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The World Journal of Men's Health Oct 2023The introduction of novel therapeutic agents for advanced prostate cancer has led to a wide range of treatment options for patients with metastatic castration-resistant... (Review)
Review
The introduction of novel therapeutic agents for advanced prostate cancer has led to a wide range of treatment options for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). In the past decade, new treatment options for mCRPC, including abiraterone, enzalutamide, docetaxel, cabazitaxel, sipuleucel-T, radium-223, Lu-PSMA-617, and Olaparib, have demonstrated a survival benefit in phase 3 trials. Bone-modifying agents have become part of the overall treatment strategy for mCRPC, in which denosumab and zoledronic acid reduce skeletal-related events. Recently, androgen receptor-signaling inhibitors (ARSIs) and docetaxel have been used upfront against metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer. Further, triplet therapy with ARSI, docetaxel, and androgen deprivation therapy is emerging. However, cross-resistance may occur between these treatments, and the optimal treatment sequence must be considered. The sequential administration of ARSIs, such as abiraterone and enzalutamide, is associated with limited efficacy; however, cabazitaxel is effective for patients with mCRPC who were previously treated with docetaxel and had disease progression during treatment with ARSI. Radioligand therapy with Lu-PSMA-617 is a new effective class of therapy for patients with advanced PSMA-positive mCRPC. Tumors with gene alterations that affect homologous recombination repair, such as and alterations, are sensitive to poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in mCRPC. This review sought to highlight recent advances in systemic therapy for mCRPC and strategies to support patient selection and treatment sequencing.
PubMed: 36792090
DOI: 10.5534/wjmh.220200 -
Cell Reports Sep 2023Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder and the main cause of anovulatory infertility, in which persistent activation of androgen receptor (AR) due to...
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder and the main cause of anovulatory infertility, in which persistent activation of androgen receptor (AR) due to aberrant acetylation modifications of transcription is a potential trigger; however, the precise mechanisms of AR activation are poorly understood. In this study, AR activation in dehydroepiandrosterone- and letrozole-induced rat PCOS ovaries coincided with a marked increase of a chromatin acetylation "reader" BRD4. Further bioinformatic analysis showed that the AR promoter contained highly conserved binding motifs of BRD4 and HIF-1α. BRD4 and HIF-1α inducibly bound to the histone 3/4 acetylation-modified AR promoter, while administration of a BRD4-selective inhibitor JQ1 reduced the binding and AR transcription and improved the adverse expression of the core fibrotic mediators in PCOS ovaries and DHT-treated granulosa cells. Our data indicate that BRD4 upregulation and the resultant AR transcriptional activation constitute an important regulatory pathway that promotes ovarian fibrosis in PCOS.
Topics: Animals; Female; Humans; Rats; Cell Cycle Proteins; Fibrosis; Nuclear Proteins; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Receptors, Androgen; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 37669164
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113090 -
Nature Nov 2023Inflammation is a hallmark of cancer. In patients with cancer, peripheral blood myeloid expansion, indicated by a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, associates with...
Inflammation is a hallmark of cancer. In patients with cancer, peripheral blood myeloid expansion, indicated by a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, associates with shorter survival and treatment resistance across malignancies and therapeutic modalities. Whether myeloid inflammation drives progression of prostate cancer in humans remain unclear. Here we show that inhibition of myeloid chemotaxis can reduce tumour-elicited myeloid inflammation and reverse therapy resistance in a subset of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). We show that a higher blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio reflects tumour myeloid infiltration and tumour expression of senescence-associated mRNA species, including those that encode myeloid-chemoattracting CXCR2 ligands. To determine whether myeloid cells fuel resistance to androgen receptor signalling inhibitors, and whether inhibiting CXCR2 to block myeloid chemotaxis reverses this, we conducted an investigator-initiated, proof-of-concept clinical trial of a CXCR2 inhibitor (AZD5069) plus enzalutamide in patients with metastatic CRPC that is resistant to androgen receptor signalling inhibitors. This combination was well tolerated without dose-limiting toxicity and it decreased circulating neutrophil levels, reduced intratumour CD11bHLA-DRCD15CD14 myeloid cell infiltration and imparted durable clinical benefit with biochemical and radiological responses in a subset of patients with metastatic CRPC. This study provides clinical evidence that senescence-associated myeloid inflammation can fuel metastatic CRPC progression and resistance to androgen receptor blockade. Targeting myeloid chemotaxis merits broader evaluation in other cancers.
