Prevalence and Clinical Outcomes for Patients With ALK Gene Rearrangement in Europe: Preliminary Results from the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape Project

ABSTRACT Background The prevalence of ALK gene rearrangement (ALK+) in European patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. The Lungscape project provides a platform to evaluate its expression and clinical significance in a large cohort of patients with resected NSCLC from 13 European sites in 11 countries. Methods Participating sites retrospectively identified cases of NSCLC with clinical demographic and outcome data, and available tissue for research according to predefined protocol criteria. Local ethical and regulatory approvals were adhered to. Clinical data were entered to a central, secure database. Accepted cases on the basis of completeness of clinical data were as…

Abstract 4010: Prognostic role of miRNAs in resectable non-small cell lung cancer

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA BACKGROUND MicroRNAs (miRNA) are a class of small RNAs that regulate gene expression, and are implicated in several diseases including cancer. The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic implications of deregulated miRNAs identified by NGS in a previous study performed on resectable-NSCLC tumor samples. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fresh-frozen tumor and normal adjacent lung tissue samples (N = 195) were obtained by surgical resection from NSCLC patients and storage in RNAlater® at -80°C until analysis. RNA was isolated biological specimens by Trizol based-methods. 22 deregulated miRNA were analyzed in paired t…

Carcinoma of unknown origin: Deep genomic profile helps to achieve an accurate diagnosis

Tumor expression levels of CSC markers in resectable non-small cell lung cancer.

7562 Background: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been proposed as the driving force of tumorigenesis and the seeds of metastases. However, their existence and role remain a topic of intense debate. T...

Lung tumorspheres reveal cancer stem cell-like properties and a score with prognostic impact in resected non-small-cell lung cancer

AbstractThe high resistance against current therapies found in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been associated to cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), a population for which the identification of targets and biomarkers is still under development. In this study, primary cultures from early-stage NSCLC patients were established, using sphere-forming assays for CSC enrichment and adherent conditions for the control counterparts. Patient-derived tumorspheres showed self-renewal and unlimited exponential growth potentials, resistance against chemotherapeutic agents, invasion and differentiation capacities in vitro, and superior tumorigenic potential in vivo. Using quantitative PCR, gene express…

MicroRNA profiling associated with non-small cell lung cancer: next generation sequencing detection, experimental validation, and prognostic value

[EN] Background: The average five-year survival for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is approximately 15%. Emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a new class of gene regulators in humans that may play an important role in tumorigenesis. Hence, there is growing interest in studying their role as possible new biomarkers whose expression is aberrant in cancer. Therefore, in this study we identified dysregulated miRNAs by next generation sequencing (NGS) and analyzed their prognostic value. Methods: Sequencing by oligo ligation detection technology was used to identify dysregulated miRNAs in a training cohort comprising paired tumor/normal tissue samples (N = …

Prevalence and Clinical Outcomes for Patients With ALK-Positive Resected Stage I to III Adenocarcinoma: Results From the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape Project

Purpose The prevalence of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene fusion (ALK positivity) in early-stage non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) varies by population examined and detection method used. The Lungscape ALK project was designed to address the prevalence and prognostic impact of ALK positivity in resected lung adenocarcinoma in a primarily European population. Methods Analysis of ALK status was performed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in tissue sections of 1,281 patients with adenocarcinoma in the European Thoracic Oncology Platform Lungscape iBiobank. Positive patients were matched with negative patients in a 1:2 ratio, both for IHC and for …

Transformation of vulvar pseudolymphoma (lymphoma-like lesion) into a marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of labium majus.

Lymphomas arising in the female genital tract are extremely uncommon. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma are the most common types. We describe the case of an 80-year-old woman with a recurrent lesion in the vulva initially diagnosed as a lymphoma-like lesion and evolving 7 years later into a marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma). Diagnosis was based on the monotypic pattern of the plasmacellular component and the clonal rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy chain genes. No previous cases of vulvar marginal zone B-cell lymphoma arising in the context of a persistent lymphoma-like lesion have been reported. We highlight the importance of differentiatin…

Differential expression of tumorspheres in CSC-markers and signaling pathways from non-small cell lung cancer.

e23276Background: Chemoresistance, tumor progression and metastasis have made of lung cancer the first cause of death cancer-related worldwide. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are small subpopulations of ...

