Recently, novel molecular targeted agents markedly changed the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with promising results. However, there is little understanding of how these agents affect immune cell populations in RCC, an immunogenic tumor. Therefore, we investigated the changes in the peripheral blood immune cells in 58 RCC patients during the first 4 weeks of treatment with sorafenib, sunitinib, everolimus, or temsirolimus and evaluated whether these changes were associated with clinical outcomes. The immunological parameters were the proportion of type-1 (Th1) and type-2 (Th2) T cells, regulatory T cells (Treg), mature dendritic cells, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). The changes in these immune cells varied with the agents and the clinical response, dichotomized by the median progression-free survival (PFS) time (PFS-short or PFS-long). A significant decrease in the Th1/Th2 ratio was seen after sunitinib treatment only in the PFS-short group, suggesting a shift toward Th2 that down-regulates host immunity. The NLRs indicative of the balance between host immunity and cancer-related inflammation were consistently lower in the PFS-long group than in the PFS-short group, suggesting that lower NLR is associated with better clinical response. Only sunitinib decreased NLR remarkably regardless of PFS status, which may favor anti-tumor immunity. When patients were dichotomized by the cutoff values, Th1/Th2 ratio was not associated with PFS in any targeted therapy, while lower pre-treatment NLR was associated with longer PFS in each targeted therapy. In addition, in RCC patients given sequential targeted therapy, those with a lower baseline NLR survived significantly longer compared with the counterparts. Moreover, those whose baseline NLR was sustained low during the initial therapy survived the longest. Our results suggest the diverse changes in host immune cells in RCC patients during targeted therapy. The changes in NLR during the early phase of targeted therapy may be a powerful discriminator of who will benefit from the subsequent treatment.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an immunogenic and proangiogenic cancer. Although antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies achieve impressive responses in some patients, many tumors eventually develop resistance to such therapy. The B7 family molecules such as CTLA‐4, PD‐1, and PD‐L1 are pivotal players in immune checkpoints that positively or negatively regulate various immune responses. Recently, immunotherapy based on blocking immune checkpoints with anti‐CTLA4, anti‐PD‐1, or anti‐PD‐L1 antibodies has been proposed as a potential new approach to the treatment of metastatic RCC. Higher expression of PD‐L1 and B7‐H4 in the tumors is associated with a poor prognosis in RCCs, however, the clinical impact of serum levels of B7 family molecules has not been elucidated in patients with metastatic RCCs receiving VEGF‐targeted agents. We assessed the preoperative serum levels of B7 family molecules, including CD80, CD86, PD‐1, PD‐L1, B7‐H3, B7‐H4, and CTLA‐4, and CD28 in RCC patients, and determined their relations with various clinicopathological characteristics. Elevated preoperative serum levels of PD‐L1 and B7‐H4 were correlated with less differentiated tumors, higher invasive and metastatic potential, a worse response to anti‐VEGF therapy, and shorter overall survival. These findings suggested that investigating preoperative serum levels of PD‐L1 and B7‐H4 might not only be useful to assess the biological aggressiveness of RCCs, but also to predict the efficacy of anti‐VEGF therapy and the eventual prognosis, indicating the future design of clinical trials of therapies targeting immune checkpoint in advanced RCCs.
Background: To elucidate whether Hand -Foot skin reaction could become a biomarker of clinical outcome in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with sorafenib, we retrospectively examined the association between the Hand -Foot skin reaction and the clinical outcome in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients treated with sorafenib. Methods: Thirty-six Japanese metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients treated with sorafenib were enrolled and divided into the groups with or without Hand -Foot skin reaction. Patient characteristics, best tumor response, progression-free survival and adverse events were investigated and compared between these two groups. Results: A sorafenib-induced Hand -Foot skin reaction in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients was observed at a significantly higher rate in patients in the favorable-risk group in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center risk classification, and with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status of one or less, prior nephrectomy, higher hemoglobin, lower lactate dehydrogenase and lower C-reactive protein. The mean best tumor response was significantly better in the group with Hand -Foot skin reaction (216.7%) than that in the group without it (17.9%; P , 0.001). The median progression-free survival was significantly longer in the group with Hand -Foot skin reaction (4.6 months) than that in the group without it (1.5 months; P ¼ 0.002). In multivariate analysis, only Hand -Foot skin reaction was shown to be a predictive factor of progression-free survival (hazard ratio 0.312, P ¼ 0.010). Conclusions: A sorafenib-induced Hand -Foot skin reaction in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients emerged at a significantly higher rate in patients in the favorable-risk group in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center risk classification and was significantly associated with best tumor response and progression-free survival, suggesting that Hand -Foot skin reaction might be an independent predictive factor for clinical outcome in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients treated with sorafenib.
