{"title":"Treatment of unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma in 2021: emerging standards in immunotherapy","authors":"Bailey G Fitzgerald, L. Krug","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.97","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.97","url":null,"abstract":"Patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) have historically poor outcomes and treatment, and their treatments have been limited to palliative chemotherapy. Recent efforts to improve prognosis for these patients by adding angiogenesis inhibitors to chemotherapy led to significant benefits. However, the emergence of immunotherapy combinations for the front-line treatment has upended the standard of care and has led to the first new FDA approvals for the treatment of MPM in nearly two decades. This review aims to cover the main clinical trials in unresectable MPM with VEGF inhibitors and immunotherapy which have led to paradigm shifts in current practice. Ongoing clinical trials exploring the combination of chemo and immunotherapies show a great deal of promise, and continued support for ambitious, large-scale well-designed trials remain vital for defining the future outcomes of patients diagnosed with MPM.","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48447325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Current and emerging therapies for first line treatment of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma","authors":"M. Serzan, M. Atkins","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.76","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.76","url":null,"abstract":"The therapeutic landscape for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is rapidly evolving with improved knowledge of the biology of disease leading to the incorporation of a variety of antiangiogenic agents and immunotherapies. In this review, we discuss historical, current, and emerging first line treatment options for patients with advanced ccRCC. These include data with single agent vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs): sunitinib, pazopanib and cabozantinib as well as the recently reported results for the combination of lenvatinib and everolimus (mTOR inhibitor). We also discuss results of the nivolumab anti-programmed cell death (PD-1)/ipilimumab (anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4) combination as well as emerging front-line data with nivolumab and pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1) monotherapy. Finally, we review data supporting recent approvals of TKI and anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) combinations (e.g., axitinib/pembrolizumab, axitinib/avelumab and cabozantinib/nivolumab) and initial outcomes of lenvatinib (multi-kinase inhibitor) and pembrolizumab. With many individual and combination treatment options and the lack of head-to-head comparisons, treatment selection will depend on the goals of therapy (endpoints) and the identification and validation of clinical and tumor-based predictive biomarkers that are linked to the desired treatment endpoints.","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47628229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recent advances in the frontline treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma","authors":"C. Porta, M. Rizzo","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.86","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.86","url":null,"abstract":"We aim to describe the most recent advances in the upfront treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and to provide criteria though often subjective which could be used for treatment selection, by means of a critical review of the results of novel trials of immune-based combinations, coupled with personal considerations and experiences. To date, 5 immune-based combinations have been tested within large phase III trials; four of them yielded a significant overall survival benefit (Ipilimumab + Nivolumab, Pembrolizumab + Axitinib, Nivolumab + Cabozantinib and Pembrolizumab + Lenvatinib), while the combination of Avelumab + Axitinib, although reaching study primary endpoint, determined just a significant progression-free survival benefit. In terms of safety, the excess of adverse events is overall counterbalanced to the higher activity of the combinations. Overall, all the discussed immune-based combinations were ultimately approved by different regulatory authorities, and are indeed included in the most important international guidelines. Waiting for longer follow-ups and more mature trial data, as well as for real-world experiences, in the absence of validated biomarkers, our 1st line treatment choice cannot but rely on methodologically incorrect treatment comparisons, personal preferences, and experience.","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41256175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paramvir Sawhney, S. Suyanto, A. Michael, H. Pandha
