Successful treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer with afatinib and a glucocorticoid following gefitinib- and erlotinib-induced interstitial lung disease: A case report

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI)-induced interstitial lung disease (ILD) may be a life-threatening condition that may develop during treatment of lung cancer patients harboring EGFR mutations. We herein present the case of a 41-year-old female patient diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma with an EGFR mutation (exon 19 deletion). The patient was treated with gefitinib followed by erlotinib and developed ILD induced by both EGFR-TKIs; furthermore, the patient acquired resistance to EGFR-TKI treatment. A repeat biopsy revealed a T790M mutation, which is associated with resistance to first-generation EGFR-TKIs, along with an exon 19 deletion identified by cytology of the pleural fluid. Treatment with afatinib and prednisolone resulted in tumor shrinkage, without worsening of the ILD. The present case demonstrated that combination treatment with afatinib and a glucocorticoid may be effective for the treatment of lung cancer patients who develop EGFR-TKI-induced ILD.

Using Micro-computed Tomography for the Assessment of Tumor Development and Follow-up of Response to Treatment in a Mouse Model of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most lethal cancer in the world. Intensive research is ongoing worldwide to identify new therapies for lung cancer. Several mouse models of lung cancer are being used to study the mechanism of cancer development and to experiment with various therapeutic strategies. However, the absence of a real-time technique to identify the development of tumor nodules in mice lungs and to monitor the changes in their size in response to various experimental and therapeutic interventions hampers the ability to obtain an accurate description of the course of the disease and its timely response to treatments. In this study, a method using a micro-computed tomography (CT) scanner for the detection of the development of lung tumors in a mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma is described. Next, we show that monthly follow-up with micro-CT can identify dynamic changes in the lung tumor, such as the appearance of additional nodules, increase in the size of previously detected nodules, and decrease in the size or complete resolution of nodules in response to treatment. Finally, the accuracy of this real-time assessment method was confirmed with end-point histological quantification. This technique paves the way for planning and conducting more complex experiments on lung cancer animal models, and it enables us to better understand the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and the effects of different treatment modalities while saving time and resources.

Screening for Malnutrition in Community Dwelling Older Japanese: Preliminary Development and Evaluation of the Japanese Nutritional Risk Screening Tool (NRST)

BACKGROUND

Early and effective screening for age-related malnutrition is an essential part of providing optimal nutritional care to older populations.

OBJECTIVE

This study was performed to evaluate the adaptation of the original SCREEN II questionnaire (Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition, version II) for use in Japan by examining its measurement properties and ability to predict nutritional risk and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Japanese people. The ultimate objective of this preliminary validation study is to develop a license granted full Japanese version of the SCREEN II.

PARTICIPANTS

The measurement properties and predictive validity of the NRST were examined in this cross-sectional study of 1921 community-dwelling older Japanese people.

MEASUREMENTS

Assessments included medical history, and anthropometric and serum albumin measurements. Questions on dietary habits that corresponded to the original SCREEN II were applied to Nutritional Risk Screening Tool (NRST) scoring system. Nutritional risk was assessed by the Geriatric Nutrition Risk Index (GNRI) and the short form of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF). Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People.

RESULTS

The nutritional risk prevalences determined by the GNRI and MNA-SF were 5.6% and 34.7%, respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 13.3%. Mean NRST scores were significantly lower in the nutritionally at-risk than in the well-nourished groups. Concurrent validity analysis showed significant correlations between NRST scores and both nutritional risk parameters (GNRI or MNA-SF) and sarcopenia. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of NRST for the prediction of nutritional risk were 0.635 and 0.584 as assessed by GNRI and MNA-SF, respectively. AUCs for the prediction of sarcopenia were 0.602 (NRST), 0.655 (age-integrated NRST), and 0.676 (age and BMI-integrated NRST).

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that the NRST is a promising screening tool for the prediction of malnutrition and sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Japanese people. Further development of a full Japanese version of the SCREEN II is indicated.

