The two-week rule colorectal cancer pathway: an update on recent practice, the unsustainable burden on diagnostics and the role of faecal immunochemical testing.

INTRODUCTION: Survival for colorectal cancer is improved by earlier detection. Rapid assessment and diagnostic demand have created a surge in two-week rule referrals and have subsequently placed a greater burden on endoscopy services. Between 2009 and 2014, a mean of 709 patients annually were referred to Royal Surrey County Hospital with a detection rate of 53 cancers per year giving a positive predictive value for these patients of 7.5%. We aimed to assess what impact the 2015 changes in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence referral criteria had on local cancer detection rate and endoscopy services. METHODS: A prospectively maintained database of patients referred under the two-week rule pathway for April 2017-2018 was sub-analysed and the data cross-referenced with all diagnostic reports. FINDINGS: There were 1,414 referrals, which is double the number of previous years; 80.6% underwent endoscopy as primary investigation and 62 cancers were identified, 51 being of colorectal and anal origin (positive predictive value 3.6%). A total of 88 patients were diagnosed, with other significant colorectal disease defined as high-risk adenomas, colitis and benign ulcers. Overall, a total of 10.6% of our two-week rule patients had a significant finding.Since the 2015 referral criteria, despite a dramatic rise in two-week rule referrals, there has been no increase in cancer detection. It has placed significant pressure on diagnostic services. This highlights the need for a less invasive, cheaper yet sensitive test to rule out cancer such as faecal immunochemical testing that can enable clinicians to triage and reduce referral to endoscopy in symptomatic patients.

Efficacy and safety of CT-P6 versus reference trastuzumab in HER2-positive early breast cancer: updated results of a randomised phase 3 trial.

PURPOSE: Neoadjuvant CT-P6, a trastuzumab biosimilar, demonstrated equivalent efficacy to reference trastuzumab in a phase 3 trial of HER2-positive early-stage breast cancer (EBC) (NCT02162667). We report post hoc analyses evaluating pathological complete response (pCR) and breast pCR alongside additional efficacy and safety measures. METHODS: Following neoadjuvant treatment and surgery, patients received adjuvant CT-P6 or trastuzumab (6 mg/kg) every 3 weeks for ≤ 1 year. RESULTS: In total, 271 and 278 patients received CT-P6 and trastuzumab, respectively. pCR and breast pCR rates were comparable between treatment groups regardless of age, region, or clinical stage. Overall, 47.6% (CT-P6) and 52.2% (trastuzumab) of patients experienced study drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), including 17 patients reporting heart failure (CT-P6: 10; trastuzumab: 7). Two CT-P6 and three trastuzumab patients discontinued adjuvant treatment due to TEAEs. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant CT-P6 demonstrated comparable efficacy and safety to trastuzumab at 1 year in patients with HER2-positive EBC, supporting CT-P6 and trastuzumab comparability.

Gene editing in the context of an increasingly complex genome.

The reporting of the first draft of the human genome in 2000 brought with it much hope for the future in what was felt as a paradigm shift toward improved health outcomes. Indeed, we have now mapped the majority of variation across human populations with landmark projects such as 1000 Genomes; in cancer, we have catalogued mutations across the primary carcinomas; whilst, for other diseases, we have identified the genetic variants with strongest association. Despite this, we are still awaiting the genetic revolution in healthcare to materialise and translate itself into the health benefits for which we had hoped. A major problem we face relates to our underestimation of the complexity of the genome, and that of biological mechanisms, generally. Fixation on DNA sequence alone and a 'rigid' mode of thinking about the genome has meant that the folding and structure of the DNA molecule -and how these relate to regulation- have been underappreciated. Projects like ENCODE have additionally taught us that regulation at the level of RNA is just as important as that at the spatiotemporal level of chromatin.In this review, we chart the course of the major advances in the biomedical sciences in the era pre- and post the release of the first draft sequence of the human genome, taking a focus on technology and how its development has influenced these. We additionally focus on gene editing via CRISPR/Cas9 as a key technique, in particular its use in the context of complex biological mechanisms. Our aim is to shift the mode of thinking about the genome to that which encompasses a greater appreciation of the folding of the DNA molecule, DNA- RNA/protein interactions, and how these regulate expression and elaborate disease mechanisms.Through the composition of our work, we recognise that technological improvement is conducive to a greater understanding of biological processes and life within the cell. We believe we now have the technology at our disposal that permits a better understanding of disease mechanisms, achievable through integrative data analyses. Finally, only with greater understanding of disease mechanisms can techniques such as gene editing be faithfully conducted.

