Copenhagen, Denmark
Onsite/Online

ESTRO 2022

Session Item

Saturday
May 07
16:55 - 17:55
Room D4
Personalised radiation therapy
Sebastian Christ, Switzerland;
Wilko Verbakel, The Netherlands
1480
Proffered Papers
Interdisciplinary
17:05 - 17:15
Biomarker development from joint analyses of HNSCC xenografts and patients treated by PORT-C
Annett Linge, Germany
OC-0256

Abstract

Biomarker development from joint analyses of HNSCC xenografts and patients treated by PORT-C
Authors:

Annett Linge1,2,3,4, Shivaprasad Patil5,6, Kristin Gurtner6,1,7, Marianne Grosser8, Fabian Lohaus5,6,1,7, Volker Gudziol9, Alexander Nowak10, Inge Tinhofer11,12, Volker Budach11,12, Maja Guberina13,14, Martin Stuschke15,14, Panangiotis Balermpas16, Panagiotis Balermpas17, Claus Rödel16,17, Henning Schäfer18,19, Anca-Ligia Grosu18,19, Amir Abdollahi20,21,22,23,24, Jürgen Debus20,21,22,23,25, Claus Belka26,27,28, Steffi Pigorsch26,29, Stephanie E. Combs26,29,30, Simon Boeke31,32, Daniel Zips31,32, Michael Baumann33,6,1, Steffen Löck5,6,1,7, Mechthild Krause34,6,1,7,35

1Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 2German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 3OncoRay - Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany; 4National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden, Germany: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany , Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany, and Helmholtz Association / Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany; 5German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ),Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 6OncoRay - Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 7National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Partner Site Dresden, Germany: German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany, and Helmholtz Association / Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany; 8Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 9Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 10Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 11German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany; 12Charité University Medicine Berlin, Department of Radiooncology and Radiotherapy, Berlin, Germany; 13German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, , German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen, Essen, Germany; 14Department of Radiotherapy, Medical Faculty, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; 15German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen, Essen, Germany; 16German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; 17Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; 18German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; 19Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical Center, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; 20German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; 21Heidelberg Institute of Radiation Oncology (HIRO), National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology (NCRO), University of Heidelberg Medical School and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; 22Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center (HIT), Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg Medical School, Heidelberg, Germany; 23National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), University of Heidelberg Medical School and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; 24Translational Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg Medical School and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; 25Clinical Cooperation Unit Radiation Oncology, University of Heidelberg Medical School and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; 26German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Munich, Munich, Germany; 27Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany; 28Clinical Cooperation Group Personalized Radiotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Munich, Germany; 29Department of RadioOncology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany; 30Department of Radiation Sciences (DRS), Institut für Innovative Radiotherapie (iRT), Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Munich, Germany; 31German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; 32Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Tübingen, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; 33German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; 34German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden, Dresden, Germany; 35Institute of Radiooncology – OncoRay, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Dresden, Germany

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Purpose or Objective

The aim of the study was (i) to analyse whether previously identified prognostic gene signatures and a molecular-subtype classification1 from patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) can be applied to HNSCC xenograft models and (ii) to develop and validate a novel gene signature based on a combination of xenograft data and data from patients with HPV-negative locally advanced HNSCC who received postoperative radio(chemo)therapy (PORT-C).

Material and Methods

Gene expression analysis was performed using GeneChip Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 on a cohort of 59 mice bearing xenografts of ten established human HNSCC cell lines and on a multicentre retrospective development cohort of 128 patients and an independent validation cohort of 114 patients of the German Cancer Consortium - Radiation Oncology Group (DKTK-ROG) treated with PORT-C. (i) Xenografts were stratified based on molecular subtypes and gene classifiers. The dose to control 50% of tumours (TCD50) was compared between the groups by Kruskal-Wallis or Mann-Whitney-U tests, respectively. (ii) A novel gene signature was developed based on xenograft and patient data using differential gene expression analysis. The Kaplan-Meier method was applied to estimate loco-regional control (LRC), overall survival (OS) and freedom from distant metastases (DM), which were compared using log-rank tests. 

Results

(i) The tumour xenografts were classified into the four subtypes basal, mesenchymal, atypical and classical. Mesenchymal tumours showed significantly higher TCD50 compared to other subtypes (p<0.001). In addition, gene signatures related to hypoxia2 and radiosensitivity3 were significantly associated with TCD50. (ii) Based on the joint xenograft and patient data, we identified a 2-gene signature consisting of FN1 and SERPINE1. This signature was prognostic for the TCD50 in pre-clinical models (p<0.001) and for LRC (p=0.007), OS (p<0.001), and DM (p=0.001) in the independent PORT-C patient cohort.

Conclusion

The transferability of the molecular subtype classification and gene signatures related to hypoxia2 and radiosensitivity3to pre-clinical HNSCC tumour models not only underlines their robustness but also the value of xenograft models. The developed 2-gene signature was prognostic for both, xenografts and patients, and may represent an additional promising biomarker for future individualized treatment approaches.  


References

[1] Walter, V. et al. PLOS One 8: e56823 (2013).

[2] Toustrup, K. et al. Cancer Res 7: 5923 (2011).

[3] Kim, H. S. et al. BMC Genomics 13: 348 (2012).