Predictive value of intratumoral heterogeneity measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT for EGFR mutation of adenocarcinoma / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To investigate the value of traditional metabolic parameters, CT features and intratumoral heterogeneity parameters measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT in predicting the mutation status of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in patients with adenocarcinoma. Methods:A total of 147 patients (73 males, 74 females, age (59.8±10.2) years) with pathological confirmed adenocarcinoma between January 2016 and June 2020 in the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University were retrospectively included. The differences of clinical data (smoking history, tumor location and clinical stage), CT features (maximum diameter, ground-glass opacity content, lobulation, speculation, cavitation, air-bronchogram, pleural retraction and bronchial cut-off sign), 18F-FDG PET/CT traditional metabolic parameters (SUV max, SUV mean, metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG)) and intratumoral heterogeneity parameters ( CV, heterogeneity index (HI)) were analyzed between patients with EGFR mutation and patients with EGFR wild-type. Independent-sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test and χ2 test were used to analyze the data. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the predictors of EGFR mutation. ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of clinical and PET/CT information. Results:Among 147 patients, 87 were with EGFR mutation and 60 were with EGFR wild-type. There were significant differences in gender (male/female), smoking history (with/without), location (peripheral lesion/central lesion), pleural retraction (with/without), SUV max, SUV mean, TLG, CV and HI ( χ2 values: 4.72-23.89, z values: from -2.31 to 5.74, all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that smoking history (odds ratio ( OR)=0.167, 95% CI: 0.076-0.366; P<0.001), pleural retraction ( OR=1.404, 95% CI: 1.115-3.745; P=0.012), SUV max ( OR=0.922, 95% CI: 0.855-0.995; P=0.003), TLG ( OR=0.991, 95% CI: 0.986-0.996; P=0.001) and HI ( OR=0.796, 95% CI: 0.700-0.859; P<0.001) were predictors of EGFR mutation. ROC curve analysis showed the AUC of HI was 0.779, with the sensitivity of 76.67%(46/60) and the specificity of 79.31%(69/87). The predictive model was constructed by combining smoking history, pleural retraction, TLG, SUV max and HI, and the AUC was 0.908, with the sensitivity of 88.33%(53/60) and the specificity of 68.97%(60/87). The difference of AUCs between HI and the predictive model was statistically significant ( z=3.71, P<0.001). Conclusion:HI can predict EGFR mutations better, and the predictive value for EGFR mutations can be enhanced when combining HI with smoking history, pleural retraction, TLG and SUV max.

Efficacy and prognosis comparison of first-line treatment with EGFR-TKI versus chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer patients harboring EGFR rare mutation / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic effect difference between first-line treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKI) and chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) rare mutation.Methods:A retrospective case-control study was performed. Data of NSCLC patients with rare EGFR mutation who were treated in Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from January 2013 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. EGFR mutations in living tissues or blood were detected by using amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) before first-line treatment. According to first-line treatment methods,they were divided into EGFR-TKI treatment group and chemotherapy group. Objective remission rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of both groups were compared. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw progression-free survival (PFS) and the overall survival (OS) curves. Log-rank test was used for comparison among groups. Single-factor and multi-factor Cox proportional risk models were used to analyze the influencing factors of PFS and OS.Results:A total of 169 patients with EGFR rare mutations were included, and the age [ M (IQR)] was 63 years (12 years); there were 96 cases (56.8%) < 65 years and 73 cases (43.2%) ≥65 years; 70 (41.4%)males and 99 (58.6%) females; 55 cases (32.5%) had EGFR G719X mutation,45 cases (26.6%) had L861Q mutation, 17 cases (10.1%) had S768I mutation, and 52 cases (30.8%) had complex mutation; 55 cases (32.5%) received the first-line chemotherapy and 114 cases (67.5%) received the first-line EGFR-TKI treatment. In the chemotherapy group, ORR was 36.4% (20/55) and DCR was 85.5% (47/55); in EGFR-TKI treatment group, ORR was 72.8% (83/114) and DCR was 90.4% (103/114). The ORR of EGFR-TKI treatment group was higher than that of chemotherapy group ( χ2 = 20.70, P = 0.001), and there was no statistically significant difference in DCR between two groups ( χ2 = 1.76, P = 0.184). Subgroup analysis showed that ORR in EGFR-TKI treatment group with G719X, L861Q and complex mutations was higher than that of the corresponding mutations in chemotherapy group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05), while there were no significant differences in DCR among subgroups (all P > 0.05). The median PFS time was 9.7 months (95% CI: 6.0-13.4 months) and 3.8 months (95% CI: 3.1-7.1 months), respectively in EGFR-TKI treatment group and chemotherapy group, and there was a statistically significant difference in PFS between the two groups ( P < 0.001). The median OS time was 25.6 months (95% CI: 18.0-37.9 months) and 31.7 months (95% CI: 18.0-42.8 months), respectively in EGFR-TKI treatment group and chemotherapy group, and there was no statistically significant difference in OS between the two groups ( P = 0.231). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that brain metastasis [with vs. without: HR = 2.306, 95% CI: 1.452-3.661, P < 0.001] and the first-line treatment methods (EGFR-TKI vs. chemotherapy: HR = 0.457, 95% CI:0.317-0.658, P < 0.001) were independent influencing factors for PFS of NSCLC patients with EGFR rare mutation; brain metastasis (with vs. without: HR = 2.087, 95% CI: 1.102-3.953, P = 0.024; unknown vs. without: HR = 2.118,95% CI: 1.274-3.520, P = 0.004) were independent influencing factors for OS of NSCLC patients with EGFR rare mutation. Conclusions:Compared with the first-line chemotherapy, EGFR-TKI first-line treatment could improve objective remission and PFS of NSCLC patients with EGFR rare mutation, while no OS benefit is observed.

