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Messaritakis I, Koulouris A, Boukla E, Vogiatzoglou K, Lagkouvardos I, Intze E, Sfakianaki M, Chondrozoumaki M, Karagianni M, Athanasakis E, Xynos E, Tsiaoussis J, Christodoulakis M, Flamourakis ME, Tsagkataki ES, Giannikaki L, Chliara E, Mavroudis D, Tzardi M, Souglakos J. Exploring Gut Microbiome Composition and Circulating Microbial DNA Fragments in Patients with Stage II/III Colorectal Cancer: A Comprehensive Analysis. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1923. [PMID: 38792001 PMCID: PMC11119035 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16101923] [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: 03/31/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) significantly contributes to cancer-related mortality, necessitating the exploration of prognostic factors beyond TNM staging. This study investigates the composition of the gut microbiome and microbial DNA fragments in stage II/III CRC. METHODS A cohort of 142 patients with stage II/III CRC and 91 healthy controls underwent comprehensive microbiome analysis. Fecal samples were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing, and blood samples were tested for the presence of microbial DNA fragments. De novo clustering analysis categorized individuals based on their microbial profiles. Alpha and beta diversity metrics were calculated, and taxonomic profiling was conducted. RESULTS Patients with CRC exhibited distinct microbial composition compared to controls. Beta diversity analysis confirmed CRC-specific microbial profiles. Taxonomic profiling revealed unique taxonomies in the patient cohort. De novo clustering separated individuals into distinct groups, with specific microbial DNA fragment detection associated with certain patient clusters. CONCLUSIONS The gut microbiota can differentiate patients with CRC from healthy individuals. Detecting microbial DNA fragments in the bloodstream may be linked to CRC prognosis. These findings suggest that the gut microbiome could serve as a prognostic factor in stage II/III CRC. Identifying specific microbial markers associated with CRC prognosis has potential clinical implications, including personalized treatment strategies and reduced healthcare costs. Further research is needed to validate these findings and uncover underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ippokratis Messaritakis
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
| | - Andreas Koulouris
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
| | - Eleni Boukla
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
| | - Konstantinos Vogiatzoglou
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
| | - Ilias Lagkouvardos
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (I.L.); (E.I.)
| | - Evangelia Intze
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (I.L.); (E.I.)
| | - Maria Sfakianaki
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
| | - Maria Chondrozoumaki
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
| | - Michaela Karagianni
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
| | - Elias Athanasakis
- Department of General Surgery, Heraklion University Hospital, 71100 Heraklion, Greece;
| | - Evangelos Xynos
- Department of Surgery, Creta Interclinic Hospital of Heraklion, 71305 Heraklion, Greece
| | - John Tsiaoussis
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece;
| | | | | | - Eleni S. Tsagkataki
- Department of General Surgery, Venizeleio General Hospital, 71409 Heraklion, Greece (M.E.F.)
