Duodenal Fluid Analysis as a Rewarding Approach to Detect Low-Abundance Mutations in Biliopancreatic Cancers.

Diagnosis of biliopancreatic cancers by the available serum tumor markers, imaging, and histopathological tissue specimen examination remains a challenge. Circulating cell-free DNA derived from matched pairs of secretin-stimulated duodenal fluid (DF) and plasma from 10 patients with biliopancreatic diseases and 8 control subjects was analyzed using AmpliSeq™ HD technology for Ion Torrent Next-Generation Sequencing to evaluate the potential of liquid biopsy with DF in biliopancreatic cancers. The median cfDNA concentration was greater in DF-derived than in plasma-derived samples. A total of 13 variants were detected: 11 vs. 1 were exclusive for DF relative to the plasma source, and 1 was shared between the two body fluids. According to the four-tier systems, 10 clinical tier-I-II (76.9%), 1 tier-III (7.7%), and 2 tier-IV (15.4%) variants were identified. Notably, the 11 tier-I-III variants were exclusively found in DF-derived cfDNA from five patients with biliopancreatic cancers, and were detected in seven genes (KRAS, TP53, BRAF, CDKN2A, RNF43, GNAS, and PIK3CA); 82% of the tier-I-III variants had a low abundance, with a VAF < 6%. The mutational profiling of DF seems to be a reliable and promising tool for identifying cancer-associated alterations in malignant cancers of the biliopancreatic tract.

Gut virome-colonising Orthohepadnavirus genus is associated with ulcerative colitis pathogenesis and induces intestinal inflammation in vivo.

OBJECTIVES: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disorder of unknown aetiology. Gut virome dysbiosis is fundamental in UC progression, although its role in the early phases of the disease is far from fully understood. Therefore, we sought to investigate the role of a virome-associated protein encoded by the Orthohepadnavirus genus, the hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx), in UC aetiopathogenesis. DESIGN: HBx positivity of UC patient-derived blood and gut mucosa was assessed by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing and correlated with clinical characteristics by multivariate analysis. Transcriptomics was performed on HBx-overexpressing endoscopic biopsies from healthy donors.C57BL/6 mice underwent intramucosal injections of liposome-conjugated HBx-encoding plasmids or the control, with or without antibiotic treatment. Multidimensional flow cytometry analysis was performed on colonic samples from HBx-treated and control animals. Transepithelial electrical resistance measurement, proliferation assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay with sequencing and RNA-sequencing were performed on in vitro models of the gut barrier. HBx-silencing experiments were performed in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: HBx was detected in about 45% of patients with UC and found to induce colonic inflammation in mice, while its silencing reverted the colitis phenotype in vivo. HBx acted as a transcriptional regulator in epithelial cells, provoking barrier leakage and altering both innate and adaptive mucosal immunity ex vivo and in vivo. CONCLUSION: This study described HBx as a contributor to the UC pathogenesis and provides a new perspective on the virome as a target for tailored treatments.

Insights into the role of gut and intratumor microbiota in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma as new key players in preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic perspective.

Microbiota consists of a dynamic organization of bacteria, viruses, archaea, and fungal species involved in a number of vital functions spanning from the digestion of carbohydrates, vitamin synthesis, involvement in immune system to drug metabolism. More than 95 % of microbiota resides within the gut and it is essential for maintaining gut homeostasis. Dysregulation of gut microbiota contributes to the onset of several non-communicable diseases including cancer. Among the latter, pancreatic cancer is catching the attention of scientists around the globe being one of the most aggressive and resistant to therapies positioning the pancreatic cancer as one of the leading causes of death from cancer worldwide. In recent years, several studies have shown that the gut and tumor microbiota play a key role in the development, progression and prognosis of PDAC, mainly due to microbial ability to modulate host immune system and metabolize drugs. This review will focus on the new insights into the role of the microbiota as a new key player in pancreatic cancer PDAC development and prognosis by enlightening the microbial potential to interact with chemo/immunotherapeutic drugs and to modulate tumor microenvironment, thus impacting on cancer therapy success with the aim to pave the way to new integrative and interventional diagnostics or therapeutics approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat pancreatic cancer.

Trop-2 and Nectin-4 immunohistochemical expression in metastatic colorectal cancer: searching for the right population for drugs' development.

