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Immunotherapy has been a revolutionary innovation in cancer therapy in recent years, but it is accompanied by various unique immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Among these irAEs, anaphylactic shock is very rare. Here, we report a case of a patient who developed anaphylactic shock after receiving one dose of atezolizumab. A 74-year-old male patient with small cell lung cancer experienced recurrence 10 years after surgery. After one cycle of treatment, the patient developed a grade 2 rash and recovered after receiving oral methylprednisolone tablets. In the second cycle, atezolizumab was discontinued. Then, the patient was scheduled to receive atezolizumab plus carboplatin and etoposide again after three weeks, but approximately three minutes after an intravenous infusion of atezolizumab, the patient developed signs and symptoms of anaphylactic shock, such as dyspnea, cold limbs, and loss of consciousness. At this point, the infusion was immediately stopped, and a normal saline infusion was administered. Meanwhile, ECG monitoring, supplemental humidified high-flow supplemental 100% oxygen, epinephrine, dopamine, hormone treatment with methylprednisolone, and other anti-shock treatments were carried out. For better recuperation, this patient was transferred to the intensive care unit for further treatment and was discharged two days later. Anaphylactic shock develops rapidly and is also a very severe complication. Prompt detection, diagnosis, and therapeutic intervention are the basics for survival.

Introduction Continuing tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy may be beneficial when patients with non–small-cell lung cancer and EGFR mutations experience gradual disease progression after initial EGFR-TKI treatment. We aimed to compare the efficacy of simultaneous EGFR-TKI and chemotherapy with that of sequential treatment after patients’ disease gradually progressed after first-line EGFR-TKI treatment. Patients and Methods Patients with gradual progression who were EGFR-T790M mutation negative were randomly divided into two groups. In the concurrent group, patients were treated with pemetrexed plus cisplatin along with the same EGFR-TKI. In the sequential group, patients continued with EGFR-TKI until the disease progressed again, according to RECIST, then switched to chemotherapy. We evaluated the patients’ progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival times. Results Ninety-nine patients were enrolled: 49 in the concurrent group and 50 in the sequential group. The median PFS (mPFS) was 7.7 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.6-11.7) in the concurrent group and 5.7 months (95% CI, 3.5-7.9) in the sequential group (hazard ratio = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.44-1.00; P = .026), respectively. For the sequential group, the mPFS1 and mPFS2 were 1.8 months (95% CI, 1.4-2.3) and 3.8 months (95% CI, 3.1-4.5), respectively. The median overall survival of the concurrent group was longer than that of the sequential group (20.0 vs. 14.7 months; hazard ratio = 0.52; 95% CI, 0.32-0.85; P = .038). Conclusion For patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer and gradual progression who are EGFR-T790M mutation negative after initial EGFR-TKI therapy, EGFR-TKI combined with chemotherapy confers longer PFS and overall survival than sequential EGFR-TKI and chemotherapy does.

Feng Pan,1,* Ai-Ting Lu,1,2,* Xiaowei Mao,1,* Yefeng Chen,3 Yizhuo Zhao,1 Baohui Han1 1Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nursing, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shaoxing People’s Hospital (Shaoxing Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine), Shaoxing, Zhejiang, 312000, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Baohui Han; Yizhuo ZhaoDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail 18930858216@163.com; zhyz920916@126.comBackground: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is a valuable tool for diagnosing pulmonary disease due to its efficiency and safety. We retrospectively analyzed patients with mediastinal masses who underwent diagnostic EBUS-TBNA at Shanghai Chest Hospital, and evaluated the clinical accuracy of EBUS-TBNA in the diagnosis mediastinal masses.Method: From 2009 and 2014, patients who received EBUS-TBNA to diagnose a isolated mediastinal mass were enrolled. Clinical follow-up was performed to ascertain the patient’s final diagnosis.Results: Forty-six patients were enrolled in this study. Thirty-seven were diagnosed with an oncologic disease, 3 were diagnosed with a mediastinal infection, and 2 were found to have a mediastinal goiter. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, diagnostic yield was 63.6%, 100%, 100%, 42.9%, and 71.4%, respectively.Conclusion: EBUS-TBNA is a safe and effective means of diagnosing mediastinal masses.Keywords: EBUS-TBNA, mediastinum, diagnosis

