THE CLINICAL COURSE AND TREATMENT RESULTS OF LUNG METASTASES FROM BREAST CANCER

Objective: To analyze the clinical course and treatment result of lung metastases from breast cancer Method: 122 cases with lung metastases from breast cancer were treated with chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus endocrine therapy, response was assessed according to WHO criteria and survival rate estimated using the life Table Results: The median time from initial treatment of primary tumor to lung metastases was 22 months Sites of common consecutive metastases were lung, liver and bone The overall response rate was 48% with a CR rate of 15% Compared to non DDP encompassing regimen, the CR rate was higher in DDP based chemotherapy (7% versus 21%, P <0 05) with a longer median survival time (MST) The PR rate was higher in regimens containing anthracycline (48%) than in those without anthracycline (20%, P <0 01) The response rate was similar between chemotherapy and chemotherapy plus endocrine therapy ( P >0 05) No difference in MST was observed between patients receiving anthracycline and non anthracycline encompassing regimens The 1 , 3 , 5 , and 10 year survival rate was 77%, 22%, 11%, and 10%, respectively Conclusion: Size of primary tumor, the length of disease free interval, the number of lung metastases may provide additional information for predicting patients survival after treatment of lung metastases Combination chemotherapy, especially DDP based chemotherapy may prolong survival time of patients with lung metastases from breast cancer

The clinical evaluation of Iressa first-line treatment of senium advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer

Objective: To evaluate the response and the side effects of Iressa on the first line treatment in senium advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Sixteen non-small cell lung cancer patients were observed from November 2005 to September 2007, the date of patients belong to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University. I was prescribed on the first line at oral dose of 250 mg daily as a continuous dose. Then the response and side-effects of Iressa were evalu-ated. Results: Among 16 patients, CR, PR, SD, PD were 0% (0/16), 37.5% (6/16), 50% (8/16), 12.5% (2/16) respectively. CR + PR + SD was 87.5% (14/16). Adverse events: rash 37.5% (6/16), dry skin 18.75% (3/16), itching of skin 12.5% (2/16), diarrhea 31.25 (5/16), and hepatic dysfunction (GPT increase) 12.5% (2/16). Conclusion: Iressa is active on the first line treatment in old age advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer. It is well tolerated with adverse events. The quality of life may be improved significantly.

Psorinum 6× triggers apoptosis signals in human lung cancer cells

OBJECTIVE： To provide in vitro evidence of Psorinum treatment against cancer cells in a controlled study. METHODS： Effects of homeopathic Psorinum 6× on cell viability were initially determined in several cancer cell lines, including A549, Hep G2 and MCF-7, using 3-（4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, and an ethanol 6× control. The cell line that exhibited highest inhibition was selected and used in the following experiments. A range of Psorinum 6× doses was used to explore treatment effects on cell cycle arrest, cell death（apoptosis）, generation of reactive oxygen species（ROS） and change in mitochondrial membrane potential（MMP） using fl ow cytometry and fl uorescence microscopy, respectively. Expression of several signal proteins related to apoptosis and cell survival were quantified with Western blotting and confocal microscopy. Further, circular dichroism（CD） spectroscopy was used to determine possible drug-DNA interactions, as well as the induction of conformational changes. RESULTS： Treatment of cancer cell lines with Psorinum showed greater anticancer effects in A549 cells than in others. In A549 cells Psorinum treatment inhibited cell proliferation at 24 h after treatment, and arrested cell cycle at sub-G1 stage. It also induced ROS generation, MMP depolarization, morphological changes and DNA damage, as well as externalization of phosphatidyl serine. Further, increases in p53 expression, Bax expression, cytochrome c release, along with reduction of Bcl-2 level and caspase-3 activation were observed after Psorinum 6× treatment, which eventually drove A549 cells towards the mitochondria-mediated caspase-3-dependent pathway. CD spectroscopy revealed direct interaction of Psorinum with DNA, using calf thymus-DNA as target.CONCLUSION： Psorinum 6× triggered apoptosis in A549 cells via both up- and down-regulations of relevant signal proteins, including p53, caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2.