scholarly journals Neuroendocrine and Aggressive-Variant Prostate Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 3792
Author(s):  
Nicholas Spetsieris ◽  
Myrto Boukovala ◽  
Georgios Patsakis ◽  
Ioannis Alafis ◽  
Eleni Efstathiou

In prostate cancer, neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation may rarely present de novo or more frequently arises following hormonal therapy in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Its distinct phenotype is characterized by an aggressive clinical course, lack of responsiveness to hormonal therapies and poor prognosis. Importantly, a subset of CRPC patients exhibits an aggressive-variant disease with very similar clinical and molecular characteristics to small-cell prostate cancer (SCPC) even though tumors do not have NE differentiation. This aggressive-variant prostate cancer (AVPC) also shares the sensitivity of SCPC to platinum-based chemotherapy albeit with short-lived clinical benefit. As optimal treatment strategies for AVPC remain elusive, currently ongoing research efforts aim to enhance our understanding of the biology of this disease entity and improve treatment outcomes for our patients. This review is an overview of our current knowledge on prostate cancer with NE differentiation and AVPC, with a focus on their clinical characteristics and management, including available as well as experimental therapeutic strategies.

2019 ◽  
Vol 144 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varsha Manucha ◽  
John Henegan

Context.— Aggressive variant prostate cancer (AVPCa) develops in a subset of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The clinical and histologic overlap of AVPCa with other neuroendocrine carcinomas of the prostate has resulted in a lack of consensus on its terminology and treatment. Objective.— To review AVPCa to familiarize pathologists with this entity so they can actively participate in the detection, ongoing research, and evolving management of AVPCa. Data Sources.— The English language literature was reviewed. Conclusions.— The current review summarizes the pathologic features of AVPCa, describes how it has been defined clinically, and discusses how biomarkers may inform treatment strategies in the future.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Montironi ◽  
Alessia Cimadamore ◽  
Antonio Lopez-Beltran ◽  
Marina Scarpelli ◽  
Gaetano Aurilio ◽  
...  

The term aggressive variant prostate cancer (AVPCa) refers to androgen receptor (AR)-independent anaplastic forms of prostate cancer (PCa), clinically characterized by a rapidly progressive disease course. This involves hormone refractoriness and metastasis in visceral sites. Morphologically, AVPCa is made up of solid sheets of cells devoid of pleomorphism, with round and enlarged nuclei with prominent nucleoli and slightly basophilic cytoplasm. The cells do not show the typical architectural features of prostatic adenocarcinoma and mimic the undifferentiated carcinoma of other organs and locations. The final diagnosis is based on the immunohistochemical expression of markers usually seen in the prostate, such as prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). A subset of AVPCa can also express neuroendocrine (NE) markers such as chromogranin A, synaptophysin and CD56. This letter subset represents an intermediate part of the spectrum of NE tumors which ranges from small cell to large cell carcinoma. All such tumors can develop following potent androgen receptor pathway inhibition. This means that castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPCa) transdifferentiates and becomes a treatment-related NE PCa in a clonally divergent manner. The tumors that do not show NE differentiation might harbor somatic and/or germline alterations in the DNA repair pathway. The identification of these subtypes has direct clinical relevance with regard to the potential benefit of platinum-based chemotherapy, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors and likely further therapies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-395
Author(s):  
Peter H. J. Slootbeek ◽  
Marleen L. Duizer ◽  
Maarten J. Doelen ◽  
Iris S. H. Kloots ◽  
Malou C. P. Kuppen ◽  
...  

BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias E. Meunier ◽  
Pascal Blanchet ◽  
Yann Neuzillet ◽  
Thierry Lebret ◽  
Laurent Brureau

Abstract Background Prostate cancer among black men is known to have specific molecular characteristics, especially the androgen receptor or enzymes related to the androgen metabolism. These targets are keys to the action of new hormonal therapies. Nevertheless, literature has a lack of data regarding black men. We aimed to gather the available literature data on new hormonal therapies among black populations. Methods We conducted a literature review from the PubMed / MEDLINE database until October 2020. All clinical studies of new hormonal therapies and black populations, regardless of methodology, were included. Results Four studies provided data on new hormonal therapies in black populations. Three studies reported a PSA decline in black patients treated with Abiraterone, higher in black men than in white men. Overall survival also appears to be higher in black patients treated with Abiraterone only or first. Conclusion Few articles have evaluated the effectiveness and safety of use of these treatments among black populations. The first results seem to show that Abiraterone can provide a benefit in overall survival in black populations. Prospective studies are needed to answer these questions in the future.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingzhe Liu ◽  
Lingyun Wu ◽  
Sabine Montaut ◽  
Guangdong Yang

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) was originally considered toxic at elevated levels; however just in the past decade H2S has been proposed to be an important gasotransmitter with various physiological and pathophysiological roles in the body. H2S can be generated endogenously from L-cysteine by multiple enzymes, including cystathionine gamma-lyase, cystathionine beta-synthase, and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase in combination with cysteine aminotransferase. Prostate cancer is a major health concern and no effective treatment for prostate cancers is available. H2S has been shown to inhibit cell survival of androgen-independent, androgen-dependent, and antiandrogen-resistant prostate cancer cells through different mechanisms. Various H2S-releasing compounds, including sulfide salts, diallyl disulfide, diallyl trisulfide, sulforaphane, and other polysulfides, also have been shown to inhibit prostate cancer growth and metastasis. The expression of H2S-producing enzyme was reduced in both human prostate cancer tissues and prostate cancer cells. Androgen receptor (AR) signaling is indispensable for the development of castration resistant prostate cancer, and H2S was shown to inhibit AR transactivation and contributes to antiandrogen-resistant status. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge of H2S signaling in prostate cancer and described the molecular alterations, which may bring this gasotransmitter into the clinic in the near future for developing novel pharmacological and therapeutic interventions for prostate cancer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 83-83
Author(s):  
Paul Vincent Viscuse ◽  
Miao Zhang ◽  
Jingjing Liu ◽  
Rebecca Tidwell ◽  
Sumit Kumar Subudhi ◽  
...  

83 Background: Most prostate cancers are driven by the androgen receptor (AR) and have significant responses to AR inhibition. However, approximately 20-30% respond poorly to AR signaling inhibitors and have an atypical and virulent clinical course. Previous studies have shown that early declines in PSA and CTC on treatment are linked with “AR-responsiveness” in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Few non-androgen directed therapies are approved for AR-unresponsive patients though combination cabazitaxel and carboplatin showed efficacy in this patient population in a phase I/II trial (Corn et al. Lancet Oncol, 2019). We hypothesized that early addition of chemotherapy in AR-unresponsive patients would improve outcomes. Methods: In a modular phase II trial (NCT02703623), men with mCRPC treated with abiraterone acetate plus prednisone and apalutamide were classified at week 8 as having a ‘satisfactory’ decline in PSA (≥ 50% from baseline) and CTC (≤5/7.5mL) or ‘unsatisfactory’. Patients with ‘unsatisfactory’ declines had carboplatin and cabazitaxel added to the AR inhibitors. Primary objectives included the estimation of the overall survival (OS) of patients in this cohort. Results: 198 men were registered. 59 (31.5%) of 187 evaluable had ‘unsatisfactory’ marker declines. Patients were primarily white/non-Hispanic men (81%) over the age of 60 (78%) with ECOG score of 0 (75%). Median baseline PSA and CTC were 11.3 ng/mL and 9.0 cells/mL respectively. Median follow-up was 31.7 months with median OS 19.2 months (95% CI 14.8-27.8). Median TTF was 9.0 months (6.9-11.0). Related adverse events included decreased WBC (39%; 15% G3+), anemia (56%; 7% G3+), and lymphopenia (59%; 8% G3+). There was one grade 5 sepsis of unknown attribution. Conclusions: Although early platinum-based chemotherapy offers a durable response in a subset of AR unresponsive patients, there were patients that continued to have rapid progression. We will present additional clinical and molecular data (IHC, RNA-seq, WES) in an attempt to further differentiate AR responders from AR non-responders. Clinical trial information: NCT02703623.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 123-123
Author(s):  
Gunhild Von Amsberg ◽  
Mirjam Zilles ◽  
Philipp Gild ◽  
Winfried Alsdorf ◽  
Lukas Boeckelmann ◽  
...  

