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Leukemia & Lymphoma Dec 2021Myeloid sarcoma (MS) in the setting of concomitant medullary AML is relatively well described, while much less is known about patients presenting with MS with <20% bone...
Myeloid sarcoma (MS) in the setting of concomitant medullary AML is relatively well described, while much less is known about patients presenting with MS with <20% bone marrow blasts. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 56 patients with MS with <20% marrow blasts seen at MD Anderson between 2005 and 2020. The prevalence of MS without medullary AML was 1.4% among all newly diagnosed AML patients. The majority (75%) of patients had a single known anatomic site involved, with the skin (34%) being the most frequent. The most common histologic subtype was monocytic, and 11% of patients had a known history of an antecedent hematologic disorder. The majority of patients (70%) received frontline intensive chemotherapy induction, with 75% of those evaluable attaining complete or partial responses. The median overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were 3.41 and 3.07 years, respectively. Patients with bone marrow blasts of ≥5% or medullary relapse had inferior outcomes, while age (>60 years) was not associated with outcomes. There was a suggestion that patients with isolated leukemia cutis may have had better outcomes compared to patients with other organ involvement, but this did not reach statistical significance. Most patients who had cytogenetic analysis had a diploid karyotype within their MS and bone marrow pathway mutations were enriched in MS at diagnosis, and at time of medullary relapse. Our study provides a large dataset summarizing the clinical and molecular analysis of patients with MS with <20% BM blasts and suggests that monitoring for medullary leukemia is important for early detection of relapse.
Topics: Bone Marrow; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Recurrence; Retrospective Studies; Sarcoma, Myeloid
PubMed: 34380367
DOI: 10.1080/10428194.2021.1961235 -
Cancers Dec 2022We argue here that in many ways, Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is a unique tumor entity and yet, it shares many commonalities with other immunologically cold solid malignancies.... (Review)
Review
We argue here that in many ways, Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is a unique tumor entity and yet, it shares many commonalities with other immunologically cold solid malignancies. From the historical perspective, EwS, osteosarcoma (OS) and other bone and soft-tissue sarcomas were the first types of tumors treated with the immunotherapy approach: more than 100 years ago American surgeon William B. Coley injected his patients with a mixture of heat-inactivated bacteria, achieving survival rates apparently higher than with surgery alone. In contrast to OS which exhibits recurrent somatic copy-number alterations, EwS possesses one of the lowest mutation rates among cancers, being driven by a single oncogenic fusion protein, most frequently EWS-FLI1. In spite these differences, both EwS and OS are allied with immune tolerance and low immunogenicity. We discuss here the potential mechanisms of immune escape in these tumors, including low representation of tumor-specific antigens, low expression levels of MHC-I antigen-presenting molecules, accumulation of immunosuppressive M2 macrophages and myeloid proinflammatory cells, and release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) which are capable of reprogramming host cells in the tumor microenvironment and systemic circulation. We also discuss the vulnerabilities of EwS and OS and potential novel strategies for their targeting.
PubMed: 36612267
DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010272 -
Journal For Immunotherapy of Cancer Dec 2020Ewing sarcoma (ES) is thought to arise from mesenchymal stem cells and is the second most common bone sarcoma in pediatric patients and young adults. Given the dismal... (Review)
Review
Ewing sarcoma (ES) is thought to arise from mesenchymal stem cells and is the second most common bone sarcoma in pediatric patients and young adults. Given the dismal overall outcomes and very intensive therapies used, there is an urgent need to explore and develop alternative treatment modalities including immunotherapies. In this article, we provide an overview of ES biology, features of ES tumor microenvironment (TME) and review various tumor-associated antigens that can be targeted with immune-based approaches including cancer vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, T cell receptor-transduced T cells, and chimeric antigen receptor T cells. We highlight key reasons for the limited efficacy of various immunotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of ES to date. These factors include absence of human leukocyte antigen class I molecules from the tumor tissue, lack of an ideal surface antigen, and immunosuppressive TME due to the presence of myeloid-derived suppressor cells, F2 fibrocytes, and M2-like macrophages. Lastly, we offer insights into strategies for novel therapeutics development in ES. These strategies include the development of gene-modified T cell receptor T cells against cancer-testis antigen such as XAGE-1, surface target discovery through detailed profiling of ES surface proteome, and combinatorial approaches. In summary, we provide state-of-the-art science in ES tumor immunology and immunotherapy, with rationale and recommendations for future therapeutics development.
