Impact of an NCCN-Compliant Multidisciplinary Conference on Treatment Decisions for Localized Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND: We sought to investigate the impact of an NCCN-compliant multidisciplinary conference on treatment decisions of patients with localized prostate cancer. METHODS: A retrospective review of our quality assurance localized prostate cancer database was performed. All patients with localized prostate cancer who sought a second opinion at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center between 2009 and 2019 were presented to the multidisciplinary Localized Prostate Cancer Conference (LPCC) that includes urologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and patient advocates. Multivariable regression models were fit to evaluate variables associated with concordance between community recommendations, LPCC recommendations, and treatment received by patients. RESULTS: A total of 1,164 patients were identified, of whom 26% had NCCN very low-/low-risk, 27% had favorable intermediate-risk, 25% had unfavorable intermediate-risk, and 22% had high-/very high-risk prostate cancer. Pathology changed in 11% of patients after genitourinary pathologist review, which caused disease reclassification in 9%. Concordance between community and LPCC recommendations occurred in 78%, with lowest concordance for androgen deprivation therapy (21%) and radiotherapy (53%). Concordance between community recommendations and treatment received occurred in 65%, with lowest concordance for androgen deprivation therapy and radiotherapy; among those who were recommended radiotherapy as the only option by their community urologist, only 26% received it. Concordance between LPCC recommendations and treatment received occurred in 92%. CONCLUSIONS: Community recommendations differed from the multidisciplinary NCCN-compliant recommendations in 22% of patients, primarily for radiotherapy. Multidisciplinary recommendations matched the treatment received in 92% of patients compared with 65% for community recommendations.

Accurate Quantification of Residual Cancer Cells in Pelvic Washing Reveals Association with Cancer Recurrence Following Robot-Assisted Radical Cystectomy.

PURPOSE: Bladder cancer recurrence following cystectomy remains a significant cause of bladder cancer specific mortality. Residual cancer cells contribute to cancer recurrence due to tumor spillage or undetectable preexisting micrometastatic tumor clones. We detected and quantified residual cancer cells in pelvic washing using ultradeep targeted sequencing. We compared the levels of residual cancer cells with clinical variables and cancer recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The primary tumor specimen was available in 17 patients who underwent robot-assisted radical cystectomy. All tumors had negative surgical margins. Pelvic washes and blood were collected intraoperatively before and after robot-assisted radical cystectomy, after pelvic lymph node dissection and in the suction fluid collected during the procedure. Two-step sequencing, including whole exome sequencing followed by ultradeep targeted sequencing (× greater than 50,000), was done to quantify residual cancer cells in each sample. Eight patients were excluded from study due to sample quality issues. The final analysis cohort comprised 9 patients. The residual cancer cell level was quantified for each sample as the relative cancer cell fraction and compared between time points. The peak relative cancer cell fraction of each patient was correlated with clinical and pathological variables. RESULTS: Residual cancer cells were detected in approximately half of the pelvic washing specimens during or after but not before robot-assisted radical cystectomy. Higher residual cancer cell levels were associated with aggressive variant histology and cancer recurrence. Verifying the feasibility of using residual cancer cells as a novel biomarker for recurrence requires larger cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of residual cancer cells in intraoperative peritoneal washes of patients with bladder cancer who undergo radical cystectomy may represent a robust biomarker of tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential.

Proteomic Analysis of Charcoal-Stripped Fetal Bovine Serum Reveals Changes in the Insulin-like Growth Factor Signaling Pathway.

Charcoal-stripped fetal bovine serum (CS-FBS) is commonly used to study androgen responsiveness and androgen metabolism in cultured prostate cancer (CaP) cells. Switching CaP cells from FBS to CS-FBS may reduce the activity of androgen receptor (AR), inhibit cell proliferation, or modulate intracellular androgen metabolism. The removal of proteins by charcoal stripping may cause changes in biological functions and has not yet been investigated. Here we profiled proteins in FBS and CS-FBS using an ion-current-based quantitative platform consisting of reproducible surfactant-aided precipitation/on-pellet digestion, long-column nanoliquid chromatography separation, and ion-current-based analysis. A total of 143 proteins were identified in FBS, among which 14 proteins including insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-2 and -6 were reduced in CS-FBS. IGF-1 receptor (IGF1R) and insulin receptor were sensitized to IGFs in CS-FBS. IGF-1 and IGF-2 stimulation fully compensated for the loss of AR activity to maintain cell growth in CS-FBS. Endogenous production of IGF and IGFBPs was verified in CaP cells and clinical CaP specimens. This study provided the most comprehensive protein profiles of FBS and CS-FBS and offered an opportunity to identify new protein regulators and signaling pathways that regulate AR activity, androgen metabolism, and proliferation of CaP cells.

