Recombinant Endostatin as a Potential Radiosensitizer in the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most prevalent type of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Over the past decades, tumour angiogenesis has been intensely studied in the treatment of NSCLC due to its fundamental role in cancer progression. Several anti-angiogenic drugs, such as recombinant endostatin (RE), have been evaluated in several preclinical and clinical trials, with mixed and often disappointing results. However, there is currently an emerging interest in RE due to its ability to create a vascular normalization window, which could further improve treatment efficacy of the standard NSCLC treatment. This review provides an overview of preclinical and clinical studies that combined RE and radiotherapy for NSCLC treatment. Furthermore, it highlights the ongoing challenges that have to be overcome in order to maximize the benefit; as well as the potential advantage of combinations with particle therapy and immunotherapy, which are rapidly gaining momentum in the treatment landscape of NSCLC. Different angiogenic and immunosuppressive effects are observed between particle therapy and conventional X-ray radiotherapy. The combination of RE, particle therapy and immunotherapy presents a promising future therapeutic triad for NSCLC.

Losartan Alleviates the Side Effects and Maintains the Anticancer Activity of Axitinib

Axitinib is one of the most potent inhibitors of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor and shows strong antitumor activity toward various malignant tumors. However, its severe side effects affect the quality of life and prognosis of patients. Losartan, which functions as a typical angiotensin receptor blocker, controls the average arterial pressure of patients with essential hypertension and protects against hypertension-related secondary diseases, including proteinuria and cardiovascular injury. To explore the effects of losartan on side effects caused by axitinib and its antitumor activity, several animal experiments were conducted. This study first analyzed and explored the effect of losartan on the amelioration of side effects in Wistar rats caused by axitinib. The results showed that the systolic blood pressure of Wistar rats was significantly increased by about 30 mmHg in 7 days of axitinib treatment, while the combination of losartan significantly reduced the blood pressure rise caused by axitinib. The Miles experimental model and mouse xenograft tumor model were further used to evaluate the effect of losartan on the antitumor effect of axitinib. The result clearly demonstrated that losartan has no significant influence on axitinib-related low vascular permeability and antitumor activity. In summary, our results showed that the combination of axitinib and losartan significantly reduced the side effects and maintained the antitumor effects of axitinib. This study provides information for overcoming VEGF receptor inhibitor-related side effects.

Axitinib Versus Sorafenib in First-Line Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Overall Survival From a Randomized Phase III Trial

BACKGROUND

In a randomized phase III trial in treatment-naive patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), axitinib versus sorafenib yielded numerically longer progression-free survival (median, 10.1 vs. 6.5 months; hazard ratio [HR], 0.77; 1-sided P = .038) and significantly higher objective response rate (32% vs. 15%; 1-sided P = .0006). In this article, we report overall survival (OS) and updated safety results.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Previously untreated patients with metastatic RCC (n = 288), stratified according to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS; 0 vs. 1), were randomized 2:1 to receive axitinib 5 mg twice per day (b.i.d.; n = 192) or sorafenib 400 mg b.i.d. (n = 96).

RESULTS

Median OS (95% confidence interval [CI]) was 21.7 months (18.0-31.7) with axitinib versus 23.3 months (18.1-33.2) with sorafenib (stratified HR, 0.995; 95% CI, 0.731-1.356; 1-sided P = .4883). Among patients with ECOG PS of 0, median OS was numerically longer with axitinib than with sorafenib (41.2 vs. 31.9 months; HR, 0.811, 1-sided P = .1748), whereas among patients with ECOG PS 1, median OS was shorter with axitinib than with sorafenib (14.2 vs. 19.8 months; HR, 1.203; 1-sided; P = .7973). Incidence and severity of common adverse events were consistent with previous reports.

CONCLUSION

OS was similar between axitinib and sorafenib in treatment-naive patients with metastatic RCC, and no new safety signals emerged.

Chemical approaches to angiogenesis in development and regeneration

Vascular endothelial cells are essential building blocks of angiogenesis, which is required for normal embryonic development and tissue regeneration. In this chapter, we describe how to use transgenic zebrafish embryos expressing vascular-specific green fluorescent protein to evaluate differentiation, growth, and morphogenesis of endothelial cells. When combined with instrument automation and computational analysis, this method allows high-throughput screening for biologically active small chemical molecules that are effective in promoting angiogenesis. These molecules can be validated in mammalian endothelial cell differentiation and proliferation assays. These studies provide new reagents and therapeutic candidates for regenerative medicine studies.