Project description:ObjectivesPulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) are both classified as pure and combined subtypes. Due to the low incidence and difficult diagnosis of combined LCNEC (C-LCNEC) and combined SCLC (C-SCLC), few studies have compared their clinical features and prognosis.Materials and methodsWe compared the clinical features, mutation status of driver genes (EGFR, ALK, ROS1, KRAS, and BRAF), and prognosis between C-LCNEC and C-SCLC. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were applied for survival analysis.ResultsWe included a total of 116 patients with C-LCNEC and 76 patients with C-SCLC in the present study. There were significant differences in distribution of smoking history, tumor location, pT stage, pN stage, pTNM stage, visceral pleural invasion (VPI), and combined components between C-LCNEC and C-SCLC (P<0.05 for all). C-SCLC was more advanced at diagnosis as compared to C-LCNEC. The incidence of EGFR mutations in C-LCNEC patients was higher than C-SCLC patients (25.7 vs. 5%, P=0.004). We found that tumor size, pN stage, peripheral CEA level, and adjuvant chemotherapy were independently prognostic factors for DFS and OS in C-LCNEC patients, while peripheral NSE level, pT stage, pN stage, VPI and adjuvant chemotherapy were independently associated with DFS and OS for C-SCLC patients (P<0.05 for all). Propensity score matching with adjustment for the confounders confirmed a more favorable DFS (P=0.032) and OS (P=0.019) in patients with C-LCNEC in comparison with C-SCLC patients upon survival analysis.ConclusionsThe mutation landscape of driver genes seemed to act in different way between C-SCLC and C-LCNEC, likely by which result in clinical phenotype difference as well as better outcome in C-LCNEC.
Project description:BackgroundThe classification of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) has generated considerable debate and has been revised since its recognition as a separate entity. Although it shares clinical features with small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and was classified with SCLC in the 2015 World Health Organization classification system, numerous studies have revealed inferior treatment outcomes of LCNEC when it was treated as SCLC. Because the incidence of LCNEC is rare, its mutational landscape has not been comprehensively interrogated.MethodsWe performed capture-based ultra-deep targeted sequencing on tumor samples of LCNEC, large cell carcinoma (LCC), and SCLC to elucidate its biological relationship with these subtypes and to identify potentially targetable molecular alterations.ResultsOur data revealed a molecular signature, consisting of RUNX1, ERBB4, BRCA1, and EPHA3, that is distinctively mutated in LCNEC. A majority (60%) of LCNEC patients harbored copy number variations (CNVs). Interestingly, there were no common CNVs shared among the three subtypes: NFкBIA amplification was shared between LCNEC and LCC, while AKT2 amplification was shared between LCNEC and SCLC. Furthermore, genetic alterations in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway were enriched in all three subtypes.ConclusionDespite the histological and/or morphological similarities among LCNEC, LCC, and SCLC, our data revealed a molecular signature, consisting of RUNX1, ERBB4, BRCA1, and EPHA3, that is distinctively mutated in LCNEC, which has the potential to be used as a panel of biomarkers to distinguish LCNEC from a molecular perspective. Furthermore, the molecular distinction among the three subtypes can also be reflected from CNV events.
Project description:Background: In 2015, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) was removed from the large cell carcinoma group and classified with small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) constituting two members of the high-grade neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the lung. However, the difference between high-grade LCNEC and SCLC in terms of clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis has not been fully understood owing to the rarity of LCNEC. Patients and methods: Patients with high-grade LCNEC and SCLC at initial diagnosis between 2001 and 2014 were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program database. Clinicopathological characteristics between high-grade LCNEC and SCLC were compared using the Pearson's chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test. Differences in overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were compared using the log-rank test, Cox models and propensity score matching (PSM) analysis. Results: A total of 1223 patients with high-grade LCNEC and 18182 patients with high-grade SCLC were enrolled. To the best of our knowledge, this study involved the largest number of high-grade LCNEC patients to date, with respect to a comparison between high-grade LCNEC and high-grade SCLC patients. There were significant differences in age, sex, race, laterality, SEER stage, nodal status, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but not marital status, between high-grade LCNEC and SCLC patients. High-grade LCNEC patients had a better OS and CSS than high-grade SCLC patients. Subgroup analysis also confirmed the better prognosis of the high-grade LCNEC patients in the regional stage, distant stage and surgery subgroups. However, no significant difference in prognosis was observed between the two non-surgery subgroups, which was confirmed using PSM analysis. Furthermore, high-grade LCNEC patients showed different metastatic patterns to high-grade SCLC patients. Conclusion: These results suggested that high-grade LCNEC and high-grade SCLC were different histological types, and that a detailed classification for high-grade NETs of the lung was needed.
