Potential application and prevalence of the CD30 (Ki-1) antigen among solid tumors: A focus review of the literature

Our plain-English summary of Potential application and prevalence of the CD30 (Ki-1) antigen among solid tumors: A focus review of the literature, by G.K. Berger, K. Gee, C. Votruba, et al (Critical Reviews in Oncology/hematology, 2017).

The study

• Authors: G.K. Berger, K. Gee, C. Votruba, A. McBride, F. Anwer
• Journal: Critical Reviews in Oncology/hematology
• Published: 2017;113:8-17
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 14 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Background: CD30 (Ki-1) is a cell membrane protein derived from the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family. The CD30 antigen has been associated primarily with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL). Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an antibody-drug conjugate targeting the CD30 antigen. FDA approval for BV includes relapsed and refractory HL and sALCL. The CD30 antigen also has been identified in many solid tumors, predominantly of germ cell origins and early clinical data is promising.

Objective: Perform a focus literature review evaluating the prevalence of the CD30 antigen among nonlymphomatous tumors with a potential correlate for CD30 targeted therapy.

Eligibility Criteria: Inclusion criteria: all retrospective reviews and case reports citing CD30 positivity or negativity in non-lymphomatous malignancies in which data were presented based on location.

Exclusion Criteria: studies with hematopoetic malignancies, cutaneous malignancies, non-human populations, and non-english publications.

Included Studies: A total of 119 articles met these criteria and are summarized in this manuscript.

Conclusion: The CD30 antigen has shown variable prevalence among non-hematopoetic tumors, most notably among germ cell tumors and mesothelioma. With additional, preclinical and properly powered clinical studies, CD30 targeted therapy such as that of BV, alone or in combination with other agents may prove to be a strong candidate in the treatment of various CD30+ malignancies.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In plain English

This article was a literature review, not a new study of patients. The authors searched MEDLINE (1946 to 2016) and cancer conference abstracts for reports of CD30 in solid (non-lymphoma) tumors. CD30 is a cell-surface protein targeted by the drug brentuximab vedotin. They included 119 articles (29 retrospective reviews or phase II trials and 90 case reports or series) covering 1,698 patients. The review did not examine asbestos or any other exposure. The authors reported 24.5% (n = 399) of reviewed tumors as CD30-positive, though 399 of 1,698 is about 23.5%; these were published cases, not a rate for all solid tumors. In the summary table, 56 of 246 mesothelioma patients (23%), from four retrospective reviews and two case reports, were CD30-positive. However, the article's mesothelioma section copies the embryonal carcinoma figures, and its discussion and conclusion state 77%. Embryonal carcinoma was 77% positive (191 of 247) and seminoma 6% (36 of 586). The authors concluded that CD30 may prove a viable treatment target, pending further studies. They named subtype differences and the retrospective design of their review as limitations.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Focus literature review of published retrospective reviews, phase II trials, case reports and case series
• Who was studied: 119 articles (29 retrospective reviews or phase II trials, 90 case reports or series) covering 1,698 patients with non-lymphomatous tumors, including 246 with mesothelioma. The articles were found through Ovid MEDLINE (1946 to 2016) and conference abstracts from 2000 onward.
• Exposure: No exposure was studied. The review concerned expression of the CD30 (Ki-1) antigen in tumor tissue. Asbestos is not discussed.
• Main results:
  • Among the reviewed published cases, the authors reported 24.5% (n = 399) of solid tumors as CD30-positive. However, 399 of the 1,698 reviewed patients is about 23.5%, so the article's percentage and counts do not agree. These are collected published cases, not a representative rate.
  • Mesothelioma: 246 patients from 4 retrospective reviews and 2 case reports. The summary table gives 23% (56 of 246) CD30-positive, but the discussion and conclusion instead state 77% for mesothelioma.
  • Embryonal carcinoma: 77% (191 of 247 patients) CD30-positive. Seminoma: 6% (36 of 586 patients) CD30-positive.
  • Myofibroblastic sarcoma had the highest reported rate, 93% (14 of 15 patients) CD30-positive.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that CD30 showed variable prevalence among solid tumors and may prove to be a viable therapeutic target. They stated that, with additional preclinical studies and properly powered prospective clinical trials, CD30-targeted therapy such as brentuximab vedotin may prove a strong candidate for treating CD30-positive malignancies.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that the review was limited by heterogeneity in disease subtypes and by the retrospective nature of its design.
  • The authors stated that published results were confounded by unmatched prognostic factors such as age, gender, prior therapies and variable CD30 expression.
  • The authors stated that there were no agreed pathological criteria for deciding CD30 positivity.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Necrosis, Targeted Therapy, Germ Cell Tumor, Mesothelioma.

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• CD30 is a potential therapeutic target in malignant mesothelioma — S. Dabir, A. Kresak, et al. (2015)
• Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) for Personalized Treatment of Solid Tumors: A Review — J.M. Lambert, C.Q. Morris (2017)
• Mesothelin-Targeted CARs: Driving T Cells to Solid Tumors — A. Morello, M. Sadelain, et al. (2016)
• Clinical Evaluation of ErbB-Targeted CAR T-Cells, Following Intracavity Delivery in Patients with ErbB-Expressing Solid Tumors — S. Papa, M. van Schalkwyk, et al. (2015)
• CX-072 (pacmilimab), a Probody PD-L1 inhibitor, in combination with ipilimumab in patients with advanced solid tumors (PROCLAIM-CX-072): a first-in-human, dose-finding study — R.E. Sanborn, O. Hamid, et al. (2021)

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