Therapeutic strategies targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor signaling pathway in metastatic colorectal cancer

More than 1.9 million new colorectal cancer(CRC)cases and 935000 deaths were estimated to occur worldwide in 2020,representing about one in ten cancer cases and deaths.Overall,colorectal ranks third in incidence,but second in mortality.More than half of the patients are in advanced stages at diagnosis.Treatment options are complex because of the heterogeneity of the patient population,including different molecular subtypes.Treatments have included conventional fluorouracil-based chemotherapy,targeted therapy,immunotherapy,etc.In recent years,with the development of genetic testing technology,more and more targeted drugs have been applied to the treatment of CRC,which has further prolonged the survival of metastatic CRC patients.

MUC5AC/β-catenin expression and KRAS gene alteration in laterally spreading colorectal tumors

AIM： To clarify differences in mucin phenotype, prolif- erative activity and oncogenetic alteration among sub- types of colorectal laterally spreading tumor （LST）. METHODS： LSTs, defined as superficial elevated lesions greater than 10 mm in diameter with a low vertical axis, were macroscopically classified into two subtypes： （1） a granular type （Gr-LST） composed of superficially spread- ing aggregates of nodules forming a fiat-based lesion with a granulonodular and uneven surface; and （2） a non-granular type （NGr-LST） with a flat smooth surface and an absence of granulonodular formation. A total of 69 LSTs, comprising 36 Gr-LSTs and 33 NGr-LSTs, were immunohistochemically stained with MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC6, CD10 （markers of gastrointestinal cell lineage）, p53, 13-catenin and Ki-67 antibodies, and examined for alteration in exon 1 of v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog （KRAS） and exon 15 of v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homologue B1 （BRAF） by poly- merase chain reaction followed by direct sequencing. RESULTS： Histologically, 15 Gr-LST samples were ad- enomas with low-grade dysplasia （LGD）, 12 were high- grade dysplasia （HGD） and 9 were adenocarcinomas invading the submucosa （INV）, while 12 NGr-LSTs demonstrated LGD, 14 HGD and 7 INV. In the proximal colon, MUC5AC expression was significantly higher in the Gr-type than the NGr-type. MUC6 was expressed only in NGr-LST. MUC2 or CD10 did not differ. P53 ex- pression demonstrated a significant stepwise increment in progression through LGD-HGD-INV with both types of LST. Nuclear β-catenin expression was significantly higher in the NGr-type. Ki-67 expression was signifi- cantly higher in the Gr-type in the lower one third zone of the tumor. In proximal, but not distal colon tumors, the incidence of KRAS provided mutation was signifi- cantly higher in the Gr-type harboring a specific muta- tional pattern （G12V）. BRAF mutations （V600E） were detected only in two Gr-LSTs. CONCLUSION： The two subtypes of LST, especially in the proximal colon, have differing phenotypes of gastrointestinal cell lineage, proliferation and activa- tion of Wnt/β-catenin or RAS/RAF/extracellular signal- regulated kinase signaling.

USH2A mutation and specific driver mutation subtypes are associated with clinical efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in lung cancer

This study aimed to identify subtypes of genomic variants associated with the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)by conducting systematic literature search in electronic databases up to May 31,2021.The main outcomes including overall survival(OS),progression-free survival(PFS),objective response rate(ORR),and durable clinical benefit(DCB)were correlated with tumor genomic features.A total of 1546 lung cancer patients with available genomic variation data were included from 14 studies.The Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog G12C(KRAS^(G12C))mutation combined with tumor protein P53(TP53)mutation revealed the promising efficacy of ICI therapy in these patients.Furthermore,patients with epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)classical activating mutations(including EGFRL858Rand EGFRΔ19)exhibited worse outcomes to ICIs in OS(adjusted hazard ratio(HR),1.40;95%confidence interval(CI),1.01-1.95;P=0.0411)and PFS(adjusted HR,1.98;95%CI,1.49-2.63;P<0.0001),while classical activating mutations with EGFR^(T790)Mshowed no difference compared to classical activating mutations without EGFR^(T790)Min OS(adjusted HR,0.96;95%CI,0.48-1.94;P=0.9157)or PFS(adjusted HR,0.72;95%CI,0.39-1.35;P=0.3050).Of note,for patients harboring the Usher syndrome type-2A(USH2A)missense mutation,correspondingly better outcomes were observed in OS(adjusted HR,0.52;95%CI,0.32-0.82;P=0.0077),PFS(adjusted HR,0.51;95%CI,0.38-0.69;P<0.0001),DCB(adjusted odds ratio(OR),4.74;95%CI,2.75-8.17;P<0.0001),and ORR(adjusted OR,3.45;95%CI,1.88-6.33;P<0.0001).Our findings indicated that,USH2A missense mutations and the KRAS^(G12C)mutation combined with TP53 mutation were associated with better efficacy and survival outcomes,but EGFR classical mutations irrespective of combination with EGFR^(T790)Mshowed the opposite role in the ICI therapy among lung cancer patients.Our findings might guide the selection of precise targets for effective immunotherapy in the clinic.