Methylation changes in the TFAP2E promoter region are associated with BRAF mutation and poorer overall & disease free survival in colorectal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: BRAF mutant colorectal cancer carries a poor prognosis which is thought to be related to poor response to conventional chemotherapy. BRAF mutation is associated with the serrated tumour phenotype. We hypothesised that one of the mechanisms by which BRAF mutant colorectal cancer demonstrate poor outcomes with chemotherapy is abnormal gene methylation. METHODS: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) methylation data was analysed using a linear regression model with BRAF mutation as an independent variable. Expression datasets were also obtained to correlate functional changes. Top differentially methylated probes were taken forward for validation by methylation pyrosequencing. These probes were analysed on a cohort of patients enriched for BRAF mutations taken from the VICTOR and QUASAR2 studies. RESULTS: In an analysis of 91 tumours (9 BRAF mutant, 82 wild type), the Illumina probe cg11835197 was the probe identified as top differentially methylated (p = 2.56×10-7, Bayes Factor (BF) =6.54). This probe covered a region -413bp from the promoter region of TFAP2E. We found a complex pattern of CpG specific methylation of this region which was associated with both overall (p=0.044) and disease free (p=0.046) survival. DISCUSSION: BRAF mutant tumours may attain part of their chemoresistance from abnormal TFAP2E methylation, which has not previously been described.

Alternative splicing of TIA-1 in human colon cancer regulates VEGF isoform expression, angiogenesis, tumour growth and bevacizumab resistance.

The angiogenic capability of colorectal carcinomas (CRC), and their susceptibility to anti-angiogenic therapy, is determined by expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoforms. The intracellular protein T-cell Intracellular Antigen (TIA-1) alters post-transcriptional RNA processing and binds VEGF-A mRNA. We therefore tested the hypothesis that TIA-1 could regulate VEGF-A isoform expression in colorectal cancers. TIA-1 and VEGF-A isoform expression was measured in colorectal cancers and cell lines. We discovered that an endogenous splice variant of TIA-1 encoding a truncated protein, short TIA-1 (sTIA-1) was expressed in CRC tissues and invasive K-Ras mutant colon cancer cells and tissues but not in adenoma cell lines. sTIA-1 was more highly expressed in CRC than in normal tissues and increased with tumour stage. Knockdown of sTIA-1 or over-expression of full length TIA-1 (flTIA-1) induced expression of the anti-angiogenic VEGF isoform VEGF-A165b. Whereas flTIA-1 selectively bound VEGF-A165 mRNA and increased translation of VEGF-A165b, sTIA-1 prevented this binding. In nude mice, xenografted colon cancer cells over-expressing flTIA-1 formed smaller, less vascular tumours than those expressing sTIA-1, but flTIA-1 expression inhibited the effect of anti-VEGF antibodies. These results indicate that alternative splicing of an RNA binding protein can regulate isoform specific expression of VEGF providing an added layer of complexity to the angiogenic profile of colorectal cancer and their resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy.

Genetic markers of toxicity from capecitabine and other fluorouracil-based regimens: investigation in the QUASAR2 study, systematic review, and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Fluourouracil (FU) is a mainstay of chemotherapy, although toxicities are common. Genetic biomarkers have been used to predict these adverse events, but their utility is uncertain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We tested candidate polymorphisms identified from a systematic literature search for associations with capecitabine toxicity in 927 patients with colorectal cancer in the Quick and Simple and Reliable trial (QUASAR2). We then performed meta-analysis of QUASAR2 and 16 published studies (n = 4,855 patients) to examine the polymorphisms in various FU monotherapy and combination therapy regimens. RESULTS: Global capecitabine toxicity (grades 0/1/2 v grades 3/4/5) was associated with the rare, functional DPYD alleles 2846T>A and *2A (combined odds ratio, 5.51; P = .0013) and with the common TYMS polymorphisms 5'VNTR2R/3R and 3'UTR 6bp ins-del (combined odds ratio, 1.31; P = 9.4 × 10(-6)). There was weaker evidence that these polymorphisms predict toxicity from bolus and infusional FU monotherapy. No good evidence of association with toxicity was found for the remaining polymorphisms, including several currently included in predictive kits. No polymorphisms were associated with toxicity in combination regimens. CONCLUSION: A panel of genetic biomarkers for capecitabine monotherapy toxicity would currently comprise only the four DPYD and TYMS variants above. We estimate this test could provide 26% sensitivity, 86% specificity, and 49% positive predictive value-better than most available commercial kits, but suboptimal for clinical use. The test panel might be extended to include additional, rare DPYD variants functionally equivalent to *2A and 2846A, though insufficient evidence supports its use in bolus, infusional, or combination FU. There remains a need to identify further markers of FU toxicity for all regimens.

