Evaluation of PAP in EGFR Mutational Testing in Advanced NSCLC: a Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: EGFR mutational testing is crucial for advanced non-squamous NSCLC. PAP is a sensitive and selective method to detect rare mutations. METHODS: Eighty-five patients with non-squamous NSCLC were enrolled in this study. A set of paired plasma samples from each patient were collected and detected by PAP and ARMS. RESULTS: Of 85 paired samples, 78.8% (67/85) presented the same mutational status by the two methods. There was no statistically significant difference between the mutation frequencies in plasma samples detected with PAP and ARMS (p = 0.096). CONCLUSIONS: PAP technology appears to be an alternative choice with relatively high sensitivity for the detection of plasma EGFR mutations.

Application of SM-PCR to detect plasma ctDNA in the treatment of patients with ad-vanced lung adenocarcinoma / 中国肿瘤临床

Objective: To investigate the application of single-molecule PCR (SM-PCR) in the detection of plasma ctDNA for the treat-ment of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Methods: In total, 30 patients diagnosed with advanced lung adenocarcinoma were enrolled between June 2017 and May 2018. ctDNA fragments of the target genes (EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, ALK, HER2, and TP53) from the blood samples were enriched by SM-PCR, and DNA libraries were prepared. Finally, a high-throughput sequencing was performed. The EGFR detection of tumor tissue samples was performed using real-time fluorescence PCR based on the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) and consistency in the results of EGFR mutation detection in the plasma and tissue was compared. Results:The results of both the methods were consistent (Kappa=0.867, P<0.001). The McNemar's test also indicated that the results are not statistically different (P=0.500). Conclusions: SM-PCR can be used for the detection of plasma EGFR mutations. The target detection sites are more comprehensive and multiple mutations can be detected at the same time. Results of the analysis are more precise and can be absolutely quantified.

EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation in advanced thymic squamous cell carcinoma: Response to apatinib and clinical outcomes.

Thymic carcinoma (TC) is a rare malignant tumor of the mediastinum with occult onset, rapid development, and poor prognosis. Surgery is the main treatment for early TC, but the majority of patients are diagnosed at Masaoka-Koga stage III or IV with local invasion or distant metastasis. Platinum and anthracyclines are currently considered key components of first-line chemotherapy for advanced TC; however, there are no standard treatment plans for patients who are refractory to first-line and further chemotherapy. The clinical effect is also unsatisfactory. Apatinib has been successfully applied as third-line treatment for advanced gastric cancer and has shown high efficacy in the treatment of various cancers, such as lung, liver, and colorectal cancers. Herein we report a case of advanced thymic squamous cell carcinoma harboring EGFR exon 20 insertion in which apatinib was administered after multi-line chemotherapy and radiotherapy and a partial response was achieved after five months of treatment. To date, a five month overall response and 10 months of progression-free survival have been achieved. Adverse reactions can be controlled and the patient's quality of life has improved. Apatinib provides a new option for clinicians to treat patients with advanced TC.

A Case Report of Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma Harboring KRAS Mutation Treated with Anlotinib / 中国肺癌杂志

In recent years, the number of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients has gradually increased, and the treatment methods have also been significantly increased. However, there are no standard treatment plans at home and abroad for third-line and above patients who are refractory to targeted therapy epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) or chemotherapy. The clinical treatment effect is also not satisfactory. Anlotinib is a novel TKI targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and c-Kit. ALTER0303 trail, phase III study has demonstrated that Anlotinib significantly prolonged overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in advanced NSCLC patients as 3rd line treatment.Here we report a case of advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring KRAS mutation treated with Anlotinib.
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Application of PAP PCR to monitor plasma cfDNA in advanced non-small cell lung can-cer / 中国肿瘤临床

Objective:To explore the application of pyrophosphorolysis-activated polymerization(PAP)to monitor plasma cfDNA in ad-vanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:A total of 85 patients diagnosed with advanced NSCLC between March 2016 and June 2017 were enrolled in the present study. EGFR mutations in cfDNA extracted from the plasma were detected using PAP and ARMS-PCR technology.The concordance analysis of EGFR mutations involved plasma vs.tumor tissue and PAP vs.ARMS-PCR.Further-more,38 EGFR-positive patients were selected to monitor EGFR mutations with PAP.Results:No statistical differences in EGFR muta-tions were observed between plasma and tumor tissue(P=0.092),as well as PAP and ARMS-PCR(P=0.210).The detection rate of EGFR mutations in cfDNA was higher in the progressor than in the non-progressor(62.5% vs.21.3%,P<0.001).Conclusions:PAP can be used for detecting and monitoring EGFR mutations in cfDNA to predict disease progression.