[Efficacy and Survival Analysis of Apatinib in Patients with Advanced Nonsquamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer after Failure of First-line Treatment]

Effect of BRAF-mediated PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway on biological characteristics and chemosensitivity of NSCLC A549/DDP cells

The present study aimed to explore the biological characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and the mechanism of chemosensitivity through the role of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway mediated by BRAF gene silencing. Following cell transfection and grouping, an MTT assay detected the activity of NSCLC cells, a scratch wound test assessed the migration ability, flow cytometry using PI staining detected the cell cycle phase, TUNEL and flow cytometry through Annexin V-PI staining assessed the apoptosis, and colony formation was used to detect the sensitivity of lung cancer cells to cisplatin chemotherapy. Furthermore, the relative expression levels of BRAF, PTEN, PI3K, mTOR mRNA were assessed by RT-qPCR, and the protein expression levels of BRAF, PTEN, PI3K, phosphorylated (p)-PI3K, Akt, p-Akt, mTOR, p-mTOR, cisplatin resistance-related enzymes ERCC1 and BRCA1, apoptotic proteins Bax and Bcl-2 were assessed by western blotting. Compared with the control group and NC group, there were differences in decreased BRAF mRNA expression levels in the small interfering (si)BRAF group and siBRAF + IGF-1 group (both P<0.05). In addition, compared with the control group, the siBRAF, NVP-BEZ235 and siBRAF + NVP-BEZ235 groups had significant decreased cell viability at 2–6 days, decreased migration ability, shortened proportion of S-phase cells, increased proportion of G₁/G₀-phase cells, increased apoptosis rate, decreased number of colony-forming cells, decreased mRNA expression of PI3K, Akt and mTOR, increased PTEN mRNA expression, decreased protein expression levels of PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, p-Akt, mTOR, p-mTOR, ERCC1, BRCA1 and Bcl-2, and increased protein expression levels of PTEN and Bax (all P<0.05); and more obvious trends were revealed in the siBRAF + NVP-BEZ235 group (all P<0.05); whereas opposite results were detected in the siBRAF + IGF-1 group when compared with the siBRAF group and NVP-BEZ235 group (all P<0.05). Silencing of BRAF gene expression to inhibit the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway exerted a synergistic effect decreasing cell viability, inhibiting the cell cycle and migration, increasing the apoptosis rate, decreasing the number of colony-forming cells and increasing chemosensitivity of NSCLC. Activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway may reverse the role of silencing of BRAF gene expression, providing a potential approach for improving the chemosensitivity of NSCLC. The present study for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, clarified the possible mechanism of NSCLC cell biological characteristic changes and chemosensitivity from the perspective of BRAF gene silencing and PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway activation, providing a potential reference for suppressing tumor aggravation and improving the therapeutic outcomes of NSCLC at the genetic level.

Effects of Apatinib on the "Stemness" of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells In Vivo and Its Related Mechanisms

Objective

To investigate the effects of Apatinib on the “stemness” of lung cancer cells in vivo and to explore its related mechanisms.

Methods

A xenograft model of lung cancer cells A549 was established in nude mice and randomized into a control group (n = 4) and an Apatinib group (n = 4). Tumor tissues were harvested after 2 weeks, and mRNA was extracted to detect changes in stemness-related genes (CD133, EPCAM, CD13, CD90, ALDH1, CD44, CD45, SOX2, NANOG, and OCT4) and Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog, and Hippo signal pathways.

Results

Compared with the control group, the volume and weight of nude mice treated with Apatinib were different and had statistical significance. Apatinib inhibited the expressions of ABCG2, CD24, ICAM-1, OCT4, and SOX2 and upregulated the expressions of CD44, CD13, and FOXD3. Apatinib treatment also inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin, Hedgehog, and Hippo signaling pathways.

Conclusion

Apatinib suppressed the growth of non-small-cell lung cancer cells by repressing the stemness of lung cancer through the inhibition of the Hedgehog, Hippo, and Wnt signaling pathways.

Efficacy and safety of low-dose apatinib in ovarian cancer patients with platinum-resistance or platinum-refractoriness: A single-center retrospective study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of apatinib with a low dose of 250 mg/d in the treatment of platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory ovarian cancer patients.

METHODS

Patients with platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory ovarian carcinoma treated with 250 mg/d apatinib in our institution from November 2016 to December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The tumor response and progression were evaluated according to the standard by incorporating the levels of CA125 and Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1. CTCAE 4.03 was used to evaluate adverse events (AEs).

