Emerging from their burrow: Hedgehog pathway inhibitors for cancer

Introduction: Cancer treatment is moving away from conventional cytotoxic drugs and towards agents that target specific proteins and mechanisms important to cancer development or survival. The Hedgehog Pathway (HhP) is a signal transduction pathway and its constitutive activation is tumorigenic in basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The HhP enables phenotypic flexibility, and channels tumor-stroma interactions. As a result, it is over-expressed in numerous cancers as well as in the tumor microenvironment and may represent a promising therapeutic target.

Areas covered: In this article, we review the rationale for targeting HhP and its role as an oncogenic driver, in tumor epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and in the tumor microenvironment and describe the results of preclinical and clinical studies involving HhP inhibitors.

Expert opinion: HhP activation plays an important role in both the tumor microenvironment and tumor EMT which can lead to treatment resistance for a number of different malignancies. In addition to standard use in BCC, several HhP inhibitors are in preclinical, early, and mid-stage clinical development for other solid and hematologic malignancies.     

Perioperative management of diabetes

Diabetes is a complex, chronic metabolic disorder affecting approximately 9.3% of the adult population with the estimated number of adults with diabetes worldwide having more than tripled since 2000. This increase has largely been attributed to global urbanization and lifestyle changes. Diabetes affects 10–15% of the surgical population. These patients are frequently elderly, have complex medical co-morbidities and present for both high-risk elective and emergency surgery. This multisystem disease poses a significant challenge to both anaesthesia and surgery with patients with diabetes demonstrating higher morbidity and mortality rates compared to their non-diabetic counterparts. It is crucial that good glycaemic control is maintained throughout the perioperative period as this has been shown to correlate with positive patient outcomes. It is well-recognized that a co-ordinated, multidisciplinary approach aimed at optimizing every point in the patient pathway from GP referral to post-discharge care is required to obtain the best outcomes for the surgical patient with diabetes. The anaesthetist has a key role in the perioperative diabetes multidisciplinary team. Patients themselves are well experienced in manging their own diabetes and should be involved in doing so whenever possible.     

Incidence of T790M in Patients With NSCLC Progressed to Gefitinib,Erlotinib, and Afatinib: A Study on Circulating Cell-free DNA

BackgroundInsights into the mechanism of resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) could provide important information for further patient management, including the choice of second-line treatment. The EGFR T790M mutation is the most common mechanism of resistance to first- and second-generation EGFR TKIs. Owing to its biologic relevance in the response of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to the selective pressure of treatment, the present study investigated whether the occurrence of T790M at progression differed among patients receiving gefitinib, erlotinib, or afatinib.Patients and MethodsThe present retrospective study included patients with NSCLC with an EGFR activating mutation, who had received gefitinib, erlotinib, or afatinib as first-line treatment. Plasma samples for the analysis of cell-free DNA were taken at disease progression and analyzed using a digital droplet polymerase chain reaction EGFR mutation assay.ResultsA total of 83 patients were enrolled; 42 had received gefitinib or erlotinib and 41afatinib. The patient characteristics were comparable across the 2 groups. The median time to progression (TTP) was 14.4 months for the gefitinib and erlotinib group and 10.2 months for the afatinib group (P = .09). Of the 83 patients, 47 (56.6%) were positive for the T790M in plasma. A greater incidence of T790M was observed in patients with progression during gefitinib or erlotinib therapy compared with patients treated with afatinib (33 [79%] vs. 14 [34%], respectively; odds ratio, 7.1; 95% confidence interval, 2.7-18.5; P = .0001).ConclusionsAlthough gefitinib, erlotinib, and afatinib showed a comparable TTP in patients receiving first-line therapy, the incidence of T790M differed among them, as demonstrated by the present study, which could have implications for the choice of second-line treatment.     

Association Between Clinical Tumor Burden and Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Monotherapy for Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

BackgroundProgrammed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors have become a standard treatment, albeit not completely effective, for patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Previous studies of advanced melanoma have revealed that the tumor burden predicted the response to PD-1 inhibitors, although this relationship has remained unclear for NSCLC.Patients and MethodsThe present single-center retrospective study evaluated 163 patients with advanced NSCLC who had received PD-1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor monotherapy from December 2015 to December 2018. The clinical tumor burden was estimated using the baseline sum of the target lesions’ longest diameters (BSLDs), measured according to the Response Evaluation Criteria for Solid Tumors, and the baseline number of metastatic lesions (BNMLs).ResultsThe optimal cutoff values for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) were 5 for the BNMLs and 76 mm for the BSLDs, using the minimum P value method. The low-BNML group included 73 patients (44.8%). The median PFS was 12.2 months in the low-BNML group and 2.8 months in the high-BNML group (hazard ratio, 0.51; P = .0005). The low-BSLD group included 92 patients (56.4%). The median PFS was 9.6 months in the low-BSLD group and 3.4 months in the high-BSLD group (hazard ratio, 0.52; P = .0006). Multivariable analysis revealed that low-BSLD, low-BNML, nonsquamous histologic type and a PD-L1 tumor proportion score of ≥ 50% were independently associated with prolonged PFS.ConclusionsPD-L1 expression and the clinical tumor burden can predict the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor monotherapy for NSCLC.     

Design and preliminary results of FRENSHOCK 2016: A prospective nationwide multicentre registry on cardiogenic shock

Central illustration: geographic distribution of the 49 centres participating in the FRENSHOCK registry (35 academic hospitals, 10 general hospitals and four private clinics). Inclusion per centre varied from 1 to 72 patients.