Application and clinical progress of pyrotinib in breast cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

Pyrotinib is a new irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and it has shown excellent clinical efficacy in treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer patients. The combination of pyrotinib and capecitabine in the treatment of advanced breast cancer has been recognized at home and abroad. Further exploration of whether there are other antitumor agents that work well in combination with pyrotinib, and whether pyrotinib can enhance clinical benefit in patients with early-stage or middle-stage breast cancer, could develop additional potential of pyrotinib. This article reviews the progress related to pyrotinib in recent years.

Intraoperative navigation of glioblastoma based on IRDye800CW-targeted fluorescent probe / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To prepare a fluorescent probe Cetuximab-IRDye800CW targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and investigate its application value in surgical navigation of glioblastoma (GBM).Methods:The fluorescence properties of Cetuximab-IRDye800CW were determined by fluorescence spectrophotometer. The specificity of Cetuximab-IRDye800CW bound to GBM cells was verified by Western blot. The competitive binding method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to prove whether the probe could achieve tumor targeting by binding to EGFR. Subcutaneous models of 6 nude mice of GBM were divided into experimental group ( n=3; injected with Cetuximab-IRDye800CW) and control group ( n=3; injected with IRDye800CW), and images were obtained at 5 min, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after injection. Differences of mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) and tumor to background ratio (TBR) between experimental group and control group were compared. In situ models of GBM nude mice were established ( n=6), and MRI and intraoperative navigation were conducted, which were compared with pathological distribution. Independent-sample t test was used to analyze the data. Results:The maximum emission wavelength of Cetuximab-IRDye800CW was 820 nm, which could be received by near infrared fluorescence imaging equipment. Western blot showed that Cetuximab-IRDye800CW was only bound to GBM cells. The competitive binding of ELISA showed that Cetuximab-IRdye800CW could achieve tumor targeting by binding with EGFR. At 5 min, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after injection of fluorescent materials, the MFI values of experimental group were 109.00±3.81, 73.36±9.93, 55.24±8.82, 37.71±6.11, which were higher than those of control group (91.32±4.17, 42.91±5.39, 25.08±6.05, 8.33±1.00; t values: 4.36-9.40, P values: 0.011-0.049). The TBR of experimental group was higher than that of control group at 24 h and 48 h after injection (24 h: 2.40±0.28 vs 1.57±0.07, t=4.94, P=0.039; 48 h: 2.07±0.12 vs 1.22±0.08, t=9.85, P=0.010). GBM in situ model was successfully constructed and verified by MRI, and the tumor was visualized under the fluorescence device navigation. Pathological distribution of the tumor with HE staining was consistent with fluorescence imaging. Conclusion:Cetuximab-IRDye800CW has fluorescence imaging capability and can identify tumor boundaries in intraoperative navigation of GBM, which has potential clinical application value.

