TREM-2 defends the liver against hepatocellular carcinoma through multifactorial protective mechanisms

[EN] Objective Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent and aggressive cancer usually arising on a background of chronic liver injury involving inflammatory and hepatic regenerative processes. The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM-2) is predominantly expressed in hepatic non-parenchymal cells and inhibits Toll-like receptor signalling, protecting the liver from various hepatotoxic injuries, yet its role in liver cancer is poorly defined. Here, we investigated the impact of TREM-2 on liver regeneration and hepatocarcinogenesis. Design TREM-2 expression was analysed in liver tissues of two independent cohorts of patients with HCC and compared with control liver samples. Experimental HCC and liver regeneration models in wild type and Trem-2-/- mice, and in vitro studies with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and HCC spheroids were conducted. Results TREM-2 expression was upregulated in human HCC tissue, in mouse models of liver regeneration and HCC. Trem-2-/- mice developed more liver tumours irrespective of size after diethylnitrosamine (DEN) administration, displayed exacerbated liver damage, inflammation, oxidative stress and hepatocyte proliferation. Administering an antioxidant diet blocked DEN-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in both genotypes. Similarly, Trem-2-/- animals developed more and larger tumours in fibrosis-associated HCC models. Trem-2-/- livers showed increased hepatocyte proliferation and inflammation after partial hepatectomy. Conditioned media from human HSCs overexpressing TREM-2 inhibited human HCC spheroid growth in vitro through attenuated Wnt ligand secretion. Conclusion TREM-2 plays a protective role in hepatocarcinogenesis via different pleiotropic effects, suggesting that TREM-2 agonism should be investigated as it might beneficially impact HCC pathogenesis in a multifactorial manner.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and ’Instituto de Salud Carlos III’ grants (MJP (PI14/00399, PI17/00022 and Ramon y Cajal Programme RYC-2015–17755); JMB (PI12/00380, PI15/01132, PI18/01075, Miguel Servet Programme CON14/00129 and CPII19/00008) cofinanced by ’Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional’ (FEDER); CIBERehd: MJP, JMB and LB), Spain; IKERBASQUE, Basque foundation for Science (MJP and JMB), Spain; ’Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa’ (MJP: DFG18/114, DFG19/081; JMB: DFG15/010, DFG16/004); BIOEF (Basque Foundation for Innovation and Health Research: EiTB Maratoia BIO15/CA/016/ BD to JMB); Department of Health of the Basque Country (MJP: 2015111100 and 2019111024; JMB: 2017111010), Euskadi RIS3 (JMB: 2016222001, 2017222014, 2018222029, 2019222054, 2020333010) Department of Industry of the Basque Country (JMB: Elkartek: KK-2020/00008) and AECC Scientific Foundation (JMB). AE-B was funded by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) (PIF2014/11) and by the short-term training fellowship Andrew K Burroughs (European Association for the Study of the Liver, EASL). IL and AA-L were funded by the Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture of the Basque Government (PRE_2016_1_0152 and PRE_2018_1_0184). OS and SK were funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF25801-B22, FWF-P35168 to OS and L-Mac: F 6104-B21 to SK). FO and DAM were funded by a UK Medical Research Council programme Grant MR/R023026/1. DAM was also funded by the CRUK programme grant C18342/A23390, CRUK/AECC/AIRC Accelerator Award A26813 and the MRC MICA programme grant MR/R023026/1. JBA is supported by the Danish Medical Research Council, Danish Cancer Society, Nordisk Foundation, and APM Foundation. CJO’R and PM-G are supported by Marie Sklodowska-Curie Programme and EASL Sheila Sherlock postdoctoral fellowships

Current and novel therapeutic opportunities for systemic therapy in biliary cancer

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of rare and aggressive malignancies that arise in the biliary tree within and outside the liver. Beyond surgical resection, which is beneficial for only a small proportion of patients, current strategies for treating patients with BTCs include chemotherapy, as a single agent or combination regimens, in the adjuvant and palliative setting. Increased characterisation of the molecular landscape of these tumours has facilitated the identification of molecular vulnerabilities, such as IDH mutations and FGFR fusions, that can be exploited for the treatment of BTC patients. Beyond targeted therapies, active research avenues explore the development of novel therapeutics that target the crosstalk between cancer and stroma, the cellular pathways involved in the regulation of cell death, the chemoresistance phenotype and the dysregulation of RNA. In this review, we discuss the therapeutic opportunities currently available in the management of BTC patients, and explore the strategies that can support the implementation of precision oncology in BTCs, including novel molecular targets, liquid biopsies and patient-derived predictive tools

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Role of transcription factor KLF5 in the etiopathogenesis and chemoresistance of cholangiocarcinoma: novel diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategy.

