Molecular targeted therapies for pediatric atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors

Atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (AT/RTs) are lethal central nervous system tumors, which are primarily diagnosed in infants. Current treatments for AT/RTs include surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy;these treatments have poor prognoses and challenging side effects. The pivotal genetic event in AT/RT pathogenesis comprises the inactivation ofSMARCB1 orSMARCA4. Recent epigenetic studies have demonstrated mutual and subtype-specific epigenetic derangements that drive tumorigenesis;the exploitation of these potential targets might improve the dismal treatment outcomes of AT/RTs. This review aims to summarize the literature concerning targeted molecular therapies for pediatric AT/RTs.

Molecular targeted therapy causes hepatic encephalopathy in patients after Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS):A case report and literature review

We report two cases of hepatic encephalopathy caused by molecular targeted drugs after the Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS)procedure in our center.The liver toxicities and anti-angiogenic effects induced by targeted drugs may generate an imbalance in ammonia metabolism,elevating blood ammonia levels.TIPS diverts partial blood supply from the liver,aggravates liver impairment,and shunts ammonia-rich blood from the intestine into the systemic circulation.These may be the mechanisms leading to hepatic encephalopathy caused by molecular targeted drugs following TIPS.When clinicians choose molecular targeted therapy as the second or third targeted therapy for patients who have undergone TIPS,the consequence of drug-induced hepatic encephalopathy should also be considered.

Targeted therapies for lupus nephritis:Current perspectives and future directions

Lupus nephritis(LN),a severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus,poses a substantial risk of progression to end-stage renal disease,with increased mortality.Conventional therapy for LN relies on broad-spectrum immunosuppressants such as glucocorticoids,mycophenolate mofetil,and calcineurin inhibitors.Although therapeutic regimens have evolved over the years,they have inherent limitations,including non-specific targeting,substantial adverse effects,high relapse rates,and prolonged maintenance and remission courses.These drawbacks underscore the need for targeted therapeutic strategies for LN.Recent advancements in our understanding of LN pathogenesis have led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the emergence of biological agents and small-molecule inhibitors with improved specificity and reduced toxicity.This review provides an overview of the current evidence on targeted therapies for LN,elucidates the biological mechanisms of responses and failure,highlights the challenges ahead,and outlines strategies for subsequent clinical trials and integrated immunomodulatory approaches.

Efficacy and safety of dacomitinib as first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with epidermal growth factor receptor 21L858R mutation:A multicenter,case-series study in China

Objective:To provide real-world evidence for the application of first-line dacomitinib treatment for epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)21L858R mutant non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)patients in China and to explore the factors influencing the efficacy and safety.Methods:A longitudinal,consecutive case-series,multicenter study with mixed prospective and retrospective data was conducted.The primary endpoint was progression-free survival(PFS),and the secondary endpoints included duration of treatment(DOT),overall survival(OS),objective response rate(ORR),disease control rate(DCR)and safety.Results:A total of 155 EGFR 21L858R mutant patients treated with first-line dacomitinib were included.The median follow-up time for these patients was 20.4 months.Among 134 patients with evaluable lesions,the ORR was 70.9%and the DCR was 96.3%.The median PFS was 16.3[95%confidence interval(95%CI),13.7−18.9]months.Multivariate Cox regression analysis suggested that the baseline brain metastasis(BM)status[with vs.without BM:hazard ratio(HR),1.331;95%CI,0.720−2.458;P=0.361]and initial doses(45 mg vs.30 mg:HR,0.837;95%CI,0.427−1.641;P=0.604)did not significantly affect the median PFS.The median DOT was 21.0(95%CI,17.5−24.6)months and the median OS was not reached.Genetic tests were performed in 64 patients after progression,among whom 29(45.3%)patients developed the EGFR 20T790M mutation.In addition,among the 46 patients who discontinued dacomitinib treatment after progression,31(67.4%)patients received subsequent third-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors.The most common grade 3−4 adverse events were rash(10.4%),diarrhea(9.1%),stomatitis(7.1%)and paronychia(4.5%).The incidence of grade 3−4 rash was significantly higher in the 45 mg group than that in the 30 mg group(21.9%vs.7.5%,P=0.042).Conclusions:First-line dacomitinib treatment demonstrated promising efficacy and tolerable adverse events among EGFR 21L858R mutant NSCLC patients in China.