Predictive value of 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomic fusion features combined with XGBoost model for HER2 expression status in breast cancer / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To evaluate the value of radiomic fusion features combined with extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) machine learning models based on 18F-FDG PET/CT images in the prediction of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression status in breast cancer. Methods:18F-FDG PET/CT images of 210 patients with primary breast cancer (all females; age 52(46, 60) years; 95 HER2-positive and 115 HER2-negative) in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital between January 2012 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. About 70% of the HER2-positive and HER2-negative groups were randomly selected using Python 3.7.1 software as a training set ( n=147; 67 HER2-positive and 80 HER2-negative, age: 52(46, 60) years vs 55(45, 62) years) and 30% as a test set ( n=63; 28 HER2-positive and 35 HER2-negative, age: 54(43, 65) years vs 52(45, 61) years). After tumor segmentation on CT and PET images being finished, CT and PET radiomic features were extracted respectively. PET/CT fusion features (including PET/CT splicing features and PET/CT mean features) were obtained through post-processing. The support vector machine (SVM) model and XGBoost model were established. The selected features were input to predict the expression status of HER2 in primary breast cancer lesions, and the prediction efficiency of the model was evaluated by ROC curve. The Delong test was used to compare the predictive effectiveness of different models and radiomic features, and the calibration curve of the machine learning model with the highest prediction efficiency was plotted. Results:Compared with SVM model, XGBoost model had better prediction performance ( z values: 2.26-3.54, P values: 0.016-0.040) when four kinds of radiomic features (CT features, PET features, PET/CT splicing features and PET/CT mean features) were input. ROC curve analysis showed that PET/CT mean features with XGBoost machine learning model had the best performance in predicting the expression status of HER2, and the maximum AUC was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.73-0.93), which was superior to CT features (0.75(95% CI: 0.63-0.88); z=3.57, P=0.027), PET features (0.73(95% CI: 0.60-0.86); z=2.64, P=0.034) and PET/CT splicing features (0.74(95% CI: 0.60-0.87); z=2.49, P=0.037). Conclusion:XGBoost machine learning model based on PET/CT radiomics fusion features is expected to predict HER2 expression status in patients with breast cancer.

Value of 125I seed implantation for patients with oligometastatic EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer without progression after first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of CT-guided 125I seed implantation in patients with oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activating mutations (EGFRm+ ) without progression after first-line EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) treatment. Methods:From January 2015 to January 2019, 89 eligible patients (38 males, 51 females; age: (62±11) years) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into 2 groups according to different treatment methods. The 125I seeds were implanted for oligometastatic lesions and/or primary tumors without progression after first-line EGFR-TKIs therapy in local consolidation treatment group (Group A, n=32). The maintenance treatment group (Group B, n=57) only received EGFR-TKIs until disease progression. The progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the 2 groups were estimated by Kaplan-Meier curves, and were compared by using log-rank test. Complications in Group A were observed. Results:The follow-up time of the group A and group B were 36.5(31.0, 43.3) months and 30.0(24.0, 35.0) months respectively. The median PFS and OS in group A were 15.0(95% CI: 12.8-17.2 ) months and 37.0(95% CI: 33.9-40.1) months, both of which were significantly longer than those in group B (12.0(95% CI: 10.9-13.1) months and 31.0(95% CI: 28.9-33.1) months; χ2 values: 8.80, 7.15, P values: 0.003, 0.007). In Group A, the total incidence of complications in CT-guided 125I seed implantation was 21.9%(7/32), and the common complications and adverse events were pneumothorax and hemoptysis. Only 1 patient underwent chest tube insertion, and the rest were treated with conservative treatment. No operation related death occurred. Conclusion:CT-guided 125I seed implantation is safe and feasible for patients with EGFRm+ oligometastatic NSCLC without progression after first-line EGFR-TKIs treatment, and can prolong the PFS and OS of patients.

Values of serum human epididymis protein 4, endothelial cell specific molecule-1 and epidermal growth factor receptor in the diagnosis of lung cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic values of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), endothelial cell specific molecule-1 (ESM-1) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) for lung cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 90 patients with lung cancer and 50 patients with benign lung diseases diagnosed by the pathological examination in Tangshan People's Hospital from December 2019 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, and 40 healthy physical examiners in the same period were selected as the controls. The serum HE4 levels were detected by electrochemiluminescence method. The serum ESM-1 and EGFR levels were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The differences in serum HE4, ESM-1 and EGFR levels between the three groups were compared; logistic regression analysis was used to screen out the effective indicators for the diagnosis of lung cancer and to construct a prediction model for the diagnosis of lung cancer. Using pathological diagnosis result as the gold standard, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the diagnostic efficacy of indicators for lung cancer was evaluated.Results:The levels of serum HE4 in lung cancer group, benign lung diseases group and healthy control group were 119.55 pmol/L (82.06 pmol/L, 189.00 pmol/L), 58.84 pmol/L (45.62 pmol/L, 69.41 pmol/L) and 42.67 pmol/L (37.09 pmol/L, 51.84 pmol/L), the levels of ESM-1 were 33.00 ng/ml (25.85 ng/ml, 47.40 ng/ml), 20.14 ng/ml (11.93 ng/ml, 28.90 ng/ml) and 15.39 ng/ml (11.84 ng/ml, 20.19 ng/ml), and the levels of EGFR were 46.60 pg/ml (37.45 pg/ml, 58.98 pg/ml), 32.77 pg/ml (26.27 pg/ml, 40.86 pg/ml) and 30.43 pg/ml (27.54 pg/ml, 35.75 pg/ml), and the differences in each indicator among the three groups were statistically significant (all P < 0.001). The levels of serum HE4, ESM-1 and EGFR in lung cancer group were higher than those in benign lung diseases group and healthy control group. In patients with lung cancer, logistic regression analysis was performed with HE4 (X 1), ESM-1 (X 2) and EGFR (X 3) as the independent variables and pathological diagnosis as the dependent variable, and a lung cancer prediction regression model was established: P = 0.171X 1+0.351X 2+0.184X 3-24.660. The accuracy of this model in predicting lung cancer could reach 98.5%, and serum HE4, ESM-1 and EGFR were risk factors for the occurrence of lung cancer (all P < 0.05). The area under ROC curve from high to low was HE4 (0.960), ESM-1 (0.942) and EGFR (0.859). The diagnostic sensitivity of serum HE4 63.67 pmol/L for lung cancer was 86.7%, and the specificity was 97.5%. Both serum HE4 ( r = 0.304, P = 0.004) and ESM-1 ( r = 0.416, P < 0.001) were correlated with EGFR. Conclusions:Serum HE4, ESM-1 and EGFR can be used as effective indicators for the diagnosis of lung cancer, and the prediction model established based on the three serum tumor markers is of good value for the diagnosis and prediction of lung cancer.

