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For advanced therapy medicinal products, the development and validation of potency assays are required, in accordance with international guidelines, to characterise the product and obtain reliable and consistent data. Our purpose was to validate the killing assay for the evaluation of autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T potency. We used CD4 + and CD8 + lymphocytes or anti-CD19 CAR-T cells as effector cells and REH (CD19 +) or MOLM-13 (CD19 -) cell lines as target cells. After co-culturing target and effector cells (1:1 ratio) for 24 h, samples were labelled with 7-AAD, anti-CD3 and anti-CD19 antibodies and the frequency of CD19 + dead cells was evaluated by flow cytometry. In order to verify the CAR-T specificity for the CD19 + target, the co-culture between CAR-T and REH or MOLM-13 at different effector-to-target ratios was scheduled. Moreover, not transduced CD4 + and CD8 + lymphocytes were tested in comparison with CAR-T from the same donor to demonstrate the assay specificity. Linearity and accuracy were evaluated, and established acceptance criteria were compiled for both parameters (r2 ≥ 0.97 for linearity and average relative error ≤ 10% for accuracy). Furthermore, the method was considered robust when performed between 23 and 25 h of co-culture, and the intra-assay, inter-assay and inter-day precision was obtained. Finally, in order to verify the inter-analyst precision, the test was executed by three different operators and the intra-class correlation coefficient was > 0.4 in both cases. In conclusion, we consider this CAR-T potency assay as validated and usable in all steps of product development and quality control.
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Antígenos CD19 , Inmunoterapia Adoptiva , Receptores Quiméricos de Antígenos , Humanos , Receptores Quiméricos de Antígenos/inmunología , Receptores Quiméricos de Antígenos/metabolismo , Inmunoterapia Adoptiva/métodos , Antígenos CD19/inmunología , Técnicas de Cocultivo , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/inmunología , Citotoxicidad Inmunológica , Línea Celular Tumoral , Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/inmunologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND AIMS: Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells of the mammalian immune system. Ex vivo differentiated DCs represent a unique Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP), used in several clinical trials as personalized cancer immunotherapy. The therapy's reliability depends on its capacity to produce high-quality mature DCs (mDCs) in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices. AIMS: From March 2010 to December 2023, 103 patients were enrolled in multiple clinical trials at the Immuno-Gene Therapy Factory at IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) "Dino Amadori". Six hundred forty-two doses were produced, and the manufacturing process was implemented to optimize production. Our study is a retrospective analysis focusing on the quality control results. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the results of the quality control tests carried out on each produced batch, evaluating viability, purity and phenotype of mDCs and their quality in terms of microbiological safety. The data obtained are given with median and interquartile range. RESULTS: The batches were found to be microbiologically safe in terms of sterility, mycoplasma, and endotoxins. An increase in DC maturation markers was found. The release criteria checks showed a high percentage of viability and purity was maintained during the production process. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings have confirmed that the measures implemented have ensured the safety of the products and have contributed to the establishing a robust "Pharmaceutical Quality System." This has enabled many safe mDCs to be produced for clinical trials.
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BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Chemotherapy, the treatment of choice in non-operable cases, achieves a dismal success rate, raising the need for new therapeutic options. In about 25% of NSCLC, the activating mutations of the KRAS oncogene define a subclass that cannot benefit from tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The tumor suppressor miR-16 is downregulated in many human cancers, including NSCLC. The main objectives of this study were to evaluate miR-16 treatment to restore the TKI sensitivity and compare its efficacy to MEK inhibitors in KRAS-mutated NSCLC. METHODS: We performed in vitro and in vivo studies to investigate whether miR-16 could be exploited to overcome TKI resistance in KRAS-mutated NSCLC. We had three goals: first, to identify the KRAS downstream effectors targeted by mir-16, second, to study the effects of miR-16 restoration on TKI resistance in KRAS-mutated NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo, and finally, to compare miR-16 and the MEK inhibitor selumetinib in reducing KRAS-mutated NSCLC growth in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: We demonstrated that miR-16 directly targets the three KRAS downstream effectors MAPK3, MAP2K1, and CRAF in NSCLC, restoring the sensitivity to erlotinib in KRAS-mutated NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo. We also provided evidence that the miR-16-erlotinib regimen is more effective than the selumetinib-erlotinib combination in KRAS-mutated NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the biological preclinical rationale for using miR-16 in combination with erlotinib in the treatment of NSCLC with KRAS-activating mutations.