Akt activation by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) in ovarian cancer cells.

Hyperactivation of Akt is associated with oncogenic changes in the growth, survival, and chemoresistance of cancer cells. The PI3K/phosphoinositide-dependent kinase (PDK) 1 pathway represents the canonical mechanism for phosphorylation of Akt at its primary activation site, Thr-308. We observed that Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (ß) (CaMKK2) is highly expressed in high-grade serous ovarian cancer, and we investigated its role in Akt activation in ovarian cancer (OVCa) cell lines (OVCAR-3, SKOV-3, and Caov-3). Knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of CaMKK2 produced phenotypes expected of Akt inhibition, including reductions in cell growth and cell viability and in the regulation of Akt downstream targets involved in G1/S transition and apoptosis. CaMKK2 knockdown or inhibition decreased Akt phosphorylation at Thr-308 and Ser-473 to extents similar to those of PDK1 knockdown or PI3K inhibition. Combined CaMKK2 and PDK1 knockdown or CaMKK and PI3K inhibition, respectively, produced additive effects on p-Akt and cell growth, consistent with direct Akt phosphorylation by CaMKK2. This conclusion was supported by the absence of effects of CaMKK2 knockdown/inhibition on alternative means of activating Akt via p-Akt Thr-450, p-PDK1 Ser-241, or p-IRS1 Ser-636/639. Recombinant CaMKK2 directly activated recombinant Akt by phosphorylation at Thr-308 in a Ca2+/CaM-dependent manner. In OVCa cells, p-Akt Thr-308 was significantly inhibited by intracellular Ca2+i chelation or CaM inhibition. Ionomycin-induced Ca2+ influx promoted p-Akt, an effect blocked by PDK1, and/or CaMKK2, siRNAs, and by PI3K and/or CaMKK inhibitors. CaMKK2 knockdown potentiated the effects of the chemotherapeutic drugs carboplatin and PX-866 to reduce proliferation and survival of OVCa cells.

Blinded review of archival radical prostatectomy specimens supports that contemporary Gleason score 6 prostate cancer lacks metastatic potential.

BACKGROUND: Retrospective identification of Gleason pattern 4 in metastatic Gleason score 3 + 3 = 6 (GS6) radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens has suggested true GS6 prostate cancer (CaP) lacks metastatic potential. However, pathologist awareness of study design and metastasis outcomes at the time of RP review might have introduced upgrading bias. We used pathologist-blinded methodology for unbiased characterization of metastasis rates for contemporarily defined pathologic GS6 (pGS6) CaP. METHODS: An institutional RP database was queried to identify pGS6 patients with metastasis or concern for micrometastasis based on: 1) biochemical failure (BF) despite negative surgical margins or 2) incomplete biochemical response to salvage/adjuvant radiation. RP specimens were regraded independently by two genitourinary pathologists blinded to study aims or clinical outcomes. Additional blinding was performed by random inclusion of pGS6 control specimens from BF-free patients. Only upgrading identified independently by both pathologists was considered. RESULTS: Among 451 pGS6 patients identified, none had synchronous lymph node metastases and 43/451 (10%) suffered BF. Two patients (0.4%) developed metachronous metastasis during a 110-month median follow-up for BF patients. Both metastatic cases had Gleason pattern 4 on blinded RP review, as did 88% of cases with concern for micrometastasis versus 38% of control cases (P = 0.02). All BF patients (29/29) undergoing postoperative radiation had a complete biochemical response or Gleason pattern 4 on blinded RP review. CONCLUSIONS: Unbiased pathologist review of archival RP specimens supports absent metastatic potential for contemporarily defined GS6 CaP. Reduced postoperative monitoring is appropriate for pGS6, but may require pathology review to confirm absent Gleason pattern 4.

Metastatic phenotype in CWR22 prostate cancer xenograft following castration.