Chemotherapy and molecular targeting therapy for recurrent cervical cancer

For patients with primary stage IVB, persistent, or recurrent cervical cancer, chemotherapy remains the standard treatment, although it is neither curative nor associated with long-term disease control. In this review, we summarized the history of treatment of recurrent cervical cancer, and the current recommendation for chemotherapy and molecular targeted therapy. Eligible articles were identified by a search of the MEDLINE bibliographical database for the period up to November 30, 2014. The search strategy included the following any or all of the keywords： ＂uterine cervical cancer＂, ＂chemotherapy＂, and ＂targeted therapies＂. Since cisplatin every 21 days was considered as the historical standard treatment for recurrent cervical cancer, subsequent trials have evaluated and demonstrated activity for other agents including paclitaxel, gemcitabine, topotecan and vinorelbine among others. Accordingly, promising agents were incorporated into phase III trials. To examine the best agent to combine with cisplatin, several landmark phase III clinical trials were conducted by Gynecologic Oncology Group （GOG） and Japan Clinical Oncology Group （JCOG）. Through, GOG204 and JCOG0505, paclitaxel/cisplatin （TP） and paclitaxel/carboplatin （TC） are now considered to be the recommended therapies for recurrent cervical cancer patients. However, the prognosis of patients who are already resistant to chemotherapy, are very poor. Therefore new therapeutic strategies are urgently required. Molecular targeted therapy will be the most hopeful candidate of these strategies. From the results of GOG240, bevacizumab combined with TP reached its primary endpoint of improving overall survival （OS）. Although, the prognosis for recurrent cervical cancer patients is still poor, the results of GOG240 shed light on the usefulness of molecular target agents to chemotherapy in cancer patients. Recurrent cervical cancer is generally considered incurable and current chemotherapy regiments offer only modest gains in OS, particularly for patients with multiple poor prognostic factors. Therefore, it is crucial to consider not only the survival benefit, but also the minimization of treatment toxicity, and maximization of quality of life （QOL）.

Molecular targeting to treat gastric cancer

Trastuzumab that targets human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein is the only approved molecular targeting agent for treating gastric cancer in Japan and the outcomes have been favorable. However, trastuzumab is effective for only 10% to 20% of the population with gastric cancer that expresses HER2 protein. Molecular targeting therapy with bevacizumab against vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) and with cetuximab and panitumumab against the epidermal growth factors pathway that have been approved for treating colorectal cancer are not considered effective for treating gastric cancer according to several clinical trials. However, ramucirumab that targets VEGF receptor-2 prolonged overall survival in a large phase III clinical trial and it might be an effective molecular targeting therapy for gastric cancer. The significance of molecular targeting therapy for gastric cancer remains controversial. A large-scale randomized clinical trial of novel molecular targeting agents with which to treat gastric cancer is needed.

Progression of targeted therapy in advanced cholangiocarcinoma

It is necessary to establish an effective therapy to improve the survival of patients with advanced eholangiocarcinoma （CCM. Recently, with the development of pathology research in CCA, a lot of special bio-markers such as EGFR, VEGF, HER2, and MEK et al. could be over expression or mutations in CCA patients. According to their changes, combinations of targeted therapy plus chemotherapy are now recognized as effective therapies for advanced CCA. The aim of this paper is to analyze recent promising studies about targeted therapy alone or combination with each other or with chemotherapies.

Novel molecular targets in hepatocellular carcinoma

Globally,hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is a leading cause of cancer and cancerrelated deaths.The therapeutic efficacy of locoregional and systemic treatment in patients with advanced HCC remains low,which results in a poor prognosis.The development of sorafenib for the treatment of HCC has resulted in a new era of molecular targeted therapy for this disease.However,the median overall survival was reported to be barely higher in the sorafenib treatment group than in the control group.Hence,in this review we describe the importance of developing more effective targeted therapies for the management of advanced HCC.Recent investigations of molecular signaling pathways in several cancers have provided some insights into developing molecular therapies that target critical members of these signaling pathways.Proteins involved in the Hedgehog and Notch signaling pathways,Polo-like kinase 1,arginine,histone deacetylases and Glypican-3 can be potential targets in the treatment of HCC.Monotherapy has limited therapeutic efficacy due to the development of inhibitory feedback mechanisms and induction of chemoresistance.Thus,emphasis is now on the development of personalized and combination molecular targeted therapies that can serve as ideal therapeutic strategies for improved management of HCC.