{"title":"Adjuvant therapy for renal cell carcinoma","authors":"Paramvir Sawhney, S. Suyanto, A. Michael, H. Pandha","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.64","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.64","url":null,"abstract":"Recent advances in the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma expose a gap in the treatment of less advanced, localized disease. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which revolutionized the treatment of metastatic disease, have not provided a similar survival benefit in the adjuvant setting and currently only sunitinib is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for adjuvant treatment in patients with high-risk of recurrence based on S-TRAC disease-free survival data. The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors has offered a fresh hope in the field of adjuvant treatment after encouraging results are seen with combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors as well as with targeted therapy in the metastatic setting. Several studies are investigating these combinations in the adjuvant setting, and it is hoped that they will bring about a better outcome for a largely unmet need in kidney cancer treatment.","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49298644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prognostic and predictive biomarkers for metastatic renal cell carcinoma","authors":"Logan G. Briggs, E. Cone, Richard J Lee, M. Blute","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.84","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.84","url":null,"abstract":"Several prognostic models incorporating serum biomarkers to estimate patient survival have been established for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Interim advancements in biomarker research have highlighted much additional serum, gene mutation, genetic expression signatures, and histologic biomarkers that predict clinical outcomes and response to treatments. We, therefore, reviewed biomarkers associated with overall, cancer-specific, progressionfree, and disease-free survival, overall response, and time to treatment failure rate in adult populations with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We reviewed human studies reporting associations between biomarkers and clinical outcomes. Data were abstracted via standardized form, then reported with hazard ratios and confidence intervals where appropriate, subdivided by biomarker type (serum, gene mutation, genetic expression, and histologic). We identified a range of newer biomarkers that have clinical associations with prognostic and predictive outcomes. Beyond biomarkers used in modern risk models, those consistently associated with prognosis included serum levels of CAIX, COP-NLR, CRP, s-TATI, and VEGF, gene mutations in BAP1, CDKN2A, CIMP/FH, and TERT, gene expression of ERV and NQO1, and histologic macrophage infiltration and expression of CAIX and PDL1. Biomarkers consistently associated with the response to targeted antiangiogenic therapy included serum CRP, mutations in MET, PBRM-1, BAP1, and the mTOR pathway, TERT promoter mutations, and expression of PTEN and angiogenic gene signatures. Gene expression of hERV, T-effector, and immunogenic signatures have been associated with improved response to immune checkpoint inhibition. Future models should incorporate wellstudied biomarkers to help clinicians predict outcomes and treatment responses for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Page 2 of Briggs et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2021;7:46 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.84 13","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46220534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Review of pharmacological inhibition of thyroid cancer metabolism","authors":"Cole D. Davidson, Frances E. Carr","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.77","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.77","url":null,"abstract":"Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common malignancy of the endocrine system and has been rapidly increasing in incidence over the past few decades. Aggressive TCs metastasize quickly and often levy poor prognoses, as they are frequently resistant to first-line treatment options. Patients diagnosed with aggressive, dedifferentiated TC have a prognosis of under a year with the most current treatment modalities. Like many cancers, TCs also exhibit altered cell metabolism, which enhances the cell’s ability to generate energy, protect against reactive oxygen species, and synthesize macromolecules such as lipids, proteins, and nucleotides for proliferation. Genetic and enzyme profiling of TC tissues and cell lines have uncovered several dysregulated metabolic pathways such as glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, glutamine metabolism, and pyrimidine synthesis. These aberrations are most often due to overexpression of rate-limiting enzymes or metabolite transporters. Metabolic pathways pose attractive therapeutic targets in aggressive TC and may serve to work in tandem with standard therapeutics such as kinase inhibitors depending on the genetic, metabolic, and signaling backgrounds of individual tumors. Further studies are needed to clearly delineate altered metabolic targets across TC subtypes for implementing therapeutic metabolic inhibitors that have shown success in other aggressive tumors.","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49234492","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clinical implications of the molecular characterization of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas","authors":"N. Peters, J. Kunstman","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.67","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.67","url":null,"abstract":"Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) is a pre-malignant, mucin-producing epithelial lesion arising from pancreatic ducts. Observational reports define IPMN behavior as ranging from indolent, asymptomatic lesions to dysplasia that sometimes degenerate into pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The goal of IPMN management is riskreducing surgery for high-risk