Oral Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia 2014 Annual Scientific Meeting

Mechanisms and markers of inflammation: microRNA, genomics, proteomics (#55)

Connie Diakos 1
  1. Kolling Institute of Medical Research, St Leonards, NSW, Australia

Inflammation is recognised as a hallmark feature of cancer development and progression.1 The complex interaction between the local tumour and systemic host immune/inflammatory response is recognised for its importance, but the key processes underlying these aspects are far from fully understood. Both local and systemic inflammation has demonstrated roles in prognosis 1, 2, and a number of entities have been examined in both compartments in an effort to provide mechanistic information and prognostic or predictive biomarkers.

Components of the tumour microenvironment such as immune cells and genetic mutations are being examined. Specific somatic mutations and epigenetics mechanisms appear to play a role in driving the local immune responses, with the many ongoing cancer genome projects postulated to provide further clarification.3 Emerging technologies have yielded microRNA and proteomics analyses of both tumour tissue and the systemic circulation that have already provided prognostic or predictive biomarkers,4 with functional studies frequently demonstrating these to be linked to the inflammatory state.

This presentation will provide an overview of these –omic entities, with their utility in providing predictive or prognostic biomarkers reflective of the local and systemic inflammatory response, and the mechanistic link between the two, discussed.

References

  1. Roxburgh CS, McMillan DC. The role of the in situ local inflammatory response in predicting recurrence and survival in patients with primary operable colorectal cancer. Cancer Treat Rev. 2012;38(5):451-66.
  2. Roxburgh CSD, McMillan DC. Role of systemic inflammatory response in predicting survival in patients with primary operable cancer. Future Oncol. 2010;6(1):149-63.
  3. Diakos CI, Charles KA, McMillan DC, Clarke SJ. Targeting cancer-related inflammation to enhance cancer treatment efficacy. Lancet Oncology. 2014:in press.
  4. Diakos CI, Chua W, Charles KA, Howell VM, Clarke SJ. Predicting chemotherapeutic response and toxicity in colorectal cancer. Future Medicine: Colorectal Cancer. 2013;2(4):333-45.