Evaluation of PIK3CA mutation as a predictor of benefit from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapy in colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) protect against colorectal cancer (CRC) and are associated with reduced disease recurrence and improved outcome after primary treatment. However, toxicities of NSAIDs have limited their use as antineoplastic therapy. Recent data have suggested that the benefit of aspirin after CRC diagnosis is limited to patients with PIK3CA-mutant cancers. We sought to determine the predictive utility of PIK3CA mutation for benefit from both cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition and aspirin. METHODS: We performed molecular analysis of tumors from 896 participants in the Vioxx in Colorectal Cancer Therapy: Definition of Optimal Regime (VICTOR) trial, a large randomized trial comparing rofecoxib with placebo after primary CRC resection. We compared relapse-free survival and overall survival between rofecoxib therapy and placebo and between the use and nonuse of low-dose aspirin, according to tumor PIK3CA mutation status. RESULTS: We found no evidence of a greater benefit from rofecoxib treatment compared with placebo in patients whose tumors had PIK3CA mutations (multivariate adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.2; 95% CI, 0.53 to 2.72; P = .66; (P)INTERACTION = .47) compared with patients with PIK3CA wild-type cancers (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.16; P = .34). In contrast, regular aspirin use after CRC diagnosis was associated with a reduced rate of CRC recurrence in patients with PIK3CA-mutant cancers (HR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.001 to 0.832; P = .027; (P)INTERACTION = .024) but not in patients lacking tumor PIK3CA mutation (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.60 to 1.42; P = .71). CONCLUSION: Although tumor PIK3CA mutation does not predict benefit from rofecoxib treatment, it merits further evaluation as a predictive biomarker for aspirin therapy. Our findings are concordant with recent data and support the prospective investigation of adjuvant aspirin in PIK3CA-mutant CRC.

TGF-ß: an emerging player in drug resistance.

The transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) pathway acts as a double-edged sword in tumorigenesis. By constraining epithelial cell growth, TGF-ß is a potent tumor suppressor. However, TGF-ß also acts as a key player in the induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), thereby enhancing invasiveness and metastasis. Furthermore, TGF-ß signaling has recently been correlated with resistance against both targeted and conventional anticancer agents. Here, we present data demonstrating a role for TGF-ß in chemotherapy resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC). We discuss these results in the context of recent findings indicating TGF-ß signaling as an emerging player in cancer drug resistance.

An open-label study of the safety and tolerability of pazopanib in combination with FOLFOX6 or CapeOx in patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although combining targeted agents with conventional, first-line cytotoxic therapy has improved survival outcomes in patients with advanced colorectal cancer, further improvements in outcomes and tolerability are needed. METHODS: This phase I study evaluated the feasibility of combining oral pazopanib, an agent that targets multiple proangiogenic factors, with FOLFOX6 (oxaliplatin, leucovorin, and 5-fluorouracil) or CapeOx (oxaliplatin and capecitabine). This phase I study evaluated the optimally tolerated regimen of daily pazopanib (dose-escalated) plus standard FOLFOX6 or CapeOx in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. At the optimally tolerated regimen, each cohort was expanded to further evaluate safety and clinical response. RESULTS: The optimally tolerated regimens were pazopanib 800 mg plus FOLFOX6 and pazopanib 800 mg plus reduced CapeOx (capecitabine 850 mg/m(2)). The most commonly reported adverse events in the FOLFOX6 cohorts included decreased appetite, neutropenia, diarrhea, peripheral neuropathy, and vomiting. Similarly, the most commonly reported adverse events in the CapeOx cohorts included fatigue, vomiting, and decreased appetite. The overall response rate was 40 % (8/20 patients) in the pazopanib plus FOLFOX6 cohorts and 38 % (8/21 patients) in the pazopanib plus CapeOx cohorts. CONCLUSION: Pazopanib combined with FOLFOX6 or reduced CapeOx was adequately tolerated in this patient population.