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Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas , Resistencia a Antineoplásicos , Neoplasias Pulmonares , Quinasas Quinasa Quinasa PAM , MicroARNs , Mutación , Inhibidores de Proteínas Quinasas/farmacología , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas p21(ras) , ARN Neoplásico , Células A549 , Animales , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/genética , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/metabolismo , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/patología , Carcinoma de Pulmón de Células no Pequeñas/terapia , Resistencia a Antineoplásicos/efectos de los fármacos , Resistencia a Antineoplásicos/genética , Femenino , Humanos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patología , Neoplasias Pulmonares/terapia , Quinasas Quinasa Quinasa PAM/antagonistas & inhibidores , Quinasas Quinasa Quinasa PAM/genética , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos NOD , Ratones SCID , MicroARNs/biosíntesis , MicroARNs/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas p21(ras)/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas p21(ras)/metabolismo , ARN Neoplásico/biosíntesis , ARN Neoplásico/genética , Ensayos Antitumor por Modelo de XenoinjertoRESUMEN
Microbial communities and human cells, through a dynamic crosstalk, maintain a mutualistic relationship that contributes to the maintenance of cellular metabolism and of the immune and neuronal systems. This dialogue normally occurs through the production and regulation of hormonal intermediates, metabolites, secondary metabolites, proteins, and toxins. When the balance between host and microbiota is compromised, the dynamics of this relationship change, creating favorable conditions for the development of diseases, including cancers. Microbiome metabolites can be important modulators of the tumor microenvironment contributing to regulate inflammation, proliferation, and cell death, in either a positive or negative way. Recent studies also highlight the involvement of microbiota metabolites in inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, thus favoring the setup of the metastatic niche. An investigation of microbe-derived metabolites in "liquid" human samples, such as plasma, serum, and urine, provide further information to clarify the relationship between host and microbiota.
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Progresión de la Enfermedad , Metaboloma , Microbiota , Neoplasias/microbiología , Neoplasias/patología , Animales , Humanos , Metástasis de la Neoplasia , Microambiente TumoralRESUMEN
In recent years there has been an increasing interest of the scientific community on exosome research, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms by which tumor-derived exosomes can promote tumor growth. Particularly, exosome-mediated immune-escape is under deep investigation and still represents a quite controversial issue. Tumor-derived exosomes are carriers of information able to reprogram functions of immune target cells, influencing their development, maturation, and antitumor activities. They deliver proteins similar to those of the parent cancer cells, but also genetic messages like genomic DNA, mRNA, and microRNAs (miRNAs) that ultimately share the so called "tumor microenvironment" in a pro-tumoral fashion. The content of tumor-derived exosomes could be implicated in several signaling pathways operating in the tumor microenvironment, providing a further modality of dys-regulation of antitumor immunity. The aim of this review is to provide a state-of-the-art highlight of to the most recent discoveries in the field of interaction between tumor-derived exosomic miRNAs and the cells of immune system.
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Exosomas/metabolismo , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , MicroARNs/genética , Proteínas de Neoplasias/genética , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Microambiente Tumoral/inmunología , Transporte Biológico , Comunicación Celular , Células Dendríticas/inmunología , Células Dendríticas/metabolismo , Células Dendríticas/patología , Exosomas/inmunología , Exosomas/patología , Humanos , Inmunidad Innata , Metástasis Linfática , Linfocitos/inmunología , Linfocitos/metabolismo , Linfocitos/patología , Macrófagos/inmunología , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Macrófagos/patología , MicroARNs/inmunología , MicroARNs/metabolismo , Invasividad Neoplásica , Proteínas de Neoplasias/inmunología , Proteínas de Neoplasias/metabolismo , Neoplasias/genética , Neoplasias/inmunología , Neoplasias/patología , Escape del TumorRESUMEN
LESSONS LEARNED: Difficulties in translating in vitro results into clinical practice are inevitable.Further efforts to verify the efficacy of alternative schedules of pemetrexed in solid tumors are encouraged. BACKGROUND: We investigated the cytotoxic activity of pemetrexed in combination with several drugs (gemcitabine, carboplatin, vinorelbine, and mitomycin C) using different exposure schedules in three colon cancer cell lines. The best results were obtained with the following schedule: a prolonged pemetrexed exposure followed by a 48-hour wash-out and then gemcitabine. This combination was then advanced to a phase II clinical trial. METHODS: Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer in progression after standard treatment were included in the study. Adequate bone marrow reserve, normal hepatic and renal function, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2 were required. Treatment consisted of an 8-hour intravenous infusion of pemetrexed 150 mg/m2 on day 1 and a 30-minute intravenous infusion of gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 on day 3 of each cycle, repeated every 14 days. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were enrolled onto the study (first step). No objective responses were seen, and evidence of stable disease was observed in only one of the 12 evaluable patients. The most important grade 3-4 side effects were hematological toxicity (neutropenia 64.2%, thrombocytopenia 71.4%, anemia 28.7%), fatigue (50.0%), and stomatitis (21.5%). Median overall survival and time to progression were 5.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9-7.1) and 2.1 months (95% CI: 1.7-2.8), respectively. CONCLUSION: The experimental pemetrexed-gemcitabine combination proved to be inactive and moderately toxic.
