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Gabbia D, De Martin S. Tumor Mutational Burden for Predicting Prognosis and Therapy Outcome of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043441. [PMID: 36834851 PMCID: PMC9960420 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the primary hepatic malignancy, represents the second-highest cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Many efforts have been devoted to finding novel biomarkers for predicting both patients' survival and the outcome of pharmacological treatments, with a particular focus on immunotherapy. In this regard, recent studies have focused on unravelling the role of tumor mutational burden (TMB), i.e., the total number of mutations per coding area of a tumor genome, to ascertain whether it can be considered a reliable biomarker to be used either for the stratification of HCC patients in subgroups with different responsiveness to immunotherapy, or for the prediction of disease progression, particularly in relation to the different HCC etiologies. In this review, we summarize the recent advances on the study of TMB and TMB-related biomarkers in the HCC landscape, focusing on their feasibility as guides for therapy decisions and/or predictors of clinical outcome.
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Grandt CL, Brackmann LK, Poplawski A, Schwarz H, Marini F, Hankeln T, Galetzka D, Zahnreich S, Mirsch J, Spix C, Blettner M, Schmidberger H, Marron M. Identification of lncRNAs involved in response to ionizing radiation in fibroblasts of long-term survivors of childhood cancer and cancer-free controls. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1158176. [PMID: 37182169 PMCID: PMC10174438 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1158176] [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: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Long non-coding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) are involved in the cellular damage response following exposure to ionizing radiation as applied in radiotherapy. However, the role of lncRNAs in radiation response concerning intrinsic susceptibility to late effects of radiation exposure has not been examined in general or in long-term survivors of childhood cancer with and without potentially radiotherapy-related second primary cancers, in particular. Methods Primary skin fibroblasts (n=52 each) of long-term childhood cancer survivors with a first primary cancer only (N1), at least one second primary neoplasm (N2+), as well as tumor-free controls (N0) from the KiKme case-control study were matched by sex, age, and additionally by year of diagnosis and entity of the first primary cancer. Fibroblasts were exposed to 0.05 and 2 Gray (Gy) X-rays. Differentially expressed lncRNAs were identified with and without interaction terms for donor group and dose. Weighted co-expression networks of lncRNA and mRNA were constructed using WGCNA. Resulting gene sets (modules) were correlated to the radiation doses and analyzed for biological function. Results After irradiation with 0.05Gy, few lncRNAs were differentially expressed (N0: AC004801.4; N1: PCCA-DT, AF129075.3, LINC00691, AL158206.1; N2+: LINC02315). In reaction to 2 Gy, the number of differentially expressed lncRNAs was higher (N0: 152, N1: 169, N2+: 146). After 2 Gy, AL109976.1 and AL158206.1 were prominently upregulated in all donor groups. The co-expression analysis identified two modules containing lncRNAs that were associated with 2 Gy (module1: 102 mRNAs and 4 lncRNAs: AL158206.1, AL109976.1, AC092171.5, TYMSOS, associated with p53-mediated reaction to DNA damage; module2: 390 mRNAs, 7 lncRNAs: AC004943.2, AC012073.1, AC026401.3, AC092718.4, MIR31HG, STXBP5-AS1, TMPO-AS1, associated with cell cycle regulation). Discussion For the first time, we identified the lncRNAs AL158206.1 and AL109976.1 as involved in the radiation response in primary fibroblasts by differential expression analysis. The co-expression analysis revealed a role of these lncRNAs in the DNA damage response and cell cycle regulation post-IR. These transcripts may be targets in cancer therapy against radiosensitivity, as well as provide grounds for the identification of at-risk patients for immediate adverse reactions in healthy tissues. With this work we deliver a broad basis and new leads for the examination of lncRNAs in the radiation response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caine Lucas Grandt
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany
- Faculty of Human and Health Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Caine Lucas Grandt,
| | - Lara Kim Brackmann
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany
| | - Alicia Poplawski
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heike Schwarz
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany
| | - Federico Marini
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Hankeln
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Molecular Genetics and Genome Analysis, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Danuta Galetzka
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sebastian Zahnreich
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Johanna Mirsch
- Radiation Biology and DNA Repair, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Claudia Spix
- Division of Childhood Cancer Epidemiology, German Childhood Cancer Registry, Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Maria Blettner
- Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Heinz Schmidberger
- Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiation Therapy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Manuela Marron
- Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Bremen, Germany
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Cancer-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Biomarkers for Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14205098. [PMID: 36291882 PMCID: PMC9599948 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14205098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Biomarkers including DNA, RNA, and surface-associated proteins in tumor-derived extracellular vesicles promote accurate clinical diagnosis and indicate the prognosis of cancer. In this systematic review, pre-clinical and clinical studies on extracellular vesicles derived from cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC-derived EVs) were summarized, for which studies on the genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics of cSCC-derived EVs were highlighted. The contents in cSCC-derived EVs may reflect the mutational landscape of the original cancer cells or be selectively enriched in extracellular vesicles, as provided by the significant role of target molecules including desmoglein 2 protein (Dsg2), Ct-SLCO1B3 mRNA, CYP24A1 circular RNA (circRNA), long intergenic non-coding RNA (linc-PICSAR) and DNA Copy Number Alteration (CNA). Evidence of these studies implied the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of cSCC-derived EVs for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Abstract Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) as one of the most prevalent cancers worldwide is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Full-body skin exam and biopsy is the gold standard for cSCC diagnosis, but it is not always feasible given constraints on time and costs. Furthermore, biopsy fails to reflect the dynamic changes in tumor genomes, which challenges long-term medical treatment in patients with advanced diseases. Extracellular vesicle (EV) is an emerging biological entity in oncology with versatile clinical applications from screening to treatment. In this systematic review, pre-clinical and clinical studies on cSCC-derived EVs were summarized. Seven studies on the genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics of cSCC-derived EVs were identified. The contents in cSCC-derived EVs may reflect the mutational landscape of the original cancer cells or be selectively enriched in EVs. Desmoglein 2 protein (Dsg2) is an important molecule in the biogenesis of cSCC-derived EVs. Ct-SLCO1B3 mRNA, and CYP24A1 circular RNA (circRNA) are enriched in cSCC-derived EVs, suggesting potentials in cSCC screening and diagnosis. p38 inhibited cSCC-associated long intergenic non-coding RNA (linc-PICSAR) and Dsg2 involved in EV-mediated tumor invasion and drug resistance served as prognostic and therapeutic predictors. We also proposed future directions to devise EV-based cSCC treatment based on these molecules and preliminary studies in other cancers.
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