183 p.El colangiocarcinoma (CCA) es un cáncer biliar raro y heterogéneo, con una incidencia y mortalidad creciente. En este estudio planteamos la hipótesis de que el factor de transcripción KLF5 actúa como oncogén en el CCA, por lo que la inhibición de su expresión puede tener valor terapéutico. Por ello, nos planteamos estudiar el papel de KLF5 en la patogénesis y quimiorresistencia del CCA, así como testar el valor terapéutico de su inhibición genética (mediante tecnología CRISPR-Cas9) o farmacológica (compuesto ML264). Se ha concluido que la expresión génica de KLF5 es mayor en CCA humano que en el tejido hepático y biliar normal, independientemente del perfil mutacional del tumor. Hemos observado que los tumores con niveles más altos de KLF5 se asocian con mayor frecuencia a afectación ganglionar y a peor supervivencia tras cirugía. La ablación genética experimental de KLF5 en células de CCA (CCA KLF5-/-) redujo la capacidad de proliferación celular y demostró aumentar la muerte celular por apoptosis. Estas células CCA KLF5-/- fueron incapaces de generar tumores tras su inyección ortotópica en ratones inmunodeficientes y resultaron ser más sensibles a la apoptosis inducida por Gemcitaina-Cisplatino (GemCis). Además, la inhibición farmacológica de KLF5 con el compuesto ML264 disminuyó el crecimiento tumoral en modelos murinos de CCA y demostró potenciar el efecto citotóxico de GemCis tanto in vitro como in vivo. Por último, el análisis proteómico de las células CCA KLF5-/- mostró que la expresión de ocho proteínas implicadas en mecanismos de quimiorresistencia (MOC) está alterada en comparación con las células control, correlacionándose la expresión génica de 6 de estas proteínas con la expresión de KLF5 en tejido tumoral procedente de pacientes. En conjunto, nuestros datos indican que KLF5 actúa como oncogén en el CCA y que su inhibición farmacológica con ML264 podría representar una nueva estrategia terapéutica para el tratamiento de estos pacientes

Current and novel therapeutic opportunities for systemic therapy in biliary cancer

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of rare and aggressive malignancies that arise in the biliary tree within and outside the liver. Beyond surgical resection, which is beneficial for only a small proportion of patients, current strategies for treating patients with BTCs include chemotherapy, as a single agent or combination regimens, in the adjuvant and palliative setting. Increased characterisation of the molecular landscape of these tumours has facilitated the identification of molecular vulnerabilities, such as IDH mutations and FGFR fusions, that can be exploited for the treatment of BTC patients. Beyond targeted therapies, active research avenues explore the development of novel therapeutics that target the crosstalk between cancer and stroma, the cellular pathways involved in the regulation of cell death, the chemoresistance phenotype and the dysregulation of RNA. In this review, we discuss the therapeutic opportunities currently available in the management of BTC patients, and explore the strategies that can support the implementation of precision oncology in BTCs, including novel molecular targets, liquid biopsies and patient-derived predictive tools

Current and novel therapeutic opportunities for systemic therapy in biliary cancer

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of rare and aggressive malignancies that arise in the biliary tree within and outside the liver. Beyond surgical resection, which is beneficial for only a small proportion of patients, current strategies for treating patients with BTCs include chemotherapy, as a single agent or combination regimens, in the adjuvant and palliative setting. Increased characterisation of the molecular landscape of these tumours has facilitated the identification of molecular vulnerabilities, such as IDH mutations and FGFR fusions, that can be exploited for the treatment of BTC patients. Beyond targeted therapies, active research avenues explore the development of novel therapeutics that target the crosstalk between cancer and stroma, the cellular pathways involved in the regulation of cell death, the chemoresistance phenotype and the dysregulation of RNA. In this review, we discuss the therapeutic opportunities currently available in the management of BTC patients, and explore the strategies that can support the implementation of precision oncology in BTCs, including novel molecular targets, liquid biopsies and patient-derived predictive tools

Cholangiocarcinoma landscape in Europe: Diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic insights from the ENSCCA Registry