Topics: Humans; Male; Chemotaxis; Disease Progression; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Inflammation; Lewis X Antigen; Myeloid Cells; Neoplasm Metastasis; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant; Receptors, Androgen; Androgen Receptor Antagonists; Antineoplastic Agents
PubMed: 37844613
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06696-z -
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2023The development of targeted therapies has revolutionized cancer treatment, offering improved efficacy with reduced side effects compared with traditional chemotherapy.... (Review)
Review
The development of targeted therapies has revolutionized cancer treatment, offering improved efficacy with reduced side effects compared with traditional chemotherapy. This review highlights the current landscape of targeted therapy in lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer, focusing on key molecular targets. Moreover, it aligns with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs and drug candidates. In lung cancer, mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene rearrangements have emerged as significant targets. FDA-approved drugs like osimertinib and crizotinib specifically inhibit these aberrant pathways, providing remarkable benefits in patients with EGFR-mutated or ALK-positive lung cancer. Colorectal cancer treatment has been shaped by targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and EGFR. Bevacizumab and cetuximab are prominent FDA-approved agents that hinder VEGF and EGFR signaling, significantly enhancing outcomes in metastatic colorectal cancer patients. In prostate cancer, androgen receptor (AR) targeting is pivotal. Drugs like enzalutamide, apalutamide, and darolutamide effectively inhibit AR signaling, demonstrating efficacy in castration-resistant prostate cancer. This review further highlights promising targets like mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET), ROS1, BRAF, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymeras (PARP) in specific cancer subsets, along with ongoing clinical trials that continue to shape the future of targeted therapy.
Topics: United States; Male; Humans; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Prostatic Neoplasms; Lung Neoplasms; ErbB Receptors; Colonic Neoplasms
PubMed: 37686423
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713618 -
European Urology Oncology Apr 2024PARP inhibitors (PARPi) are established treatments for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with homologous recombination repair (HRR) deficiency... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
CONTEXT
PARP inhibitors (PARPi) are established treatments for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with homologous recombination repair (HRR) deficiency after androgen receptor signalling inhibitor (ARSI) failure. New PARPi + ARSI combinations have been tested in all comers, although their clinical relevance in HRR-proficient tumours remains uncertain.
OBJECTIVE
To quantitatively synthesise evidence from randomised trials assessing the efficacy and safety of PARPi + ARSI combinations for first-line treatment of mCRPC.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION
We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane Library databases up to February 28, 2023. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing PARPi + ARSI versus placebo + ARSI for first-line treatment of mCRPC were eligible. Two reviewers independently performed screening and data extraction and assessed the risk of bias, while a third reviewer evaluated the eligibility criteria.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS
Overall, three phase 3 RCTs were included in the systematic review: PROPEL, MAGNITUDE, and TALAPRO-2. A total of 2601 patients with mCRPC were enrolled. Two of these trials (PROPEL and TALAPRO-2) assessed the radiographic progression-free survival benefit of PARPi + ARSI for first-line treatment of mCRPC, independent of HRR status. The pooled hazard ratio was 0.62 (95% confidence interval 0.53-0.72). The pooled hazard ratio for overall survival was 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.72-0.98), indicating a 16% reduction in the risk of death among patients who received the combination.
CONCLUSIONS
Results from this meta-analysis support the use of ARSI + PARPi combinations in biomarker-unselected mCRPC. However, such combinations might be less clinically relevant in HRR-proficient cancers, especially considering the change in treatment landscape for mCRPC.
PATIENT SUMMARY
We looked at outcomes from trials testing combinations of two classes of drugs (PARP inhibitors and ARSI) in advanced prostate cancer. We found that these combinations seem to work regardless of gene mutations identified as biomarkers of response to PARP inhibitors when used on their own.
Topics: Male; Humans; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant; Receptors, Androgen; Androgen Antagonists; Progression-Free Survival
PubMed: 37574390
DOI: 10.1016/j.euo.2023.07.013 -
International Journal of Biological... 2023Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) affects more than half of the adult population worldwide and is primarily caused by the binding of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to androgen...
Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) affects more than half of the adult population worldwide and is primarily caused by the binding of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to androgen receptors (AR). However, the mechanisms by which AR affects hair follicles remain unclear. In our study, we found that miR-221 significantly suppressed hair growth and the proliferation of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) and dermal sheath cells (DSCs) in AGA patients. Interestingly, miR-221 and AR were mainly co-located in the same part of the hair follicle. Mechanistic analysis revealed that AR directly promoted the transcription of miR-221, which in turn suppressed IGF-1 expression, leading to the inactivation of the MAPK pathway in DPCs and the PI3K/AKT pathway in DSCs. In AGA patients, miR-221 expression was positively correlated with AR expression and negatively correlated with IGF-1 expression. Our findings indicate that miR-221, as a direct target of AR, plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AGA, making it a novel biomarker and potential therapeutic target for treating AGA.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Alopecia; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; MicroRNAs; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Receptors, Androgen
PubMed: 37496996
DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.80481 -
Cancer Research Oct 2023Androgen receptor (AR) inhibition by androgen deprivation and/or antiandrogen administration is the mainstay therapy for advanced prostate cancer. However, most prostate... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
UNLABELLED
Androgen receptor (AR) inhibition by androgen deprivation and/or antiandrogen administration is the mainstay therapy for advanced prostate cancer. However, most prostate cancers ultimately become resistant to these therapies, indicating the importance of identifying mechanisms driving resistance to improve patient outcomes. Here we demonstrated that acute treatment with the antiandrogen enzalutamide (ENZ) decreased glutathione (GSH) production, increased lipid peroxidation, and induced ferroptosis in prostate cancer cells. Consistently, meta-analysis of transcriptomic data linked the androgen-AR axis to metabolism-related biological processes, including lipid metabolism. The cystine transporter gene SLC7A11 was a key AR target, and full-length AR (AR-FL) transactivated SLC7A11 transcription by directly occupying the SLC7A11 promoter and putative enhancer regions. AR variants (AR-V) preferentially bound the SLC7A11 enhancer and upregulated SLC7A11 expression, thereby conferring resistance to ferroptosis induced by ENZ treatment. However, this effect was abolished following downregulation of AR-Vs using the dual CBP/p300 and BET inhibitor NEO2734. These findings reveal ferroptosis induction as an anticancer mechanism of antiandrogens and SLC7A11 as a direct target gene of AR-FL and AR-Vs. AR-V-mediated SLC7A11 expression represents a mechanism coupling ferroptosis resistance to prostate cancer progression.
SIGNIFICANCE
Upregulation of SLC7A11 can be induced by androgen receptor variants to inhibit antiandrogen-induced prostate cancer cell ferroptosis and to drive castration resistance in prostate cancer.
Topics: Male; Humans; Receptors, Androgen; Androgen Antagonists; Androgens; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant; Ferroptosis; Nitriles; Castration; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
PubMed: 37527336
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-23-0285 -
Cancer Cell Aug 2023Tumor mutational burden and heterogeneity has been suggested to fuel resistance to many targeted therapies. The cytosine deaminase APOBEC proteins have been implicated...
Tumor mutational burden and heterogeneity has been suggested to fuel resistance to many targeted therapies. The cytosine deaminase APOBEC proteins have been implicated in the mutational signatures of more than 70% of human cancers. However, the mechanism underlying how cancer cells hijack the APOBEC mediated mutagenesis machinery to promote tumor heterogeneity, and thereby foster therapy resistance remains unclear. We identify SYNCRIP as an endogenous molecular brake which suppresses APOBEC-driven mutagenesis in prostate cancer (PCa). Overactivated APOBEC3B, in SYNCRIP-deficient PCa cells, is a key mutator, representing the molecular source of driver mutations in some frequently mutated genes in PCa, including FOXA1, EP300. Functional screening identifies eight crucial drivers for androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapy resistance in PCa that are mutated by APOBEC3B: BRD7, CBX8, EP300, FOXA1, HDAC5, HSF4, STAT3, and AR. These results uncover a cell-intrinsic mechanism that unleashes APOBEC-driven mutagenesis, which plays a significant role in conferring AR-targeted therapy resistance in PCa.
Topics: Male; Humans; Mutagenesis; Mutation; Prostatic Neoplasms; Receptors, Androgen; Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins; Cytidine Deaminase; Minor Histocompatibility Antigens; Polycomb Repressive Complex 1
PubMed: 37478850
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.06.010 -
Cancer Research Aug 2023Systemic targeted therapy in prostate cancer is primarily focused on ablating androgen signaling. Androgen deprivation therapy and second-generation androgen receptor...
UNLABELLED
Systemic targeted therapy in prostate cancer is primarily focused on ablating androgen signaling. Androgen deprivation therapy and second-generation androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapy selectively favor the development of treatment-resistant subtypes of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), defined by AR and neuroendocrine (NE) markers. Molecular drivers of double-negative (AR-/NE-) mCRPC are poorly defined. In this study, we comprehensively characterized treatment-emergent mCRPC by integrating matched RNA sequencing, whole-genome sequencing, and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing from 210 tumors. AR-/NE- tumors were clinically and molecularly distinct from other mCRPC subtypes, with the shortest survival, amplification of the chromatin remodeler CHD7, and PTEN loss. Methylation changes in CHD7 candidate enhancers were linked to elevated CHD7 expression in AR-/NE+ tumors. Genome-wide methylation analysis nominated Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) as a driver of the AR-/NE- phenotype, and KLF5 activity was linked to RB1 loss. These observations reveal the aggressiveness of AR-/NE- mCRPC and could facilitate the identification of therapeutic targets in this highly aggressive disease.
SIGNIFICANCE
Comprehensive characterization of the five subtypes of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer identified transcription factors that drive each subtype and showed that the double-negative subtype has the worst prognosis.
Topics: Humans; Male; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant; Receptors, Androgen; Epigenomics; Androgen Antagonists; Androgens; Genomics; Neuroendocrine Tumors
PubMed: 37289025
DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-23-0593