Project description:There is a clear need to expand the toolkit of adequate mouse models and cell lines available for preclinical studies of high-grade neuroendocrine lung carcinoma (small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC)). SCLC and LCNEC are two highly aggressive tumor types with dismal prognoses and few therapeutic options. Currently, there is an extreme paucity of material, particularly in the case of LCNEC. Given the lack of murine cell lines and transplant models of LCNEC, the need is imperative. In this study, we generated and examined new models of LCNEC and SCLC transplantable cell lines derived from our previously developed primary mouse LCNEC and SCLC tumors. RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that our cell lines and syngeneic tumors maintained the transcriptome program from the original transgenic primary tumor and displayed strong similarities to human SCLC or LCNEC. Importantly, the SCLC transplanted cell lines showed the ability to metastasize and mimic this characteristic of the human condition. In summary, we generated mouse cell line tools that allow further basic and translational research as well as preclinical testing of new treatment strategies for SCLC and LCNEC. These tools retain important features of their human counterparts and address the lack of LCNEC disease models.
Project description:BackgroundAccording to the 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms, gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma (GNEC) can be further divided into gastric large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (GLNEC) and gastric small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (GSNEC). Whether the prognoses of the two types have a discrepancy has long been disputed.MethodWe collected patients diagnosed with GLNEC or GSNEC in the National Cancer Center of China between January 2000 and December 2020. The characteristics and survival outcomes were compared between the two groups. We further verified our conclusion using the SEER dataset.ResultsA total of 114 GNEC patients, including 82 patients with GLNEC and 32 patients with GSNEC, have completed treatment in our hospital. Clinicopathologic differences were not observed between patients with GSNEC and GLNEC concerning the sex, age, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, tumor location, tumor size, stage, treatment received, the expression of neuroendocrine markers (CD56, Chromogranin A, synaptophysin), and score on the Ki-67 index. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall survival rates of GLNEC and GSNEC were 89.0%, 60.5%, and 52.4%, and 93.8%, 56.3%, and 52.7%, which showed no statistically significant differences. This result was confirmed further by using the SEER dataset after the inverse probability of treatment weighting.ConclusionsAlthough with different cell morphology, the comparison of prognosis between the GLNEC and GSNEC has no significant statistical difference.
Project description:Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNECs) and small cell lung carcinomas (SCLCs) are high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas of the lung with very aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Their histological classification as well as their therapeutic management has not changed much in recent years, but genomic and transcriptomic analyses have revealed different molecular subtypes raising hopes for more personalized treatment. Indeed, four subtypes of SCLCs have been recently described, SCLC-A driven by the master gene ASCL1, SCLC-N driven by NEUROD1, SCLC-Y by YAP1 and SCLC-P by POU2F3. Whereas SCLC standard of care is based on concurrent chemoradiation for limited stages and on chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy combined with anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors for extensive stage SCLC, SCLC-A variants could benefit from DLL3 or BCL2 inhibitors, and SCLC-N variants from Aurora kinase inhibitors combined with chemotherapy, or PI3K/mTOR or HSP90 inhibitors. In addition, a new SCLC variant (SCLC-IM) with high-expression of immune checkpoints has been also reported, which could benefit from immunotherapies. PARP inhibitors also gave promising results in combination with chemotherapy in a subset of SCLCs. Regarding LCNECs, they represent a heterogeneous group of tumors, some of them exhibiting mutations also found in SCLC but with a pattern of expression of NSCLC, while others harbor mutations also found in NSCLC but with a pattern of expression of SCLC, questioning their clinical management as NSCLCs or SCLCs. Overall, we are probably entering a new area, which, if personalized treatments are effective, will also lead to the implementation in practice of molecular testing or biomarkers detection for the selection of patients who can benefit from them.
Project description:BACKGROUND:The aim of this study was to identify subgroups with good or bad prognosis in patients with pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) based on immunostaining patterns with neuroendocrine markers and compare them with small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC). METHODS:From January 2001 to December 2017, of all patients with resected LCNEC and SCLC, we selected patients whose pathological tumor sizes were ≤30 mm in diameter (defined as small-sized tumors) and who underwent complete resection with lymphadenectomy. We classified patients with small-sized LCNEC (sLCNEC) into two subgroups based on immunostaining patterns with three neuroendocrine markers (chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and NCAM) and compared them to small-sized SCLC (sSCLC). RESULTS:A total of 48 patients with sLCNEC and 39 patients with sSCLC were enrolled. Of 48 patients with sLCNEC, 21 were categorized as the small-sized triple-positive group (sTP), whose patients were positive for the three neuroendocrine markers, and 27 patients were categorized as the small-sized nontriple-positive group (sNTP), whose patients were not positive for all three neuroendocrine markers. The percentage of lymph node metastasis was significantly lower in sNTP than in sTP and sSCLC. There was no significant difference in overall survival, but recurrence-free survival (RFS) and tumor-specific survival (TSS) were significantly poorer in sTP and sSCLC than in sNTP. Multivariate analysis revealed sTP and sSCLC were independent prognostic factors for poorer RFS and TSS than those of sNTP. CONCLUSIONS:The sNTP subgroup had a good prognosis and the sTP subgroup a poor prognosis. There were some similarities in clinicopathological features between sTP and sSCLC.
