A case of penile squamous cell carcinoma treated with a combination of antiepidermal growth factor receptor antibody and chemotherapy.

Our previous study showed that the features of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-RAS signaling in penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) suggested potential benefits of anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for penile SCC. Here, we report, for the first time, a combination of nimotuzumab (an EGFR mAb) with chemotherapy that resulted in a partial response in a 44-year-old patient with penile SCC, who developed bilateral inguinal node metastasis after primary partial penile amputation. The literature of case reports of anti-EGFR mAbs in penile SCC was also reviewed.

Clinical characteristics of patients with solitary pulmonary mass after radical treatment for primary cancers: pulmonary metastasis or second primary lung cancer?

We identified clinical characteristics of 30 pulmonary metastasis (PM) patients and 29 second primary lung cancer (SPLC) patients with feature of solitary pulmonary mass (SPM) after radical treatment of prior cancers. 6.7% and 44.8% patients presented with centrally located SPM and the median event-free durations were 33 and 72 months in PM and SPLC groups, respectively. PM was more likely to be found in prior cancers with stage III. In conclusion, the location of SPM, the event-free duration and the prior tumor staging were important features for differentiating SPLC from PM among patients with SPM after prior cancers.

[Expression of thymidylate synthase and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in penile cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of thymidylate synthase (TS) and dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) in penile cancer. METHODS: A total of 96 patients with penile cancer were included, the expression of TS and DPD in tumor tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry method, the relationship of TS and DPD expressions with the clinical characters were also analyzed. RESULTS: The expression of TS and DPD in penile cancer tissue were 41. 67% (40/96) and 33. 33% (32/96) respectively. There was a positive correlation between TS and DPD expression (Pearson C= 0. 362, P<0. 01). DPD was found to be more expressed in non-smoking patients (P = 0. 040). CONCLUSION: TS and DPD were moderately expressed in penile cancer and their expressions were positively correlated. This could be helpful for the application of fluorouracil in chemotherapy for the patients with penile cancer.

Prognostic factors of intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal carcinomatosis of gastric cancer: A retrospective study from a single center.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) of gastric origin is currently recognized as a terminal disease with a poor prognosis. Advancements in novel therapeutic approaches, including intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC), have recently been made and it is believed that this may have contributed to the improved survival observed in patients with PC. The present study aimed to investigate overall survival (OS) and the associated prognostic factors in patients with PC of gastric origin who underwent IPC. A total of 57 patients were studied, with a median age of 51 years. The median follow-up time was 12.4 months. PC was diagnosed in all patients with gastric cancer. The median survival time of all patients was 10.1 months, whilst the OS rate at 1, 2 and 3 years was observed to be 46, 19 and 12%, respectively. Symptomatic ascites and a signet ring cell (SRC) histopathological type were demonstrated to signify a poor prognosis. Complete resection of all gross disease (CCR-0) and an increased number of cycles of systemic chemotherapy were independent factors that were observed to correlate with increased OS. The most common morbidities of grade 3/4 adverse effects were bone marrow suppression, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. In conclusion, IPC is an important treatment option for patients with PC that has originated from gastric cancer. Symptomatic ascites and SRC adenocarcinoma serve as negative clinicopathological prognostic factors, whilst CCR-0 and increased systemic chemotherapy cycles (≥4 cycles) may prove to be an important therapeutic option for PC patients.

Meta-Analysis of Circulating Endothelial Cells and Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells as Prognostic Factors in Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic implications of pretreatment circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and circulating endothelial progenitor cells (CEPCs) for the survival of patients with lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant literature was identified using Medline and EMBASE. Patient clinical characteristics, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) together with CEC and CEPC positive rates before treatment were extracted. STATA 12.0 was used for our analysis and assessment of publication bias. RESULTS: A total of 13 articles (8 for CEC and 5 for CEPC, n=595 and n=244) were pooled for the global meta-analysis. The odds ratio (OR) for OS predicted by pretreatment CECs was 1.641 [0.967, 2.786], while the OR for PFS was 1.168 [0.649, 2.100]. The OR for OS predicted by pretreatment CEPCs was 12.673 [5.274, 30.450], while the OR for PFS was 4.930 [0.931, 26.096]. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to clinical staging. Odds ratio (OR) showed the high level of pretreatment CECs only correlated with the OS of patients with advanced lung cancer (stage III-IV). CONCLUSIONS: High counts of CECs seem to be associated only with worse 1-year OS in patients with lung cancer, while high level of pretreatment CEPCs correlate with both worse PFS and OS.