RESULTS

Fifty-two eligible patients were enrolled in per-protocol (PP) analysis and 65 patients (including 13 lost to follow-up) were included in the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis. In PP analysis, 18 patients (34.6%) had partial response (PR), 22 patients (42.3%) had stable disease (SD), and the disease control rate (DCR) was 61.5%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.0 months (95% CI, 2.83-5.17 m), and median overall survival (OS) was 25.33 months (95% CI, 17.74-32.92 m). The objective response rate and DCR for patients in ITT analysis were 27.7% and 49.2%, respectively. The top three treatment-related AEs were hypertension, hand-foot syndrome, and leukopenia. Eight patients (15.4%) in PP population had grade 3 treatment-related AEs. Previous chemotherapy lines, number of recurrences, and AEs did not affect the efficacy of apatinib. Age older than 60 was associated with higher rates of disease control and prolonged PFS (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Apatinib 250 mg/d is a feasible treatment in platinum-resistant or platinum-refractory epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients.

Efficacy and safety of apatinib treatment for gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis

Apatinib (Aitan^®, brand name in China) is a new anti-antiangiogenic agent that has recently been approved for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer (GC) in China. Nevertheless, its therapeutic efficacy against other types of advanced solid tumors remains unclear. This meta-analysis examines the short-term efficacy and safety of apatinib or combination therapy for GC, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); and provides a discussion of its anti-angiogenesis therapy applications. Seven clinical studies met the inclusion criteria. The treatment of cancers using apatinib was more successful compared to therapy without apatinib. Both objective response rates (ORRs) and disease control rates (DCRs) were significantly improved in the apatinib group compared to those in the control group (RR=2.18, 95% CI 1.30–3.65; RR=2.09, 95% CI 1.21–3.60). The DCR of 850 mg qd and 750 mg qd were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Based on the short-term acute adverse reactions of apatinib, significant differences between groups were found for hypertension, urine protein, hand foot syndrome, and gastrointestinal reactions (diarrhea), while no significant differences were found for myelosuppression, nausea and vomiting. Moreover, the results showed that apatinib prolonged patient survival (HR=0.38, 95% CI: 0.28–0.52), and the effect was more pronounced in patients treated with 750 mg qd or 850 mg qd of apatinib than in those treated with a dose of ≤500 mg qd. Additionally, compared to its second-line application, the third-line application was shown to further reduce the risk ratio in patients. Furthermore, overall survival was longer in patients treated with apatinib. Apatinib was shown to have certain short-term effects and survival benefits on GC, HCC, and NSCLC with controllable adverse effects.

[Efficacy and Safety of Bevacizumab Combined with Chemotherapy as Second-line or Later-line Treatment in Advanced Nonsquamous Non-small Cell Lung Cancer]

背景与目的

贝伐珠单抗联合含铂双药化疗被推荐为无驱动基因的晚期非鳞非小细胞肺癌（non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC）患者的一线治疗方案，但此方案用于二线及以上非鳞NSCLC的研究并不普遍。本研究拟探讨二线及以上应用贝伐珠单抗联合化疗治疗晚期非鳞NSCLC的疗效和安全性。

方法

回顾性分析郑州大学附属肿瘤医院2014年1月-2017年6月间一线治疗进展后应用贝伐珠单抗的晚期非鳞NSCLC患者的临床资料，采用Kaplan-Meier法、Log-rank检验和Cox模型进行统计分析。

结果

这项研究共纳入62例患者，总体的客观缓解率（objective response rate, ORR）为32.2%，疾病控制率（disease control rate, DCR）为96.8%。中位无进展生存期（progression-free survival, PFS）为6.4个月（95%CI: 6.05-6.83），中位总生存期（overall survival, OS）为20.4个月（95%CI: 12.98-27.76）。在亚组分析中，脑转移患者与无脑转移患者的中位PFS差异无统计学意义（6.2个月vs 6.4个月，P=0.052）。贝伐珠单抗的应用周期（> 6个或≤6个）是PFS的独立影响因素（P=0.004）。最常见的不良反应有白细胞减少、乏力、恶心、血小板减少和高血压。

结论

二线及以上应用贝伐珠单抗联合化疗治疗晚期非鳞NSCLC的疗效显著且安全性良好。