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One of the main problems we face with PPGL is the lack of molecular markers capable of predicting the development of metastases in patients. Telomere-related genes, such as TERT and ATRX, have been recently described in PPGL, supporting the association between the activation of immortalization mechanisms and disease progression. However, the contribution of other genes involving telomere preservation machinery has not been previously investigated. In this work, we aimed to analyze the prognostic value of a comprehensive set of genes involved in telomere maintenance. For this study, we collected 165 PPGL samples (97 non-metastatic/63 metastatic), genetically characterized, in which the expression of 29 genes of interest was studied by NGS. Three of the 29 genes studied, TERT, ATRX and NOP10, showed differential expression between metastatic and non-metastatic cases, and alterations in these genes were associated with a shorter time to progression, independent of SDHB-status. We studied telomere length by Q-FISH in patient samples and in an in vitro model. NOP10 overexpressing tumors displayed an intermediate-length telomere phenotype without ALT, and in vitro results suggest that NOP10 has a role in telomerase-dependent telomere maintenance. We also propose the implementation of NOP10 IHC to better stratify PPGL patients.
A relevant issue on the treatment of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) concerns the optimal duration of adjuvant mitotane treatment. We tried to address this question, assessing whether a correlation exists between the duration of adjuvant mitotane treatment and recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients with ACC. We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis on 154 ACC patients treated for ≥12 months with adjuvant mitotane after radical surgery and who were free of disease at the mitotane stop. During a median follow-up of 38 months, 19 patients (12.3%) experienced recurrence. We calculated the RFS after mitotane (RFSAM), from the landmark time-point of mitotane discontinuation, to overcome immortal time bias. We found a wide variability in the duration of adjuvant mitotane treatment among different centers and also among patients cared for at the same center, reflecting heterogeneous practice. We did not find any survival advantage in patients treated for longer than 24 months. Moreover, the relationship between treatment duration and the frequency of ACC recurrence was not linear after stratifying our patients in tertiles of length of adjuvant treatment. In conclusion, the present findings do not support the concept that extending adjuvant mitotane treatment over two years is beneficial for ACC patients with low to moderate risk of recurrence.
The SF-1 transcription factor target gene FATE1 encodes a cancer-testis antigen that has an important role in regulating apoptosis and response to chemotherapy in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) cells. Autoantibodies directed against FATE1 were previously detected in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of circulating anti-FATE1 antibodies in pediatric and adult patients with adrenocortical tumors using three different methods (immunofluorescence, ELISA and Western blot). Our results show that a pervasive anti-FATE1 immune response is present in those patients. Furthermore, FATE1 expression is a robust prognostic indicator in adult patients with ACC and is associated with increased steroidogenic and decreased immune response gene expression. These data can open perspectives for novel strategies in ACC immunotherapy.