BACKGROUND: Trop-2 and Nectin-4 are transmembrane proteins overexpressed in many tumours and targets of antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). In metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the role of Trop-2 and Nectin-4 has been poorly investigated. METHODS: Tumour samples of patients randomised in the phase III TRIBE2 were assessed for Trop-2 and Nectin-4 expression. RESULTS: Three hundred eighty-six tumours were assessed for Trop-2 expression. 90 (23%), 115 (30%) and 181 (47%) were Trop-2 high, medium and low, respectively. Patients with low Trop-2 tumours achieved longer PFS (12 versus 9.9 months, p = 0.047) and OS (27.3 versus 21.3 months, p = 0.015) than those with high/medium Trop-2 tumours. These findings were confirmed in multivariate analysis (p = 0.022 and p = 0.023, respectively). A greater OS benefit from treatment intensification with FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab was observed in patients with high/medium Trop-2 tumours (p-for-interaction = 0.041). Two hundred fifty-one tumours were assessed for Nectin-4 expression. Fourteen (5%), 67 (27%) and 170 (68%) were high, medium and low, respectively. No prognostic impact was observed based on Nectin-4 expression and no interaction effect was reported between Nectin-4 expression groups and treatment arm. CONCLUSIONS: In mCRC, expression levels of Trop-2 and Nectin-4 are heterogeneous, suggesting a target-driven development of anti-Trop2 and anti-Nectin-4 ADCs. Medium/high Trop-2 expression is associated with worse prognosis and higher benefit from chemotherapy intensification.

Evaluation of inherited germline mutations in cancer susceptibility genes among pancreatic cancer patients: a single-center study.

BACKGROUND: Germline mutations in cancer susceptibility genes were identified in pancreatic cancer (PanC) patients with a sporadic disease and in those unselected for family cancer history. METHODS: With the aim to determine the prevalence of germline predisposition genes mutations in PanC, and to evaluate whether they were associated with the presence of PanC, we profiled a custom AmpliSeq panel of 27 cancer susceptibility genes in 47 PanC patients and 51 control subjects by using the Ion Torrent PGM system. RESULTS: Multigene panel testing identified a total of 31 variants in 27 PanC (57.4%), including variants with pathogenic/likely pathogenic effect, those of uncertain significance, and variants whose clinical significance remains currently undefined. Five patients carried more than one variant in the same gene or in different genes. Eight patients (17.0%) had at least one pathogenic/likely pathogenic variant in four main genes: CFTR (10.6%), BRCA2 (8.5%), ATM and CHEK2 (2.1%). Pathogenic/likely pathogenic mutation were identified in patients with positive PanC family history (20%) or in patients without first-degree relatives affected by PanC (13.6%). All the BRCA2 mutation carriers were unselected PanC patients. The presence of mutations in BRCA2 was significantly associated with an increased occurrence of PanC and with positive family history for endometrial cancer (p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the potential remarkable contribution of BRCA2 in assessing the presence of PanC. Overall our findings supported the recommendation of offering the germline testing to all the PanC patients with the intent to reduce the number of underdiagnosed carriers of mutations in predisposition genes, and not to preclude their relatives from the opportunity to benefit from surveillance programs.

Immunotherapy for Biliary Tract Cancer in the Era of Precision Medicine: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives.

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) represent a heterogeneous and aggressive group of tumors with dismal prognosis. For a long time, BTC has been considered an orphan disease with very limited therapeutic options. In recent years a better understanding of the complex molecular landscape of biology is rapidly changing the therapeutic armamentarium. However, while 40-50% of patients there are molecular drivers susceptible to target therapy, for the remaining population new therapeutic options represent an unsatisfied clinical need. The role of immunotherapy in the continuum of treatment of patients with BTC is still debated. Despite initial signs of antitumor-activity, single-agent immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) demonstrated limited efficacy in an unselected population. Therefore, identifying the best partner to combine ICIs and predictive biomarkers represents a key challenge to optimize the efficacy of immunotherapy. This review provides a critical analysis of completed trials, with an eye on future perspectives and possible biomarkers of response.

Downexpression of miR-200c-3p Contributes to Achalasia Disease by Targeting the PRKG1 Gene.

