Hedgehog Pathway as a Potential Intervention Target in Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer (EC) is an aggressive disease with a poor prognosis. Treatment resistance is a major challenge in successful anti-cancer therapy. Pathological complete response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation (nCRT) is low, thus requiring therapy optimization. The Hedgehog (HH) pathway has been implicated in therapy resistance, as well as in cancer stemness. This article focusses on the HH pathway as a putative target in the treatment of EC. Immunohistochemistry on HH members was applied to EC patient material followed by modulation of 3D-EC cell cultures, fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and gene expression analysis after HH pathway modulation. Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) and its receptor Patched1 (PTCH1) were significantly enriched in EC resection material of patients with microresidual disease (mRD) after receiving nCRT, compared to the control group. Stimulation with SHH resulted in an up-regulation of cancer stemness in EC sphere cultures, as indicated by increased sphere formation after sorting for CD44+/CD24− EC cancer stem-like cell (CSC) population. On the contrary, inhibiting this pathway with vismodegib led to a decrease in cancer stemness and both radiation and carboplatin resistance. Our results strengthen the role of the HH pathway in chemoradiotherapy resistance. These findings suggest that targeting the HH pathway could be an attractive approach to control CSCs.

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Contrast effects of autophagy in the treatment of bladder cancer

Experimental Biology and Medicine ◽

10.1177/1535370220959336 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 153537022095933

Author(s):

Ece Konac ◽

Yener Kurman ◽

Sümer Baltaci

Keyword(s):

Bladder Cancer ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Treatment Resistance ◽

Therapy Resistance ◽

Dual Role ◽

Cancer Treatments ◽

Chemotherapy Drugs ◽

Anti Cancer

Bladder cancer is a disease that negatively affects patients’ quality of life, but treatment options have remained unchanged for a long time. Although promising results have been achieved with current bladder cancer treatments, cancer recurrence, progression, and therapy resistance are the most severe problems preventing the efficiency of bladder cancer treatments. Autophagy refers to an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process in which proteins, damaged organelles, and cytoplasmic components are degraded by lysosomal enzymes. Autophagy regulates the therapeutic response to the chemotherapy drugs, thus determining the effect of therapy on cancer cells. Autophagy is a stress-induced cell survival mechanism and its excessive stimulation can cause resistance of tumor cells to therapeutic agents. Depending on the conditions, an increase in autophagy may cause treatment resistance or autophagic cell death, and it is related to important anti-cancer mechanisms, such as apoptosis. Therefore, understanding the roles of autophagy under different conditions is important for designing effective anti-cancer agents. The dual role of autophagy in cancer has attracted considerable attention in respect of bladder cancer treatment. In this review, we summarize the basic characteristics of autophagy, including its mechanisms, regulation, and functions, and we present examples from current studies concerning the dual role of autophagy in bladder cancer progression and therapy. Impact statement Autophagy acts as an intracellular recycling system. Infection and mitochondrial damage, maintaining cellular homeostasis, orchestrating nutrient stress, hypoxia, and oxidative stress are some of the physiological roles associated with autophagy. Autophagy has also context-dependent roles in cancer. Autophagy has a significant impact on tumor initiation and promotion, with both tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting roles. Unfortunately, conventional systemic chemotherapy for cancer therapy has been reported to have primary limitations such as chemo-resistance of targeted cells. The cytoprotective role of autophagy has been postulated as one of the causes of this resistance. Hence, combination therapy using autophagy inhibitors has recently started to emerge as a noteworthy strategy in the treatment of cancer. Therefore, targeting the autophagy pathways may be a potential therapeutic strategy for addressing cancer progression or therapy resistance in the near future. This review will provide a novel insight to understanding the paradoxical roles of autophagy in tumor suppression and tumor promotion.

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Resveratrol: A new potential therapeutic agent for melanoma?

Current Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/0929867326666191212101225 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mohamad Hossein Pourhanifeh ◽

Kazem Abbaszadeh-Goudarzi ◽

Mohammad Goodarzi ◽

Sara G.M. Piccirillo ◽

Alimohammad Shafiee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Therapeutic Agent ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Treatment Resistance ◽

Anti Cancer ◽

Apoptosis Inducer ◽

Life Threatening ◽

First Time

: Melanoma is the most life-threatening and aggressive class of skin malignancies. The incidence of melanoma has steadily increased. Metastatic melanoma is greatly resistant to standard anti-melanomatreatments such as chemotherapy, and 5-year survival rate of cases with melanoma who have metastatic form of disease is less than 10%. The contributing role of apoptosis, angiogenesis and autophagy in the pathophysiology of melanoma has been previously demonstrated. Thus, it is extremely urgent to search for complementary therapeutic approachesthat couldenhance the quality of life of subjects and reduce treatment resistance and adverse effects. Resveratrol, known as a polyphenol component present in grapes and some plants, has anti-cancer properties due to its function as an apoptosis inducer in tumor cells, and anti-angiogenic agent to prevent metastasis. However, more clinical trials should be conducted to prove resveratrol efficacy. : Herein, for first time, we summarize current knowledge of anti-cancerous activities of resveratrol in melanoma.

