CellMiner-SCLC (https://discover.nci.nih.gov/SclcCellMinerCDB/) integrates drug sensitivity and genomic data, including high-resolution methylome and transcriptome from 118 patient-derived small cell ...lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines, providing a resource for research into this “recalcitrant cancer.” We demonstrate the reproducibility and stability of data from multiple sources and validate the SCLC consensus nomenclature on the basis of expression of master transcription factors NEUROD1, ASCL1, POU2F3, and YAP1. Our analyses reveal transcription networks linking SCLC subtypes with MYC and its paralogs and the NOTCH and HIPPO pathways. SCLC subsets express specific surface markers, providing potential opportunities for antibody-based targeted therapies. YAP1-driven SCLCs are notable for differential expression of the NOTCH pathway, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and antigen-presenting machinery (APM) genes and sensitivity to mTOR and AKT inhibitors. These analyses provide insights into SCLC biology and a framework for future investigations into subtype-specific SCLC vulnerabilities.
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•SCLC-CellMiner is an extensive cell line genomic and pharmacology resource•SCLC cell lines show a methylome consistent with their plasticity and lineage•Transcriptome analyses reveal lineage transcriptional networks and drug predictions•SCLC-Y cells differ from other subgroups by transcriptome and potential therapeutics
Tlemsani et al. provide a unique resource, SCLC-CellMiner, integrating drug sensitivity and multi-omics data from 118 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines. They demonstrate that SCLCs have differential transcriptional networks driven by lineage-specific transcription factors (NEUROD1, ASCL1, POU2F3, and YAP1). Furthermore, YAP1-driven SCLCs have distinct drug sensitivity profiles.
The 18-gene tumor inflammation signature (TIS) is a clinical research assay that enriches for clinical benefit to immune checkpoint blockade. We evaluated its ability to predict clinical benefit of ...immunotherapy in cancer patients treated with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in routine clinical care.
The CERTIM cohort is a prospective cohort which includes patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors in Cochin University hospital. RNA extracted from 58 archival formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumor blocks (including 38 lung cancers, 5 melanomas, 10 renal carcinomas, 4 urothelial carcinomas and 1 colon carcinoma) was hybridized to a beta version of the NanoString
PanCancer IO360™ CodeSet using nCounter
technology. Gene expression signatures were correlated with tumor responses (by RECIST criteria) and overall survival. PD-L1 immunostaining on tumor cells was assessed in 37 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples and tumor mutational burden (TMB) measured by whole exome sequencing in 19 of these.
TIS scores were significantly associated with complete or partial response to anti-PD-1 treatment in the whole cohort (odds ratio = 2.64, 95% CI 1.4; 6.0, p = 0.008), as well as in the NSCLC population (odds ratio = 3.27, 95% CI 1.2; 11.6, p = 0.03). Patients whose tumor had a high TIS score (upper tertile) showed prolonged overall survival compared to patients whose tumor had lower TIS scores, both in the whole cohort (hazard ratio = 0.37, 95% CI 0.18, 0.76, p = 0.005) and in the NSCLC population (hazard ratio = 0.36, 95% CI 0.14, 0.90, p = 0.02). In the latter, the TIS score was independent from either PD-L1 staining on tumor cells (spearman coefficient 0.2) and TMB (spearman coefficient - 0.2).
These results indicate that validated gene expression assay measuring the level of tumor microenvironment inflammation such as TIS, are accurate and independent predictive biomarkers and can be easily implemented in the clinical practice.
