting Therapies in Prostate Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13163947. [PMID: 34439101 PMCID: PMC8393938 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13163947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary For patients whose prostate cancer spreads beyond the confines of the prostate, treatment options continue to increase. However, we are missing the information that is needed to choose for each patient the best treatment at each step of his cancer progression so we can ensure that maximal remissions and prolonged survival are achieved. In this review, we examine whether a better understanding of how the activity of the target for the default first treatment, the androgen receptor, is regulated in prostate cancer tissues can improve prostate cancer treatment plans. We consider the evidence for variability of androgen receptor activity among patients and examine the molecular basis for this variable action. We summarize clinical evidence supporting that information on a prostate cancer’s genomic composition may inform on its level of androgen receptor action, which may facilitate choice for the most effective first-line therapy and ultimately improve prostate cancer treatment plans overall. Abstract Inhibiting the activity of the ligand-activated transcription factor androgen receptor (AR) is the default first-line treatment for metastatic prostate cancer (CaP). Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) induces remissions, however, their duration varies widely among patients. The reason for this heterogeneity is not known. A better understanding of its molecular basis may improve treatment plans and patient survival. AR’s transcriptional activity is regulated in a context-dependent manner and relies on an interplay between its associated transcriptional regulators, DNA recognition motifs, and ligands. Alterations in one or more of these factors induce shifts in the AR cistrome and transcriptional output. Significant variability in AR activity is seen in both castration-sensitive (CS) and castration-resistant CaP (CRPC). Several AR transcriptional regulators undergo somatic alterations that impact their function in clinical CaPs. Some alterations occur in a significant fraction of cases, resulting in CaP subtypes, while others affect only a few percent of CaPs. Evidence is emerging that these alterations may impact the response to CaP treatments such as ADT, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Here, we review the contribution of recurring somatic alterations on AR cistrome and transcriptional output and the efficacy of CaP treatments and explore strategies to use these insights to improve treatment plans and outcomes for CaP patients.
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