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Background: Targeted therapy is now the standard of care in driver-oncogene-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Its initial clinical effects are remarkable. However, almost all patients experience treatment resistance to targeted therapy. Hence, chemotherapy is considered a subsequent treatment option. In patients with driver-oncogene-negative NSCLC, combined immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and chemotherapy as the first-line therapy has been found to be beneficial. However, the efficacy of ICI plus chemotherapy against driver-oncogene-positive NSCLC other than epidermal growth factor receptor mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase fusion is unclear., Methods: Using the hospital medical records, we retrospectively reviewed advanced or recurrent NSCLC patients who were treated with chemotherapy with or without ICIs at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital between January 2014 and January 2023. Patients with druggable rare mutations such as KRAS-G12C, MET exon 14 skipping, HER2 20 insertion, BRAF-V600E mutations, and ROS1 and RET rearrangements were analyzed., Results: In total, 61 patients were included in this analysis. ICI plus chemotherapy was administered in 36 patients (the ICI-chemo group) and chemotherapy in 25 patients (the chemo group). The median progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 14.0 months in the ICI-chemo group and 4.8 months in the chemo group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.28-1.01). The median overall survival rates were 31.3 and 21.7 months in the ICI-chemo and chemo groups, respectively (HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.33-1.50). Multivariate Cox regression analysis of PFS revealed that HER2 exon 20 insertion mutation was significantly associated with a poorer PFS (HR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.19-4.77, P = 0.014). Further, ICI-chemo treatment was significantly associated with a better PFS (HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.25-0.91, P = 0.025)., Conclusion: ICI plus chemotherapy improves treatment efficacy in rare driver-oncogene-positive NSCLC., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Determining whether patients' unrealistic expectations of chemotherapy as a cure were associated with their perception of the disclosure of incurability., Methods: This prospective study included consecutive patients with pretreated non-small cell lung cancer from four study sites. Patients and their oncologists were asked whether they perceived the disclosure of cancer incurability. Patients were also asked if they thought that chemotherapy was curative. We followed up on whether the deceased patients received specialized palliative care 14 months after their last enrollment. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between the expectation of chemotherapy as a cure and patient/oncologist-reported perceptions of the disclosure of incurability., Results: We analyzed 200 patients, 77 (38.5%) of whom had unrealistic expectations of a cure. Based on patients' perceptions, incurability was disclosed to 138 (69.0%) patients, and based on their oncologists' perceptions, incurability was disclosed to 185 (92.5%) patients (patient/oncologist agreements, κ = 0.19). Patients without a perception of the oncologist's disclosure of incurability-regardless of their oncologist's perception-were more likely to have unrealistic expectations of a cure than patients for whom both patient and oncologist perceptions were present. Patients who had unrealistic expectations of chemotherapy as a cure were shown to be significantly less likely to have received specialized palliative care, after adjusting for covariates (adjusted OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.23-0.91; p = .027)., Conclusion: Oncologists' disclosure of incurability was not fully recognized by patients, and expectations of chemotherapy as a cure were associated with patients' perception of the disclosure of incurability., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: End-of-life discussions for patients with advanced cancer are internationally recommended to ensure consistency of end-of-life care with patients' values. This study examined the elements of end-of-life discussions associated with end-of-life care., Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective observational study among consecutive patients with pretreated non-small cell lung cancer after the failure of first-line chemotherapy. We asked oncologists whether they had ever discussed "prognosis," "do not attempt resuscitation," "hospice," and "preferred place of death" with a patient at baseline. The quality of life (QOL) and depressive symptoms of patients were assessed using validated questionnaires at baseline and 3 months later. The end-of-life care that patients received was investigated using medical records. Oncologists' compassion and caregivers' preferences for hospice care were also assessed using questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between elements of end-of-life discussions and patient-reported outcomes as well as actual end-of-life care., Results: We obtained 200 valid responses at baseline, 147 valid responses 3 months later, and 145 data points for medical care at the end-of-life stage. No element of the end-of-life discussion between the patient and their oncologist was significantly associated with patients' reported outcomes or actual end-of-life care. In addition, oncologists' compassion was significantly associated with improvement in both comprehensive QOL and depressive symptoms, and caregivers' preferences for hospice care and high educational level were significantly associated with hospice death., Conclusion: Oncologist-patient alliances and caregivers' involvement in end-of-life discussions may be influential in achieving optimal end-of-life care., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Background: The Cockcroft-Gault formula is commonly used as a substitute for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in Calvert's formula for carboplatin dosing, where adjusting serum creatinine measured using the enzymatic method with 0.2 mg/dL has been suggested in Japan. However, the effects of these adjustments on efficacy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer remain unknown., Methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of the PREDICT1 study (CJLSG1201), a multicenter prospective observational trial of carboplatin-pemetrexed. Glomerular filtration rate values in Calvert's formula were back-calculated