Advances in understanding the molecular mechanism of pancreatic cancer metastasis

BACKGROUND： Pancreatic cancer（PC） is usually diagnosed at the late-stage and therefore, has widespread metastasis and a very high mortality rate. The mechanisms underlying PC metastasis are not well understood. Recent advances in genomic sequencing have identified groups of gene mutations that affect PC metastasis, but studies elucidating their roles are lacking. The present review was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of PC metastasis.DATA SOURCES： Relevant articles on PC metastasis were searched in MEDLINE via Pub Med prior to April 2015. The search was limited in English publications.RESULTS： PC metastatic cascades are multi-factorial events including both intrinsic and extrinsic elements. This review highlights the most important genetic alterations and other mechanisms that account for PC invasion and metastasis, with particular regard to epithelial-mesenchymal transition, inflammation, stress response, and circulating tumor cells.CONCLUSIONS： Analyses of relevant gene functions and signaling pathways are needed to establish the gene regulatory network and to define the pivotal modulators. Another promising area of study is the genotyping and phenotyping of circulating tumor cells, which could lead to a new era of personalized therapy by identifying specific markers and targets.

Current Status of Studies on Targeted Therapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma(RCC)is regarded as one of the most refractory malignancies.A further study of the molecular mechanism of RCC formation has led to a series of successful examples for treatment of patients with advanced RCC.Over the past 20 years,a nonspecific immunotherapy,with cytokines,has been employed as the gold standard for therapy of metastatic RCC.However,with scientific development and clinical testing of new drugs,targeted molecular cancer therapy has become a focus of interest.At the same time,with a better understanding of RCC, the treatment method has converged on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and related molecular-targeted pathways. A large amount of research and numerous clinical trials have demonstrated the clinical efficacy of the targeted molecular therapies in patients with metastatic RCC.For example sorafenib and sunitinib were approved,in 2005 and 2006 respectively,by the U.S.FDA for treating advanced RCC.In this report,issues such as the importance of VEGF in RCC and the studies of bevacizumab, sunitinib and sorafenib in treating metastatic RCC etc.,are reviewed.

Evaluation of Targeted Therapy for Locally Advanced or Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma in Tunisia

Introduction: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is known to be chemo resistant but with the introduction of targeted therapies;there has been a “revolution” in its treatment strategies. The only targeted therapy available in Tunisia for the treatment of metastatic and/or locally advanced RCC is sunitinib. Objective of the Study: To evaluate therapeutic results and tolerance of sunitinib in metastatic and/or locally advanced RCC. Subjects and Methods: This was a retrospective study covering a period of six years (from January 2008 to January 2014) conducted in 5 medical oncology departments in Tunisia. The population of the study consisted of 29 patients treated with sunitinib for metastatic and/or locally advanced RCC. Results: The mean age of patients was 51 years. Three patients had tumor recurrence and 26 patients had a metastatic RCC. The prognosis was good for 5 patients, intermediate for 19 patients and poor for 5 patients. The median duration of treatment was 5 months. Because of side effects, treatment was discontinued in 12.5% of cases and the dose was reduced in 10.3% of cases. Side effects consisted of asthenia (95.8%), stomatitis (70.8%), anemia (50%), hand-foot syndrome (55.8%) in addition to nausea and vomiting (54.2%). Objective response was observed in 37.5% of patients after 3 months of treatment and in 50% after 6 months. The median progression-free survival was 14 months (95% CI, 7.9 to 20.6). The median overall survival was 22 months (95% CI, 15.6 to 28.7). Conclusion: The prognosis of RCC in Tunisian patients has clearly improved with the introduction of sunitinib, but other therapies with a proven efficacy as a first and second line therapy should be considered.

Tra2βEnhances Cell Proliferation by Inducing the Expression of Transcription Factor SP1 in Cervical Cancer

Objective In this study,the role and potential mechanism of transformer 2β(Tra2β)in cervical cancer were explored.Methods The transcriptional data of Tra2βin patients with cervical cancer from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis(GEPIA)and cBioPortal databases were investigated.The functions of Tra2βwere evaluated by using Western blot,MTT,colony formation,Transwell assays,and nude mouse tumor formation experiments.Target genes regulated by Tra2βwere studied by RNA-seq.Subsequently,representative genes were selected for RT-qPCR,confocal immunofluorescence,Western blot,and rescue experiments to verify their regulatory relationship.Results The dysregulation of Tra2βin cervical cancer samples was observed.Tra2βoverexpression in Siha and Hela cells enhanced cell viability and proliferation,whereas Tra2βknockdown showed the opposite effect.Alteration of Tra2βexpression did not affect cell migration and invasion.Furthermore,tumor xenograft models verified that Tra2βpromoted cervical cancer growth.Mechanically,Tra2βpositively regulated the mRNA and protein level of SP1,which was critical for the proliferative capability of Tra2β.Conclusion This study demonstrated the important role of the Tra2β/SP1 axis in the progression of cervical cancer in vitro and in vivo,which provides a comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis of cervical cancer.