Correlations of β-catenin expression with clinical efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and prognosis of advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the correlations of β-catenin expression with the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and prognosis of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations.Methods:The clinical data of 125 patients with stage Ⅲ B-Ⅳ lung adenocarcinoma who were treated with first-line EGFR-TKI treatment in the 901st Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese PLA from January 2016 to December 2019 were collected. The expression of β-catenin protein was detected by immunohistochemistry, and subtypes of EGFR mutations were detected by amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS). Correlations of β-catenin expression with clinicopathological features, efficacy of EGFR-TKI and prognosis were analyzed. Twenty-eight pairs of specimens were selected before EGFR-TKI treatment and after resistance to EGFR-TKI to observe the changes of β-catenin expression. Results:Among 125 advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients with EGFR mutations, there were 60 cases of EGFR 19 del, 55 cases of L858R mutation and 10 cases of rare sensitive mutation; 79 cases (63.2%) had reduced membranous expression of β-catenin, 66 cases (52.8%) had ectopic expression in cytoplasm and 28 cases (22.4%) had ectopic expression in nucleus. The positive rates of Napsin A protein in the groups with different abnormal expression patterns of β-catenin were lower than those in the corresponding normal expression groups (all P < 0.001). Patients with International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) grade Ⅲ showed more frequent translocation in cytoplasma and nucleus of β-catenin than patients with IASLC gradeⅠ-Ⅱ (ectopic expression in cytoplasm: χ2 = 3.99, P = 0.046,ectopic expression in nucleus: χ2 = 11.07, P = 0.001). The objective remission rate (ORR) in patients with reduced membranous expression of β-catenin and ectopic expression in nucleus was lower than that in patients with normal membranous expression ( χ2 = 4.66, P = 0.031) and negative ectopic expression in nucleus ( χ2 = 10.22, P = 0.001), and the disease control rate (DCR) in patients with ectopic expression in nucleus was lower than that in the corresponding normal expression group ( χ2 = 10.95, P = 0.001). Patients with ectopic expression of β-catenin in nucleus and cytoplasma had worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than the corresponding cytoplasmic and nuclear ectopic expression negative groups (both P < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that nuclear β-catenin ectopic expression was an independent risk factor for both PFS and OS (PFS: HR = 2.088, 95% CI 1.331-3.274, P = 0.001; OS: HR = 3.656, 95% CI 1.795-7.444, P<0.001). β-catenin membranous expression was reduced in 11 of 28 tissue samples that underwent secondary biopsy compared with pre-treatment ( P = 0.049). Conclusions:β-catenin expression in advanced lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR-sensitive mutations can be used as a molecular marker to predict the efficacy of EGFR-TKI and prognosis of patients.

Progress of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors in treatment of operable non-small cell lung cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

Patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy have a very limited improvement in 5-year survival rate. Epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKI) have made a breakthrough in the treatment of EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC, which shed light for the exploration of perioperative targeted therapy in NSCLC patients. Significant progress has been made in the research of targeted therapy of the first and third generation EGFR-TKI in perioperative patients. The availability of novel potent and less toxic targeted therapy has brought new treatments for the operable NSCLC. This article reviews the progress and existing problems of adjuvant and neoadjuvant targeted therapy in NSCLC harboring EGFR mutation.

Pretreatment Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Smoking History as Prognostic Factors in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Osimertinib.