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Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/administración & dosificación , Neoplasias Colorrectales/tratamiento farmacológico , Desoxicitidina/análogos & derivados , Pemetrexed/administración & dosificación , Anciano , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/efectos adversos , Línea Celular Tumoral , Neoplasias Colorrectales/patología , Desoxicitidina/administración & dosificación , Desoxicitidina/efectos adversos , Progresión de la Enfermedad , Supervivencia sin Enfermedad , Esquema de Medicación , Efectos Colaterales y Reacciones Adversas Relacionados con Medicamentos/clasificación , Efectos Colaterales y Reacciones Adversas Relacionados con Medicamentos/patología , Femenino , Humanos , Infusiones Intravenosas , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Metástasis de la Neoplasia , Pemetrexed/efectos adversos , GemcitabinaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: MicroRNA (miRNA) expression profile can be used as prognostic marker for human cancers. We aim to explore the significance of miRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis. DESIGN: We performed miRNA microarrays using primary CRC tissues from patients with and without metastasis, and validated selected candidates in 85 CRC samples by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We tested metastatic activity of selected miRNAs and identified miRNA targets by prediction algorithms, qRT-PCR, western blot and luciferase assays. Clinical outcomes were analysed in six sets of CRC cases (n=449), including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) consortium and correlated with miR-224 status. We used the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test to assess the difference in survival between patients with low or high levels of miR-224 expression. RESULTS: MiR-224 expression increases consistently with tumour burden and microsatellite stable status, and miR-224 enhances CRC metastasis in vitro and in vivo. We identified SMAD4 as a miR-224 target and observed negative correlation (Spearman Rs=-0.44, p<0.0001) between SMAD4 and miR-224 expression in clinical samples. Patients with high miR-224 levels display shorter overall survival in multiple CRC cohorts (p=0.0259, 0.0137, 0.0207, 0.0181, 0.0331 and 0.0037, respectively), and shorter metastasis-free survival (HR 6.51, 95% CI 1.97 to 21.51, p=0.0008). In the TCGA set, combined analysis of miR-224 with SMAD4 expression enhanced correlation with survival (HR 4.12, 95% CI 1.1 to 15.41, p=0.0175). CONCLUSIONS: MiR-224 promotes CRC metastasis, at least in part, through the regulation of SMAD4. MiR-224 expression in primary CRC, alone or combined with its targets, may have prognostic value for survival of patients with CRC.
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Adenocarcinoma/diagnóstico , Biomarcadores de Tumor/sangre , Neoplasias Colorrectales/diagnóstico , MicroARNs/sangre , Adenocarcinoma/genética , Adenocarcinoma/mortalidad , Adenocarcinoma/secundario , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Animales , Austria , Neoplasias Colorrectales/genética , Neoplasias Colorrectales/mortalidad , Neoplasias Colorrectales/patología , Femenino , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Técnicas In Vitro , Italia , Estimación de Kaplan-Meier , Masculino , Ratones , Persona de Mediana Edad , Invasividad Neoplásica , Valor Predictivo de las Pruebas , Rumanía , Sensibilidad y Especificidad , Reino UnidoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND & AIMS: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can promote or inhibit tumor growth and are therefore being developed as targets for cancer therapies. They are diverse not only in the messenger RNAs (mRNA) they target, but in their production; the same hairpin RNA structure can generate mature products from each strand, termed 5p and 3p, that can bind different mRNAs. We analyzed the expression, functions, and mechanisms of miR-28-5p and miR-28-3p in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. METHODS: We measured levels of miR-28-5p and miR-28-3p expression in 108 CRC and 49 normal colorectal samples (47 paired) by reverse transcription, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The roles of miR-28 in CRC development were studied using cultured HCT116, RKO, and SW480 cells and tumor xenograft analyses in immunodeficient mice; their mRNA targets were also investigated. RESULTS: miR-28-5p and miR-28-3p were down-regulated in CRC samples compared with normal colon samples. Overexpression of miRNAs in CRC cells had different effects and the miRNAs interacted with different mRNAs: miR-28-5p altered expression of CCND1 and HOXB3, whereas miR-28-3p bound NM23-H1. Overexpression of miR-28-5p reduced CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, whereas miR-28-3p increased CRC cell migration and invasion in vitro. CRC cells overexpressing miR-28 developed tumors more slowly in mice compared with control cells, but miR-28 promoted tumor metastasis in mice. CONCLUSION: miR-28-5p and miR-28-3p are transcribed from the same RNA hairpin and are down-regulated in CRC cells. Overexpression of each has different effects on CRC cell proliferation and migration. Such information has a direct application for the design of miRNA gene therapy trials.
