Circulating Cancer-Associated Macrophage-like Cells as a Blood-Based Biomarker of Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Evidence has been provided that circulating cancer-associated macrophage-like cell (CAM-L) numbers increase in response to chemotherapy, with an inverse trend compared to circulating tumor cells (CTCs). In the era of evolving cancer immunotherapy, whether CAM-Ls might have a potential role as predictive biomarkers of response has been unexplored. We evaluated whether a serial blood evaluation of CTC to CAM-L ratio might predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in a cohort of non-small-cell lung cancer patients. At baseline, CTCs, CAM-Ls, and the CTC/CAM-L ratio significantly correlate with both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The baseline CTC/CAM-L ratio was significantly different in early progressors (4.28 ± 3.21) compared to long responders (0.42 ± 0.47) (p = 0.001). In patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, a CTC/CAM-L ratio ≤ 0.25 at baseline is associated with better PFS and OS. A baseline CTC/CAM-L ratio ≤ 0.25 is statistically significant to discriminate early progressions from durable response. The results of the present pilot study suggest that CAM-Ls together with CTCs could play an important role in evaluating patients treated with cancer immunotherapy.

Early Detection of Disease Progression in Metastatic Cancers: Could CTCs Improve RECIST Criteria?

Early detection of disease progression is a crucial issue in the management of cancer patients, especially in metastatic settings. Currently, treatment selection mostly relies on criteria based on radiologic evaluations (RECIST). The aim of the present retrospective study is to evaluate the potential inclusion of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in hybrid criteria. CTC counts from a total of 160 patients with different metastatic tumors were analyzed for this purpose. In our cohort, 73 patients were affected by breast cancer, 69 by colorectal cancer and 18 by prostate cancer. PFS and OS were evaluated according to the corresponding prediction of disease progression by CTCs and RECIST criteria. In breast cancer, CTC-I has an important impact on the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) values. When CTC-I predicted earlier than RECIST-I, the disease progression, the PFS and OS were shorter with respect to the opposite case. In particular, PFS was 11 (5-16) vs. 34 (23-45)-with p < 0.001-and OS was 80 (22-138) vs. 116 (43-189), p = 0.33. The results suggest a promising role of CTCs as complementary information which could significantly improve the clinical outcomes, and they encourage consideration of future trials to evaluate new hybrid criteria, particularly for patients with breast cancer.

Is cancer an intelligent species?

Some relevant emerging properties of intelligent systems are "adaptation to a changing environment," "reaction to unexpected situations," "capacity of problem solving," and "ability to communicate." Single cells have remarkable abilities to adapt, make adequate context-dependent decision, take constructive actions, and communicate, thus theoretically meeting all the above-mentioned requirements. From a biological point of view, cancer can be viewed as an invasive species, composed of cells that move from primary to distant sites, being continuously exposed to changes in the environmental conditions. Blood represents the first hostile habitat that a cancer cell encounters once detached from the primary site, so that cancer cells must rapidly carry out multiple adaptation strategies to survive. The aim of this review was to deepen the adaptation mechanisms of cancer cells in the blood microenvironment, particularly referring to four adaptation strategies typical of animal species (phenotypic adaptation, metabolic adaptation, niche adaptation, and collective adaptation), which together define the broad concept of biological intelligence. We provided evidence that the required adaptations (either structural, metabolic, and related to metastatic niche formation) and "social" behavior are useful principles allowing putting into a coherent frame many features of circulating cancer cells. This interpretative frame is described by the comparison with analog behavioral traits typical of various animal models.

Prognostic Role of Circulating Tumor Cell Trajectories in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: A large amount of evidence from clinical studies has demonstrated that circulating tumor cells are strong predictors of outcomes in many cancers. However, the clinical significance of CTC enumeration in metastatic colorectal cancer is still questioned. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of CTC dynamics in mCRC patients receiving first-line treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serial CTC data from 218 patients were used to identify CTC trajectory patterns during the course of treatment. CTCs were evaluated at baseline, at a first-time point check and at the radiological progression of the disease. CTC dynamics were correlated with clinical endpoints. RESULTS: Using a cut-off of ≥1 CTC/7.5 mL, four prognostic trajectories were outlined. The best prognosis was obtained for patients with no evidence of CTCs at any timepoints, with a significant difference compared to all other groups. Lower PFS and OS were recognized in group 4 (CTCs always positive) at 7 and 16 months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed the clinical value of CTC positivity, even with only one cell detected. CTC trajectories are better prognostic indicators than CTC enumeration at baseline. The reported prognostic groups might help to improve risk stratification, providing potential biomarkers to monitor first-line treatments.