Novel tumour suppressive protein encoded by circular RNA, circ-SHPRH, in glioblastomas.

The previously unchartered gene expression territory governed by circular RNAs is becoming clearer with the onset of deeper sequencing technologies. The translation of circular RNAs remained a controversial theory until earlier this year, when two studies [1, 2] showed endogenous circular RNA translation in vitro and in vivo, and have further provided mechanistical evidence. In this edition of Oncogene, Zhang et al., provide evidence for the first circular RNA translated with relevance to cancer; a novel tumour suppressor protein, SHPRH-146aa, produced by circ-SHPRH driven by IRES elements. The novel tumour suppressor protein produced by the circular RNA was found to work in synergy with the full-length protein, behaving as a protective decoy molecule to decrease degradation, and thus increasing the tumour suppressive functionality of the gene. An extended patient survival time was seen in glioblastoma patients with elevated levels of SHPRH-146aa. This study also marks the discovery of the first circular RNA with an overlapping initiation and termination codon, resulting in the translation of the full circRNA, exploring a mechanism not previously found or seen.

Role of SMAD proteins in colitis-associated cancer: from known to the unknown.

Small mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD) proteins are a family of signal transduction molecules in transforming growth factor ß (TGFß) ligand pathways that have been found to have a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Long standing IBD predisposes individuals to colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC), an entity that possess unique characteristics compared to hereditary and sporadic cancer. The ligands of the TGFß super family along with SMADs have also been implicated in several aspects of colorectal cancer formation. SMAD proteins are shown to be involved in a number of potentially carcinogenic mechanisms such as altering gene transcription, controlling stem cell differentiation to causing epigenetic changes. Modulation of these proteins has emerged as a novel therapeutic intervention for IBD although its effect on carcinogenesis remains elusive. This account reviews available evidence linking SMAD proteins to CAC and explores the potential areas for future research in this area.

Patient-derived xenografts effectively capture responses to oncology therapy in a heterogeneous cohort of patients with solid tumors.

BACKGROUND: While patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) offer a powerful modality for translational cancer research, a precise evaluation of how accurately patient responses correlate with matching PDXs in a large, heterogeneous population is needed for assessing the utility of this platform for preclinical drug-testing and personalized patient cancer treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Tumors obtained from surgical or biopsy procedures from 237 cancer patients with a variety of solid tumors were implanted into immunodeficient mice and whole-exome sequencing was carried out. For 92 patients, responses to anticancer therapies were compared with that of their corresponding PDX models. RESULTS: We compared whole-exome sequencing of 237 PDX models with equivalent information in The Cancer Genome Atlas database, demonstrating that tumorgrafts faithfully conserve genetic patterns of the primary tumors. We next screened PDXs established for 92 patients with various solid cancers against the same 129 treatments that were administered clinically and correlated patient outcomes with the responses in corresponding models. Our analysis demonstrates that PDXs accurately replicate patients' clinical outcomes, even as patients undergo several additional cycles of therapy over time, indicating the capacity of these models to correctly guide an oncologist to treatments that are most likely to be of clinical benefit. CONCLUSIONS: Integration of PDX models as a preclinical platform for assessment of drug efficacy may allow a higher success-rate in critical end points of clinical benefit.

The MACC1-SPON2 axis: a new biomarker and therapeutic target in colorectal cancer.

In this issue of the Journal, Schmid et al identify Spondin 2 (SPON2) as a prominent downstream signaling target of metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) in colorectal cancer (CRC). It is shown that SPON2 mediates MACC1-induced CRC cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis in vitro and in vivo, while its high expression correlates with adverse disease free survival in clinical samples. Therefore, not only does this study shed further light into the complexity of colorectal carcinogenesis, but it also puts forward a potential novel prognostic biomarker to predict high-risk tumors before they metastasize. The MACC1/SPON2 axis may also have utility beyond an indicator of tumor aggressiveness and lends itself as a promising therapeutic target for colorectal and potentially other solid tumors.

