Survival Of Uveal Melanoma Patients Research Articles

FOXD1 expression-based prognostic model for uveal melanoma

FOXD1, a new member of the FOX transcription factor family, serves as a mediator and biomarker for cell reprogramming. But its contribution to prognosis of uveal melanoma (UVM) is unclear. This study demonstrated that FOXD1 might promote tumor growth and invasion, because FOXD1 expression was negatively correlated with overall survival, progression-free survival, and disease-specific survival in UVM patients. This conjecture was verified in cell culture with human uveal melanoma cell line (MUM2B) as model cells. Additionally, the biological mechanisms of FOXD1 based on FOXD1-related genomic spectrum, molecular pathways, tumor microenvironment, and drug treatment sensitivity were examined using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, aiming to reasonably explain why FOXD1 leads to poor prognosis of UVM. On these bases, a novel tumor prognostic model was established using the FOXD1-related immunomodulators TMEM173, TNFRSF4, TNFSF13, and ULBP1, which will enable the stratification of disease seriousness and clinical treatment for patients.

Patient-derived zebrafish xenografts of uveal melanoma reveal ferroptosis as a drug target

Uveal melanoma (UM) has a high risk to progress to metastatic disease with a median survival of 3.9 months after metastases detection, as metastatic UM responds poorly to conventional and targeted chemotherapy and is largely refractory to immunotherapy. Here, we present a patient-derived zebrafish UM xenograft model mimicking metastatic UM. Cells isolated from Xmm66 spheroids derived from metastatic UM patient material were injected into 2 days-old zebrafish larvae resulting in micro-metastases in the liver and caudal hematopoietic tissue. Metastasis formation could be reduced by navitoclax and more efficiently by the combinations navitoclax/everolimus and flavopiridol/quisinostat. We obtained spheroid cultures from 14 metastatic and 10 primary UM tissues, which were used for xenografts with a success rate of 100%. Importantly, the ferroptosis-related genes GPX4 and SLC7A11 are negatively correlated with the survival of UM patients (TCGA: n = 80; Leiden University Medical Centre cohort: n = 64), ferroptosis susceptibility is correlated with loss of BAP1, one of the key prognosticators for metastatic UM, and ferroptosis induction greatly reduced metastasis formation in the UM xenograft model. Collectively, we have established a patient-derived animal model for metastatic UM and identified ferroptosis induction as a possible therapeutic strategy for the treatment of UM patients.

Long-term survival of uveal melanoma patients with respect to clinical, hemodynamic and morphological characteristics of the tumor

Purpose. Evaluation of long-term results of uveal melanoma (UM) treatment in patients depending on clinical, hemodynamic and morphological parameters of the tumor. Material and methods. Long-term results of treatment were analyzed in 394 UM patients aged 17 to 82 (mean age 53.1 ± 13.2). The median follow-up was 56 months. Group A (n = 242, organ-preserving treatment) consisted of patients with a tumor height of 5.0 ± 1.8 mm and base diameter of 12.7 ± 2.9 mm. Group B (n = 152, enucleation) included patients with 8.3 ± 2.8 mm tumor height and 15.2 ± 4.1 mm base diameter. Overall survival and disease-dependent survival were determined. Results. The cumulative 3-, 5-, and 7-year survival rates of patients with choroidal melanoma were 91.6 ± 1.7, 84.0 ± 2.5, 74.0 ± 3.8 % , and those with ciliochoroidal melanoma were 84.2 ± 5.6, 79.9 ± 5.8, and 53.0 ± 14.7 %, respectively (p = 0.048). In group A, the 5-year survival rates of patients with mushroom-shaped and irregular forms were 80.6 ± 5.9 and 74.6 ± 10.9 %, respectively, and 96.0 ± 2.0 % for dome-shaped UM. The worst 5-year survival rates were shown by patients with tumor stabilization, and the best ones, by patients with complete tumor resorption (x2 = 6.880, p = 0.008). Patients with post-radiation optical neuropathy (n = 193) had better 5-year survival rates (90.3 ± 2.9 %) than patients (n = 49) without neuropathy (77.5 ± 8.0 %). In group B, cumulative 1-year survival was 95.2 ± 1.9 %, 2-year survival, 89.2 ± 2.8 % , 3-year survival, 84.9 ± 2.9 % , 4-year survival, 81.8 ± 3.6 %, 5-year survival, 77.5 ± 4.0 % , 6-year survival, 67.9 ± 4.8 % , and 7-year survival was 64.7 ± 5.2 %. In epithelioid-cell, mixed-cell, and spindle-cell types of UM, the 5-year survival rates were 46.3 ± 12.0, 70.7 ± 8.0 %, and 84.8 ± 5.4 %, respectively (x2 = 11.571, p = 0.004). The 5-year survival rate of patients with extrascleral growth was 56.0 ± 10.4 % and without extrascleral growth it was 81.7 ± 4.0 %. Conclusion. In organ-preserving treatment, the combination of prognostic factors allows us to stratify the patients based on the risk of early metastasis, which allows for personalized dynamic monitoring, taking into account the vital prognosis of a particular patient.

