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Predicting
therapy outcomes in prostate cancer with bone metastasis
Date:
May 1, 2014
Source:
American Association for Cancer
Research (AACR)
Summary:
A new computational model that simulates bone
metastasis of prostate cancer has the potential to rapidly assess experimental
therapy outcomes and help develop personalized medicine for patients with this
disease, according to data. The researchers found that when they introduced a
single metastatic prostate cancer cell to the model, it was able to simulate bone
metastasis seven out of 25 times, accurately creating the vicious cycle. This
phenomenon is difficult to reproduce using preclinical animal models, which is
critical in determining the best time to apply therapies in order to obtain
maximum efficiency, they explained.
..............................
A new computational model that simulates bone metastasis of
prostate cancer has the potential to rapidly assess experimental therapy
outcomes and help develop personalized medicine for patients with this disease,
according to data published in Cancer
Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
"Bone
remodeling is a balanced and extremely well regulated process that controls the
health of our bones and the levels of circulating calcium," said Leah M.
Cook, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Tumor Biology at the
Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. "Active prostate cancer cells in the
bone environment can speak the same language of the bone remodeling cells, and
disrupt the delicate bone remodeling process. They promote extensive bone
destruction and formation that in turn yields nutrients, allowing the prostate
cancer cells to grow, thus creating a vicious cycle."
"The
mathematical model we created simulates this vicious cycle, and allows us to
predict the impact of potential therapies on cancer cells and normal cells of
the bone," said Arturo Araujo, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the
Department of Integrated Mathematical Oncology at the Moffitt Cancer Center.
"Unlike biological models, we can freeze the mathematical model at any
time point in order to explore what each cell is doing at that particular point
in time."
To create
the computational model, which they call "hybrid cellular automata,"
Araujo, Cook, and colleagues created simulations of different cell types
involved in bone metastasis of prostate cancer, including two types of bone
cells called osteoclasts and osteoblasts, and prostate cancer cells. They then
created algorithms to simulate the interactions of these cells among themselves
and with other bone metastasis-related factors in the microenvironment,
including the proteins TGF-beta, RANKL, and other bone-derived factors.
The
researchers found that when they introduced a single metastatic prostate cancer
cell to the model, it was able to simulate bone metastasis seven out of 25
times, accurately creating the vicious cycle. This phenomenon is difficult to
reproduce using preclinical animal models, which is critical in determining the
best time to apply therapies in order to obtain maximum efficiency, explained
Araujo.
Further, the
fact that the model failed to generate a bone lesion 18 out of 25 times
reflects reality, where not every metastatic cancer cell that invades bone in
prostate cancer patients succeeds in forming a viable lesion, he added.
In parallel
to developing the computational model, the researchers grew prostate cancer
cells that metastasize to bone in mice and found that the tumor growth rate
predicted by the computational model was comparable to the tumor growth rate in
mice, thus validating their simulations. The model was also able to identify
some critical players and events in the process of bone metastasis.
To test if
the model could predict treatment outcomes, they applied two standard-of-care
treatments, bisphosphonates and an anti-RANKL therapy, and found that the
anti-RANKL therapy fared better than bisphosphonates, which is what is seen in
prostate cancer patients with bone metastasis treated with these therapies,
according to Araujo. The model predicted that improving the efficacy of
anti-RANKL delivery to the prostate cancer-bone microenvironment might yield
better outcomes.
With further
improvements, the model can be individualized to determine personalized
medicine for prostate cancer patients, Araujo noted.
"By
integrating mathematics with robust biological data, we are beginning to
develop powerful tools that allow us to rapidly assess how factors contribute
to prostate cancer progression in bone," said Araujo. "Ultimately, we
feel that the ability to customize these models based on inputs from each
patient's cancer biopsy will help medical oncologists determine the best
treatment strategies, so that significant improvements in survival and quality
of life can be made."
Story
Source:
The above
story is based on materials provided by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal
Reference:
- A. Araujo, L. M. Cook, C. C. Lynch, D. Basanta. An Integrated Computational Model of the Bone Microenvironment in Bone-Metastatic Prostate Cancer. Cancer Research, 2014; 74 (9): 2391 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-2652
Cite This
Page:
American Association for Cancer
Research (AACR). "Predicting therapy outcomes in prostate cancer with bone
metastasis." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 May 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140501075051.htm>.