A large interindividual variability has been observed in anti Programmed cell Death 1 (anti-PD1) therapies efficacy. The aim of this study is to assess the correlation of soluble PD-1 (sPD-1), ...soluble Programmed cell Death Ligand 1 (sPD-L1), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (VEGFA), soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) and soluble CD44 (sCD44), with survival in nivolumab-treated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Plasma biomarkers were assayed at baseline and after two cycles of nivolumab. A cut-off of positivity for sPD-1, sPD-L1 and sCD40L expressions was defined as a plasma level above the lower limit of quantification. Baseline sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels were subsequently analyzed in a control group of
-mutated (
) NSCLC patients. Association between survival and biomarkers was investigated using Cox proportional hazard regression model. Eighty-seven patients were included (51 nivolumab-treated patients, 36 in EGFR-mutated group). In nivolumab group, baseline sPD-1, sPD-L1 and sCD40L were positive for 15(29.4%), 27(52.9%) and 18(50%) patients, respectively. We defined a composite criteria (sCombo) corresponding to sPD-1 and/or sPD-L1 positivity for each patient. In nivolumab group, baseline sCombo positivity was associated with shorter median progression-free survival (PFS) (78 days 95%CI (55-109) vs. 658 days (222-not reached); HR: 4.12 (1.95-8.71),
= 0.0002) and OS (HR: 3.99(1.63-9.80),
= 0.003). In multivariate analysis, baseline sCombo independently correlated with PFS (HR: 2.66 (1.17-6.08),
= 0.02) but not OS. In EGFR-mutated group, all patients were baseline sCombo positive; therefore this factor was not associated with survival. After two cycles of nivolumab, an increased or stable sPD-1 level independently correlated with longer PFS (HR: 0.49, 95%CI (0.30-0.80),
= 0.004) and OS (HR: 0.39, 95%CI (0.21-0.71),
= 0.002). VEGFA, sCD40L and sCD44 did not correlate with survival. We propose a composite biomarker using sPD-1and sPDL-1 to predict nivolumab efficacy in NSCLC patients. A larger validation study is warranted.
This review provides an overview of histopathology, clinical presentation, molecular pathways, and potential new systemic treatments of high-grade chondrosarcomas (CS), including grade 2−3 ...conventional, dedifferentiated, and mesenchymal CS. The diagnosis of CS combines radiological and histological data in conjunction with patient clinical presentations. Conventional CS is the most frequent subtype of CS (85%) and represents about 25% of primary bone tumors in adults; they can be categorized according to their bone location into central, peripheral, and periosteal chondrosarcomas. Central and peripheral CS differ at the molecular level with either IDH1/2 mutations or EXT1/2 mutations, respectively. CDKN2A/B deletions are also frequent in conventional CS, as well as COL2A1 mutations. Dedifferentiated CS develops when low-grade conventional CS transforms into a high-grade sarcoma and most frequently exhibits features of osteosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, or undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma. Their molecular characteristics are similar to conventional CS. Mesenchymal CS is a totally different pathological entity exhibiting recurrent translocations. Their clinical presentation and management are different too. The standard treatment of CSs is wide en-bloc resection. CS are relatively radiotherapy resistant; therefore, doses >60 Gy are needed in an attempt to achieve local control in unresectable tumors. Chemotherapy is possibly effective in mesenchymal chondrosarcoma and is of uncertain value in dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma. Due to resistance to standard anticancer agents, the prognosis is poor in patients with metastatic or unresectable chondrosarcomas. Recently, the refined characterization of the molecular profile, as well as the development of new treatments, allow new therapeutic options for these rare tumors. The efficiency of IDH1 inhibitors in other malignancies suggests that these inhibitors will be part of IDH1/2 mutated conventional CS management soon. Other treatment approaches, such as PIK3-AKT-mTOR inhibitors, cell cycle inhibitors, and epigenetic or immune modulators based on improving our understanding of CS molecular biology, are emerging.
Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is rare cancer affecting children and adults. Pleomorphic RMS histology is almost exclusive to adult patients and often resistant to chemotherapy.
We report the case of a ...19-year-old patient who presented with a metastatic chemoresistant pleomorphic RMS.
Considering the poor prognosis and the few systemic therapeutic options, we decided to carry out a whole exome sequencing (WES) of the tumour and germline DNA.
WES identified a germline variation (c.1863_1864insT) in the
gene corresponding to a pathogenic mutation: (p. Leu622Serfs*10), whereas the family history did not fit with classical criteria for Lynch syndrome. Loss-of-heterozygosity at
locus was found in the tumour. Immunohistochemistry showed loss of MLH1 and PMS2 nuclear expression in the tumour cells. In view of the mismatch repair defects and a high programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression (60% of tumour cells expressed PD-L1), we administrated an anti-PD-1 antibody to the patient. He achieved a rapid complete response of the lung metastases, which appears sustained after a 1-year follow-up.
This observation of an RMS revealing an unexpected Lynch syndrome underlines the overlap between tumorous and germline molecular genetics and emphasises the major impact of cancer genomic medicine in clinical practice for guiding treatment decision.
Little is known about immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) response of NF1-mutated lung adenocarcinomas. 341/4,181 (8.2%) TCGA lung adenocarcinomas samples have a somatic NF1 mutation. NF1-mutated ...tumors have higher TMB (p < 0.0001), higher expression of immune genes ("hot phenotype") and higher CD8 + T cell (p = 0.03) and macrophage (p = 0.02) infiltrations compared to NF1 wild-type tumors. NF1 mutation status appears as a candidate predictive biomarker for ICI response in lung adenocarcinoma patients.