BACKGROUND: The remarkable efficacy of osimertinib in non‒small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with acquired T790M mutation has been widely documented in clinical trials and real-world practice. However, some patients show primary resistance to this drug. Even patients who initially show a favorable response have inconsistent clinical outcomes later. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify additional clinical predictive factors for osimertinib efficacy. METHODS: A prospective cohort of patients with acquired T790M positive stage IV lung adenocarcinoma treated with osimertinib salvage therapy in Hallym University Medical Center were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-one eligible patients were analyzed, including 38 (62%) women and 39 (64%) who never smoked. Their mean age was 63.3 years. The median follow-up after treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) was 36.0 months (interquartile range, 24.7-50.2 months). The majority (n=45, 74%) of patients were deceased. Based on univariate analysis, low baseline neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR), age ≥50 years, never-smoking history, stage IVA at osimertinib initiation, and prolonged response to previous TKIs (≥10 months) were associated with a significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS). Multivariate analysis showed that never-smoking status (hazard ratio [HR], 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30-0.98; p=0.041) and a baseline NLR less than or equal to 3.5 (HR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.12-0.45; p-lt;0.001) were independently associated with a prolonged PFS with osimertinib. CONCLUSION: Smoking history and high NLR were independent negative predictors of osimertinib PFS in patients with advanced NSCLC developing EGFR T790M resistance after the initial EGFR-TKI treatment.

Analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer in Shiyan, Hubei / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective:To investigate the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation status in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Shiyan, Hubei and its relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients.Methods:The data of 173 NSCLC patients who were admitted to Affiliated Dongfeng Hospital of Hubei University of Medicine from November 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. EGFR gene mutations in NSCLC tissues were detected by amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-TaqMan probe method, and clinicopathological data of patients were also collected to analyze the relationship between EGFR gene mutation status and clinicopathological characteristics of patients.Results:EGFR gene mutations were found in 76 of 173 patients, and the total mutation rate was 44.5%. The mutation rate of exon 18 was 6.6% (5/76), all of which were G719X mutation; the mutation rate of exon 19 was 46.1% (35/76), all of which were Del mutation; the mutation rate of exon 20 was 1.3% (1/76), which were EGFR gene 20ins mutation; the mutation rate of exon 21 was 44.7% (34/76), of which 33 cases were EGFR gene L858R mutation, and 1 case was EGFR gene L861Q mutation; 1 case was a double mutation of exon 19 Del combined with exon 20 T790M. The differences in EGFR mutation rates were statistically significant among patients with different gender, smoking history and pathological staging (all P < 0.05), and EGFR mutation rate in female patients was higher than that in male patients [59.7% (46/77) vs. 31.3% (30/96), χ2 = 14.08, P < 0.001], it was lower in patients with smoking history than that in patients without smoking history [27.1% (13/48) vs. 52.9% (63/119), χ2 = 9.22, P < 0.001], and it was higher in patients with adenocarcinoma than that in patients with non-adenocarcinoma [50.7% (75/148) vs. 4.0% (1/25), χ2 = 18.92, P < 0.001]. EGFR mutation status had no relevance with patients' age. Conclusions:The main types of EGFR mutations are exon 19 Del and exon 21 L858R in NSCLC patients in Shiyan, Hubei. EGFR mutations are more likely to occur in adenocarcinoma, female and no-smoking patients.

Clinical research progress on radiopharmaceuticals imaging targeting epidermal growth factor receptor / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in the development and occurrence of a variety of malignant tumors. Molecular targeted therapy for EGFR is in the ascendant. Molecular imaging can reveal the expression of EGFR and its mutations in vivo. The molecular probes labeled with 89Zr, 11C and 18F are used for imaging and the main research is about tyrosine kinase inhibitors labeled with 11C. PET is used to visualize EGFR expression and mutations in vivo, which can noninvasively screen patients suitable for targeting treatment and evaluate efficacy. This paper reviews the clinical researches and trials of these probes, and summarizes the clinical value of imaging methods, hoping to provide the evidence for clinical translation and application in the future.

Progress of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeted therapy in Chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

Cell epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation is one of the causes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The emergence of targeted drugs for EGFR gene mutation provides a new direction for NSCLC treatment. The common EGFR-targeted drugs like the first-generation gefitinib and erlotinib, the second-generation afatinib and the third-generation osimertinib have shown their good efficacies in a number of large international clinical trials. EGFR gene mutation in Chinese NSCLC patients is different from that in European and American NSCLC patients. This paper briefly reviews the characteristics of EGFR gene mutation and the current status and progress of EGFR-targeted drugs in Chinese NSCLC patients to investigate the mutation characteristics of EGFR in Chinese NSCLC patients and the response as well as prognosis of Chinese patients to EGFR-TKI therapy.