Objectives To establish a circulating tumor cell (CTC) enrichment system for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received first-line treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKI), using EGFR magnetic liposomes (EGFR-ML). Materials and methods An inverted evaporation method was used to develop antibody modified EGFR-ML. Peripheral blood was collected from NSCLC patients who underwent first-line EGFR-TKI treatment for CTC enumeration. Results Protein electrophoresis, magnetic saturation curve, and ultraviolet absorption spectrum showed successful incorporation of the EGFR antibody on the surface of the magnetic microspheres, and the development of EGFR-ML was ascertained based on cell morphology and particle size. Using EGFR-ML, CTC were successfully enriched from blood samples and were identified in 77.3% (99/128) of the cohort. When compared to the 21L858R variant, EGFR-19del showed lower CTC counts by EGFR-ML (CTCEGFR). At one month after EGFR-TKI, a lower CTCEGFR was associated with partial response (PR) during treatment (CTCEGFR Conclusion We showed that establishing a CTC enrichment system by antibody modified EGFR-ML in NSCLC is feasible. CTC enumeration by EGFR-ML may have the potential to supplement RECIST in dynamically monitoring the response of NSCLC patients’ to first-line EGFR-TKI.

Some studies have revealed that specific genetic mutations could be associated with chemotherapy response or even survival in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Our retrospective study aimed to identify the correlation between genetic mutations and progression-free survival (PFS) in extensive-stage SCLC after first-line chemotherapy. A total of 75 patients with extensive-stage SCLC confirmed by histopathology from February 2018 to February 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The biopsy specimens of all patients were analyzed by Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). All patients received first-line chemotherapy and follow-up at Shanghai Chest Hospital. Eleven genes were mutated in, at least, 10% of the 75 patients, including TP53 (96%), RB1 (77%), SMAD4 (32%), NOTCH1 (21%), PTEN (16%), FGFR1 (16%), KDR (15%), PIK3CA (15%), ROS1 (15%), BRCA2 (13%), and ERBB4 (10%). The median number of mutated genes among all patients was 5. Patients with more than 5 mutated genes (PFS = 6.7 months, P = 0.004 ), mutant TP53 (PFS = 5.0 months, P = 0.011 ), and mutant BRCA2 (PFS = 6.7 months, P = 0.046 ) had better PFS after first-line chemotherapy than other patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that patients who achieved a PR (HR 3.729, 95% CI 2.038–6.822), had more than 5 mutated genes (HR 1.929, 95% CI 1.096–3.396), had BRCA2 mutations (HR 4.581, 95% CI 1.721–12.195), and had no liver metastasis (HR 0.415, 95% CI 0.181–0.951) showed improvements in PFS after first-line chemotherapy. In conclusion, the number of mutated genes and BRCA2 mutation status in extensive-stage SCLC were significantly related to PFS after first-line chemotherapy.

Objective: Anlotinib hydrochloride is a multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, fibroblast growth factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, c-Kit, and c-MET; therefore, it exhibits both antitumor and anti-angiogenetic activities. A phase III trial has shown that anlotinib improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), who presented with progressive disease or intolerance after standard chemotherapy. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of patients receiving anlotinib treatment to determine the dominant populations who are fit for the treatment.Methods: Data were collected from March 2015 to January 2017 from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, phase III trial of anlotinib (ALTER0303). A total of 437 patients were enrolled and randomly allocated (2:1) to the anlotinib and placebo groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis and log-rank test were performed to compare PFS and OS. Cox proportional hazards model was adopted for multivariate prognostic analysis. Results: Multivariate analysis indicated that high post-therapeutic peripheral blood granulocyte/lymphocyte ratio and elevated alkaline phosphatase levels were independent risk factors for PFS. Meanwhile, elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone, blood glucose, and triglyceride levels; hypertension; and hand–foot syndrome were independent protective factors of PFS. High post-therapeutic peripheral blood granulocyte/lymphocyte ratio, an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score ≥ 2, and the sum of the maximal target lesion length at baseline were independent risk factors of OS, and hypertriglyceridemia was an independent protective factor of OS. Conclusions: This study preliminarily explored the possible factors that affected PFS and OS after anlotinib treatment in patients with advanced refractory NSCLC, and the baseline characteristics of the therapeutically dominant populations were then identified.