Achalasia is an esophageal smooth muscle motility disorder with unknown pathogenesis. Taking into account our previous results on the downexpression of miR-200c-3p in tissues of patients with achalasia correlated with an increased expression of PRKG1, SULF1, and SYDE1 genes, our aim was to explore the unknown biological interaction between these genes and human miR-200c-3p and if this relation could unravel their functional role in the etiology of achalasia. To search for putative miR-200c-3p binding sites in the 3'-UTR of PRKG1, SULF1 and SYDE1, a bioinformatics tool was used. To test whether PRKG1, SULF1, and SYDE1 are targeted by miR-200c-3p, a dual-luciferase reporter assay and quantitative PCR on HEK293 and fibroblast cell lines were performed. To explore the biological correlation between PRKG1 and miR-200c-3p, an immunoblot analysis was carried out. The overexpression of miR-200c-3p reduced the luciferase activity in cells transfected with a luciferase reporter containing a fragment of the 3'-UTR regions of PRKG1, SULF1, and SYDE1 which included the miR-200c-3p seed sequence. The deletion of the miR-200c-3p seed sequence from the 3'-UTR fragments abrogated this reduction. A negative correlation between miR-200c-3p and PRKG1, SULF1, and SYDE1 expression levels was observed. Finally, a reduction of the endogenous level of PRKG1 in cells overexpressing miR-200c-3p was detected. Our study provides, for the first time, functional evidence about the PRKG1 gene as a direct target and SULF1 and SYDE1 as potential indirect substrates of miR-200c-3p and suggests the involvement of NO/cGMP/PKG signaling in the pathogenesis of achalasia.

Treatments after progression to first-line FOLFOXIRI and bevacizumab in metastatic colorectal cancer: a pooled analysis of TRIBE and TRIBE2 studies by GONO.

BACKGROUND: FOLFOXIRI/bevacizumab (bev) is a first-line regimen of proven activity and efficacy in metastatic colorectal cancer. The upfront exposure to three cytotoxics raises concerns about the efficacy of treatments after progression. METHODS: We performed a pooled analysis of treatments after progression to upfront FOLFOXIRI/bev in patients enrolled in two randomised Phase 3 studies (TRIBE and TRIBE2) that compared FOLFOXIRI/bev to doublets (FOLFOX or FOLFIRI)/bev. Response rate, progression-free survival (2nd PFS) and overall survival (2nd OS) during treatments after progression were assessed. The RECIST response in first line and the oxaliplatin and irinotecan-free interval (OIFI) were investigated as potential predictors of benefit from FOLFOXIRI ± bev reintroduction. RESULTS: Longer 2nd PFS was reported in patients receiving FOLFOXIRI ± bev reintroduction compared to doublets ± bev or other treatments (6.1 versus 4.4 and 3.9 months, respectively, P = 0.013), and seems limited to patients achieving a response during first line (6.9 versus 4.2 and 4.7 months, respectively, P = 0.005) and an OIFI ≥ 4 months (7.2 versus 6.5 and 4.6 months, respectively, P = 0.045). CONCLUSIONS: First-line FOLFOXIRI/bev does not impair the administration of effective second-line therapies. First-line response and longer OIFI seem associated with improved response and 2nd PFS from FOLFOXIRI ± bev reintroduction, without impacting 2nd OS.

Italian results of the PRECONNECT study: safety and efficacy of trifluridine/tipiracil in metastatic colorectal cancer.