Expression characteristics of proteins of the insulin-like growth factor axis in non-small cell lung cancer patients with preexisting type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Preexisting type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects the prognosis and mortality of patients with some cancers. Insulin like growth factor (IGF) and insulin receptor (IR) signaling axes play important roles in both cancer and diabetes development. We aimed to explore the expression characteristics of proteins in IGF/IR axis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases with preexisting T2DM. METHODS: Fifty-five NSCLC patients with preexisting T2DM were retrospectively included and matched by 55 NSCLC without diabetes at a 1:1 ratio. The expression of proteins in IGF/IR axis was detected by immunohistochemical staining. Clinicopathological data were collected to analyze their relationship with the protein expression. RESULTS: Both IGF 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS-2) showed higher expression in the NSCLC with T2DM group, compared with those without T2DM. The high expression of IGF-1R and IRS-2 were found to be negatively associated with lymph node metastases and T staging in the T2DM group, respectively, and IRS-2 expression was also found more in the subgroup whose T2DM duration was more than 4 years. No difference was detected in the expression of IRS-1, IGF-1, IGF-2, IGFBP3, IR and mTOR between groups with or without T2DM. CONCLUSION: Our study found higher expression of IGF-1R and IRS-2 proteins in NSCLC patients with preexisting T2DM, and that there was an association with early stage NSCLC, which suggested that IGF signaling may play an important early event in development of NSCLC associated with diabetes.

The upregulation of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase in liver is involved in acquired resistance to 5-fluorouracil.

BACKGROUND: Acquired resistance to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the important reasons for failure in 5-FU-based chemotherapy. The upregulation of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) in tumours was reported as an important factor for acquired 5-FU resistance. The aim of this study is to examine whether intra-hepatic DPD was involved in acquired 5-FU resistance. METHODS: HT-29 human colorectal xenograft tumours were established in nude mice. After long-term exposure to 5-FU, some of the tumour became "resistant" and the others remained "sensitive" to 5-FU. DPD expression levels in the livers and tumours of "resistant", "sensitive" or untreated mice were examined, and pharmacokinetics of 5-FU in rats' plasma were investigated. Gimeracil, a DPD inhibitor, was checked whether it could reverse the reduced bioavailability of 5-FU. RESULTS: DPD expression was upregulated obviously in tumours of "resistant" mice as reported previously. Importantly, DPD expression was also upregulated significantly in livers of "resistant" mice, compared with those of "sensitive" or untreated mice. Furthermore, the upregulation of DPD expression in livers led to accelerated metabolism of 5-FU. Gimeracil was found to reverse the reduced serum 5-FU concentration. The cultured tumour cells from 5-FU treated mice showed relative sensitivity to higher concentration of 5-FU, even the "resistant" tumour cells. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that the upregulation of DPD in liver may be involved in acquired resistance to 5-FU, and DPD inhibitors or increasing 5-FU dosage may have potential application in overcoming 5-FU acquired resistance.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-RAS signaling pathway in penile squamous cell carcinoma.

Penile Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is a rare cancer with poor prognosis and limited response to conventional chemotherapy. The genetic and epigenetic alterations of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)-RAS-RAF signaling in penile SCC are unclear. This study aims to investigate four key members of this pathway in penile SCC. We examined the expression of EGFR and RAS-association domain family 1 A (RASSF1A) as well as the mutation status of K-RAS and BRAF in 150 cases of penile SCC. EGFR and RASSF1A expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. KRAS mutations at codons 12 and 13, and the BRAF mutation at codon 600 were analyzed on DNA isolated from formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues by direct genomic sequencing. EGFR expression was positive in all specimens, and its over-expression rate was 92%. RASSF1A expression rate was only 3.42%. Significant correlation was not found between the expression of EGFR or RASSF1A and tumor grade, pT stage or lymph node metastases. The detection of KRAS and BRAF mutations analysis was performed in 94 and 83 tumor tissues, respectively. We found KRAS mutation in only one sample and found no BRAF V600E point mutation. In summary, we found over-expression of EGFR in the majority cases of penile SCC, but only rare expression of RASSF1A, rare KRAS mutation, and no BRAF mutation in penile SCC. These data suggest that anti-EGFR agents may be potentially considered as therapeutic options in penile SCC.

Serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 as an indicator of liver metastasis in colorectal carcinoma cases.