Genomic landscape and survival analysis of ctDNA "neo-RAS wild-type" patients with originally RAS mutant metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: The term "neo-RAS wild-type" refers to the switch to RAS wild-type disease in plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from originally RAS mutant colorectal cancers. Consistently, the hypothesis to re-determine RAS mutational status in ctDNA at disease progression in RAS mutant mCRC opened to a new perspective for clinically-based selection of patients to be treated with EGFR inhibitors. Currently, the genomic landscape of "neo-RAS wild-type" is unknown. This is a prospective study aimed to investigate clinical and genomic features associated with RAS mutation clearance in a large cohort of RAS mutant mCRC patients who converted to RAS wild- type in liquid biopsy at failure of first-line treatments. Secondary aim was to investigate the long term prognostic significance of "true neo-RAS wild- type". Patients and methods: 70 patients with stage IV RAS mutant colorectal cancer were prospectively enrolled. Plasma samples were collected at progression from first-line treatment. RAS/BRAF mutations in plasma were assessed by RT-PCR. In RAS/BRAF wild-type samples, ctDNA was used to generate libraries using a 17 genes panel whose alteration has clinical relevance. To investigate the prognostic significance of RAS mutation clearance, test curves for PFS and OS were represented by Kaplan-Meier estimator plot and Log-rank test. Results: The most commonly detected actionable mutations in "neo-RAS wild-type" were: PIK3CA (35.7%); RET (11.9%); IDH1 (9.5%); KIT (7%); EGFR (7%); MET (4.7%); ERBB2 (4.7%); FGFR3 (4.7%). Both OS and post-progression survival were longer in patients with "neo-RAS wild-type" compared to those who remained RAS mutant (p<0.001 for both). Conclusions: De-novo-targetable mutations occured in a large percentage of "neo-RAS wild-type", being PIK3CA the most commonly detected. RAS mutation clearance in ctDNA is associated with long- term improvement of overall survival.

An Orthotopic Patient-Derived Xenograft (PDX) Model Allows the Analysis of Metastasis-Associated Features in Colorectal Cancer.

Metastasis is the primary cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), urging the need for preclinical models that recapitulate the metastatic process at the individual patient level. We used an orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (PDX) obtained through the direct implantation of freshly dissociated CRC cells in the colon of immunocompromised mice to model the metastatic process. Ortho-PDX engraftment was associated to a specific set of molecular features of the parental tumor, such as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), TGF-ß pathway activation, increased expression of stemness-associated factors and higher numbers of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) clusters expressing the metastatic marker CD44v6. A parallel analysis of orthotopic/metastatic xenografts and organoids showed that tumor cells underwent mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition at the metastatic site and that metastasis-derived organoids had increased chemotherapy resistance. These observations support the usefulness of ortho-PDX as a preclinical model to study metastasis-related features and provide preliminary evidence that EMT/stemness properties of primary colorectal tumors may be crucial for orthotopic tumor engraftment.

A Fast and Furious Liquid Biopsy Assay to Monitor Targeted Therapy Resistance.

Liquid biopsies represent a valid alternative to conventional tissue biopsies, offering a real time molecular picture of tumors in a minimally invasive manner. Of the various circulating biomarkers available for liquid biopsy, circulating tumor cells (CTC) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) are the most intensively studied to date. However, CTC and ctDNA represent different tumor components, therefore, complementary information from both sources might be beneficial. This protocol focuses on the description of a sample processing workflow that allowed for concurrent isolation of CTC and ctDNA from the same source sample. This single tube approach enables simultaneous analysis of multiple biomarkers to better monitor cancer drug resistance.

In vitro cultures of circulating tumor cells: a potential tool to unravel drug sensitivity.

