Project description:With the development of precision medicine, targeted therapy has attracted extensive attention. Poly(ADP‑ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) are critical clinical drugs designed to induce cell death and are major antitumor targeted agents. However, preclinical and clinical data have revealed the limitations of PARPi monotherapy. Therefore, their combination with other targeted drugs has become a research hotspot in tumor treatment. Recent studies have demonstrated the critical role of small molecular inhibitors in multiple haematological cancers and solid tumors via cellular signalling modulation, exhibiting potential as a combined pharmacotherapy. In the present review, studies focused on small molecular inhibitors targeting the homologous recombination pathway were summarized and clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of combined treatment were discussed.
Project description:IntroductionDue to the difficulty of early diagnosis, nearly 70% of ovarian cancer patients are first diagnosed at an advanced stage. Thus, improving current treatment strategies is of great significance for ovarian cancer patients. Fast-developing poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases inhibitors (PARPis) have been beneficial in the treatment of ovarian cancer at different stages of the disease, but PARPis have serious side effects and can result in drug resistance. Using PARPis in combination with other drug therapies could improve the efficacy of PRAPis.In this study, we identified Disulfiram as a potential therapeutic candidate through drug screening and tested its use in combination with PARPis.MethodsCytotoxicity tests and colony formation experiments showed that the combination of Disulfiram and PARPis decreased the viability of ovarian cancer cells.ResultsThe combination of PARPis with Disulfiram also significantly increased the expression of DNA damage index gH2AX and induced more PARP cleavage. In addition, Disulfiram inhibited the expression of genes associated with the DNA damage repair pathway, indicating that Disulfiram functions through the DNA repair pathway.DiscussionBased on these findings, we propose that Disulfiram reinforces PARPis activity in ovarian cancer cells by improving drug sensitivity. The combined use of Disulfiram and PARPis provides a novel treatment strategy for patients with ovarian cancer.
Project description:PARPi, in combination with ionizing radiation, has demonstrated the ability to enhance cellular radiosensitivity in different tumors. The rationale is that the exposure to radiation leads to both physical and biochemical damage to DNA, prompting cells to initiate three primary mechanisms for DNA repair. Two double-stranded DNA breaks (DSB) repair pathways: (1) non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) and (2) homologous recombination (HR); and (3) a single-stranded DNA break (SSB) repair pathway (base excision repair, BER). In this scenario, PARPi can serve as radiosensitizers by leveraging the BER pathway. This mechanism heightens the likelihood of replication forks collapsing, consequently leading to the formation of persistent DSBs. Together, the combination of PARPi and radiotherapy is a potent oncological strategy. This combination has proven its efficacy in different tumors. However, in prostate cancer, there are only preclinical studies to support it and, recently, an ongoing clinical trial. The objective of this paper is to perform a review of the current evidence regarding the use of PARPi and radiotherapy (RT) in PCa and to give future insight on this topic.
Project description:Radiotherapy (RT) is used routinely as a standard treatment for more than 50% of patients with malignant tumors. The abscopal effect induced by local RT, which is considered as a systemic anti-tumor immune response, reflects the regression of non-irradiated metastatic lesions at a distance from the primary site of irradiation. Since the application of immunotherapy, especially with immune checkpoint inhibitors, can enhance the systemic anti-tumor response of RT, the combination of RT and immunotherapy has drawn extensive attention by oncologists and cancer researchers. Nevertheless, the exact underlying mechanism of the abscopal effect remains unclear. In general, we speculate that the immune mechanism of RT is responsible for, or at least associated with, this effect. In this review, we discuss the anti-tumor effect of RT and immune checkpoint blockade and discuss some published studies on the abscopal effect for this type of combination therapy. In addition, we also evaluate the most appropriate time window for the combination of RT and immune checkpoint blockade, as well as the optimal dose and fractionation of RT in the context of the combined treatment. Finally, the most significant purpose of this review is to identify the potential predictors of the abscopal effect to help identify the most appropriate patients who would most likely benefit from the combination treatment modality.
Project description:Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has an evolving role in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), largely due to recent advances in imaging technology. Often utilized in situations where other locoregional therapies are not feasible, SBRT has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment that confers high rates of durable local control. However, there is limited evidence to firmly establish its place in the treatment paradigm for HCC. In this article, we review the current evidence and highlight specific considerations in the multiple settings where SBRT may be used, including for primary HCC treatment and bridging/downstaging, as well as exploring the potential for SBRT in the treatment of extrahepatic oligo-metastatic HCC.