Background
The risk of drug–drug interactions (DDI) has become a major issue in cancer patients. However, data in sarcoma patients are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the frequency and the factors ...associated with DDI with antitumor treatments, and to evaluate the impact of a pharmacist evaluation before anticancer treatment.
Patients and methods
We performed a retrospective review of consecutive sarcoma patients starting chemotherapy (CT) or Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). A pharmacist performed medication reconciliation and established an early toxicity risk assessment. Potential DDI with antitumor drugs were identified using Micromedex electronic software.
Results
One hundred and twenty-two soft-tissue and 80 bone sarcoma patients (103 males, median age 50 years,) were included before CT (86%) or TKI (14%). The median number of medications was 3; 34 patients (22% of patients with medication reconciliation) reported complementary medicine use. 37 potential DDI classified as major, were identified (12% of the 243 pre-therapeutic assessments). In multivariate analysis, TKI (
p
< 0.0001), proton pump inhibitor (
p
= 0.026) and antidepressant (
p
< 0.001) were identified as risk factors of DDI (
p
< 0.02). Only marital status (
p
= 0.003) was associated with complementary medicine use. A pharmacist performed 157 medication reconciliations and made 71 interventions among 59 patients (37%). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with pharmacist intervention were: complementary medicines (
p
= 0.004), drugs number (
p
= 0.005) and treatment with TKI (
p
= 0.0002)
Conclusions
Clinical interventions on DDI are more frequently required among sarcoma patients treated with TKI than CT. Multidisciplinary risk assessment including a medication reconciliation by a pharmacist could be crucial to prevent DDI with TKI.
Background: Pazopanib (PAZ) is an oral angiogenesis inhibitor approved to treat soft tissue sarcoma (STS) but associated with a large interpatient pharmacokinetic (PK) variability and narrow ...therapeutic index. We aimed to define the specific threshold of PAZ trough concentration (Cmin) associated with better progression-free survival (PFS) in STS patients. Methods: In this observational study, PAZ Cmin was monitored over the treatment course. For the primary endpoint, the 3-month PFS in STS was analyzed with logistic regression. Second, we performed exposure−overall survival (OS) (Cox model plus Kaplan−Meier analysis/log-rank test) and exposure−toxicity analyses. Results: Ninety-five STS patients were eligible for pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) assessment. In the multivariable analysis, PAZ Cmin < 27 mg/L was independently associated with a risk of progression at 3 months (odds ratio (OR) 4.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.47−12.12), p = 0.008). A higher average of PAZ Cmin over the first 3 months was associated with a higher risk of grade 3−4 toxicities according to the NCI-CTCAE version 5.0 (OR 1.07 per 1 mg/L increase, CI95 (1.02−1.13), p = 0.007). Conclusion: PAZ Cmin ≥ 27 mg/L was independently associated with improved 3-month PFS in STS patients. Pharmacokinetically-guided dosing could be helpful to optimize the clinical management of STS patients in daily clinical practice.
Sarcomas are a diverse group of rare malignancies composed of multiple different clinical and molecular subtypes. Due to their rarity and heterogeneity, basic, translational, and clinical research in ...sarcoma has trailed behind that of other cancers. Outcomes for patients remain generally poor due to an incomplete understanding of disease biology and a lack of novel therapies. To address some of the limitations impeding preclinical sarcoma research, we have developed Sarcoma_CellMinerCDB, a publicly available interactive tool that merges publicly available sarcoma cell line data and newly generated omics data to create a comprehensive database of genomic, transcriptomic, methylomic, proteomic, metabolic, and pharmacologic data on 133 annotated sarcoma cell lines. The reproducibility, functionality, biological relevance, and therapeutic applications of Sarcoma_CellMinerCDB described herein are powerful tools to address and generate biological questions and test hypotheses for translational research. Sarcoma_CellMinerCDB (https://discover.nci.nih.gov/SarcomaCellMinerCDB) aims to contribute to advancing the preclinical study of sarcoma.
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•Sarcoma_CellMinerCDB merges publicly available and new sarcoma cell line data•It includes reproducible genomic and pharmacologic data for 133 sarcoma cell lines•It is a novel comprehensive resource including the methylome of sarcoma cell lines•Its multi-functionality can be used to identify new therapeutic targets for sarcoma
Cell biology; Cancer systems biology; Cancer; Genomics; Proteomics ; Transcriptomics