Anlotinib is a novel multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for tumor angiogenesis and tumor cell proliferation. The efficacy of anlotinib as a third-line or beyond therapy for SCLC was confirmed in the ALTER1202 trial. For lung cancer patients treated with antiangiogenesis agents, the phenomenon of cavitation is commonly seen in the lung target lesions. The impact of tumor cavitation on survival in lung cancer patients treated with vascular-targeted therapy remains controversial. Our retrospective study was to investigate the prognostic value of tumor cavitation in extensive-stage SCLC patients treated with anlotinib. A total of 73 extensive-stage SCLC patients confirmed by histopathology from January 2018 to January 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients received anlotinib therapy at Shanghai Chest Hospital. We defined tumor cavitation of the lung target lesions as that part of solid component was changed to air-filled area according to chest CT. Progression-free survival (PFS) was calculated from the beginning of anlotinib therapy to the disease progression or the last follow-up visit. Eleven (15.0%) patients had tumor cavitation during anlotinib therapy. The ORR of the 73 patients was 15.1%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that tumor cavitation during anlotinib therapy was not associated with gender (P = 0.630), age (P = 0.190), smoking status (P = 0.165), anatomy type (P = 0.641), and the line of anlotinib therapy (P = 0.302). The median PFS of all patients was 2.6 months (95%CI 2.1–3.2). According to the univariate analysis, the median PFS in patients with and without tumor cavitation was 5.0 months and 2.2 months, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.041). According to the multivariate analysis, tumor cavitation was an independent factor for PFS after adjusting gender, age, smoking status, anatomy type, the line of anlotinib therapy, tumor cavitation, and response to anlotinib (adjusted HR 0.316, 95%CI 0.142–0.702; P = 0.005). In 73 extensive-stage SCLC patients treated with anlotinib, no demographic/clinical characteristic was related to tumor cavitation, and tumor cavitation was an independent factor in predicting better PFS.

Purpose: Preclinical and retrospective studies suggested a role for metformin in sensitizing patients who have diabetes with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). We therefore examined its effects in combination with gefitinib in patients without diabetes harboring EGFR mutations (EGFRm). Patients and Methods: A total of 224 patients without diabetes with treatment-naïve stage IIIB–IV EGFRm NSCLC were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive gefitinib plus either metformin or placebo. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 1 year and secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), PFS, objective response rate (ORR), and safety. Serum levels of IL6 were also examined in an exploratory analysis. Results: The median duration of follow-up was 19.15 months. The estimated 1-year PFS rates were 41.2% [95% confidence interval (CI), 30.0–52.2] with gefitinib plus metformin and 42.9% (95% CI, 32.6–52.7) with gefitinib plus placebo (P = 0.6268). Median PFS (10.3 months vs. 11.4 months) and median OS (22.0 months vs. 27.5 months) were numerically lower in the metformin group, while ORRs were similar between the two arms (66% vs. 66.7%). No significant treatment group differences were detected across all subgroups with respect to PFS, including those with elevated levels of IL6. Metformin combined with gefitinib resulted in a remarkably higher incidence of diarrhea compared with the control arm (78.38% vs. 43.24%). Conclusions: Our study showed that addition of metformin resulted in nonsignificantly worse outcomes and increased toxicity and hence does not support its concurrent use with first-line EGFR-TKI therapy in patients without diabetes with EGFRm NSCLC.