SLC25A38 as a novel biomarker for metastasis and clinical outcome in uveal melanoma

Risk of metastasis is increased by the presence of chromosome 3 monosomy in uveal melanoma (UM). This study aimed to identify more accurate biomarker for risk of metastasis in UM. A total of 80 patients with UM from TCGA were assigned to two groups based on the metastatic status, and bioinformatic analyses were performed to search for critical genes for risk of metastasis. SLC25A38, located on chromosome 3, was the dominant downregulated gene in metastatic UM patients. Low expression of SLC25A38 was an independent predictive and prognostic factor in UM. The predictive potential of SLC25A38 expression was superior to that of pervious reported biomarkers in both TCGA cohort and GSE22138 cohort. Subsequently, its role in promoting metastasis was explored in vitro and in vivo. Knock-out of SLC25A38 could enhance the migration ability of UM cells, and promote distant metastasis in mice models. Through the inhibition of CBP/HIF-mediated pathway followed by the suppression of pro-angiogenic factors, SLC25A38 was situated upstream of metastasis-related pathways, especially angiogenesis. Low expression of SLC25A38 promotes angiogenesis and metastasis, and identifies increased metastatic risk and worse survival in UM patients. This finding may further improve the accuracy of prognostic prediction for UM.

TCR-Directed Therapy in the Treatment of Metastatic Uveal Melanoma.

Simple SummaryTechnical advances in immunotherapies have led to the development of novel T cell receptor (TCR)-based approaches to fight cancer. One of these therapies, tebentafusp, has shown a significant benefit in the overall survival of uveal melanoma patients for the first time. This review focuses on TCR-directed therapies in the treatment of uveal melanoma.Metastatic uveal melanoma (mUM) is one of the most rapidly progressing tumors, with a bad prognosis and no standard-of-care treatment. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer therapy and improved overall survival in patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma (mCM). However, this approach has been largely unimpressive, with no significant impact on the survival of mUM patients. Technical advances in immunotherapies have led to the development of novel T cell receptor (TCR)-based approaches to fight cancer. For the first time in over 50 years, compelling evidence demonstrates the power of TCR-based approaches for survival in mUM patients. Hence, this review summarizes novel TCR-based immunotherapeutic strategies currently in clinical studies for mUM treatment. We also discuss the potential combinational treatments to these strategies to maximize the clinical benefits.

Chromosome 3 and 8q Aberrations in Uveal Melanoma Show Greater Impact on Survival in Patients with Light Iris versus Dark Iris Color