| | - Linda Giannikaki
- Histopathology, Venizeleio General Hospital, 71409 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Evdoxia Chliara
- Histopathology, Venizeleio General Hospital, 71409 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Mavroudis
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece
| | - Maria Tzardi
- Laboratory of Pathology, University General Hospital of Heraklion, 70013 Heraklion, Greece;
| | - John Souglakos
- Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Medical School, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece; (A.K.); (M.C.); (D.M.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital of Heraklion, 71110 Heraklion, Greece
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2
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Uziel O, Kanner AA, Beery E, Lev S, Lahav M, Horn‐Fichman S, Nof SH, Laviv Y, Yust‐Katz S, Amiel A, Shkara RA, Siddeeq M, Levy‐Barda A, Raanani P, Sela Y, Cohen Z, Siegal T. Is serum-derived exosomal hTERT transcript a marker of oncogenic activity in primary brain tumors? An exploratory study. Cancer Med 2024; 13:e6784. [PMID: 38155481 PMCID: PMC10823760 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.6784] [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] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In order to proliferate indefinitely, all tumors require a telomere maintenance mechanism. The expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) enables telomere maintenance and provides cancer cells with limitless replicative potential. As such, it may serve as an attractive biomarker for oncogenic activity. This study explored whether a liquid biopsy that analyses blood derived exosomal hTERT transcript (e-hTERT-trans) may serve as such a biomarker in gliomas and meningiomas when compared to healthy controls. METHODS Exosomes were isolated from the pre-operative sera of patients' samples stored in the biobank of both Rabin and Sheba Medical Centers. The levels of e-hTERT-trans were measured in 81 healthy controls, 117 meningiomas, 17 low-grade gliomas, and 61 glioblastomas. Clinical parameters of the patients were collected retrospectively and compared to the levels of the e-hTERT-trans. RESULTS The upper normal limit of controls e-hTERT-trans was 1.85 relative quantitation (RQ). The rate of detection increased with rising tumor grade and correlated with tumor recurrence in meningiomas: mean RQ without recurrence (2.17 ± 11.7) versus with recurrence (3.59 ± 4.42; p = 0.002). In glioblastomas, preoperative measurements correlated with tumor volume and with the disease course on serial sampling. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated for the first time that the expression of e-hTERT-trans transcript can be measured in the serum of primary brain tumors. This exosomal marker carries the potential to serve as a biomarker once used in conjunction with other clinical and radiological parameters. Future studies are required to investigate whether the sensitivity could be augmented and whether it can be implemented into routine patients care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orit Uziel
- The Felsenstein Medical Research CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
- Institute of HematologyDavidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Andrew A. Kanner
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Department of NeurosurgeryRabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | - Einat Beery
- The Felsenstein Medical Research CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | - Sapir Lev
- Department of NeurosurgeryRabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | - Meir Lahav
- The Felsenstein Medical Research CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
- Institute of HematologyDavidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Suzana Horn‐Fichman
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Neuropathology, Department of PathologyRabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | - Sagi Har Nof
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Department of NeurosurgeryRabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | - Yuseph Laviv
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Department of NeurosurgeryRabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | - S. Yust‐Katz
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Neurooncology UnitDavidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | - Alexandra Amiel
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Neurooncology UnitDavidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | | | - Mustafa Siddeeq
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Department of NeurosurgerySheba Medical CenterRamat‐GanIsrael
| | - Adva Levy‐Barda
- Biobank, Department of PathologyRabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
| | - Pia Raanani
- The Felsenstein Medical Research CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
- Institute of HematologyDavidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
| | - Yaron Sela
- The Center of Internet Psychology Reichman UniversityHerzliyaIsrael
| | - Zvi Cohen
- Sackler School of MedicineTel‐Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
- Department of NeurosurgerySheba Medical CenterRamat‐GanIsrael
| | - Tali Siegal
- Neurooncology UnitDavidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical CenterPetah TikvaIsrael
- Hebrew University and Medical SchoolJerusalemIsrael
