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Szulc A, Woźniak M. Targeting Pivotal Hallmarks of Cancer for Enhanced Therapeutic Strategies in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment-In Vitro, In Vivo and Clinical Trials Literature Review. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1483. [PMID: 38672570 PMCID: PMC11047913 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16081483] [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: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
This literature review provides a comprehensive overview of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and explores innovative targeted therapies focused on specific hallmarks of cancer cells, aiming to revolutionize breast cancer treatment. TNBC, characterized by its lack of expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), presents distinct features, categorizing these invasive breast tumors into various phenotypes delineated by key elements in molecular assays. This article delves into the latest advancements in therapeutic strategies targeting components of the tumor microenvironment and pivotal hallmarks of cancer: deregulating cellular metabolism and the Warburg effect, acidosis and hypoxia, the ability to metastasize and evade the immune system, aiming to enhance treatment efficacy while mitigating systemic toxicity. Insights from in vitro and in vivo studies and clinical trials underscore the promising effectiveness and elucidate the mechanisms of action of these novel therapeutic interventions for TNBC, particularly in cases refractory to conventional treatments. The integration of targeted therapies tailored to the molecular characteristics of TNBC holds significant potential for optimizing clinical outcomes and addressing the pressing need for more effective treatment options for this aggressive subtype of breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta Woźniak
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Division of General and Experimental Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland;
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Chelales E, von Windheim K, Banipal AS, Siebeneck E, Benham C, Nief CA, Crouch B, Everitt JI, Sag AA, Katz DF, Ramanujam N. Determining the Relationship between Delivery Parameters and Ablation Distribution for Novel Gel Ethanol Percutaneous Therapy in Ex Vivo Swine Liver. Polymers (Basel) 2024; 16:997. [PMID: 38611255 PMCID: PMC11013462 DOI: 10.3390/polym16070997] [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: 02/29/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Ethyl cellulose-ethanol (ECE) is emerging as a promising formulation for ablative injections, with more controllable injection distributions than those from traditional liquid ethanol. This study evaluates the influence of salient injection parameters on forces needed for infusion, depot volume, retention, and shape in a large animal model relevant to human applications. Experiments were conducted to investigate how infusion volume (0.5 mL to 2.5 mL), ECE concentration (6% or 12%), needle gauge (22 G or 27 G), and infusion rate (10 mL/h) impacted the force of infusion into air using a load cell. These parameters, with the addition of manual infusion, were investigated to elucidate their influence on depot volume, retention, and shape (aspect ratio), measured using CT imaging, in an ex vivo swine liver model. Force during injection increased significantly for 12% compared to 6% ECE and for 27 G needles compared to 22 G. Force variability increased with higher ECE concentration and smaller needle diameter. As infusion volume increased, 12% ECE achieved superior depot volume compared to 6% ECE. For all infusion volumes, 12% ECE achieved superior retention compared to 6% ECE. Needle gauge and infusion rate had little influence on the observed depot volume or retention; however, the smaller needles resulted in higher variability in depot shape for 12% ECE. These results help us understand the multivariate nature of injection performance, informing injection protocol designs for ablations using gel ethanol and infusion, with volumes relevant to human applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Chelales
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
| | - Katriana von Windheim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
| | - Arshbir Singh Banipal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
| | - Elizabeth Siebeneck
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
| | - Claire Benham
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
| | - Corrine A. Nief
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
| | - Brian Crouch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
| | - Jeffrey I. Everitt
- Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA;
| | - Alan Alper Sag
- Department of Radiology, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - David F. Katz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
| | - Nirmala Ramanujam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; (K.v.W.); (A.S.B.); (C.A.N.)