BACKGROUND: CWR22 is a human xenograft model of primary prostate cancer (PCa) that is often utilized to study castration recurrent (CR) PCa. CWR22 recapitulates clinical response to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), in that tumors regress in response to castration, but can recur after a period of time. METHODS: Two cohorts of mice, totaling 117 mice were implanted with CWR22, allowed to develop tumors, castrated by pellet removal and followed for a period of 32 and 50 weeks. Mice presenting with tumors >2.0 cm(3) at the primary site, moribund appearance, or palpable masses other than the primary tumor were sacrificed prior to the endpoint of the study. Tumor tissue, serum, and abnormal lesions were collected upon necropsy and analyzed by IHC, H&E, and PCR for presence of metastatic lesions arising from CWR22. RESULTS: Herein, we report that CWR22 progresses after castration from a primary, hormonal therapy-naïve tumor to metastatic disease in 20% of castrated nude mice. Histological examination of CWR22 primary tumors revealed distinct pathologies that correlated with metastatic outcome after castration. CONCLUSION: This is the first report and characterization of spontaneous metastasis in the CWR22 model, thus, CWR22 is a bona-fide model of clinical PCa representing the full progression from androgen-sensitive, primary PCa to metastatic CR-PCa.

Generation of a C57BL/6 MYC-Driven Mouse Model and Cell Line of Prostate Cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Transgenic mouse modeling is a favorable tool to reflect human prostate tumorigenesis and interactions between prostate cancer and the microenvironment. The use of GEMMs and derived cell lines represent powerful tools to study prostate cancer initiation and progression with an associated tumor microenvironment. Notably, such models provide the capacity for rapid preclinical therapy studies including immune therapies for prostate cancer treatment. METHODS: Backcrossing FVB Hi-MYC mice with C57BL/6N mice, we established a Hi-MYC transgenic mouse model on a C57BL/6 background (B6MYC). In addition, using a conditional reprogramming method, a novel C57BL/6 MYC driven prostate adenocarcinoma cell line was generated. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that disease progression is significantly delayed in B6MYC when compared to their FVB counterparts. Current data also indicates infiltrating immune cells are present in pre-cancer lesions, prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). Further, immunophenotyping of this immune infiltrate demonstrates the predominant population as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Also, we successfully generated a B6MYC-CaP cell line, and determined that this new PCa cell line express markers of luminal epithelial lineage. DISCUSSION: This novel model of PCa provides a new platform to understand the cross talk between MYC driven prostate cancer and the microenvironment. Importantly, these models will be an ideal tool to support the clinical development of immunotherapy as well as other novel therapeutic strategies for prostate cancer treatment. Prostate 76:1192-1202, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nucleoporin 62 and Ca(2+)/calmodulin dependent kinase kinase 2 regulate androgen receptor activity in castrate resistant prostate cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Re-activation of the transcriptional activity of the androgen receptor (AR) is an important factor mediating progression from androgen-responsive to castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, the mechanisms regulating AR activity in CRPC remain incompletely understood. Ca(2+) /calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase (CaMKK) 2 was previously shown to regulate AR activity in androgen-responsive prostate cancer cells. Our objective was to further explore the basis of this regulation in CRPC cells. METHODS: The abundance of CaMKK2 in nuclear fractions of androgen-responsive prostate cancer and CRPC, cells were determined by subcellular fractionation and Western blotting. CaMKK2 association with nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and nucleoporins (Nups) including Nup62, were imaged by structured illumination and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation, respectively. The abundance and subcellular localization of CaMKK2 and Nup62 in human clinical specimens of prostate cancer was visualized by immunohistochemistry. The role of Nups in the growth and viability of CRPC cells was assessed by RNA interference and cell counting. The involvement of CaMKK2 and Nup62 in regulating AR transcriptional activity was addressed by RNA interference, chromatin immunoprecipitation, androgen response element reporter assay, and Western blotting. RESULTS: CaMKK2 was expressed at higher levels in the nuclear fraction of CPRC C4-2 cells, than in that of androgen-responsive LNCaP cells. In C4-2 cells, CaMKK2 associated with NPCs of the nuclear envelope and physically interacted with Nup62. CaMKK2 and Nup62 demonstrated pronounced, and similar increases in both expression and perinuclear/nuclear localization in human clinical specimens of advanced prostate cancer relative to normal prostate. Knockdown of Nup62, but not of Nups, 98 or 88, reduced growth and viability of C4-2 cells. Knockdown of Nup62 produced a greater reduction of the growth and viability of C4-2 cells than of non-neoplastic RWPE-1 prostatic cells. Nup62, CaMKK2, and the AR were recruited to androgen response elements of the AR target genes, prostate specific antigen, and transmembrane protease, serine 2. Knockdown of CaMKK2 and Nup62 reduced prostate specific antigen expression and AR transcriptional activity driven by androgen response elements from the prostate-specific probasin gene promoter. CONCLUSION: Nup62 and CaMKK2 are required for optimal AR transcriptional activity and a potential mechanism for AR re-activation in CRPC.