Individuals with gray, blue, or green eyes have a higher chance of developing uveal melanoma (UM) than those with brown eyes. We wondered whether iris pigmentation might be related not only to predisposition to UM but also to its behavior; therefore, we compared the clinical, histopathologic, and genetic characteristics of UM between eyes with different colors. We determined iris color in a large cohort of patients enucleated for UM. Clinical and histopathologic tumor characteristics, chromosome status, and survival were compared among 3 groups on the basis of iris color. A total of 412 patients with choroidal/ciliary body UM, who had undergone primary enucleation at the Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands, between 1993 and 2019, were divided into 3 groups based on iris color: gray/blue, green/hazel, and brown. The validation cohort included 934 patients with choroidal/ciliary body UM treated at Wills Eye Hospital (WEH). Comparison of clinical, histopathologic, and genetic characteristics of UM in patients with different iris colors. Melanoma-related survival in UM patients, divided over 3 iris color groups, in relation to the tumor's chromosome 3 and 8q status. Moderate and heavy tumor pigmentations were especially seen in eyes with a brown iris (P < 0.001). Survival did not differ between patients with different iris colors (P= 0.27); however, in patients with a light iris, copy number changes in chromosome 3 and 8q had a greater influence on survival than in patients with a dark iris. Likewise, chromosome 3 and chromosome 8q status affected survival more among patients with lightly pigmented tumors than in patients with heavily pigmented tumors. The WEH cohort similarly showed a greater influence of chromosome aberrations in light-eyed individuals. Although iris color by itself did not relate to UM-related survival, chromosome 3 and 8q aberrations had a larger influence on survival in patients with a light iris than those with a brown iris. This suggests a synergistic effect of iris pigmentation and chromosome status in the regulation of oncogenic behavior of UM. Iris color should be taken into consideration when calculating a patient's risk for developing metastases.

Overexpression of microRNA-130a represses uveal melanoma cell migration and invasion through inactivation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by downregulating USP6.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is a neoplasm arising from melanocytes of the ciliary body, choroid, and iris of the eye, which is the most common primary malignant intraocular tumor. microRNA-130a (miR-130a) has been confirmed to be underexpressed in many types of cancers. Here we aimed to investigate the mechanism whereby miR-130a affects the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by targeting ubiquitin-specific protease 6 (USP6) in UM. Ocular specimens of 62 patients with UM and 42 participants subjected to enucleation due to trauma were collected. In the normal uveal tissues and those from metastatic and non-metastatic UM, we evaluated miR-130a expression by RT-qPCR and then measured mRNA and protein expression of recombinant human mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD4), USP6, related factors of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. Subsequently, the interaction between miR-130a and USP6 was identified by bioinformatics analysis and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Next, UM cell migration and invasion abilities, as well as tumor growth in nude mice, were measured through gain- and loss-of-function studies of miR-130a and USP6. miR-130a expression was downregulated in uveal tissues from patients with UM, especially in metastatic uveal tissues. The overall survival of UM patients with low miR-130a expression was shorter than those with high miR-130a expression. USP6 was a target of miR-130a and the overexpression of miR-130a or inhibition of USP6 in UM MUM-2B and MUM-2C cell lines inhibited the expression of Wnt, β-catenin, and EGFR, and activated SMAD4 expression, while reducing UM cell migration and invasion abilities in vitro. The above changes could be reversed by overexpressing USP6 in vitro, whereas overexpressed miR-130a could inhibit the tumor growth in nude mice. Taken together, overexpressed miR-130a inhibited USP6 expression to repress UM cell migration and invasion abilities through inactivating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which could be a potential candidate for treatment of UM.

A Long-Acting Curcumin Nanoparticle/In Situ Hydrogel Composite for the Treatment of Uveal Melanoma.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults with high mortality. In order to improve prognosis and survival of UM patients, it is critical to inhibit tumor progression and metastasis as early as possible after the initial presentation/diagnosis of the disease. Sustained local delivery of antitumor therapeutics in the posterior region can potentially achieve long-term UM inhibition, improve target therapeutic delivery to the posterior segments, as well as reduce injection frequency and hence improved patient compliance. To address the highly unmet medical need in UM therapy, a bioinspired in situ gelling hydrogel system composed of naturally occurring biopolymers collagen and hyaluronic acid was developed in the present research. Curcumin with anti-cancer progression, anti-metastasis effects, and good ocular safety was chosen as the model therapeutic. The developed in situ gelling delivery system gelled at 37 °C within two minutes and demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and slow degradation. The curcumin-loaded nanoparticle/hydrogel composite was able to sustain release payload for up to four weeks. The optimized nanoparticle/hydrogel composite showed effective inhibition of human UM cell proliferation. This novel nanoparticle/in situ hydrogel composite demonstrated a great potential for the treatment of the rare and devastating intraocular cancer.