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Neoplasias Colorrectales/terapia , Terapia Genética , MicroARNs/metabolismo , Animales , Apoptosis , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Movimiento Celular , Proliferación Celular , Neoplasias Colorrectales/genética , Neoplasias Colorrectales/patología , Ciclina D1/genética , Ciclina D1/metabolismo , Puntos de Control de la Fase G1 del Ciclo Celular , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Células HCT116 , Proteínas de Homeodominio/genética , Proteínas de Homeodominio/metabolismo , Humanos , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos NOD , Ratones Noqueados , Ratones SCID , Nucleósido Difosfato Quinasas NM23/genética , Nucleósido Difosfato Quinasas NM23/metabolismo , Invasividad Neoplásica , Interferencia de ARN , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la Polimerasa , Receptores de Interleucina-2/deficiencia , Receptores de Interleucina-2/genética , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Factores de Tiempo , Transfección , Carga Tumoral , Ensayos Antitumor por Modelo de XenoinjertoRESUMEN
Inactivation of mismatch repair (MMR) is the cause of the common cancer predisposition disorder Lynch syndrome (LS), also known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), as well as 10-40% of sporadic colorectal, endometrial, ovarian, gastric, and urothelial cancers. Elevated mutation rates (mutator phenotype), including simple repeat instability [microsatellite instability (MSI)] are a signature of MMR defects. MicroRNAs (miRs) have been implicated in the control of critical cellular pathways involved in development and cancer. Here we show that overexpression of miR-155 significantly down-regulates the core MMR proteins, hMSH2, hMSH6, and hMLH1, inducing a mutator phenotype and MSI. An inverse correlation between the expression of miR-155 and the expression of MLH1 or MSH2 proteins was found in human colorectal cancer. Finally, a number of MSI tumors with unknown cause of MMR inactivation displayed miR-155 overexpression. These data provide support for miR-155 modulation of MMR as a mechanism of cancer pathogenesis.
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Neoplasias Colorrectales/genética , Reparación de la Incompatibilidad de ADN , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Inestabilidad Genómica , MicroARNs/genética , MicroARNs/fisiología , Proteínas Adaptadoras Transductoras de Señales/metabolismo , Línea Celular Tumoral , Neoplasias Colorrectales/metabolismo , Reparación del ADN , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Regulación hacia Abajo , Genotipo , Humanos , Homólogo 1 de la Proteína MutL , Proteína 2 Homóloga a MutS/metabolismo , Mutación , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , FenotipoRESUMEN
Advanced therapy medical products (ATMPs) are rapidly growing as innovative medicines for the treatment of several diseases. Hence, the role of quality analytical tests to ensure consistent product safety and quality has become highly relevant. Several clinical trials involving dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines for cancer treatment are ongoing at our institute. The DC-based vaccine is prepared via CD14+ monocyte differentiation. A fresh dose of 10 million DCs is administered to the patient, while the remaining DCs are aliquoted, frozen, and stored in nitrogen vapor for subsequent treatment doses. To evaluate the maintenance of quality parameters and to establish a shelf life of frozen vaccine aliquots, a stability program was developed. Several parameters of the DC final product at 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months were evaluated. Our results reveal that after 24 months of storage in nitrogen vapor, the cell viability is in a range between 82% and 99%, the expression of maturation markers remains inside the criteria for batch release, the sterility tests are compliant, and the cell costimulatory capacity unchanged. Thus, the data collected demonstrate that freezing and thawing do not perturb the DC vaccine product maintaining over time its functional and quality characteristics.