from the administered dosages of carboplatin and the reported value of the target area under the curve. We estimated the serum creatinine adjustments and divided the patients into crude and adjusted groups., Results: Patients in the crude group (N = 169) demonstrated similar efficacy to those in the adjusted group (N = 104) in progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76-1.35; p = 0.916 vs. HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.65-1.17; p = 0.363), with higher grade 3-4 hematologic toxicity. Among patients aged ≥75 years, the crude group (N = 47) showed superior efficacy compared with the adjusted group (N = 17) in PFS and OS (HR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.20-0.69; p = 0.002 vs. HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.23-0.82; p = 0.010)., Conclusions: Serum creatinine adjustment may be associated with similar efficacy compared to the crude serum creatinine value. In older patients, the adjustment should be cautiously applied owing to the potential for reduced efficacy., (© 2023 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Although patients with advanced cancer often have poor prognostic awareness, the most effective communication approach for improving prognostic awareness is unclear. In addition, the association between prognostic awareness and preferences for future medical treatment remains unexplored., Materials and Methods: We performed a prospective observational study of consecutive patients with advanced or post-operative recurrent non-small cell lung cancer whose disease had progressed after first-line chemotherapy, and their caregivers. We evaluated patterns of clinical discussions about incurability, prognostic awareness, and preference for future medical treatment at baseline and 3 months later., Results: We obtained 200 valid responses to the questionnaires at baseline and 147 valid responses 3 months later. In addition, 180 caregivers returned valid responses. A total of 54% of patients and 51% of caregivers had accurate awareness at baseline, and 52% of patients had accurate awareness 3 months later. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that patients who were informed about incurability in recent and past discussions were significantly more likely to have accurate awareness 3 months later, compared with those who were only informed recently (adjusted odds ratio 5.08; 95% CI, 1.31-19.78; P = .019). Accurate awareness at 3 months was significantly negatively associated with preference for life-prolonging treatment at 3 months after adjusting for covariates (adjusted odds ratio 0.39; 95% CI, 0.17-0.90; P = .028)., Conclusion: Patients with advanced cancer who had both recent and past discussions about incurability with their oncologists have more accurate prognostic awareness. Improving prognostic awareness could reduce the preference for life-prolonging treatment., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Purpose: The present study clarified the sensitivity of the BRAF tyrosine kinase inhibitor mechanism in patients with BRAF compound mutation and predicted the sensitivity using molecular dynamics simulation., Methods: We examined 16 BRAF tumors with p.V600E-positive non-small-cell lung cancer., Results: One patient (6.2%) had a BRAF p.V600E and p.K601_W604 compound mutation with a good clinical response to dabrafenib and trametinib. Molecular dynamics simulation also complemented the effect., Conclusions: The combination of a genetic analysis and computational simulation model may help predict the sensitivity for dabrafenib in cases with a rare BRAF compound mutation. The construction of a genomic and simulation fused database is important for the development of personalized medicine in this field., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

A 44-year-old man developed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia during immunochemotherapy consisting of carboplatin, paclitaxel, and pembrolizumab for non-small cell lung cancer. Low-grade fever, followed by mild hypoxemia, and febrile neutropenia, were observed, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administered until the recovery of neutropenia, when he developed a high fever, severe hypoxemia, and hypotension accompanied by consolidation in the bilateral lungs. His conditions promptly improved after treatment including hydrocortisone and the primary and metastatic tumors remained regressed for 10 months without further treatment. Post-COVID-19 organizing pneumonia during cancer immunochemotherapy can be aggravated by immune-checkpoint inhibitors and G-CSF.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy plus chemotherapy has become a standard of care for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Pre-existing interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a risk factor for drug-induced pneumonitis caused by chemotherapy or ICI monotherapy. However, clinical data in patients with pre-existing ILD who received ICI therapy plus chemotherapy are limited. This study aimed to identify the risk factors for drug-induced pneumonitis in patients with NSCLC treated with ICIs plus chemotherapy., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 160 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with NSCLC and treated with ICIs plus chemotherapy at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital between December 2018 and November 2020. Patients with a prior history of ICI treatment or thoracic radiotherapy were excluded from the analysis., Results: Among 125 patients, pre-existing ILD was observed in 20 patients (16.0%). Drug-induced pneumonitis developed in 17 patients (13.6%), with a median time to onset of 19.3 weeks (range, 1.6-108.9 weeks). In multivariate logistic analysis, pre-existing ILD (odds ratio = 19.07, p = 0.0001) and PEM exposure (odds ratio = 5.67, p = 0.022) were identified as risk factors for the development of drug-induced pneumonitis., Conclusions: Pre-existing ILD and pemetrexed exposure are risk factors for drug-induced pneumonitis in patients with NSCLC., (© 2022 The Authors. Thoracic Cancer published by China Lung Oncology Group and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: Malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) deteriorate the quality of life in patients with advanced stages of cancer. Although vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is known to be a key factor for MPE formation, it is not fully clarified whether there are other components related to its appearance., Methods: Pleural effusion and serum samples were collected from patients with MPEs of non-small cell lung cancer. Cellular analysis of pleural effusion was performed using fluorescence flow cytometry. The concentrations of 12 cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in MPEs and serum samples were analyzed using the cytometric bead array method., Results: Fifteen patients (median age: 70 years, 11 males) with non-small cell lung cancer (13 adenocarcinoma, 2 squamous cell carcinoma) were enrolled in this study. Concentrations of VEGF, interleukin (IL)-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12/IL-23p40, and C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) 2 were significantly higher in MPE than in serum. Pleural IL-5 levels correlated with malignant cell numbers in MPE. There was no factor related to the total amount of drained effusion or period of chest tube insertion., Conclusions: Production of six molecules were increased in the pleural cavity with MPE of non-small cell lung cancer. Complex interactions among these molecules may regulate MPE formation.