Uveal melanoma: Long-term survival.

The long-term survival of uveal melanoma patients in the US is not known. We compared long-term survival estimates using relative survival, excess absolute risk (EAR), Kaplan-Meier (KM), and competing risk analyses. Population based cohort study. Pooled databases from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data (SEER, SEER-9+SEER-13+SEER-18). Overall Survival (OS), Metastasis Free Survival (MFS) and relative survival, computed directly or estimated via a model fitted to excess mortality. There were 10678 cases of uveal melanoma spanning a period of 42 years (1975-2016). The median age at diagnosis was 63 years (range 3-99). Over half the patients were still alive at the end of 2016 (53%, 5625). The KM estimates of MFS were 0.729 (0.719, 0.74), 0.648 (0.633, 0.663), and 0.616 (0.596, 0.636) at 10, 20, and 30 years, respectively. The cumulative probabilities of melanoma metastatic death at 10, 20 and 30 years were 0.241 (0.236, 0.245), 0.289 (0.283, 0.294), and 0.301 (0.295, 0.307). In the first 5 years since diagnosis of uveal melanoma, the proportion of deaths attributable to uveal melanoma were 1.3 with rapid fall after 10 years. Death due to melanoma were rare beyond 20 years. Relative survival (RS) plateaued to ~60% across 20 to 30 years. EAR parametric modeling yielded a survival probability of 57%. Relative survival methods can be used to estimate long term survival of uveal melanoma patients without knowing the exact cause of death. RS and EAR provide more realistic estimates as they compare the survival to that of a normal matched population. Death due to melanoma were rare beyond 20 years with normal life expectancy reached at 25 years after primary therapy.

The Influence of Marital Status on the Survival of Patients with Uveal Melanoma.

Background Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults and arises from the uvea. Marital status was a vital factor among physical conditions and social networks of cancer patients. Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of marital status on the outcomes among patients with UM. Methods Patients with UM newly diagnosed from 2004 to 2015 were extracted, and the data were extracted from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Overall survival (OS) was measured via the log-rank test, as well as cancer-specific survival (CSS) was also calculated via the same method. Cox proportional hazards models were applied to assess whether marital status was related to both OS and CSS. Furthermore, we performed subgroup analysis depending on different sexes and SEER stages. Results In total, 4217 eligible patients were involved. Of these patients, 66.2% (n = 2793) were married, 14.6% (n = 615) were single, and 9.0% (n = 379) were divorced or separated, as well as widowed were 10.2% (n = 430). The 5-year OS of married, single, divorced or separated, and widowed patients was 74.0%, 72.8%, 68.6%, and 55.8%, respectively. The results indicating better OS and CSS occurred among married patients. Other factors such as sex, age at diagnosis, and SEER stage were also correlated with survival in UM patients. Furthermore, subgroup analyses were consistent with the results above. Conclusion Marital status was proved to be an independent prognostic value for survival in UM patients. In addition, contrast to married patients, widowed individuals showed poor OS and CSS at different subgroup analyses.

High Cysteinyl Leukotriene Receptor 1 Expression Correlates with Poor Survival of Uveal Melanoma Patients and Cognate Antagonist Drugs Modulate the Growth, Cancer Secretome, and Metabolism of Uveal Melanoma Cells.