Activation of EGFR Bypass Signaling by TGFα Overexpression Induces Acquired Resistance to Alectinib in ALK-Translocated Lung Cancer Cells

Alectinib is a highly selective ALK inhibitor and shows promising efficacy in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) harboring the EML4-ALK gene rearrangement. The precise mechanism of acquired resistance to alectinib is not well defined. The purpose of this study was to clarify the mechanism of acquired resistance to alectinib in ALK-translocated lung cancer cells. We established alectinib-resistant cells (H3122-AR) from the H3122 NSCLC cell line, harboring the EML4-ALK gene rearrangement, by long-term exposure to alectinib. The mechanism of acquired resistance to alectinib in H3122-AR cells was evaluated by phospho-receptor tyrosine kinase (phospho-RTK) array screening and Western blotting. No mutation of the ALK-TK domain was found. Phospho-RTK array analysis revealed that the phosphorylation level of EGFR was increased in H3122-AR cells compared with H3122. Expression of TGFα, one of the EGFR ligands, was significantly increased and knockdown of TGFα restored the sensitivity to alectinib in H3122-AR cells. We found combination therapy targeting ALK and EGFR with alectinib and afatinib showed efficacy both in vitro and in a mouse xenograft model. We propose a preclinical rationale to use the combination therapy with alectinib and afatinib in NSCLC that acquired resistance to alectinib by the activation of EGFR bypass signaling.

Abstract 3916: Oncogenic potential of FGF9 in lung cancer

Rationale: Recently, the importance of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and its receptor (FGFR) signals has been emphasized in various types of cancer, including lung cancer. FGFs and FGFRs are reported to be related to drug resistance, cell proliferation, differentiation and motility. Among various FGFs, FGF9 is a developmentally important FGF associated with epithelial airway branching, and its expression is repressed in normal adult lungs. We have previously shown that FGF9 is highly expressed in NSCLC cells, and FGF9 expression was associated with poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Furthermore, we reported that induction of FGF9 in adult lung results in the rapid formation of adenocarcinoma in specific gene engineered mouse model. However, the exact roles of FGF9 in lung epithelial cells remain elusive.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to clarify the roles of FGF9 in lung epithelial cells.

Methods: For in vitro experiments, a stable cell line with constitutive expression of FGF9 in MLE12 (a mouse lung alveolar type II cell line transformed by SV40 large T antigen) was established by retroviral infection. The effect of FGF9 on proliferation, colony formation capacity and downstream signaling was evaluated by MTS assay, softagar colony formation assay and Western blotting, respectively. For in vivo experiments, the cells were transplanted into immunodeficient mice subcutaneously, and the size of tumor was measured. To evaluate the efficacy of FGFR inhibitors for FGF9-driven lung cancers, AZD4547, selective FGFR inhibitor, was orally administered. For pathological characterization of the tumors, immunohistochemical staining was performed.

Fifteen surgically-resected SCLC samples were obtained and the expression of FGF9 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry.

Results: FGF9 has oncogenic ability in vitro and its effect may be exerted by the activation of MAPK pathway through FGFR1 and FGFR3 in MLE12 cells. Unexpectedly, pathological analysis revealed FGF9-driven tumors exhibited SCLC histology. Selective FGFR inhibitor, AZD4547 suppressed tumor growth of FGF9-driven MLE12 tumors. FGF9 is highly expressed in human SCLC samples (67%).

Conclusions: These results suggest that FGF9 has roles of tumor initiation and progression in lung cancer, especially in SCLC.

SCLC which highly expresses FGF9 may be a target of FGFR inhibitors.