Clinical significance of prospectively assigned Gleason tertiary pattern 4 in contemporary Gleason score 3+3=6 prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the oncologic impact of prospectively assigned tertiary pattern 4 in contemporary Gleason score (GS) 3 + 3 = 6 radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Oncologic outcomes were retrospectively reviewed for 720 consecutive patients from a single National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) center with at least 6 months follow-up after RP for GS3 + 3 = 6 (GS6, N = 222), GS6 with tertiary pattern 4 (GS6t4, N = 62), or GS3 + 4 = 7 (N = 436) prostate cancer, as prospectively graded since 2006 using the 2005 International Society of Urologic Pathologists criteria. Preoperative NCCN risk category, RP pathology, progression-free survival (PFS) and metastasis-free survival (MFS) were compared among the GS6, GS6t4, and GS3 + 4 = 7 groups using χ(2) , Kaplan-Meier, and log-rank analyses. RESULTS: The incidence of low NCCN preoperative risk classification for GS6t4 patients (63%) was less than that for GS6 patients (77%) while greater than that for GS3 + 4 = 7 patients (30%, P < 0.001). GS6t4 patients had RP pathologic features which were intermediate in risk between that of GS6 and GS3 + 4 = 7 based on extraprostatic extension (27% vs. 6% vs. 31%, respectively, P < 0.001) and mean percentage of prostate gland involvement (13% vs. 10% vs. 16%, respectively, P < 0.001). With a mean overall follow-up of 42 months, PFS for GS6t4 patients (5-year 85%) was intermediate between that of GS6 (5-year 93%) and GS3 + 4 = 7 (5-year 76%) patients (P < 0.001). The 5-year MFS rate was 100% for GS6 and GS6t4 patients compared to 97% for GS3 + 4 = 7 patients (P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the longest follow-up to date for RP patients with prospectively assigned GS6t4 and supports a risk for adverse RP pathology and postoperative disease progression that is intermediate between GS6 and GS3 + 4 = 7. Whether a tertiary pattern 4 in GS6 disease increases the risk of metastasis is uncertain and requires longer term study. Given favorable oncologic outcomes, less stringent postoperative surveillance for both GS6 and GS6t4 patients may be warranted.

Characterization of Prostate Cancer in a Functional Eunuch.

BACKGROUND: Eunuchs rarely, if ever, develop prostate cancer (CaP). This article reports on a 62-year-old functional eunuch from prepubertal mumps orchitis who developed clinically localized CaP. METHODS: Serum and CaP and benign prostate tissue androgen levels were measured using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay. The assay measures testosterone; dihydrotestosterone (DHT); the adrenal androgens, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone; and the androgen metabolites, androsterone and androstanedione. Gene and protein expression levels of androgen metabolism enzymes, and androgen receptor and androgen-regulated genes were measured using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. RESULTS: Intracrine androgen metabolism produced tissue DHT when serum and tissue testosterone levels were castrate and undetectable, respectively. Androgen receptor, androgen-regulated, and androgen metabolism enzyme genes were expressed but at lower levels in CaP than benign tissues. CONCLUSIONS: DHT was synthesized using the primary backdoor androgen metabolism pathway and not using androstenedione or dehydroepiandrosterone via the frontdoor or secondary backdoor pathways.