123 Background: Recent developments in the treatment of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) lead to a revival of platinum-based chemotherapy demonstrating increased activity in patients with aggressive variants of disease. Here, we report on the results of a combinational salvage therapy with cisplatin, ifosfamide and paclitaxel (TIP) in mCRPC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with mCRPC treated with TIP at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf between November 2013 and September 2020. Accompanying in vitro analyses were performed using human prostate carcinoma cell lines harboring different levels of drug resistance including the docetaxel-resistant sublines PC3-DR and DU45-DR. Results: In total, 17 mCRPC patients treated with TIP were eligible for efficacy analyses with a median age of 65 yrs. At baseline, liver metastases were present in 88%, metastases of other visceral sides (lung, adrenal gland, brain) in 47% and bone metastases in 76% of the patients. Median hemoglobin was 9.8mg/dl, LDH 903 U/l and AP 205 U/l. Median PSA value was 77 ng/ml covering a wide range including three patients with a PSA-value below 1ng/ml. NSE was evaluated in 83% of the patients (median 38,5 U/l). Patients were extensively pretreated with a median of three treatment lines before TIP (100% docetaxel, 82% abirateron and/or enzalutamide, 47% cabazitaxel, 41% others). A median of 3,5 cycles of TIP were applied with 29% of the patients receiving the maximum of 6 cycles. Four patients discontinued treatment due to side effects (PNP, infection, ifosfamide induced psychosis). At interim analyses, 59 % of the patients showed a radiological response or stable disease with only one patient progressing till the end of treatment. Median PFS was 2.5 months, median OS 6 months. A decrease of PSA > 30% and LDH > 50% was observed in 41% and 35% of the patients, respectively. In vitro experiments revealed additive effects of TIP in 22Rv1, LNCaP and DU45 cells and synergistic effects in neuroendocrine LASCPC-01 cells. In PC3 cells, TIP induced antagonistic effects at lower doses, whereas dose-independent additive effects were observed in docetaxel-resistant PC3-DR. Surprisingly, preliminary data of combined therapies with different drug pairs suggest an antagonistic effect of paclitaxel in the combination with both, cisplatin and ifosfamide. Conclusions: Combinational therapy with cisplatin, ifosfamide and paclitaxel showed promising activity in some patients with aggressive mCRPC. Preclinical data suggest that the drug combination of cisplatin and ifosfamide rule the efficacy of TIP in mCRPC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin J. Connor ◽  
Taimur T. Shah ◽  
Gail Horan ◽  
Charlotte L. Bevan ◽  
Mathias Winkler ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 708-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nima Sharifi

Abstract The decades-old terminology of androgen independence has been replaced in recent years with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Biological and clinical evidence have together conspired to support the use of this revised terminology by demonstrating that in the vast majority of cases tumors are neither truly depleted of androgens, nor are they free of the requirement for androgens to sustain growth and progression. Abiraterone acetate, an androgen synthesis inhibitor, and enzalutamide, a potent androgen receptor antagonist, both exploit the continued requirement for androgens. A central question, given the therapeutic gains enabled by further suppression of the androgen axis with these newer agents, is whether there may be additional clinical benefit gained by moving the goal posts of androgen suppression even further. The answer lies in part with the mechanisms utilized by tumors that enable resistance to these therapies. The aims of this review were to give a broad outline of steroidogenesis in prostate cancer and to highlight recent developments in understanding resistance to hormonal therapies.


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