scholarly journals PD-L2 Is Constitutively Expressed in Normal and Malignant Urothelium

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander C. Dowell ◽  
Haydn Munford ◽  
Anshita Goel ◽  
Naheema S. Gordon ◽  
Nicholas D. James ◽  
...  

The use of immune checkpoint blockade, in particular PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors, is now commonplace in many clinical settings including the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Notwithstanding, little information exists regarding the expression of the alternative PD-1 ligand, PD-L2 in urothelial bladder cancer (UBC). We therefore set out to characterise the expression of PD-L2 in comparison to PD-L1. Firstly, we assessed PD-L2 expression by immunohistochemistry and found widespread expression of PD-L2 in UBC, albeit with reduced expression in MIBC. We further investigated these findings using RNA-seq data from a cohort of 575 patients demonstrating that PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2) is widely expressed in UBC and correlated with CD274 (PD-L1). However, in contrast to our immunohistochemistry findings, expression was significantly increased in advanced disease. We have also provided detailed evidence of constitutive PD-L2 expression in normal urothelium and propose a mechanism by which PD-L2 is cleaved from the cell surface in MIBC. These data provide a comprehensive assessment of PD-L2 in UBC, showing PD-L2 is abundant in UBC and, importantly, constitutively present in normal urothelium. These data have implications for future development of immune checkpoint blockade, and also the understanding of the function of the immune system in the normal urinary bladder.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 7201
Author(s):  
In-Ho Kim ◽  
Hyo-Jin Lee

Radical cystectomy is the primary treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer; however, approximately 50% of patients develop metastatic disease within 2 years of diagnosis, which results in dismal prognosis. Therefore, systemic treatment is important to improve the prognosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Currently, several guidelines recommend cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy before radical cystectomy, and adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended in patients who have not received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have recently become the standard treatment option for metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Owing to their clinical benefits, several immune checkpoint inhibitors, with or without other agents (including other immunotherapy, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and emerging agents such as antibody drug conjugates), are being extensively investigated in perioperative settings. Several studies for perioperative immunotherapy have shown that immune checkpoint inhibitors have promising efficacy with relatively low toxicity, and have explored the predictive molecular biomarkers. Herein, we review the current evidence and discuss the future perspectives of perioperative systemic treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.


Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 769
Author(s):  
Arthur Peyrottes ◽  
Idir Ouzaid ◽  
Gianluigi Califano ◽  
Jean-Francois Hermieu ◽  
Evanguelos Xylinas

Background and Objectives: Facing neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery, neoadjuvant immunotherapy is an innovative concept in localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Herein, we performed a review of the available and ongoing evidence supporting immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) administration in the early stages of bladder cancer treatment. Materials and Methods: A literature search was performed on Medline and clinical trials databases, using the terms: “bladder cancer” OR “urothelial carcinoma”, AND “neoadjuvant immunotherapy” OR “preoperative immunotherapy”. We restricted our investigations to prospective clinical trials evaluating anti-PD-(L)1 and anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibodies. Data on efficacy, toxicity and potential biomarkers of response were retrieved. Results: The search identified 6 ICIs that were tested in the neoadjuvant setting for localized bladder cancer—4 anti-PD-(L)1 inhibitors (Pembrolizumab, Atezolizumab, Nivolumab and Durvalumab) and 2 anti-CTLA-4 inhibitors (Ipilimumab and Tremelimumab). Most of the existing literature was based on single-arm phase 2 clinical trials that included from 23 to 143 patients. The pathological complete response rate (pCR) and pathological response rate (pRR) ranged from 31% to 46% and from 55.9% to 66%, respectively. Survival data were immature at this time. The safety profile was acceptable, with severe treatment-related adverse events ranging from 6% to 41%. Conclusions: The results of early phase trials are encouraging, and more investigations are needed to strengthen the rationale for immune checkpoint inhibitor administration in localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer.


2021 ◽  
pp. 030089162110616
Author(s):  
Fausto Petrelli ◽  
Gianluca Perego ◽  
Ivano Vavassori ◽  
Andrea Luciani

In urothelial cancer of the bladder, the introduction of immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors represents progress in the management of the disease’s early and advanced stages. In particular, recent studies have implemented these drugs in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant phases to treat muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In some studies, patients received neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors alone (PURE and ABACUS) to treat muscle invasive bladder cancer, whereas other studies provided this therapy to cisplatin-ineligible patients. Furthermore, a large Phase III study (CheckMate 247) compared placebo with adjuvant nivolumab therapy in patients with high-risk urothelial cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery or surgery alone. Despite some uncertain niches (nonbladder, PD-L1-negative tumors, and node-negative resected cancers), certain biological opportunities (exploring new targets, evaluating in vivo pathologic response, focusing on biomarkers for response) and clinical uses (avoiding chemotherapy at all or in frail patients, attaining similar pathologic complete response rates as in cisplatin-based chemotherapy) are valid reasons for incorporating these agents into the therapeutic armamentarium of medical uro-oncologists.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 561-561
Author(s):  
Woonyoung Choi ◽  
Jean H. Hoffman-Censits ◽  
Megan Fong ◽  
Noah M. Hahn ◽  
Eva Comperat ◽  
...  

561 Background: Neuroendocrine bladder cancer (NEBC) is a rare and aggressive variant that is associated with poor survival outcomes. Because NEBC is rare, the molecular features of NEBC remain poorly characterized. Therefore, we characterized NEBC at the molecular level to understand the underlying biology and identify novel therapeutic targets. Methods: Whole transcriptome RNAseq was performed on FFPE cores from 24 NEBCs and 51 conventional muscle-invasive bladder cancers (MIBCs) from Tenon Hospital in Paris. Results: Unsupervised cluster analysis of 75 tumors generated 2 distinct clusters that separated NEBCs from MIBCs. The NEBC tumors were strongly enriched with biomarkers for the characteristic of neuroendocrine or small cell malignancies, including DLL3, SOX2, and EZH2. In addition, E2F1 pathway is significantly enriched due to the impair of RB/p53 pathways. Further, the NEBCs were enriched with the TCGA’s neuronal differentiation genes that were associated with high response rates in patients treated in atezolizumab (anti-PDL1) within the context of the ImVigor 210 trial. Nevertheless, the NEBCs were characterized by suppressed immune pathway gene expression signatures, such as the Th1 pathway, effector T cell lymphocyte, and IFNg that are usually highly enriched in tumors that are sensitive to immune checkpoint blockade. Of candidate mechanisms, the suppressed TGFbpathway activity observed in the NEBCs was the most obvious explanation for sensitivity to checkpoint blockade. Conclusions: NEBCs are distinct from conventional MIBCs by gene expression signature. They are also characterized by overexpression of canonical neuroendocrine markers and inhibition of TGFb pathway activity.


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