Phase I study of barasertib (AZD1152), a selective inhibitor of Aurora B kinase, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), pharmacokinetics and safety profile for two different dosing regimens of barasertib, a selective inhibitor of Aurora B Kinase. In this Phase I trial, patients with advanced solid malignancies were treated with escalating doses of barasertib, administered as either a 48-h continuous infusion or as two 2-h infusions on consecutive days, both every 14 days of a 28-day cycle. Thirty-five patients were treated. The MTDs were 150 mg as a 48-h continuous infusion and 220 mg administered as two 2-h infusions (110 mg/day, days 1, 2, 15 and 16), with neutropenia the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of each schedule. Common Terminology Criteria of Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade ≥ 3 neutropenia (with or without fever) occurred in 34% of patients overall. Other adverse events, many of hematologic or gastrointestinal etiology, were of mild or moderate intensity. No objective tumor responses were observed, although stable disease was observed in 23% of patients. Systemic exposure to barasertib-hQPA, the more active moiety to which barasertib is converted, was observed by 1 and 6 h into the 2-h and continuous infusion, respectively, and exhibited linear pharmacokinetics. In summary, barasertib was generally well tolerated, with neutropenia the most frequent and dose-limiting toxicity, irrespective of schedule. Future development of barasertib will depend on better definition of its therapeutic index.

Stage II colon cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third commonest cancer in the Western world. Approximately one-quarter of cases are classified as Stage II/Dukes' B, meaning that the disease has breached the bowel wall but not spread to draining lymph nodes or distant sites. Stage II colon cancer is a heterogeneous disease both biologically and in terms of outcome. Although pivotal data have confirmed the benefit of adjuvant 5-fluorouracil (FU) chemotherapy following resection of stage II tumours the absolute reduction in risk of recurrence is small - 3 to 4 percentage points - and so most patients treated fail to gain from therapy. In contrast to stage III disease, the addition of oxaliplatin to FU as adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II disease does not improve outcome. Much attention has focused on the identification of biomarkers that identify patients more or less likely to benefit from treatment. Recent data confirm that patients with T3 primary and tumour microsatellite instability (MSI) have excellent prognosis and do not require adjuvant chemotherapy. For patients with microsatellite-stable disease, a validated recurrence score based on gene expression provides greater prognostic information than conventional clinicopathological features alone and can be used to inform discussion on the benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Use of multivariate analysis to suggest a new molecular classification of colorectal cancer.

Molecular classification of colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently based on microsatellite instability (MSI), KRAS or BRAF mutation and, occasionally, chromosomal instability (CIN). Whilst useful, these categories may not fully represent the underlying molecular subgroups. We screened 906 stage II/III CRCs from the VICTOR clinical trial for somatic mutations. Multivariate analyses (logistic regression, clustering, Bayesian networks) identified the primary molecular associations. Positive associations occurred between: CIN and TP53 mutation; MSI and BRAF mutation; and KRAS and PIK3CA mutations. Negative associations occurred between: MSI and CIN; MSI and NRAS mutation; and KRAS mutation, and each of NRAS, TP53 and BRAF mutations. Some complex relationships were elucidated: KRAS and TP53 mutations had both a direct negative association and a weaker, confounding, positive association via TP53-CIN-MSI-BRAF-KRAS. Our results suggested a new molecular classification of CRCs: (1) MSI(+) and/or BRAF-mutant; (2) CIN(+) and/or TP53(-) mutant, with wild-type KRAS and PIK3CA; (3) KRAS- and/or PIK3CA-mutant, CIN(+) , TP53-wild-type; (4) KRAS(-) and/or PIK3CA-mutant, CIN(-) , TP53-wild-type; (5) NRAS-mutant; (6) no mutations; (7) others. As expected, group 1 cancers were mostly proximal and poorly differentiated, usually occurring in women. Unexpectedly, two different types of CIN(+) CRC were found: group 2 cancers were usually distal and occurred in men, whereas group 3 showed neither of these associations but were of higher stage. CIN(+) cancers have conventionally been associated with all three of these variables, because they have been tested en masse. Our classification also showed potentially improved prognostic capabilities, with group 3, and possibly group 1, independently predicting disease-free survival.

Biomarkers in early-stage colorectal cancer: ready for prime time?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: During the last two decades, hundreds of reports have detailed putative prognostic and predictive biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the majority of these studies have been small and retrospective, reporting results that are highly likely to represent false positives. Consequently, their relevance to clinical practice requires definition. METHODS: Review of published literature on CRC biomarkers, focusing on early-stage disease. RESULTS: Although most putative biomarkers have failed to be validated in subsequent studies, level I evidence now indicates that tumour microsatellite instability can be used to identify a cohort of patients with stage IIA disease at low risk of relapse who can be spared adjuvant chemotherapy. Emerging data suggest that gene expression arrays may have a role in selecting patients with stage IIA disease and mismatch repair-proficient tumours for chemotherapy following tumour resection. CONCLUSION: Despite the profusion of biomarker literature, only mismatch repair status can be recommended as routine in current clinical practice. High-quality, adequately powered studies are essential to accurately define the utility of existing and putative biomarkers, and to support their rational application in the clinic.

