Biomarkers of tumor microenvironment of malignant neoplasms of kidneys, urinary bladder, and prostate gland (literature review)

The development of malignant tissue transformation is accompanied by the accumulation of immune system cells or tumor microenvironment cells (MCO) in it. Three variants of immune cell accumulation were identified: the ‘immune desert’ phenotype, ‘hot’ tumors, with a cytolytic T-cell response. The review presents immunotherapeutic strategies of exposure in order to enhance the ability of McO to initiate immune mechanisms capable of blocking the development of tumor tissue. The analysis of the presented data on the importance of immuno-oncological biomarkers as laboratory indicators of the therapeutic effectiveness of drug therapy aimed at restoring key immune defense pathways in oncourological diseases was carried out. The results of the study of the effectiveness of immuno-oncological biomarkers for assessing the state of antitumor immunity in malignant neoplasms of the bladder, kidneys, prostate gland are summarized.

GPR182 limits antitumor immunity via chemokine scavenging in mouse melanoma models

For many solid tumors, immune checkpoint blockade therapy has become first line treatment, yet a large proportion of patients with immunologically cold tumors do not benefit due to the paucity of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes. Here we show that the orphan G Protein-Coupled Receptor 182 (GPR182) contributes to immunotherapy resistance in cancer via scavenging chemokines that are important for lymphocyte recruitment to tumors. GPR182 is primarily upregulated in melanoma-associated lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) during tumorigenesis, and this atypical chemokine receptor endocytoses chemokines promiscuously. In GPR182-deficient mice, T cell infiltration into transplanted melanomas increases, leading to enhanced effector T cell function and improved antitumor immunity. Ablation of GPR182 leads to increased intratumoral concentrations of multiple chemokines and thereby sensitizes poorly immunogenic tumors to immune checkpoint blockade and adoptive cellular therapies. CXCR3 blockade reverses the improved antitumor immunity and T cell infiltration characteristic of GPR182-deficient mice. Our study thus identifies GPR182 as an upstream regulator of the CXCL9/CXCL10/CXCR3 axis that limits antitumor immunity and as a potential therapeutic target in immunologically cold tumors.

TYRO Protein Tyrosine Kinase-binding Protein Predicts Favorable Overall Survival in Osteosarcoma and Correlates With Antitumor Immunity

Objective: To explore the prognostic significance and underlying mechanism of TYRO protein tyrosine kinase-binding protein (TYROBP) in osteosarcoma. Methods: Firstly, the expression of TYROBP was analyzed using the t-test. The Kaplan-Meier plotter analysis and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed to evaluate the influence of TYROBP on overall survival (OS). Further, Cox regression analysis was conducted to predict the independent prognostic factors for OS of osteosarcoma patients, and a nomogram was constructed. Then, the relationship between TYROBP and clinicopathological characteristics was determined using statistical methods. Enrichment analyses were conducted to evaluate the biological functions of TYROBP. Finally, ESTIMATE algorithm was used to assess the association of TYROBP with immune cell infiltration. Results: TYROBP was significantly increased in osteosarcoma (all P <0.001). However, the high expression of TYROBP was related to better OS of osteosarcoma patients. Cox regression analysis showed that TYROBP was an independent prognostic factor for predicting OS (P =0.005), especially in patients with male sex, age <18 years, metastasis, and tumor site leg/foot (all P <0.05). Besides, TYROBP mRNA expression was significantly associated with tumor site (P <0.01) but had no remarkable relationship with age, gender, and metastasis status (all P>0.05). Functional annotation and GSEA revealed that TYROBP was mainly involved in immune-related pathways. Importantly, TYROBP positively correlated with immune scores (P <0.001, r=0.87). Conclusions: TYROBP served as an independent prognostic biomarker for OS in osteosarcoma. High TYROBP expression might prolong the survival of osteosarcoma patients mainly through promoting antitumor immunity.

A phase I dose-escalation, safety/tolerability, and preliminary efficacy study of the intratumoral administration of GEN0101 in patients with advanced melanoma

Despite recent advance in immunotherapy agents, safe new therapies that enhance the effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors are still required to develop. We previously demonstrated that hemagglutinating virus of Japan-envelope (HVJ-E) induced not only direct tumor cell death but also antitumor immunity through the activation of T and natural killer (NK) cells, thereafter, developed a manufacturing process of HVJ-E (GEN0101) for clinical use. We here performed a phase Ia clinical trial of intratumoral GEN0101 administration in six patients with stage IIIC or IV malignant melanoma. The primary aim was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of GEN0101, and the secondary aim was to examine the objective tumor response. Patients were separated into two groups (n = 3 each) and received a low dose of 30,000 and high dose of 60,000 mNAU of GEN0101. All patients completed a two-week follow-up evaluation without severe adverse events. The overall response rate was 33% (2 of 6), with 2 partial responses in the high-dose group and 2 with stable disease, and 2 with progressive disease in the low-dose group. Local complete or partial responses were observed in 11 of 18 (61%) target lesions. One patient demonstrated shrinkage of lung metastases after the treatment. The activity of NK cells and interferon-γ levels were increased in the circulation, indicating augmentation of antitumor immunity by GEN0101. This trial showed not only the safety and tolerability but also the significant antitumor effect of GEN0101, suggesting that GEN0101 might be a promising new drug for patients with advanced melanoma.