Intake of dietary antioxidants is inversely associated with biomarkers of oxidative stress among men with prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men in the USA. Growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress is involved in the development and progression of prostate cancer. In this study, the association between antioxidants from diet and supplements and biomarkers of oxidative stress in blood (n 278), urine (n 298) and prostate tissue (n 55) were determined among men from the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project. The association between antioxidant intake and oxidative stress biomarkers in blood and urine was determined using linear regression, adjusting for age, race, prostate cancer aggressiveness and smoking status. Greater antioxidant intake was found to be associated with lower urinary 8-isoprostane concentrations, with a 10% increase in antioxidant intake corresponding to an unadjusted 1·1% decrease in urinary 8-isoprostane levels (95% CI -1·7, -0·3%; P value<0·01) and an adjusted 0·6% decrease (95% CI -1·4, 0·2%; P value=0·16). In benign prostate tissue, thioredoxin 1 was inversely associated with antioxidant intake (P=0·02). No significant associations were found for other blood or urinary biomarkers or for malignant prostate tissue. These results indicate that antioxidant intake may be associated with less oxidative stress among men diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Impact of devascularization and tissue procurement on cell number and RNA integrity in prostatectomy tissue.

BACKGROUND: Minimizing the time between tissue devascularization in robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) and tissue procurement should produce the highest quality tissue for research study. This study examines the relationship between intra-operative time and two indicators of tissue integrity: number of epithelial cells per gram of tissue and RNA integrity numbers (RINs). The study also compares the RIN values of tissue obtained intra-operatively by biopsy, before and after devascularization, to those from RALP specimen tissue, obtained through the routine research tissue procurement process. METHODS: Prostate tissues from two series of patients were analyzed. In the first, tissue from 18 patients undergoing RALP was analyzed for number of epithelial cells per gram of tissue. In the second, RIN values of tissue from 46 patients involved in a clinical study were analyzed. RIN values were assessed from RALP specimen tissue as well as tissue removed intra-operatively by biopsy, before and after devascularization. RESULTS: Time from RALP to tissue procurement was not significantly associated with number of epithelial cells per gram of tissue or with RIN values. RINs of biopsy tissue obtained intra-operatively before and after devascularization were similar. However, the RIN values of tissue from RALP specimens were significantly higher than those of biopsy tissue obtained either before or after devascularization. CONCLUSIONS: Tissue quality, defined by number of epithelial cells or RIN values, was not affected by time between devascularization and procurement. Obtaining tissue from intra-operative biopsies, either before or after devascularization, is not necessary and actually produced lower RINs than found in tissue from RALP specimens, obtained through the routine research tissue procurement process.

A regulatory feedback loop between Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) and the androgen receptor in prostate cancer progression.

The androgen receptor (AR) plays a critical role in prostate cancer (PCa) progression, however, the molecular mechanisms by which the AR regulates cell proliferation in androgen-dependent and castration-resistant PCa are incompletely understood. We report that Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) expression increases and becomes nuclear or perinuclear in advanced PCa. In the TRAMP (transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate) model of PCa, CaMKK2 expression increases with PCa progression with many cells exhibiting nuclear staining. CaMKK2 expression is higher in human castration-resistant tumor xenografts compared with androgen-responsive xenografts and is markedly higher in the AR-expressing, tumorigenic cell line LNCaP compared with cell lines that are AR-nonexpressing and/or nontumorigenic. In LNCaP cells, dihydrotestosterone induced CaMKK2 mRNA and protein expression and translocation of CaMKK2 to the nucleus. Conversely, androgen withdrawal suppressed CaMKK2 expression. Knockdown of CaMKK2 expression by RNAi reduced LNCaP cell proliferation and increased percentages of cells in G(1) phase, whereas correspondingly reducing percentages in S phase, of the cell cycle. CaMKK2 knockdown reduced expression of the AR target gene prostate-specific antigen at both mRNA and protein levels, AR transcriptional activity driven by androgen responsive elements from the prostate-specific probasin gene promoter and levels of the AR-regulated cell cycle proteins, cyclin D1 and hyperphosphorylated Rb. Our results suggest that in PCa progression, CaMKK2 and the AR are in a feedback loop in which CaMKK2 is induced by the AR to maintain AR activity, AR-dependent cell cycle control, and continued cell proliferation.

Rapid on-site evaluation in percutaneous core needle biopsies of renal masses: Cytologic-histologic concordance and diagnostic challenges.