Project description:Purpose of the studyReduced levels of the tumor suppressor protein CCDC6 sensitize cancer cells to the treatment with PARP-inhibitors. The turnover of CCDC6 protein is regulated by the de-ubiquitinase USP7, which also controls the androgen receptor (AR) stability. Here, we correlated the expression levels of CCDC6 and USP7 proteins in primary prostate cancers (PC). Moreover, we tested the efficacy of the USP7 inhibitors, in combination with PARP-inhibitors as a novel therapeutic option in advanced prostate cancer.Experimental techniques: PC cells were exposed to USP7 inhibitor, P5091, together with cycloheximide, to investigate the turnover of the USP7 substrates, AR and CCDC6. As outcome of the AR downregulation, transcription targets of AR and its variant V7 were examined by qPCR. As a result of CCDC6 degradation, the induction of PARP inhibitors sensitivity was evaluated by analyzing PC cells viability and foci formation. We scored and correlated CCDC6 and USP7 expression levels in a prostate cancer tissue microarray (TMA).ResultsP5091 accelerated the degradation of AR and V7 isoform affecting PSA, UBE2C, CDC20 transcription and PC cells proliferation. Moreover, P5091 accelerated the degradation of CCDC6 sensitizing the cells to PARP-inhibitors, that acted sinergistically with genotoxic agents. The immunohistochemical analysis of both CCDC6 and USP7 proteins exhibited significant correlation for the intensity of staining (p ≤ 0.05).Data interpretation: Thus, CCDC6 and USP7 represent predictive markers for the combined treatment of the USP7-inhibitors and PARP-inhibitors in advanced prostate cancer.
Project description:Abstract Paediatric high grade glioma (pHGG) are defined by recurrent mutations in H3 histones, as well as frequent alterations in the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling gene ATRX (α-thalassemia mental retardation X-linked), although the precise role of ATRX in tumorigenesis remains unclear. We sought to explore this using genomic analysis of patient samples, CRISPR-Cas9 engineered isogenic ATRX knockout (KO) cell lines and primary-patient-derived cultures. In combined retrospective and prospective cohorts of pHGG samples, we found ATRX mutations in 95/510 (18.6%) cases (27% hemispheric glioblastoma, 13% diffuse midline glioma), with the majority of truncating mutations found in the ADD domain, and missense mutations almost exclusively in the helicase domain. ATRX mutations commonly co-segregate with H3.3G34 and TP53 mutations, and define a subgroup of patients with a longer overall survival, though with a greater number of somatic mutations and copy number alterations than wild-type cases. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated ATRX KO targeting the ADD domain in TP53 mutant paediatric glioblastoma cells lead to loss of imprinting at the H19 locus in concert with upregulation of a pro-invasive transcriptional programme, though a slower rate of orthotopic tumour growth in vivo. ATRX deficient cells showed an abrogated DNA damage response, with prolonged accumulation of gH2AX foci after irradiation, and an increased dependency on PARP1 through persistent parylation and stalled replication forks. Screening ATRX-deficient isogenics and patient-derived cells against a library of >400 chemotherapeutics and small molecules identified a specific dependency for ATRX loss and sensitivity to distinct PARP inhibitor chemotypes, including catalytic inhibitors (olaparib, rucaparib), and PARP trappers (talazoparib). ATRX deficiency further conferred an enhanced radiosensitization of olaparib in vitro and a prolonged survival of mice treated with combined PARP inhibition and radiotherapy in vivo. These data suggest a synthetic lethality for PARP inhibitors in ATRX-deficient pHGG, and may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for these highly aggressive tumours.
Project description:Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) namely palbociclib, ribociclib and abemaciclib were granted approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) between 2017 and 2018. They are currently prescribed in combination with hormone therapy to treat hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer. Their combination with radiotherapy raises safety concerns as preclinical data enlightened their possible synergistic effect. Moreover, data about toxicity when combining CDK4/6i with radiotherapy are scarce. This review of literature focused on the use of CDK4/6i combined with radiotherapy. It aimed at listing every published data about such combination so as to understand its possible resulting toxicity in metastatic breast cancer.
Project description:The effectiveness of radiotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC) relies on its ability to induce cell death via the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, genes responsible for mitigating oxidative stress can impede radiotherapy's efficacy. In this study, we elucidate a significant association between the nucleolar protein Fibrillarin (FBL) and the oxidative stress response in CRC tumors. Our findings reveal elevated expression of FBL in colorectal cancer, which positively correlates with oxidative stress levels. Mechanistically, FBL demonstrates direct accumulation at DNA damage sites under the regulation of PARP1. Specifically, the N-terminal GAR domain of FBL is susceptible to PARylation by PARP1, enabling FBL to recognize PARylated proteins. The accumulation of damaged FBL plays a pivotal role in facilitating short-patched base excision repair by recruiting Ligase III and disassociating PCNA and FEN1. Moreover, tumors with heightened FBL expression exhibit reduced DNA damage levels but increased sensitivity to combined low-dose radiotherapy and olaparib treatment. This underscores the potential of leveraging PARP inhibitors to augment radiotherapy sensitivity in CRC cases characterized by elevated FBL expression, offering a promising therapeutic avenue.