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Lopez-Gonzalez L, Sanchez Cendra A, Sanchez Cendra C, Roberts Cervantes ED, Espinosa JC, Pekarek T, Fraile-Martinez O, García-Montero C, Rodriguez-Slocker AM, Jiménez-Álvarez L, Guijarro LG, Aguado-Henche S, Monserrat J, Alvarez-Mon M, Pekarek L, Ortega MA, Diaz-Pedrero R. Exploring Biomarkers in Breast Cancer: Hallmarks of Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow-Up in Clinical Practice. MEDICINA (KAUNAS, LITHUANIA) 2024; 60:168. [PMID: 38256428 PMCID: PMC10819101 DOI: 10.3390/medicina60010168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Breast cancer is a prevalent malignancy in the present day, particularly affecting women as one of the most common forms of cancer. A significant portion of patients initially present with localized disease, for which curative treatments are pursued. Conversely, another substantial segment is diagnosed with metastatic disease, which has a worse prognosis. Recent years have witnessed a profound transformation in the prognosis for this latter group, primarily due to the discovery of various biomarkers and the emergence of targeted therapies. These biomarkers, encompassing serological, histological, and genetic indicators, have demonstrated their value across multiple aspects of breast cancer management. They play crucial roles in initial diagnosis, aiding in the detection of relapses during follow-up, guiding the application of targeted treatments, and offering valuable insights for prognostic stratification, especially for highly aggressive tumor types. Molecular markers have now become the keystone of metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, given the diverse array of chemotherapy options and treatment modalities available. These markers signify a transformative shift in the arsenal of therapeutic options against breast cancer. Their diagnostic precision enables the categorization of tumors with elevated risks of recurrence, increased aggressiveness, and heightened mortality. Furthermore, the existence of therapies tailored to target specific molecular anomalies triggers a cascade of changes in tumor behavior. Therefore, the primary objective of this article is to offer a comprehensive review of the clinical, diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic utility of the principal biomarkers currently in use, as well as of their clinical impact on metastatic breast cancer. In doing so, our goal is to contribute to a more profound comprehension of this complex disease and, ultimately, to enhance patient outcomes through more precise and effective treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Lopez-Gonzalez
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (L.L.-G.); (A.M.R.-S.); (S.A.-H.); (R.D.-P.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
| | - Alicia Sanchez Cendra
- Oncology Service, Guadalajara University Hospital, 19002 Guadalajara, Spain; (A.S.C.); (C.S.C.); (E.D.R.C.); (J.C.E.)
| | - Cristina Sanchez Cendra
- Oncology Service, Guadalajara University Hospital, 19002 Guadalajara, Spain; (A.S.C.); (C.S.C.); (E.D.R.C.); (J.C.E.)
| | | | - Javier Cassinello Espinosa
- Oncology Service, Guadalajara University Hospital, 19002 Guadalajara, Spain; (A.S.C.); (C.S.C.); (E.D.R.C.); (J.C.E.)
| | - Tatiana Pekarek
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (T.P.); (L.J.-Á.)
| | - Oscar Fraile-Martinez
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (T.P.); (L.J.-Á.)
| | - Cielo García-Montero
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (T.P.); (L.J.-Á.)
| | - Ana María Rodriguez-Slocker
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (L.L.-G.); (A.M.R.-S.); (S.A.-H.); (R.D.-P.)
| | - Laura Jiménez-Álvarez
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (T.P.); (L.J.-Á.)
- Department of General and Digestive Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, Príncipe de Asturias Universitary Hospital, 28805 Alcala de Henares, Spain
| | - Luis G. Guijarro
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
- Unit of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of System Biology (CIBEREHD), University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain
| | - Soledad Aguado-Henche
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (L.L.-G.); (A.M.R.-S.); (S.A.-H.); (R.D.-P.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
| | - Jorge Monserrat
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (T.P.); (L.J.-Á.)
| | - Melchor Alvarez-Mon
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (T.P.); (L.J.-Á.)
- Immune System Diseases-Rheumatology, Oncology Service an Internal Medicine (CIBEREHD), University Hospital Príncipe de Asturias, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Spain
| | - Leonel Pekarek
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
- Oncology Service, Guadalajara University Hospital, 19002 Guadalajara, Spain; (A.S.C.); (C.S.C.); (E.D.R.C.); (J.C.E.)