Simple SummaryThis research investigates the disease relevance and therapeutic potential of cysteinyl leukotriene receptors in uveal melanoma (UM), a rare eye cancer that often spreads to the liver. Unfortunately, there are no therapies available to stop the spread of UM and patients are often faced with an extremely poor prognosis. We assess whether the cysteinyl leukotriene receptors (CysLT1 and CysLT2) are relevant to the progression of UM. Using UM patient samples, we identified that increased levels of CysLT1 in tumours is associated with reduced patient survival. Using UM cell lines and zebrafish models, we found that drugs targeting CysLT1, but not CysLT2, can alter hallmarks of cancer including cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism. This study is the first to examine the relationship of the CysLT receptors with clinical features of UM. Our data strengthen the importance of CysLT signalling in UM and suggest that antagonism of CysLT1 may be of therapeutic interest in the disease.Metastatic uveal melanoma (UM) is a rare, but often lethal, form of ocular cancer arising from melanocytes within the uveal tract. UM has a high propensity to spread hematogenously to the liver, with up to 50% of patients developing liver metastases. Unfortunately, once liver metastasis occurs, patient prognosis is extremely poor with as few as 8% of patients surviving beyond two years. There are no standard-of-care therapies available for the treatment of metastatic UM, hence it is a clinical area of urgent unmet need. Here, the clinical relevance and therapeutic potential of cysteinyl leukotriene receptors (CysLT1 and CysLT2) in UM was evaluated. High expression of CYSLTR1 or CYSLTR2 transcripts is significantly associated with poor disease-free survival and poor overall survival in UM patients. Digital pathology analysis identified that high expression of CysLT1 in primary UM is associated with reduced disease-specific survival (p = 0.012; HR 2.76; 95% CI 1.21–6.3) and overall survival (p = 0.011; HR 1.46; 95% CI 0.67–3.17). High CysLT1 expression shows a statistically significant (p = 0.041) correlation with ciliary body involvement, a poor prognostic indicator in UM. Small molecule drugs targeting CysLT1 were vastly superior at exerting anti-cancer phenotypes in UM cell lines and zebrafish xenografts than drugs targeting CysLT2. Quininib, a selective CysLT1 antagonist, significantly inhibits survival (p < 0.0001), long-term proliferation (p < 0.0001), and oxidative phosphorylation (p < 0.001), but not glycolysis, in primary and metastatic UM cell lines. Quininib exerts opposing effects on the secretion of inflammatory markers in primary versus metastatic UM cell lines. Quininib significantly downregulated IL-2 and IL-6 in Mel285 cells (p < 0.05) but significantly upregulated IL-10, IL-1β, IL-2 (p < 0.0001), IL-13, IL-8 (p < 0.001), IL-12p70 and IL-6 (p < 0.05) in OMM2.5 cells. Finally, quininib significantly inhibits tumour growth in orthotopic zebrafish xenograft models of UM. These preclinical data suggest that antagonism of CysLT1, but not CysLT2, may be of therapeutic interest in the treatment of UM.

Identification of differentially expressed metastatic genes and their signatures to predict the overall survival of uveal melanoma patients by bioinformatics analysis.

To identify metastatic genes and miRNAs and to investigate the metastatic mechanism of uveal melanoma (UVM). GSE27831, GSE39717, and GSE73652 gene expression profiles were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and the limma R package was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) term enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed using the DAVID online tool. A comprehensive list of interacting DEGs was constructed using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database and Cytoscape software. The Cytoscape MCODE plug-in was used to identify clustered sub-networks and modules of hub genes from the protein-protein interaction network. GEPIA online software was used for survival analysis of UVM patients (n=80) from the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort. OncomiR online software was used to find that the miRNAs were associated with UVM prognosis from the TCGA cohort. TargetScan Human 7.2 software was then used to identify the miRNAs targeting the genes. There were 1600 up-regulated genes and 1399 down-regulated genes. The up-regulated genes were mainly involved in protein translation in the cytosol, whereas the down-regulated genes were correlated with extracellular matrix organization and cell adhesion in the extracellular space. Among the 2999 DEGs, five genes, Znf391, Mrps11, Htra3, Sulf2, and Smarcd3 were potential predictors of UVM prognosis. Otherwise, three miRNAs, hsa-miR-509-3-5p, hsa-miR-513a-5p, and hsa-miR-1269a were associated with UVM prognosis. After analyzing the metastasis-related enriched terms and signaling pathways, the up-regulated DEGs are mainly involved in protein synthesis and cell proliferation by ribosome and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. However, the down-regulated DEGs are mainly involved in processes that reduced cell-cell adhesion and promoted cell migration in the extracellular matrix through PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, focal adhesion, and extracellular matrix-receptor interactions. Bioinformatics and interaction analysis may provide new insights on the events leading up to the development and progression of UVM.

