Gefitinib-sensitive mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase domain in chinese patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Studies have shown that mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase domain are associated with response of lung cancer to gefitinib (Iressa, AstraZeneca Corp., Shanghai, China). A higher incidence of EGFR mutation was observed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients of Japanese origin compared with those of American origin. However, no data about such mutations in Chinese patients with NSCLC could be obtained. METHODS: Primary NSCLC tissues were obtained for analysis of mutations in exons 18 to 21 of EGFR from a total of 76 patients, of whom 54 did not receive gefitinib therapy and 22 did. PCR products were sequenced directly and mutations were confirmed by an independent PCR and sequence analysis. All types of mutation were cloned and sequenced. RESULTS: A total of 10 types of mutation were found in the series of patients, including two different silent mutations in exon 20 from 11 patients. More than half of the silent mutations (6 of 11) in exon 20 coexisted with other mutations. Mutations were more frequent in adenocarcinoma (17 of 35; 48.6%) compared with squamous carcinoma (1 of 19; 5.3%) among untreated patients. Similar mutations were observed in all seven gefitinib-treated patients with partial response, and no mutations were detected in all eight patients with progressive disease (P < 0.001), except two silent mutations. Three mutations were observed in seven patients with stable disease. CONCLUSIONS: Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase domain in lung adenocarcinomas from Chinese patients were more frequent than reported previously in lung adenocarcinomas from American patients. Such mutations were well correlated with tumor response to gefitinib.     

Mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor in non-small cell lung cancer.

We evaluated somatic genetic alterations in the kinase domain of the EGFR gene in the tumors of 219 non-small cell lung cancer patients of primarily Caucasian and African American origins. We identified 26 patients (12%) whose tumors had a mutation in the EGFR gene, and 11 (5%) patients carried novel genomic variations consistent with germ-line polymorphisms. All but one mutation were identified in Caucasian patients affected with adenocarcinoma. EGFR mutations were more frequent in women and in nonsmokers, but a significant portion of the affected patients were men (12 of 26) and current or past smokers accounted for half of the patients affected (13 of 26). Screening subjects with EGFR mutations may identify patients whose tumors could respond to targeted therapy using tyrosine kinase inhibitors.     

Second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer

Inhibiting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling has proven to be an effective strategy for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and the first generation of agents developed for this purpose, gefitinib and erlotinib, stimulated a unique escalation in both biologic and clinical research within the field. Second-generation EGFR-targeted agents that aim to further improve patient outcomes are now in preclinical and clinical trials. This review discusses four promising agents that are currently being studied in NSCLC: EKB-569, HKI-272, CI-1033, and ZD6474.     

Mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase domain and associations with clinicopathological features in non-small cell lung cancer patients

Somatic tyrosine kinase (TK) domain mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are associated with sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI's), however their incidence in distinct populations is not clarified. We sequenced exons 18-21 of the EGFR TK domain from 60 Greek and Czech patients, enrolled in an adjuvant chemotherapy trial following total resection for stages I-IIIa disease. Somatic mutations were found in 9/60 patients (15.0%), several being novel. EGFR mutations were more common in Stage I tumors (p = 0.023), they were also more common in women and never smokers; however, no other significant association of clinicopathological features with mutations was found. Median TTP and OS of patients with and without mutations were 13.2 and 40 months compared to 22.9 and 43.2 months, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant. K-ras (5/60, 8%) and EGFR mutations were found to be mutually exclusive. We identified a wide spectrum of somatic EGFR TK mutations reporting a relatively high incidence (15%) in NSCLC patients of Greek and Czech origin. As ethnicity seems to be a factor for the origin of these mutations, further studies in distinct populations are warranted.     

'Targeting' the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase with gefitinib (Iressa) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Gefitinib (ZD1839, Iressa), a selective drug inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase (TK), was recently approved for the treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This article reviews the identification of EGFR as a therapeutic target and the steps in the development of gefitinib as "targeted" monotherapy for patients with NSCLC. Whether EGFR is required for the maintenance of lung tumor survival is also discussed. Finally, strategies to identify predictors of response to gefitinib are explored.     

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

Introduction: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are well-described drivers of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have become key components of the NSCLC front-line treatment landscape. Tumors inevitably develop resistance to these agents, and development efforts continue to focus on identifying mechanisms of resistance and drugs to target these mechanisms.

