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Gazzillo A, Volponi C, Soldani C, Polidoro MA, Franceschini B, Lleo A, Bonavita E, Donadon M. Cellular Senescence in Liver Cancer: How Dying Cells Become "Zombie" Enemies. Biomedicines 2023; 12:26. [PMID: 38275386 PMCID: PMC10813254 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12010026] [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: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer represents the fourth leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide. The heterogeneity of its tumor microenvironment (TME) is a major contributing factor of metastasis, relapse, and drug resistance. Regrettably, late diagnosis makes most liver cancer patients ineligible for surgery, and the frequent failure of non-surgical therapeutic options orientates clinical research to the investigation of new drugs. In this context, cellular senescence has been recently shown to play a pivotal role in the progression of chronic inflammatory liver diseases, ultimately leading to cancer. Moreover, the stem-like state triggered by senescence has been associated with the emergence of drug-resistant, aggressive tumor clones. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have emerged to investigate senescence-associated hepatocarcinogenesis and its derived therapies, leading to promising results. In this review, we intend to provide an overview of the recent evidence that unveils the role of cellular senescence in the most frequent forms of primary and metastatic liver cancer, focusing on the involvement of this mechanism in therapy resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Gazzillo
- Cellular and Molecular Oncoimmunology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (A.G.); (C.V.); (E.B.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy;
| | - Camilla Volponi
- Cellular and Molecular Oncoimmunology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (A.G.); (C.V.); (E.B.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy;
| | - Cristiana Soldani
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (C.S.); (M.A.P.); (B.F.)
| | - Michela Anna Polidoro
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (C.S.); (M.A.P.); (B.F.)
| | - Barbara Franceschini
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (C.S.); (M.A.P.); (B.F.)
| | - Ana Lleo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy;
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (C.S.); (M.A.P.); (B.F.)
- Division of Internal Medicine and Hepatology, Department of Gastroenterology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
| | - Eduardo Bonavita
- Cellular and Molecular Oncoimmunology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (A.G.); (C.V.); (E.B.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, 20072 Pieve Emanuele, Italy;
| | - Matteo Donadon
- Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Laboratory, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Italy; (C.S.); (M.A.P.); (B.F.)
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Department of General Surgery, University Maggiore Hospital della Carità, 28100 Novara, Italy
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Chen C, Jung A, Yang A, Monroy I, Zhang Z, Chaurasiya S, Deshpande S, Priceman S, Fong Y, Park AK, Woo Y. Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T Cell and Oncolytic Viral Therapies for Gastric Cancer and Peritoneal Carcinomatosis of Gastric Origin: Path to Improving Combination Strategies. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5661. [PMID: 38067366 PMCID: PMC10705752 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15235661] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Precision immune oncology capitalizes on identifying and targeting tumor-specific antigens to enhance anti-tumor immunity and improve the treatment outcomes of solid tumors. Gastric cancer (GC) is a molecularly heterogeneous disease where monoclonal antibodies against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) combined with systemic chemotherapy have improved survival in patients with unresectable or metastatic GC. However, intratumoral molecular heterogeneity, variable molecular target expression, and loss of target expression have limited antibody use and the durability of response. Often immunogenically "cold" and diffusely spread throughout the peritoneum, GC peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is a particularly challenging, treatment-refractory entity for current systemic strategies. More adaptable immunotherapeutic approaches, such as oncolytic viruses (OVs) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, have emerged as promising GC and GCPC treatments that circumvent these challenges. In this study, we provide an up-to-date review of the pre-clinical and clinical efficacy of CAR T cell therapy for key primary antigen targets and provide a translational overview of the types, modifications, and mechanisms for OVs used against GC and GCPC. Finally, we present a novel, summary-based discussion on the potential synergistic interplay between OVs and CAR T cells to treat GCPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney Chen
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
| | - Audrey Jung
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
| | - Annie Yang
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
| | - Isabel Monroy
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (I.M.); (S.P.)
| | - Zhifang Zhang
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
| | - Shyambabu Chaurasiya
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
| | - Supriya Deshpande
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
| | - Saul Priceman
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (I.M.); (S.P.)
- Cancer Immunotherapeutics Program, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Yuman Fong
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
| | - Anthony K. Park
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (I.M.); (S.P.)
- Cancer Immunotherapeutics Program, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Yanghee Woo
- Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA; (C.C.); (A.J.); (A.Y.); (Z.Z.); (S.C.); (S.D.); (Y.F.)