BACKGROUND: Image-guided fine needle aspirations (FNAs) and core needle biopsies (CNBs) play the critical role in diagnosis of renal lesions. Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) can potentially increase the adequacy rate and improve diagnostic yield, while providing additional information for rapid clinical decisions. The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic utility of ROSE in obtaining adequate tissue for diagnosis of renal lesions in our institution. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all percutaneous renal CNB cases with available ROSE interpretations for a 11-year period. The ROSE interpretations and CNB diagnoses was compared and the concordance rate was calculated accordingly. The discrepant cases were re-reviewed and the possible causes for discrepancy were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 189 cases were identified. Definitive diagnoses were rendered in 164 (87%) cases on the final CNBs, including primary renal lesions in 151 cases and metastatic malignancies in 13 cases. At the time of ROSE, samples were deemed to be adequate in the majority of cases (83%). The calculated concordance rate between ROSE interpretations and CNB final diagnoses was 84.6%. Sampling issue and scant tumor cells were the main causes for the discordance between ROSE interpretations and CNB diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Our study showed a relatively high-concordance rate of 84.6% between ROSE interpretations and CNB final diagnoses, suggesting that ROSE is a valuable tool for procurement of adequate renal CNB samples for diagnosis.

FABP5 Inhibition against PTEN-Mutant Therapy Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Resistance to standard of care taxane and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) causes the vast majority of prostate cancer (PC) deaths worldwide. We have developed RapidCaP, an autochthonous genetically engineered mouse model of PC. It is driven by the loss of PTEN and p53, the most common driver events in PC patients with life-threatening diseases. As in human ADT, surgical castration of RapidCaP animals invariably results in disease relapse and death from the metastatic disease burden. Fatty Acid Binding Proteins (FABPs) are a large family of signaling lipid carriers. They have been suggested as drivers of multiple cancer types. Here we combine analysis of primary cancer cells from RapidCaP (RCaP cells) with large-scale patient datasets to show that among the 10 FABP paralogs, FABP5 is the PC-relevant target. Next, we show that RCaP cells are uniquely insensitive to both ADT and taxane treatment compared to a panel of human PC cell lines. Yet, they share an exquisite sensitivity to the small-molecule FABP5 inhibitor SBFI-103. We show that SBFI-103 is well tolerated and can strongly eliminate RCaP tumor cells in vivo. This provides a pre-clinical platform to fight incurable PC and suggests an important role for FABP5 in PTEN-deficient PC.

Utility of rapid on-site evaluation in procurement of adrenal gland tissue biopsies.

BACKGROUND: While the number of adrenal biopsies has increased due to more "incidentalomas" were detected by widespread use of imaging studies, there have been very limited studies to evaluate the utility of rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) in obtaining adequate core needle biopsy (CNB) tissue for diagnosis of adrenal lesions. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all percutaneous adrenal CNB cases with available ROSE for a 12-year period in our institute in order to assess the usefulness of ROSE in adrenal CNB sampling. RESULTS: A total of 83 cases were identified in our database. The majority of cases (52/83, 63%) were diagnosed as metastatic malignancies with the lung being the most common primary site. Adrenal hyperplasia/adenoma was the most common primary adrenal lesion. The concordance between the ROSE interpretations and CNB final diagnoses is 80%. The interpretation errors accounted for majority (11/17, 65%) of the discordant cases. CONCLUSION: ROSE assessment during adrenal CNB procedures is a helpful tool for obtaining adequate diagnostic tissue. Pathologists should be familiar with adrenal cytology in order to reduce interpretation errors at ROSE.

Patient derived models of bladder cancer enrich the signal of the tumor cell transcriptome facilitating the analysis of the tumor cell compartment.

The evolving paradigm of the molecular classification of bladder cancer requires models that represent the classifications with less heterogeneity. Robust transcriptome based molecular classifications are essential to address tumor heterogeneity. Patient derived models (PDMs) are a powerful preclinical tool to study specific tumor compartments. We tested if the consensus molecular subtype analysis was applicable to PDMs and evaluated the tumor compartment each model represents. PDMs derived from surgical specimens were established as xenografts (PDX), organoids (PDO), and spheroids (PDS). The surgical specimens and PDMs were molecularly characterized by RNA sequencing. PDMs that were established in immune deficient mice or in vitro significantly downregulated transcripts related to the immune and stromal compartments compared to the surgical specimens. However, PDMs upregulate a patient-specific bladder cancer cell signal which allowed for analysis of cancer cell pathways independent of the tumor microenvironment. Based on transcriptomic signatures, PDMs are more similar to their surgical specimen than the model type; indicating that the PDMs retained unique features of the tumor from which the PDM was derived. When comparing models, PDX models were the most similar to the surgical specimen, while PDO and PDS models were most similar to each other. When the consensus molecular subtype classification system was applied to both the surgical samples and the three PDMs, good concordance was found between all samples indicating that this system of classification can be applied to PDO and PDS models. PDMs reduce tumor heterogeneity and allow analysis of tumor cells while maintaining the gene expression profile representative of the original tumor.