Citation Format: Kota Ishioka, Kenzo Sejima, Hiroyuki Yasuda, Junko Hamamoto, Ahmed Hegab, Tetsuo Tani, Aoi Kuroda, Daisuke Arai, Keiko Ohgino, Takashi Sato, Terai Hideki, Ichiro Kawada, Katsuhiko Naoki, Yuichiro Hayashi, Tomoko Betsuyaku. Oncogenic potential of FGF9 in lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3916. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3916

Abstract 4: ABT-263 is effective in a subset of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines

Rationale:

ABT-263 (Navitoclax) is one of the BH3 mimetics targeting anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family proteins such as Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and Bcl-w, thereby inducing apoptosis. It has been reported that the response to ABT-263 is associated with expressions of myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), an anti-apoptotic protein. Given its effectiveness as a single agent in preclinical studies, ABT-263 is currently being evaluated in clinical trials for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and leukemia. However, the efficacy of ABT-263 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been fully evaluated. We examined the effect of ABT-263 on cell proliferation of NSCLC cell lines and investigated the underlying mechanisms.

Methods:

The following 9 NSCLC cell lines were examined: SK-LU-1, A549, H358, Calu3, H3122, H1975, H460, H441, and BID007. The effects of ABT-263 in NSCLC cell lines were evaluated by MTS assay. Apoptosis was examined by flowcytometry using staining for annexin V and propidium iodide (PI), and also western blotting for cleaved PARP. Quantitative RT-PCR was carried out to assess the mRNA expression levels of anti-apoptotic genes and pro-apoptotic genes. Immunoprecipitation and western blotting were performed to compare the levels of anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic proteins between the sensitive and resistant cell lines. In addition, knockdown of Mcl-1 was performed by siRNA.

Results:

By screening 9 NSCLC cell lines using MTS assay, we found Calu3 and BID007were sensitive to ABT-263. We also confirmed that apoptosis was induced only in the ABT-263 sensitive lines but not in the ABT-263 resistant cell lines after ABT-263 treatment. However, the expression levels of Bcl-2 family proteins, including Mcl-1, did not differ significantly among the ABT-263 sensitive and resistant cell lines. Unlike the results in previous reports regarding SCLC, Mcl-1 was not decreased in the sensitive cell lines. The ABT-263 resistant cell lines became sensitive to ABT-263 after knockdown of Mcl-1 by siRNA, while the ABT-263 sensitive cell lines maintained the same sensitivity.

Conclusion:

We found that Calu3 and BID007 were sensitive to ABT-263. In the sensitive NSCLC cell lines, ABT-263 induces apoptosis irrespective of Mcl-1 expression levels.

Citation Format: Aoi Kuroda, Keiko Ohgino, Hiroyuki Yasuda, Junko Hamamoto, Daisuke Arai, Kota Ishioka, Tetsuo Tani, Shigenari Nukaga, Ichiro Kawada, Katsuhiko Naoki, Kenzo Soejima, Tomoko Betsuyaku. ABT-263 is effective in a subset of non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4

Characterization of the cell of origin and propagation potential of the fibroblast growth factor 9-induced mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma

Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) is essential for lung development and is highly expressed in a subset of human lung adenocarcinomas. We recently described a mouse model in which FGF9 expression in the lung epithelium caused proliferation of the airway epithelium at the terminal bronchioles and led to rapid development of adenocarcinoma. Here, we used this model to characterize the effects of prolonged FGF9 induction on the proximal and distal lung epithelia, and examined the propagation potential of FGF9-induced lung tumours. We showed that prolonged FGF9 over-expression in the lung resulted in the development of adenocarcinomas arising from both alveolar type II and airway secretory cells in the lung parenchyma and airways, respectively. We found that tumour cells harboured tumour-propagating cells that were able to form secondary tumours in recipient mice, regardless of FGF9 expression. However, the highest degree of tumour propagation was observed when unfractionated tumour cells were co-administered with autologous, tumour-associated mesenchymal cells. Although the initiation of lung adenocarcinomas was dependent on activation of the FGF9-FGF receptor 3 (FGFR3) signalling axis, maintenance and propagation of the tumour was independent of this signalling. Activation of an alternative FGF-FGFR axis and the interaction with tumour stromal cells is likely to be responsible for the development of this independence. This study demonstrates the complex role of FGF-FGFR signalling in the initiation, growth and propagation of lung cancer. Our findings suggest that analysing the expressions of FGF-FGFRs in human lung cancer will be a useful tool for guiding customized therapy.

