{"title":"Precision medicine approaches to CNS metastatic disease.","authors":"Toni Cao, Meaghan Roy-O'Reilly, Seema Nagpal","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2025.04.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2025.04.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brain metastases (BrM) and leptomeningeal metastases (LM) are increasingly common neurologic complications of cancer. The era of precision oncology has ushered in a deeper understanding of the molecular alterations that drive oncogenesis, subsequently informing and accelerating the drug development process. New systemic treatments, including oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) as well as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), have substantial intracranial efficacy with meaningful clinical benefit for BrM patients. Our understanding of LM continues to evolve with the development of improved detection methods and an increasing number of brain penetrant therapies. Targeted therapeutics continue to transform the existing treatment landscape and add both choice and complexity to the clinician's calculus when managing patients with BrM and/or LM. Multidisciplinary discussion should ultimately guide all treatment decisions and explore both the benefits and toxicities of various therapy options. Systemic targeted therapies should be considered for patients with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic small BrM and/or LM. Future studies investigating treatment timing and effective combinatorial strategies are urgently needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"165 ","pages":"57-114"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144304247","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":"Radiation therapy for cerebral metastases: Non-stereotactic treatment options.","authors":"John G Roubil, Timothy J Harris","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2025.04.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2025.04.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human development of the blood-brain-barrier - a semi-permeable membrane that both separates and protects the brain and spinal cord from potential toxins coursing through the human circulatory system, while simultaneously permitting oxygen and nutrient delivery - also lead to the creation of the largest sanctuary site for malignancy in the human body: the central nervous system (CNS) . The most commonly used cocktails of chemotherapeutic treatments are unable to breach the blood-brain-barrier and treat metastatic cancer cells seeking asylum behind its walls, and other sanctuary sites (e.g. genital tract, testicles, placenta and umbilical cord in pregnancy, etc.). As a result, therapies that are unobstructed by the blood-brain-barrier are of paramount importance when treating CNS metastases. Radiation therapy (RT) is among these commonly employed modalities and can be used as both a first line treatment and, in some cases, as prophylaxis against microscopic disease armed with the potential to mature into symptomatic cerebral metastases.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"165 ","pages":"231-254"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144304248","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}
Stylianos Pikis, Maria Protopapa, Georgios Mantziaris, Mahmoud Osama, Jason Sheehan
{"title":"Stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases.","authors":"Stylianos Pikis, Maria Protopapa, Georgios Mantziaris, Mahmoud Osama, Jason Sheehan","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2025.04.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2025.04.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Brain metastases are the most common intracranial malignancies in adults, and, depending on primary tumor type, they may affect up to 50 % of cancer patients. Although advances in systemic and local therapies have led to improvements in patient overall survival and progression free survival, there remains substantial opportunities to improve patient outcomes. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) delivers high doses of ionizing radiation with sub-millimeter accuracy to discrete intracranial tumors. It has emerged as the standard of care for patients with limited number of brain metastases, and it serves as a valuable adjuvant after resection. Moreover, SRS is typically seamlessly integrated into systemic therapy treatment regimens. Continued improvement in SRS technology and growing evidence have led to expansion of SRS indications and introduction of new SRS techniques. Frameless SRS technologies have allowed for treatment of larger lesions and even lesions adjacent to critical structures for which single session SRS would not be prudent. Neoadjuvant SRS has recently been proposed as an alternative to adjuvant SRS and appears to help reduce the risk of leptomeningeal dissemination. These novel SRS techniques require further evaluation through prospective clinical trials and registry based studies. In addition, the concurrent combination of systemic therapies with central nervous system (CNS) activity and SRS has yielded promising results with respect to local control and adverse radiation events rates. The concurrent delivery of SRS, precision medicine, and/or immunotherapy requires further refinements to fully optimize patient outcomes. In this review, we detail the current literature on established and forthcoming indications of SRS for brain metastases.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"165 ","pages":"115-143"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144304249","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":"The history of LITT for the treatment of active brain metastasis and radiation necrosis.","authors":"Theresa Gammel, Shawn D'Souza, William Broaddus","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2025.