// Shaohua Cui 1, * , Wei Zhang 1, * , Liwen Xiong 1 , Feng Pan 1 , Yanjie Niu 1 , Tianqing Chu 1 , Huimin Wang 1 , Yizhuo Zhao 1 , Liyan Jiang 1 1 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Liyan Jiang, email: Jiang_liyan2000@126.com Yizhuo Zhao, email: zhyz920916@126.com Keywords: liquid biopsy, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), capture-based next-generation sequencing, cell-free DNA (cfDNA), non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Received: September 23, 2016 Accepted: November 23, 2016 Published: December 01, 2016 ABSTRACT Capture-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a potentially useful diagnostic method to measure tumor tissue DNA in blood as it can identify concordant mutations between cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and primary tumor DNA in lung cancer patients. In this study, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of capture-based NGS for detecting ALK fusion in plasma cfDNA was assessed. 24 patients with tissue ALK -positivity and 15 who did not harbor ALK fusion were enrolled. 13 ALK -positive samples were identified by capture-based NGS among the 24 samples with tissue ALK -positivity. In addition to EML4-ALK , 2 rare fusion types ( FAM179A-ALK and COL25A1-ALK ) were also identified. The overall sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for all cases were 54.2%, 100% and 71.8%, respectively. For patients without distant metastasis (M0-M1a) and patients with distant metastasis (M1b), the sensitivities were 28.6% and 64.7%, respectively. In the 15 patients who received crizotinib, the estimated median PFS was 9.93 months. Thus, captured-based NGS has acceptable sensitivity and excellent specificity for the detection of ALK fusion in plasma cfDNA, especially for patients with distant metastasis. This non-invasive method is clinically feasible for detecting ALK fusion in patients with advanced-stage NSCLC who cannot undergo traumatic examinations or have insufficient tissue samples for molecular tests.

Background The efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung remains controversial, and the role of EGFR testing in patients with SCC of the lung remains debatable. Patients and Methods We retrospectively identified patients with stage IIIB or IV SCC of the lung who had undergone EGFR testing at Shanghai Chest Hospital from January 2009 to December 2013. Results A total of 29 EGFR mutation-positive patients (22 patients had received TKI therapy and 7 had not) and 151 EGFR wild-type patients (27 patients had received TKI therapy and 124 had not) were available for an analysis of efficacy. The EGFR mutation-positive patients had significantly improved overall survival (OS) with EGFR TKI therapy compared with those who had not received EGFR TKIs (18.04 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 13.47-22.61 months] vs 13.18 months [95% CI, 5.22-21.13]; P = .015). Patients with wild-type EGFR did not have an improvement in OS with TKI therapy compared with those who had not received TKIs (14.03 months [95% CI, 11.11-16.9 months] vs. 13.63 months [95% CI, 11.91-15.36]; P = .927). The progression-free survival (PFS) for EGFR mutation-positive and EGFR wild-type patients was 3.94 months (95% CI, 2.73-5.15 months) and 1.94 months (95% CI, 0.89-2.99 months), respectively ( P = .004). Conclusion EGFR TKIs could be an option for the treatment of SCC, and EGFR mutation detection can help to select a subgroup of patients who would have the best response to TKIs.

Although crizotinib has demonstrated promising efficacy and acceptable toxicity in patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the available evidence in Chinese populations is currently limited. This study compared the progression‐free survival (PFS) of Chinese patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)‐positive, advanced lung adenocarcinoma who received first‐line crizotinib therapy with that of patients who received first‐line standard chemotherapy, and also the PFS benefit of first‐line versus second‐line crizotinib treatment. Data on 80 patients with ALK‐positive, advanced lung adenocarcinoma who received crizotinib or standard chemotherapy as first‐line treatments between June 2013 and December 2014 were retrospectively collected; 26 of the patients received crizotinib as second‐line therapy after progressive disease (PD) occurred on first‐line chemotherapy. Tumor responses were assessed using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.1. The median PFS was 13.3 months (95% CI: 6.5–20.0 months) in patients who received first‐line crizotinib as compared with 5.4 months (95% CI: 4.4–6.5 months) in patients who received first‐line standard chemotherapy (adjusted hazard ratio for progression or death with crizotinib, 0.20; 95% CI: 0.11–0.36; P

