Chao Xu

Advances in Antibody–Drug Conjugates for Endometrial Cancer

Abstract The treatment of advanced endometrial cancer is clinically challenging, prompting the exploration of innovative therapeutic strategies such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADC). ADCs, which include mAbs, cytotoxic components, and linkers, demonstrate robust targeting, cytotoxicity, and manageable adverse effects. To provide a thorough understanding of the status of research, this review elucidates promising therapeutic targets in endometrial cancer, such as HER2, folate receptor α, and trophoblast surface antigen-2, and summarizes preclinical and clinical trial data on related ADC drugs in endometrial cancer. We also discuss the toxicity of ADC drugs. Most adverse events arise from cytotoxic components such as microtubule inhibitors and topoisomerase inhibitors. The ocular toxicity may be mainly related to off-target effects of monomethyl auristatin F/DF4 payloads. Interstitial lung disease is a serious adverse event, mainly caused by antibodies, and most of them are of grade 1 to 2 toxicity. Among them, anti-HER2 ADC–induced interstitial pneumonia is commonly dose-dependent. Moreover, we identified potential new targets for endometrial cancer treatment and explored strategies to overcome ADC resistance, such as choosing combination therapy or developing a new generation of ADC drugs. Continuous research and innovation in this field hold promise for improving the survival and overall quality of life of patients with advanced endometrial cancer.

Identification of Candidate Biomarker and Drug Targets for Improving Endometrial Cancer Racial Disparities

Racial disparities in incidence and survival exist for many human cancers. Racial disparities are undoubtedly multifactorial and due in part to differences in socioeconomic factors, access to care, and comorbidities. Within the U.S., fundamental causes of health inequalities, including socio-economic factors, insurance status, access to healthcare and screening and treatment biases, are issues that contribute to cancer disparities. Yet even these epidemiologic differences do not fully account for survival disparities, as for nearly every stage, grade and histologic subtype, survival among Black women is significantly lower than their White counterparts. To address this, we sought to investigate the proteomic profiling molecular features of endometrial cancer in order to detect modifiable and targetable elements of endometrial cancer in different racial groups, which could be essential for treatment planning. The majority of proteins identified to be significantly altered among the racial groups and that can be regulated by existing drugs or investigational agents are enzymes that regulate metabolism and protein synthesis. These drugs have the potential to improve the worse outcomes of endometrial cancer patients based on race.

Constitutive BAK/MCL1 complexes predict paclitaxel and S63845 sensitivity of ovarian cancer

Abstract We previously found that preformed complexes of BAK with antiapoptotic BCL2 proteins predict BH3 mimetic sensitivities in lymphohematopoietic cells. These complexes have not previously been examined in solid tumors or in the context of conventional anticancer drugs. Here we show the relative amount of BAK found in preformed complexes with MCL1 or BCLX L varies across ovarian cancer cell lines and patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Cells bearing BAK/MCL1 complexes were more sensitive to paclitaxel and the MCL1 antagonist S63845. Likewise, PDX models with BAK/MCL1 complexes were more likely to respond to paclitaxel. Mechanistically, BIM induced by low paclitaxel concentrations interacted preferentially with MCL1 and displaced MCL1-bound BAK. Further studies indicated that cells with preformed BAK/MCL1 complexes were sensitive to the paclitaxel/S63845 combination, while cells without BAK/MCL1 complexes were not. Our study suggested that the assessment of BAK/MCL1 complexes might be useful for predicting response to paclitaxel alone or in combination with BH3 mimetics.