Jihoon Kang, Ji-Young Lee, Sunmin Lee, Danbee Kim, Jinyeong Lim, Ha Ra Jun, Seyeon Jeon, Young-Ae Kim, Hye Seon Park, Kyu-pyo Kim, Sung-Min Chun, Hee Jin Lee, Changhoon Yoo
Cancer Res Treat. 2023;55(1):219-230. Published online April 6, 2022
Purpose
Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are rare and show a dismal prognosis with limited treatment options. To improve our understanding of these heterogeneous tumors and develop effective therapeutic agents, suitable preclinical models reflecting diverse tumor characteristics are needed. We established and characterized new patient-derived cancer cell cultures and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models using malignant ascites from five patients with BTC.
Materials and Methods
Five patient-derived cancer cell cultures and three PDX models derived from malignant ascites of five patients with BTC, AMCBTC-01, -02, -03, -04, and -05, were established. To characterize the models histogenetically and confirm whether characteristics of the primary tumor were maintained, targeted sequencing and histopathological comparison between primary tissue and xenograft tumors were performed.
Results
From malignant ascites of five BTC patients, five patient-derived cancer cell cultures (100% success rate), and three PDXs (60% success rate) were established. The morphological characteristics of three primary xenograft tumors were compared with those of matched primary tumors, and they displayed a similar morphology. The mutated genes in samples (models, primary tumor tissue, or both) from more than one patient were TP53 (n=2), KRAS (n=2), and STK11 (n=2). Overall, the pattern of commonly mutated genes in BTC cell cultures was different from that in commercially available BTC cell lines.
Conclusion
We successfully established the patient-derived cancer cell cultures and xenograft models derived from malignant ascites in BTC patients. These models accompanied by different genetic characteristics from commercially available models will help better understand BTC biology.
Citations
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Creation and Validation of Patient-Derived Cancer Model Using Peritoneal and Pleural Effusion in Patients with Advanced Ovarian Cancer: An Early Experience Ruri Nishie, Tomohito Tanaka, Kensuke Hirosuna, Shunsuke Miyamoto, Hikaru Murakami, Hiromitsu Tsuchihashi, Akihiko Toji, Shoko Ueda, Natsuko Morita, Sousuke Hashida, Atsushi Daimon, Shinichi Terada, Hiroshi Maruoka, Hiromi Konishi, Yuhei Kogata, Kohei Tan Journal of Clinical Medicine.2024; 13(9): 2718. CrossRef
Purpose
The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway might be a promising therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Materials and Methods
This study was a multicenter, open-label, non-comparative, dose escalating phase I study of OPB-111077, an oral STAT3 inhibitor, in patients with advanced HCC who failed on sorafenib. Continuous dosing (daily administration, 50 to 400 mg) and intermittent dosing (4-days on/3-days off administration: 300 to 900 mg) regimens were evaluated and the dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and recommended dose (RD) were the primary endpoints.
Results
A total of 33 patients (19 for continuous dosing and 14 for intermittent dosing) were enrolled. One patient experienced a DLT with grade 3 dizziness, but the MTD was identified in neither the continuous nor the intermittent dosing cohorts. The RDs were determined to be 250 mg for the continuous dosing regimen and 600 mg for the intermittent dosing regimen. There was no treatment-related death; five patients (15.2%) had grade 3-4 toxicities including thrombocytopenia (6%), fatigue (3%), and dizziness (3%). No patients achieved complete or partial responses and the median progression-free survival was 1.4 months (95% confidence interval, 0.8 to 2.8).
Conclusion
OPB-111077 was well tolerated in patients with advanced HCC after sorafenib failure, but only showed limited preliminary efficacy outcomes. Further investigation of the role of the STAT3 signaling pathway in HCC and the development of biomarkers for STAT3 inhibitors are warranted.
Citations
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