Translational Analysis In Longitudinal Series of Ovarian Cancer ORganoids

• Conditions: Organoids; Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

• Registration Number: NCT04555473
• Lead Sponsor: Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

Brief Summary

This is a longitudinal observational phase II, single center, single arm study on the reliability of high grade serous ovarian carcinoma organoids obtained from primary debulking surgery (PDS)+adjuvant chemotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy + interval debulking surgery (NACT+IDS) cases as model for the patients' response to treatments. Since organoids represent a model system comparable to patient-derived xenografts, the investigators tested the null hypothesis that the possibility of correctly identifying the drug-sensitivity could improve from 80%, as assessed by xenografts to at least 95%. The first step was planned to include 7 patients; if 5 or more patients do not respond, the trial will be terminated. If the trial goes on to the second stage, a total of 43 patients will be studied. Considering a patient dropout of approximately 10%, the study was planned to enroll at least 48 patients.

Detailed Description

In this project, the investigators propose to employ the patients-derived organoid technology to test HGSOC organoids obtained from PDS+adjuvant chemotherapy and NACT+IDS cases to predict patients' response to treatments; moreover, the investigators aim to study genomic and phenotypic evolution of HGSOC organoids from PDS+adjuvant chemotherapy and NACT+IDS patients undergoing relapse. Finally, the investigators intend to investigate splicing-targeting technologies as new potential therapeutic treatments to increase vulnerability of HGSOCs. FIGO stage IIIC or IV ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer patients will be included if disease at metastatic sites is supposed to be completely resectable and they will be triaged for staging laparoscopy to obtain histologic diagnosis and to provide the tumor load assessment through the laparoscopic score. If PDS is chosen, open cytoreduction will be performed at the same time and bioptic tissue will be collected for organoids; otherwise, women will be submitted to NACT followed by IDS and tissue for organoids will be collected from both staging LPS biopsy (pre-) and subsequent surgery (post-NACT). Part of each surgical specimen will be used to obtain organoids, whereas part will be frozen for direct comparative analysis of the original tumor. 1-6 organoids from each patient will be prepared from PDS or NACT-IDS patients (pre- and post-NACT) and blood samples will also be collected to purify extracellular circulating RNA (cRNAs).

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2020-04
• Study Start: 2020-05-12
• Study First Submitted: 2020-05-25
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-09-14
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-09-14
• Study First Posted: 2020-09-18
• Last Update Posted: 2020-09-18
• Primary Completion: 2021-11-04
• Study Completion: 2023-05-04

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: Female
• Target Recruitment: 48

Inclusion Criteria

1. age between 18 and 75 years
2. estimated life expectancy of at least 4 weeks
3. performance status (PS) according to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) < 2
4. adequate bone marrow, respiratory, hepatic, cardiologic medullary and renal function (creatinine clearance < 60 ml/min according to Cockroft formula)
5. histologic diagnose of epithelial ovarian cancer at frozen section and laparoscopic score ≥ 8 or ≤ 12 (considered HTL) with no evidence of mesenteric retraction

Exclusion Criteria

1. Pregnancy or breast-feeding
2. History of concomitant or previous malignancy in the last 5 years

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Reliability (yes/no) of HGSOC organoids obtained from PDS+adjuvant chemotherapy and NACT+IDS cases as a model for the patient's response to treatments	Up to 36 months	Part of each surgical specimen of eligible women will be used to obtain PDOs according to established protocols (Tuveson et al.), whereas part will be frozen for direct comparative analysis of the original tumor. At first passages, organoids will be characterized for histologic and cytologic features. PDOs maintaining HGSOC features will be analysed for genomic features and splicing-sensitive transcriptomic signatures by next generation sequencing (NGS). The identified transcriptomic signatures of PDOs will be compared to those of the original tumor by quantitative real time PCR (qPCR) analysis. PDOs will then be characterized for their response to specific drugs and the response will be compared to that of the patient undergoing chemotherapy. Dichotomic variable: Yes/No

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The genomic and phenotypic evolution of tumor cells in HGSOC organoids from PDS+ adjuvant chemotherapy and NACT+IDS patients undergoing relapse	Up to 36 months	At time of relapse (if any), we will repeat NGS genomic and transcriptomic analysis of chemoresistant PDOs derived from selected patients who experienced relapse and underwent secondary surgery. Bioinformatics analyses will be applied to capture changes in the mutational status and in the transcriptional/splicing signature that accompany acquisition of chemoresistance in vitro. These features will then be compared to evolution of the tumor in vivo by sequencing (mutations) and qPCR (transcriptomics) of tissue obtained during surgery. Dichotomic variable: Yes/No
Splicing dysregulation and splicing-targeting technologies as new potential therapeutic treatments to increase vulnerability of MYC-overexpressing HGSOCs	Up to 36 months	HGSOCs often display amplification of MYC, an oncogene that dysregulates the splicing program. We will test if HGSOC PDOs are sensitive to splicing-targeting drugs (E7107, THZ531, PRMT5 inhibitor) administered either alone or in combination with chemotherapy. THZ531 renders BRCA1/2 proficient HGSOC cell lines sensitive to PARPi. We will extend this study to PDOs and analyze their sensitivity to splicing-targeting drugs during their evolution in vitro. Changes in splicing signatures will be evaluated and correlated with the response to combined treatments, to determine their potential as biomarkers. We will also silence splicing factors deregulated in HGSOCs by RNA interference to determine their impact on PDO response to chemotherapy in terms of survival, expansion potential and transcriptomic signatures. Dichotomic variable: Yes/No

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCCS; 🇮🇹 Rome, Italy