A phase II study of biweekly paclitaxel and carboplatin in elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

PURPOSE

The number of elderly patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is increasing. Although several studies have suggested the benefit of chemotherapy with a platinum doublet for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC, this treatment is still controversial in this age group. To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of combination chemotherapy with biweekly paclitaxel and carboplatin for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC, we conducted a multicenter, non-randomized, open label, phase II trial.

METHODS

We recruited patients aged ≥70 years with clinical stage IIIB and IV NSCLC and ECOG performance status (PS) of 0-2. Patients received paclitaxel (90 mg/m(2)) and carboplatin (AUC = 2.5) on day 1 and 15, every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR), and the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety.

RESULTS

Sixty-five patients (median age 79 years; range 70-87 years) were enrolled. Forty-nine patients were men, and 48 were stage IV. The PS was 0, 1, and 2 in 28, 33, and 4 patients, respectively. The histological type of NSCLC was non-squamous in 69.3 % and squamous cell carcinoma in 30.7 % of patients. The median number of treatment cycles was 3 (range 1-6). The response rate was 29.4 % (95 % CI 18.7-43.0), and the disease control rate was 78.0 % (95 % CI 64.8-87.2). Median PFS and OS were 3.8 months (95 % CI 1.9-5.3) and 17.3 months (95 % CI 10.4-25.1), respectively. The most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities were neutropenia (27 %), leukopenia (15 %), infection (10 %), and anemia (8 %).

CONCLUSION

The combination of biweekly paclitaxel and carboplatin was effective and well tolerated in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

Abstract 414: Aberrant DNA methylation and expression of mRNA in EGFR-mutant lung cancer cell line with long-term exposure to gefitinib

Many of the patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who initially responded well to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) will eventually relapse. The mechanisms of resistance to EGFR-TKIs is not yet fully clarified. The suppression of genes by DNA methylation is reported to be involved in the mechanism of tolerance to cytotoxic drugs. The purpose of this study is to identify epigenetically regulated genes and to clarify the contribution of epigenetic alteration to the acquired resistance to EGFR-TKI. We established gefitinib-resistant PC-9, which was originally gefitinib-sensitive lung cancer cell line, by serial long term exposure to gefitinib. We collected RNA and DNA from both gefitinib-sensitive and -resistant PC-9 cells and performed comprehensive analysis for DNA methylation and mRNA expression using infinium array and cDNA microarray, respectively. We identified 640 genes those DNA methylations were increased in gefitinib-resistant cell line compared to parental cell line. Then, we selected 29 candidate genes those mRNA expression were decreased in resistant PC-9. We are currently underway to elucidate the specific function of each gene and updated data will be presented at the meeting.

Citation Format: Hideki Terai, Kenzo Soejima, Katsuhiko Naoki, Hiroyuki Yasuda, Takashi Sato, Daisuke Arai, Keiko Ohgino, Kota Ishioka, Aoi Kuroda, Tetsuo Tani, Ayano Ohashi, Makoto Nishino, Masayoshi Miyawaki, Junko Hamamoto, Tomoko Betsuyaku. Aberrant DNA methylation and expression of mRNA in EGFR-mutant lung cancer cell line with long-term exposure to gefitinib. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 414. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-414

Abstract 5195: Claudin-1, a novel target of miR-375 in non-small cell lung cancer