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CONTEXT: Chromosomal abnormalities (namely 13q, 17p, and 11q deletions) have prognostic implications and are recurrent in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), suggesting that they are involved in a common pathogenetic pathway; however, the molecular mechanism through which chromosomal abnormalities affect the pathogenesis and outcome of CLL is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the microRNA miR-15a/miR-16-1 cluster (located at 13q), tumor protein p53 (TP53, located at 17p), and miR-34b/miR-34c cluster (located at 11q) are linked in a molecular pathway that explains the pathogenetic and prognostic implications (indolent vs aggressive form) of recurrent 13q, 17p, and 11q deletions in CLL. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: CLL Research Consortium institutions provided blood samples from untreated patients (n = 206) diagnosed with B-cell CLL between January 2000 and April 2008. All samples were evaluated for the occurrence of cytogenetic abnormalities as well as the expression levels of the miR-15a/miR-16-1 cluster, miR-34b/miR-34c cluster, TP53, and zeta-chain (TCR)-associated protein kinase 70 kDa (ZAP70), a surrogate prognostic marker of CLL. The functional relationship between these genes was studied using in vitro gain- and loss-of-function experiments in cell lines and primary samples and was validated in a separate cohort of primary CLL samples. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cytogenetic abnormalities; expression levels of the miR-15a/miR-16-1 cluster, miR-34 family, TP53 gene, downstream effectors cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (p21, Cip1) (CDKN1A) and B-cell CLL/lymphoma 2 binding component 3 (BBC3), and ZAP70 gene; genetic interactions detected by chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: In CLLs with 13q deletions the miR-15a/miR-16-1 cluster directly targeted TP53 (mean luciferase activity for miR-15a vs scrambled control, 0.68 relative light units (RLU) [95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.63-0.73]; P = .02; mean for miR-16 vs scrambled control, 0.62 RLU [95% CI, 0.59-0.65]; P = .02) and its downstream effectors. In leukemic cell lines and primary CLL cells, TP53 stimulated the transcription of miR-15/miR-16-1 as well as miR-34b/miR-34c clusters, and the miR-34b/miR-34c cluster directly targeted the ZAP70 kinase (mean luciferase activity for miR-34a vs scrambled control, 0.33 RLU [95% CI, 0.30-0.36]; P = .02; mean for miR-34b vs scrambled control, 0.31 RLU [95% CI, 0.30-0.32]; P = .01; and mean for miR-34c vs scrambled control, 0.35 RLU [95% CI, 0.33-0.37]; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: A microRNA/TP53 feedback circuitry is associated with CLL pathogenesis and outcome. This mechanism provides a novel pathogenetic model for the association of 13q deletions with the indolent form of CLL that involves microRNAs, TP53, and ZAP70.
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Deleción Cromosómica , Genes p53/genética , Leucemia Linfocítica Crónica de Células B/genética , Leucemia Linfocítica Crónica de Células B/patología , MicroARNs/genética , Adulto , Anciano , Cromosomas Humanos Par 11/genética , Cromosomas Humanos Par 13/genética , Cromosomas Humanos Par 17/genética , Femenino , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Pronóstico , Transcripción Genética , Proteína p53 Supresora de Tumor/fisiología , Proteína Tirosina Quinasa ZAP-70/fisiologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Programmed death protein (ligand) 1 [PD-(L)1] inhibitors have provided new therapeutic options for advanced lung cancer. However, patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have been traditionally excluded from most registered trials of this form of treatment. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients with HBV and advanced lung cancer who received anti-PD-1 immunotherapy from September 2018 to May 2020 in our department. Treatment-related hepatotoxicity was evaluated and recorded. Overall response rate and progression free survival were also assessed in the patients using iRECIST. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were evaluated in this analysis. Of these, six (35.3%) experienced hepatic transaminase elevation during immunotherapy. Three of these patients developed Grade 3 hepatic immune-related adverse events and received systemic corticosteroids, following which aminotransferase levels recovered to normal in all patients and no adverse events were observed in subsequent treatment. No patient experienced HBV reactivation or flare. One patient developed active pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Other adverse events were mild, well tolerated and short term. The objective response rate (ORR) of the cohort was 62.5%, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Lung cancer patients can be treated safely with anti-PD-1 inhibitors in the context of HBV infection. Close monitoring for hepatotoxicity and prophylactic antiviral therapy is advised. Further studies on the use of anti-PD-1 inhibitors in HBV-infected patients are needed.