New First-line Immunotherapy-based Therapies for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Living Network Meta-analysis

Background and Aims:Several first-line immune checkpoint inhibitor(ICI)-based combination therapies have been identified for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma(uHCC).This network meta-analysis(NMA)aimed to provide the most updated evidence about the preferred first-line ICI-based regimens for uHCC.Methods:A comprehensive literature search was performed in various databases from database inception to May 2022.The phase 3 trials evaluating first-line single-agent ICIs,molecular-target agents(MTAs),or their combinations in uHCC were included.The main endpoints were overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS).Pooled effect estimates were calculated using a random effects model within the frequentist framework.Subgroup analyses based on etiology were also conducted.Results:Twelve trials at low risk of bias with 8,275 patients comparing 13 treatments were included.OS with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab was comparable to sintilimab plus IBI305[hazard ratio(HR):1.16;95%confidence interval(CI):0.80–1.68]and camrelizumab plus apatinib(HR:1.06;95%CI:0.75–1.51).The combination therapies,apart from atezolizumab plus cabozantinib in OS and durvalumab plus tremelimumab in PFS,had higher P-score than single-agent MTAs or ICIs.The survival benefits were associated with a high risk of adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation.The proportion of patients with hepatitis B virus-related HCC receiving ICIs combinations might positively correlate with survival advantages(R2=0.8039,p=0.0155).Conclusion:This NMA demonstrated that atezolizumab plus bevacizumab remains the stand of care and confers comparable survival benefits to sintilimab plus IBI305 and camrelizumab plus apatinib in first-line therapy for uHCC.The optimal treatment algorithms should consider efficacy,safety,and etiology.

Chemotherapy and target therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma:New advances and challenges

Primary liver cancer is one of the commonest causes of death.Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) accounts for 90% of primary liver cancers.For patients with unresectable or metastatic HCC,conventional chemotherapy is of limited or no benefit.Sorafenib is the only systemic treatment to demonstrate a statistically significant but modest overall survival benefit,leading to an era of targeted agents.Many clinical trials of targeted drugs have been carried out with many more in progress.Some drugs like PTK787 showed potential benefits in the treatment of HCC.Despite these promising breakthroughs,patients with HCC still have a dismal prognosis.Recently,both a phase Ⅲ trial of everolimus and a phase Ⅱ clinical trial of trebananib failed to demonstrate effective antitumor activity in advanced HCC.Sorafenib still plays a pivotal role in advanced HCC,leading to further explorations to exert its maximum efficacy.Combinations targeted with chemotherapy or transarterial chemoembolization is now being tested and might bring about advances.New targeted agents such as mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors are under investigation,as well as further exploration of the mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis.

Current research and treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and have gained considerable research and treatment interest,especially in the last two decades. GISTs are driven by mutations commonly found in the KIT gene and less commonly in the platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha gene,BRAF gene and succinate dehydrogenase gene. GISTs behave in a spectrum of malignant potential,and both the tumor size and mitotic index are the most commonly used prognostic criteria. Whilst surgical resection can offer the best cure,targeted therapy in the form of tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs) has revolutionized the management options. As the first-line TKI,imatinib offers treatment for advanced and metastatic GISTs,adjuvant therapy in high-risk GISTs and as a neoadjuvant agent to downsize large tumors prior to resection. The emergence of drug resistance has altered some treatment options,including prolonging the first-line TKI from 1 to 3 years,increasing the dose of TKI or switching to second-line TKI. Other newer TKIs,such as sunitinib and regorafenib,may offer some treatment options for imatinib-resistant GISTs. New molecular targeted therapies are being evaluated,such as inhibitors of BRAF,heat shock protein 90,glutamine and mitogenactivated protein kinase signaling,as well as inhibitors of apoptosis proteins antagonist and even immunotherapy. This editorial review summarizes the recent research trials and potential treatment targets that may influence our future patient-specific management of GISTs. The current guidelines in GIST management from Europe,North America and Asia are highlighted.