The international PRECONNECT Phase IIIb study demonstrated safety and efficacy of trifluridine/tipiracil in the management of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Post-hoc analyses in a national context are important because of the differences in disease management across countries. Post-hoc safety and efficacy analyses in the PRECONNECT Italian patient subset were conducted. Patients' quality of life was assessed from baseline to end of treatment. In Italy, 161 patients were enrolled. The median age was 64 years, with a performance status of 0-1. The most common hematological drug-related adverse events ≥grade 3 were neutropenia (41.0%) and anemia (13.7%). The median progression-free survival was reached at 3.0 months, with a disease control rate of 28.6%. The Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 score improved in 25.4% of the patients. Safety, efficacy and quality of life results confirmed trifluridine/tipiracil as a feasible and favorable treatment option for metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Lay abstract PRECONNECT is an international study demonstrating the efficacy and tolerability of the drug combination trifluridine/tipiracil in adult patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated in everyday clinical practice. For this publication, the authors conducted an analysis performed on the 161 Italian patients enrolled in this study. These kinds of analyses are important because of the differences that may arise across different countries. The most common contraindications were not dangerous to health. Furthermore, 3 months from beginning the medication, half of the patients did not show a worsening of the disease and quality of life during treatment was maintained. Clinical trial registration: NCT03306394 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Upfront FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab and reintroduction after progression versus mFOLFOX6 plus bevacizumab followed by FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab in the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (TRIBE2): a multicentre, open-label, phase 3, randomised, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The triplet FOLFOXIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) plus bevacizumab showed improved outcomes for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, compared with FOLFIRI (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan) plus bevacizumab. However, the actual benefit of the upfront exposure to the three cytotoxic drugs compared with a preplanned sequential strategy of doublets was not clear, and neither was the feasibility or efficacy of therapies after disease progression. We aimed to compare a preplanned strategy of upfront FOLFOXIRI followed by the reintroduction of the same regimen after disease progression versus a sequence of mFOLFOX6 (fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin) and FOLFIRI doublets, in combination with bevacizumab. METHODS: TRIBE2 was an open-label, phase 3, randomised study of patients aged 18-75 years with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 2, with unresectable, previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer, recruited from 58 Italian oncology units. Patients were stratified according to centre, ECOG performance status, primary tumour location, and previous adjuvant chemotherapy. A randomisation system incorporating a minimisation algorithm was used to randomly assign patients (1:1) via a masked web-based allocation procedure to two different treatment strategies. In the control group, patients received first-line mFOLFOX6 (85 mg/m2 of intravenous oxaliplatin concurrently with 200 mg/m2 of leucovorin over 120 min; 400 mg/m2 intravenous bolus of fluorouracil; 2400 mg/m2 continuous infusion of fluorouracil for 48 h) plus bevacizumab (5 mg/kg intravenously over 30 min) followed by FOLFIRI (180 mg/m2 of intravenous irinotecan over 120 min concurrently with 200 mg/m2 of leucovorin; 400 mg/m2 intravenous bolus of fluorouracil; 2400 mg/m2 continuous infusion of fluorouracil for 48 h) plus bevacizumab after disease progression. In the experimental group, patients received FOLFOXIRI (165 mg/m2 of intravenous irinotecan over 60 min; 85 mg/m2 intravenous oxaliplatin concurrently with 200 mg/m2 of leucovorin over 120 min; 3200 mg/m2 continuous infusion of fluorouracil for 48 h) plus bevacizumab followed by the reintroduction of the same regimen after disease progression. Combination treatments were repeated every 14 days for up to eight cycles followed by fluorouracil and leucovorin (at the same dose administered at the last induction cycle) plus bevacizumab maintenance until disease progression, unacceptable adverse events, or consent withdrawal. Patients and investigators were not masked. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival 2, defined as the time from randomisation to disease progression on any treatment given after first disease progression, or death, analysed by intention to treat. Safety was assessed in patients who received at least one dose of their assigned treatment. Study recruitment is complete and follow-up is ongoing. This trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02339116. FINDINGS: Between Feb 26, 2015, and May 15, 2017, 679 patients were randomly assigned and received treatment (340 in the control group and 339 in the experimental group). At data cut-off (July 30, 2019) median follow-up was 35·9 months (IQR 30·1-41·4). Median progression-free survival 2 was 19·2 months (95% CI 17·3-21·4) in the experimental group and 16·4 months (15·1-17·5) in the control group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·74, 95% CI 0·63-0·88; p=0·0005). During the first-line treatment, the most frequent of all-cause grade 3-4 events were diarrhoea (57 [17%] vs 18 [5%]), neutropenia (168 [50%] vs 71 [21%]), and arterial hypertension (25 [7%] vs 35 [10%]) in the experimental group compared with the control group. Serious adverse events occurred in 84 (25%) patients in the experimental group and in 56 (17%) patients in the control group. Eight treatment-related deaths were reported in the experimental group (two intestinal occlusions, two intestinal perforations, two sepsis, one myocardial infarction, and one bleeding) and four in the control group (two occlusions, one perforation, and one pulmonary embolism). After first disease progression, no substantial differences in the incidence of grade 3 or 4 adverse events were reported between the control and experimental groups, with the exception of neurotoxicity, which was only reported in the experimental group (six [5%] of 132 patients). Serious adverse events after disease progression occurred in 20 (15%) patients in the experimental group and 25 (12%) in the control group. Three treatment-related deaths after first disease progression were reported in the experimental group (two intestinal occlusions and one sepsis) and four in the control group (one intestinal occlusion, one intestinal perforation, one cerebrovascular event, and one sepsis). INTERPRETATION: Upfront FOLFOXIRI plus bevacizumab followed by the reintroduction of the same regimen after disease progression seems to be a preferable therapeutic strategy to sequential administration of chemotherapy doublets, in combination with bevacizumab, for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer selected according to the study criteria. FUNDING: The GONO Cooperative Group, the ARCO Foundation, and F Hoffmann-La Roche.