YAP Activity is Not Associated with Survival of Uveal Melanoma Patients and Cell Lines

Recent experimental studies have demonstrated an essential role for the Hippo-Yes-associated protein (YAP) pathway in GNAQ/GNA11-induced tumorigenesis in uveal melanoma (UM). However, the association between YAP activity and clinical outcomes remains elusive. We investigated possible associations between YAP activity and clinicopathological features including survival outcomes in patients with UM using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort and our local cohort. We estimated YAP activity by mRNA expression levels, Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA) for the TCGA cohort, and immunohistochemical YAP staining for the local cohort. In the TCGA cohort, most clinicopathological features including tumor stage, mitotic counts, mutation of genes, and tumor sizes did not significantly differ between low and high YAP activity groups. In the local cohort, YAP nuclear-positive staining was observed in 30 (42%) of 72 patients with primary UM. UM-specific survival was not significantly different between tumors with low and high YAP activities. Unlike mesothelioma cells harboring a mutation of negative regulators of YAP, the survival of multiple UM cell lines was not significantly reduced by YAP/TAZ depletion. Our results suggest that the effect of YAP on development, growth, and invasion of UM in actual patients is less than previously demonstrated in experimental studies.

Six-gene-based prognostic model predicts overall survival in patients with uveal melanoma.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults, which has a high mortality rate and worse prognosis. Therefore, early potential molecular detection and prognostic evaluation seem more important for early diagnosis and treatment. Gene expression data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas-Uveal melanomas database. Survival genes were identified by univariate analysis and were regarded to be associated with the overall survival of UM patients. Then, pathway enrichment analysis of these survival genes was performed. Robust likelihood-based survival model and multivariate survival analysis were conducted to identify more reliable genes and the prognostic signature for UM survival prediction. Two internal datasets and another two UM datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were used for the validation of prognostic signature. Firstly, 2,010 survival genes were screened by univariate survival analysis. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that these genes were mainly involved in pathways such as mRNA processing, RNA splicing, spliceosome and ubiquitin mediated proteolysis. Secondly, a six-gene signature was identified by Robust likelihood-based survival model approach. The gene expression of the six genes can successfully divide UM samples into high- and low-risk groups and have strong survival prediction ability. What's more, the expression of six genes was compared in 80 healthy adipose tissue samples obtained from GTEx (Genotype-Tissue Expression) database and further validated in internal datasets and GEO datasets, which also can predict UM patient survival. The six genes (SH2D3A, TMEM201, LZTS1, CREG1, NIPA1 and HIST1H4E) model might play a vital role in prognosis of UM, which should be helpful for further insight into the treatment of uveal melanoma.

Alternative Splicing Events as Indicators for the Prognosis of Uveal Melanoma.

Growing evidence has revealed that abnormal alternative splicing (AS) events are closely related to carcinogenic processes. However, the comprehensive study on the prognostic value of splicing events involved in uveal melanoma (UM) is still lacking. Therefore, splicing data of 80 UM patients were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) SpliceSeq and RNA sequence data of UM and patient clinical features were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to identify survival related splicing events in UM. As a result, a total of 37996 AS events of 17911 genes in UM were detected, among which 5299 AS events of 3529 genes were significantly associated with UM patients’ survival. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that this survival related splicing genes are corelated with mRNA catabolic process and ribosome pathway. Based on survival related splicing events, seven types of prognostic markers and the final overall prognostic signature could independently predict the overall survival of UM patients. Finally, an 11 spliced gene was identified in the final signature. On the basis of these 11 genes, we constructed a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier and evaluated it with leave-one-out cross-validation. The results showed that the 11 genes could determine short- and long-term survival with a predicted accuracy of 97.5%. Besides, the splicing factors and alternative splicing events correlation network was constructed to serve as therapeutic targets for UM treatment. Thus, our study depicts a comprehensive landscape of alternative splicing events in the prognosis of UM. The correlation network and associated pathways would provide additional potential targets for therapy and prognosis.

Exploration of potential key pathways and genes in multiple ocular cancers through bioinformatics analysis.