Topics: Cancer Vaccines; Humans; Immunotherapy; Oncolytic Viruses; Sarcoma, Ewing
PubMed: 33293354
DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000653 -
Nature Chemical Biology Jan 2020The post-genomic era has seen many advances in our understanding of cancer pathways, yet resistance and tumor heterogeneity necessitate multiple approaches to target...
The post-genomic era has seen many advances in our understanding of cancer pathways, yet resistance and tumor heterogeneity necessitate multiple approaches to target even monogenic tumors. Here, we combine phenotypic screening with chemical genetics to identify pre-messenger RNA endonuclease cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor 3 (CPSF3) as the target of JTE-607, a small molecule with previously unknown target. We show that CPSF3 represents a synthetic lethal node in a subset of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and Ewing's sarcoma cancer cell lines. Inhibition of CPSF3 by JTE-607 alters expression of known downstream effectors in AML and Ewing's sarcoma lines, upregulates apoptosis and causes tumor-selective stasis in mouse xenografts. Mechanistically, it prevents the release of newly synthesized pre-mRNAs, resulting in read-through transcription and the formation of DNA-RNA hybrid R-loop structures. This study implicates pre-mRNA processing, and specifically CPSF3, as a druggable target providing an avenue to therapeutic intervention in cancer.
Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Binding Sites; Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Cleavage And Polyadenylation Specificity Factor; HEK293 Cells; Humans; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute; Male; Mass Spectrometry; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neoplasm Transplantation; Phenotype; Phenylalanine; Piperazines; Protein Binding; RNA Precursors; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Small Interfering; Sarcoma, Ewing
PubMed: 31819276
DOI: 10.1038/s41589-019-0424-1 -
Cell Reports. Medicine Dec 2023Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is frequently associated with mutations in the rat sarcoma gene (RAS), leading to worse prognosis. RAS mutations result in active...
Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is frequently associated with mutations in the rat sarcoma gene (RAS), leading to worse prognosis. RAS mutations result in active RAS-GTP proteins, favoring myeloid cell proliferation and survival and inducing the NLRP3 inflammasome together with the apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), which promote caspase-1 activation and interleukin (IL)-1β release. Here, we report, in a cohort of CMML patients with mutations in KRAS, a constitutive activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in monocytes, evidenced by ASC oligomerization and IL-1β release, as well as a specific inflammatory cytokine signature. Treatment of a CMML patient with a KRAS mutation using the IL-1 receptor blocker anakinra inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation, reduces monocyte count, and improves the patient's clinical status, enabling a stem cell transplant. This reveals a basal inflammasome activation in RAS-mutated CMML patients and suggests potential therapeutic applications of NLRP3 and IL-1 blockers.
Topics: Humans; Inflammasomes; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Chronic; Symptom Burden; Interleukin-1
PubMed: 38118408
DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101329 -
Cancers Feb 2023Myeloid sarcomas (MS), commonly referred to as chloromas, are extramedullary tumors of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with varying incidence and influence on outcomes.... (Review)
Review
Myeloid sarcomas (MS), commonly referred to as chloromas, are extramedullary tumors of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with varying incidence and influence on outcomes. Pediatric MS has both a higher incidence and unique clinical presentation, cytogenetic profile, and set of risk factors compared to adult patients. Optimal treatment remains undefined, yet allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) and epigenetic reprogramming in children are potential therapies. Importantly, the biology of MS development is poorly understood; however, cell-cell interactions, epigenetic dysregulation, cytokine signaling, and angiogenesis all appear to play key roles. This review describes pediatric-specific MS literature and the current state of knowledge about the biological determinants that drive MS development. While the significance of MS remains controversial, the pediatric experience provides an opportunity to investigate mechanisms of disease development to improve patient outcomes. This brings the hope of better understanding MS as a distinct disease entity deserving directed therapeutic approaches.