Since taking part as leading actors in driving the metastatic process, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have displayed a wide range of potential applications in the cancer-related research field. Besides their well-proved prognostic value, the role of CTCs in both predictive and diagnostics terms might be extremely informative about cancer properties and therefore highly helpful in the clinical decision-making process. Unfortunately, CTCs are scarcely released in the blood circulation and their counts vary a lot among different types of cancer, therefore CTC detection and consequent characterization are still highly challenging. In this context, in vitro CTC cultures could potentially offer a great opportunity to expand the number of tumor cells isolated at different stages of the disease and thus simplify the analysis of their biological and molecular features, allowing a deeper comprehension of the nature of neoplastic diseases. The aim of this review is to highlight the main attempts to establish in vitro CTC cultures from patients harboring different tumor types in order to highlight how powerful this practice could be, especially in optimizing the therapeutic strategies available in clinical practice and potentially preventing or contrasting the development of treatment resistance.

Response to immunotherapy in KRAS G12C mutated NSCLC: a single-centre retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. New strategies in molecular therapies are being explored to detect and target genetic mutations in NSCLC. Therefore, it is also important to understand the interaction between these mutations and other therapies. This study focuses on possible correlations between the KRAS-G12C mutation and response of patients treated with immunotherapy. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with stage IV NSCLC undergoing immunotherapy were divided into two groups treated with first- and second-line therapy, respectively. KRAS-G12C mutation was detected by liquid biopsy Idylla KRAS assay. RESULTS: In first-line treated patients, there was no significant increase in PFS in patients with the KRAS mutation (20 months versus 14.5 months, HR = 1.31; CI 95% = 0.25-6.71; p value = 0.76) and no difference in OS (OS = 21 months, HR = 1; CI 95% = 0.17-6.2; p value > 0.99). In the second group, KRAS G12C mutated patients had a median PFS of 23 months compared with a median PFS of only 5 months among nonmutated patients (HR = 3.28; CI 95% = 0.86-12.5; p value = 0.03). CONCLUSION: The results of this study do not reveal a clear correlation between mutation and response to immunotherapy. The mechanism regulating immune system activity in the tumor microenvironment remains unclear.

An organoid model of colorectal circulating tumor cells with stem cell features, hybrid EMT state and distinctive therapy response profile.

BACKGROUND: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are responsible for the metastatic dissemination of colorectal cancer (CRC) to the liver, lungs and lymph nodes. CTCs rarity and heterogeneity strongly limit the elucidation of their biological features, as well as preclinical drug sensitivity studies aimed at metastasis prevention. METHODS: We generated organoids from CTCs isolated from an orthotopic CRC xenograft model. CTCs-derived organoids (CTCDOs) were characterized through proteome profiling, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, tumor-forming capacity and drug screening assays. The expression of intra- and extracellular markers found in CTCDOs was validated on CTCs isolated from the peripheral blood of CRC patients. RESULTS: CTCDOs exhibited a hybrid epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) state and an increased expression of stemness-associated markers including the two homeobox transcription factors Goosecoid and Pancreatic Duodenal Homeobox Gene-1 (PDX1), which were also detected in CTCs from CRC patients. Functionally, CTCDOs showed a higher migratory/invasive ability and a different response to pathway-targeted drugs as compared to xenograft-derived organoids (XDOs). Specifically, CTCDOs were more sensitive than XDOs to drugs affecting the Survivin pathway, which decreased the levels of Survivin and X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (XIAP) inducing CTCDOs death. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that CTCDOs recapitulate several features of colorectal CTCs and may be used to investigate the features of metastatic CRC cells, to identify new prognostic biomarkers and to devise new potential strategies for metastasis prevention.

RAS Mutation Conversion in Bevacizumab-Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Liquid Biopsy Based Study.