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have dramatically changed the strategy used to treat patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the vast majority of patients eventually develop progressive disease (PD) and acquire resistance to ICIs. Some patients experience oligoprogressive disease. Few retrospective studies have evaluated clinical efficacy in patients with oligometastatic progression who received local therapy after ICI treatment. We conducted a retrospective analysis of advanced NSCLC patients who received PD-1 inhibitor monotherapy with nivolumab or pembrolizumab to evaluate the effects of ICIs on the patterns of progression and the efficacy of local therapy for oligoprogressive disease. Of the 307 patients treated with ICIs, 148 were evaluated in our study; 42 were treated with pembrolizumab, and 106 were treated with nivolumab. Thirty-eight patients showed oligoprogression. Male sex, a lack of driver mutations, and smoking history were significantly correlated with the risk of oligoprogression. Primary lesions were most frequently detected at oligoprogression sites (15 patients), and 6 patients experienced abdominal lymph node (LN) oligoprogression. Four patients showed evidence of new abdominal LN oligometastases. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the local therapy group and the switch therapy group (reached vs. not reached, P = .456). We summarized clinical data on the response of oligoprogressive NSCLC to ICI therapy. The results may help to elucidate the causes of ICI resistance and indicate that the use of local therapy as the initial treatment in this setting is feasible treatment option., (© 2020 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.)

Background: RNA-based sequencing is considered ideal for detecting pathogenic fusion-genes compared to DNA-based assays and provides valuable information about the relative expression of driver genes. However, RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue has issues with both quantity and quality, making RNA-based sequencing difficult in clinical practice. Analyzing stamp-derived RNA with next-generation sequencing (NGS) can address the above-mentioned obstacles. In this study, we validated the analytical specifications and clinical performance of our custom panel for RNA-based assays on the Ion Torrent platform., Methods: To evaluate our custom RNA lung panel, we first examined the gene sequences of RNA derived from 35 NSCLC tissues with diverse backgrounds by conventional methods and NGS. Next, we moved to the clinical phase, where clinical samples (all stamp-derived RNA) were used to examine variants. In the clinical phase we conducted an NGS analysis while simultaneously applying conventional approaches to assess the feasibility and validity of the panel in clinical practice., Results: In the prerun phase, all of the variants confirmed with conventional methods were detected by NGS. In the clinical phase, a total of 80 patients were enrolled and 80 tumor specimens were sequenced from February 2018 to December 2018. There were 66 cases in which the RNA concentration was too low to be measured, but sequencing was successful in the vast majority of cases. The concordance between NGS and conventional methods was 95.0%., Conclusions: RNA extraction using stamp specimens and panel sequencing by NGS were considered applicable in clinical settings., Key Points: Significant findings of the study Next-generation sequencing using RNA from stamp specimens was able to detect driver gene changes in non-small cell lung cancer including fusion genes with the same accuracy as conventional methods. What this study adds Using RNA from stamp specimens obtained from biopsy increases the number of candidate cases for RNA sequencing in clinical settings., (© 2020 The Authors. Thoracic Cancer published by China Lung Oncology Group and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

BRAF mutations are rare driver mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accounting for 1%-2% of the driver mutations, and the mutation spectrum has a wide range in contrast to other tumors. While V600E is a dominant mutation in melanoma, more than half of the mutations in NSCLCs are non-V600E. However, treatment with dabrafenib plus trametinib targets the BRAF V600E mutation exclusively. Therefore, distinguishing between V600E and non-V600E mutations is crucial for biomarker testing in NSCLC in order to determine treatment of choice. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) using the BRAF V600E mutation-specific antibody is clinically used in melanoma patients, but little is known about its application in NSCLC, particularly with regard to the assay performance for non-V600E mutations. In the present study, we examined 117 tumors with BRAF mutations, including 30 with non-V600E mutations, using BRAF mutation-specific IHC. None of the tumors with non-V600E mutations, including two compound mutations, showed a positive reaction. Furthermore, all V600E mutations were positive except for one case with combined BRAF V600E and K601_W604 deletion. Our findings confirmed that the BRAF V600E mutation-specific IHC is specific without any cross-reactions to non-V600E mutations, suggesting that this assay can be a useful screening tool in clinical practice., (© 2020 Japanese Society of Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objectives: Pneumonitis related to the use of anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibodies is a common immune-related adverse event that can be life-threatening. However, the relationship between pulmonary fibrosis/emphysema and the incidence of anti-PD-1-related