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Salameh ZS, Aycock KN, Alinezhadbalalami N, Imran KM, McKillop IH, Allen IC, Davalos RV. Harnessing the Electrochemical Effects of Electroporation-Based Therapies to Enhance Anti-tumor Immune Responses. Ann Biomed Eng 2024; 52:48-56. [PMID: 37989902 PMCID: PMC10781785 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-023-03403-x] [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: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
This study introduces a new method of targeting acidosis (low pH) within the tumor microenvironment (TME) through the use of cathodic electrochemical reactions (CER). Low pH is oncogenic by supporting immunosuppression. Electrochemical reactions create local pH effects when a current passes through an electrolytic substrate such as biological tissue. Electrolysis has been used with electroporation (destabilization of the lipid bilayer via an applied electric potential) to increase cell death areas. However, the regulated increase of pH through only the cathode electrode has been ignored as a possible method to alleviate TME acidosis, which could provide substantial immunotherapeutic benefits. Here, we show through ex vivo modeling that CERs can intentionally elevate pH to an anti-tumor level and that increased alkalinity promotes activation of naïve macrophages. This study shows the potential of CERs to improve acidity within the TME and that it has the potential to be paired with existing electric field-based cancer therapies or as a stand-alone therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaid S Salameh
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, 325 Stanger St, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Kenneth N Aycock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, 325 Stanger St, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Nastaran Alinezhadbalalami
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, 325 Stanger St, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Khan Mohammad Imran
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, 205 Duck Pond Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Iain H McKillop
- Department of Surgery, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, 1000 Blythe Blvd, Charlotte, NC, 28203, USA
| | - Irving C Allen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, 205 Duck Pond Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Rafael V Davalos
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, 325 Stanger St, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Tech - Emory, 313 Ferst Dr, Atlanta, GA, 30308, USA.
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Nief CA, Swartz AM, Chelales E, Sheu LY, Crouch BT, Ramanujam N, Nair SK. Ethanol Ablation Therapy Drives Immune-Mediated Antitumor Effects in Murine Breast Cancer Models. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14194669. [PMID: 36230591 PMCID: PMC9564135 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14194669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Tumor ablation is the process of directly destroying tumor tissue by injecting a cytotoxic substance, in this case, ethanol ethylcellulose. In this report, we characterized the effect of ablation on local and systemic immunologic markers known to impact disease progression in several mouse models. Ablation improved overall survival in poorly invasive breast cancer models and was notable for demonstrating an increase in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. However, in a metastatic breast cancer model, the response to ablation was more nuanced: the growth of the primary tumor was only modestly slowed compared to controls, and there was a reduction in pro-tumor granulocytic myeloid derived suppressor cells (gMDSCs) with a reduction in metastatic disease. A single ablation reduced circulating granulocytic colony stimulating factor, tumoral gMDSCs, splenic gMDSCs, and pulmonary gMDSCs, as well as the suppressive ability of MDSCs on CD4 and CD8 T cells. The immunomodulation incited by tumor ablation was utilized to recover response to checkpoint inhibitors, resulting in increased overall survival compared to checkpoint inhibitors alone, demonstrating a proof-of-concept for using ethanol ablation as an adjuvant immunomodulatory therapy. Abstract Ethanol ablation is a minimally invasive, cost-effective method of destroying tumor tissue through an intratumoral injection of high concentrations of cytotoxic alcohol. Ethyl-cellulose ethanol (ECE) ablation, a modified version of ethanol ablation, contains the phase-changing polysaccharide ethyl-cellulose to reduce ethanol leakage away from the tumor. Ablation produces tissue necrosis and initiates a wound healing process; however, the characteristic of the immunologic events after ECE ablation of tumors has yet to be explored. Models of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which are classically immunosuppressive and difficult to treat clinically, were used to characterize the immunophenotypic changes after ECE ablation. In poorly invasive TNBC rodent models, the injury to the tumor induced by ECE increased tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and reduced tumor growth. In a metastatic TNBC model (4T1), TILs did not increase after ECE ablation, though lung metastases were reduced. 4T1 tumors secrete high levels of granulocytic colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), which induces a suppressive milieu of granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (gMDSCs) aiding in the formation of metastases and suppression of antitumor immunity. We found that a single intratumoral injection of ECE normalized tumor-induced myeloid changes: reducing serum G-CSF and gMDSC populations. ECE also dampened the suppressive strength of gMDSC on CD4 and CD8 cell proliferation, which are crucial for anti-tumor immunity. To demonstrate the utility of these findings, ECE ablation was administered before checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy in the 4T1 model and was found to significantly increase survival compared to a control of saline and CPI. Sixty days after tumor implant no primary tumors or metastatic lung lesions were found in 6/10 mice treated with CPI plus ECE, compared to 1/10 with ECE alone and 0/10 with CPI and saline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrine A. Nief
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Correspondence: (C.A.N.); (A.M.S.)
| | - Adam M. Swartz
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Correspondence: (C.A.N.); (A.M.S.)
| | - Erika Chelales
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Lauren Y. Sheu
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Brian T. Crouch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Nirmala Ramanujam
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Smita K. Nair
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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