Liquid biopsies have shown that, in RAS mutant colorectal cancer, the conversion to RAS wild-type * status during the course of the disease is a frequent event, supporting the concept that the evolutionary landscape of colorectal cancer can lead to an unexpected negative selection of RAS mutant clones. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether the negative selection of RAS mutation in plasma might be drug-dependent. For this purpose, we used liquid biopsy to compare the rate of conversion from RAS mutant to RAS wild-type * in two groups of originally RAS mutant mCRC patients: the first treated with chemotherapy alone, while the second was treated with chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab. Serial liquid biopsies were performed at 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2), 9 months (T3), and 12 months (T4) after starting first line treatments. We found that the only independent variable significantly associated to RAS status conversion was the use of bevacizumab. RAS conversion was not found associated to tumor burden reduction, although bevacizumab-treated patients who converted to RAS wild-type * had a significantly longer PFS compared to patients who remained RAS mutant. The appearance of a "RAS wild-type * window", mainly in bevacizumab-treated patients, might present them as candidates for second line treatment with anti-EGFR, which was otherwise precluded.

Comparison of Two Blood-Based Genotyping Tests to Investigate the KRAS G12C Mutation in Patients with Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer at Failure of First-Line Treatments.

Although molecular profiling at diagnosis has traditionally relied on direct sampling of neoplastic tissue, cancer clonal evolution represents a critical obstacle to use primary tissue biopsies to guide clinical decision-making at the time of progressive disease. Liquid biopsies might offer enormous advantages over tissue biopsies, tracking in real-time temporal-based tumor dynamics following each line of treatment. Here, we compared two liquid biopsy assays, specifically real-time polymerase chain reaction and next-generation sequencing, to track the KRAS G12C mutation at onset of progression from previous lines of therapy. The KRAS G12C mutation was acquired at the time of progressive disease in 24% of patients. Furthermore, all patients with KRAS G12C mutation-positive tissue became negative in ctDNA at progressive disease. The presence of other somatic mutations in all these samples confirmed the tumor origin of the circulating DNA. This pilot study suggests that in the assessment of the plasma KRAS G12C mutation as a druggable target, real-time PCR assay Idylla might be a suitable approach to better match patients to interventional biomarker-targeted therapies.

Sequential Isolation and Characterization of Single CTCs and Large CTC Clusters in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detach from a primary tumor or its metastases and circulate in the bloodstream. The vast majority of CTCs are deemed to die into the bloodstream, with only few cells representing viable metastatic precursors. Particularly, single epithelial CTCs do not survive long in the circulation due to the loss of adhesion-dependent survival signals. In metastatic colorectal cancer, the generation of large CTC clusters is a very frequent occurrence, able to increase the aptitude of CTCs to survive in the bloodstream. Although a deepened analysis of large-sized CTC clusters might certainly offer new insights into the complexity of the metastatic cascade, most CTC isolation techniques are unfortunately not compatible with large-sized CTC clusters isolation. The inappropriateness of standard CTC isolation devices for large clusters isolation and the scarce availability of detection methods able to specifically isolate and characterize both single CTCs and CTC clusters finally prevented in-depth studies on the prognostic and predictive value of clusters in clinical practice, unlike that which has been described for single CTCs. In the present study, we validated a new sequential filtration method for the simultaneous isolation of large CTC clusters and single CTCs in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer at failure of first-line treatments. The new method might allow differential downstream analyses for single and clustered CTCs starting from a single blood draw, opening new scenarios for an ever more precise characterization of colorectal cancer metastatic cascade.

True conversions from RAS mutant to RAS wild-type in circulating tumor DNA from metastatic colorectal cancer patients as assessed by methylation and mutational signature.

The paucity of targeted treatments available in patients with RAS mutant colorectal cancers contributes to the poor prognosis of this patient group compared to those with RAS wild-type disease. Recent liquid biopsy-driven studies have demonstrated that RAS mutant clones might disappear in plasma during the clonal evolution of the disease, opening new unforeseen perspectives for EGFR blockade in these patients. Nevertheless, the lack of detection of RAS mutations in plasma might depend on the low amount of released circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), making it necessary a more accurate selection of patients with true RAS mutation conversions. In this liquid biopsy-based study, we assessed RAS mutational status in initially RAS-mutant patients at the time of progressive disease from any line of therapy and investigated the incidence of true conversions to plasma RAS wild-type, comparing a colon cancer specific methylation profile with a mutational signature of ctDNA. Globally, considering either mutational panel or methylation profile as reliable tests to confirm or exclude the presence of ctDNA, the percentage of "true RAS converters" was 37.5%. In our series we observed a trend toward a better PFS in patients who received anti-EGFR as second or subsequent treatment lines compared to those who did not.