Genomic modelling of the ESR1 Y537S mutation for evaluating function and new therapeutic approaches for metastatic breast cancer.

Drugs that inhibit estrogen receptor-α (ER) activity have been highly successful in treating and reducing breast cancer progression in ER-positive disease. However, resistance to these therapies presents a major clinical problem. Recent genetic studies have shown that mutations in the ER gene are found in >20% of tumours that progress on endocrine therapies. Remarkably, the great majority of these mutations localize to just a few amino acids within or near the critical helix 12 region of the ER hormone binding domain, where they are likely to be single allele mutations. Understanding how these mutations impact on ER function is a prerequisite for identifying methods to treat breast cancer patients featuring such mutations. Towards this end, we used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to make a single allele knock-in of the most commonly mutated amino acid residue, tyrosine 537, in the estrogen-responsive MCF7 breast cancer cell line. Genomic analyses using RNA-seq and ER ChIP-seq demonstrated that the Y537S mutation promotes constitutive ER activity globally, resulting in estrogen-independent growth. MCF7-Y537S cells were resistant to the anti-estrogen tamoxifen and fulvestrant. Further, we show that the basal transcription factor TFIIH is constitutively recruited by ER-Y537S, resulting in ligand-independent phosphorylation of Serine 118 (Ser118) by the TFIIH kinase, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)7. The CDK7 inhibitor, THZ1 prevented Ser118 phosphorylation and inhibited growth of MCF7-Y537S cells. These studies confirm the functional importance of ER mutations in endocrine resistance, demonstrate the utility of knock-in mutational models for investigating alternative therapeutic approaches and highlight CDK7 inhibition as a potential therapy for endocrine-resistant breast cancer mediated by ER mutations.

Extracellular vesicles swarm the cancer microenvironment: from tumor-stroma communication to drug intervention.

Intercellular communication sets the pace for transformed cells to survive and to thrive. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as exosomes, microvesicles and large oncosomes, are involved in this process shuttling reciprocal signals and other molecules between transformed and stromal cells, including fibroblasts, endothelial and immune cells. As a result, these cells are adapted or recruited to a constantly evolving cancer microenvironment. Moreover, EVs take part in the response to anticancer therapeutics not least by promoting drug resistance throughout the targeted tumor. Finally, circulating EVs can also transport important molecules to remote destinations in order to prime metastatic niches in an otherwise healthy tissue. Although the understanding of EV biology remains a major challenge in the field, their characteristics create new opportunities for advances in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

Initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy within 8 weeks of elective colorectal resection improves overall survival regardless of reoperation.

AIM: Reoperation after elective colorectal resection may delay the start of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC). The study investigated the dual impact of a reoperation and AC delay on overall survival (OS). METHOD: The Hospital Episode Statistics database was analysed between 1997 and 2012. Patients were divided into colon and rectal cancer cohorts and data were analysed based on whether there was delay in receiving AC beyond 8 weeks and whether a patient suffered reoperation within 30 days. Multivariate regression analysis was undertaken to investigate the relationship between delay in giving AC and reoperation and their combined effect on OS. RESULTS: Logistic regression showed reoperation, amongst other things, to be an independent predictor of AC delay, in both colon and rectal cancer (colon, odds ratio 2.31, P < 0.001; rectal, odds ratio 2.19, P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in OS between patients who had no AC delay but suffered a reoperation and patients who had no AC delay and no reoperation. Patients who had AC delay but no reoperation, however, had significantly worse OS compared to those who had no AC delay and no reoperation [colon, hazard ratio (HR) 1.16, P < 0.001; rectal, HR 1.17, P < 0.001]. Individuals who had both AC delay and a reoperation also had worse OS compared with patients who had neither (colon, HR 1.33, P = 0.037; rectal, HR 1.38, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Delayed receipt of AC beyond 8 weeks after surgery is associated with significantly reduced OS regardless of reoperation status in both colon and rectal cancer patients.