Background The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of lymph node status in patients with pathologic N2 (pN2) stage IIIA small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Methods A total of 163 consecutive pN2 stage IIIA SCLC patients who underwent pulmonary resections and systematic lymphadenectomies at Shanghai Chest Hospital between January 2006 and June 2014 were enrolled. We retrospectively analyzed the potential clinicopathologic factors that influenced survival, including the node levels (single or multiple-station) and the node-spreading patterns (skip N2 or non-skip N2). The prognostic significance was examined by Cox regression analysis. Results The median overall survival (OS) was 23.7 months. Multiple-station lymph node metastasis indicated a poorer prognosis than single-station involvement (p = 0.003). Skip metastasis did not appear to influence survival (p = 0.099). With respect to the station of lymph node metastasis, the OS was only related to the involvement of the subcarinal node, regardless of tumor location (p

Background The SuperARMS EGFR Mutation Detection Kit (SuperARMS) is highly selective and sensitive and able to detect 41 of the most common somatic mutations in exons 18 to 21 of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR). It allows for the detection of 0.2% to 0.8% mutant DNA in a background of 99.8% to 99.2% normal DNA. The present study assessed the performance of SuperARMS in detecting EGFR mutations in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) samples derived from plasma in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Materials and Methods A total of 180 patients with advanced clinical stage lung adenocarcinoma were retrospectively registered. The concordance between the EGFR mutations detected by SuperARMS and ARMS (AmoyDx EGFR 29 Mutations Detection Kit) was analyzed. Results Of the 180 samples, 57 (31.7%) were positive for EGFR mutations using SuperARMS, with 38 (21.1%) positive using ARMS. For the entire cohort, the positive, negative, and overall concordance rates were 97.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 86.2%-99.5%), 85.3% (95% CI, 78.6%-90.2%), and 87.8% (95% CI, 82.2%-91.8%), respectively. The kappa value was 0.69 (95% CI, 0.57-0.81). For the 61 treatment-naive patients and 119 previously treated patients, the kappa values were 0.59 (95% CI, 0.37-0.79) and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.60-0.87), respectively. SuperARMS identified 9 samples harboring the T790M mutation; of these, only 1 (11.1%) was detected using ARMS. Conclusion SuperARMS is a promising plasma-based assay for EGFR mutations, including T790M. It might be useful in advanced-stage lung adenocarcinoma patients whose tissue biopsy samples are insufficient for a traditional diagnostic EGFR assay or for patients with a poor performance status.

Background: Anlotinib (AL3818) is a novel multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor, inhibiting tumour angiogenesis and proliferative signalling. The objective of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of third-line anlotinib for patients with refractory advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (RA-NSCLC). Methods: Eligible patients were randomised 1 : 1 to receive anlotinib (12 mg per day, per os; days 1–14; 21 days per cycle) or a placebo. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Results: A total of 117 eligible patients enrolled from 13 clinical centres in China were analysed in the full analysis set. No patients received immune check-point inhibitors and epidermal growth factor receptor status was unknown in 60.7% of the population. PFS was better with anlotinib compared with the placebo (4.8 vs 1.2 months; hazard ratio (HR)=0.32; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.20–0.51; P