     

Optimizing Prescribing and Deprescribing of Proton Pump Inhibitors

Prescribing of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has markedly increased since their inception more than 30 years ago. The increase is related to inappropriate and long-term prescribing of PPIs, associated with a lack of education and unclear prescribing and deprescribing guidelines. The implementation of prescribing stewardship programs influences the reduction and inappropriate use of this medication. The purpose of this review is to address the gaps that exist regarding the use of PPIs along with determining methods for deprescribing. Guidelines and stewardship programs, along with education, are needed to reduce the adverse health effects of long-term PPI therapy.     

1 H-MRS对低级别和高级别脑胶质瘤鉴别诊断的作用及病理级别相关性的研究

目的 分析脑胶质瘤的氢质子磁共振波谱（proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy，^1H—MRS）表现及其临床意义；探讨脑胶质瘤的^1H—MRS特点与其病理级别相关性。资料与方法 搜集经临床手术、病理证实的脑胶质瘤36例，按照WHO诊断标准分成两组：低级别脑胶质瘤组、高级别脑胶质瘤组。所有患者在术前行^1H—MRS检查。均在MR非增强成像的基础上获得。使用Siemens Sonata 1．5T超导磁共振扫描仪，多体素扫描，点分辨表面线圈法，检测不同区域代谢物变化。结果 脑胶质瘤的^1H—MRS表现：肌酸（Cr）轻度下降，N-乙酰天门冬氨酸（NAA）显著下降。胆碱（Cho）显著增高。低级别、高级别脑胶质瘤的肿瘤组织分别和对侧正常脑组织的NAA／Cr、Cho／Cr、NAA／Cho比值存在非常显著性差异（P〈0．01）；低级别脑胶质瘤和高级别脑胶质瘤的肿瘤组织的NAA／Cr、Cho／Cr、NAA／Cho比值存在显著性差异（P〈0．05）。脑胶质瘤的NAA／Cho、Cho／Cr、NAA／Cr比值与病理级别相关，其中NAA／Cho和Cho／cr比值反映肿瘤级别较稳定；NAA／Cr、NAA／Cho比值存在负相关关系（相关系数rs分别为-0．663，-0．851），Cho／Cr比值存在正相关关系（相关系数rs为0．858）。结论 ^1H—MRS与MRI相结合能提高脑胶质瘤术前诊断的准确性。^1H-MRS可评价脑胶质瘤的分级，反映脑胶质瘤代谢特性以及肿瘤生长潜能。     

The Current Role of Calcineurin Inhibitors in Posttransplant Immunosuppression?

It is important to determine when to use and when to avoid calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). CNIs are associated with kidney dysfunction in some, but not all, transplant recipients. CNI-sparing protocols have their own drug-specific limitations. Two major clinical series suggest the benefit of routine CNI-sparing approaches, but our review suggests weaknesses in both. Ongoing studies are needed to determine which subgroups of recipients will benefit from CNIs.     

深静脉置管镇痛泵持续输入用于癌症病人镇痛

目的探讨深静脉置管镇痛泵持续输入对癌症病人的镇痛效果。方法将芬太尼、氟哌利多、阿托品按预定浓度比注入微量镇痛泵,经股静脉或颈静脉穿刺并留置导管,缝合固定,与镇痛泵连接,药物即可均衡进入体内。结果全程测定NRS和PPI值分别为1.3和1.5。表明此法癌症病人止痛效果佳,全部病例均有效。结论深静脉置管镇痛泵持续输入对癌症病人镇痛效果确切,应用方便。     

血管生成抑制剂YH-16联合氟尿嘧啶抑制结直肠癌肝转移的研究

目的探讨血管生成抑制剂YH-16和氟尿嘧啶（5-FU）联合应用对结直肠癌肝转移的抑制作用。方法用MTT方法测定血管生成抑制剂YH-16和5-FU对血管内皮细胞和结肠癌细胞的IC50；建立小鼠肝转移模型。随机分为对照组、YH-16组（又分为低、中、高剂量3组）和5-Fu组及联合治疗组（YH-16加5-FU），术后2周观察各组小鼠肝转移瘤数目、原发灶大小和毒性反应。并检测肝转移瘤血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）的表达和肿瘤微血管密度（MVD）。结果YH-16对结肠癌细胞的IC50是血管内皮细胞的3．38倍，而5-Fu对两种细胞的IC50差别不大。高剂量YH-16组、5-FU组和联合治疗组肝转移瘤数目明显低于对照组。而联合治疗组又低于高剂量YH-16组和5-FU组（均P〈0．05）。YH-16各剂量组的脾原发瘤体积与对照组比较均P〉0．05。差异无统计学意义；而5-FU组和联合治疗组则小于对照组（均P〈0．05）。YH-16的毒性明显低于5-FU（P〈0．05），且两者联合使用其毒性与单用5-FU比较，差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。5-FU组和联合治疗组肝转移瘤组织中VEGF的表达明显降低，中、高剂量YH-16组和5-FU组及联合治疗组肝转移瘤组织中的MVD计数明显降低（均P〈0．05）。结论血管生成抑制剂YH-16明显抑制结直肠癌肝转移，YH-16与5-FU联合应用对结直肠癌肝转移的抑制具有协同作用。