Areas covered: With several EGFR TKIs approved for use in the first-line or in later-line settings, an understanding of the efficacy and safety of these inhibitors in various populations is warranted. Furthermore, given the frequent emergence of drug resistance in NSCLC, examination of tumor tissue throughout the disease course provides the opportunity to select treatments based on the tumor’s mutation profile. Here, we discuss: key efficacy and safety findings for approved and investigational EGFR TKIs; known mechanisms of resistance, particularly the T790M acquired EGFR mutation; and recent advances in EGFR mutational testing that may facilitate less invasive tissue testing and guide treatment selection.

Expert commentary: The expanding armamentarium of EGFR TKIs, improvements in the understanding of resistance mechanisms and technological developments in the molecular analysis of tumors may help render EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC a chronic disease in many patients by facilitating optimal sequential therapy.     

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer

First-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), including gefitinib and erlotinib, have proven to be highly effective agents for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients harboring an activating EGFR mutation such as the exon 19 deletion mutation and L858R. Although those reversible small molecular targeted agents provide a significant response and survival benefit, all responders eventually acquire resistance. Second-generation EGFR-targeting agents, such as irreversible EGFR/HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors and pan-HER TKIs, may improve survival further and be useful for patients who acquired resistance to first-generation EGFR-TKIs. This review discusses novel therapeutic strategies for EGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC using first- and second-generation EGFR-TKIs.     

EGFR酪氨酸激酶区域基因变异与吉非替尼治疗非小细胞肺癌临床因素相关性研究进展

【指示性摘要】吉非替尼是表皮性生长因子受体（EGFR）酪氨酸激酶抑制剂，在非小细胞肺癌的治疗中受到普遍关注，而EGFR突变有助于筛选针对吉非替尼治疗的受益人群，本文回顾了近期国外对EGFR突变及其与病理类型、种族、性别、生存期等临床因素的相关性。     

Everolimus synergizes with gefitinib in non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines resistant to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Purpose

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) therapy is considered as one of the most important treatments for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, not all patients benefit from this therapy because of primary or acquired resistance, both of which are usually caused by the activation of alternative signaling pathways. Thus, a combination of different signaling pathway inhibitors is a promising strategy. We used the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor everolimus in combination with gefitinib in NSCLC cell lines to analyze the efficacy of this combination regimen and the underlying molecular mechanism.

Methods

Acquired gefitinib-resistant cell lines, together with EGFR wild-type and mutant primary gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cell lines, were treated with everolimus alone, gefitinib alone, or the combination of the two drugs, and the effects were evaluated using cell proliferation assays. The effects of everolimus and gefitinib on the EGFR pathway in NSCLC cell lines were determined by Western blot analysis.

Results

Combined treatment resulted in synergistic antitumor effects in gefitinib-resistant cells A549 and H1975. The combination index (CI) of cells increased with increasing dose of everolimus. Everolimus demonstrated no apparent inhibition of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt) and phosphorylated p44/42 MAPK (p-MAPK) in H1650 cells. Additionally, in gefitinib-resistant cell lines, the combination of gefitinib and everolimus not only showed stronger inhibition of phosphorylated mTOR and phosphorylated p70S6K expression than either drug alone but also reduced the levels of p-Akt and p-MAPK in both cell lines.

Conclusions

Our data showed that the combination of everolimus and gefitinib exhibits dose-dependent synergism in primary and acquired gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells. Thus, a preclinical rationale exists for the use of everolimus to enhance the efficacy of gefitinib in EGFR-TKI-resistant patients with NSCLC.     

Mechanisms of acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib are effective therapies for non-small cell lung cancer patients whose tumors harbor somatic mutations in EGFR. All patients, however, ultimately develop resistance to these agents. Thus, there is a great need to understand how patients become resistant to develop effective therapies for these cancers. Studies over the last few years have identified two different EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance mechanisms, a secondary mutation in EGFR, EGFR 790M, and amplification of the MET oncogene. These findings have led to clinical trials using newly designed targeted therapies that can overcome these resistance mechanisms and have shown promise in laboratory studies. Ongoing research efforts will likely continue to identify additional resistance mechanisms, and these findings will hopefully translate into effective therapies for non-small cell lung cancer patients.     