Background Thymic carcinomas (TC) is a kind of a malignant intrathoracic tumor. Herein, we examined the clinicopathological characteristics and analyzed comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) in 47 TC patients to elucidate the potentially clinically relevant genomic alterations (CRGAs) in this population. Methods 47 stage I-IV TC patients who underwent surgery at Shanghai Chest Hospital between 2015 and 2017 were analyzed. These patients were sequenced by FoundationOne CDx (F1CDx) which is a FDA approved platform conducted by DIAN (Hangzhou Lab) with the licensed technologies. In this study, we focus on CRGAs which are known or likely pathogenic alterations. Results The 47 TC patients included 27 thymic squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), 14 neuroendocrine tumors of the thymus (NETT) and 7 mixed subtype of TSCC and NETT. The median age of TSCC, NETT and mixed subtype was 59.5, 65 and 74, respectively. The median number of CRGAs in TSCC, NETT and mixed subtype were 1 (range 0-10), 2 (range 0-3) and 2 (range 0-4), respectively. Only one TSCC patient was microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), which also has the highest TMB (21 Muts/Mb). Among all the four patients with TMB larger than 10 Muts/Mbs, three were TSCC and one was mixed subtype. The top ranked altered genes in TSCC were TP53 (30%), CDKN2A (26), CDKN2B (19%) and ASXL1 (15%). In NETT, the top mutated genes were MEN1 (36%), STAG2 (14%), CDKN2A (14%) and HRAS (14%). Furthermore, the top ranked mutated genes in mixed subtype were TP53 (29%) and CDKN2A (29%). Notably, TP53, ASXL1, TET2, MLL2, EP30, BAP1 were only mutated in TSCC or mixed subtypes. However, mutated of MEN1, STAG2 and HRAS were also founded in NETT subtype. Conclusions This was the largest cohort of CGP for TC till now in a sample Chinese population. TSCC and NETT have very different mutated landscapes, while the mixed subtype was more similar with TSCC. The number of CRGA range from 0 to 10 also demonstrated a high tumor heterogeneity for TSCC. In addition, the top mutated genes in TSCC and NETT founded in this study were different from the published results which focused on metastatic thymic carcinoma (mTC). Given the limited treatment options and poor prognosis of patients with TC, CGP has the potential to identify new treatment paradigms and meet an unmet clinical need for this disease. Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Shanghai science and technology commission. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Anlotinib is a multitargeted antiangiogenic drug, and its clinical predictor for responsive non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is still elusive. Here, tumor‐specific target capture is used to profile the circulating DNA of ALTER0303 (evaluating NSCLC clinical antitumor efficacy through anlotinib therapy) study participants. The results indicate that patients receiving no benefit can be mainly excluded via analysis of ARID1A and BRCA2 genetic profiling. For patients with no durable benefit and durable clinical benefit patients, three predictors: germline and somatic mutation burden (G+S MB), nonsynonymous and synonymous mutation burden (N+S MB), and unfavorable mutation score of circulating DNA profiling are identified. Through integrating the advantages and disadvantages of three independent predictors, the tumor mutation index (TMI) is established as a prediction model and the patients who are very likely to benefit more from anlotinib therapy are identified. Furthermore, the IDH1 exon 4 mutation is identified as an unfavorable factor for anlotinib therapy under TMI‐based stratification, and the TMI plus IDH1 exon 4 mutation status potentially predicts response to anlotinib. Collectively, this study provides a circulating DNA sequencing–based stratification method for identifying anlotinib responders via a noninvasive approach, and thus potentially improves the clinical outcome of NSCLC patients receiving third‐line therapy.

9035 Background: Several lines of evidence suggested a role for metformin in sensitizing diabetic NSCLC patients to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, data regarding its effects on non-diabetic populations remained scarce. We hereby examined metformin’s first-line use alongside gefitinib in EGFR mutation positive (EGFRm) patients without diabetes. Methods: In this trial (NCT01864681), 224 non-diabetic patients with treatment naïve stage IIIB-IV EGFRm NSCLC were randomly assigned at 1:1 to receive gefitinib plus metformin or placebo. Gefitinib was administered at 250 mg once daily, while metformin/placebo was initiated at 500 mg once daily and then escalated to 1000 mg twice daily over 2 weeks. Dose reduction was permitted for metformin/placebo in case of intolerable toxicity. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 1 year. Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), PFS, objective response rate (ORR), and safety. Serum levels of interleukin-6 were also subjected to exploratory analysis. Results: Baseline characteristics were well balanced between treatment groups. The median duration of follow-up was 19.15 (IQR 12.99-28.44) months. The estimated 1-year PFS rate was 41.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 30.0-52.2) in the metformin group versus 42.9% (95% CI 32.6-52.7) in the placebo group (p = 0.6268). Metformin did not increase median PFS (10.3 months vs. 11.4 months), median OS (22.0 months vs. 27.5 months), or ORR (66.0% vs. 66.7%) over placebo. No significant treatment group differences in terms of PFS were detected across subgroups either, including those with elevated levels of interleukin-6. Metformin plus gefitinib shared a similar safety profile with the control group, except for a remarkably higher incidence of diarrhea (78.38% vs. 43.24%). Conclusions: Our study did not show enhanced gefitinib efficacy upon addition of metformin and hence does not support its concurrent use with first-line EGFR-TKI therapy in non-diabetic EGFRm NSCLC patients. Clinical trial information: NCT01864681.

