Genome agnostic, multi-level non-oncogene addiction-based systems pharmacology for rescuing metastatic relapsed/refractory neoplasias

TL;DR

A new approach using non-oncogene addiction networks offers genome-agnostic treatment for metastatic, treatment-resistant cancers with promising results.

Contribution

The paper introduces a multi-level systems pharmacology strategy targeting non-oncogene addiction networks across diverse tumor types.

Findings

Combination therapies targeting non-oncogene addiction networks achieved complete or near-complete responses in eight relapsed/refractory neoplasias.

Therapeutic approaches using transcriptional reprogramming and stress response modulation show high specificity and low toxicity.

Targeting non-oncogene addiction networks can overcome cancer cell recolonization and acquired resistance in metastatic tumors.

Abstract

Rescue therapies for relapsed/refractory (r/r) metastatic neoplasias present significant unmet needs. Tumor tissue editing regimen for 13 r/r tumor types, carcinomas, sarcomas and hematologic neoplasias, included in 15 phase I/II trials, nuclear/cytokine receptor agonists, pioglitazone, plus/minus dexamethasone or all-trans retinoic acid or interferon-α to counterbalance tumor tissue homeostasis and reprogramming of cancer hallmarks, stress response inhibitors, COX-2 inhibitor, everolimus, lenalidomide, or clarithromycin, and a stress response inducer, low-dose metronomic chemotherapy with treosulfan, trofosfamide, capecitabine, or azacitidine. CR in three, cCR in another five r/r neoplasias, as the best response occurred after transcriptional reprogramming of cancer hallmarks, inflammation control or differentiation induction. Receptor agonist combinations for cCR induction can be identical among quite different tumor types and diversified within the same tumor histology. Data reveal ubiquitous, differential transcriptional access to non-oncogene addiction (NOA) networks that cope with cancer hallmarks/stress responses and three levels of therapeutic NOA targeting. (1) Agonists of nuclear/cytokine receptor NOAs critically target tumor identity and viability, while (2) transcriptional reprogramming of NOA networks that contribute to tumor tissue addiction, thereby genome-agnostically counteracting oncogene addictions. (3) Targeting edited NOAs may improve long-term outcome with CR/cCR (everolimus, IMiD). Transcriptionally accessible NOA targets offer high specificity, modest toxicity profile, low cost of therapy and outpatient treatment, independent of comorbidities. Adaptive targeting of the transcriptomic landscapes of tumor cell compartments breaks tumor tissue addiction and overcomes M-CRAC, post-therapy metastasis, cancer cell recolonization, acquired resistance and genetic heterogeneity. Thus, editing approaches provide a template for controlling metastatic r/r tumors. In the future, diagnostics of NOA networks and transcription factors involved in tumor tissue addiction may be as valuable for therapy selection as histological/molecular genetic tumor typing for the establishment of personalized hematology/oncology.

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