Association of a common genetic variant in prostate stem cell antigen with cancer risk

Contribution of prostate stem cell antigen variation rs2294008 to the risk of bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

Number of studies have been performed to evaluate the relationship between prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) variation rs2294008 and bladder cancer risk, but the sample size was small and the results were conflicting. This meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively evaluate the overall association.

METHODS

Pubmed, Web of science, Embase, China biology medical literature database (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang and Weipu databases were searched before June 30, 2018. The strength of associations was assessed using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All of the statistical analyses were conducted using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 14.0.

RESULTS

Ten studies involved 14,021 cases and 26,871 controls. Overall, significant association was observed between the PSCA gene variant rs2294008 polymorphism and bladder cancer (T vs C: OR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.12-1.20; TT vs CC: OR = 1.32, 95%CI = 1.24-1.41; TT vs CT+CC: OR = 1.15, 95%CI = 1.09-1.22; TT+CT vs CC: OR = 1.27, 95%CI = 1.21-1.34). In subgroup analysis by ethnic group, a statistically significant association was observed in Asians (T vs C: OR = 1.23, 95%CI = 1.15-1.31) and Caucasians (T vs C: OR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.10-1.18). The sensitivity analysis confirmed the reliability and stability of the meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION

Our meta-analysis supports that the PSCA gene variant rs2294008 polymorphism might contribute to individual susceptibility to bladder cancer.

Updated analysis of vitamin D receptor gene FokI polymorphism and prostate cancer susceptibility

INTRODUCTION

Polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene have been investigated in various case-control studies to evaluate prostate cancer susceptibility; however, published data on the association between vitamin D receptor gene FokI polymorphism and prostate cancer risk are inconclusive.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

To assess the impact of vitamin D receptor gene FokI polymorphism, we performed a meta-analysis of eligible studies including 9,720 patients and 9,710 control subjects.

RESULTS

The overall results indicated no obvious association of this variant on prostate cancer risk. However, in subgroup analysis by ethnicity, positive associations existed in Caucasian descendents for allelic contrast (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00-1.06, p_{heterogeneity} = 0.552, p = 0.026) and the dominant genetic model (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00-1.05, p_{heterogeneity} = 0.856, p = 0.032). In the subgroup analysis by tumor stage, there was a significant association between this variant and advanced prostate cancer under the recessive genetic model (OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 1.01-1.32, p_{heterogeneity} = 0.469, p = 0.032). In the subgroup analysis by source of control, association of the VDR FokI polymorphism and prostate cancer susceptibility was also found in population-based studies under homozygote comparison and the recessive genetic model.

CONCLUSIONS

The VDR FokI polymorphism may contribute to the risk of developing prostate cancer in Caucasian and population-based studies. Further large, well-designed studies are warranted to confirm this conclusion in more detail.

Making Better Chimeric Antigen Receptors for Adoptive T-cell Therapy

Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are engineered fusion proteins constructed from antigen recognition, signaling, and costimulatory domains that can be expressed in cytotoxic T cells with the purpose of reprograming the T cells to specifically target tumor cells. CAR T-cell therapy uses gene transfer technology to reprogram a patient's own T cells to stably express CARs, thereby combining the specificity of an antibody with the potent cytotoxic and memory functions of a T cell. In early-phase clinical trials, CAR T cells targeting CD19 have resulted in sustained complete responses within a population of otherwise refractory patients with B-cell malignancies and, more specifically, have shown complete response rates of approximately 90% in patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Given this clinical efficacy, preclinical development of CAR T-cell therapy for a number of cancer indications has been actively investigated, and the future of the CAR T-cell field is extensive and dynamic. Several approaches to increase the feasibility and safety of CAR T cells are currently being explored, including investigation into the mechanisms regulating the persistence of CAR T cells. In addition, numerous early-phase clinical trials are now investigating CAR T-cell therapy beyond targeting CD19, especially in solid tumors. Trials investigating combinations of CAR T cells with immune checkpoint blockade therapies are now beginning and results are eagerly awaited. This review evaluates several of the ongoing and future directions of CAR T-cell therapy.

Socioeconomic determinants of prostate-specific antigen testing and estimation of the prevalence of undiagnosed prostate cancer in an elderly Polish population based on the PolSenior study

INTRODUCTION

Socioeconomic determinants of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and prevalence of undiagnosed prostate cancer (PCa) in the Polish population are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with PSA testing in elderly Polish men, and estimate the size of the population at risk of PCa related to PSA non-testing.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We analyzed questionnaire-derived data concerning PSA testing, obtained in 2567 elderly and 332 younger (age: 55-59) participants of the population-based PolSenior study. Additionally, PSA was measured in 2414 subjects.

