Immunotherapy combined with antiangiogenic agents in patients with advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma: A case report

BACKGROUND Malignant pleural mesothelioma has limited therapeutic options and a poor outcome. Antiangiogenic agents might increase the efficacy of immunotherapy as second-line treatment of advanced-stage malignancies.CASE SUMMARY A patient with stage ⅢB pleural mesothelioma received second-line treatment with a combination of pembrolizumab, bevacizumab and chemotherapy following standard chemotherapy under the guidance of second-generation sequencing. He achieved a partial response after four cycles of treatment with progression-free survival of 5 mo. Pembrolizumab was suspended due to grade 2 immunerelated pneumonia, which was resolved by oral glucocorticoids.However, disease progression was observed after immunotherapy rechallenge and anlotinib therapy. The patient had disease progression, multiorgan dysfuntion and died suddenly in October 2019.CONCLUSION The combination of immune checkpoint inhibitor, anti-angiogenic agents and chemotherapy showed effective response for advanced pleural mesothelioma, but with adverse reactions.

Basic transcription factor 3 is involved in gastric cancer development and progression

AIM: To further analyse cancer involvement of basic transcription factor 3 (BTF3) after detection of its upregulation in gastric tumor samples. METHODS: BTF3 transcription rates in human gastric tumor tissue samples (n = 20) and adjacent normal tissue (n = 18) specimens as well as in the gastric cancer cell lines AGS, SGC-7901, MKN-28, MKN-45 and MGC803 were analyzed via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The effect of stable BTF3 silencing via infection with a small interfering RNA (siRNA)-BTF3 expressing lentivirus on SGC-7901 cells was measured via Western blotting analysis, proliferation assays, cell cycle and apoptosis profiling by flow cytometry as well as colony forming assays with a Cellomic Assay System. RESULTS: A significant higher expression of BTF3 mRNA was detected in tumors compared to normal gastric tissues (P < 0.01), especially in section tissues from female patients compared to male patients, and all tested gastric cancer cell lines expressed high levels of BTF3. From days 1 to 5, the relative proliferation rates of stable BTF3-siRNA transfected SGC7901 cells were 82%, 70%, 57%, 49% and 44% compared to the control, while the percentage of cells arrested in the G 1 phase was significantly decreased (P = 0.000) and the percentages of cells in the S (P = 0.031) and G 2 /M (P = 0.027) phases were significantly increased. In addition, the colony forming tendency was significantly decreased (P = 0.014) and the apoptosis rate increased from 5.73% to 8.59% (P = 0.014) after BTF3 was silenced in SGC7901 cells. CONCLUSION: BTF3 expression is associated with enhanced cell proliferation, reduced cell cycle regulation and apoptosis and its silencing decreased colony forming and proliferation of gastric cancer cells.