pneumonitis is unclear., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from 123 patients who were diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer and treated with anti-PD-1 antibodies (nivolumab or pembrolizumab) at the Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Japan, between December 17, 2015, and November 30, 2017. Patients who previously received thoracic radiotherapy to the primary lesion, mediastinum, spinal, or rib metastases were excluded from the analysis. Fibrosis score (0-5) and emphysema score (0-4) on baseline chest computed tomography (CT) were determined by two diagnostic radiologists., Results: Eighteen patients (14.6%) experienced anti-PD-1-related pneumonitis, of which four (3.3%) were grade ≥3. The median onset time of pneumonitis after starting anti-PD-1 therapy was 60 days (range, 6-634 days). According to the analysis of fibrosis score, pneumonitis occurred in 13 (35.1%) of the 37 patients with a fibrosis score ≥1 and in 5 (5.8%) of 86 patients with a fibrosis score of 0. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that fibrosis score ≥1 was the only risk factor for anti-PD-1-related pneumonitis (p = 0.0008)., Conclusion: Our results indicate that pre-existing pulmonary fibrosis significantly increases the risk of anti-PD-1-related pneumonitis. Further studies are needed to identify predictive factors of anti-PD-1-related pneumonitis in patients with fibrotic changes on CT findings., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background/aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of osimertinib for elderly patients, since the data remain limited., Patients and Methods: A total of 77 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M mutation and treated with osimertinib were reviewed. Efficacy and safety indicators, such as EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-related adverse events (AEs) and osimertinib-associated hematotoxicity, were evaluated in elderly patients (elderly group, EG; age, ≥75 years) by comparing them with younger patients (non-EG; aged <75 years). The frequency of AEs associated with osimertinib was compared with the initial EGFR-TKI treatment before osimertinib administration in the same patient cohort., Results: Of the total 77 patients, 18 (23%) were assigned to the EG, whereas 59 (77%) were assigned to the non-EG. There were no significant differences in overall response rate and progression-free survival between the two groups. Regarding the safety of osimertinib, the EG had significantly more grade ≥2 paronychia than the non-EG (16.6% vs. 1.6%, p=0.04). Additionally, the maximum grade of EGFR-TKI-related AEs associated with osimertinib in the EG was significantly lower than that of the initial EGFR-TKI treatment (p=0.03)., Conclusion: Osimertinib is a safe and effective treatment option for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC who harbor the EGFR mutation., (Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: The combination use of the vascular disrupting agent ombrabulin with chemotherapeutic agents was previously shown to be highly synergistic in preclinical models., Methods: In this dose-escalation study of ombrabulin (15.5-35 mg/m2) in combination with docetaxel (60 or 75 mg/m2) and cisplatin (75 mg/m2), agents were administered 24 h apart every 3 weeks to Japanese patients with advanced solid tumors. The study was designed and conducted in a 3 + 3 manner. Safety, tumor response and pharmacokinetics were evaluated., Results: Eleven patients with non small cell lung cancer as the primary tumor were treated. Two patients out of five had dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) in Cycle 1 at the starting doses of ombrabulin 15.5 mg/m2, docetaxel 60 mg/m2 and cisplatin 75 mg/m2. Thus, dose escalation was terminated. The first dose level was re-evaluated in six patients who received prophylactic granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). However, because of the occurrence of DLTs in Cycle 1 in two patients out of six, the study was led to the premature termination without pursued upper dose level. Partial response was observed in four patients out of 11. Pharmacokinetic parameters of ombrabulin and cisplatin were not altered in this combination treatment, while docetaxel clearance decreased by ~40% compared to that observed with docetaxel monotherapy at the same dose (60 mg/m2)., Conclusion: A combination regimen of ombrabulin with cisplatin and docetaxel was not feasible for Japanese patients owing to the occurrence of hematological and non-hematological DLTs at the initial dose level., Clinical Trial Registration Id: ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01095302.

Several second-generation inhibitors of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) have demonstrated potent activity in ALK rearrangement-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Two of these agents, ceritinib, and alectinib, recently received approval for the treatment of ALK-rearranged NSCLC in Japan. The efficacy of treatment with a second-generation ALK inhibitor after failure with a different second-generation ALK inhibitor remains unclear. We present a series of eight patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC treated with alectinib who experienced disease progression after ceritinib. Both crizotinib and ceritinib were administered to six patients, with four (29%) patients receiving crizotinib followed by ceritinib. Among the eight study patients, two (25%) had partial response, one (12%) stable disease, and five (63%) had progressive disease. The median progression-free survival was 3.6 months (95% confidence interval=0-7.1 months). The results of this study suggest that the second-generation ALK inhibitor alectinib has limited efficacy after initial treatment with the second-generation ALK inhibitor ceritinib., (Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: Emergence of the T790M point mutation in exon 20 of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the most common mechanism of resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between T790M mutation status and the progression patterns during EGFR-TKI treatment., Methods: We reviewed 181 patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer harboring EGFR mutation, who were evaluated for T790M mutation status after initial EGFR-TKI failure (gefitinib, erlotinib, or afatinib). We retrospectively investigated the patient characteristics, initial EGFR-TKI response, T790M mutation status, subsequent treatment after initial EGFR-TKIs, timing of re-biopsy, and progression patterns during the EGFR-TKI treatment., Results: After the resistance to the EGFR-TKIs, the T790M mutation was identified in 87 (48%) of 181 patients. Seventy-three (40%) patients had solitary lesion progression, and 108 (60%) had multiple lesion progression during the initial EGFR-TKI treatment. The prevalence of the T790M mutation was significantly greater in patients with solitary lesion progression than those with multiple lesion progression (58% vs. 24%; P < .0001). The overall response rate and progression-free survival on initial EGFR-TKIs were significantly better in patients who acquired T790M after failure of EGFR-TKIs than those without T790M (overall response rate, 80% vs. 60%; P = .0033 and progression-free survival, 11.4 vs. 9.3 months; P = .0050). The multivariate analysis showed that gender, initial EGFR-TKI response, and progression patterns were significantly associated with T790M mutation status., Discussion: The progression patterns during initial EGFR-TKIs and initial EGFR-TKI response are associated with the T790M mutation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Emergence of the T790M point mutation in exon 20 of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the most common mechanism of resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). It remains unclear whether the efficacy of platinum-doublet chemotherapy is impacted by the presence of the T790M mutation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of platinum-doublet chemotherapy after initial EGFR-TKI failure according to the EGFR T790M in patients with advanced EGFR-mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 50 patients with advanced NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations who underwent rebiopsy to evaluate their T790M mutation status after development of resistance to first-line EGFR-TKIs (gefitinib, erlotinib, or afatinib) and were subsequently treated with second-line platinum-based chemotherapy., Results: The median age of patients was 63 years (range, 35-77 years), and 15 (30%) patients were male. Histological examination revealed that all patients had adenocarcinoma, 39 (78%) had stage IV disease, and 11 (22%) patients had postoperative recurrence. Of all, 17 patients (34%) had the T790M mutation by rebiopsy after initial EGFR-TKI failure. The overall response rate (ORR) of platinum-doublet chemotherapy was 24% for both T790M-positive and T790M-negative patients. There was no significant difference in the progression-free survival (PFS) in T790M-positive and T790M-negative patients (median PFS, 6.0 months vs. 5.1 months; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1-11.9 vs. 4.4-5.8; hazard ratio [HR], 0.90 [95%CI, 0.49-1.66]; P=0.7210). None of the factors were predictive of platinum-doublet chemotherapy efficacy by the multivariate analysis., Conclusion: There were no differences in clinical outcomes of platinum-based chemotherapy according to the T790M status of NSCLC patients., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The development of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M point mutation in exon 20 (T790M) is the most common mechanism of resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). The purpose of this study was to determine the association of (18)F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) metrics with T790M status after acquiring resitance to EGFR-TKI resistance., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 34 advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring EGFR mutation who underwent rebiopsy and FDG-PET/CT before rebiopsy. These patients were evaluated for baseline characteristics, initial response to EGFR-TKIs, site of rebiopsy, overall survival, and FDG-PET/CT metrics, such as standardized uptake value (SUV), metabolic tumor volume, and total lesion glycolysis of the rebiopsy site., Results: The median age was 67 years (range, 37-86 years); 19 of the patients (56%) were men. Histologic examination revealed adenocarcinoma in all but one patient, with 20 patients (59%) having stage IIIB and IV disease. Upon initial mutational analyses, the types of EGFR mutation included 17 (50%) deletions in exon 19 and 17 (50%) L858R point mutations in exon 21. At the time of acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs, T790M mutation was identified in 20 (59%) patients. T790M-positive patients had significantly lower levels of median SUVmean and median SUVmax of the rebiopsy site on FDG-PET/CT, compared with T790M-negative patients (SUVmean: 4.57 vs. 9.91, P=0.0069; SUVmax: 7.26 vs. 16.06, P=0.0054). The survival in patients who acquired T790M after failure of EGFR-TKIs was significantly longer than those without T790M (10.2 mos. vs. 18.6 mos., P<0.05)., Conclusion: T790M status was associated with lower levels of SUVmean and SUVmax on FDG-PET/CT and significantly longer survival., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement-positive non-small-cell lung cancers can be effectively treated with an ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) such as crizotinib, but the response magnitude and duration are heterogeneous. Several ALK variants have been identified, but few studies have focused on the effects of different ALK variants on the efficacy of crizotinib., Patients and Methods: Among 55 patients treated with crizotinib as the initial ALK-TKI between January 2007 and December 2014, we identified 35 patients with tumor specimens that could be evaluated for ALK variants by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of crizotinib on the basis of the objective response rate and progression-free survival (PFS) according to the ALK variants., Results: The most frequent ALK variant was variant 1 in 19 patients (54%), followed by variant 2 in five patients (14%), variant 3a/3b in four patients (12%), and other variants in seven patients (20%). Objective response rate was 69% in all patients, whereas it was 74% and 63% in the variant 1 and non-variant 1 groups, respectively. The median PFS time was significantly longer in patients with variant 1 than in those with non-variant 1 (median PFS, 11.0 months [95% CI, 6.5 to 43.0 months] v 4.2 months [95% CI, 1.6 to 10.2 months], respectively; P < .05). Multivariable analysis identified two significant factors associated with PFS duration, ALK variant 1 (hazard ratio, 0.350; 95% CI, 0.128 to 0.929; P < .05) and advanced stage (hazard ratio, 4.646; 95% CI, 1.381 to 21.750; P < .05)., Conclusion: Our results indicate the better efficacy of crizotinib in patients with ALK variant 1 versus non-variant 1. The ALK variant status might affect the efficacy of ALK-TKIs., (© 2016 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.)

