TY - JOUR A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Serfling, Sebastian E. A1 - Lindner, Thomas A1 - Hänscheid, Heribert A1 - Schirbel, Andreas A1 - Hahner, Stefanie A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Werner, Rudolf A. T1 - CXCR4-targeted theranostics in oncology JF - European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging N2 - A growing body of literature reports on the upregulation of C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) in a variety of cancer entities, rendering this receptor as suitable target for molecular imaging and endoradiotherapy in a theranostic setting. For instance, the CXCR4-targeting positron emission tomography (PET) agent [\(^{68}\)Ga]PentixaFor has been proven useful for a comprehensive assessment of the current status quo of solid tumors, including adrenocortical carcinoma or small-cell lung cancer. In addition, [\(^{68}\)Ga]PentixaFor has also provided an excellent readout for hematological malignancies, such as multiple myeloma, marginal zone lymphoma, or mantle cell lymphoma. PET-based quantification of the CXCR4 capacities in vivo allows for selecting candidates that would be suitable for treatment using the theranostic equivalent [\(^{177}\)Lu]/[\(^{90}\)Y]PentixaTher. This CXCR4-directed theranostic concept has been used as a conditioning regimen prior to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and to achieve sufficient anti-lymphoma/-tumor activity in particular for malignant tissues that are highly sensitive to radiation, such as the hematological system. Increasing the safety margin, pretherapeutic dosimetry is routinely performed to determine the optimal activity to enhance therapeutic efficacy and to reduce off-target adverse events. The present review will provide an overview of current applications for CXCR4-directed molecular imaging and will introduce the CXCR4-targeted theranostic concept for advanced hematological malignancies. KW - CXCR4 KW - theranostics KW - C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 KW - [68Ga]PentixaFor KW - [177Lu]PentixaTher KW - [90Y]PentixaTher KW - endoradiotherapy KW - adrenocortical carcinoma KW - multiple myeloma Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324545 VL - 49 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Serfling, Sebastian E. A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Dreher, Niklas A1 - Hartrampf, Philipp E. A1 - Rowe, Steven P. A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro A1 - Schirbel, Andreas A1 - Weich, Alexander A1 - Hahner, Stefanie A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Buck, Andreas K. A1 - Werner, Rudolf A. T1 - Impact of tumor burden on normal organ distribution in patients imaged with CXCR4-targeted [\(^{68}\)Ga]Ga-PentixaFor PET/CT JF - Molecular Imaging and Biology N2 - Background CXCR4-directed positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been used as a diagnostic tool in patients with solid tumors. We aimed to determine a potential correlation between tumor burden and radiotracer accumulation in normal organs. Methods Ninety patients with histologically proven solid cancers underwent CXCR4-targeted [\(^{68}\)Ga]Ga-PentixaFor PET/CT. Volumes of interest (VOIs) were placed in normal organs (heart, liver, spleen, bone marrow, and kidneys) and tumor lesions. Mean standardized uptake values (SUV\(_{mean}\)) for normal organs were determined. For CXCR4-positive tumor burden, maximum SUV (SUV\(_{max}\)), tumor volume (TV), and fractional tumor activity (FTA, defined as SUV\(_{mean}\) x TV), were calculated. We used a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (ρ) to derive correlative indices between normal organ uptake and tumor burden. Results Median SUV\(_{mean}\) in unaffected organs was 5.2 for the spleen (range, 2.44 – 10.55), 3.27 for the kidneys (range, 1.52 – 17.4), followed by bone marrow (1.76, range, 0.84 – 3.98), heart (1.66, range, 0.88 – 2.89), and liver (1.28, range, 0.73 – 2.45). No significant correlation between SUV\(_{max}\) in tumor lesions (ρ ≤ 0.189, P ≥ 0.07), TV (ρ ≥ -0.204, P ≥ 0.06) or FTA (ρ ≥ -0.142, P ≥ 0.18) with the investigated organs was found. Conclusions In patients with solid tumors imaged with [\(^{68}\)Ga]Ga-PentixaFor PET/CT, no relevant tumor sink effect was noted. This observation may be of relevance for therapies with radioactive and non-radioactive CXCR4-directed drugs, as with increasing tumor burden, the dose to normal organs may remain unchanged. KW - CXCR4 KW - C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 KW - PET KW - [68Ga]PentixaFor KW - [177Lu]/[90Y]PentixaTher KW - theranostics KW - endoradiotherapy Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324622 VL - 24 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gelbrich, Götz A1 - Morbach, Caroline A1 - Deutschbein, Timo A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Störk, Stefan A1 - Heuschmann, Peter U. T1 - The population comparison index: an intuitive measure to calibrate the extent of impairments in patient cohorts in relation to healthy and diseased populations JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health N2 - We assume that a specific health constraint, e.g., a certain aspect of bodily function or quality of life that is measured by a variable X, is absent (or irrelevant) in a healthy reference population (Ref0), and it is materially present and precisely measured in a diseased reference population (Ref1). We further assume that some amount of this constraint of interest is suspected to be present in a population under study (SP). In order to quantify this issue, we propose the introduction of an intuitive measure, the population comparison index (PCI), that relates the mean value of X in population SP to the mean values of X in populations Ref0 and Ref1. This measure is defined as PCI[X] = (mean[X|SP] − mean[X|Ref0])/(mean[X|Ref1] − mean[X|Ref0]) × 100[%], where mean[X|.] is the average value of