Background and aims: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare and heterogeneous biliary cancer, with increasing incidence and related mortality. This study investigates the clinical course of CCA and subtypes (intrahepatic (iCCA), perihilar (pCCA), and distal (dCCA)) in a pan-European cohort. Methods: The ENSCCA Registry is a multicenter observational study. Patients with histologically-proven CCA diagnosis between 2010-2019 were included. Demographic, histomorphological, biochemical, and clinical studies were performed. Results: Overall, 2,234 patients were enrolled (male:female=1.29). iCCA (n=1,243) was associated with overweight/obesity (58.5%) and chronic liver diseases involving cirrhosis (12.6%) and/or viral hepatitis (10.4%); pCCA (n=592) with primary sclerosing cholangitis (8.8%); and dCCA (n=399) with choledocholithiasis (10.3%). At diagnosis, 42.2% of patients had local disease, 29.4% locally-advanced disease (LAD), and 28.4% metastatic disease (MD). Serum CEA and CA19-9 showed low diagnostic sensitivity (69.1% and 40.9% below cutoff, respectively), but their concomitant elevation was associated with increased risk of presenting with LAD [OR=2.16;95%CI:1.43-3.27] or MD [OR=5.88;95%CI:3.69-9.25]. Patients undergoing resection (50.3%) showed the best outcome, particularly with negative-resection margin (R0) [median overall survival (mOS)=45.1 months]; however, margin involvement (R1) [HR=1.92;95%CI:1.53-2.41;mOS=24.7 months] and lymph node invasion [HR=2.13;95%CI:1.55-2.94;mOS=23.3 months] compromised prognosis. Among patients with unresectable disease (49.6%), the mOS was 10.6 months for those receiving active palliative therapies, mostly chemotherapy (26.2%). Patients receiving best supportive care (20.6%) had mOS of 4.0 months, with iCCAs showing worst outcome compared to p/dCCAs. ECOG performance status [HR=1.52;95%CI:1.01-2.31], MD [HR=4.03;95%CI:1.82-8.92] and CA19-9 [HR=2.79;95%CI:1.46-5.33] were independently prognostic for OS. Conclusion: CCA is still diagnosed at advanced stage, a proportion of patients fail to receive cancer-specific therapies, and prognosis is dismal. Identification of preventable risk factors and implementation of surveillance in high-risk populations are required to decrease cancer-related mortality. Lay summary: This is, to date, the largest and more complete international (pan-European: 26 hospitals and 11 countries) observational study, in which the course of CCA is investigated, comparing the three subtypes based on the latest International Classification of Diseases 11th Edition (ICD-11) [i.e., intrahepatic (2C12), perihilar (2C18), or distal (2C15) affected bile ducts] (coming into effect in 2022). General and tumor-type specific features at diagnosis, risk factors, biomarker accuracy, as well as patient management and outcomes, among others, are presented and compared, outlining the current European scenario on the clinical state of CCA

Cholangiocarcinoma landscape in Europe: Diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic insights from the ENSCCA Registry

Background & Aims: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare and heterogeneous biliary cancer, whose incidence and related mortality is increasing. This study investigates the clinical course of CCA and subtypes (intrahepatic [iCCA], perihilar [pCCA], and distal [dCCA]) in a pan-European cohort. Methods: The ENSCCA Registry is a multicenter observational study. Patients were included if they had a histologically proven diagnosis of CCA between 2010-2019. Demographic, histomorphological, biochemical, and clinical studies were performed. Results: Overall, 2,234 patients were enrolled (male/female=1.29). iCCA (n = 1,243) was associated with overweight/obesity and chronic liver diseases involving cirrhosis and/or viral hepatitis; pCCA (n = 592) with primary sclerosing cholangitis; and dCCA (n = 399) with choledocholithiasis. At diagnosis, 42.2% of patients had local disease, 29.4% locally advanced disease (LAD), and 28.4% metastatic disease (MD). Serum CEA and CA19-9 showed low diagnostic sensitivity, but their concomitant elevation was associated with increased risk of presenting with LAD (odds ratio 2.16; 95% CI 1.43-3.27) or MD (odds ratio 5.88; 95% CI 3.69-9.25). Patients undergoing resection (50.3%) had the best outcomes, particularly with negative-resection margin (R0) (median overall survival [mOS] = 45.1 months); however, margin involvement (R1) (hazard ratio 1.92; 95% CI 1.53-2.41; mOS = 24.7 months) and lymph node invasion (hazard ratio 2.13; 95% CI 1.55-2.94; mOS = 23.3 months) compromised prognosis. Among patients with unresectable disease (49.6%), the mOS was 10.6 months for those receiving active palliative therapies, mostly chemotherapy (26.2%), and 4.0 months for those receiving best supportive care (20.6%). iCCAs were associated with worse outcomes than p/dCCAs. ECOG performance status, MD and CA19-9 were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: CCA is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage, a proportion of patients fail to receive cancer-specific therapies, and prognosis remains dismal. Identification of preventable risk factors and implementation of surveillance in high-risk populations are required to decrease cancer-related mortality. Lay summary: This is, to date, the largest international (pan-European: 26 hospitals and 11 countries) observational study, in which the course of cholangiocarcinoma has been investigated, comparing the 3 subtypes based on the latest International Classification of Diseases 11th Edition (ICD-11) (i.e., intrahepatic [2C12], perihilar [2C18], or distal [2C15] affected bile ducts), which come into effect in 2022. General and tumor-type specific features at diagnosis, risk factors, biomarker accuracy, as well as patient management and outcomes, are presented and compared, outlining the current clinical state of cholangiocarcinoma in Europe