PURPOSE: The liver is the organ to which colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) most commonly metastasize, and surgical resection has been established as the most effective and potentially curative treatment for CRC with liver metastasis (LM). Therefore, surveillance of LM is vital for improvement of prognosis of CRC patients. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential value of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and marker enzymes in indicating LM with CRC. METHODS: Three groups of eligible patients with metastatic cancers were retrospectively included: CRC patients with LM (CRC-LM) or without LM (CRC- NLM), and non-CRC patients with LM (NCRC-LM). All metastatic lesions were identified by CT or MRI. Data on characteristics of the patients, the primary site, the locations of metastasis, CA 19-9, CEA, and biochemical parameters were collected for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 493 patients were retrospectively included. More alcohol consumption was found in CRC-LM than CRC-NLM. Some biochemical enzymes were found to be significantly higher in groups with LM than without (CRC-LM or NCRC-LM v.s CRC-NLM). Both CEA and CA 19-9 were much higher in CRC-LM than CRC-NLM or NCRC-LM. For CRC patients, CA 19-9, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, CEA and alcohol consumption were identified as independent factors associated with LM. CONCLUSION: Our analysis suggested the CA 19-9 might be a potential valuable indicator for LM of CRC in the clinic.

Collecting duct carcinoma presenting uncommon metastatic features.

Collecting duct carcinoma (CDC) is a relatively rare subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) which has an aggressive course with an extremely poor prognosis. Here we report on a case of CDC in a 29-year-old woman who showed rapid disease progression with some uncommon clinical features including extensive vertebral metastases and invasion of the spinal meninges. The patient developed paraplegia and died 9 months after the diagnosis of CDC. The features of the fulminant clinical course with the lesions of the meninges, although rare, are important for the accumulation of experience of this rare disease.

Factors potentially associated with chemotherapy-induced anemia in patients with solid cancers.

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) is one of the most important causes of anemia in cancer patients. This study was conducted to describe the prevalence and characteristics of CIA in solid cancer patients in the Chinese population, and to explore the relationship of white blood cell (WBC) or platelet decrease with CIA. METHODS: Data on age, gender, tumor diagnosis, anti-cancer treatment and blood cell analyses were available from 220 untreated non-anemic cancer patients who received at least 2 cycles of chemotherapy, and the data were analyzed to assess their relationship with CIA or its severity. RESULTS: 139 patients (63.2%) presented anemia, most being Grade 1 or 2. Esophageal and lung cancers were associated with a high prevalence. G3/4 leucopenia and decrease of platelets were identified as independent risk factors for the occurrence of CIA. Moreover, G3/4 leucopenia, decrease of platelet and G3/4 thrombocytopenia were found to be also associated with the severity of CIA. Cisplatin-containing regimens were a main potential factor in causing CIA, although significant association was only found on univariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Anemia or decrease in hemoglobin are common in Chinese cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Cisplatin-containing regimens might be an important factor influencing the occurrence of CIA. Our analysis firstly described some risk factors, such as decrease of platelets or WBCs, severity of leucopenia or thrombocytopenia, associated with the occurrence and severity of CIA.

Prevalence and characteristics of anemia in patients with solid cancers at diagnosis in southwest China.

PURPOSE: Cancer-related anemia is common and may have myriad causes, but the physiological consequences of a low hemoglobin level are similar. Besides chemotherapy-induced anemia, it is also important to understand the anemia in treatment-naive patients, which may represent a consequence of cancer itself and/or cancer complications, and this may help assess anemia risk and facilitate appropriate treatment. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence and characteristics of anemia in solid cancer patients at diagnosis in a Chinese population. METHODS: 1133 patients with newly diagnosed cancers who were admitted to West China Hospital of Sichuan University during January 2010 to May 2011 met the inclusion criteria. Data on age, gender, change of food intake, the diagnosis and the stage of the tumor, bleeding history, the locations of metastasis, and blood cell analysis were searched and analyzed. RESULTS: Prevalence of anemia at diagnosis of cancers was 18.98% in unclassified cancers. Gastric cancers, colorectal cancers, and hepatopancreatobiliary cancers occupied the first three ranks in the cohort. Age, decreased food intake, and bleeding history were identified as independent risk factors for anemia occurrence. Furthermore, decreased food intake was found to be also associated with the severity of anemia. CONCLUSION: Our analysis described the prevalence and risk factors of anemia in new diagnosed solid cancer patients in China. To deal with cancer-related anemia, we suggest that it should be important to improve food intake and nutrition, while controlling bleeding, especially in elderly patients.