Case Report: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Exuberant Tumor Inflammation With Accelerated Clinical Deterioration in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer therapy. Nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, markedly improved overall survival in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, ICIs can rarely trigger massive inflammation, a phenomenon characterized by rapid acceleration in radiographic tumor growth, the mechanisms underlying which are largely unknown. We report three patients with metastatic RCC who experienced rapid radiographic progression and clinical deterioration following treatment with nivolumab. However, histological analysis revealed no viable cancer despite the evidence of radiological progression. Instead, extensive necrosis and lymphohistiocytic infiltration were noted, as described previously in patients with ICI-induced pseudoprogression. Based on these observations, we postulate that exuberant antitumor inflammatory responses may contribute to adverse clinical outcomes in some patients with ICI-induced radiographic progression. Prospective studies incorporating tumor biopsies may shed more light on this rare phenomenon.

Differential Associations of SLCO Transporters with Prostate Cancer Aggressiveness between African Americans and European Americans.

BACKGROUND: Androgen receptor signaling is crucial to prostate cancer aggressiveness. Members of the solute carrier family of the organic anion transporting peptides (SLCO) are potential regulators of androgen availability in prostate tissue. It remains unknown whether genetic variations in SLCOs contribute to the differences in prostate cancer aggressiveness in African Americans (AA) and European Americans (EA). METHODS: SNPs in 11 SLCO members were selected, with addition of 139 potentially functional SNPs and 128 ancestry informative markers. A total of 1,045 SNPs were genotyped and analyzed in 993 AAs and 1,057 EAs from the North Carolina-Louisiana Prostate Cancer Project. Expression and cellular localization of SLCOs were examined using qRT-PCR, IHC, and in situ RNA hybridization in independent sets of prostate cancer cases. RESULTS: Significant associations with prostate cancer characteristics were found for SNPs in SLCO2A1 and SLCO5A1. The associations differed by race (P interaction < 0.05). SNPs in SLCO2A1 were associated with reduced tumor aggressiveness and low Gleason score in AAs; whereas, SNPs in SLCO5A1 were associated with high clinical stage in EAs. In prostate tissue, SLCO2A1 and SLCO5A1 were the most expressed SLCOs at the mRNA level and were expressed predominantly in prostate endothelial and epithelial cells at the protein level, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SLCO2A1 and SLCO5A1 play important but different roles in prostate cancer aggressiveness in AAs versus EAs. IMPACT: The finding calls for consideration of racial differences in biomarker studies of prostate cancer and for investigations on functions of SLCO2A1 and SLCO5A1 in prostate cancer.

Efficacy of on-site specimen adequacy evaluation of image-guided fine and core needle biopsies.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of on-site specimen adequacy evaluations. STUDY DESIGN: We reviewed reports of 144 image-guided fine and/or core needle biopsies from kidney, liver, lung, pancreas and retroperitoneum. One hundred nine (76%) had on-site evaluations performed, and 35 (24%) specimens did not receive any evaluation at the time of the procedure. Followup information up to 30 months was obtained on 131 (91%) to determine the nature of the lesion. RESULTS: For procedures involving lung, radiologists requested on-site evaluations for 93% of their procedures, while pulmonologists did not request on-site evaluations during the study period but obtained both fine needle aspirates and cores in 76% of their procedures. Radiologists were much more likely to obtain a definitive positive diagnosis for lesions that were confirmed to be malignant than pulmonologists were (20/23 [87%] vs. 5/11 [45%], p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: On-site evaluations improved the percentage of definitive "positive" diagnoses of the malignant lesions on cytology from 33% (5/15) to 74% (53/72) (p = 0.003). On-site evaluation did not have any effect on the diagnostic yield of the lesions that were determined to be benign on followup (p = 0.54).