Publications by authors named "Brugarolas J"

Purpose: A reliable and comprehensive cancer prognosis model for clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) could better assist in personalizing treatment. In this work, we developed a multi-modal ensemble model (MMEM) which integrates pretreatment clinical information, multi-omics data, and histopathology whole slide image (WSI) data to learn complementary information to predict overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) for patients with ccRCC.

Methods And Materials: We collected 226 patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma dataset (TCGA-KIRC).

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Copper (Cu) is a cofactor of cytochrome c oxidase (CuCOX), indispensable for aerobic mitochondrial respiration. This study reveals that advanced clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) accumulate Cu, allocating it to CuCOX. Using a range of orthogonal approaches, including metabolomics, lipidomics, isotope-labeled glucose and glutamine flux analysis, and transcriptomics across tumor samples, cell lines, xenografts, and PDX models, combined with genetic and pharmacological interventions, we explored Cu's role in ccRCC.

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Background: Adrenal metastases are often treated with stereotactic ablative radiation (SAbR). We aimed to assess the incidence, timing, and factors associated with the development of primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) following SAbR.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study comprised 66 consecutive patients (73% men, median age 61 years) who underwent SAbR for adrenal metastasis.

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Background: Belzutifan is a first-in-class hypoxia-inducible factor subunit 2α (HIF-2α) inhibitor approved at a dose of 120 mg once daily for certain adults with VHL disease and adults with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) following therapy with a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) [or programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1)] inhibitor and a vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. However, whether the belzutifan dose could be optimized is unclear.

Patients And Methods: The phase II LITESPARK-013 study (NCT04489771) enrolled patients with advanced clear cell RCC whose disease progressed after one to three prior systemic therapies, including an anti-PD-(L)1 regimen.

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Unlabelled: In this study we evaluated outcomes of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who received immunotherapy before surgery. We found that receiving immunotherapy combinations before surgery can offer patients benefits in reducing tumor size and improving disease control.

Background: Immunotherapy (IO) has improved outcomes for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

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Cancer cells frequently upregulate ribosome production to support tumorigenesis. While small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are critical for ribosome biogenesis, the roles of other classes of noncoding RNAs in this process remain largely unknown. Here we performed CRISPRi screens to identify essential long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • Metastases, which are the spread of cancer cells to different organs, play a crucial role in the severity of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with common sites being the lungs, bones, liver, and lymph nodes.
  • This study analyzed 657 tumor samples from both primary renal tumors and various metastatic sites to identify genomic and transcriptomic differences.
  • The findings reveal significant variations in tumor characteristics and the tumor microenvironment across different metastatic locations, highlighting the importance of these factors in creating targeted cancer treatments.
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mTORC1 is aberrantly activated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and is targeted by rapalogs. As for other targeted therapies, rapalogs clinical utility is limited by the development of resistance. Resistance often results from target mutation, but mTOR mutations are rarely found in RCC.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study highlights the lack of effective predictive biomarkers for metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), a cancer treatable by various inhibitors, and introduces the Angioscore as a promising RNA-based measure for predicting response to anti-angiogenic therapies, despite challenges in clinical adoption due to factors like high cost and tumor heterogeneity.
  • - A novel deep learning model is developed to estimate the Angioscore from histopathology slides, providing visualizations of vascular networks, which enhances its interpretability compared to traditional models.
  • - The model demonstrates strong predictive capability, showing high correlation with the Angioscore in multiple cohorts and effectively predicting treatment responses, making it a potentially valuable tool for understanding angiogenesis in ccRCC at a
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Purine nucleotides are vital for RNA and DNA synthesis, signaling, metabolism, and energy homeostasis. To synthesize purines, cells use two principal routes: the de novo and salvage pathways. Traditionally, it is believed that proliferating cells predominantly rely on de novo synthesis, whereas differentiated tissues favor the salvage pathway.

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Article Synopsis
  • Sarcomatoid dedifferentiation occurs in various renal cell carcinoma subtypes, including chromophobe RCC, leading to more aggressive disease and resistance to treatments, but increased response to immunotherapy.
  • Research on ChRCC reveals that it can dedifferentiate into sarcomatoid, anaplastic, and glandular forms, which are all linked to enhanced aggressiveness and metastasis.
  • Key mutations, like those in TP53 and PTEN, drive this dedifferentiation process, and specific genetic and molecular markers could help classify and diagnose these aggressive tumors more effectively.
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Lipids are essential for tumours because of their structural, energetic, and signaling roles. While many cancer cells upregulate lipid synthesis, growing evidence suggests that tumours simultaneously intensify the uptake of circulating lipids carried by lipoproteins. Which mechanisms promote the uptake of extracellular lipids, and how this pool of lipids contributes to cancer progression, are poorly understood.