The neuropeptide precursor ProGRP is a distinct serum marker that is useful to know the NE milieu and provides prognostic information in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Standard therapy for metastatic prostate cancer may make progress when further studies will clarify the causative link between serum ProGRP level and androgen-independent disease progression.
Background Adenosine and its adenosine 2A receptors (A2AR) mediate the immunosuppressive mechanism by which tumors escape immunosurveillance and impede anti-tumor immunity within the tumor microenvironment. However, we do not know whether the adenosine pathway (CD39/CD73/A2AR) plays a role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Therefore, we studied the role of immunosuppression in RCC by assessing the adenosine pathway in patients with RCC treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents or immune checkpoints inhibitors (ICIs) or both. Methods In 60 patients with metastatic RCC, we examined the expression of CD39, CD73, A2AR, and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemically in surgically resected tumor tissues and studied the clinicopathological characteristics of these patients. Patients were treated by cytoreductive nephrectomy with systemic therapy with anti-VEGF agent or a combination of the ICIs anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) antibody and programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) antibody. Results Increased expression of A2AR in the primary tumors was associated with metastatic profiles. Patients treated with anti–PD-1 antibody in monotherapy, a combination of anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA4 antibodies, or anti-VEGF agents showed better response and longer overall survival if the primary tumor had higher PD-L1 expression and lower A2AR expression. In Cox multivariate regression analysis, higher expression of A2AR was associated with shorter overall survival. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the expression of A2AR and PD-L1 in the primary tumors in RCC might predict the outcomes of treatment with anti-VEGF agents and ICIs and that the A2AR pathway might be a molecular target for immunotherapy.
Purpose: Glucose is a major energy resource for tumor cell survival and growth, and its influx into cells is mainly carried out by facilitative glucose transporters (GLUTs). Sodium - dependent glucose transporters (SGLTs) have been highlighted as playing important roles in diabetic treatment. However, their potential roles in cancer remain unclear. We examined expression patterns of SGLTs in tumor tissues together with conventional pathological variables to determine prognostic significance in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and Methods: Nephrectomy specimens were obtained from 68 patients. GLUT - 1, - 2 and SGLT - 1, - 2 expression in tumor and adjacent normal tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemical staining, and intensity was quantified using an image analyzer. Results: The four glucose transporters evaluated were broadly distributed in tumor tissues as well as throughout the normal parenchyma. There was no significant correlation between transporter expression and conventional pathological variables. However, increased SGLT - 2 expression was significantly associated with shorter overall survival (p < 0.01), regardless of metastatic status. Conclusions: We propose possible prognostic significance of SGLT - 2 expression in human RCC. Given that glucose is a major energy resource for tumor cells and that glucose transport is largely mediated by SGLT, SGLT - 2 may serve as a possible therapeutic target in RCC.
Background Increased expression of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) by tumor cells is thought to be a mechanism through which solid cancers promote immune tolerance. However, the association between PD-L1 expression and the prognosis of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) remains unknown. Methods We examined immunohistochemical PD-L1 expression and the tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte density (TILD) in 79 patients with UTUC who underwent nephroureterectomy. We classified the tumors into four types based on the combination of PD-L1 expression and TILD, and studied the clinicopathological characteristics of these four tumor types. Results Elevated expression of PD-L1 by tumor cells and a higher TILD were associated with a worse histological grade, higher pT stage, and higher peripheral blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. Elevated expression of PD-L1 by tumor cells, a higher TILD, and type I, III, or IV tumors with elevated expression of either PD-L1 or TILD showed a positive correlation with poorer differentiation and local invasion. These three variables were associated with shorter progression-free survival and overall survival in univariate analysis, but only the latter was an independent determinant according to multivariate analysis. The patients who had type II tumors with lower PD-L1 expression and a lower TILD showed more favorable survival than the other three groups. Conclusions These findings suggest that PD-L1 expression and TILs in the tumor microenvironment influence the progression of UTUC. Accordingly, it is important to understand the immunologic characteristics of the tumor microenvironment to develop more effective treatment strategies for this cancer. Keywords Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) • Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) • Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) • Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) Abbreviations BUC Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder CD Cluster of differentiation CT Computed tomography CTLA-4 Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 DCs Dendritic cells GC Gemcitabine and cisplatin LVI Lymphovascular invasion MDSC Myeloid-derived suppressor cell MVAC Methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin NLR Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio OS Overall survival PD-1 Programmed cell death protein 1 PD-L1 Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 Akinori Nukui and Takao Kamai have equally contributed to this work.
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