MiRNA profiling by NGS in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: Prognostic implications.

7559 Background: MicroRNAs (miRNA) regulate gene expression, and are implicated in several processes like tumorogenesis. Here, we applied a multiplexed NGS approach to study differentially expressed miRNAs (tumor/ normal) in a cohort of resectable NSCLC patients and its correlation with clinical outcome. Methods: RNA was isolated from frozen lung specimens (tumor/ normal) from 33 patients. High-quality samples were analyzed and enriched in the miRNA fraction. Libraries were prepared according to manufactured instruction (SOLID), and miRNAs were sequenced. Data analysis was carried out using CLCbio software. First, raw data were annotated using miRBase and normalized by total reads followed …

CD5 and CD6: Evaluation of their role as prognostic biomarkers in resectable non-small cell lung cancer

P1.05-013 Lung Tumorspheres as a Platform for Testing New Therapeutic Strategies in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Cigarette smoke exposure up-regulates endothelin receptor B in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells: molecular and functional consequences

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Pulmonary arteries from smokers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients show abnormal endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity. We studied the effect of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on endothelin receptor B (ETB) expression in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells (HPAECs) and its role in endothelial dysfunction. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH ETB receptor expression was measured by real time RT-PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence. Cell contraction, intracellular Ca2+, F/G-actin, RhoA activity, myosin light chain phosphorylation, ET, NO, thromboxane (Tx)A2 and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by traction microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, phal…

Analysis of immunoregulatory biomarkers in early stages of non-small cell lung cancer

Prevalence and distribution of human papillomavirus findings in swab specimens from gynaecology clinics of the east coast of Spain.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) among females in the east coast of Spain. A total of 1956 women visiting gynaecology clinics for routine check-ups were included in the study. Swabs were analyzed for HPV DNA by consensus polymerase chain reaction followed by direct sequencing. The overall HPV prevalence was 12.99%. HPV vaccine types 6, 11, 16 and 18 were detected in 6.13% of female participants.

Analysis of the immune microenvironment in resected non-small cell lung cancer: the prognostic value of different T lymphocyte markers

[EN] The prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains poor and heterogeneous and new biomarkers are needed. As the immune system plays a pivotal role in cancer, the study of immune-related markers may provide valuable prognostic information of NSCLC. In 122 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue samples from early-stage NSCLC, tumor and tumor-near stromal areas were microdissected and gene expression levels of conventional and regulatory T cell markers were assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Also, the presence of infiltrating CD4+, CD8+, and FOXP3+ cells in tumor samples was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The relative proportion of conventional and reg…

Presence of human papillomavirus DNA in testicular biopsies from nonobstructive azoospermic men.

Abstract Context.—Human papillomavirus (HPV) plays a major role in the etiology of many malignancies of diverse localization, such as uterine cervical carcinoma and its precursors. Human papillomavirus sequences have been detected throughout the male lower genitourinary tract, but the role of men as transmitters remains unclear. Objective.—To investigate the relationship between azoospermia and the presence of HPV DNA in testicular cells. Design.—One hundred eighty-five patients with azoospermia undergoing testicular biopsy were studied. Histologic study was done on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples from testicular biopsies, stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Molecular study to detect …

Testicular fusocellular rhabdomyosarcoma as a metastasis of elbow sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma: A clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical and molecular study of one case

Abstract Sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma (SRMS) is an infrequent variant of rhabdomyosarcoma characterized by extensive intercellular hyaline fibrosis. We report the case of a 37 year-old male with a 9 × 6 cm SRMS on the right elbow. Histologically, the tumor showed an abundant extracellular hyaline matrix with extratumoral vascular emboli and microscopic foci of fusocellular embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (FRMS) separated by a fibrotic band from the sclerosing areas. One year later the patient presented with a right intratesticular tumor of 1.2 × 0.8 cm, which was reported as pure FRMS. Immunohistochemically, SRMS was positive only for MyoD1 and Vimentin and negative for Myogenin and Desmin. Both …