Intestinal adenosquamous carcinoma with a synchronous skin metastasis: a immunohistochemical and molecular analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) is a rare colorectal neoplasm frequently occurring at onset as a locally advanced disease with distant metastases. The liver is the most common site of metastasis, followed by the peritoneum and the lung. Cutaneous metastases from usual colorectal adenocarcinoma occur in about 3% of cases, both at the time of diagnosis in advanced disease and during the follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, skin metastasis from ASC has never been described, and no biological landscape of ASC has ever been investigated. METHODS: We report a case of synchronous intestinal ASC and cutaneous single facial metastasis in a 70-year-old man with morphological, immunohistochemical, and molecular analysis of primary and metastatic lesions. RESULTS: Primary and metastatic ASC showed the same morphological and immunohistochemical features. Target sequencing analysis revealed, both in primary tumor and metastasis, a pathogenic KRAS gene missense mutation c.38G > A p.(Gly13Asp) and a likely pathogenic CTNNB1 gene missense mutation c.94G > A p.(Asp32Asn). A nuclear localization of ß-catenin protein in adenocarcinomatous component of primary and metastatic lesions was observed on immunohistochemistry. CONCLUSION: We describe a case of single synchronous facial cutaneous metastasis from intestinal ASC showing KRAS and CTNN1B mutations both on primary and metastatic lesions.

DPYD*6 plays an important role in fluoropyrimidine toxicity in addition to DPYD*2A and c.2846A>T: a comprehensive analysis in 1254 patients.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) is a highly polymorphic gene and classic deficient variants (i.e., c.1236G>A/HapB3, c.1679T>G, c.1905+1G>A and c.2846A>T) are characterized by impaired enzyme activity and risk of severe adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in patients treated with fluoropyrimidines. The identification of poor metabolizers by pre-emptive DPYD screening may reduce the rate of ADRs but many patients with wild-type genotype for classic variants may still display ADRs. Therefore, the search for additional DPYD polymorphisms associated with ADRs may improve the safety of treatment with fluoropyrimidines. This study included 1254 patients treated with fluoropyrimidine-containing regimens and divided into cohort 1, which included 982 subjects suffering from gastrointestinal G≥2 and/or hematological G≥3 ADRs, and cohort 2 (control group), which comprised 272 subjects not requiring dose reduction, delay or discontinuation of treatment. Both groups were screened for DPYD variants c.496A>G, c.1236G>A/HapB3, c.1601G>A (DPYD*4), c.1627A>G (DPYD*5), c.1679T>G (DPYD*13), c.1896T>C, c.1905 + 1G>A (DPYD*2A), c.2194G>A (DPYD*6), and c.2846A>T to assess their association with toxicity. Genetic analysis in the two cohorts were done by Real-Time PCR of DNA extracted from 3 ml of whole blood. DPYD c.496A>G, c.1601G>A, c.1627A>G, c.1896T>C, and c.2194G>A variants were found in both cohort 1 and 2, while c.1905+1G>A and c.2846A>T were present only in cohort 1. DPYD c.1679T>G and c.1236G>A/HapB3 were not found. Univariate analysis allowed the selection of c.1905+1G>A, c.2194G>A and c.2846A>T alleles as significantly associated with gastrointestinal and hematological ADRs (p < 0.05), while the c.496A>G variant showed a positive trend of association with neutropenia (p = 0.06). In conclusion, c.2194G>A is associated with clinically-relevant ADRs in addition to the already known c.1905+1G>A and c.2846A>T variants and should be evaluated pre-emptively to reduce the risk of fluoropyrimidine-associated ADRs.

Phase II Study of Preoperative Treatment with External Radiotherapy Plus Panitumumab in Low-Risk, Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer (RaP Study/STAR-03).