Loss of expression of the double strand break repair protein ATM is associated with worse prognosis in colorectal cancer and loss of Ku70 expression is associated with CIN.

Repair of double strand DNA breaks (DSBs) is pivotal in maintaining normal cell division and disruption of this system has been shown to be a key factor in carcinogenesis. Loss of expression of the DSB repair proteins have previously been shown to be associated with poorer survival in colorectal cancer. We wished to ascertain the relationship of altered expression of the DSB repair proteins γ-H2AX (gamma-H2AX), ATM and Ku70 with biological and clinico-pathological features of colorectal cancer. 908 tumours from the VICTOR clinical trial of stage II/III colorectal cancer were analysed for expression of γ-H2AX, ATM and Ku70 using immunohistochemistry. Expression levels were correlated with CIN and with disease-free survival, correcting for microsatellite instability, BRAF/KRAS mutation status, Dukes stage, chemo/radiotherapy, age, gender and tumour location. Down-regulated Ku70 expression was associated with chromosomal instability (p=0.029) in colorectal cancer. Reduced ATM expression was an independent marker of poor disease-free survival (HR=1.67, 95% CI 1.11-2.50, p=0.015). For Ku70, further studies are required to investigate the potential relationship of non-homologous end joining with chromosomal instability. Loss of ATM expression might serve as a biomarker of poor prognosis in colorectal cancer.

Role of rare variants in undetermined multiple adenomatous polyposis and early-onset colorectal cancer.

Some 15-20% of multiple adenomatous polyposis have no genetic explanation and 20-30% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases are thought to be due to inherited multifactorial causes. Accumulation of deleterious effects of low-frequency dominant and independently acting variants may be a partial explanation for such patients. The aim of this study was to type a selection of rare and low-frequency variants (<5%) to elucidate their role in CRC susceptibility. A total of 1181 subjects were included (866 controls; 315 cases). Cases comprised UK (n=184) and French (n=131) patients with MAP (n=187) or early-onset CRC (n=128). Seventy variants in 17 genes were examined in cases and controls. The effect of the variant effect on protein function was investigated in silico. Out of the 70 variants typed, 36 (51%) were tested for association. Twenty-one variants were rare (minor allele frequency (MAF) <1%). Four rare variants were found to have a significantly higher MAF in cases (EXO1-12, MLH1-1, CTNNB1-1 and BRCA2-37, P<0.05) than in controls. Pooling all rare variants with a MAF <0.5% showed an excess risk in cases (odds ratio=3.2; 95% confidence interval=1.1-9.5; P=0.04). Rare variants are important risk factors in CRC and, as such, should be systematically assayed alongside common variation in the search for the genetic basis of complex diseases.

The emergence of 'omics for the management of colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The past couple of years have seen a flurry of publications detailing potential prognostic and predictive biomarkers for colorectal cancer. However, most studies have been underpowered and demonstrate elements of a statistical 'fishing exercise', that is the carrying out of a huge number of analyses to find a hint of importance for a particular marker. RECENT FINDINGS: Recently some well powered analyses using separate development and validation datasets and multivariate statistics have been published and these are starting to change attitudes towards such markers. SUMMARY: Although there are very limited markers in standard clinical practice, we feel that there are now some that are ready to be translated into routine use or that at least deserve some further attention and 'service assessment'.

KRAS mutation is associated with lung metastasis in patients with curatively resected colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Oncogene mutations contribute to colorectal cancer development. We searched for differences in oncogene mutation profiles between colorectal cancer metastases from different sites and evaluated these as markers for site of relapse. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: One hundred colorectal cancer metastases were screened for mutations in 19 oncogenes, and further 61 metastases and 87 matched primary cancers were analyzed for genes with identified mutations. Mutation prevalence was compared between (a) metastases from liver (n = 65), lung (n = 50), and brain (n = 46), (b) metastases and matched primary cancers, and (c) metastases and an independent cohort of primary cancers (n = 604). Mutations differing between metastasis sites were evaluated as markers for site of relapse in 859 patients from the VICTOR trial. RESULTS: In colorectal cancer metastases, mutations were detected in 4 of 19 oncogenes: BRAF (3.1%), KRAS (48.4%), NRAS (6.2%), and PIK3CA (16.1%). KRAS mutation prevalence was significantly higher in lung (62.0%) and brain (56.5%) than in liver metastases (32.3%; P = 0.003). Mutation status was highly concordant between primary cancer and metastasis from the same individual. Compared with independent primary cancers, KRAS mutations were more common in lung and brain metastases (P < 0.005), but similar in liver metastases. Correspondingly, KRAS mutation was associated with lung relapse (HR = 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.5, P = 0.007) but not liver relapse in patients from the VICTOR trial. CONCLUSIONS: KRAS mutation seems to be associated with metastasis in specific sites, lung and brain, in colorectal cancer patients. Our data highlight the potential of somatic mutations for informing surveillance strategies.