MicroRNAs, the small and noncoding RNAs, regulate the translation of specific protein-coding genes. Accumulated evidence strongly suggests that microRNAs play important and complex roles in human cancers, including lung cancer. We previously reported that miR-375 expression was low in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and high in adenocarcinoma (AC) of lung cancer. The target gene of miR-375 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to identify a target of miR-375 and clarify the function of miR-375 in NSCLC. Candidate genes of miR-375 targets were determined using the prediction databases and also previous findings about the different gene expression between SCC and AC. We focused on claudin-1 (CLDN1), which has four putative target sites of miR-375 in its 3′-untranslated region (UTR). CLDN1 was reported to express high in SCC and low in AC opposite to miR-375. We evaluated miR-375 and CLDN1 expression levels by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blotting in 12 NSCLC cell lines. The effect of miR-375 overexpression upon the CLDN1 expression was evaluated in 5 NSCLC cell lines by transfecting miR-375 precursor. It showed that the expression of CLDN1 messenger RNA and protein were attenuated by miR-375 overexpression. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm direct interaction between miR-375 and CLDN1. We cloned 3′-UTR of CLDN1 cDNA into the downstream of a luciferase reporter gene and co-transfected this vector into A549 cells with miR-375 precursor. MiR-375 overexpression resulted in a 3-fold repression of luciferase activity (p < 0.001). To ascertain the clinical validity, we analyzed the relationship between miR-375 and CLDN1 expression in 63 clinical samples of NSCLC. There was a negative correlation between miR-375 and CLDN1 expression (r = -0.35, p = 0.005). In addition, we analyzed the correlation between miR-375 expression and overall survival in the same samples. High miR-375 expression correlated with poor survival in NSCLC (p = 0.043). To investigate the reason why high miR-375 expression lead to poor survival, wound healing assay was performed to evaluate the effect of miR-375 overexpression on the cell migration in SK-MES-1 cells. The cell migration was promoted by miR-375 overexpression, suggesting the high potential of invasion and metastasis in NSCLC expressing high level of miR375. In conclusion, we found that CLDN1 is a novel target of miR-375, and high miR-375 expression leads to poor survival in NSCLC.

Citation Format: Satoshi Yoda, Kenzo Soejima, Hiroyuki Yasuda, Takashi Sato, Daisuke Arai, Keiko Ohgino, Kota Ishioka, Tetsuo Tani, Ayano Oashi, Aoi Kuroda, Makoto Nishino, Masayoshi Miyawaki, Junko Hamamoto, Katsuhiko Naoki, Tomoko Betsuyaku. Claudin-1, a novel target of miR-375 in non-small cell lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5195. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5195

Coexistence effect of UVA absorbers to increase their solubility and stability of supersaturation

OBJECTIVE

Sunscreens containing UVA absorbers in high concentrations are expected to be developed, since recent studies have suggested the possibility of involvement of UVA ray in skin cancer and early skin aging. Solubility and stability of supersaturation of UVA absorbers in UVB absorber were determined in the absence and the presence of cosmetic oil. Coexistence effect of UVA absorbers was analyzed to dissolve them in high concentrations.

METHODS

Two UVA absorbers, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (DHHB) and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMDM), a UVB absorber, 2-ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC), and a cosmetic oil, 2-ethylhexyl ester of oligomer of hydroxystearic acid (EH-O-HSA), were used. Their solutions were prepared at 80°C and cooled to 5°C. The solid DHHB and/or BMDM were added to it, and the time evolution of concentrations of the UVA absorbers in the solution phase was monitored.

RESULTS

At the saturation in the absence of EH-O-HSA at 5°C, weight ratio of DHHB and BMDM to EHMC was 0.39/1.00 and 0.22/1.00, respectively. Addition of EH-O-HSA slightly changed the solubility of DHHB and BMDM. When the weight ratio of EH-O-HSA to EHMC was 0.20/1.00, weight ratio of DHHB and BMDM to EHMC was 0.35/1.00 and 0.25/1.00, respectively at the saturation at 5°C. In the presence of EH-O-HSA, a strong coexistence effect of DHHB and BMDM was found on their solubility. A thermodynamically stable saturated solution at 5°C having the composition that DHHB: BMDM: EHMC: EH-O-HSA = 0.47: 0.46: 1.00: 0.20 was obtained by the simultaneous addition of solid DHHB and BMDM into the initial solution.