RESULTS

The PSA had previously been tested in 41.2% of elderly and in 24.8% of younger participants. Non-smoking status (OR = 2.06, p < 0.001), higher personal income (OR = 1.56, p < 0.001), better education (OR = 1.49, p = 0.001), previous white-collar work (OR = 1.37, p = 0.005), alcohol abstinence (OR = 1.28, p = 0.02), married status (OR = 1.24, p = 0.04), dependence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) but not in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) (OR = 0.65, p < 0.001), and dependence in ADL (OR = 0.55, p < 0.001) were independent predictors of previous PSA testing in elderly participants. There were 31 elderly previously treated for PCa (calculated standardized prevalence: 935 per 100,000 elderly population). The PSA levels > 4 ng/ml were found in 12.8% of 65-74-year-old and 4.5% of 55-59-year-old previously non-tested participants. We calculated the standardized prevalence rate of undiagnosed PCa as approximately 1370 and 2352 cases per 100,000 population aged 55-59 and 65-74 years, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In Poland, 58.8% of elderly men have never had PSA tested. These were less likely to be functionally independent, married, better educated, non-smokers or to have previous office employment or higher than average personal income. Our data suggest substantial underdiagnosis of prostate cancer among Polish men.

Prostate stem cell antigen variation rs2294008 associated with the risk of bladder cancer

Several studies reported Prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) rs2294008 was susceptibly associated with bladder cancer (BC) risk. However, the results were not entirely consistent. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between rs2294008 and BC risk. Comprehensive meta-analysis was preformed to provide a more precise assessment of the association between rs2294008 and BC risk. Twenty five studies involving 14,244 BC patients and 53,963 controls were included in our meta-analysis. The crude odds ratios (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of the association. Pooled results indicated that the PSCA variant rs2294008-T was significantly connected with an increased risk of BC (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.12-1.18, P(z) < 0.0001). Moreover, stratified analyses showed that rs2294008 significantly increased BC risk in European (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.05-1.15, P(z) < 0.0001), North American (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.12-1.24, P(z) < 0.0001), and Asian (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.13-1.22, P(z) < 0.0001). In conclusion, our meta-analysis demonstrated that the PSCA rs2294008 is a risk factor for BC in European, Asian and North American. Further large case-control studies are needed to assess the relationship in other populations. Biologically functional studies are needed to verify the molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of BC.

Genetic variation and gastric cancer risk: a field synopsis and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Data on genetic susceptibility to sporadic gastric carcinoma have been published at a growing pace, but to date no comprehensive overview and quantitative summary has been available.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence on the association between DNA variation and risk of developing stomach cancer. To assess result credibility, summary evidence was graded according to the Venice criteria and false positive report probability (FPRP) was calculated to further validate result noteworthiness. Meta-analysis was also conducted for subgroups, which were defined by ethnicity (Asian vs Caucasian), tumour histology (intestinal vs diffuse), tumour site (cardia vs non-cardia) and Helicobacter pylori infection status (positive vs negative).

RESULTS

Literature search identified 824 eligible studies comprising 2 530 706 subjects (cases: 261 386 (10.3%)) and investigating 2841 polymorphisms involving 952 distinct genes. Overall, we performed 456 primary and subgroup meta-analyses on 156 variants involving 101 genes. We identified 11 variants significantly associated with disease risk and assessed to have a high level of summary evidence: MUC1 rs2070803 at 1q22 (diffuse carcinoma subgroup), MTX1 rs2075570 at 1q22 (diffuse), PSCA rs2294008 at 8q24.2 (non-cardia), PRKAA1 rs13361707 5p13 (non-cardia), PLCE1 rs2274223 10q23 (cardia), TGFBR2 rs3087465 3p22 (Asian), PKLR rs3762272 1q22 (diffuse), PSCA rs2976392 (intestinal), GSTP1 rs1695 11q13 (Asian), CASP8 rs3834129 2q33 (mixed) and TNF rs1799724 6p21.3 (mixed), with the first nine variants characterised by a low FPRP. We also identified polymorphisms with lower quality significant associations (n=110).

CONCLUSIONS

We have identified several high-quality biomarkers of gastric cancer susceptibility. These data will form the backbone of an annually updated online resource that will be integral to the study of gastric carcinoma genetics and may inform future screening programmes.