The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) characterized the somatic genetic and genomic alterations in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) encompassing the major RCC histological subtypes, including clear cell RCC ...(ccRCC), papillary RCC (pRCC) and chromophobe RCC (chRCC). Unique distinguishing features were found between the RCC subtypes, including in chromosomal alterations and tumour metabolism, as well as within each RCC subtype, of which some correlated with differences in patient survival. Two new RCC subtypes were defined by distinct epigenetic and metabolic pathway expression patterns, the hypermethylated CpG island methylator phenotype-associated (CIMP) RCCs and metabolically divergent chRCCs, and new biomarkers of poor patient outcome were identified, including PBRM1 mutation in type 1 pRCC and CDKN2A loss in chRCC. Expression of many immune cell gene-specific signatures was increased in ccRCC compared with pRCC and chRCC, and expression of select signatures, including the type 2 T helper cell signature, was increased in CIMP RCC. Increased expression of the type 2 T helper cell signature correlated with poorer survival in ccRCC, pRCC and chRCC. In addition to improving our current understanding of RCC, TCGA RCC studies are an invaluable resource that provides the foundation for the development of improved methods for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of this disease.
Kidney cancer is not a single disease; it is made up of a number of different types of cancer, including clear cell, type 1 papillary, type 2 papillary, chromophobe, TFE3, TFEB, and oncocytoma. ...Sporadic, nonfamilial kidney cancer includes clear cell kidney cancer (75%), type 1 papillary kidney cancer (10%), papillary type 2 kidney cancer (including collecting duct and medullary RCC) (5%), the microphalmia-associated transcription (MiT) family translocation kidney cancers (TFE3, TFEB, and MITF), chromophobe kidney cancer (5%), and oncocytoma (5%). Each has a distinct histology, a different clinical course, responds differently to therapy, and is caused by mutation in a different gene. Genomic studies identifying the genes for kidney cancer, including the VHL, MET, FLCN, fumarate hydratase, succinate dehydrogenase, TSC1, TSC2, and TFE3 genes, have significantly altered the ways in which patients with kidney cancer are managed. While seven FDA-approved agents that target the VHL pathway have been approved for the treatment of patients with advanced kidney cancer, further genomic studies, such as whole genome sequencing, gene expression patterns, and gene copy number, will be required to gain a complete understanding of the genetic basis of kidney cancer and of the kidney cancer gene pathways and, most importantly, to provide the foundation for the development of effective forms of therapy for patients with this disease.
The use of 12-core systematic prostate biopsy is associated with diagnostic inaccuracy that contributes to both overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of prostate cancer. Biopsies performed with magnetic ...resonance imaging (MRI) targeting may reduce the misclassification of prostate cancer in men with MRI-visible lesions.
Men with MRI-visible prostate lesions underwent both MRI-targeted and systematic biopsy. The primary outcome was cancer detection according to grade group (i.e., a clustering of Gleason grades). Grade group 1 refers to clinically insignificant disease; grade group 2 or higher, cancer with favorable intermediate risk or worse; and grade group 3 or higher, cancer with unfavorable intermediate risk or worse. Among the men who underwent subsequent radical prostatectomy, upgrading and downgrading of grade group from biopsy to whole-mount histopathological analysis of surgical specimens were recorded. Secondary outcomes were the detection of cancers of grade group 2 or higher and grade group 3 or higher, cancer detection stratified by previous biopsy status, and grade reclassification between biopsy and radical prostatectomy.
A total of 2103 men underwent both biopsy methods; cancer was diagnosed in 1312 (62.4%) by a combination of the two methods (combined biopsy), and 404 (19.2%) underwent radical prostatectomy. Cancer detection rates on MRI-targeted biopsy were significantly lower than on systematic biopsy for grade group 1 cancers and significantly higher for grade groups 3 through 5 (P<0.01 for all comparisons). Combined biopsy led to cancer diagnoses in 208 more men (9.9%) than with either method alone and to upgrading to a higher grade group in 458 men (21.8%). However, if only MRI-target biopsies had been performed, 8.8% of clinically significant cancers (grade group ≥3) would have been misclassified. Among the 404 men who underwent subsequent radical prostatectomy, combined biopsy was associated with the fewest upgrades to grade group 3 or higher on histopathological analysis of surgical specimens (3.5%), as compared with MRI-targeted biopsy (8.7%) and systematic biopsy (16.8%).
Among patients with MRI-visible lesions, combined biopsy led to more detection of all prostate cancers. However, MRI-targeted biopsy alone underestimated the histologic grade of some tumors. After radical prostatectomy, upgrades to grade group 3 or higher on histopathological analysis were substantially lower after combined biopsy. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others; Trio Study ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00102544.).
Patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease have a high incidence of renal cell carcinoma owing to
gene inactivation and constitutive activation of the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor ...2α (HIF-2α).
In this phase 2, open-label, single-group trial, we investigated the efficacy and safety of the HIF-2α inhibitor belzutifan (MK-6482, previously called PT2977), administered orally at a dose of 120 mg daily, in patients with renal cell carcinoma associated with VHL disease. The primary end point was objective response (complete or partial response) as measured according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1, by an independent central radiology review committee. We also assessed responses to belzutifan in patients with non-renal cell carcinoma neoplasms and the safety of belzutifan.
After a median follow-up of 21.8 months (range, 20.2 to 30.1), the percentage of patients with renal cell carcinoma who had an objective response was 49% (95% confidence interval, 36 to 62). Responses were also observed in patients with pancreatic lesions (47 of 61 patients 77%) and central nervous system hemangioblastomas (15 of 50 patients 30%). Among the 16 eyes that could be evaluated in 12 patients with retinal hemangioblastomas at baseline, all (100%) were graded as showing improvement. The most common adverse events were anemia (in 90% of the patients) and fatigue (in 66%). Seven patients discontinued treatment: four patients voluntarily discontinued, one discontinued owing to a treatment-related adverse event (grade 1 dizziness), one discontinued because of disease progression as assessed by the investigator, and one patient died (of acute toxic effects of fentanyl).
Belzutifan was associated with predominantly grade 1 and 2 adverse events and showed activity in patients with renal cell carcinomas and non-renal cell carcinoma neoplasms associated with VHL disease. (Funded by Merck Sharp and Dohme and others; MK-6482-004 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03401788.).
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, the reader will be able to:
Describe histologic features associated with sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma.
Outline current surgical approaches to ...treating sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma.
This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com
Recent advancements in the molecular characterization of renal cell carcinoma altered the classification system and now kidney cancer is divided into several distinct histologic subtypes. Although once a separate histologic category, sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma is no longer considered a separate tumor type because it can occur with all histologic subtypes. Limited research on tumors with sarcomatoid change has led to minimal progress in the understanding and treatment of these tumors. Because the sarcomatoid variant of renal cell carcinoma can account for approximately one in six cases of advanced kidney cancer, we hope to familiarize clinicians with these tumors by describing the historic background, histologic features, molecular characterization, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment strategies, and active clinical trials of this aggressive type of tumor.
摘要
肾细胞癌分子定性的最新进展改变了分类系统，目前肾癌可分为几个不同的组织学亚型。肉瘤样肾细胞癌一度是独立的组织学类别，但因可见于所有组织学亚型，现已不再列为独立的肿瘤类型。肉瘤样变肿瘤的研究有限，对这些肿瘤的了解和治疗进展缓慢。肾细胞癌的肉瘤样变异型约占晚期肾癌的1/6，我们因此希望通过描述此类侵袭性肿瘤的历史背景、组织学特征、分子定性、诊断、预后、治疗策略和进行中的临床试验，使医生能熟悉此类肿瘤。
The historic background, histologic features, molecular characterization, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment strategies, and active clinical trials of the sarcomatoid variant of renal cell carcinoma are described.
Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma (HLRCC) is a hereditary cancer syndrome in which affected individuals are at risk for development of cutaneous and uterine leiomyomas and an ...aggressive form of type II papillary kidney cancer. HLRCC is characterized by germline mutation of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzyme, fumarate hydratase (FH). FH-deficient kidney cancer is characterized by impaired oxidative phosphorylation and a metabolic shift to aerobic glycolysis, a form of metabolic reprogramming referred to as the Warburg effect. Increased glycolysis generates ATP needed for increased cell proliferation. In FH-deficient kidney cancer, levels of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a cellular energy sensor, are decreased resulting in diminished p53 levels, decreased expression of the iron importer, DMT1, leading to low cellular iron levels, and to enhanced fatty acid synthesis by diminishing phosphorylation of acetyl CoA carboxylase, a rate-limiting step for fatty acid synthesis. Increased fumarate and decreased iron levels in FH-deficient kidney cancer cells inactivate prolyl hydroxylases, leading to stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and increased expression of genes such as VEGF and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) to provide fuel needed for rapid growth demands. Several therapeutic approaches for targeting the metabolic basis of FH-deficient kidney cancer are under development or are being evaluated in clinical trials, including the use of agents such as metformin, which would reverse the inactivation of AMPK, approaches to inhibit glucose transport, lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), the antioxidant response pathway, the heme oxygenase pathway, and approaches to target the tumor vasculature and glucose transport with agents such as bevacizumab and erlotinib. These same types of metabolic shifts, to aerobic glycolysis with decreased oxidative phosphorylation, have been found in a wide variety of other cancer types. Targeting the metabolic basis of a rare cancer such as FH-deficient kidney cancer will hopefully provide insights into the development of effective forms of therapies for other, more common forms of cancer.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is diagnosed in >200,000 individuals worldwide each year, accounting for ~2% of all cancers, but the spread of this disease amongst genders is distinctly uneven. In the ...U.S. the male:female incidence ratio is approximately 2:1. A potential hypothesis is mutation spectra may differ between tumors dependent upon the gender of the patient, such as mutations of X chromosome encoded genes being more prevalent in male-derived tumors. Combined analysis of three recent large-scale clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) mutation sequencing projects identified a significantly increased mutation frequency of PBRM1 and the X chromosome encoded KDM5C in tumors from male patients and BAP1 in tumors from female patients. Mutation of BAP1 had previously been significantly associated with poorer overall survival; however, when stratified by gender, mutation of BAP1 only significantly affected overall survival in female patients. Mutation of chromatin remodeling genes alters gene regulation, but the overall effect of these alterations may also be modified by the presence of other gender specific factors. Thus, the combination of gender and mutation of a specific gene, such as BAP1, may have implications not only for prognosis but also for understanding the role of chromatin remodeling gene mutations in kidney cancer progression.
Birt-Hogg-Dubé (BHD) syndrome is an inherited renal cancer syndrome in which affected individuals are at risk of developing benign cutaneous fibrofolliculomas, bilateral pulmonary cysts and ...spontaneous pneumothoraces, and kidney tumours. Bilateral multifocal renal tumours that develop in BHD syndrome are most frequently hybrid oncocytic tumours and chromophobe renal carcinoma, but can present with other histologies. Germline mutations in the FLCN gene on chromosome 17 are responsible for BHD syndrome--BHD-associated renal tumours display inactivation of the wild-type FLCN allele by somatic mutation or chromosomal loss, confirming that FLCN is a tumour suppressor gene that fits the classic two-hit model. FLCN interacts with two novel proteins, FNIP1 and FNIP2, and with AMPK, a negative regulator of mTOR. Studies with FLCN-deficient cell and animal models support a role for FLCN in modulating the AKT-mTOR pathway. Emerging evidence links FLCN with a number of other molecular pathways and cellular processes important for cell homeostasis that are frequently deregulated in cancer, including regulation of TFE3 and/or TFEB transcriptional activity, amino-acid-dependent mTOR activation through Rag GTPases, TGFβ signalling, PGC1α-driven mitochondrial biogenesis, and autophagy. Currently, surgical intervention is the only therapy available for BHD-associated renal tumours, but improved understanding of the FLCN pathway will hopefully lead to the development of effective forms of targeted systemic therapy for this disease.
Germline mutations in the novel tumor suppressor gene FLCN are responsible for the autosomal dominant inherited disorder Birt-Hogg-Dubé (BHD) syndrome that predisposes to fibrofolliculomas, lung ...cysts and spontaneous pneumothorax, and an increased risk for developing kidney tumors. Although the encoded protein, folliculin (FLCN), has no sequence homology to known functional domains, x-ray crystallographic studies have shown that the C-terminus of FLCN has structural similarity to DENN (differentially expressed in normal cells and neoplasia) domain proteins that act as guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for small Rab GTPases. FLCN forms a complex with folliculin interacting proteins 1 and 2 (FNIP1, FNIP2) and with 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). This review summarizes FLCN functional studies which support a role for FLCN in diverse metabolic pathways and cellular processes that include modulation of the mTOR pathway, regulation of PGC1α and mitochondrial biogenesis, cell-cell adhesion and RhoA signaling, control of TFE3/TFEB transcriptional activity, amino acid-dependent activation of mTORC1 on lysosomes through Rag GTPases, and regulation of autophagy. Ongoing research efforts are focused on clarifying the primary FLCN-associated pathway(s) that drives the development of fibrofolliculomas, lung cysts and kidney tumors in BHD patients carrying germline FLCN mutations.
•Birt-Hogg-Dube´ (BHD) syndrome is caused by germline mutations in the FLCN gene•BHD patients are predisposed to fibrofolliculomas, lung cysts and kidney cancer•Somatic “second hit” FLCN mutations drive BHD-associated kidney tumorigenesis•FLCN interacts with AMPK through FNIP1/FNIP2 and modulates mTOR signaling•Recent work highlights the role of FLCN in multiple cellular pathways and processes
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