CONCLUSION

The solution type composite having the highest concentrations of DHHB and BMDM prepared in this study exhibited critical wavelength at 368 nm that was just below the border for sunscreens being qualified as 'Broad Spectrum' protection under the new rule launched by US FDA.

Abstract 5652: Activation of FGF2-FGFR1 pathway in EGFR-mutant lung cancer cell line with long-term gefitinib exposure

Many of the patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with sensitive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutation who initially responded well to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) eventually relapse. In spite of many studies over the last few years to elucidate this mechanism of acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs, approximately 30% of the mechanisms of acquired resistance are still unknown. Recently autocrine signaling of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors (FGFRs) has been demonstrated in NSCLC cell lines. And several studies suggest that the FGF-FGFR autocrine growth pathway could be an important mechanism for intrinsic resistance to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC cell lines with wild-type EGFR. But until now, no report has clarified the role of FGF-FGFR pathway in acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC cell lines with sensitive EGFR mutations. We have established a gefitinib-resistant cell line (PC9 GR), by serial exposure of gefitinib to PC9, an originally gefitinib-sensitive lung cancer cell line (PC9 na). We confirmed that these cell lines did not harbor two well-known EGFR-TKI resistance mechanisms, the second mutation in the EGFR gene itself, EGFR T790 and the amplification of the MET oncogene. We collected total RNA from both PC9 na and PC9 GR and examined mRNA expression profile, by using cDNA microarray analysis. We found the expressions of FGFR1 and FGF2 were increased in PC9 GR compared to in PC9 na. The growth of PC9 GR cells was inhibited either by PD173074 (inhibitors of FGFRs) or knocking down of FGFR1 or FGF2 by siRNA in combination with gefitinib. FACS analysis revealed that the combination treatment with PD173074 and gefitinib induced apoptosis more efficiently in PC9 GR cells compared to gefitinib alone. PC9 na cells and PC9 GR cells did not show any change in the proportion of apoptotic cells after treatment with PD173074 alone. To further investigate how FGF2-FGFR1 pathway affects resistance to gefitinib in these cell lines, the downstream targets of EGFR signaling including the MEK-ERK and PI3K-AKT pathways were examined. In PC9 na cells, the phosphorylation of EGFR, ERK, and AKT was efficiently inhibited by gefitinib alone. On the other hand, in PC9 GR cells, the phosphorylation of ERK and AKT was not efficiently inhibited by gefitinib alone. However, the inhibition of phosphorylation of ERK was completely and AKT was less efficiently rescued by gefitinib and PD173074 combination therapy. In conclusion, these data suggest the activation of FGF2-FGFR1 signaling pathway contributes to the gefitinib resistance in PC9 GR. FGF2-FGFR1 pathway will be a therapeutic target for a subset of NSCLC that acquires EGFR-TKI resistance.

Citation Format: Hideki Terai, Kenzo Soejima, Katsuhiko Naoki, Hiroyuki Yasuda, Ryosuke Satomi, Sohei Nakayama, Satoshi Yoda, Shinnosuke Ikemura, Takashi Sato, Kota Ishioka, Daisuke Arai, Keiko Ohgino, Tetsuo Tani, Aoi Kuroda, Junko Hamamoto, Tomoko Betsuyaku. Activation of FGF2-FGFR1 pathway in EGFR-mutant lung cancer cell line with long-term gefitinib exposure. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5652. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5652

Abstract 5257: FGF9 overexpression promotes tumorigenic potential of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, and is associated with poor prognosis in NSCLC patients

Background. Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) is a member of the FGF family, which modulates cell proliferation, differentiation and motility. Recent studies show that activation of FGF signals including FGF9 is associated with pathogenesis of several cancers. In lung cancer, some reports showed that FGF9 indirectly promoted the growth of lung adenocarcinoma and the intensity of FGF9 staining was positively correlated with the status of disease and the degree of lymph node metastasis in lung adenocarcinoma patients. However, the direct effect of FGF9 on the development and growth of lung cancer has not been clear.