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Treatment of brain metastasis has traditionally included surgical resection for single lesions in accessible locations. However, multiple lesions, small size, location within deeper structures or need for transgression of eloquent cortex renders surgical resection a less viable option. Stereotactic radiosurgery and whole brain radiation are additional treatment options, however risks of worsening neurocognitive symptoms, post-radiation edema, and most significant, radiation necrosis are apparent. With advances in minimally invasive laser delivery systems and magnetic resonance imaging, laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) has become an increasingly popular option for brain metastasis and radiation necrosis. This chapter will review the history and physics of LITT, discuss pioneering cases which pushed the boundaries of this therapy, and seminal trials which have explored its efficacy in treating brain metastasis and radiation necrosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"165 ","pages":"145-164"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144304250","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":"Intraoperative imaging techniques to improve tumor detection in the surgical management of gliomas.","authors":"David Bailey, Brad E Zacharia","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2025.05.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2025.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The modern treatment of both high and low-grade glioma involves achieving a maximum resection of radiographically visible as well as occult infiltrative tissue without sacrificing neurologic function. To this end, several intraoperative imaging adjuncts have been developed including translation of traditional imaging tools such as MRI, CT scan, and ultrasonography to the operating room. Novel techniques in glioma surgery include fluorescence guided surgery which takes advantage of cellular differences to illuminate tumor tissue and allow for easier differentiation. Future intraoperative imaging techniques are focused on identifying histopathologic differences between tumor and normal brain to maximize the identification of infiltrative tissue that is otherwise not visible with existing techniques. In this chapter we will describe the advantages and disadvantages of each of these techniques and describe how each can be used in the modern neurosurgeon's armamentarium.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"166 ","pages":"103-135"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144661436","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":"Radiotherapeutic approaches in the treatment of adult gliomas.","authors":"John G Roubil, Timothy J Harris","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2025.05.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2025.05.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In the Summer of 2021 the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a reclassification of central nervous system (CNS) malignancies, which would ultimately change how adult gliomas would be defined, classified, and treated. The 2021 update emphasized molecular diagnostics in its reclassification of tumors, while also staying true to prior incorporation of both histology and immunohistochemistry. This chapter will summarize these definitions, epidemiology, work-up, and management of adult diffuse gliomas with an emphasis on radiotherapy (RT) treatment planning.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"166 ","pages":"153-182"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144661505","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}
Pedro P Gonçalves, Cláudia L da Silva, Nuno Bernardes
{"title":"Advancing cancer therapeutics: Integrating scalable 3D cancer models, extracellular vesicles, and omics for enhanced therapy efficacy.","authors":"Pedro P Gonçalves, Cláudia L da Silva, Nuno Bernardes","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2024.07.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2024.07.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer remains as one of the highest challenges to human health. However, anticancer drugs exhibit one of the highest attrition rates compared to other therapeutic interventions. In part, this can be attributed to a prevalent use of in vitro models with limited recapitulative potential of the in vivo settings. Three dimensional (3D) models, such as tumor spheroids and organoids, offer many research opportunities to address the urgent need in developing models capable to more accurately mimic cancer biology and drug resistance profiles. However, their wide adoption in high-throughput pre-clinical studies is dependent on scalable manufacturing to support large-scale therapeutic drug screenings and multi-omic approaches for their comprehensive cellular and molecular characterization. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which have been emerging as promising drug delivery systems (DDS), stand to significantly benefit from such screenings conducted in realistic cancer models. Furthermore, the integration of these nanomedicines with 3D cancer models and omics profiling holds the potential to deepen our understanding of EV-mediated anticancer effects. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the existing 3D models used in cancer research, namely spheroids and organoids, the innovations in their scalable production and discuss how omics can facilitate the implementation of these models at different stages of drug testing. We also explore how EVs can advance drug delivery in cancer therapies and how the synergy between 3D cancer models and omics approaches can benefit in this process.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"163 ","pages":"137-185"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142305454","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":"Mitochondrial metallopeptidase OMA1 in cancer.","authors":"Gunjan Purohit, Polash Ghosh, Oleh Khalimonchuk","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2024.05.