Project description:Patients receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer received a multiparametric MRI and MRI/ultrasound-fusion targeted biopsy. Patients received a second mpMRI six months after radiation therapy. The goal of this study was to generate gene expression profiles of prostate cancer tumor tissue prior to treatment, and compare the gene expression profiles of those patients based on imaging response or time to biochemical recurrence.
Project description:Radiation therapy is a mainstay of cancer treatment, with more than 50% of all cancer patients receiving radiation during the course of their disease. Tumor irradiation can activate both innate and adaptive immune responses, and these responses can be pro- or anti-tumor growth . These observations have led to the search for antitumor approaches combining radiotherapy and specific immunotherapies, most commonly strategies promoting the systemic activation of T cells. Thus far, however, many cancer patients still suffer from local recurrence and/or untreatable metastatic disease after radiotherapy. Here we combine radiotherapy with activation of macrophage-mediated phagocytosis via blockade of the ?don?t-eat-me? cell surface molecule CD47 in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), a highly metastatic form of lung cancer for which treatment options remain limited. We found that irradiation of SCLC cells in culture results in the secretion of inflammatory cytokines that results in increased migration and phagocytosis by macrophages. In vivo, CD47 blockade potently enhances the local antitumor effects of radiation therapy in murine and human pre-clinical models of SCLC. Strikingly, CD47 blockade also stimulates abscopal antitumor effects inhibiting the growth of non-irradiated SCLC tumors in mice receiving radiation. Similar abscopal antitumor effects were observed in colon cancer and lymphoma models. Surprisingly, these abscopal effects are completely independent of T cells but require macrophages that migrate into the non-irradiated tumor sites in response to inflammatory signals mediated by radiation and are locally activated by CD47 blockade to eliminate cancer cells. The systemic activation of antitumor macrophages following radiotherapy and CD47 blockade may be particularly important in cancer patients who suffer from metastatic disease.
Project description:To investigate the effects of external beam radiation therapy on androgen receptor pathway transcriptomic expression in prostate cancer, we performed RNAseq on EBRT-treated LNCAP xenograft tumors.
Project description:This pilot phase I/II trial studies the side effects and best of dose ipilimumab when given together with local radiation therapy and to see how well it works in treating patients with recurrent melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, colon, or rectal cancer. Monoclonal antibodies, such as ipilimumab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Radiation therapy uses high energy x rays to kill cancer cells. Giving monoclonal antibody therapy together with radiation therapy may be an effective treatment for melanoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, colon, or rectal cancer
Project description:The three-dimensional genome structure is critical for the regulation of gene expression and repair of DNA damage. While previous work has characterized genome-wide sites of DNA damage caused by etoposide or nucleases, the distribution of double-strand breaks (DSBs) caused by external radiation and how these interact with the 3D genome organization is less well understood. Here, we measure the genomic landscape of radiation-induced DNA damage using END-seq in fibroblasts and lymphoblasts after exposure to 5 Gy X-rays. We identify frequently broken regions and investigate the 3D genome properties around these breaks with Hi-C data. We observe that the distribution of robust breaks correlates with transcriptional and chromatin features of the genome. Transcriptionally active and decondensed regions, such as chromosome 19, the A compartment, and topologically associating domain (TAD) boundaries, show pronounced break probability. We also find evidence of DSB-induced loop formation in the vicinity of frequent radiation-induced breaks. Our data reveal that pre-existing 3D genome architecture influences the distribution of radiation-induced DSBs and that these breaks reshape local chromatin landscapes, advancing our understanding of genome instability.