Vitamin D receptor activation and photodynamic priming enable durable low-dose chemotherapy

Abstract

Cancer patients often confront the decision of whether to continue high dose chemotherapy at the expense of cumulative toxicities.

Reducing the dose of chemotherapy regimens while preserving efficacy is sorely needed to preserve the performance status of these vulnerable patients, yet has not been prioritized.

Here, we introduce a dual pronged approach to modulate the microenvironment of desmoplastic pancreatic tumors and enable significant dose de-escalation of the FDA-approved chemotherapeutic nanoliposomal irinotecan (nal-IRI) without compromising tumor control.

We demonstrate that light-based photodynamic priming (PDP) coupled with vitamin D3 receptor (VDR) activation within fibroblasts increases intratumoral nal-IRI accumulation and suppresses pro-tumorigenic CXCL12/CXCR7 crosstalk.

Combined photodynamic and biochemical modulation of the tumor microenvironment enables a 75% dose reduction of nal-IRI while maintaining treatment efficacy, resulting in improved tolerability.

Modifying the disease landscape to increase the susceptibility of cancer, via preferentially modulating fibroblasts, represents a promising and relatively underexplored strategy to enable dose de-escalation.

The approach presented here, using a combination of three clinically available therapies with non-overlapping toxicities, can be rapidly translated with minimal modification to treatment workflow, and challenges the notion that significant improvements in chemotherapy efficacy can only be achieved at the expense of increased toxicity.

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See also:

- Official Web Site: The Di Bella Method;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Dihydrotachysterol, Alfacalcidol, synthetic Vitamin D3);

- Vitamin D (analogues and/or derivatives) and cancer - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Cyclophosphamide 50mg tablets and/or Hydroxyurea 500mg tablets, one or two per day);

- Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: clinical records on 17 patients treated with Di Bella's Method;

- The Di Bella Method Increases by the 30% the survival rate for Pancreas tumors and for this reason should be proposed as first line therapy for this type of cancer;

- The Di Bella Method (DBM) in the treatment of prostate cancer: a preliminary retrospective study of 16 patients and a review of the literature;

- The Synergism of Somatostatin, Melatonin, Vitamins Prolactin and Estrogen Inhibitors Increased Survival, Objective Response and Performance Status In 297 Cases of Breast Cancer;

- Complete objective response, stable for 5 years, with the Di Bella Method, of multiple-metastatic carcinoma of the breast;

- Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the first-line treatment with somatostatin combined with melatonin, retinoids, vitamin D3, and low doses of cyclophosphamide in 20 cases of breast cancer: a preliminary report;

- The Di Bella Method (DBM) improved survival, objective response and performance status in a retrospective observational clinical study on 122 cases of breast cancer;

- Complete objective response to biological therapy of plurifocal breast carcinoma;

- Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme (grade IV – WHO 2007): a case of complete objective response achieved by means of the concomitant administration of Somatostatin and Octreotide – Retinoids – Vitamin E – Vitamin D3 – Vitamin C – Melatonin – D2 R agonists (Di Bella Method – DBM) associated with Temozolomide;

- The Di Bella Method DBM improved survival objective response and performance status in a retrospective observational clinical study on 23 tumours of the head and neck;

- Neuroblastoma: Complete objective response to biological treatment;

- Oesophageal squamocellular carcinoma: a complete and objective response.