Monocytes as Targets for Cancer Therapies

Author(s):  
Astha Singh

The importance of monocytes in modulating the lymphocyte dependent tumor necrosis is a target for cancer therapeutics. Monocytes produce a plethora of chemokine receptors. Lymphocyte to monocyte ratio is one of the negative factors in cancer patients. It is being targeted for treatment of abnormal lymphocytopenia and monocytosis in untreatable metastatic cancer patients. The aim of the chapter is to throw light on the circadian and psychological factors that modulate the progression of cancer and identify novel targets for controlling transformation of preneoplasms to neoplasms, invasiveness, and metastasis.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (33) ◽  
pp. 5543-5561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Yang ◽  
Yae Hu ◽  
Quansheng Zhou

Metastasis is the main cause of death in cancer patients; there is currently no effective treatment for cancer metastasis. This is primarily due to our insufficient understanding of the metastatic mechanisms in cancer. An increasing number of studies have shown that the C-X-C motif chemokine Ligand 12 (CXCL12) is overexpressed in various tissues and organs. It is a key niche factor that nurtures the pre-metastatic niches (tumorigenic soil) and recruits tumor cells (oncogenic “seeds”) to these niches, thereby fostering cancer cell aggression and metastatic capabilities. However, the C-X-C motif chemokine Receptor 4 (CXCR4) is aberrantly overexpressed in various cancer stem/progenitor cells and functions as a CXCL12 receptor. CXCL12 activates CXCR4 as well as multiple downstream multiple tumorigenic signaling pathways, promoting the expression of various oncogenes. Activation of the CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling axis promotes Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and mobilization of cancer stem/progenitor cells to pre-metastatic niches. It also nurtures cancer cells with high motility, invasion, and dissemination phenotypes, thereby escalating multiple proximal or distal cancer metastasis; this results in poor patient prognosis. Based on this evidence, recent studies have explored either CXCL12- or CXCR4-targeted anti-cancer therapeutics and have achieved promising results in the preclinical trials. Further exploration of this new strategy and its potent therapeutics effect against metastatic cancer through the targeting of the CXCL12- CXCR4 signaling axis may lead to a novel therapy that can clean up the tumor microenvironment (“soil”) and kill the cancer cells, particularly the cancer stem/progenitor cells (“seeds”), in cancer patients. Ultimately, this approach has the potential to effectively treat metastatic cancer.


1983 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
P. Schmidt-Rhode ◽  
G. Sturm ◽  
K.-D. Schulz ◽  
H.J. Künzig ◽  
M. Wunsch

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197
Author(s):  
Julia Pohl ◽  
Raluca-Ileana Mincu ◽  
Simone M. Mrotzek ◽  
Reza Wakili ◽  
Amir A. Mahabadi ◽  
...  

