May 15 Clinical Cancer Research Highlights

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Selected Articles from the May 15, 2007 Issue

The articles referenced in this Highlights section will be available online in HTML and PDF formats to all interested users at no charge until the next issue of Clinical Cancer Research is published. Click on the article title to view the complete article.

View the Table of Contents for the May 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research.

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High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients Immunized  

Gilewski et al.
Page 2977

Additional therapeutic strategies are needed for breast cancer patients at high risk of relapse. One approach is to immunize patients with antigens expressed on tumor cells. This phase I study by Gilewski et al. evaluated the toxicities and immune response for a clustered sTn-based vaccine. It is one of several studies that the investigators have conducted to assess single antigens for incorporation into a future polyvalent vaccine to assess clinical benefit. Immunization with sTn(c)-KLH conjugate plus QS-21 was well tolerated and immunogenic in high-risk breast cancer patients. Future trials will incorporate sTn(c) as a component of a multiple antigen vaccine.

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Circulating Tumor Cells are Linked to Recurrence of Esophageal Cancer

Liu et al.
Page 2992

There is controversy regarding the importance of circulating tumor cells in determining prognosis in esophageal cancer patients. Liu et al. establish a real-time RT-PCR quantitative analysis system for highly sensitive detection of circulating tumor cells based on carcinoembryonic antigen mRNA gene expression. The investigators suggest that esophageal cancer surgery results in tumor cell dissemination. A high recurrence rate was observed in patients with a circulating tumor cell decrease of less than 40% from immediately after surgery to the third postoperative day.

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Clinical Outcomes with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Targeting in Osteosarcomas     

Kersting et al.
Page 2998

Experience with anti-EGFR–targeted therapies in other cancers has made clear that besides the expression status of EGFR, a detailed knowledge about gene mutations is of major predictive power. Kersting et al. aimed to explore the EGFR expression and gene mutation status in high-grade osteosarcomas. The investigators concluded that expression and amplification of EGFR are frequently observed in high-grade osteosarcomas and are associated with improved prognosis in a dose-responsive manner. This finding suggests that low EGFR expression might predict for lack of response to conventional treatment in high-grade osteosarcomas.

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PARP-1 Enhances Radiation Treatment

Albert et al.
Page 3033

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is an enzyme critical for DNA repair. Because therapeutic radiation induces DNA strand breaks, PARP-1 activation can inhibit radiation efficacy. To explore whether PARP-1 inhibition could enhance radiation sensitization, Albert et al. examined the novel small molecule PARP-1 inhibitor, ABT-888, in combination with ionizing radiation in murine models of lung cancer. ABT-888 effectively increased radiation-induced DNA strand breaks and lung cancer cell line death in vitro. Furthermore, combination treatment significantly enhanced tumor growth delay and anti-angiogenesis in vivo. Thus, PARP-1 inhibition is a promising radiation enhancement strategy that should be investigated in clinical trials.

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