The efficacy of Kanglaite injection during treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitor in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Objective Epidermal growth factor receptor–tyrosine kinase inhibitors(EGFR–TKIs) are widely used in the treatment of EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) patients. The Kanglaite injection(KLT) is a novel broad-spectrum anti-cancer injection produced from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs(coix seed). After its approval in 1995, KLT has become the most popular anti-cancer drug in China. As of this writing, no standard treatment guideline is available for elder patients with NSCLC, and the role of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, including KLT, combined with TKI treatment remains unknown. This retrospective study evaluated the efficacy and safety of KLT in elderly NSCLC patients during TKI treatment.Methods Thirty elderly patients aged 71-79 years with histopathologically confirmed NSCLC attending the General Hospital of the Shenyang Military Region were enrolled in the study and received EGFR-TKI treatment. All participants received 200 m L KLT injections at the same time on days 1–21. Erlotinib(150 mg) or gefitinib(250 mg) was administered daily from days 1 to 21, and the cycle was repeated every 21 days. The endpoint of the primary study was the disease control rate.Results Thirty elderly patients were enrolled in this study. The objective response rate was 21.3% [95% confidence interval(CI): 8.6% to 35.2%], whereas the disease control rate was 80.4%(95% CI: 71.8% to 97.0%). The grade 3 or 4 adverse effects included leucopenia(13.7%), neutropenia(13.4%), anemia(2.9%), and nausea or vomiting(2.7%). Conclusion The administration of KLT combined with erlotinib or gefitinib showed high efficacy in elderly NSCLC patients. The adverse effects of the drug combination were well tolerated by the patients. KLT combined with TKI treatment might provide a satisfactory therapeutic strategy for elderly NSCLC patients.

HER3-targeted therapeutic antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates in non-small cell lung cancer refractory to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 3(HER3)is a unique member of the human epidermal growth factor receptor(HER/EGFR)family,since it has negligible kinase activity.Therefore,HER3 must interact with a kinase-proficient receptor to form a heterodimer,leading to the activation of signaling cascades.Overexpression of HER3 is observed in various human cancers,including non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC),and correlates with poor clinical outcomes in patients.Studies on the underlying mechanism demonstrate that HER3-initiated signaling promotes tumor metastasis and causes treatment failure in human cancers.Upregulation of HER3 is frequently observed in EGFR-mutant NSCLC treated with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs).Increased expression of HER3 triggers the so-called EGFR-independent mechanism via interactions with other receptors to activate“by-pass signaling pathways”,thereby resulting in resistance to EGFR-TKIs.To date,no HER3-targeted therapy has been approved for cancer treatment.In both preclinical and clinical studies,targeting HER3 with a blocking an-tibody(Ab)is the only strategy being examined.Recent evaluations of an anti-HER3 Ab-drug conjugate(ADC)show promising results in patients with EGFR-TKI-resistant NSCLC.Herein,we summarize our understanding of the unique biology of HER3 in NSCLC refractory to EGFR-TKIs,with a focus on its dimerization partners and subsequent activation of signaling pathways.We also discuss the latest development of the therapeutic Abs and ADCs targeting HER3 to abrogate EGFR-TKI resistance in NSCLC.

Small cell lung cancer transformations from non-small cell lung cancer: Biological mechanism and clinical relevance

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide,consisting of two major histological subtypes:small-cell lung cancer(SCLC)and non-small-cell lung cancer(NSCLC).In some cases,NSCLC patients may undergo a histological transformation to SCLC during clinical treatments,which is associated with resistance to targeted therapy,immunotherapy,or chemotherapy.The review provides a comprehensive analysis of SCLC transfor-mation from NSCLC,including biological mechanism,clinical relevance,and potential treatment options after transformation,which may give a better understanding of SCLC transformation and provide support for further research to define better therapy options.

艾迪注射液联合GP方案治疗EGFR-TKI获得性耐药的晚期非小细胞肺癌疗效观察

目的：观察艾迪注射液联合GP化疗方案治疗表皮生长因子酪氨酸激酶抑制剂（EGFR-TKI）治疗失败后的晚期非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）的临床疗效。方法选取2011年12月—2013年12月襄阳市中心医院接受EGFR-TKI治疗后出现获得性耐药的62例晚期NSCLC患者，分为对照组和治疗组，每组各31例。对照组给予GP方案常规化疗：注射用盐酸吉西他滨1000 mg/m2，1次/d，持续静脉滴注3 h，第1、8天给药；顺铂注射液75 mg/m2，1次/d，静脉滴注，第1天给药。21天为1个周期，连续观察2个周期。治疗组在对照组的基础上静脉滴注艾迪注射液，50 mL溶于5%葡萄糖溶液500 mL静滴，1次/d，2周为1个疗程，连续使用3个疗程。评价两组患者的近期疗效指标客观有效率（ORR）、疾病控制率（DCR）以及远期疗效指标无进展生存期（PFS）、总生存期（OS）。患者的生活质量（KPS）以 Karnofsky 评分进行评定。对毒副反应进行评价。结果62例患者均可评价疗效，其中治疗组ORR 61.29%，DCR 83.87%，对照组ORR 35.48%，DCR 70.97%，治疗组的ORR、DCR均明显高于对照组，两组比较差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05、0.01）。治疗组中位PFS为6.3（1.2～20.6）个月，对照组中位PFS为3.4（0.7～10.3）个月，两组比较差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。治疗组死亡患者的中位OS为15.1（1.4～28.2），对照组死亡患者的中位OS为8.9（1.0～17.2）个月，两组患者中位OS差异无统计学意义。治疗后，治疗组患者的KPS评分显著高于对照组，两组比较差异具有统计学意义（P＜0.01）。治疗组不良反应发生率为32.3%，对照组不良反应发生率为37.8%，两组不良反应发生率比较无显著性差异。治疗组胃肠道反应发生率为38.7%（12/31），对照组胃肠道反应发生率为51.6%（16/31），与对照组比较显著减少（P＜0.01）。结论艾迪注射液联合 GP 化疗方案治疗EGFR-TKI获得性耐药的晚期NSCLC的疗效较好，能延缓疾病进展，延长生存期，提高生存质量，且减轻化疗带来的胃肠道反应，值得临床进一步研究。