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MicroRNAs and Apoptosis in Colorectal Cancer

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21155353 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (15) ◽

pp. 5353 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hsiuying Wang

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Treatment Resistance ◽

Therapeutic Resistance ◽

Cancer Therapies ◽

Malignant Cells ◽

Apoptosis Induction ◽

The Third ◽

Anti Cancer ◽

The World

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer death in the world, and its incidence is rising in developing countries. Treatment with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is known to improve survival in CRC patients. Most anti-cancer therapies trigger apoptosis induction to eliminate malignant cells. However, de-regulated apoptotic signaling allows cancer cells to escape this signaling, leading to therapeutic resistance. Treatment resistance is a major challenge in the development of effective therapies. The microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in CRC treatment resistance and CRC progression and apoptosis. This review discusses the role of miRNAs in contributing to the promotion or inhibition of apoptosis in CRC and the role of miRNAs in modulating treatment resistance in CRC cells.

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Preventive effect of rikkunshito, traditional Japanese medicine, for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2013.31.4_suppl.131 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 131-131

Author(s):

Shinya Kajiura ◽

Ayumu Hosokawa ◽

Sohachi Nanjyo ◽

Hiroki Yoshita ◽

Nobuhiro Suzuki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Esophageal Cancer ◽

Complete Response ◽

Nausea And Vomiting ◽

High Dose ◽

Preventive Effect ◽

Major Toxicity ◽

Traditional Japanese Medicine ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Anti Cancer ◽

Cancer Anorexia

131 Background: Supportive therapies are being developed for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Rikkunshito is a Kanpo medicine, which is a part of traditionally practiced Japanese-based ancient Chinese medicine. It has been reported to be effective against cisplatin-induced anorexia in rats. In the present study, we evaluated the preventive effect of Rikkunshito for CINV in patients receiving high-dose cisplatin. Methods: We selected subjects who received chemotherapy including cisplatin (≥60mg/m2) for gastric or esophageal cancer between April 2010 and August 2012 at our institution. We targeted 20 cases treated without a reduction in the anti-cancer medication in the second course and added 7.5g/day of Rikkunshito, orally administered for seven days, to their second course treatment regimen. All cases were treated with 5-HT3 receptor antagonist and steroid, and palonosetron for the prevention of CINV in their first and second courses. We evaluated the complete response (CR, defined as no emesis and no rescue medication) rate and other toxicity, according to CTCAE v4.0, of the first and second courses. Results: The median age of the patients was 63 years (range, 49–77 years). The chemotherapy regimens were cisplatin + 5-FU in 15 cases with esophageal cancer, cisplatin + S-1 in five cases with gastric cancer. Anorexia in the first course was grade 0/1/2 = 5/11/4, but had been mitigated in the second course to grade 0/1/2 = 12/6/2 (P = 0.042). CR rate was 75.0% in the first course (95% CI, 56.0%–94.0%) and by the second course had improved to 95.0% (95% CI, 85.4%–100%). And about the other major toxicity, there was no significant difference between first and second courses. Conclusions: These results suggest that Rikkunshito has the potential to improve CINV in patients receiving high-dose cisplatin.

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The role of mTOR inhibitors in targeting a putative cancer stem cell-like population in esophageal cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2016.34.4_suppl.43 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 34 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 43-43

Author(s):

Da Wang ◽

Roland Chiu ◽

John Theodorus Plukker ◽

Robert P. Coppes

Keyword(s):

Esophageal Cancer ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin ◽

Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy ◽

Mtor Inhibitors ◽

Mtor Pathway ◽

Tumor Biopsy ◽

Sphere Formation ◽

Dose Dependent

43 Background: Despite modern advances in the treatment of esophageal cancer (EC), using neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and esophagectomy, most patients face poor outcome. Growing evidence indicates that cancer stem cells (CSCs) might contribute to the poor prospects. CSCs are usually resistant to CRT and ultimately can generate a new tumor. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is associated with cancer stemness. However, its role in EC CSC-like populations needs to be elucidated. Here, we investigate the role of mTOR pathway on the stemness of a putative CSC-like population. Methods: Previously, we identified a putative CSC-like population (CD44+/CD24-) in EC cell lines and in tumor biopsy from EC patients. qPCR was used to measure the expression of mTOR in CD44+/CD24- CSC-like population of OE21 squamous cell carcinoma and OE33 adenocarcinoma cell lines compared to controls, that consisted of solid tumors generated from the same cell lines obtained from xenografts. mTOR inhibitors rapamycin and torin-1 were used to see their effect on CD44+/CD24- expression and sphere formation. Results: mTOR expression was 2-fold up-regulated in the OE33 CD44+/CD24- CSC-like population compared to control. Furthermore, in OE21 this up-regulation was 1.9-fold. Surprisingly, inhibiting the mTOR pathway with rapamycin enhanced OE33 CD44+/CD24- expression compared to its control (p = 0.01). In pilot experiments this effect was dose dependent and cells treated with rapamycin formed more spheres than control. Rapamycin did not alter the expression of CD44+/CD24- in OE21. Inhibiting the mTOR pathway with Torin-1 enhanced OE21 CD44+/CD24- expression by 1.2-fold compared to control (N = 2). In another pilot experiment Torin-1 treated cells were able to form more spheres compared to control. Torin-1 did not have an effect on the expression of CD44+/CD24- in OE33. Conclusions: These findings indicate that inhibiting the mTOR pathway may enhance CSC-like properties in EC. Additional research needs to be done to further support this hypothesis and elucidate the mechanism in this process. Furthermore, the effect of mTOR pathway inducers in EC needs to be explored.

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