Molecular Biomarkers according to Primary Tumor Location in Colorectal Cancer: Current Standard and New Insights.

According to the 2018 GLOBOCAN database, colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies and leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide. During the last decades, considerable progress has been made in understanding the complex pathogenetic mechanisms involved in this neoplastic disease. Due to the need to improve treatment responses and clinical outcomes of colorectal cancer patients, the identification of new molecular biomarkers became a crucial spot in clinical oncology. As biological indicators of a specific pathological or physiological process, molecular markers play a central role in cancer detection, diagnosis, outcome prediction, and treatment choice. Considering the existing evidence that malignancies originating from distinct colonic regions behave differently, it is clear that specific biomarkers can be associated to right- or left-sided colon carcinomas, reflecting the distinct molecular signatures of these different tumor entities. The aim of this review is to summarize the main differences among tumors arising from proximal and distal colon in terms of current and emerging biomarkers.

Circulating Methylated DNA to Monitor the Dynamics of RAS Mutation Clearance in Plasma from Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients.

The clearance of RAS mutations in plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from originally RAS-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has been recently demonstrated. Clinical trials investigating whether RAS mutant mCRC who "convert" to wild-type in plasma might benefit from EGFR blockade are ongoing. Detection of tumor-specific DNA methylation alterations in ctDNA has been suggested as a specific tool to confirm the tumoral origin of cell-free DNA. We monitored RAS clearance in plasma from patients with RAS-mutant mCRC at baseline (pre-treatment) (T0); after 4 months of first-line therapy (T1); at the time of first (T2) and second (T3) progression. A five-gene methylation panel was used to confirm the presence of ctDNA in samples in which RAS mutation clearance was detected. At T1, ctDNA analysis revealed wild-type RAS status in 83% of samples, all not methylated, suggesting at this time point the lack of ctDNA shedding. At T2, ctDNA analysis revealed wild-type RAS status in 83% of samples, of which 62.5% were found methylated. At T3, 50% of wild-type RAS samples were found methylated. Non-methylated samples were found in patients with lung or brain metastases. This five-gene methylation test might be useful to confirm the presence of ctDNA in RAS wild-type plasma samples.

Baseline CD44v6-positive circulating tumor cells to predict first-line treatment failure in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

CD44v6, the CD44 isoform mostly involved in cancer cell migration and invasion, has been identified as a functional biomarker and therapeutic target in colon cancer stem cells. We here provide evidence that baseline CD44v6-positive CTC predict treatment failure in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer undergoing first-line chemotherapy. We suggest that CD44v6-positive CTC can be used to early detect intrinsic drug resistance in this cancer type.

Detection of circulating tumor cells in patients with laryngeal cancer using ScreenCell: Comparative pre- and post-operative analysis and association with prognosis.

The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood of patients with metastatic breast, colorectal and prostate cancer have been widely investigated; however, few studies have examined CTCs in patients with laryngeal cancer. The present pilot study aimed to detect pre- and postoperative CTCs in the blood of patients with laryngeal cancer and evaluate the association with prognosis. Eight patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) at stage III were included in the present study and underwent total or subtotal laryngectomy and radical bilateral neck lymph node dissection. Blood samples were collected from all patients before and after surgery at different time-points. The following processing steps were followed; preoperative blood sampling, surgery, postoperative blood sampling at 3, 6 and 12 month follow-ups, and prognostic association analysis. CTCs were retained on ScreenCell filters for cytological characterization. The presence of CTCs was associated with a less favorable prognosis, whereas a decrease of CTCs in the postoperative sampling was observed in patients who exhibited an improved therapeutic response. The results of the present pilot study revealed a possible association between the presence of CTCs and a less favorable prognosis in patients with LSCC; therefore, these preliminary findings may encourage further research into the incorporation of a liquid biopsy in the management of LSCC, as this may help identify patients with occult metastatic disease earlier and in a non-invasive manner. In addition, this approach may represent novel independent prognostic factor for use in the clinical evaluation of patients with LSCC.