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Chidharla A, Rapoport E, Agarwal K, Madala S, Linares B, Sun W, Chakrabarti S, Kasi A. Circulating Tumor DNA as a Minimal Residual Disease Assessment and Recurrence Risk in Patients Undergoing Curative-Intent Resection with or without Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10230. [PMID: 37373376 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging data have suggested that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can be a reliable biomarker for minimal residual disease (MRD) in CRC patients. Recent studies have shown that the ability to detect MRD using ctDNA assay after curative-intent surgery will change how to assess the recurrence risk and patient selection for adjuvant chemotherapy. We performed a meta-analysis of post-operative ctDNA in stage I-IV (oligometastatic) CRC patients after curative-intent resection. We included 23 studies representing 3568 patients with evaluable ctDNA in CRC patient post-curative-intent surgery. Data were extracted from each study to perform a meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4. software. Subsequent subgroup analysis was performed for stages I-III and oligometastatic stage IV CRC patients. Results showed that the pooled hazard ratio (HR) for recurrence-free survival (RFS) in post-surgical ctDNA-positive versus -negative patients in all stages was 7.27 (95% CI 5.49-9.62), p < 0.00001. Subgroup analysis revealed pooled HRs of 8.14 (95% CI 5.60-11.82) and 4.83 (95% CI 3.64-6.39) for stages I-III and IV CRC, respectively. The pooled HR for RFS in post-adjuvant chemotherapy ctDNA-positive versus -negative patients in all stages was 10.59 (95% CI 5.59-20.06), p < 0.00001. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis has revolutionized non-invasive cancer diagnostics and monitoring, with two primary forms of analysis emerging: tumor-informed techniques and tumor-agnostic or tumor-naive techniques. Tumor-informed methods involve the initial identification of somatic mutations in tumor tissue, followed by the targeted sequencing of plasma DNA using a personalized assay. In contrast, the tumor-agnostic approach performs ctDNA analysis without prior knowledge of the patient's tumor tissue molecular profile. This review highlights the distinctive features and implications of each approach. Tumor-informed techniques enable the precise monitoring of known tumor-specific mutations, leveraging the sensitivity and specificity of ctDNA detection. Conversely, the tumor-agnostic approach allows for a broader genetic and epigenetic analysis, potentially revealing novel alterations and enhancing our understanding of tumor heterogeneity. Both approaches have significant implications for personalized medicine and improved patient outcomes in the field of oncology. The subgroup analysis based on the ctDNA method showed pooled HRs of 8.66 (95% CI 6.38-11.75) and 3.76 (95% CI 2.58-5.48) for tumor-informed and tumor-agnostic, respectively. Our analysis emphasizes that post-operative ctDNA is a strong prognostic marker of RFS. Based on our results, ctDNA can be a significant and independent predictor of RFS. This real-time assessment of treatment benefits using ctDNA can be used as a surrogate endpoint for the development of novel drugs in the adjuvant setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anusha Chidharla
- Department of Medical Oncology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS 66205, USA
| | - Eliot Rapoport
- Department of Internal Medicine, Montefiore Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Kriti Agarwal
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ 07601, USA
| | - Samragnyi Madala
- Department of Medical Oncology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA 55224, USA
| | - Brenda Linares
- Research and Learning Department, Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66211, USA
| | - Weijing Sun
- Department of Medical Oncology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS 66205, USA
| | - Sakti Chakrabarti
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Anup Kasi
- Department of Medical Oncology, University of Kansas Cancer Center, Kansas City, KS 66205, USA
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4
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Papadakos SP, Tsagkaris C, Papadakis M, Papazoglou AS, Moysidis DV, Zografos CG, Theocharis S. Angiogenesis in gastrointestinal stromal tumors: From bench to bedside. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2022; 14:1469-1477. [PMID: 36160752 PMCID: PMC9412926 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v14.i8.1469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2022] [Revised: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare neoplasms with an estimated incidence from 0.78 to 1-1.5 patients per 100000. They most commonly occur in the elderly during the eighth decade of life affecting predominantly the stomach, but also the small intestine, the omentum, mesentery and rectosigmoid. The available treatments for GIST are associated with a significant rate of recurrent disease and adverse events. Thorough understanding of GIST’s pathophysiology and translation of this knowledge into novel regimens or drug repurposing is essential to counter this challenge. The present review summarizes the existing evidence about the role of angiogenesis in GIST’s development and progression and discusses its clinical underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stavros P Papadakos
- First Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 10679, Greece
| | | | - Marios Papadakis
- University Hospital Witten-Herdecke, University of Witten-Herdecke, Wuppertal 42283, Germany
| | - Andreas S Papazoglou
- First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54636, Greece
| | - Dimitrios V Moysidis
- First Department of Cardiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54636, Greece
| | - Constantinos G Zografos
- First Department of Surgery, Athens Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Laikon General Hospital, Athens 11527, Greece
| | - Stamatios Theocharis
- First Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
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