BACKGROUND: Treatment with fluoropyrimidines and concomitant long-course external radiotherapy (RTE) is the standard of care in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) preoperative chemoradiation. A randomized phase II study (RaP/STAR-03) was conducted that aimed to evaluate the activity and safety of the monoclonal antibody anti-epidermal growth factor receptor panitumumab as a single agent in combination with radiotherapy in low-risk LARC preoperative treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients had adenocarcinoma of the mid-low rectum, cT3N- or cT2-T3N+, KRAS wild-type status, and negative circumferential radial margin. Panitumumab was administered concomitant to RTE. Rectal surgery was performed 6-8 weeks after the end of preoperative treatment. The adjuvant chemotherapy regimen was FOLFOX. The primary endpoint was the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. The sample size was calculated using Simon's two-stage design. A pCR of 16% was considered to qualify the experimental treatment for further testing. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients were enrolled in 13 Italian centers from October 2012 to October 2015. Three panitumumab infusions were administered in 92 (93.4%) patients. The RTE compliance was median dose 50.4 Gy; ≥28 fractions in 82 (83.7%) patients. Surgical treatment was performed in 92 (93.9%) patients, and no severe intraoperative complications were observed. A pCR was observed in 10 (10.9%) patients (95% confidence interval, 4.72%-17.07%). Pathological downstaging occurred in 45 (45.9%) patients. Grade 3 toxicities were observed in 22 (22.3%) patients, and the common adverse events were skin rash in 16 (16.3%) patients. No grade 4 toxicities were reported. CONCLUSION: The pCR rate (our primary endpoint), at only 10.9%, did not reach the specified level considered suitable for further testing. However, the analysis showed a good toxicity profile and compliance to concomitant administration of panitumumab and RTE in preoperative treatment of LARC. The pCR evaluation in all wild-type RAS is ongoing. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The aim of the RaP/STAR-03 study was to evaluate the activity and safety of monoclonal antibody anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) panitumumab as a single agent without chemotherapy in low-risk, locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) preoperative treatment. Nevertheless, the use of panitumumab in combination with radiotherapy in preoperative treatment in patients with KRAS wild type and low-risk LARC did not reach the pathologic complete response primary endpoint. This study showed a good toxicity profile and compliance to combination treatment. Further analysis of NRAS and BRAF on tissue and circulating levels of the EGFR ligands and vascular factors (soluble vascular endothelial growth factor, E-selectin) may provide insight on the potential molecular pathways involved in the anti-EGFR response.

Functional Implications of MicroRNAs in Crohn's Disease Revealed by Integrating MicroRNA and Messenger RNA Expression Profiling.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that emerges due to the influence of genetic and environmental factors. microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified in the tissue and sera of IBD patients and may play an important role in the induction of IBD. Our study aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs and miRNAs with the ability to alter transcriptome activity by comparing inflamed tissue samples with their non-inflamed counterparts. We studied changes in miRNA-mRNA interactions associated with CD by examining their differential co-expression relative to normal mucosa from the same patients. Correlation changes between the two conditions were incorporated into scores of predefined gene sets to identify biological processes with altered miRNA-mediated control. Our study identified 28 miRNAs differentially expressed (p-values < 0.01), of which 14 are up-regulated. Notably, our differential co-expression analysis highlights microRNAs (i.e., miR-4284, miR-3194 and miR-21) that have known functional interactions with key mechanisms implicated in IBD. Most of these miRNAs cannot be detected by differential expression analysis that do not take into account miRNA-mRNA interactions. The identification of differential miRNA-mRNA co-expression patterns will facilitate the investigation of the miRNA-mediated molecular mechanisms underlying CD pathogenesis and could suggest novel drug targets for validation.

Deciphering Microbial Composition in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Implications for Therapeutic Response to Biologic Agents.