Epirubicin dose and sequential hormonal therapy-Mature results of the HMFEC randomised phase III trial in premenopausal patients with node positive early breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The hormonal manipulation 5-Fluoro-uracil Epirubicin Cyclophosphamide (HMFEC) trial was developed at a time of uncertainty around the dose intensity of chemotherapy given to premenopausal patients with node positive breast cancer and to the benefits of tailored endocrine therapy in such patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: HMFEC was a multi-centre, phase III, open label, randomised controlled trial with a 2 × 2 factorial design. Eligible patients were premenopausal with node positive early breast cancer; significant cardiac disease or uncontrolled hypertension was exclusion criterion. Patients were allocated to receive either eight cycles of FE50C or FE75C (given 3 weekly) with or without hormone manipulation (HM; tamoxifen or luteinising hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists according to residual hormone levels at the end of chemotherapy) irrespective of ER status. The primary end-point was disease free survival (DFS). Principal analyses were by intention to treat (ITT); however, to reflect contemporary practice, subgroup analyses according to ER status were also conducted. The mature follow-up now available from this modest sized trial enables presentation of definitive results. RESULTS: Between 1992 and 2000 a total of 785 patients were randomised into the HMFEC trial (203 FE50C-HM, 191 FE50C+HM, 198 FE75C-HM, 193 FE75C+HM). At a median follow-up of 7.4 years, 245 DFS events have been reported (92 ER-, 153 ER+/unknown). The effects on DFS were not statistically significantly different according to epirubicin dose (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63-1.06; p = 0.13 FE75C versus FE50C); however, FE75C appeared to induce more alopecia and neutropenia. No statistically significant evidence was observed to support an improvement in DFS in patients allocated HM either overall (HR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.68-1.13; p = 0.32) or in patients with ER+/unknown disease (HR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.62-1.17; p = 0.32) although effect sizes are consistent with worthwhile clinical effects. Overall, there was no evidence of a difference in survival between any of the four treatment groups of the trial. CONCLUSION: Higher doses of epirubicin cause more adverse events in the absence of clear improvement in overall survival. Endocrine therapy with either tamoxifen or goserelin provided no significant added benefit to cytotoxic chemotherapy in this group of patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN98335268.

TAMing resistance to multi-targeted kinase inhibitors through Axl and Met inhibition.

TAM (Tyro3-Axl-Mer) receptor tyrosine kinases and Met are implicated in several hallmarks of cancer progression including sustained angiogenesis, enhanced motility, tissue invasion and acquisition of metastatic potential through the upregulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Increasing evidence has confirmed Axl and Met as emerging central drivers of adaptive resistance to targeted therapies across a wide variety of cancers. In this issue of Oncogene, Zhou et al. describe the mechanisms linking Axl and Met activation to acquired resistance to sunitinib in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), providing a pre-clinical rationale for the development of Axl and Met inhibitors including cabozantinib in anti-angiogenic resistant RCC.

Targeting tumor-stroma crosstalk: the example of the NT157 inhibitor.

Recent clinical research has provided evidence that cancer progression and therapy resistance is driven not only by tumor's genetic profile but also by complex paracrine interactions within the tumor microenvironment (TME). The role of TME in modulating tumor drug sensitivity is increasingly recognized and targeting TME has been the focus of novel therapeutic approaches. Two recent reports show that a new anti-cancer drug, the inhibitor NT157 has the potential to inhibit IGF-1R and STAT3 signaling pathways in cancer cells and stroma cells of TME leading to a decrease in cancer cell survival.

Angiosarcoma and Dialysis-related Arteriovenous Fistulae: A Comprehensive Review.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: To conduct a comprehensive review of cases, presentation, diagnosis, and management of angiosarcoma in arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) created for haemodialysis. METHODS: Two authors independently conducted systematic searches and extraction of articles from the Embase, AMED, Health Management Information Consortium, and MEDLINE databases in keeping with the inclusion/exclusion criteria and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses standards. RESULTS: Twenty-two unique patient cases were identified; 20 of the cases were men and mean ± SD age of presentation was 54.9 ± 13.6 years. Nineteen cases were post-transplant and 18 were on antirejection agents. The most common presenting symptom was pain, with or without a mass. The initial diagnosis was most often thrombosis/infection of the AVF and the diagnostic interval to a correct diagnosis of angiosarcoma was between 2 and 40 weeks. Mean ± SD time to presentation of symptoms from fistula formation was 118.9 ± 57.5 months, while from transplant it was 96.9 ± 70.0 months. Amputation was the most common treatment modality and mean ± SD survival was 8.8 ± 3.7 months. CONCLUSION: Angiosarcoma should be suspected in previously quiescent AVF that presents with pain. The presence of a rapidly enlarging mass or bleeding/bruising should be taken as alarm indicators and warrant urgent investigation in accordance with local cancer guidelines. Any surgical procedure should involve histological samples as a matter of course.