Cyclin D1 rare variants in UK multiple adenoma and early-onset colorectal cancer patients.

We examined the influence that rare variants and low-frequency polymorphisms in the cancer candidate gene CCND1 have on the development of multiple intestinal adenomas and the early onset of colorectal cancer. Individuals with <100 multiple polyps and patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed before 50 years of age were recruited in UK, and screened for sequence changes in the coding and regulatory regions of CCND1. A set of about 800 UK control individuals was genotyped for the variants discovered in the cases. Variants in the promoter, intron-exon boundaries and untranslated regions of the CCND1 gene had higher frequencies in cases than in controls. Five of these variants were typed in a set of French multiple adenoma and early-onset patients, who also showed higher allele frequencies than UK controls. When pooled together, variants with frequencies lower than 1% conferred an increased risk of disease that was significant in the multiple adenoma group (odds ratio (OR) 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-4.4; P = 0.03). Most variants had a putative functional effect when assessed in silico. We conclude that rare variants of CCND1 are risk factors for colorectal cancer, with considerably larger effects than common polymorphisms, and as such should be systematically evaluated in susceptibility studies.

Meta-analysis of three genome-wide association studies identifies susceptibility loci for colorectal cancer at 1q41, 3q26.2, 12q13.13 and 20q13.33.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified ten loci harboring common variants that influence risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). To enhance the power to identify additional CRC risk loci, we conducted a meta-analysis of three GWAS from the UK which included a total of 3,334 affected individuals (cases) and 4,628 controls followed by multiple validation analyses including a total of 18,095 cases and 20,197 controls. We identified associations at four new CRC risk loci: 1q41 (rs6691170, odds ratio (OR) = 1.06, P = 9.55 × 10⁻¹° and rs6687758, OR = 1.09, P = 2.27 × 10⁻9, 3q26.2 (rs10936599, OR = 0.93, P = 3.39 × 10⁻8), 12q13.13 (rs11169552, OR = 0.92, P = 1.89 × 10⁻¹° and rs7136702, OR = 1.06, P = 4.02 × 10⁻8) and 20q13.33 (rs4925386, OR = 0.93, P = 1.89 × 10⁻¹°). In addition to identifying new CRC risk loci, this analysis provides evidence that additional CRC-associated variants of similar effect size remain to be discovered.

Phase III randomized trial assessing rofecoxib in the adjuvant setting of colorectal cancer: final results of the VICTOR trial.

PURPOSE: Laboratory and case-control studies suggest a pivotal role for the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathway in colorectal carcinogenesis. The purpose of this study was to test whether the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib could reduce recurrence and improve survival when administered in the adjuvant setting of colorectal cancer (CRC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who had undergone potentially curative surgery and completion of adjuvant therapy for stage II and III CRC were randomly assigned to receive rofecoxib (20 mg daily) or placebo. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Where formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples were available, COX-2 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinical outcome. RESULTS: Two thousand four hundred thirty-four patients were entered onto the study. The trial was terminated early because of the worldwide withdrawal of rofecoxib. At this point, 1,167 patients had received rofecoxib and 1,160 patients had received placebo for median treatment durations of 7.4 and 8.2 months, respectively. For the rofecoxib and placebo arms, median follow-up times were 4.84 and 4.85 years, with 241 and 246 deaths and 297 and 329 recurrences, respectively. No difference was demonstrated in OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.81 to 1.16; P = .75) or recurrence (HR = 0.89; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.04; P = .15) comparing the two groups. Tumor COX-2 expression by immunohistochemistry was assessed for 871 patients, but neither prognostic nor predictive effects were observed. CONCLUSION: In this study of abbreviated therapy in the adjuvant setting of CRC, rofecoxib did not improve OS or protect from recurrence in unselected patients. In addition, COX-2 expression did not correlate with prognosis overall or predict effectiveness of COX-2 inhibitors.