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to clarify the role of FGF9 in NSCLC.

Method. First, we have performed in vitro analysis to clarify the role of FGF9 in NSCLC. FGF9 was introduced by retroviral infection to make stable cell lines. The cell lines which express no or low FGF9 were selected for the study, namely A549, PC9 and H1975. Overexpression of FGF9 in these cells was confirmed at mRNA and protein levels. Tumorigenic potential was evaluated by soft agar colony formation assay. The effect on proliferation of NSCLC cells was evaluated by MTS proliferation assay.

Next, patients survival analysis was also performed to evaluate the effect of FGF9 on the prognosis of NSCLC patients. NSCLC specimens were obtained from 91 patients who underwent surgical resection at Department of Thoracic Surgery, Keio University Hospital from 2001 through 2006 with written informed consent. We have performed cDNA microarray gene expression analysis. Patient survival data was evaluated by genes expression profile.

Results. Of the cells studied, A549 with FGF9 overexpression (A549-FGF9) cells significantly increased the anchorage independent colony formation ability compared with A549-empty cells. The numbers of the colonies were significantly higher in A549-FGF9, and the size of the colonies was bigger compared with A549-empty. For patient study, we found 10 out of 91 (11.0%) NSCLC patients overexpressed FGF9. We found FGF9 overexpression was associated with significantly worse prognosis (p=0.001). While none of other FGFs and FGFRs was associated with the prognosis of the patients. Three-year survival rate of FGF9-high patient group and FGF9-low patient group were 40% and 88% respectively. The rate of relapse was significantly higher in FGF9-high patients compared with FGF9-low patients, 60% vs 36.2% (p=0.016).

Conclusion. Our in vitro and clinical data indicate that FGF-9 may promote tumorigenic potential, and can be a prognostic indicator in NSCLC patients.

Citation Format: Kota Ishioka, Kenzo Soejima, Hiroyuki Yasuda, Keiko Ohgino, Satoshi Yoda, Takashi Sato, Junko Hamamoto, Daisuke Arai, Tetsuo Tani, Aoi Kuroda, Katsuhiko Naoki, Tomoko Betsuyaku. FGF9 overexpression promotes tumorigenic potential of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, and is associated with poor prognosis in NSCLC patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5257. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5257

Circulating tumor cells as a potential biomarker in selecting patients for pulmonary metastasectomy from colorectal cancer: report of a case

Pulmonary metastasectomy is indicated for selected patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. A 43-year-old woman presented with solitary pulmonary metastasis from descending colon cancer and pulmonary metastasectomy was performed because of absence of any other active metastasis as well as normal serum carcinoembryonic antigen value. However, she died due to early development of nodal and bone metastases within 6 months after thoracotomy. The presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood (6 CTCs/7.5 ml) was the only factor to predict such a poor prognosis, suggesting that the CTC test is useful in selecting patients for pulmonary metastasectomy.

Helicobacter pylori dupA gene is not associated with clinical outcomes in the Japanese population

The dupA gene of Helicobacter pylori was suggested to be a risk factor for duodenal ulcer but protective against gastric cancer. The present study aimed to re-examine the role of dupA in H. pylori-infected Japanese patients. We found that dupA status was not associated with any gastroduodenal disease, histological score of chronic gastritis or with the extent of interleukin-8 production from gastric cell lines. These results indicate that dupA is unlikely to be a virulence factor of H. pylori in the Japanese population.