Effect of Rab4A degradation by MiR-496 on the progression of gastric cancer / 国际外科学杂志

Objective:To study the effect and mechanism of Rab4A knockout expression on proliferation, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells. Methods:The expression of Rab4A in four human gastric cancer cell lines MGC-803, SGC-790, MKN45 and AGS was detected by Western blot. Rab4A was knocked out in AGS cells with the highest expression level, and untransfected gastric cancer cells were used as control group. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were detected by CCK8 and Transwell assay, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to investigate the expression changes of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), downstream pathway proteins AKT and β-catenin induced by Rab4A knockout. The interaction between Rab4A and MiR- 496 was detected by dual luciferase reporter gene, and the effect of MiR- 496 transfection on Rab4A expression was detected by qPCR and Western blot. GraphPad Prism 9 software was used for data analysis, t-test was used for comparison between the two groups, and normal distribution measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s). Results:The expression of Rab4A was the highest in AGS cells, and the knockdown of Rab4A inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of AGS cells ( P<0.05). In Rab4A knockout gastric cancer cells, the surface expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was significantly decreased, and the expression of downstream pathway proteins p-AKT and β-catenin was also inhibited ( P<0.05). The luciferase reporter showed that MiR- 496 could bind the 3′UTR of Rab4A. In addition, MiR- 496 down-regulated the expression of Rab4A in AGS cells( P<0.05). Conclusion:The expression of Rab4A is inhibited by MiR- 496, and the proliferation, migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells can be inhibited by down-regulating the surface expression of EGFR after inhibiting Rab4A expression.

Pretargeted immunoPET imaging with epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody in mouse models / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility of pretargeting technique for immunoPET with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody in EGFR positive/negative tumor bearing mice.Methods:Cetuximab- Trans-cyclooctene (TCO)was obtained by modifying Cetuximab with TCO- N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). 2, 2′-((6-amino-1-(4, 7-bis-(carboxymethyl)-1, 4, 7-triazonan-1-yl)hexan-2-yl)azanediyl)-diacetic acid (L-NETA)was used as a chelating agent to prepare the radioligand 68Ga-L-NETA-tetrazine (Tz), then the labeling rate and in vitro stability of the product were determined. Human basal breast cancer cells MDA-MB-468 (EGFR+ ) and MDA-MB-231 (EGFR-) were cultured in vitro. In vitro experiments were performed to explore the specificity of the probe and the feasibility of pretargeting technique. Nude mice (Balb/c-nu) bearing xenografts of the above two cell lines were established. Cetuximab-TCO (50 μg) was injected into the tumor-bearing mice in advance, then 68Ga-L-NETA-Tz was injected at different time points (48, 36, 24 and 12 h), and pretargeting was realized through " click chemistry" . Small-animal PET imaging and biodistribution were performed to evaluate pharmacokinetic properties and specificity of the probe. The one-way analysis of variance was used to compare the data. Results:The 68Ga-L-NETA-Tz molecular probe was successfully prepared with the labeling yield >95%, and the radiochemical purity was >95% after 2 h. Cetuximab-TCO and 68Ga-L-NETA-Tz were added to MDA-MB-468 cells successively, and the cell uptake rate reached (0.69±0.04)% at 1 h, which demonstrated the feasibility of the pretargeting technique. PET imaging and biodistribution results showed that the best imaging results were obtained in 36 h pre-injection group, in which the tumor uptake was the highest ((0.77±0.05) percentage activity of injection dose per gram of tissue (%ID/g), 1 h) and the tumor/muscle ratio was optimal (4.67±0.46); the tumor uptake in the blocking group, the group without injecting Cetuximab-TCO, and the MDA-MB-231 group were significantly lower ((0.35±0.01), (0.39±0.05), (0.45±0.10) %ID/g; F=15.50, P=0.002). Conclusions:EGFR targeted immunoPET imaging is successfully performed in mouse models of breast cancer by injecting Cetuximab-TCO and 68Ga-L-NETA-Tz successively. It provides an effective method for immunoPET imaging of monoclonal antibodies.