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Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the major subtype of RCC, is frequently diagnosed at late/metastatic stage with 13% 5-year disease-free survival. Functional inactivation of the wild-type p53 protein is implicated in ccRCC therapy resistance, but the detailed mechanisms of p53 malfunction are still poorly characterized. Thus, a better understanding of the mechanisms of disease progression and therapy resistance is required.

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Purpose: ARO-HIF2 is an siRNA drug designed to selectively target hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF2α) interrupting downstream pro-oncogenic signaling in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The aims of this Phase 1 study (AROHIF21001) were to evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and establish a recommended Phase 2 dose.

Patients And Methods: Subjects with ccRCC and progressive disease after at least 2 prior therapies that included VEGF and immune checkpoint inhibitors were progressively enrolled into dose-escalation cohorts of ARO-HIF2 administered intravenously at 225, 525, or 1,050 mg weekly.

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Article Synopsis
  • Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most prevalent kidney cancer and is often difficult to treat when it spreads, largely due to its lipid accumulation that aids tumor growth and cell survival.
  • Researchers studied two receptors, GPR1 and CMKLR1, that are involved in regulating lipid metabolism in ccRCC; inhibiting these receptors reduced lipid formation and induced cell death in cancer cells, hindering tumor progression.
  • The findings suggest that targeting the CMKLR1 receptor with a specific small molecule could potentially halt tumor growth and lipid storage, offering a new therapeutic strategy for ccRCC treatment.
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Translocation renal cell carcinoma (tRCC) most commonly involves an ASPSCR1-TFE3 fusion, but molecular mechanisms remain elusive and animal models are lacking. Here, we show that human ASPSCR1-TFE3 driven by Pax8-Cre (a credentialed clear cell RCC driver) disrupted nephrogenesis and glomerular development, causing neonatal death, while the clear cell RCC failed driver, Sglt2-Cre, induced aggressive tRCC (as well as alveolar soft part sarcoma) with complete penetrance and short latency. However, in both contexts, ASPSCR1-TFE3 led to characteristic morphological cellular changes, loss of epithelial markers, and an epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

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TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) is a potential therapeutic target in multiple cancers, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, targeting TBK1 in clinical practice is challenging. One approach to overcome this challenge would be to identify an upstream TBK1 regulator that could be targeted therapeutically in cancer specifically.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Recent research has identified a range of renal tumors linked to the TSC/mTOR pathway, including types like renal cell carcinoma with fibromyomatous stroma and eosinophilic solid and cystic renal cell carcinoma.
  • - These tumors often exhibit unique physical and biochemical characteristics that allow for easy identification, reducing the need for detailed molecular testing.
  • - The report highlights the latest findings and the growing complexity in understanding these renal tumor types.
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Background: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is a heterogenous disease with poor 5-year overall survival (OS) at 14%. Patients with mRCC to endocrine organs historically have prolonged OS. Pancreatic metastases are uncommon overall, with mRCC being the most common etiology of pancreatic metastases.

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Fumarate hydratase-deficient (FH-deficient) renal cell carcinoma (RCC) represents a particularly aggressive form of kidney cancer. FH-deficient RCC arises in the setting of germline, or solely somatic, mutations in the FH gene, a two-hit tumor suppressor gene. Early detection can be curative, but there are no biomarkers, and in the sporadic setting, establishing a diagnosis of FH-deficient RCC is challenging.

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Hemoptysis is a complication of intrathoracic tumors, both primary and metastatic, and the risk may be increased by procedural interventions as well as Stereotactic Ablative Radiation (SAbR). The risk of hemoptysis with SAbR for lung cancer is well characterized, but there is a paucity of data about intrathoracic metastases. Here, we sought to evaluate the incidence of life-threatening/fatal hemoptysis (LTH) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) chest metastases with a focus on SAbR.

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Background: Most renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) are localized and managed by active surveillance, surgery, or minimally invasive techniques. Stereotactic ablative radiation (SAbR) may provide an innovative non-invasive alternative although prospective data are limited.

Objective: To investigate whether SAbR is effective in the management of primary RCCs.

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Advanced renal cell carcinoma is a biologically heterogeneous disease with multiple treatment options that largely involve immunotherapy and/or anti-angiogenic therapies. The choice of initial and subsequent therapy depends on both clinical and biological considerations. Here, we describe the application of recent data to clinical practice.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Cabozantinib is a powerful treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), but options are limited after patients progress on standard doses; some studies suggest that increasing dosages of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) might help control the disease better.
  • - The study evaluated the effects of escalating cabozantinib doses from 60 mg to 80 mg (or more) in patients who had previously shown responsiveness to the drug but had progressed, finding that this approach led to additional disease control lasting an average of 14 months for some patients.
  • - Results from six patients showed no severe side effects from increased dosing, and pharmacokinetic data indicated that the exposure levels from 80 mg tablets are comparable
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