X in the respective group of individuals. For interpretation, PCI[X] ≈ 0 indicates that the values of X in the population SP are similar to those in population Ref0, and hence, the impairment measured by X is not materially present in the individuals in population SP. On the other hand, PCI[X] ≈ 100 means that the individuals in SP exhibit values of X comparable to those occurring in Ref1, i.e., the constraint of interest is equally present in populations SP and Ref1. A value of 0 < PCI[X] < 100 indicates that a certain percentage of the constraint is present in SP, and it is more than in Ref0 but less than in Ref1. A value of PCI[X] > 100 means that population SP is even more affected by the constraint than population Ref1. KW - reference data KW - normal values KW - disease severity KW - disease score KW - comparability Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304933 SN - 1660-4601 VL - 20 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Metzner, Valentin A1 - Herzog, Gloria A1 - Heckel, Tobias A1 - Bischler, Thorsten A1 - Hasinger, Julia A1 - Otto, Christoph A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Geier, Andreas A1 - Seyfried, Florian A1 - Dischinger, Ulrich T1 - Liraglutide + PYY\(_{3-36}\) combination therapy mimics effects of Roux-en-Y bypass on early NAFLD whilst lacking-behind in metabolic improvements JF - Journal of Clinical Medicine N2 - Background: Treatment options for NAFLD are still limited. Bariatric surgery, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), has been shown to improve metabolic and histologic markers of NAFLD. Glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues lead to improvements in phase 2 clinical trials. We directly compared the effects of RYGB with a treatment using liraglutide and/or peptide tyrosine tyrosine 3-36 (PYY\(_{3-36}\)) in a rat model for early NAFLD. Methods: Obese male Wistar rats (high-fat diet (HFD)-induced) were randomized into the following treatment groups: RYGB, sham-operation (sham), liraglutide (0.4 mg/kg/day), PYY\(_{3-36}\) (0.1 mg/kg/day), liraglutide+PYY\(_{3-36}\), and saline. After an observation period of 4 weeks, liver samples were histologically evaluated, ELISAs and RNA sequencing + RT-qPCRs were performed. Results: RYGB and liraglutide+PYY\(_{3-36}\) induced a similar body weight loss and, compared to sham/saline, marked histological improvements with significantly less steatosis. However, only RYGB induced significant metabolic improvements (e.g., adiponectin/leptin ratio 18.8 ± 11.8 vs. 2.4 ± 1.2 in liraglutide+PYY\(_{3-36}\)- or 1.4 ± 0.9 in sham-treated rats). Furthermore, RNA sequencing revealed a high number of differentially regulated genes in RYGB treated animals only. Conclusions: The combination therapy of liraglutide+PYY\(_{3-36}\) partly mimics the positive effects of RYGB on weight reduction and on hepatic steatosis, while its effects on metabolic function lack behind RYGB. KW - liraglutide KW - GLP-1 KW - peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) KW - peptide tyrosine tyrosine 3-36 (PYY\(_{3-36}\)) KW - RYGB KW - gastric bypass KW - obesity KW - NASH KW - NAFLD Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255244 SN - 2077-0383 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Landwehr, Laura-Sophie A1 - Altieri, Barbara A1 - Schreiner, Jochen A1 - Sbiera, Iuliu A1 - Weigand, Isabel A1 - Kroiss, Matthias A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Sbiera, Silviu T1 - Interplay between glucocorticoids and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes on the prognosis of adrenocortical carcinoma JF - Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer N2 - Background Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine malignancy. Tumor-related glucocorticoid excess is present in similar to 60% of patients and associated with particularly poor prognosis. Results of first clinical trials using immune checkpoint inhibitors were heterogeneous. Here we characterize tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TILs) in ACC in association with glucocorticoids as potential explanation for resistance to immunotherapy. Methods We performed immunofluorescence analysis to visualize tumor-infiltrating T cells (CD3\(^+\)), T helper cells (CD3\(^+\)CD4\(^+\)), cytotoxic T cells (CD3\(^+\)CD8\(^+\)) and regulatory T cells (Tregs; CD3\(^+\)CD4\(^+\)FoxP3\(^+\)) in 146 ACC tissue specimens (107 primary tumors, 16 local recurrences, 23 metastases). Quantitative data of immune cell infiltration were correlated with clinical data (including glucocorticoid excess). Results 86.3% of ACC specimens showed tumor infiltrating T cells (7.7 cells/high power field (HPF)), including T helper (74.0%, 6.7 cells/HPF), cytotoxic T cells (84.3%, 5.7 cells/HPF) and Tregs (49.3%, 0.8 cells/HPF). The number of TILs was associated with better overall survival (HR for death: 0.47, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.87), which was true for CD4\(^+\)- and CD8\(^+\) subpopulations as well. In localized, non-metastatic ACC, the favorable impact of TILs on overall and recurrence-free survival was manifested even independently of ENSAT (European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors) stage, resection status and Ki67 index. T helper cells were negatively correlated with glucocorticoid excess (Phi=-0.290, p=0.009). Patients with glucocorticoid excess and low TILs had a particularly poor overall survival (27 vs. 121 months in patients with TILs without glucocorticoid excess). Conclusion Glucocorticoid excess is associated with T cell depletion and unfavorable prognosis. To reactivate the immune system in ACC by checkpoint inhibitors, an inhibition of adrenal steroidogenesis might be pivotal and should be tested in prospective studies. KW - immunity KW - immunotherapy KW - lymphocytes KW - tumor-infiltrating KW - t-lymphocytes KW - tumor microenvironment Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-229893 VL - 8 ER -