Publications by authors named "Kenneth Pienta"

Article Synopsis
  • The research investigates how prostate cancer adapts to changing environments and the role of the Polyaneuploid Cancer Cell (PACC) state in metastasis, suggesting that PACC can enhance metastatic potential.
  • Evidence from previous studies shows that the presence of PACC in patient tumors correlates with a higher risk of future metastasis, prompting the use of innovative methods to analyze circulating and disseminated tumor cells from animal models.
  • The findings reveal that a significant majority of these tumor cells were in the PACC state, and specific traits associated with PACC contribute to its ability to spread and colonize new sites, raising concerns about the effectiveness of certain cancer treatments that may inadvertently promote metastasis.
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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses the major challenges and inquiries surrounding prostate cancer research and treatment expected to be prominent in 2024.
  • It highlights key areas such as the effectiveness of current therapies, the role of genetic factors in prostate cancer, and advancements in screening methods.
  • The focus is on encouraging innovative approaches and ongoing research to improve diagnosis, treatment options, and patient outcomes for those affected by prostate cancer.
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Introduction: The 11th Annual 2024 Coffey - Holden Prostate Cancer Academy (CHPCA) Meeting, was themed "Personalized Medicine: Leave No Patient Behind," and was held from June 20 to 23, 2024 at the University of California, Los Angeles, Luskin Conference Center, in Los Angeles, CA.

Methods: The CHPCA Meeting is an academy-styled annual conference organized by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, to focus discussion on the most critical emerging research that have the greatest potential to advance knowledge of prostate cancer biology and treatment. The 2024 CHPCA Meeting was attended by 75 academic investigators and included 37 talks across 8 sessions.

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Purpose Of Review: Once prostate cancer (PCa) bone metastases develop, the prognosis dramatically declines. The precise mechanisms regulating bone metastasis remain elusive. This review will explore recent findings related to cytokines and chemokines in the process of bone metastases.

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Article Synopsis
  • Therapeutic resistance in cancer, especially in advanced prostate cancer, contributes to high mortality as patients often relapse after initial treatments.
  • Research on circulating tumor cells with increased genomic content (CTC-IGC) from 44 advanced prostate cancer patients reveals a link to poorer survival outcomes and clonal origins, indicating polyploidization.
  • Identification of new RNA and protein markers associated with chemotherapy resistance, such as HOMER1, TNFRSF9, and LRP1, suggests pathways for improving cancer treatment and understanding relapse mechanisms.
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Centrosomes serve as microtubule-organizing organelles that function in spindle pole organization, cell cycle progression, and cilia formation. A non-canonical role of centrosomes that has gained traction in recent years is the ability to act as signal transduction centers. Centrosome amplification, which includes numerical and structural aberrations of centrosomes, is a candidate hallmark of cancer.

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This study delves into the proteomic intricacies of drug-resistant cells (DRCs) within prostate cancer, which are known for their pivotal roles in therapeutic resistance, relapse, and metastasis. Utilizing single-cell proteomics (SCP) with an optimized high-throughput Data Independent Acquisition (DIA) approach with the throughput of 60 sample per day, we characterized the proteomic landscape of DRCs in comparison to parental PC3 cells. This optimized DIA method allowed for robust and reproducible protein quantification at the single-cell level, enabling the identification and quantification of over 1,300 proteins per cell on average.

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Therapeutic resistance in cancer significantly contributes to mortality, with many patients eventually experiencing recurrence after initial treatment responses. Recent studies have identified therapy-resistant large polyploid cancer cells in patient tissues, particularly in late-stage prostate cancer, linking them to advanced disease and relapse. Here, we analyzed bone marrow aspirates from 44 advanced prostate cancer patients and found the presence of CTC-IGC was significantly associated with poorer progression-free survival.

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Background: Despite nearly 100% 5-year survival for localised prostate cancer, the survival rate for metastatic prostate cancer significantly declines to 32%. Thus, it is crucial to identify molecular indicators that reflect the progression from localised disease to metastatic prostate cancer.

Methods: To search for molecular indicators associated with prostate cancer metastasis, we performed proteomic analysis of rapid autopsy tissue samples from metastatic prostate cancer (N = 8) and localised prostate cancer (N = 2).

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Cancer has become one of the leading causes of death, with approximately ten million people worldwide dying from cancer each year. In most cases, cancer spreads to remote organs and develops a resistance to therapy. To reduce the deadly impact of cancer, novel targets for markers for early detection are necessary.

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[Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients with prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

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Therapeutic resistance in cancer significantly contributes to mortality, with many patients eventually experiencing recurrence after initial treatment responses. Recent studies have identified therapy-resistant large polyploid cancer cells in patient tissues, particularly in late-stage prostate cancer, linking them to advanced disease and relapse. Here, we analyzed bone marrow aspirates from 44 advanced prostate cancer patients and found the presence of circulating tumor cells with increased genomic content (CTC-IGC) was significantly associated with poorer progression-free survival.