PubMed: 36900239
DOI: 10.3390/cancers15051443 -
JACC. Case Reports Jun 2021A 53-year-old man with a background of acute myelomonocytic leukemia in remission presented with pleurisy. Repeat transthoracic echocardiography over several weeks...
A 53-year-old man with a background of acute myelomonocytic leukemia in remission presented with pleurisy. Repeat transthoracic echocardiography over several weeks revealed thickening left ventricular walls and decreasing systolic function. He died of decompensated heart failure due to cardiac myeloid sarcoma, with autopsy revealing an enlarged heart weighing >1 kg. ().
PubMed: 34317666
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.04.033 -
Clinical Ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) 2022Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy affecting different organ systems including the eye. The purpose of this review is to present and evaluate the... (Review)
Review
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy affecting different organ systems including the eye. The purpose of this review is to present and evaluate the medical literature regarding the early ophthalmological manifestations of acute myeloid leukemia. AML affects the ocular system through direct infiltration of tissues, secondary to hematological abnormalities, or in the form of chloroma or myeloid sarcoma in the brain or orbit consequently leading to a variety of manifestations depending on the ocular tissue involved. It is imperative for ophthalmologists to be aware of the early ophthalmological manifestations of AML which will allow for earlier diagnosis and treatment of this life-threatening disease.
PubMed: 35800672
DOI: 10.2147/OPTH.S342720 -
Cancer Medicine Apr 2023Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a rare, extramedullary tumor consisting of myeloid blasts. Little is known about the genetic background of MS and the prognostic value of genetic...
BACKGROUND
Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a rare, extramedullary tumor consisting of myeloid blasts. Little is known about the genetic background of MS and the prognostic value of genetic abnormalities in MS. In particular, the broad variety of gene fusions that occur in MS is marginally covered by traditional testing methods due to lack of fresh tumor specimens.
METHODS
Here, we analyzed the clinical and genetic features of 61 MS cases. We performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) or fresh samples to analyze fusion genes in 26 cases. In addition, we performed genetic abnormalities-based risk stratification using fusion genes and gene mutations.
RESULTS
A total of 305 fusion genes were identified in 22 cases, including the following five recurrent fusion genes: RUNX1-RUNX1T1, CBFβ-MYH11, ETV6-MECOM, FUS-ERG, and PICALM-MLLT10. The prognosis in the adverse-risk group was significantly worse than that in the favorable/intermediate-risk group (median survival: 12 months vs. not reached; p = 0.0004).
CONCLUSION
These results indicated the efficacy of RNA-seq using FFPE-derived RNA as a clinical routine for detecting fusion genes, which can be used as markers for risk stratification in MS.
Topics: Humans; Sarcoma, Myeloid; Base Sequence; Mutation; Transcription Factors; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion
PubMed: 36916780
DOI: 10.1002/cam4.5654 -
Seminars in Cancer Biology Feb 2020The development of a myeloid neoplasm is a step-wise process that originates from leukemic stem cells (LSC) and includes pre-leukemic stages, overt leukemia and a... (Review)
Review
The development of a myeloid neoplasm is a step-wise process that originates from leukemic stem cells (LSC) and includes pre-leukemic stages, overt leukemia and a drug-resistant terminal phase. Organ-invasion may occur in any stage, but is usually associated with advanced disease and a poor prognosis. Sometimes, extra-medullary organ invasion shows a metastasis-like or even sarcoma-like destructive growth of neoplastic cells in local tissue sites. Examples are myeloid sarcoma, mast cell sarcoma and localized blast phase of chronic myeloid leukemia. So far, little is known about mechanisms underlying re-distribution and extramedullary dissemination of LSC in myeloid neoplasms. In this article, we discuss mechanisms through which LSC can mobilize out of the bone marrow niche, can transmigrate from the blood stream into extramedullary organs, can invade local tissue sites and can potentially create or support the formation of local stem cell niches. In addition, we discuss strategies to interfere with LSC expansion and organ invasion by targeted drug therapies.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Bone Marrow; Cell Communication; Cell Movement; Humans; Immunophenotyping; Leukemia, Myeloid; Neoplasm Staging; Neoplastic Stem Cells; Phenotype; Recurrence; Transendothelial and Transepithelial Migration; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 31408723
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2019.07.025