Primary cancers of the eye are common in ocular diseases. The objective of this study was to explore the underlying mechanisms and the potential target genes in multiple ocular cancers by bioinformatics approach. These gene expression profiles of GSE24673 (Retinoblastoma), GSE44295 (Uveal melanoma), and GSE103439 (Basal cell carcinoma of the eyelid) were downloaded from Gene Expression Omniniub (GEO) database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the three gene chips were identified by limma package in R software and gene integration was performed by using "RobustRankAggreg" package. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and the Gene Ontology (GO) were performed to the selected genes. Moreover, survival analysis was used to estimate uveal melanoma dataset. In total, 509 DEGs were identified in GSE24673 (retinoblastoma), 305 DEGs were identified in GSE44295 (uveal melanoma), and 753 DEGs were identified in GSE103439 (basal cell carcinoma of the eyelid). Among those genes, only IGF2BP3 was shared for the three cancer types. A total of 20 DEGs were identified through gene integration (score < 0.05) and IGF2BP3 was ranked the top. Moreover, GO analysis results showed that the 20 DEGs were significantly enriched in WNT signaling pathway, DNA damage, and apoptotic process. GSEA showed that pathways related with cellular respiratory chain are differentially enriched in IGF2BP3 low expression phenotype. Finally, two genes (ID3 and SLC6A15) can predict the overall survival in uveal melanoma patients. This findings and results of study showed that the identification of DEGs and key pathways gives a promotion to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of ocular cancers, which contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of cancers of the eye and provide new insights for these studies at gene level.

Cell-free DNA in uveal melanoma: Results from the first-in-human trial of mivebresib (ABBV-075).

e14526 Background: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults. Cell free DNA (cfDNA) is a non-invasive mechanism for monitoring malignancy in UM patients. BET proteins activate transcription of oncogenic genes, and mivebresib (ABBV-075) is a potent pan-BET inhibitor. In the first-in-human phase 1 study, safety and pharmacokinetics of mivebresib were assessed in patients with advanced cancer (NCT02391480). We compared cfDNA mutational dynamics with the survival of UM patients treated with mivebresib. Methods: Adult patients with metastatic solid tumors and ≥1 line of prior treatment were treated with mivebresib on a schedule of daily; 3 days/week; or 4 days on, 3 days off. Two mL of plasma cfDNA (≥10ng) in 5 patients (3 progressive disease [PD], 2 stable disease [SD]) were sequenced with a targeted 63-gene panel (68 Kb) to ≥800X unique depth after barcode-based error-suppression and genomic alterations discovered in all patients. Results: As of May 2018, 10 UM patients received ≥1 dose of mivebresib with median 8.1 weeks (range, 3.6–39.6) of treatment. The median age was 55 years (range, 37–73). 9 patients experienced a treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE), most commonly (≥40% patient incidence), dysgeusia (60%), thrombocytopenia and nausea (40%, each). 9 patients were evaluable, 4 achieved a best response of SD and 5 PD (RECIST v1.1). The mean pretreatment cfDNA concentration was 21.0 ng/mL (N = 5 with plasma available). cfDNA levels increased in two patients by 0.6% (SD) and 64.4% (PD). In PD patients, elevated cfDNA concentration (32.7 ng/mL [PD] vs 3.5 ng/mL [SD]) was associated with shorter progression-free survival and overall survival. At baseline, the cfDNA mutational load (median mutant molecules/mL plasma) of pathogenic (COSMIC) mutations with AF ≥1% was highest in PD (893.9; range, 78-4951.5) vs SD patients (53.1; range, 9.3-606.2) and negatively correlated with the patient’s survival (R2= 0.531). In 1 PD patient, multiple TP53 (C23G, V203M) and CDKN2A (A148T, L63P) mutations were acquired by the time of progression. Conclusions: These data suggest cfDNA as a potential marker for survival of UM patients. Further investigation of BET inhibition in this population is warranted. Clinical trial information: NCT02391480.