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (T.P.); (L.J.-Á.)
| | - Miguel A. Ortega
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
- Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (T.P.); (L.J.-Á.)
- Cancer Registry and Pathology Department, Principe de Asturias University Hospital, 28806 Alcala de Henares, Spain
| | - Raul Diaz-Pedrero
- Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, 28801 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (L.L.-G.); (A.M.R.-S.); (S.A.-H.); (R.D.-P.)
- Ramón y Cajal Institute of Sanitary Research (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain; (O.F.-M.); (C.G.-M.); (L.G.G.); (M.A.-M.); (L.P.); (M.A.O.)
- Department of General and Digestive Surgery, General and Digestive Surgery, Príncipe de Asturias Universitary Hospital, 28805 Alcala de Henares, Spain
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Ephraim R, Feehan J, Fraser S, Nurgali K, Apostolopoulos V. Cancer Immunotherapy: The Checkpoint between Chronic Colitis and Colorectal Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14246131. [PMID: 36551617 PMCID: PMC9776998 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14246131] [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: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a group of diseases that cause intestinal inflammation and lesions because of an abnormal immune response to host gut microflora. Corticosteroids, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics are often used to reduce non-specific inflammation and relapse rates; however, such treatments are ineffective over time. Patients with chronic colitis are more susceptible to developing colorectal cancer, especially those with a longer duration of colitis. There is often a limit in using chemotherapy due to side effects, leading to reduced efficacy, leaving an urgent need to improve treatments and identify new therapeutic targets. Cancer immunotherapy has made significant advances in recent years and is mainly categorized as cancer vaccines, adoptive cellular immunotherapy, or immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Checkpoint markers are expressed on cancer cells to evade the immune system, and as a result checkpoint inhibitors have transformed cancer treatment in the last 5-10 years. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have produced long-lasting clinical responses in both single and combination therapies. Winnie mice are a viable model of spontaneous chronic colitis with immune responses like human IBD. Determining the expression levels of checkpoint markers in tissues from these mice will provide insights into disease initiation, progression, and cancer. Such information will lead to identification of novel checkpoint markers and the development of treatments with or without immune checkpoint inhibitors or vaccines to slow or stop disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramya Ephraim
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Jack Feehan
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia
- Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science, Melbourne, VIC 3021, Australia
| | - Sarah Fraser
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Kulmira Nurgali
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia
- Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science, Melbourne, VIC 3021, Australia
| | - Vasso Apostolopoulos
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia
- Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science, Melbourne, VIC 3021, Australia
- Correspondence:
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Chavda VP, Solanki HK, Davidson M, Apostolopoulos V, Bojarska J. Peptide-Drug Conjugates: A New Hope for Cancer Management. Molecules 2022; 27:7232. [PMID: 36364057 PMCID: PMC9658517 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27217232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 08/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer remains the leading cause of death worldwide despite advances in treatment options for patients. As such, safe and effective therapeutics are required. Short peptides provide advantages to be used in cancer management due to their unique properties, amazing versatility, and progress in biotechnology to overcome peptide limitations. Several appealing peptide-based therapeutic strategies have been developed. Here, we provide an overview of peptide conjugates, the better equivalents of antibody-drug conjugates, as the next generation of drugs for required precise targeting, enhanced cellular permeability, improved drug selectivity, and reduced toxicity for the efficient treatment of cancers. We discuss the basic components of drug conjugates and their release action, including the release of cytotoxins from the linker. We also present peptide-drug conjugates under different stages of clinical development as well as regulatory and other challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek P. Chavda
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, L M College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad 380008, Gujarat, India
| | - Hetvi K. Solanki
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, L M College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad 380008, Gujarat, India
| | - Majid Davidson
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia
| | - Vasso Apostolopoulos
- Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC 3030, Australia
- Immunology Program, Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science, Melbourne, VIC 3021, Australia
| | - Joanna Bojarska
- Institute of General and Ecological Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Lodz University of Technology, 116 Zeromskiego Street, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
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