The impact of adjuvant chemotherapy timing on overall survival following colorectal cancer resection.

BACKGROUND: Several studies including two meta-analyses have showed that delay between surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy adversely impacts colorectal cancer survival. This study investigated this impact at a population level over a fifteen year period in England. METHODS: The Hospital Episode Statistics database was analysed between 1997 and 2012. Colonic cancer and rectal cancer patients were collated and multivariate Cox regression analyses were undertaken to ascertain the relationship between chemotherapy delay and overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 181 984 patients underwent resection without any reoperation (106 477 (58.5%) having colonic cancer and 75 507 (41.5%) having rectal cancer). In total, 30 836 (16.9%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. 9019 (49.3%), 4573 (25.0%), 2587 (14.1%), 1323 (7.2%) and 804 (4.4%) of 18 306 colonic cancer patients received within 8 weeks, 8-10 weeks, 10-12 weeks, 12-14 weeks and 14-16 weeks, respectively. Sequentially worse overall survival was observed: <8 weeks: Ref; 8-10 wks: Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.09; 10-12 wks: HR 1.13; 12-14 wks HR 1.32 and 14-16 wks: HR 1.32, p < 0.001. 5625 (44.9%), 3087 (24.6%), 1940 (15.5%), 1162 (9.3%) and 716 (5.7%) of 12 530 rectal cancer patients received within 8 weeks, 8-10 weeks, 10-12 weeks, 12-14 weeks and 14-16 weeks, respectively. Sequentially worse overall survival was observed: <8 weeks: Ref; 8-10 wks: HR 1.09; 10-12 wks: HR 1.22; 12-14 wks HR 1.23 and 14-16 wks: HR 1.31, p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant chemotherapy delay adversely impacts colonic and rectal cancer survival. Efforts to prevent complications such as reoperation and to improve access to chemotherapy services, will improve survival in this patient cohort.

Myocardial MiR-30 downregulation triggered by doxorubicin drives alterations in ß-adrenergic signaling and enhances apoptosis.

The use of anthracyclines such as doxorubicin (DOX) has improved outcome in cancer patients, yet associated risks of cardiomyopathy have limited their clinical application. DOX-associated cardiotoxicity is frequently irreversible and typically progresses to heart failure (HF) but our understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying this and essential for development of cardioprotective strategies remains largely obscure. As microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play potent regulatory roles in both cardiovascular disease and cancer, we investigated miRNA changes in DOX-induced HF and the alteration of cellular processes downstream. Myocardial miRNA profiling was performed after DOX-induced injury, either via acute application to isolated cardiomyocytes or via chronic exposure in vivo, and compared with miRNA profiles from remodeled hearts following myocardial infarction. The miR-30 family was downregulated in all three models. We describe here that miR-30 act regulating the ß-adrenergic pathway, where preferential ß1- and ß2-adrenoceptor (ß1AR and ß2AR) direct inhibition is combined with Giα-2 targeting for fine-tuning. Importantly, we show that miR-30 also target the pro-apoptotic gene BNIP3L/NIX. In aggregate, we demonstrate that high miR-30 levels are protective against DOX toxicity and correlate this in turn with lower reactive oxygen species generation. In addition, we identify GATA-6 as a mediator of DOX-associated reductions in miR-30 expression. In conclusion, we describe that DOX causes acute and sustained miR-30 downregulation in cardiomyocytes via GATA-6. miR-30 overexpression protects cardiac cells from DOX-induced apoptosis, and its maintenance represents a potential cardioprotective and anti-tumorigenic strategy for anthracyclines.