- Cancer Immunotherapeutics Program, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
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Zheng Z, Wieder T, Mauerer B, Schäfer L, Kesselring R, Braumüller H. T Cells in Colorectal Cancer: Unravelling the Function of Different T Cell Subsets in the Tumor Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11673. [PMID: 37511431 PMCID: PMC10380781 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411673] [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: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic options for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are very limited, and the prognosis using combination therapy with a chemotherapeutic drug and a targeted agent, e.g., epidermal growth factor receptor or tyrosine kinase, remains poor. Therefore, mCRC is associated with a poor median overall survival (mOS) of only 25-30 months. Current immunotherapies with checkpoint inhibitor blockade (ICB) have led to a substantial change in the treatment of several cancers, such as melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. In CRC, ICB has only limited effects, except in patients with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) tumors, which comprise about 15% of sporadic CRC patients and about 4% of patients with metastatic CRC. The vast majority of sporadic CRCs are microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors with low levels of infiltrating immune cells, in which immunotherapy has no clinical benefit so far. Immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors requires the presence of infiltrating T cells into the tumor microenvironment (TME). This makes T cells the most important effector cells in the TME, as evidenced by the establishment of the immunoscore-a method to estimate the prognosis of CRC patients. The microenvironment of a tumor contains several types of T cells that are anti-tumorigenic, such as CD8+ T cells or pro-tumorigenic, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs) or T helper 17 (Th17) cells. However, even CD8+ T cells show marked heterogeneity, e.g., they can become exhausted, enter a state of hyporesponsiveness or become dysfunctional and express high levels of checkpoint molecules, the targets for ICB. To kill cancer cells, CD8+ T cells need the recognition of the MHC class I, which is often downregulated on colorectal cancer cells. In this case, a population of unconventional T cells with a γδ T cell receptor can overcome the limitations of the conventional CD8+ T cells with an αβT cell receptor. γδ T cells recognize antigens in an MHC-independent manner, thus acting as a bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. Here, we discuss the effects of different T cell subsets in colorectal cancer with a special emphasis on γδ T cells and the possibility of using them in CAR-T cell therapy. We explain T cell exclusion in microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer and the possibilities to overcome this exclusion to enable immunotherapy even in these "cold" tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziwen Zheng
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Wieder
- Department of Vegetative and Clinical Physiology, Institute of Physiology, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Bernhard Mauerer
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Luisa Schäfer
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rebecca Kesselring
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Partner Site Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Heidi Braumüller
- Department of General and Visceral Surgery, Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
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The Potential of Senescence as a Target for Developing Anticancer Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043436. [PMID: 36834846 PMCID: PMC9961771 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Senescence occurs in response to various stimuli. Senescence has attracted attention because of its potential use in anticancer therapy as it plays a tumor-suppressive role. It also promotes tumorigeneses and therapeutic resistance. Since senescence can induce therapeutic resistance, targeting senescence may help to overcome therapeutic resistance. This review provides the mechanisms of senescence induction and the roles of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in various life processes, including therapeutic resistance and tumorigenesis. The SASP exerts pro-tumorigenic or antitumorigenic effects in a context-dependent manner. This review also discusses the roles of autophagy, histone deacetylases (HDACs), and microRNAs in senescence. Many reports have suggested that targeting HDACs or miRNAs could induce senescence, which, in turn, could enhance the effects of current anticancer drugs. This review presents the view that senescence induction is a powerful method of inhibiting cancer cell proliferation.
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The Cytokine Network in Colorectal Cancer: Implications for New Treatment Strategies. Cells 2022; 12:cells12010138. [PMID: 36611932 PMCID: PMC9818504 DOI: 10.3390/cells12010138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequent tumor entities worldwide with only limited therapeutic options. CRC is not only a genetic disease with several mutations in specific oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes such as APC, KRAS, PIC3CA, BRAF, SMAD4 or TP53 but also a multifactorial disease including environmental factors. Cancer cells communicate with their environment mostly via soluble factors such as cytokines, chemokines or growth factors to generate a favorable tumor microenvironment (TME). The TME, a heterogeneous population of differentiated and progenitor cells, plays a critical role in regulating tumor development, growth, invasion, metastasis and therapy resistance. In this context, cytokines from cancer cells and cells of the TME influence each other, eliciting an inflammatory milieu that can either enhance or suppress tumor growth and metastasis. Additionally, several lines of evidence exist that the composition of the microbiota regulates inflammatory processes, controlled by cytokine secretion, that play a role in carcinogenesis and tumor progression. In this review, we discuss the cytokine networks between cancer cells and the TME and microbiome in colorectal cancer and the related treatment strategies, with the goal to discuss cytokine-mediated strategies that could overcome the common therapeutic resistance of CRC tumors.
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Domen A, Deben C, Verswyvel J, Flieswasser T, Prenen H, Peeters M, Lardon F, Wouters A. Cellular senescence in cancer: clinical detection and prognostic implications. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2022; 41:360. [PMID: 36575462 PMCID: PMC9793681 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-022-02555-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular senescence is a state of stable cell-cycle arrest with secretory features in response to cellular stress. Historically, it has been considered as an endogenous evolutionary homeostatic mechanism to eliminate damaged cells, including damaged cells which are at risk of malignant transformation, thereby protecting against cancer. However, accumulation of senescent cells can cause long-term detrimental effects, mainly through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, and paradoxically contribute to age-related diseases including cancer. Besides its role as tumor suppressor, cellular senescence is increasingly being recognized as an in vivo response in cancer patients to various anticancer therapies. Its role in cancer is ambiguous and even controversial, and senescence has recently been promoted as an emerging hallmark of cancer because of its hallmark-promoting capabilities. In addition, the prognostic implications of cellular senescence have been underappreciated due to the challenging detection and sparse in and ex vivo evidence of cellular senescence in cancer patients, which is only now catching up. In this review, we highlight the approaches and current challenges of in and ex vivo detection of cellular senescence in cancer patients, and we discuss the prognostic implications of cellular senescence based on in and ex vivo evidence in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Domen
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium.
- Department of Oncology, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), 2650, Edegem (Antwerp), Belgium.
| | - Christophe Deben
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
| | - Jasper Verswyvel
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
| | - Tal Flieswasser
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
| | - Hans Prenen
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
- Department of Oncology, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), 2650, Edegem (Antwerp), Belgium
| | - Marc Peeters
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
- Department of Oncology, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), 2650, Edegem (Antwerp), Belgium
| | - Filip Lardon
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
| | - An Wouters
- Center for Oncological Research (CORE), Integrated Personalized and Precision Oncology Network (IPPON), University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk (Antwerp), Belgium
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