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic. One open question is whether genetics could influence the severity of symptoms. Considering the limited data on cancer patients, we analyzed public data repositories limited to investigate angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and the transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) expressions and genetic variants to identify the basis of individual susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2.Gene expression and variant data were retrieved from Tissue Cancer Genome Atlas, Genotype-Tissue Expression, and gnomAD. Differences in gene expression were tested with Mann-Whitney U-test. Allele frequencies of germline variants were explored in different ethnicities, with a special focus on ACE2 variants located in the binding site to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.The analysis of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expressions in healthy tissues showed a higher expression in the age class 20 to 59 years (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.0001) regardless of gender. ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were more expressed in tumors from males than females (both FDR < 0.0001) and, opposite to the regulation in tissues from healthy individuals, more expressed in elderly patients (FDR = 0.005; FDR < 0.0001, respectively). ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expressions were higher in cancers of elderly patients compared with healthy individuals (FDR < 0.0001). Variants were present at low frequency (range 0% to 3%) and among those with the highest frequency, the variant S19P belongs to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding site and it was exclusively present in Africans with a frequency of 0.2%.The mechanisms of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 regulation could be targeted for preventive and therapeutic purposes in the whole population and especially in cancer patients.Further studies are needed to show a direct correlation of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expressions in cancer patients and the incidence of COVID-19.
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Infecciones por Coronavirus/patología , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Neoplasias/patología , Peptidil-Dipeptidasa A/genética , Neumonía Viral/patología , Serina Endopeptidasas/genética , Adulto , Enzima Convertidora de Angiotensina 2 , Betacoronavirus/aislamiento & purificación , Sitios de Unión , Población Negra/genética , COVID-19 , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Infecciones por Coronavirus/virología , Bases de Datos Genéticas , Femenino , Frecuencia de los Genes , Variación Genética , Humanos , Incidencia , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neoplasias/epidemiología , Neoplasias/genética , Pandemias , Peptidil-Dipeptidasa A/metabolismo , Neumonía Viral/virología , SARS-CoV-2 , Serina Endopeptidasas/metabolismo , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus/química , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus/metabolismo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed carcinoma and the leading cause of cancer death in female over 100 countries. Thanks to the advance in therapeutic strategies, patients' survival has improved. However, the lack of response to treatments and drug resistance are still a main concern, demanding for new therapeutic approaches, in particular for the advanced stages of the disease. Androgen receptor (AR) is gaining increasing interest as a fourth targetable receptor in BC, however, its regulation in BC cells is still poorly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. Here, we identified miR-9-5p as an inhibitor of AR expression, we validated the inverse correlation between miR-9-5p and AR in primary BC samples and we further identified a feedback loop in which androgen agonists of AR up-regulate miR-9-5p. We also provided evidence that miR-9-5p elicits anti-proliferative effects in BC cell lines regardless of their estrogen receptor status. Finally, we showed that miR-9-5p can revert AR-downstream signaling even in presence of AR-agonists, highlighting the role of this miR in the hormonal response of BC. In conclusion, this study supports the role of miR-9-5p as an anti-proliferative miR in BC and as a central modulator of AR-signaling response to circulating androgens in BC.
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CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) are recommended in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (ABC). Up to now, no prognostic biomarkers have been identified in this setting. We retrospectively analyzed the expression of progesterone receptor (PR) and Ki67, assessed by immunohistochemistry, in 71 ABC patients treated with CDK4/6i and analyzed the impact of these markers on progression-free survival (PFS). The majority of patients 63/71 (88.7%) received palbociclib, 4 (5.6%) received ribociclib, and 4 (5.6%) received abemaciclib. A higher median value of Ki67 was observed in cases undergoing second-line treatment (p = 0.047), whereas the luminal B subtype was more prevalent (p = 0.005). In the univariate analysis of the first-line setting, luminal A subtype showed a trend towards a correlation with a longer PFS (p = 0.053). A higher continuous Ki67 value led to a significantly shorter PFS. When the interaction between pathological characteristics and line of treatment was considered, luminal B subtype showed a significantly (p = 0.043) worse outcome (Hazard Ratio (HR) 2.84; 1.03-7.82 95% Confidence Interval (CI)). PFS in patients undergoing endocrine therapy plus CDK4/6i was inversely correlated with Ki67 expression but not with PR, suggesting that tumor proliferation has a greater impact on cell cycle inhibitors combined with endocrine therapy than PR expression.