Background: The central nervous system (CNS) is a preferential progression site related to poor penetration of crizotinib into the CNS in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with crizotinib. We evaluated the clinical impact of crizotinib on central nervous system progression in ALK-positive NSCLC., Methods: Between January 2006 and September 2015, 59 ALK-positive NSCLC patients treated with crizotinib as the initial ALK inhibitor were retrospectively evaluated for baseline characteristics, initial response to crizotinib, brain metastasis (BM) status at baseline, and progression patterns., Results: Among 59 patients, 48 (81%) received crizotinib as first-line or second-line treatment for advanced or recurrent disease. Out of the 26 (44%) patients who had BM, 13 had untreated BM, and 13 had previously undergone intracranial radiotherapy or surgery. The overall response rate for crizotinib was 66%, with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 9.7 months. Disease progression assessed by response evaluation criteria in solid tumors-progressive disease (RECIST-PD) occurred in 48 patients. The CNS was the common initial progression site in 24 patients, which included isolated CNS progression in 18 patients. There was a significantly shorter median PFS in the BM versus the non-BM patients before crizotinib treatment (median PFS: 6.7 months vs. 10.2 months, P=0.0347). Multivariate analysis revealed that poor performance status (PS) (≥2) or untreated BM were associated with the PFS duration (poor PS: hazard ratio (HR) 3.322, 95% CI 1.402-7.353, P=0.0078; untreated BM: HR 2.314, 95% CI 1.153-4.400, P=0.0196). In addition, the time to the occurrence of CNS progression from the start of crizotinib was significantly shorter in the BM versus non-BM patients (11.1 vs. 22.1 months, P=0.0255)., Conclusion: The common progression site in ALK-positive patients treated with crizotinib was the CNS. BM status was significantly associated with both PFS in crizotinib-treated patients and the occurrence of CNS progression., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Few articles have been published on the imaging findings of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To investigate the radiological findings of ALK-positive NSCLC in the advanced stage, CT scans were examined. In addition, the response to chemotherapy was evaluated. Of the 36 patients with ALK-rearranged NSCLC, a mass and a nodule were identified in 17 (47.2%) and 16 (44.4%), respectively, indicating that more than 40% had a small-sized tumor. Overall, 31 (86.1%) patients had lymphadenopathy, seven (19.4%) had extranodal lymph node invasion, and three (8.3%) had lymphangitis. A pleural effusion was seen in 15 patients (41.7%). All but one patient had no ground-glass opacity (GGO) lesions, indicating that most ALK-positive tumors showed a solid growth pattern without GGO on CT. Twenty were evaluable for response to chemotherapy; 10 (50.0%) had a partial response (PR), nine (45.0%) had stable disease (SD), and one (5.0%) had progressive disease (PD) with first-line chemotherapy. With second-line chemotherapy, five (26.3%) had PR, 11 (57.9%) had SD, and three (15.8%) had PD. The five patients with PR were all treated by using crizotinib. Time to progression was 8.2 months with first-line chemotherapy, and 6.0 months with second-line chemotherapy. Advanced-stage ALK-positive tumors have a relatively aggressive phenotype, which cannot be inferred from the size of the tumor alone. ALK-positive patients have a good response to first-line cytotoxic drugs and to crizotinib as second-line therapy, but a relatively poor response to cytotoxic drugs as second-line therapy., (© 2013 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The purpose of this study is to investigate associations between allelic variations of ABCG2 and ABCB1 with skin toxicity, diarrhea, liver injury and interstitial lung disease (ILD) in gefitinib-treated patients. A prospective clinical study of 83 Japanese patients with non-small-cell lung cancer was performed. Polymorphic loci in ABCG2 and ABCB1 were genotyped, and their effects on gefitinib toxicities were evaluated. ABCG2 34G>A was statistically associated with occurrence of skin rash; 13 (42%) of the 32 patients with at least one variant ABCG2 34G>A allele (G/A and A/A) developed grade 2 or worse skin rash, whereas only 10 (19%) of 51 patients homozygous for the reference allele (G/G) for the wild-type sequence for both alleles did so (P=0.046). There was no significant association between severe toxicities and polymorphisms of ABCG2 421C>A nor ABCB1 3435C>T. The results suggested that ABCG2 34G>A would be useful for predicting grade 2 or worse skin rash.

ASA404 (5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid, vadimezan), a flavone-8-acetic acid analogue, is a novel tumor-vascular disrupting agent. In this study, the safety and tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ASA404 in combination with standard therapy of paclitaxel and carboplatin (P/C) were assessed. A total of 15 Japanese patients with stage IV advanced non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled and P/C plus ASA404 at three dose levels (600-1800 mg/m(2)) was administered every 3 weeks. Dose limiting toxicities were observed in two patients during Cycle 1 of ASA404 treatment (Grade 3 febrile neutropenia at ASA404 1200 mg/m(2) and Grade 3 QT prolongation at ASA404 1800 mg/m(2)) and the incidence of dose limiting toxicity was ≤1/3. The most frequently reported adverse events were injection site pain, peripheral sensory neuropathy, alopecia, neutropenia, nausea, anorexia and arthralgia, which were similar to those seen in previous Phase I/II studies. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed the plasma area under the curve (AUC) of total ASA404 increased in a mostly dose-proportional manner within the dose range investigated. Administration of ASA404 raised plasma 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid level dose-dependently by 116 and 204% after 1200 and 1800 mg/m(2) doses, respectively. Partial response was observed in four patients (27%), and seven patients (47%) exhibited stable disease. Overall, the safety and preliminary efficacy profiles were comparable to those seen in non-Japanese patients in previous Phase I and Phase II studies, and support the further evaluation of ASA404 (1800 mg/m(2)) in Phase III studies in combination with P/C in Japanese patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer., (© 2011 Japanese Cancer Association.)

