AI Article Synopsis

  • Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a very dangerous type of lung cancer that doesn't usually respond well to standard treatments.
  • A new drug called lurbinectedin was recently approved for patients whose cancer came back, but doctors think using it with other treatments might work better.
  • Researchers found that combining lurbinectedin with a special drug called berzosertib may help more patients by making cancer cells grow uncontrollably and die, and they are now testing this combination in a clinical trial.

Article Abstract

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most lethal type of lung cancer. Specifically, MYC-driven non-neuroendocrine SCLC is particularly resistant to standard therapies. Lurbinectedin was recently approved for the treatment of relapsed SCLC, but combinatorial approaches are needed to increase the depth and duration of responses to lurbinectedin. Using high-throughput screens, we found inhibitors of ataxia telangiectasia mutated and rad3 related (ATR) as the most effective agents for augmenting lurbinectedin efficacy. First-in-class ATR inhibitor berzosertib synergized with lurbinectedin in multiple SCLC cell lines, organoid, and in vivo models. Mechanistically, ATR inhibition abrogated S-phase arrest induced by lurbinectedin and forced cell cycle progression causing mitotic catastrophe and cell death. High CDKN1A/p21 expression was associated with decreased synergy due to G1 arrest, while increased levels of ERCC5/XPG were predictive of increased combination efficacy. Importantly, MYC-driven non-neuroendocrine tumors which are resistant to first-line therapies show reduced CDKN1A/p21 expression and increased ERCC5/XPG indicating they are primed for response to lurbinectedin-berzosertib combination. The combination is being assessed in a clinical trial NCT04802174.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10405061PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.15252/emmm.202217313DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

lung cancer
12
atr inhibition
8
small-cell lung
8
myc-driven non-neuroendocrine
8
cdkn1a/p21 expression
8
lurbinectedin
6
atr
4
inhibition augments
4
augments efficacy
4
efficacy lurbinectedin
4

Similar Publications

Regulation of metastatic organotropism.

Trends Cancer

December 2024

Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA; Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA; Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA. Electronic address:

Metastasis is responsible for most cancer-related deaths. Different cancers have their own preferential sites of metastases, a phenomenon termed metastatic organotropism. The mechanisms underlying organotropism are multifactorial and include the generation of a pre-metastatic niche (PMN), metastatic homing, colonization, dormancy, and metastatic outgrowth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

KRAS inhibitors: resistance drivers and combinatorial strategies.

Trends Cancer

December 2024

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Pathology, Berlin, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Berlin, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address:

In 1982, the RAS genes HRAS and KRAS were discovered as the first human cancer genes, with KRAS later identified as one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes. Yet, it took nearly 40 years to develop clinically effective inhibitors for RAS-mutant cancers. The discovery in 2013 by Shokat and colleagues of a druggable pocket in KRAS paved the way to FDA approval of the first covalently binding KRAS inhibitors, sotorasib and adagrasib, in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Emergence of Circulating Tumor DNA as a Precision Biomarker in Lung Cancer Radiation Oncology and Beyond.

Hematol Oncol Clin North Am

December 2024

Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. Electronic address:

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is emerging as a transformative biomarker in the management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This review focuses on its role in detecting minimal residual disease (MRD), predicting treatment response, and guiding therapeutic decision-making in radiation oncology and immunotherapy. Key studies demonstrate ctDNA's prognostic value, particularly in identifying relapse risk and refining patient stratification for curative-intent and consolidative treatments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Corrigendum to "Cellular dynamics of tumor microenvironment driving immunotherapy resistance in non-small-cell lung carcinoma" [Cancer Lett. 604 (2024) 217272].

Cancer Lett

December 2024

Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong; Peter Hung Pain Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Electronic address:

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neoadjuvant and adjuvant osimertinib in stage IA-IIIA, EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NORA).

J Thorac Oncol

December 2024

Division of Medical Oncology, Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Introduction: Treatment with adjuvant osimertinib for three years is the standard-of-care for resected stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutations. The role of neoadjuvant osimertinib in the perioperative setting is yet to be elucidated in the NeoADAURA study (NCT04351555).

Methods: This is a single center, pilot study of patients with clinical stage IA-IIIA NSCLC (AJCC 8th edition) harboring an activating EGFR mutation (Exon 19 deletion, L858R) (NCT04816838).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!