Tumor-to-tumor metastases: Latent renal cell carcinoma discovered after elective surgical resection of a convexity meningioma

BackgroundTumor-to-tumor metastases are extremely rarely reported lesions, which usually involve an indolent lesion hosting a more aggressive neoplasm. We present an unusual initial manifestation of a previously unknown clear cell renal cell carcinoma as a tumor-to-tumor metastasis in a typical meningothelial meningioma.Case reportA 73-year old patient with transient left slight monoparesis was addressed to our Neurosurgical Department after being evaluated by his general practitioner and passing a cerebral MRI which revealed a right frontotemporal mass attached to the meninge. At presentation, no deficits were identified; therefore an elective surgery was proposed. Histological analysis revealed a typical meningothelial meningioma containing a metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Additional thoraco-abdominal computer tomography identified a 6 cm diameter lesion within the right kidney with radiological features highly suggestive of a primary clear cell renal cell carcinoma.ConclusionOur case highlights the need for a specialized neuropathological approach to clinical and imagistic indolent meningiomas, as they may require important differential diagnosis that can highly impact the treatment and follow-up of brain tumor patients.     

The role of WNT signalling in urothelial cell carcinoma

Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) of the bladder is one of the most common malignancies, causing considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is unique among the epithelial carcinomas as two distinct pathways to tumourigenesis appear to exist: low grade, recurring papillary tumours usually contain oncogenic mutations in FGFR3 or HRAS whereas high grade, muscle invasive tumours with metastatic potential generally have defects in the pathways controlled by the tumour suppressors p53 and retinoblastoma. Over the last two decades, a number of transgenic mouse models of UCC, containing deletions or mutations of key tumour suppressor genes or oncogenes, have helped us understand the mechanisms behind tumour development. In this summary, I present my work investigating the role of the WNT signalling cascade in UCC.     

Evodiamine-inspired dual inhibitors of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and topoisomerase 2 (TOP2) with potent antitumor activity

A great challenge in multi-targeting drug discovery is to identify drug-like lead compounds with therapeutic advantages over single target inhibitors and drug combinations. Inspired by our previous efforts in designing antitumor evodiamine derivatives, herein selective histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and topoisomerase 2 (TOP2) dual inhibitors were successfully identified, which showed potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor potency. Particularly, compound 30a was orally active and possessed excellent in vivo antitumor activity in the HCT116 xenograft model (TGI = 75.2%, 150 mg/kg, p.o.) without significant toxicity, which was more potent than HDAC inhibitor vorinostat, TOP inhibitor evodiamine and their combination. Taken together, this study highlights the therapeutic advantages of evodiamine-based HDAC1/TOP2 dual inhibitors and provides valuable leads for the development of novel multi-targeting antitumor agents.