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Cancer is a genetic and epigenetic disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs, have been shown to be deregulated in many diseases including cancer. An intertwined connection between epigenetics and miRNAs has been supported by the recent identification of a specific subgroup of miRNAs called "epi-miRNAs" that can directly and indirectly modulate the activity of the epigenetic machinery. The complexity of this connection is enhanced by the epigenetic regulation of miRNA expression that generates a fine regulatory feedback loop. This review focuses on how epigenetics affects the miRNome and how the recently identified epi-miRNAs regulate the epigenome in human cancers, ultimately contributing to human carcinogenesis.
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Epigénesis Genética , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , MicroARNs/genética , Neoplasias/genética , Animales , Humanos , MicroARNs/metabolismo , Neoplasias/metabolismoRESUMEN
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cause of cancer among women, with a high incidence rate occurrence every year worldwide despite advances in its management. BC is characterized by a spectrum of subtypes which respond differently to treatments due to their biological features, representing the main issue in the control of this type of malignancy. Androgen receptor (AR) is emerging as a target to investigate among hormone receptors, since it seems to play a role at various stages of development of specific BC subsets. For this reason, in recent years AR has become very important in the clinical practice, although its role remains controversial. A number of studies have proposed a correlation between microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of gene expression modulators, and AR in prostate cancer (PC), but there are still few evidences about the relationship between miRNAs and AR in BC. The purpose of this review is to present a state of the art scenario with consideration to the most recent discoveries about miRNAs involved in the AR associated pathogenesis of BC, in order to provide new insights into the role of miRNAs as key drivers in the modulation of AR, and possible actors in the development and progression of BC. Moreover, we consider findings about involvement of AR signaling in all stages of BC, highlighting its association with different subsets of breast carcinomas and with pre- and postmenopausal state of patients.
RESUMEN
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of human carcinogenesis by affecting the expression of key oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. MiRNAs elicit their function through post-transcriptional regulation of the mRNA translation into protein as well as functioning as ligands for proteic receptors called miRceptors. Our understanding of the role of miRNAs in cancer biology has enormously improved in the last few years, providing the rationale for new therapeutics. Here we discuss the most recent findings on the role of miRNAs in modulating cancer biology with a specific focus on their role as modulators of the biology of the tumor microenvironment both as cargo of extracellular vesicles and as extra-vesicular miRNAs.
Asunto(s)
MicroARNs/genética , Neoplasias/genética , Animales , Regulación Neoplásica de la Expresión Génica , Genes Supresores de Tumor , Humanos , OncogenesRESUMEN
In the originally published version of this Article, the positions of the final two authors in the author list were inadvertently inverted during the production process. This error has now been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.
RESUMEN
Purpose: The oncogenic miR-155 is upregulated in many human cancers, and its expression is increased in more aggressive and therapy-resistant tumors, but the molecular mechanisms underlying miR-155-induced therapy resistance are not fully understood. The main objectives of this study were to determine the role of miR-155 in resistance to chemotherapy and to evaluate anti-miR-155 treatment to chemosensitize tumors.Experimental Design: We performed in vitro studies on cell lines to investigate the role of miR-155 in therapy resistance. To assess the effects of miR-155 inhibition on chemoresistance, we used an in vivo orthotopic lung cancer model of athymic nude mice, which we treated with anti-miR-155 alone or in combination with chemotherapy. To analyze the association of miR-155 expression and the combination of miR-155 and TP53 expression with cancer survival, we studied 956 patients with lung cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Results: We demonstrate that miR-155 induces resistance to multiple chemotherapeutic agents in vitro, and that downregulation of miR-155 successfully resensitizes tumors to chemotherapy in vivo We show that anti-miR-155-DOPC can be considered non-toxic in vivo We further demonstrate that miR-155 and TP53 are linked in a negative feedback mechanism and that a combination of high expression of miR-155 and low expression of TP53 is significantly associated with shorter survival in lung cancer.Conclusions: Our findings support the existence of an miR-155/TP53 feedback loop, which is involved in resistance to chemotherapy and which can be specifically targeted to overcome drug resistance, an important cause of cancer-related death. Clin Cancer Res; 23(11); 2891-904. ©2016 AACR.