Survival and prognostic factors of lung cancer patients with preexisting connective tissue disease: a retrospective cohort study

Combined treatment with cetuximab and STA9090 has synergistic anticancer effects on human non-small cell lung cancer

Cetuximab (CET), a human murine chimeric IgG monoclonal antibody and an inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), has been shown to be effective in treating various types of cancer. However, its use is hindered by limitations such as resistance development, variability in patient response, side effects, and challenges in biomarker identification. Therefore, CET is often combined with other targeted therapies or chemotherapies to enhance its effectiveness. In this study, we investigate the anticancer effects and underlying mechanisms of the combination of CET, an EGFR inhibitor, and STA9090, an inhibitor of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), in both in vitro and in vivo models of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The results demonstrate significantly stronger effects on NSCLC cells in response to combination therapy than to treatment with either agent alone, indicating that the combination of CET and STA9090 has potential synergistic effects. Additionally, the combination therapy inhibits tumor growth in a xenograft nude mouse model more effectively than treatment with either agent alone, suggesting improved efficacy when used together. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of the combination therapy are likely due to inactivation of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) pathway, which is overly activated in cancer and contributes to tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Consequently, our findings suggest that STA9090 has potent direct antitumor activity and synergizes with CET against NSCLC tumors. It is highly likely that these synergistic effects are mediated through RTK pathway inactivation caused by the combination. Therefore, our findings strongly and consistently support the potential synergistic effect of STA9090, an RTK inhibitor, in combination with EGFR-targeting agents.

Chronological interplay, clinical features, and treatments among patients with cancer and primary Sjögren's syndrome

OBJECTIVE

While the incidence and type of blood malignancies are well documented amid primary Sjögren's syndrome patients (pSS), data focusing on solid neoplasms are more conflicting. We aimed to describe clinical, pathological, and immunological characteristics of pSS patients with cancers, along with the chronological interplay between the two conditions.

METHODS

Outcomes concerning both pSS and cancer were retrospectively collected from Montpellier University Hospital (tertiary center) between 2019 and 2020. pSS characteristics were compared to a control group of pSS patients without cancer.

RESULTS

A total of 165 patients with pSS were included: 55 patients with cancer (52 female, mean age 58.4 ± 10.4 years at pSS diagnosis; mean follow-up 10.5 ± 10.1 years, 12 patients had multiple cancers) and 110 controls without cancer. Characteristics of pSS patients with cancers were different from controls mostly for lymphoma prognosis factors. Among the 70 cancers, we recorded 55 solid neoplasms (whom 27 breast cancers and 8 lung cancers, and 82% of adenocarcinomas), with no evidence of disease at the end of follow-up in 85% of them. Among the 15 recorded blood malignancies, ten were lymphomas with an excellent prognosis. Regarding chronological interplay between cancer and pSS, most cancers (43%) were diagnosed close (± 5 years) to pSS diagnosis. Breast cancers were diagnosed before or close to pSS diagnosis (mean delay - 1.8 ± 13.0 years), at an early stage, with only two relapses (no cancer-related death), while lung cancers were diagnosed late after.

CONCLUSIONS

The tight chronological interplay between breast cancer and pSS and the intriguing pathological and immunological pattern of pSS in these patients suggest a hypothesis of immune control of cancer.

Effects of high-quality nursing care on quality of life, survival, and recurrence in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Postoperative nursing can improve the quality of life (QoL) and functional prognosis for lung cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of high-quality nursing on inflammation and prognosis in postoperative patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

A total of 372 patients with NSCLC were enrolled between the May 2014 and June 2016. Patients were randomly received high-quality nursing (n = 192) or normal nursing (n = 180). Symptom management, QoL, hospital stay, inflammatory score, survival time, recurrence rate, symptoms, anxiety, depression scale and psychological distress were assessed at baseline and 5-year follow up.

RESULTS

High-quality nursing significantly shortened hospital stay, improved postoperative inflammation, symptom management, QoL compared to patients received normal nursing. Compare with normal nursing, high-quality nursing decreased anxiety, depression scale and psychological distress for postoperative patients with advanced NSCLC. Outcomes showed that high-quality nursing increased the survival time and decreased recurrence rate for postoperative patients with advanced NSCLC.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, data in the current study indicate that high-quality nursing can decrease inflammation and improve prognosis for the postoperative patients with NSCLC.