Anti-epidermal-growth-factor-receptor agents and complete responses in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis of 17 phase III randomized controlled trials

The Effect of the EGFR - Targeting Compound 3-[(4-Phenylpyrimidin-2-yl) Amino] Benzene-1-Sulfonamide (13f) against Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Lines

OBJECTIVE

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a noxious malignancy of epithelium of the bile duct with a low response rate to chemotherapy. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway is implicated in the development of cancerous cells, especially CCA. In this study, we report detailed biological profiling of 13f identified from our earlier hit expansion studies. The aim of this work was to expand our understanding of 13f via more detailed investigations of its mechanism of action against KKU-100, KKU-452 and KKU-M156 CCA cells, as well as in comparison to the EGFR inhibitor Gefitinib and non-specific chemotherapeutic agents such as Cisplatin.

METHODS

Inhibiting EGFR-Kinase, cytotoxicity, clonogenic assay, wound healing and apoptosis were performed. Levels of total expression of EGFR and EGFR phosphorylation proteins were detected.

RESULTS

13f was confirmed as an inhibitor of EGFR with an IC50 value against the tyrosine kinase of EGFR of 22 nM and IC50 values for 48 h incubation period were 1.3 ± 1.9, 1.5 ± 0.4 and 1.7 ± 1.1 µM of KKU-100, KKU-452 and KKU-M156, respectively through dose- and time-dependent induction of early apoptosis of CCA cells. The compound also suppressed the clonogenic ability of KKU-100 and KKU-M156 cells stronger than Gefitinib, while potently inhibiting EGF-stimulated CCA cell migratory activity in KKU-452 cells. It was observed that under normal conditions EGFR was activated in CCA cells. EGF-stimulated basal expression of EGFR in KKU-452 cells was suppressed following 13f treatment, which was significantly greater than that of the marketed EGFR inhibitor Gefitinib.

CONCLUSION

In summary, our study showed that 13f has potent anti-cancer activities including antiproliferation, clonogenic ability and migration through the modulation of EGFR signaling pathway in CCA for the first time. The compound represents an interesting starting point as a potential chemotherapeutic agent in ongoing efforts to improve response rate in CCA patients.<br />.

Self-assembled multifunctional nanotheranostics loading GEM for targeted lung cancer therapy

The aim of this study was to prepare a promising drug carrier for treatment of lung cancer. The self-assembly nanoparticles of SDP-GEM/PEI-PEG-anti-EGFR with chemotherapeutic drug of gemcitabine (GEM), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided- imaging and targeting of anti- Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (anti-EGFR) were designed. The imaging capacity, targeting feasibility and anti-tumor function were evaluated respectively. SDP-GEM/PEI-PEG-anti-EGFR exhibited contrast enhancement under T2 Weight Image (T2WI) and a liner relationship was found between the concentration and relaxation rate of R2 and R2* in vitro. With the targeting of anti-EGFR, the endocytosis of nanoparticles increased significantly, which effectively killed lung cancer cells in vitro, and importantly it can be accurately delivered to tumor site within 3 h in vivo. Prolonged lifetime and smaller tumor volume demonstrated that SDP-GEM/PEI-PEG-anti-EGFR efficiently inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, SDP-GEM/PEI-PEG-anti-EGFR was an effective and safe drug carrier, which had a great potential application in MRI-guided lung cancer therapy.

Prognostic and predictive role of EGFR pathway alterations in biliary cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and anti-EGFR

The association of anti-EGFR to gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) chemotherapy did not improve survival in biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) patients. Multiple mechanisms might be involved in the resistance to anti-EGFR. Here, we explored the mutation profile of EGFR extracellular domain (ECD), of tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), and its amplification status. EGFR mutational status of exons 12, 18–21 was analyzed in 57 tumors by Sanger sequencing. EGFR amplification was evaluated in 37 tumors by Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH). Kaplan-Meier curves were calculated using the log-rank test. Six patients had mutations in exon 12 of EGFR ECD and 7 in EGFR TKD. Neither EGFR ECD nor TKD mutations affected progression free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) in the entire population. In the panitumumab plus GEMOX (P-GEMOX) arm, ECD mutated patients had a worse OS, while EGFR TKD mutated patients had a trend towards shorter PFS and OS. Overall, the presence of mutations in EGFR or in its transducers did not affect PFS or OS, while the extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) mutated patients had a worse prognosis compared to WT. Nineteen out of 37 tumors were EGFR amplified, but the amplification did not correlate with survival. ECC EGFR amplified patients had improved OS, whereas the amplification significantly correlated with poor PFS (p = 0.03) in gallbladder carcinoma patients. The high molecular heterogeneity is a predominant feature of BTC: the alterations found in this work seem to have a prognostic impact rather than a predictive role towards anti-EGFR therapy.

Efficacy of targeted agents in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

The efficacy of targeted agents (TAs) in the treatment of elderly patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. We aimed to assess the efficacy of TAs in the treatment of advanced NSCLC in this setting.

Materials and methods

Relevant trials were identified by searching electronic databases and conference meetings. Prospective randomized controlled trials assessing chemotherapies with or without TAs in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC were included. Outcomes of interest included overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC.

Results

A total of 4,093 elderly patients from 17 randomized controlled trials were included for analysis. The addition of TAs to chemotherapy significantly improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75–0.96, P=0.01) when compared to chemotherapy alone. There was also a tendency to improve OS in the combination groups (HR 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85–1.01, P=0.064). Subgroup analysis based on treatment line indicated that TAs plus chemotherapy as first-line chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC significantly improved PFS (HR 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68–0.95, P=0.01) and OS (HR 0.91, 95% CI: 0.83–0.99, P=0.037), while the use of TA-containing regimens as second-line therapy in these patients did not significantly improve PFS (HR 0.91, 95% CI: 0.75–1.10, P=0.33) and OS (HR 1.04, 95% CI: 0.81–1.33, P=0.77) in comparison with chemotherapy alone. No publication bias was detected by Begg’s and Egger’s tests for OS.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that the addition of TAs to first-line chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced NSCLC offers an improved PFS and OS. Further trials are recommended to clearly investigate the efficacy of adding specific TAs to first-line chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC in this setting.

Clinical Profile of Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors in Treating Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Nine Randomized Clinical Trials

Background

Evidence on the benefits of combining cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor (COX-2) in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still controversial. We investigated the efficacy and safety profile of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in treating NSCLC.

Methods

The first meta-analysis of eligible studies was performed to assess the effect of COX-2 inhibitors for patients with NSCLC on the overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), one-year survival, and toxicities. The fixed-effects model was used to calculate the pooled RR and HR and between-study heterogeneity was assessed. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to the type of COX-2 inhibitors, treatment pattern, and treatment line.

Results

Nine randomized clinical trials, comprising 1679 patents with NSCLC, were included in the final meta-analysis. The pooled ORR of patients who have NSCLC with COX-2 inhibitors was significantly higher than that without COX-2 inhibitors. In subgroup analysis, significantly increased ORR results were found on celecoxib (RR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.51), rofecoxib (RR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.28), chemotherapy (RR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.63), and first-line treatment (RR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.63). However, COX-2 inhibitors had no effect on the one-year survival, OS, and PFS. Increased RR of leucopenia (RR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.45) and thrombocytopenia (RR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.76) suggested that COX-2 inhibitors increased hematologic toxicities (grade ≥ 3) of chemotherapy

Conclusions

COX-2 inhibitors increased ORR of advanced NSCLC and had no impact on survival indices, but it may increase the risk of hematologic toxicities associated with chemotherapy.