Project description:Background: Nowadays, the characteristics and treatment of advanced pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) remain controversial. This study aimed to analyze the similarity of clinical characteristics, survival outcomes and treatment modalities between advanced LCNEC and advanced small cell lung cancer (SCLC) to provide more evidence for the study of advanced LCNEC. Methods: All SCLC and LCNEC patient data were obtained from the SEER database (2010-2019). Pearson's χ2 test was used to compare the differences in clinical characteristics. Propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to balance the bias of the variables between patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors. KM analysis was used to calculate survival. Results: A total of 1094 patients with IV LCNEC and 20939 patients with IV SCLC were included in this study. The demographic characteristics and tumor characteristics of IV LCNEC and IV SCLC were different (p < 0.05). After PSM, the overall survival (OS) for IV LCNEC and IV SCLC was 6.0 months, the cancer-specific survival (CSS) was 7.0 months, and there was no significant difference in OS or CSS between the two groups. Risk/protective factors for OS and CSS were similar for IV LCNEC and IV SCLC patients. Survival outcomes were similar in patients with IV LCNEC and IV SCLC with different treatment modalities; chemoradiotherapy significantly improved OS and CSS in patients with IV LCNEC (9.0 months) and SCLC (10.0 months), however, radiotherapy alone did not improve survival in patients with IV LCNEC. Conclusions: These results confirmed that the prognosis and treatment modalities are similar and that advanced LCNEC could be treated as advanced SCLC, which provide new evidence for the treatment of advanced LCNEC patients.
Project description:High-grade neuroendocrine lung malignancies (large-cell neuroendocrine cell carcinoma, LCNEC, and small-cell lung carcinoma, SCLC) are among the most deadly lung cancer conditions with no optimal clinical management. The biological relationships between SCLC and LCNEC are still largely unknown and a current matter of debate as growing molecular data reveal high heterogeneity with potential therapeutic consequences. Here we describe murine models of high-grade neuroendocrine lung carcinomas generated by the loss of 4 tumor suppressors. In an Rbl1-null background, deletion of Rb1, Pten, and Trp53 floxed alleles after Ad-CMVcre infection in a wide variety of lung epithelial cells produces LCNEC. Meanwhile, inactivation of these genes using Ad-K5cre in basal cells leads to the development of SCLC, thus differentially influencing the lung cancer type developed. So far, a defined model of LCNEC has not been reported. Molecular and transcriptomic analyses of both models revealed strong similarities to their human counterparts. In addition, a 68Ga-DOTATOC-based molecular-imaging method provides a tool for detection and monitoring the progression of the cancer. These data offer insight into the biology of SCLC and LCNEC, providing a useful framework for development of compounds and preclinical investigations in accurate immunocompetent models.
Project description:IntroductionTumor spread through air spaces (STAS) has prognostic significance in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. We sought to investigate the prognostic importance of STAS in lung neuroendocrine tumors (NETs).MethodsAll tumor slides from patients with resected pathologic stage I to III lung NETs (N = 487) (299 with typical carcinoid [TC], 38 with atypical carcinoid [AC], 93 with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma [LCNEC], and 57 with SCLC) treated between 1992 and 2012 were evaluated for presence of STAS. Cumulative incidence of recurrence (CIR) and lung cancer-specific cumulative incidence of death (LC-CID) were analyzed by using a competing-risks approach.ResultsSTAS was identified in 26% of NETs (16% of TCs, 37% of ACs, 43% of LCNECs, and 46% of SCLCs). STAS was associated with distant metastasis, as well as with higher CIR and LC-CID in the overall cohort and in the AC, LCNEC, and SCLC cohorts (owing to a small number of recurrences and deaths [<5], prognostic analysis was not performed in the TC cohort). In multivariable analysis stratified by stage, STAS was significantly associated with higher CIR (subhazard ratio = 2.85, 95% confidence interval: 1.73-4.68, p < 0.001) and LC-CID (subhazard ratio = 2.72, 95% confidence interval: 1.57-4.70, p < 0.001), independent of histologic subtype. STAS was independently associated with CIR and LC-CID in the LCNEC cohort and LC-CID in the SCLC cohort.ConclusionsIn patients with lung NETs, STAS is associated with early distant metastasis and worse LC-CID. In patients with LCNEC or SCLC, STAS is an independent poor prognostic factor.