Background Sunitinib is an oral multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) exhibiting antiagiogenic and antitumor effects. Objective To evaluate the efficacy and potential toxicity of sunitinib therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in China. Methods From January 2009 to August 2011, 30 patients with stage IV NSCLC, who were pretreated with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-TKIs and then received sunitinib, were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was performed to determine the potential prognostic risk factors influencing NSCLC survival. Results The median progression-free survival (PFS) and median overall survival (OS) of all 30 treated patients was 1.25 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90–1.9 months] and 3.40 months (95% CI: 3.00–6.80 months), respectively. Cox regression analysis suggested that Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) is predictive of both PFS (P = 0.001) and OS (P

Anlotinib is a novel multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor for tumor angiogenesis and proliferative signaling. A phase 2 trial showed anlotinib to improve progression-free survival with a potential benefit of overall survival, leading to the phase 3 trial to confirm the drug's efficacy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).To investigate the efficacy of anlotinib on overall survival of patients with advanced NSCLC progressing after second-line or further treatment.The ALTER 0303 trial was a multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib in patients with advanced NSCLC. Patients from 31 grade-A tertiary hospitals in China were enrolled between March 1, 2015, and August 31, 2016. Those aged 18 to 75 years who had histologically or cytologically confirmed NSCLC were eligible (n = 606), and those who had centrally located squamous cell carcinoma with cavitary features or brain metastases that were uncontrolled or controlled for less than 2 months were excluded. Patients (n = 440) were randomly assigned in a 2-to-1 ratio to receive either 12 mg/d of anlotinib or a matched placebo. All cases were treated with study drugs at least once in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle.The primary end point was overall survival. The secondary end points were progression-free survival, objective response rate, disease control rate, quality of life, and safety.In total, 439 patients were randomized, 296 to the anlotinib group (106 [36.1%] were female and 188 [64.0%] were male, with a mean [SD] age of 57.9 [9.1] years) and 143 to the placebo group (46 [32.2%] were female and 97 [67.8%] were male, with a mean [SD] age of 56.8 [9.1] years). Overall survival was significantly longer in the anlotinib group (median, 9.6 months; 95% CI, 8.2-10.6) than the placebo group (median, 6.3 months; 95% CI, 5.0-8.1), with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.68 (95% CI, 0.54-0.87; P = .002). A substantial increase in progression-free survival was noted in the anlotinib group compared with the placebo group (median, 5.4 months [95% CI, 4.4-5.6] vs 1.4 months [95% CI, 1.1-1.5]; HR, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.19-0.31]; P .001). Considerable improvement in objective response rate and disease control rate was observed in the anlotinib group over the placebo group. The most common grade 3 or higher adverse events in the anlotinib arm were hypertension and hyponatremia.Among the Chinese patients in this trial, anlotinib appears to lead to prolonged overall survival and progression-free survival. This finding suggests that anlotinib is well tolerated and is a potential third-line or further therapy for patients with advanced NSCLC.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02388919.

