A phase II study of Endostatin in combination with paclitaxel, carboplatin, and radiotherapy in patients with unresectable locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Endostatin inhibits the pro-angiogenic action of basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor in different human cancers. This study assessed the efficacy of endostatin combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Nineteen patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0-l, and adequate organ function were treated with 60-66 Gy thoracic radiation therapy over 30-33 fractions concurrent with weekly 7.5 mg/m(2) endostatin for 14 days, 50 mg/m(2) paclitaxel, and 2 mg/mL/min carboplatin over 30 min. Patients were then treated with 7.5 mg/m(2) endostatin for 14 days, 150 mg/m(2) paclitaxel, and 5 mg/mL/min carboplatin every 3 weeks for 2 cycles as the consolidation treatment. The objective response rate was recorded according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria, and the toxicity was evaluated using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Common Toxicity Criteria. RESULTS: Six patients were unable to complete the consolidation treatment (4 pulmonary toxicity, 1 tracheoesophageal fistulae, and 1 progressive disease). Seventeen patients were included for data analysis. Specifically, one (5.9%) patient had a complete response and 12 (70.6%) had a partial response, whereas two patients had stable disease and the other two had disease progression. The overall response rate was 76% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51%-97%). The median progression-free survival was 10 months (95% CI, 7.6-12.3 months), and the median overall survival was 14 months (95% CI, 10.7-17.2 months). Early 10 patients who completed the treatment regimen showed that four patients experienced grade III pulmonary toxicity a few months after chemoradiotherapy, leading to the early closure of the trial according to the study design. CONCLUSIONS: The result of concurrent endostatin treatment with chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced unresectable NSCLC did not meet the goal per study design with unacceptable toxicity. The real impact of endostatin as the first-line treatment combined with chemoradiotherapy on the survival of NSCLC patients remains to be determined. (NCT 01158144).

[Diagnosis and treatment of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the histopathological features of basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus, and to explore the ways of its diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The clinical data and pathological features of 23 cases of esophageal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: The tumors were mainly located at the middle third segment of the esophagus. The 1-,2- and 3-year survival rates were 60.9%, 21.7% and 0, respectively. CONCLUSION: The basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is highly malignant with poor prognosis. Radical resection combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy is required.

Post-treatment serum lactic dehydrogenase as a predictive indicator for distant metastasis and survival of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To examine the function of serum lactic dehydrogenase (SLDH) level after intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) as a predictive factor for and loco-regional relapse free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease free survival (DFS), and overall survival(OS) among patients with in-situ nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). RESULTS: Compared with the normal pt-SLDH group, elevated pt-SLDH demonstrated significant lower DMFS (46 versus 66 months, hazard ratio (HR) 4.07, 95% CI 2.43-6.80, p < 0.001), DFS (46 versus 63 months, HR 2.78, 95% CI 1.70-4.53, p < 0.001), and OS (54 versus 66 months, HR 2.93, 95% CI 1.65-5.23, p < 0.001). Distant metastasis were observed in 32.8% (20/61) patients with elevated pt-SLDH, and 8% (54/678) in normal SLDH (odds ratio (OR) 6.13, 95% CI 3.35-11.18, p < 0.001). COX regression showed that pt-SLDH was an independent prognostic factors for OS (HR 2.91, 95% CI 1.57-5.41, p < 0.001), DMFS (HR 4.21, 95% CI 2.51-7.07, p < 0.001), LRFS (HR 2.53, 95% CI 1.22-5.24, p < 0.001), and DFS (HR 2.81, 95% CI 1.72-4.59, p < 0.001). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 739 in-situ NPC patients admitted to Zhejiang Cancer Hospital between January 2007 and May 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The relationships between post-treatment SLDH (pt-SLDH) and LRFS, DMFS, DFS, and OS were analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding indicated that elevated pt-SLDH could be a simple available prognostic indicator for distant metastasis and survival for in-situ NPC patients.

Up-regulation of BRAF activated non-coding RNA is associated with radiation therapy for lung cancer.

Radiation therapy has become more effective in treating primary tumors, such as lung cancer. Recent evidence suggested that BRAF activated non-coding RNAs (BANCR) play a critical role in cellular processes and are found to be dysregulated in a variety of cancers. The clinical significance of BANCR in radiation therapy, and its molecular mechanisms controlling tumor growth are unclear. In the present study, C57BL/6 mice were inoculated Lewis lung cancer cells and exposed to radiation therapy, then BANCR expression was analyzed using qPCR. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and western blot were performed to calculate the enrichment of histone acetylation and HDAC3 protein levels in Lewis lung cancer cells, respectively. MTT assay was used to evaluate the effects of BANCR on Lewis lung cancer cell viability. Finally, we found that BANCR expression was significantly increased in C57BL/6 mice receiving radiation therapy (P<0.05) compared with control group. Additionally, knockdown of BANCR expression was associated with larger tumor size in C57BL/6 mice inoculated Lewis lung cancer cells. Histone deacetylation was observed to involve in the regulation of BANCR in Lewis lung cancer cells. Moreover, over expression HDAC3 reversed the effect of rays on BANCR expression. MTT assay showed that knockdown of BANCR expression promoted cell viability surviving from radiation. In conclusion, these findings indicated that radiation therapy was an effective treatment for lung cancer, and it may exert function through up-regulation BANCR expression.

The value of endoscopic ultrasonography in defining longitudinal gross target volumes for esophageal squamous carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To investigate the differences between endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-based longitudinal gross target volumes (GTV) (GTV(EUS)) and computed tomography (CT)-based longitudinal GTV (GTV(CT)) in diagnosing esophageal squamous carcinoma. METHODS: Thirty-six patients underwent EUS to define the superior and inferior extents of the tumor by using hemoclips. CT-planning scan was performed with the patient in the supine position during the treatment. GTV(CT) and GTV(EUS) were contoured respectively. The respective lengths (L(CT) and L(EUS)) and spatial locations of longitudinal GTV(CT) and longitudinal GTV(EUS) were compared. RESULTS: The mean LCT was 7.8 ± 3.2 cm and the mean L(EUS) was 7.4 ± 2.7 cm. No statistical difference was found between L(CT) and L(EUS) (P > 0.05) with a correlation coefficient of 0.61 (P<0.05). The mean conformal index was 0.79 ± 0.18 with spatial variations found in 71% (24/34) of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: EUS can provide additional information to CT in defining longitudinal GTV in thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, especially superficial and submucosal carcinomas, which may contribute to the development of better individual treatment regimens.