Nestin:A novel angiogenesis marker and possible target for tumor angiogenesis

Abnormal vasculature,termed tumor vessels,is a hallmark of solid tumors.The degree of angiogenesis is associated with tumor aggressiveness and clinical outcome.Therefore,exact quantification of tumor vessels is useful to evaluate prognosis.Furthermore,selective detection of newly formed tumor vessels within cancer tissues using specific markers raises the possibility of molecular targeted therapy via the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.Nestin,an intermediate filament protein,is reportedly expressed in repair processes,various neoplasms,and proliferating vascular endothelial cells.Nestin expression is detected in endothelial cells of embryonic capillaries,capillaries of the corpus luteum,which replenishes itself by angiogenesis,and proliferating endothelial progenitor cells,but not in mature endothelial cells.Therefore,expression of nestin is relatively limited to proliferating vascular endothelial cells and endothelial progenitor cells.Nestin expression is also reported in blood vessels within glioblastoma,prostate cancer,colorectal cancer,and pancreatic cancer,and its expression is more specific for newly formed blood vessels than other endothelial cell markers.Nestin-positive blood vessels form smaller vessels with high proliferation activity in tumors.Knockdown of nestin in vascular endothelial cells suppresses endothelial cell growth and tumor formation ability of pancreatic cancers in vivo.Using nestin to more accurately evaluate microvessel density in cancer specimens may be a novel prognostic indicator.Furthermore,nestin-targeted therapy may suppress tumor proliferation via inhibition of angiogenesis in numerous malignancies,including pancreatic cancer.In this review article,we focus on nestin as a novel angiogenesis marker and possible therapeutic target via inhibition of tumor angiogenesis.

Chemotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma:The present and the future

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) is the most common primary tumor of the liver. Its relationship to chronic liver diseases, in particular cirrhosis, develops on a background of viral hepatitis, excessive alcohol intake or metabolic steatohepatitis, leads to a high incidence and prevalence of this neoplasia worldwide. Despite the spread of HCC, its treatment it's still a hard challenge, due to high rate of late diagnosis and to lack of therapeutic options for advanced disease. In fact radical surgery and liver transplantation, the most radical therapeutic approaches, are indicated only in case of early diagnosis. Even local therapies, such as transarterial chemoembolization, find limited indications, leading to an important problem regarding treatment of advanced disease. In this situation, until terminal HCC occurs, systemic therapy is the only possible approach, with sorafenib as the only standard treatment available. Anyway, the efficacy of this drug is limited and many efforts are necessary to understand who could benefit more with this treatment. Therefore, other molecules for a targeted therapy were evaluated, but only regorafenib showed promising results. Beside molecular target therapy, also cytotoxic drugs, in particular oxaliplatinand gemcitabine-based regimens, and immune-checkpoint inhibitors were tested with interesting results. The future of the treatment of this neoplasia is linked to our ability to understand its mechanisms of resistance and to find novel therapeutic targets, with the objective to purpose individualized approaches to patients affected by advanced HCC.

Progress in surgical and nonsurgical approaches for hepatocellular carcinoma treatment

BACKGROUND： Hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） is a com- plex and heterogeneous malignancy, frequently occurs in the setting of a chronically diseased organ, with multiple con- founding factors making its management challenging. HCC represents one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortal- ity globally with a rising trend of incidence in some of the de- veloped countries, which indicates the need for better surgical and nonsurgical management strategies.

Chemotherapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in the sorafenib age

The kinase inhibitor sorafenib is the only systemic therapy proven to have a positive effect on survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).After development of sorafenib and its introduction as a therapeutic agent used in the clinic,several critical questions have been raised.Clinical parameters and biomarkers predicting sorafenib efficacy are the most important issues that need to be elucidated.Although it is difficult to know the responders in advance using conventional characteristics of patients,there are specific serum cytokines and/or gene amplification in tumor tissues that have been reported to predict efficacy of sorafenib.Risk and benefits of continuation of sorafenib beyond radiological progression is another issue to consider because no other standard therapy for advanced HCC as yet exists.In addition,effectiveness of the expanded application of sorafenib is still controversial,although a few studies have shed some light on combinational treatment with sorafenib for intermediate-stage HCC.Recently,over 50 relevant drugs have been developed and are currently under investigation.The efficacy of some of these drugs has been extensively examined,but none have demonstrated any superiority over sorafenib,so far.However,there are several drugs that have shown efficacy for treatment after sorafenib failure,and these are proceeding to further studies.To address these issues and questions,we have done extensive literature review and summarize the most current status of therapeutic application of sorafenib.

Research on human glioma stem cells in China

Research on human glioma stem cells began early in the 21st century and since then has become a rapidly growing research field with the number of publications increasing year by year. The research conducted by our diverse group of investigators focused primarily on cell culture techniques, molecular regulation, signaling pathways, cancer treatment, the stem cell microenvironment and the cellular origin and function of glioma stem cells. In particular, we put forward our view that there are inverse or forward transformations among neural stem cells, glial cells and glioma stem cells in glioma tissues under certain conditions. Based on the background of the progress of international research on human glioma stem cells, we aim to share our progress and current findings of human glioma stem cell research in China with colleagues around the world.