Effect of propofol on proliferation of neural stem cells in mice and the role of Sp1-EGFR-Akt signaling pathway / 中华麻醉学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effect of propofol on proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in mice and the role of specificity protein-1 (Sp-1)-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway.Methods:Primary NSCs harvested from both the cortices and hippocampus of C57BL/6 mouse embryos were identified by immunofluorescent staining of Nestin.NSCs at passages 3-6 were divided into 3 groups ( n=21 each) using a random number table method: normal saline control group (C group), propofol group (P group) and propofol plus Sp1 inhibitor plicamycin group (PP group). Propofol at a final concentration of 10 μmol/L was added in group P. Propofol at a final concentration of 10 μmol/L and plicamycin at a final concentration of 100 nmol/L were added in group PP.The equal volume of normal saline was added in group C. The medium was replaced after 6 h of incubation and the cells were continuously incubated.The proliferation of NSCs was assessed by direct cell counting at 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 h after the end of treatment with drugs.At 6 h after the end of treatment with drugs, the expression of Sp1 and EGFR mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and the expression of Sp1, Akt and phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) by Western blot. Results:Compared with group C, the count of NSCs was significantly increased at 48, 60 and 72 h after treatment with drugs, and the expression of EGFR mRNA, Sp1 protein and mRNA and p-Akt was up-regulated in group P ( P<0.05 or 0.01), and no significant change was found in each parameter in group PP ( P>0.05). Compared with group P, the count of NSCs was significantly decreased at 48 and 60 h after treatment with drugs, and the expression of EGFR protein and mRNA and p-Akt was down-regulated in group PP ( P<0.05 or 0.01). Conclusions:Propofol can promote the proliferation of NSCs, and the mechanism may be related to activation of Sp1-EGFR-Akt signaling pathway in mice.

In vitro effect of a short hairpin RNA targeting epidermal growth factor receptor combined with sirolimus on proliferation and apoptosis of the human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line Colo-16 / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) combined with sirolimus on proliferation and apoptosis of the human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line Colo-16, and to explore underlying mechanisms.Methods:Cultured Colo-16 cells were divided into 5 groups: normal cell group receiving conventional culture and treatment with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) , negative control group transfected with a shRNA-NC-expressing plasmid and treated with PBS, sirolimus group receiving conventional culture and sirolimus treatment, EGFR shRNA group transfected with an EGFR shRNA-expressing plasmid and treated with PBS, and combined group transfected with an EGFR shRNA-expressing plasmid and treated with sirolimus. Methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) assay was performed to evaluate cellular proliferative activity in the above groups from 24 to 96 hours, and flow cytometry to detect cell apoptosis after 48-hour treatment. Semiquantitative RT-PCR was conducted to determine the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and Bax, and Western blot analysis to determine the expression of apoptosis-related proteins cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9, Bcl-2, Bax, cell proliferation-related proteins phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) , phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) , phosphorylated 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p-P70S6k) , and cyclin D1. Comparisons among groups were carried out by using one-way analysis of variance, and multiple comparisons between 2 groups by using Student-Newman-Keuls q test. Results:MTT assay showed that the proliferative activity of Colo-16 cells was significantly lower in the sirolimus group, EGFR shRNA group and combined group during 24 - 96 hours than in the normal cell group (all P < 0.05) , and higher in the combined group than in the sirolimus group and EGFR shRNA group at 24-96 hours (all P < 0.001) , and there was no significant difference in the cellular proliferative activity at any time points between the normal cell group and negative control group (all P > 0.05) . Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate was significantly higher in the sirolimus group, EGFR shRNA group and combined group (9.52% ± 0.25%, 12.65% ± 0.23%, 19.81% ± 0.31%, respectively) than in the normal cell group (3.33% ± 0.18%, q = 60.07, 78.08, 122.81, respectively, all P < 0.001) and negative control group (3.42% ± 0.19%, q = 59.90, 77.91, 122.64, respectively, all P < 0.001) , and was highest in the combined group. As RT-PCR and Western blot analysis revealed, the sirolimus group, EGFR shRNA group and combined group showed significantly decreased mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and protein expression of cyclin D1, p-AKT, p-mTOR, p-P70S6K and Bcl-2, but significantly increased mRNA expression of Bax and protein expression of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9 and Bax compared with the normal cell group (all P < 0.05) . Compared with the sirolimus group and EGFR shRNA group, the combined group showed significantly decreased mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and protein expression of cyclin D1, p-AKT, p-mTOR, p-P70S6K and Bcl-2 (all P < 0.05) , but significantly increased mRNA expression of Bax and protein expression of cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-9 and Bax (all P < 0.01) . Conclusion:EGFR shRNA and sirolimus exerted a synergistic effect in inhibiting the proliferation and promoting the apoptosis of Colo-16 cells, which may be related to the inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) /AKT/mTOR pathway.

Progress of osimertinib in epidermal growth factor receptor mutant non-small cell lung cancer / 肿瘤研究与临床

As an important tumor driver gene, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene plays an important role in the development and progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). As the latest generation of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) drugs, osimertinib has brought significant therapeutic efficacies and encouraging results both in patients with sensitive EGFR mutations and patients with rare EGFR mutations. Compared with previous EGFR-TKI drugs, osimertinib has strong blood-brain barrier penetration, which can effectively prevent the occurrence of lung cancer brain metastasis. After the resistance of first and second generation of targeted drugs, osimertinib is still effective in the follow-up treatment process. This article reviews the characteristics of EGFR mutation, the action mechanism of osimertinib, and the latest progress of osimertinib in treatment of EGFR mutations in NSCLC.