Growing evidence suggests that alterations in the gut microbiome impact the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Although IBD often requires the use of immunosuppressant drugs and biologic therapies to facilitate clinical remission and mucosal healing, some patients do not benefit from these drugs, and the reasons for this remain poorly understood. Despite advancements, there is still a need to develop biomarkers to help predict prognosis and guide treatment decisions. The aim of this study was to investigate the gut microbiome of IBD patients using biologics to identify microbial signatures associated with responses, following standard accepted criteria. Microbiomes in 66 stool samples from 39 IBD patients, comprising 20 CD and 19 UC patients starting biologic therapies, and 29 samples from healthy controls (HCs) were prospectively analyzed via NGS and an ensemble of metagenomics analysis tools. At baseline, differences were observed in alpha and beta metrics among patients with CD, UC and HC, as well as between the CD and UC groups. The degree of dysbiosis was more pronounced in CD patients, and those with dysbiosis exhibited a limited response to biological drugs. Pairwise differential abundance analyses revealed an increasing trend in the abundance of an unannotated genus from the Clostridiales order, Gemmiger genus and an unannotated genus from the Rikenellaceae family, which were consistently identified in greater abundance in HC. The Clostridium genus was more abundant in CD patients. At baseline, a greater abundance of the Odoribacter and Ruminococcus genera was found in IBD patients who responded to biologics at 14 weeks, whereas a genus identified as SMB53 was more enriched at 52 weeks. The Collinsella genus showed a higher prevalence among non-responder IBD patients. Additionally, a greater abundance of an unclassified genus from the Barnesiellaceae family and one from Lachnospiraceae was observed in IBD patients responding to Vedolizumab at 14 weeks. Our analyses showed global microbial diversity, mainly in CD. This indicated the absence or depletion of key taxa responsible for producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). We also identified an abundance of pathobiont microbes in IBD patients at baseline, particularly in non-responders to biologic therapies. Furthermore, specific bacteria-producing SCFAs were abundant in patients responding to biologics and in those responding to Vedolizumab.

A powerful machine learning approach to identify interactions of differentially abundant gut microbial subsets in patients with metastatic and non-metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer has a dismal prognosis, as it is often diagnosed at stage IV of the disease and is characterized by metastatic spread. Gut microbiota and its metabolites have been suggested to influence the metastatic spread by modulating the host immune system or by promoting angiogenesis. To date, the gut microbial profiles of metastatic and non-metastatic patients need to be explored. Taking advantage of the 16S metagenomic sequencing and the PEnalized LOgistic Regression Analysis (PELORA) we identified clusters of bacteria with differential abundances between metastatic and non-metastatic patients. An overall increase in Gram-negative bacteria in metastatic patients compared to non-metastatic ones was identified using this method. Furthermore, to gain more insight into how gut microbes can predict metastases, a machine learning approach (iterative Random Forest) was performed. Iterative Random Forest analysis revealed which microorganisms were characterized by a different level of relative abundance between metastatic and non-metastatic patients and established a functional relationship between the relative abundance and the probability of having metastases. At the species level, the following bacteria were found to have the highest discriminatory power: Anaerostipes hadrus, Coprobacter secundus, Clostridium sp. 619, Roseburia inulinivorans, Porphyromonas and Odoribacter at the genus level, and Rhodospirillaceae, Clostridiaceae and Peptococcaceae at the family level. Finally, these data were intertwined with those from a metabolomics analysis on fecal samples of patients with or without metastasis to better understand the role of gut microbiota in the metastatic process. Artificial intelligence has been applied in different areas of the medical field. Translating its application in the field of gut microbiota analysis may help fully exploit the potential information contained in such a large amount of data aiming to open up new supportive areas of intervention in the management of cancer.

Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and Irinotecan Plus Cetuximab Versus Cetuximab as Maintenance Therapy in First-Line Therapy for RAS and BRAF Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Phase III ERMES Study.

PURPOSE: The intensity of anti-EGFR-based first-line therapy for RAS/BRAF wild-type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), once disease control is achieved, is controversial. A de-escalation strategy with anti-EGFR monotherapy represents a potential option to maintain efficacy while reducing cytotoxicity. METHODS: In this multicenter, open-label, phase III trial, patients with untreated RAS/BRAF wt mCRC were randomly assigned to receive either fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan/cetuximab (FOLFIRI/Cet) until disease progression (arm A) or FOLFIRI/Cet for eight cycles followed by Cet alone (arm B). The coprimary end points were a noninferior progression-free survival (PFS) in the modified per-protocol (mPP) population (>eight cycles) and a lower incidence of grade (G) 3-4 adverse events (AEs) for arm B compared with arm A. RESULTS: Overall, 606 patients were randomly assigned, with 300 assigned to arm A and 306 to arm B. The median follow-up was 22.3 months. In the mPP population, 291 events occurred with a PFS of 10 versus 12.2 months for arms B and A, respectively (P of noninferiority = .43). In the intention-to-treatment (ITT, ≥one cycle) population, 503 events occurred with a PFS of 9 versus 10.7 months (P = .39). The overall survival was 35.7 versus 30.7 months (P = .119) and 31.0 versus 25.2 months (P = .32) in the mPP and ITT population, respectively. Arm B had lower G3-4 AEs during the maintenance period than arm A (20.2% v 35.1%). CONCLUSION: The ERMES study did not demonstrate noninferiority of maintenance with Cet alone. Despite a more favorable safety profile, maintenance with single-agent Cet after induction with FOLFIRI/Cet cannot be recommended for all patients but could represent an option in selected cases.