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status and the effectiveness of gefitinib monotherapy or chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 100 patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC screened for two major EGFR mutations (exon 19 deletions and L858R mutation)., Results: Forty-six out of 48 EGFR mutation-positive patients (96%) received gefitinib, whereas only 3 out of 52 EGFR mutation-negative patients (6%) received gefitinib. Favorable objective response rates to gefitinib as first- and second-line treatment (87 and 80%, respectively) were observed in EGFR mutation-positive patients. Overall response rate to chemotherapy as first-line treatment did not differ significantly between patients with EGFR mutations and those without mutation (32 vs. 28%, respectively; P = 0.7198). As to first-line treatment, EGFR mutation-positive patients treated with gefitinib experienced significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) than did patients who received chemotherapy (median survival, 7.8 months vs. 5.1 months, respectively; P = 0.0323). Similarly, as to second-line treatment, EGFR mutation-positive patients treated with gefitinib had significantly longer PFS than did patients who received chemotherapy (median survival, 6.5 months vs. 4.0 months, respectively; P = 0.0048). Patients with EGFR mutations survived longer than those without EGFR mutations after first-line treatment (median, 24.3 vs. 12.6 months, respectively; P = 0.0029)., Conclusion: EGFR mutation-positive patients benefit from either first- or second-line gefitinib monotherapy. Further large-scale prospective studies to confirm this finding are needed.

Gefitinib is an orally bioavailable, EGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor and was the first targeted drug to be approved for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Identification of objective tumor regressions with gefitinib in NSCLC patients has resulted in intense, worldwide clinical and basic research directed toward finding the optimal use of gefitinib in NSCLC. A recent large international Phase III study (IRESSA NSCLC Trial Evaluating Response and Survival Against Taxotere [INTEREST]) comparing gefitinib and docetaxel in unselected pretreated patients showed equivalent survival with better tolerability and quality of life. In addition, a Phase III study (WJTOG0203) evaluating gefitinib as sequential therapy after platinum-doublet chemotherapy showed the improved progression-free survival time. Furthermore, a large-scale randomized study (IRESSA Pan-Asia study [IPASS]) comparing gefitinib monotherapy with carboplatin/paclitaxel for previously untreated patients with adenocarcinoma who were never- or light-smokers showed an improved progression-free survival time in the gefitinib arm. A smaller Phase III study of pretreated Japanese patients (V-15-32) also demonstrated no difference in overall survival compared with docetaxel, with a statistically greater overall response rate. Somatic mutations in the EGFR gene, the target of gefitinib, were associated with dramatic and durable regressions in patients with NSCLC. Currently, investigators are trying to determine the optimal approach to select patients for treatment with gefitinib. This article aims to briefly summarize the profile of gefitinib, EGFR mutations, landmark trials with gefitinib and, also, ongoing trials that may herald an era of individualized therapy in at least some NSCLC patients.

Introduction: We evaluated the efficacy of gefitinib monotherapy prospectively in patients with advanced or pretreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations., Methods: Patients with NSCLC were examined for EGFR exon 19 deletion mutations by fragment analysis and for EGFR L858R point mutations by the Cycleave polymerase chain reaction technique. EGFR mutation-positive patients with locally advanced, metastatic, or recurrent/refractory NSCLC that was not curable with surgery or thoracic radiotherapy were candidates for gefitinib treatment administered at 250 mg/day until disease progression., Results: Mutations of the EGFR gene were detected in 27 (41%) of 66 patients. Ten had exon 19 deletion, and 17 had L858R. Twenty-one patients harboring EGFR mutations were treated with gefitinib and were considered assessable for responses and adverse events. Nineteen patients with EGFR mutations achieved objective responses (three complete responses and 16 partial responses), resulting in an overall response rate of 90.5% (95% confidence interval, 69.6%-98.8%). The median progression-free survival was 7.7 months (95% confidence interval, 6.0 mo to not reached). The median overall survival has not been reached. Common adverse events were skin toxicity, diarrhea, and elevated aminotransferases, but no pulmonary toxicity was observed., Conclusions: Detection of common EGFR mutations seems to be useful for selecting patients with NSCLC who would likely benefit from gefitinib monotherapy.

