Phase II trial of interferon and thalidomide in metastatic renal cell carcinoma

The role of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in evaluating the response to tyrosine-kinase inhibitors in patients with metastatic primary renal cell carcinoma

Background

Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) using fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is increasingly used in the evaluation of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), primarily for staging purposes. The aim of this paper is to perform a systematic review about the usefulness of PET-CT using FDG in response assessment after treatment with tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in patients with advanced RCC.

Materials and methods.

The scientific literature about the role of PET-CT using FDG in the assessment of response to treatment with TKIs in patients affected by advanced RCC was systematically reviewed.

Results

Seven studies about the role of PET-CT using FDG in the response assessment after treatment with TKIs (essentially sunitinib and sorafenib) in advanced RCC were retrieved in full-text and analysed, to determine the predictive role of this morpho-functional imaging method on patient outcome.

Conclusions

To date, the role of PET-CT using FDG in evaluating the response to TKIs in metastatic RCC patients is still not well defined, partly due to heterogeneity of available studies; however, PET-CT reveals potential role for the selection of patients undergoing therapy with TKIs. The use of contrast-enhanced PET-CT appears to be promising for a “multi-dimensional” evaluation of treatment response in these patients.

Effects of brucine on vascular endothelial growth factor expression and microvessel density in a nude mouse model of bone metastasis due to breast cancer

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of brucine on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and microvessel density (MVD) in a nude mouse model of bone metastasis due to breast cancer, and to assess the possible antitumor mechanism of brucine.

METHODS

A syringe needle was used to directly inject 0.2 mL monoplast suspension (with 2×10(5) human breast cancer cells contained) into the bony femoral cortex of the right hind leg for modeling. Twenty-five nude mice were randomized into five groups and administered with an intraperitoneal injection of saline or drug for 8 consecutive days: model group (0.2 mL normal saline), low-dose brucine group (1.73 mg·kg(-1)), medium-dose brucine group (3.45 mg·kg(-1)), high-dose brucine group (6.90 mg·kg(-1)), and thalidomide group (200 mg·kg(-1)). Diet and activity were recorded, and the tumors were harvested 5 weeks later. The percentage of VEGF-positive cells was determined with hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining, and MVD expression was determined by optical microscopy.

RESULTS

The VEGF expressions in brucine- or thalidomide-treated mice were significantly reduced as compared with mice in the model group (P <0.01). There were no significant difference between the high-dose brucine group and the thalidomide group (P >0.05). Significant difference was between the high- and low-dose brucine group P<0.05). Further, VEGF expression was significantly increased in the low- and medium-dose brucine groups compared with the thalidomide group (P <0.05). The MVD values in the three brucine and thalidomide groups were significantly lower than that in the model group (P <0.01). The MVD values in the medium- and high-dose brucine groups were not significantly different from those in the thalidomide group (P >0.05), while the MVD value showed a significant increase in the low-dose group compared with the thalidomide group (P <0.05).

CONCLUSION

Brucine could inhibit the growth of breast cancer to bone metastases, possibly by inhibiting tumor angiogenesis.