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Background: Hyperfibrinogenemia is a common problem associated with various carcinomas, and is accompanied by hypercoagulablity. In advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) it remains unclear whether or not chemotherapy-induced changes in fibrinogen level relate to chemotherapeutic response and prognosis. The purposes of this study were to: 1) analyze the association between chemotherapy-induced changes in plasmafibrinogen level and the chemotherapeutic response after the first two courses of standard first-line platinum-based chemotherapy; and 2) evaluate the prognostic significance of the basal plasma fibrinogen level in patients with advanced NSCLC.Methods: In this retrospective study, the data from 160 patients with advanced NSCLC were collected. The association between the changes in fibrinogen and the response to chemotherapy, or between the pre-and post-chemotherapy fibrinogen levels and patient clinical characteristics, were analyzed using SPSS software. In addition, the prognostic value of pre-chemotherapy fibrinogen levels was assessed.Results: The median pre-chemotherapy plasma fibrinogen level was 4.4 g/L. Pre-chemotherapy plasma fibrinogen levels correlated significantly with gender (p = 0.041). Post-chemotherapy plasma fibrinogen levels correlated with gender (p = 0.023), age (p = 0.018), ECOG (p = 0.002) and tumor response (p = 0.049). Plasma fibrinogen levels markedly decreased after chemotherapy in 98 (61.25 %) patients with pre-chemotherapy hyperfibrinogenemia (p = 0.008); and in this population there was a significant link between the decrease in fibrinogen level, and initial partial response (PR; p = 0.017) and stable disease (SD; p = 0.031). Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed thathigher levels of fibrinogen (≥4.4 g/L) and ECOG 1 were positively associated with shorter overall survival (OS). CEA and CA125 also decreased significantly (p =0.015, p =0.000) in DCR group after chemotherapy. Conclusions: This study showed that the reduction in plasma fibrinogen levels induced by chemotherapy might be as a promising biomarker as CEA and CA125 for evaluating the efficacy of chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC. In addition, basal plasma fibrinogen levels could be used as an independent prognostic parameter for the OS of patients with advanced NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer has been successfully treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Acquired resistance becomes a tough issue when patients fail to respond to the third-generation TKI osimertinib. This study aimed to report a case baring acquired EGFR L858R/L718Q mutation in the central nervous system induced by osimertinib, which was successfully overcome using afatinib.Case Presentation: A 65-year-old female patient was diagnosed with stage IV non-small-cell lung adenocarcinoma with synchronic brain metastasis in February 2015. Before and during treatment, 416 tumor-related genes were monitored dynamically by liquid biopsies using next-generation sequencing, and the treatment strategy was decided according to the gene status. At baseline, an EGFR L858R mutation in exon 21 was detected, so treatment with icotinib was started. After 8 months, she experienced disease progression with leptomeningeal metastasis and switched to osimertinib based on an acquired EGFR T790 M mutation. After 9 months, her disease progressed and an EGFR L718Q mutation was found in the cerebrospinal fluid. The patient was then challenged with afatinib, and her disease was under control for 4 months. In January 2017, the patient passed away, with an overall survival time of 23 months, 15 months after leptomeningeal metastasis.Conclusion: The acquired EGFR L718Q mutation in the cerebrospinal fluid resulted in subsequent resistance to osimertinib and could be partly overcome using afatinib, indicating a promising treatment option in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]