Gefitinib (Iressa, ZD 1839) is an orally bioavailable small molecule that selectively inhibits epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) tyrosine kinase activity. Gefitinib causes a dramatic response in approximately 10% to 20% of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who receive prior chemotherapy. Studies of gefitinib in combination chemotherapy in first-line therapy of advanced NSCLC have, however, failed to show improvement of survival. Gefitinib also failed to prolong survival in a placebo controlled clinical trial for patients with pretreated advanced NSCLC. In addition, gefitinib did not improve survival as maintenance therapy after chemoradiation in patients with Stage III NSCLC. A possible explanation for the lack of a survival benefit seen in these studies might be failure to select of patients suitable for gefitinib treatment. Empirically, and also in phase II trials, a good clinical response has been observed most frequently in women, nonsmokers, patients with adenocarcinomas, and East Asian patients. Recently, mutations and amplifications of the EGFR gene identified in a subset of NSCLC have been reported to be useful for prediction of enhanced sensitivity to gefitinib. It is also known that some recurrent tumors have a secondary mutation in the EGFR kinase domain, T 790 M, conferring drug resistance. In Japan, a significant number of patients often develop fatal interstitial lung disease after the introduction of gefitinib, although it is, in general, well tolerated. In the future, we must demonstrated benefits of gefitinib treatment in prospective clinical trials by recruiting patients selected on the basis of biological characteristics. It is also important to further elucidate various issues that include other determinants of gefitinib sensitivity, other mechanisms of resistance to gefitinib or mechanisms or predictive factors of interstitial lung disease by close collaboration among clinicians and basic researchers.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene and the effectiveness of gefitinib treatment in patients with recurrent lung cancer after pulmonary resection., Patients and Methods: We sequenced exons 18-21 of the EGFR gene using total RNA extracted from 59 patients with lung cancer who were treated with gefitinib for recurrent lung cancer. Gefitinib effectiveness was evaluated by both imaging studies and change in serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels., Results: EGFR mutations were found in 33 patients (56%). Of these mutations, 17 were deletions around codons 746-750 and 15 were point mutations (12 at codon 858, three at other codons), and one was an insertion. EGFR mutations were significantly more prevalent in females, adenocarcinoma, and never-smokers. Gefitinib treatment resulted in tumor shrinkage and/or CEA decrease to less than half of the baseline level in 26 patients, tumor growth and/or CEA elevation in 24 patients, and gefitinib effect was not assessable in nine patients. Female, never-smoking patients with adenocarcinoma tended to respond better to gefitinib treatment. Gefitinib was effective in 24 of 29 patients with EGFR mutations, compared with two of 21 patients without mutations (P < .0001). Of note, del746-750 might be superior to L858R mutations for prediction of gefitinib response. Patients with EGFR mutations survived for a longer period than those without the mutations after initiation of gefitinib treatment (P = .0053)., Conclusion: EGFR mutations were a good predictor of clinical benefit of gefitinib in this setting.

We evaluated the prognostic significance of p53 mutations and an allelic loss of chromosome 3p in 71 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent potentially curative resection. p53 mutations were detected in 35 cases (49%), while 3p deletions were observed in 34 of 70 informative cases (49%). The presence of the p53 mutation was associated with a shortened survival in all patients (P = 0.014 by log rank test), including those in early stages of the disease (stage I or II, n = 48) (P = 0.016 by log rank test). Multivariate analysis by the Cox proportional hazards model also revealed that p53 mutation was an independent yet unfavorable prognostic factor (P = 0.013). Patients with 3p deletion tended to have a poorer prognosis, but not to a statistically significant extent.

The pharmacokinetics of a 72-hour infusion of 240 mg/m2 etoposide administered concurrently with 90 mg/m2 cisplatin was studied in 12 lung cancer patients. The area under the curve (AUC), elimination half-life, steady state concentration, systemic clearance, renal clearance of etoposide and distribution volume at steady state were 225.4 +/- 39.2 micrograms x h/ml, 8.1 +/- 3.4 h, 3.1 +/- 0.6 micrograms/ml, 18.8 +/- 3.1 ml/min/m2, 3.1 +/- 1.4 ml/min/m2, 9.6 +/- 3.8 l/m2, respectively, which were in accordance with those reported previously in patients treated with etoposide alone. Although concentration at 24 hours, total bilirubin level and total protein level were correlated with the AUC which in turn correlated with hematologic toxicity, the variables were not predictive of hematologic toxicity. We conclude that the concomitant administration of cisplatin at a dose level of 30 mg/m2/day might not affect the pharmacokinetics of prolonged etoposide infusion.

To evaluate the efficacy of a combined therapy of prednisolone and alprazolam for controlling cisplatin-induced delayed emesis, a study involving 14 non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving cisplatin (80 mg/m2) was conducted. Seven of these patients were given oral prednisolone at a dose of 30 mg/day for 5 days, then, 15 mg/day for 2 days, and with alprazolam at a dose 1.2 mg/day for 7 days. The other 7 patients were given an oral metoclopramide at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day for 5 days, and at 0.5 mg/kg/day for 2 days. All patients received 2 courses of chemotherapy and the same assigned regimen. Five of the 7 patients who had received prednisolone and alprazolam experienced no emesis, in contrast to only 1 patient who experienced no emesis from taking oral metoclopramide (p less than 0.05). Further, the duration of anorexia was shorter in those who received oral prednisolone with alprazolam. Thus, a combined therapy of oral prednisolone and alprazolam appears to be effective for controlling cisplatin-induced delayed emesis. Further evaluation and study, however, are necessary.