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Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterised by an extremely poor overall survival (OS) compared to other solid tumours. As the incidence of the disease is rising and the treatment options are limited, PDAC is projected to be the 2nd leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States by 2030. A majority of patients are not eligible for curative resection at the time of diagnosis, and those that are resected will often relapse within the first few years after surgery. Summary: Until recently, the nucleoside analogue gemcitabine has been the standard of care for patients with non-resectable PDAC with only marginal effects on OS. In 2011, the gemcitabine-free FOLFIRINOX regimen (folinic acid, fluorouracil, irinotecan and oxaliplatin) showed a significant survival advantage for patients with metastatic PDAC in a phase III trial. In 2013, the Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Trial phase III trial with nano-formulated albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) in combination with gemcitabine also resulted in a significant survival extension compared to gemcitabine monotherapy. However, both intensified therapy regimens show a broad spectrum of side effects and patients need to be carefully selected for the most appropriate protocol. Key Message: In this study, recent advances in the chemotherapeutic options available to treat metastatic PDAC and their implications for today's treatment choices are reviewed.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest cancers. Acquired inherited and/or somaticmutations drive its development. In order to prevent the formation of these mutations, precise and immediaterepair of any DNA damage is indispensable. Non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) is the key mechanism of DNAdouble-strand break repair. Here, we report that miR-502 targets two components in pancreatic cell lines, Ku70and XLF of the C-NHEJ. Interestingly, we also observed an attenuated cell cycle response to gamma ionizingradiation (γ-IR) via diminished phosphorylation of checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) on serine 345 in these cell lines.Altogether, pancreatic cells showed increased susceptibility toγ-IR via direct inhibition of DNA double-strandbreak repair and attenuation of the cell cycle response.
Objective: Epithelioid sarcoma (ES) presents unique clinical features in comparison to other sarcoma subtypes. Data regarding the benefits of chemotherapy are very limited. Combination regimens using gemcitabine and docetaxel (Gem/Doce) have proven to be effective, especially in uterine and nonuterine leiomyosarcoma. Yet, there is no available data on the efficacy of Gem/Doce in ES. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the three participating institutions was performed. Twenty-eight patients with an ES diagnosis presented at one of the participating institutions between 1989 and 2012. Of this group, 17 patients received chemotherapy. Results: Patients' median overall survival (OS) after the beginning of palliative chemotherapy was 21 months, and the 1-year OS was 87%. Twelve patients received Gem/Doce with a clinical benefit rate of 83%. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8 months for all patients receiving Gem/Doce. The best response was complete remission in 1 patient and partial remission in 6 patients. All 6 patients receiving Gem/Doce as a first-line treatment showed measurable responses with a median PFS of 9 months. Conclusions: In this retrospective study, Gem/Doce was an effective chemotherapeutic regimen for ES. Prospective studies are needed to better assess the effects of this combination drug therapy.
Introduction: Inhibition of androgen synthesis by abiraterone acetate (AA) entails enhanced overall survival rates and clinical benefit for patients with locally advanced and metastasized prostate cancer (PC). The expression of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is generally associated with cytoprotection and was demonstrated to mediate chemoresistance under cytostatic therapy, for instance, docetaxel treatment. In this study, we investigated the impact of AA treatment on HSP27 expression and PC cell growth. Materials and Methods: HSP27 expression levels in docetaxel and AA-treated PC cell lines LNCaP and PC-3 were determined by SDS PAGE and Western blot analysis. Proliferation assays were performed using a CASY Cell Counter and Analyzer Model TT (Roche Applied Science). Results: Despite significantly increased HSP27 expression in PC cells incubated with docetaxel, Western blot analysis implicated a significant reduction of the cytoprotective HSP27 in AA-treated PC cells. Notably, HSP27 stably overexpressed in PC-3-HSP27 cells did not appear as an HSP27-mediated proliferation benefit in the presence of AA as shown in docetaxel incubation studies. Conclusion: In contrast to repeatedly demonstrated HSP27-driven chemoresistance related to chemotherapeutics, our results may constitute a broader molecular mode of action of AA chemotherapy. AA efficacy may exert an HSP27 suppressive role that goes beyond the primarily assumed inhibition of androgen biosynthesis.