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/bs.acr.2024.05.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Our understanding of the roles that mitochondria play in cellular physiology has evolved drastically-from a mere cellular energy supplier to a crucial regulator of metabolic and signaling processes, particularly in the context of development and progression of human diseases such as cancers. The present review examines the role of OMA1, a conserved, redox-sensitive metallopeptidase in cancer biology. OMA1's involvement in mitochondrial quality control, redox activity, and stress responses underscores its potential as a novel target in cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, our incomplete understanding of OMA1's regulation and structural detail presents ongoing challenges to target OMA1 for therapeutic purposes. Further exploration of OMA1 holds promise in uncovering novel insights into cancer mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. In this chapter, we briefly summarize our current knowledge about OMA1, its redox-regulation, and emerging role in certain cancers.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"162 ","pages":"75-97"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141790737","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}
Sheeraz Un Nazir, Juhi Mishra, Shailendra Kumar Maurya, Negin Ziamiavaghi, Sanika Bodas, Benjamin A Teply, Samikshan Dutta, Kaustubh Datta
{"title":"Deciphering the genetic and epigenetic architecture of prostate cancer.","authors":"Sheeraz Un Nazir, Juhi Mishra, Shailendra Kumar Maurya, Negin Ziamiavaghi, Sanika Bodas, Benjamin A Teply, Samikshan Dutta, Kaustubh Datta","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2024.06.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2024.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prostate cancer, one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men, leads to significant mortality worldwide. Its study is important due to the complexity and diversity in its progression, highlighting the urgent need for improved therapeutic strategies. This chapter probes into the genetic and epigenetic factors influencing prostate cancer progression, underscoring the importance of understanding the disease's molecular fundamentals for the development of targeted therapies. It specifically reviews the role of key genetic mutations in genes such as Androgen Receptor, TP53, SPOP, FOXA1 and PTEN which are crucial for the disease onset and a progression. Furthermore, it examines the impact of epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and histone modification, which contribute to the cancer's progression by affecting gene expression and cellular behavior. Further, in this chapter we delve into the underlying signaling mechanism, the advancements in targeting genetic and epigenetic alterations in prostate cancer. These findings have revealed promising targets for therapeutic advancements, aiming to understand and identify promising avenues for future therapies. This chapter improves our current understanding of prostate cancer genetic and epigenetic landscape, emphasizing the necessity of advancing our knowledge to refine and expand treatment options for prostate cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"161 ","pages":"191-221"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141736277","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":"Understanding the molecular regulators of neuroendocrine prostate cancer.","authors":"Sreyashi Bhattacharya, Avery Stillahn, Kaitlin Smith, Michael Muders, Kaustubh Datta, Samikshan Dutta","doi":"10.1016/bs.acr.2024.04.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acr.2024.04.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Worldwide, prostate cancer (PCa) remains a leading cause of death in men. Histologically, the majority of PCa cases are classified as adenocarcinomas, which are mainly composed of androgen receptor-positive luminal cells. PCa is initially driven by the androgen receptor axis, where androgen-mediated activation of the receptor is one of the primary culprits for disease progression. Therefore, in advanced stage PCa, patients are generally treated with androgen deprivation therapies alone or in combination with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors. However, after an initial decrease, the cancer recurs for majority patients. At this stage, cancer is known as castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Majority of CRPC tumors still depend on androgen receptor axis for its progression to metastasis. However, in around 20-30% of cases, CRPC progresses via an androgen receptor-independent pathway and is often presented as neuroendocrine cancer (NE). This NE phenotype is highly aggressive with poor overall survival as compared to CRPC adenocarcinoma. NE cancers are resistant to standard taxane chemotherapies, which are often used to treat metastatic disease. Pathologically and morphologically, NE cancers are highly diverse and often co-exist with adenocarcinoma. Due to the lack of proper biomarkers, it is often difficult to make an early diagnosis of this lethal disease. Moreover, increased tumor heterogeneity and admixtures of adeno and NE subtypes in the same tumor make early detection of NE tumors very difficult. With the advancement of our knowledge and sequencing technology, we are now able to better understand the molecular mediators of this transformation pathway. This current study will give an update on how various molecular regulators are involved in these lineage transformation processes and what challenges we are still facing to detect and treat this cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":94294,"journal":{"name":"Advances in cancer research","volume":"161 ","pages":"403-429"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141736301","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}