Abstract 1918: Gene characterization of lung-tumorspheres for their usage as an in vitro screening platform for testing new therapeutic strategies

Abstract Background: Lung cancer features like treatment resistance or tumor relapse have been linked to cancer stem cells (CSCs), a population of cells with self-renewal properties, and the ability to grow forming tumorspheres in non-adherent conditions. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize tumorspheres from lung cancer cell lines and tumor tissue from resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and to use them as an in vitro platform for drug screening. Methods: This study was performed on cells from seven NSCLC tumor samples and five cell lines (H1650, H1993, H1395, A549 and PC9) grown in monolayer and as spheroids. The expression of 60 genes, including CSC-ma…

MA04.03 Lung Tumorspheres Characterization Reveals Cancer Stem-Like Cells Potential Targets and Prognostic Markers in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Characterization of lung tumourspheres reveals cancer stem-like cells potential targets and prognostic markers in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract Background Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the first cause of death cancer-related worldwide mainly due to high therapeutic resistance. This resistance is related to cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), for which the identification of targets and markers is still ongoing. Methods Primary cultures from 8 NSCLC patients were established as tumorspheres and as monolayers. CSCs properties were tested for both conditions in vitro and in vivo. The expression of 50 CSCs-related genes was assessed by RTqPCR and proteins of significantly overexpressed genes were examined by immunoblot and immunofluorescence. The prognostic role of these genes was analyzed in a cohort of 661 NSCLC patients f…

Effects of small interfering RNAs targeting fascin on human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

Abstract Background Fascin induces membrane protrusions and cell motility. Fascin overexpression was associated with poor prognosis, and its downregulation reduces cell motility and invasiveness in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Using a stable knockdown cell line, we revealed the effect of fascin on cell growth, cell adhesion and tumor formation. Methods We examined whether fascin is a potential target in ESCC using in vitro and in vivo studies utilizing a specific siRNA. We established a stable transfectant with downregulated fascin from KYSE170 cell line. Results The fascin downregulated cell lines showed a slower growth pattern by 40.3% (p In vivo, the tumor size was signific…

Analysis of the prognostic role of an immune checkpoint score in resected non-small cell lung cancer patients

[EN] Tumors develop mechanisms to recruit tolerogenic immune cells and to induce the expression of molecules that act as immune checkpoints. This regulation of the immune microenvironment favors immune tolerance to the neoplastic cells. In this study, we have investigated the prognostic role of immune-checkpoint expression markers in a cohort of resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. RNA was isolated from fresh-frozen lung specimens (tumor and normal lung) (n = 178). RTqPCR was performed to analyze the relative expression of 20 immune-related genes that were normalized by the use of endogenous genes selected by GeNorm algorithm. Patients with higher expression levels of IL2…

Distribution of human papillomavirus types in women from Valencia, Spain, with abnormal cytology.

Objective To determine human papillomavirus (HPV) types among cervical smears using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to contribute to the knowledge of human papillomavirus genotype distribution and prevalence of oncogenic types in cervical lesions in Spain. Study Design Consensus PCR and direct sequencing of PCR products (DNA HPV typing) were used in a retrospective study to determinate the type or types of HPV on 974 cytology smears of women with abnormal cytology results. Results Of 974 smears, 79.8% were high-risk (H-R) HPVs, 19.7% low-risk (L-R) HPVs, 4.6% indeterminate-risk (I-R) HPVs, considering both single and multiple infections. Multiple infections were detected in 4.7% of the …

A gene expression signature to characterize human lung adenocarcinoma cancer stem cells.

e20547Background: Treatment resistance is linked to cancer stem cells (CSCs), a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of cells with the ability to grow as spheres in non-adherent conditions. The aim of ...