cysts and observation of the remainder. Discriminating highfrom low-risk IPMN disease still relies on imaging and clinical cyst characteristics. Here, we review the accepted classification of IPMN including the most common histological subtypes, their clinical features, and currently-accepted high-risk phenotypes. We then deeply examine the known molecular landscape of IPMN, which has largely been derived from post-resection analysis. This includes those gene variants unique to IPMN, chiefly GNAS and RNF43, but also examines the overlap between IPMN and conventional pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Utilizing molecular markers in the clinical setting relies on endoscopically-obtained cyst fluid and presumes that it accurately represents the molecular characteristics of the cystic epithelium. We synthesize existing data on mutational analysis from IPMN cyst fluid and consider the benefits and proper role of current commercially-available cyst fluid molecular analysis kits. We conclude that carefully interpreted molecular analysis of resected IPMN tissue reveals insights into its biology and natural history while cyst fluid analysis offers prognostication and data to guide treatment decisions. However, knowledge gaps remain, especially in characterizing IPMN molecular heterogeneity, time to progression, and correlating cyst fluid genotype data with surveillance strategies. As such, substantial additional research is required before the promise of true molecular guidance of IPMN management can be realized. Page 2 of Peters et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2021;7:31 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.67 18","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49134147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Morita, Manabu Yamamoto, Y. Nakashima, Keiichi Shiokawa, Yuki Shin, Yoshiaki Fujimoto, Tomonori Nakanoko, Hideo Uehara, M. Sugiyama, M. Ota, Yohei Mano, K. Sugimachi, T. Okamoto, Y. Toh
{"title":"Surgical resection for pulmonary recurrence of esophageal cancer after curative esophagectomy","authors":"M. Morita, Manabu Yamamoto, Y. Nakashima, Keiichi Shiokawa, Yuki Shin, Yoshiaki Fujimoto, Tomonori Nakanoko, Hideo Uehara, M. Sugiyama, M. Ota, Yohei Mano, K. Sugimachi, T. Okamoto, Y. Toh","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.93","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.93","url":null,"abstract":"Aim: To clarify the significance of surgical resection for pulmonary recurrence after curative esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Methods: Clinical details, such as the recurrence site, timing, and contents of therapies for recurrence, and the prognosis, were examined in 14 patients who underwent surgical resection for pulmonary recurrence that developed after curative esophagectomy. Results: The median disease-free interval after esophagectomy was 17.2 months. Two patients underwent pulmonary resection two times, and in one patient, three times. All pulmonary resections were performed when other extra-pulmonary recurrences had been controlled, and R0 resection was achieved. Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were additionally performed for pulmonary metastasis in 13 patients. The median survival time after initial pulmonary resection was 45.5 months, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 93%, 68%, and 43%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rate after initial pulmonary resection was 13% in patients with Stage III or IV esophageal cancer and 100% in those with Stage I or II disease (P = 0.010). The rate was 56% in patients with tumors < 20 mm in size, while all 5 patients with lesions ≥ 20 mm in size died within 3 years (P = 0.005). Page 2 of Morita et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2021;7:30 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.93 10 Conclusion: Surgical resection along with systemic therapy is a promising treatment strategy for pulmonary recurrence after curative esophagectomy when it is solitary and localized. Clinical factors, such as the esophageal cancer stage and the size of the pulmonary metastasis, are useful for deciding on the surgical indication.","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45637399","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Mansinho, P. Nejo, T. Leitão, S. Casimiro, L. Costa
{"title":"Management of bone metastases in renal cell carcinoma: bone-targeted treatments, systemic therapies, and radiotherapy","authors":"A. Mansinho, P. Nejo, T. Leitão, S. Casimiro, L. Costa","doi":"10.20517/2394-4722.2021.88","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2021.88","url":null,"abstract":"Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) presents with bone metastases in around 20%-30% of patients enrolled in the most recent first-line clinical trials. Emergence of several new agents in first line, in both monotherapy and combination, has significantly improved patient outcomes. However, the activity of such agents on bone metastases is unclear and management of these patients is complex, due to potential complications that can significantly impair quality of life. This review addresses mRCC diagnosis and monitoring and summarizes the current evidence on systemic therapy, ablative therapies such as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and surgery, and supportive therapy with bone-targeting agents for these patients, with the goal of improving their outcomes.","PeriodicalId":15167,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42506326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}