Mucosal Microbiota from Colorectal Cancer, Adenoma and Normal Epithelium Reveals the Imprint of Fusobacterium nucleatum in Cancerogenesis.

An increasing amount of evidence suggests the emerging role of the gut microbiota in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aimed to elucidate the architecture of microbial communities within normal and neoplastic colonic mucosa. METHODS: Microbiota were analyzed by NGS and by an ensemble of metagenomics analysis tools in a total of 69 tissues from 9 patients with synchronous colorectal neoplasia and adenomas (27 specimens: 9 from normal tissues, 9 adenomas, and 9 tumours), 16 patients with only colonic adenomas (32 specimens: 16 from normal tissues and 16 adenomas), and from healthy subjects (10 specimens of normal mucosa). RESULTS: Weak differences were observed in alpha and beta metrics among the synchronous tissues from CRC and controls. Through pairwise differential abundance analyses of sample groups, an increasing trend of Rikenellaceae, Pseudomonas and Fusobacterium, and decreasing trends of Staphylococcus, Actinobacillus and Gemmiger were observed in CRC, while Staphylococcus and Bifidobacterium were decreased in patients with only adenomas. At RT-qPCR analysis, Fusobacterium nucleatum was significantly enriched in all the tissues of subjects with synchronous colorectal neoplasia. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide a comprehensive view of the human mucosa-associated gut microbiota, emphasizing global microbial diversity mostly in synchronous lesions and proving the constant presence of Fusobacterium nucleatum, with its ability to drive carcinogenesis.

Efficacy and safety of a biomarker-driven cetuximab-based treatment regimen over 3 treatment lines in mCRC patients with RAS/BRAF wild type tumors at start of first line: The CAPRI 2 GOIM trial.

Background: Monoclonal antibodies targeting EGFR such as cetuximab or panitumumab represent a major step forward in the treatment of RAS wild type (WT) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Unfortunately, primary and acquired resistance mechanisms occur, with a huge percentage of patients succumbing to the disease. In the last years, RAS mutation has been identified as the main molecular driver that determine resistance to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies. Liquid biopsy analysis allows to a dynamic and longitudinal assessment of mutational status during mCRC disease and has provided important information on the use of anti-EGFR drugs beyond progression or as rechallenge strategy in patients with RAS WT tumors. Methods: The phase II CAPRI 2 GOIM trial investigates the efficacy and safety of a bio-marker-driven cetuximab-based treatment regimen over 3 treatment lines in mCRC patients with RAS/BRAF WT tumors at start of first line. Discussion: The aim of the study is to identify patients with RAS/BRAF WT tumors defined as "addicted" to an-anti EGFR based treatment along three lines of therapy. Moreover, the trial will evaluate the activity of cetuximab re-introduction in combination with irinotecan as 3rd line therapy as rechallenge for patients that will be treated in second line with FOLFOX plus bevacizumab, having a RAS/BRAF mutant disease at progression after FOLFIRI plus cetuximab first line. A novel characteristic of this program is that the therapeutic algorithm will be defined at each treatment decision (first line, second line and third line) in a prospective fashion in each patient by a liquid biopsy assessment of RAS/BRAF status by a comprehensive 324 genes Foundation One Liquid assay (Foundation/Roche). Trial registration: EudraCT Number: 2020-003008-15, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05312398.

Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma and Acute Intermittent Porphyria: A Case Report.

Patients suffering from different forms of acute hepatic porphyria present a high risk of primary liver cancer, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, determined by the activity of the disease even though an exact mechanism of carcinogenesis has not been recognized yet. Here, we present the clinical case of a 72-year-old woman who, approximately 29 years after the diagnosis of acute intermittent porphyria, presented with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with a histological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma starting from the biliary-pancreatic ducts, which was diagnosed during the clinical and anatomopathological evaluation of a pathological fracture of the femur.