Identification of Prognostic Signatures for Predicting the Overall Survival of Uveal Melanoma Patients.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is an aggressive cancer which has a high percentage of metastasis and with a poor prognosis. Identifying the potential prognostic markers of uveal melanoma may provide information for early detection of metastasis and treatment. In this work, we analyzed 80 uveal melanoma samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We developed an 18-gene signature which can significantly predict the prognosis of UM patients. Firstly, we performed a univariate Cox regression analysis to identify significantly prognostic genes in uveal melanoma (P<0.01). Then the glmnet Cox analysis was used to generate a powerful prognostic gene model. Further, we established a risk score formula for every patient based on the 18-gene prognostic model with multivariate Cox regression. We stratified patients into high- and low-risk subtypes with median risk score and found that patients in high-risk group had worse prognosis than patients in low-risk group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that 18-gene model risk score was independent of clinical prognostic factors. We identified four genes whose mutations were closely to UM patients' prognosis or risk score. We also explored the relationship between copy number variation and risk score and found that high risk group showed more chromosome aberrations than low risk group. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) analysis showed that the different biological pathways and functions between low and high risk group. In summary, our findings constructed an 18-gene signature for estimating overall survival (OS) of UM. Patients were categorized into two subtypes based on the risk score and we found that high risk group showed more chromosome aberrations than low risk group.

Long-term survival of uveal melanoma patients after enucleation, depending on molecular genetic aberrations

Rationale: In the recent years molecular genetic prognostic factors are becoming very important for predicting the course of uveal melanoma (UM). In clinical practice, molecular genetic methods are used to identify patients with a high risk of metastases.Aim: To determine the survival of UM patients after enucleation, depending on molecular genetic aberrations.Materials and methods: Thirty (30) patients with UM aged from 23 to 83 years were examined and treated. In all cases, enucleation was performed. The removed eyes underwent morphological and molecular genetic and cytogenetic analysis (loss of heterozygocity on chromosomes 1, 3 and 8, methylation of the RASSF1A gene, mutations in GNAQ/11 genes, polymorphism of the ABCB1 gene). The median follow-up was 61 months.Results: The cumulative 3-year survival of the UM patients was 77.8 ± 8.0%, and the 5-year survival 63.0 ± 9.0%. The mean survival time was 52.8 ± 3.9 months. The patients with chromosome 3 monosomy showed significantly lower 5-year survival rates than the patients with partial monosomy and without loss of heterozygocity in chromosome 3 (log-rank test, χ2 = 14.111, p = 0.001). The loss of heterozygocity on chromosomes 1 and 8, the methylation of the RASSF1A gene, the mutations in GNAQ/11 genes, and the polymorphism of the ABCB1 gene were not associated with poorer vital prognosis.Conclusion: Molecular genetic aberrations play an important role in predicting the course of the tumor process and determining the risk of hematogenous metastasizing in UM patients. The significant role of chromosome 3 monosomy has been proved. Due to the relatively small cohort (30 patients) and the time factor (analysis of 5-year survival), the role of other molecular genetic changes has not been confirmed, which requires an assessment of not only genetic, but also clinical, echographic and morphological prognostic factors.

Uveal Melanoma: Identifying Immunological and Chemotherapeutic Targets to Treat Metastases.

Uveal melanoma is an intraocular malignancy that, depending on its size and genetic make-up, may lead to metastases in up to 50% of cases. Currently, no therapy has been proven to improve survival. However, new therapies exploiting immune responses against metastases are being developed. The primary tumor is well characterized: tumors at high risk of developing metastases often contain macrophages and lymphocytes. However, these lymphocytes are often regulatory T cells that may suppress immune response. Currently, immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown marked efficacy in multiple cancers (eg, cutaneous melanoma) but do not yet improve survival in uveal melanoma patients. More knowledge needs to be acquired regarding the function of T cells in uveal melanoma. Other therapeutic options are related to the biochemical pathways. Targeting the RAF-MEK-ERK pathway with small molecule MEK inhibitors abrogates the growth of UM cells harboring GNAQ/GNA11 Q209 mutations, suggesting that these aberrant G-protein oncogenes mediate, at least in part, their effect through this hallmark proliferation pathway. Other pathways are also implicated, such as those involving c-Jun and YAP. Further studies may show how interference in the different pathways may affect survival.