Objective: To evaluate a new electrocardiographic (ECG) score reflecting domains of electrical and structural alterations in therapy-naïve cancer patients to assess their risk of cardiotoxicity. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 134 therapy-naïve consecutive cancer patients in our two university hospitals concerning four ECG score parameters: Contiguous Q-waves, markers of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, QRS duration and JTc prolongation. Cardiotoxicity was assessed after a short-term follow-up (up to 12 months). Results: Of all the patients (n = 25), 19% reached 0 points, 50% (n = 67) reached 1 point, 25% (n = 33) reached 2 points, 5% (n = 7) reached 3 points and 0.7% reached 4 or 5 points (n = 1 respectively). The incidence of cardiotoxicity (n = 28 [21%]) increased with the ECG score, with 0 points at 0%, 1 point 7.5%, 2 points 55%, 3 points 71% and ≥3 points 50%. In the ROC (Receiver operating curves) analysis, the best cut-off for predicting cardiotoxicity was an ECG score of ≥2 points (sensitivity 82%, specificity 82%, AUC 0.84, 95% CI 0.77–0.92, p < 0.0001) which was then defined as a high-risk score. High-risk patients did not differ concerning their age, LV ejection fraction, classical cardiovascular risk factors or cardiac biomarkers compared to those with a low-risk ECG score. Conclusion: ECG scoring prior to the start of anti-cancer therapies may help to identify therapy-naïve cancer patients at a higher risk for the development of cardiotoxicity.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Nontiya Homkham ◽  
Pooriwat Muangwong ◽  
Veeradej Pisprasert ◽  
Patrinee Traisathit ◽  
Rungarun Jiratrachu ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Immune-enhancing nutrition (IMN) strengthens the systematic inflammatory response and the immune system. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) are affected during cancer therapies. OBJECTIVE: We carried out an analysis of the dynamic changes in NLR and ALC over time in cancer patients with or without IMN supplementation. METHODS: 88 cancer patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) were randomized into regular diet group, and regular diet and IMN group.Generalized estimation equation models were used to assess associations between patient’s characteristics, IMN, and dynamic changes in NLR and ALC over time. RESULTS: NLR and ALC at preCCRT were significantly associated with dynamic changes in NLR (adjusted β= 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.64–1.52) and ALC (adjusted β= 0.41, 95% CI: 0.36–0.46). The magnitudes of the NLR and ALC changes through CCRT were lower in patients receiving IMN, although the differences were not statistically significant except ALC at the end of CCRT in head and neck cancer patients (P= 0.023). CONCLUSION: Dynamic negative changes in both markers were demonstrated throughout CCRT. There were non-significant trend in promising changes in both NLR and ALC values in the whole group in IMN supplementation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18618-e18618
Author(s):  
Alexander S. Qian ◽  
Edmund M. Qiao ◽  
Vinit Nalawade ◽  
Rohith S. Voora ◽  
Nikhil V. Kotha ◽  
...  

e18618 Background: Cancer patients frequently utilize the Emergency Department (ED) for a variety of diagnoses, both related and unrelated to their cancer. Patients with cancer have unique risks related to their cancer and treatment which could influence ED-related outcomes. A better understanding of these risks could help improve risk-stratification for these patients and help inform future interventions. This study sought to define the increased risks cancer patients face for inpatient admission and hospital mortality among cancer patients presenting to the ED. Methods: From the National Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) we identified patients with and without a diagnosis of cancer presenting to the ED between 2016 and 2018. We used International Classification of Diseases, version 10 (ICD10-CM) codes to identify patients with cancer, and to identify patient’s presenting diagnosis. Multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models assessed the influence of cancer diagnoses on two endpoints: hospital admission from the ED, and inpatient hospital mortality. Results: There were 340 million weighted ED visits, of which 8.3 million (2.3%) occurred in patients with a cancer diagnosis. Compared to non-cancer patients, patients with cancer had an increased risk of inpatient admission (64.7% vs. 14.8%; p < 0.0001) and hospital mortality (4.6% vs. 0.5%; p < 0.0001). Factors associated with both an increased risk of hospitalization and death included older age, male gender, lower income level, discharge quarter, and receipt of care in a teaching hospital. We identified the top 15 most common presenting diagnoses among cancer patients, and among each of these diagnoses, cancer patients had increased risks of hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] range 2.0-13.2; all p < 0.05) and death (OR range 2.1-14.4; all p < 0.05) compared to non-cancer patients with the same diagnosis. Within the cancer patient cohort, cancer site was the most robust individual predictor associated with risk of hospitalization or death, with highest risk among patients with metastatic cancer, liver and lung cancers compared to the reference group of prostate cancer patients. Conclusions: Cancer patients presenting to the ED have high risks for hospital admission and death when compared to patients without cancer. Cancer patients represent a distinct population and may benefit from cancer-specific risk stratification or focused interventions tailored to improve outcomes in the ED setting.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Lise Peille ◽  
Alexandra Musch ◽  
Hoor Al-Hasani ◽  
Heinz-Herbert Fiebig ◽  
Vincent Vuaroqueaux

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