Novel radiosensitizers for locally advanced epithelial tumors: inhibition of the PI3K/Akt survival pathway in tumor cells and in tumor-associated endothelial cells as a novel treatment strategy?

• Published in: International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 361 - 368
• Main Authors: Riesterer, Oliver, Tenzer, Angela, Zingg, Daniel, Hofstetter, Barbara, Vuong, Van, Pruschy, Martin, Bodis, Stephan
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.02.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cell Survival - drug effects; Combined Modality Therapy; Down-Regulation; Endothelial Cells - drug effects; Endothelial Cells - metabolism; Enzyme Inhibitors - therapeutic use; ErbB Receptors - antagonists & inhibitors; Ionizing radiation; Medical sciences; Neoplasm Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Neoplasm Proteins - metabolism; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial - drug therapy; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial - radiotherapy; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - antagonists & inhibitors; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Phthalazines - therapeutic use; PI3K/Akt; PKC inhibitor; Protein Kinase C - antagonists & inhibitors; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Proto-Oncogene Proteins - metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Pyridines; Pyrimidines - therapeutic use; Pyrroles - therapeutic use; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents - therapeutic use; Radiosensitizer; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor - antagonists & inhibitors; Staurosporine - analogs & derivatives; Staurosporine - therapeutic use; Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments. Material. Instrumentation; VEGF; Radiosensitizer; Ionizing radiation; PKC inhibitor; VEGF; PI3K/Akt; Biomedical engineering
• ISSN: 0360-3016; 1879-355X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2003.09.050

In locally advanced epithelial malignancies, local control can be achieved with high doses of radiotherapy (RT). Concurrent chemoradiotherapy can improve tumor control in selected solid epithelial adult tumors; however, treatment-related toxicity is of major concern and the therapeutic window often small. Therefore, novel pharmacologic radiosensitizers with a tumor-specific molecular target and a broad therapeutic window are attractive. Because of clonal heterogeneity and the high mutation rate of these tumors, combined treatment with single molecular target radiosensitizers and RT are unlikely to improve sustained local tumor control substantially. Therefore, radiosensitizers modulating entire tumor cell survival pathways in epithelial tumors are of potential clinical use. We discuss the preclinical efficacy and the mechanism of three different, potential radiosensitizers targeting the PTEN/PI3K/Akt survival pathway. These compounds were initially thought to act as single-target agents against growth factor receptors (PKI 166 and PTK 787) or protein kinase C isoforms (PKC 412). We describe an additional target for these compounds. PKI 166 (an epidermal growth factor [EGF] receptor inhibitor) and PKC 412, target the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway mainly in tumor cells, and PTK 787 (a vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] receptor inhibitor) in endothelial cells. Even for these broader range molecular radiosensitizers, the benefit could be restricted to human epithelial tumor cell clones with a distinct molecular profile. Therefore, these potential radiosensitizers have to be carefully tested in specific model systems before introduction in early clinical trials.