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Article Synopsis
  • There is a significant need to better understand how prostate cancer spreads, specifically the role of the Polyaneuploid Cancer Cell (PACC) state in this process.
  • Emerging research suggests that the PACC state enhances a cancer cell's ability to metastasize, with a retrospective study indicating that the presence of PACCs in prostate tissue can predict future metastasis.
  • Innovative flow-cytometric techniques reveal that a high percentage (74%) of circulating and disseminated tumor cells are in the PACC state, and further experiments demonstrate that these cells can regain the ability to proliferate at metastatic sites, linking PACCs to increased metastatic potential.
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Article Synopsis
  • Oligometastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (omCSPC) is an early stage of metastatic disease with varying outcomes among patients, leading to a study on the impact of tumor genomics on disease progression and failure patterns after treatment.
  • A multi-institutional analysis of 267 men who underwent tumor sequencing highlighted that the presence of specific genomic mutations, like TP53, could influence modes of progression and overall survival rates.
  • The findings suggested that patients with oligoprogression had significantly better three-year overall survival rates (91%) compared to those with polyprogression (71%), indicating the importance of genomic profiling in predicting clinical outcomes.
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models for tumorigenesis and metastasis have revealed conserved mechanisms of signaling that are also involved in mammalian cancer. Many of these models use the proliferating tissues of the larval stages of development, when tissues are highly mitotically active, or stem cells are abundant. Fewer tumorigenesis models use adult animals to initiate tumor formation when many tissues are largely terminally differentiated and postmitotic.

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To investigate extracellular vesicles (EVs), biomarkers for predicting lymph node invasion (LNI) in patients with high-risk prostate cancer (HRPCa), plasma, and/or urine samples were prospectively collected from 45 patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and five with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Small RNA sequencing was performed to identify miRNAs in the EVs. All patients with PCa underwent radical prostatectomy and extended pelvic lymph node dissection.

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Purpose: Emerging data suggest that metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) improves outcomes in patients with oligometastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (omCSPC). Prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA-PET) can detect occult metastatic disease, and PSMA response has been proposed as a biomarker for treatment response. Herein, we identify and validate a PSMA-PET biomarker for metastasis-free survival (MFS) following MDT in omCSPC.

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Article Synopsis
  • Rapid detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) is vital for studying metastasis, as only a tiny fraction of cells successfully metastasize.
  • This study introduces a flow cytometry method for quickly comparing CTCs and DTCs from individual animals, facilitating the evaluation of different steps in cancer spread.
  • The method offers a reliable way to analyze rare cancer cells and has the flexibility to adapt for use in different tissues and research contexts, enhancing the understanding of metastatic processes.
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Article Synopsis
  • Cancer cell survival and growth are influenced by somatic evolution, which selects specific cell traits in response to changing environments.
  • Researchers analyzed lung adenocarcinomas with varied genetic mutations (n=313) and discovered a limited number (376) of mutations under positive selection linked to significant changes in gene expression.
  • Key pathways important for cancer cell fitness involve loss of normal tissue functions, with specific genes related to cell cycle, DNA repair, and metabolism showing significant conservation and increased expression in tumors.
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Article Synopsis
  • The 2023 Coffey-Holden Prostate Cancer Academy Meeting, held at UCLA from June 22 to 25, focused on innovative strategies to improve prostate cancer research and treatment, marking its 10th annual gathering.
  • The event featured 81 academic researchers and included 40 presentations across various sessions, discussing critical topics such as transcription factors, androgen deprivation therapy, and advances in immunotherapy.
  • The meeting aimed to share knowledge to drive progress in prostate cancer research and clinical care on a global scale.
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The evolution of metastasis represents a lethal stage of cancer progression. Yet, the evolutionary kinetics of metastatic disease remain unresolved. Here, using single cell CRISPR-Cas9 lineage tracing data, we show that in metastatic disease, gradual molecular evolution is punctuated by episodes of rapid evolutionary change associated with lineage divergence.

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To investigate extracellular vesicles (EVs) biomarkers for predicting lymph node invasion (LNI) in patients with high-risk prostate cancer (HRPCa), plasma and/or urine samples were prospectively collected from 45 patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and five with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Small RNA sequencing was performed to identify miRNAs in the EVs. All patients with PCa underwent radical prostatectomy and extended pelvic lymph node dissection.

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Chemoresistance is a major cause of treatment failure in many cancers. However, the life cycle of cancer cells as they respond to and survive environmental and therapeutic stress is understudied. In this study, we utilized a microfluidic device to induce the development of doxorubicin-resistant (DOXR) cells from triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells within 11 days by generating gradients of DOX and medium.

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