Crizotinib has been reported to be particularly effective and to have acceptable toxicity in advanced anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we analyzed the efficacy and tolerability of crizotinib in the treatment of 72 Chinese patients with ALK-positive, advanced NSCLC. All patients received oral crizotinib 250 mg twice daily in 28-day cycles during the period June 1, 2013, to October 15, 2014. The tumor response was assessed after the first cycle of crizotinib and then after every two cycles using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.0. Tolerability was assessed at least twice per cycle until crizotinib was discontinued. The patients tended to be young (mean age 55 years, range 31–83 years), never or light smokers (smoking index

Background Anlotinib hydrochloride, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting VEGFR, FGFR, PDGFR, and c-kit, showed promising efficacy in a phase 2 study. Here, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of anlotinib as third-line treatment for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Methods We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial (ALTER-0303) at 31 sites. Eligible patients with stage 3B/4 non-small-cell lung cancer who progressed after at least two lines of previous therapies were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive anlotinib (12 mg once a day from day 1 to 14 of a 21-day cycle) or placebo until progression or intolerable toxicity. Enrolled patients harbouring EGFR or ALK mutations must have failed in previous match-targeted therapies. The primary endpoint was overall survival. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials, number NCT02388919. Findings Between February, 2015, and August, 2016, we randomly assigned 437 patients. The baseline characteristics of the anlotinib group (n=294) and placebo group (n=143) were well balanced in age, gender, ECOG performance status, and gene status. With 292 overall survival events (67%), a significant improvement in overall survival was observed in the anlotinib group compared with the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·68, 95% CI 0·54–0·87 p=0·0018), according to investigator-assessed results (table). Interpretation The ALTER-0303 trial met its primary endpoint; anlotinib significantly improved overall survival in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer with a manageable safety profile. The results strongly suggest that anlotinib should be considered as a candidate for the third-line treatment or beyond in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Funding Chia-tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical Co Ltd.

9053 Background: Anlotinib hydrochloride, an oral TKI targeting VEGFR, FGFR, PDGFR and c-Kit, showed promising efficacy in PhaseⅡstudy. Here, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of anlotinib as third-line treatment for advanced NSCLC, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase Ⅲtrial (ALTER-0303). Methods: Eligible ⅢB/Ⅳ NSCLC pts who progressed after at least 2 lines of prior therapies were randomized 2:1 to receive anlotinib or placebo (12 mg QD from day 1 to 14 of a 21-day cycle) till progression or intolerable toxicity. Enrolled pts harboring EGFR or ALK mutations must had failed in previous match-targeted therapies. The primary endpoint is OS; secondary endpoint includes PFS, DCR and ORR. Results: As of Aug 2016, total of 437 pts from 31 sites were randomized. The baseline characteristics of Anlotinib arm (N=294) and placebo arm (N=143) were well balanced in the age, gender, ECOG PS and gene states. With 292 OS events (66.82%), significant superiorities in OS, PFS, DCR and ORR were observed in Anlotinib arm according to investigator-assessed results. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related AEs were hypertension, dermal toxicity and hypertriglyceridemia. There was no treatment–related death in either arm. (Data presented in the Table.) Conclusions: ALTER-0303 trial met its primary endpoint. Anlotinib significantly improved OS and PFS in advanced NSCLC with a manageable safety profile. The results strongly suggest that anlotinib should be considered as a candidate for the third-line treatment or beyond in advanced NSCLC. Clinical trial information: NCT02388919. [Table: see text]

Study objectives Recently, less invasive methods have emerged as potential alternatives for staging with tissue confirmation of suspected metastatic mediastinal lymph nodes in lung cancer. The objective of this review was to assess the overall diagnostic accuracy of EBUS-TBNA in detecting metastatic mediastinal lymph node in lung cancer with a meta-analysis. Methods The MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cancerlit and Cochrane Library database, from January 1995 to September 2008, were searched for studies evaluating EBUS-TBNA accuracy. Meta-analysis methods were used to pool sensitivity and specificity and to construct summary receiver-operating characteristic. Results A total of 11 studies with 1299 patients, who fulfilled all of the inclusion criteria, were considered for the analysis. No publication bias was found. EBUS-TBNA had a pooled sensitivity of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.91–0.94) and a pooled specificity of 1.00 (95% CI, 0.99–1.00). The subgroup of patients who were selected on the basis of CT or PET positive results had higher pooled sensitivity (0.94, 95% CI 0.93–0.96) than the subgroup of patients without any selection of CT or PET (0.76, 95% CI 0.65–0.85) (p