Neoadjuvant Therapy of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 4/6 Inhibitors Combined with Endocrine Therapy in HR+/HER2- Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitors have been advocated for adjuvant therapy of metastatic hormone receptor (HR)+/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)- breast cancer (BC). However, the efficiency of adding CDK 4/6 inhibitors to neoadjuvant therapy was not unequivocal. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficiency and toxicity of neoadjuvant CDK 4/6 inhibitors + endocrine therapy (ET) versus neoadjuvant endocrine monotherapy or standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HR+/HER2- BC. METHOD: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase online databases for randomized controlled trials and single-arm studies written in English until April 2021. RESULTS: Five studies comparing CDK 4/6 inhibitors + ET as neoadjuvant treatments to ET alone and 2 studies comparing neoadjuvant CDK 4/6 inhibitors + ET to neoadjuvant chemotherapy were analysed. Neoadjuvant CDK 4/6 inhibitors + ET improved the rate of complete cell cycle arrest (CCCA: central Ki67 < 2.7%, odds ratio [OR] = 7.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.81-13.03, p < 0.001), increased the risk of adverse events (AEs; especially ≥3 AEs; AEs of all grades: OR = 9.10, 95% CI = 2.39-34.58, p = 0.001; AEs ≥3: OR = 12.24, 95% CI = 4.17-35.88, p < 0.001), led to no significant differences in pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with BC (OR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.04-2.85, p = 0.318) compared to endocrine monotherapy. Moreover, subgroup analysis showed that the 3 types of CDK 4/6 inhibitors all improved the rate of CCCA (ribociclib: OR = 10.31, 95% CI = 3.59-29.61, p < 0.001; palbociclib: OR = 7.39, 95% CI = 1.26-43.40, p = 0.027, and abemaciclib: OR = 8.28, 95% CI = 3.41-20.11, p < 0.001). Compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, neoadjuvant CDK 4/6 inhibitors plus ET decreased the risk of AEs ≥3 (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.29-0.87, p = 0.015) and showed similar ability to reach pCR (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.12-2.07, p = 0.342) and reduce the residual cancer burden (RCB, RCB 0-1: OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.18-1.22, p = 0.121; RCB 2-3: OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 0.89-5.91, p = 0.084). CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that combination therapy had increased efficacy and toxicity compared to endocrine monotherapy and showed similar efficacy to and better safety than neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Value of machine learning and 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics features in lung adenocarcinoma EGFR mutation subtypes prediction / 中华核医学与分子影像杂志

Objective:To explore the predictive values for mutation subtypes of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) based on machine learning and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT images. Methods:18F-FDG PET/CT images and pathological data of 238 patients with LUAD (126 patients (54 males, 72 females, median age 62 years) with EGFR mutation; 112 patients (68 males, 44 females, median age 61 years) with wild-type EGFR)) were retrospectively collected at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital between April 2016 and May 2020. Volumes of interest (VOI) of PET and CT images were delineated respectively and three-dimensional-based and two-dimensional-based radiomics features were extracted from VOIs. Three machine learning classifiers of K-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM) and Adaboost were trained in training set with CT, PET and fusion PET/CT radiomics features respectively. Well trained classifiers were tested in test set. Each predictive model was evaluated by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results:A total of 126 patients were EGFR mutation including 3 patients with 18 exon mutation, 6 patients with 20 exon mutation, 42 patients with 19 exon mutation, and 75 patients with 21 exon mutation. Finally, patients with 18 exon mutation and 20 exon mutation were removed due to the scale was too small to be trained adequately by machine learning classifiers. Predictive performance of mean PET/CT feature-based model (Adaboost: area under curve (AUC)=0.87, 95% CI: 0.75-0.99) in EGFR mutation subtypes was better than PET feature-based model (Adaboost: AUC=0.64, 95% CI: 0.46-0.83; z=2.04, P<0.05) and CT feature-based model (Adaboost: AUC=0.64, 95% CI: 0.45-0.83; z=2.06, P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between predictive performance of mean PET/CT feature-based model (SVM: AUC=0.76, 95% CI: 0.56-0.96) and PET/CT concatenation feature-based model (SVM: AUC=0.75, 95% CI: 0.59-0.92; z=1.14, P>0.05). Conclusion:Machine learning and 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics features can provide predictive value for EGFR mutation subtypes in patients with LUAD.