非小细胞肺癌获得性表皮生长因子受体酪氨酸激酶抑制剂耐药治疗疗效观察

目的探讨非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)患者获得性表皮生长因子受体酪氨酸激酶抑制剂(EGFR-TKIs)耐药后后续化疗联合沙利度胺和化疗序贯EGFR-TKIs治疗的疗效。方法选取2016年1月至2017年2月间安徽省芜湖市第二人民医院收治的经EGFR-TKIs治疗起效并出现获得性耐药的41例NSCLC患者,采用随机数字生成法分为A组和B组。A组21例患者采用多西他赛、培美曲赛和顺铂化疗,联合沙利度胺口服治疗; B组20例患者采用多西他赛、培美曲赛和顺铂化疗,序贯EGFR-TKIs治疗。比较两组患者的近期疗效、中位无进展生存时间(PFS)及不良反应。结果两组患者近期疗效比较,差异无统计学意义(P> 0. 05)。两组患者中位PFS比较,差异无统计学意义(P> 0. 05)。A组患者便秘发生率高于B组,恶心、呕吐发生率低于B组,组间差异均有统计学意义(均P <0. 05)。结论常规化疗联合沙利度胺和常规化疗序贯EGFR-TKIs治疗均可作为获得性EGFR-TKIs耐药NSCLC晚期患者的后续治疗方案,临床可根据实际情况选用。     

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the treatment of epidermal growth factor receptor-mutant non-small cell lung cancer metastatic to the brain

Brain metastases are a common and devastating consequence of disease progression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors erlotinib and gefitinib have shown efficacy in patients with NSCLC and brain metastases. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) exposure to these drugs is a small fraction of the plasma levels achieved with standard doses, but disruption of the blood-brain barrier in the presence of central nervous system metastases is likely to lead to locally increased drug concentration, and dose escalation to boost CSF exposure has documented clinical efficacy. The use of gefitinib and erlotinib in this setting is reviewed here, including evidence from case reports, case series, and single-arm phase II trials. High response rates in the brain are seen in patients with EGFR mutation, or in populations in which this genotype is expected. By contrast, activity in the context of documented wild-type EGFR in disease metastatic to the brain is not common. These drugs may potentiate the effectiveness of radiotherapy to the brain, and their use may also delay development of disease within the brain.     

EKB-569, a new irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, with clinical activity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer with acquired resistance to gefitinib

EKB-569 is a potent, low molecular weight, selective, and irreversible inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that is being developed as an anticancer agent. A phase 1, dose-escalation study was conducted in Japanese patients. EKB-569 was administered orally, once daily, in 28-day cycles, to patients with advanced-stage malignancies known to overexpress EGFR. Two patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutations and acquired gefitinib resistance from the phase 1 study are described in detail. Case #1 is a 63-year-old man with smoking history. He received treatment from 4 March 2004. Because he had no severe adverse events, a total of 10 courses of therapy were completed through December 16. Grade 2 skin rash and ALT elevation, and grade 1 diarrhea and nail changes developed. A chest CT scan on 4 August 2003 revealed multiple pulmonary metastases that had decreased in size. Case #2 is a 49-year-old woman with no smoking history. She received therapy from 9 February 2004. She received a total of five courses of the therapy until 22 June 2004. Grade 3 nausea and vomiting and grade 1 diarrhea and dry skin developed. A chest CT scan on March 3 revealed multiple pulmonary metastases that had decreased in size. A brain MRI on March 4 showed that multiple brain metastases also had decreased in size. Based on RECIST criteria, they had stable disease but radiographic tumor regression was observed.     

吉非替尼治疗表皮生长因子受体突变型非小细胞肺癌患者的效果及影响因素分析

目的 观察吉非替尼治疗表皮生长因子受体(EGFR)突变型非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)患者的疗效并探讨影响因素.方法 选取150例EGFR突变型NSCLC患者的临床资料,所有患者均给予吉非替尼口服治疗,连续治疗6个疗程,评估其临床疗效,并对可能影响EGFR突变型NSCLC患者临床疗效的相关因素进行单因素和多因素分析.结果 150例患者中,总缓解患者48例(32.00％)设为缓解组,剩余102例患者设为对照组.缓解组和对照组患者性别、肿瘤分期、病理类型和肿瘤直径比较,差异均有统计学意义(P﹤0.05).Logistic回归分析结果显示,性别、肿瘤分期、病理类型和肿瘤直径均为EGFR突变型NSCLC患者临床疗效的影响因素(P﹤0.05).治疗期间,150例患者药物不良反应总发生率为28.67％.结论 吉非替尼治疗EGFR突变型NSCLC患者有一定的临床疗效,性别、肿瘤分期、病理类型和肿瘤直径均为EGFR突变型NSCLC患者临床疗效的影响因素.     

Analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutation in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and acquired resistance to gefitinib.

PURPOSE: Non-small cell lung cancers carrying activating mutations in the gene for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are highly sensitive to EGFR-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors. However, most patients who initially respond subsequently experience disease progression while still on treatment. Part of this "acquired resistance" is attributable to a secondary mutation resulting in threonine to methionine at codon 790 (T790M) of EGFR. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We sequenced exons 18 to 21 of the EGFR gene to look for secondary mutations in tumors with acquired resistance to gefitinib in 14 patients with adenocarcinomas. Subcloning or cycleave PCR was used in addition to normal sequencing to increase the sensitivity of the assay. We also looked for T790M in pretreatment samples from 52 patients who were treated with gefitinib. We also looked for secondary KRAS gene mutations because tumors with KRAS mutations are generally resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. RESULTS: Seven of 14 tumors had a secondary T790M mutation. There were no other novel secondary mutations. We detected no T790M mutations in pretreatment specimens from available five tumors among these seven tumors. Patients with T790M tended to be women, never smokers, and carrying deletion mutations, but the T790M was not associated with the duration of gefitinib administration. None of the tumors had an acquired mutation in the KRAS gene. CONCLUSIONS: A secondary T790M mutation of EGFR accounted for half the tumors with acquired resistance to gefitinib in Japanese patients. Other drug-resistant secondary mutations are uncommon in the EGFR gene.     

E-cadherin expression and epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status predict outcome in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with gefitinib

It is known that an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation(s) is present in a percentage of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). Gefitinib, an inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase activity of EGFR, is effective on most of them. The EGFR mutation status alone cannot fully predict the response to gefitinib and the prognosis for the patients. We hypothesized that information on the expression levels of phosphorylated-EGFR and -Akt, and E-cadherin, alone or in combination with information on the EGFR mutation, may refine our ability of prediction. We investigated 24 NSCLCs that had recurred after surgery and were treated with gefitinib. Specimens resected by surgery were subjected to the peptide nucleic acid-locked nucleic acid polymerase chain reaction clamp reaction to determine the EGFR mutation status, and to immunohistochemical staining of phosphorylated-EGFR and -Akt, and E-cadherin to determine their expression levels. The EGFR mutation status was predictive of responsive disease (complete response: CR + partial response: PR) and controlled disease (CR + PR + stable disease: SD). Positive E-cadherin staining was predictive of longer time to progression (12.4 vs. 5.9 months, p<0.05) and overall survival (OS) (18.4 vs. 13.0 months, p<0.05). Together the patients with an EGFR mutation and the patients with positive E-cadherin staining defined a patient group with a median OS of 18.4 months and excluded the patient group with the median OS of 3.7 months. Neither p-Akt nor p-EGFR staining was associated with the response and survival. In patients with surgically resected NSCLC tumors, the EGFR mutation status and E-cadherin staining can select patients who will benefit from gefitinib therapy.     

The P21-activated kinase expression pattern is different in non-small cell lung cancer and affects lung cancer cell sensitivity to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors

Exploring methods for increasing epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) sensitivity has become a major focus in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Major downstream effectors of the Rho family small guanosine triphosphatases, P21-activated kinases (PAKs) activate the main signaling pathways downstream of EGFR and thus promote tumor cell proliferation. In this study, we explored the expression pattern of phosphorylated PAKs in NSCLC and their potential value as drug targets for treating cancer. The expression and prognostic significance of phosphorylated group I and II PAKs were evaluated in 182 patients with NSCLC. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed low group I PAK expression in normal lung tissues and increased expressed in the cytoplasm, particularly in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Abnormal group I PAK expression was associated with lymph node metastases and high tumor-node-metastases (TNM) stage in NSCLC patients and correlated with poor prognosis. We used group I PAK inhibitor (IPA3) to specifically decrease group I PAK activity in human lung cancer cell lines. Decreased group I PAK activity inhibited cell proliferation and combined IPA3 and EGFR-TKI (gefitinib) treatment inhibited cell proliferation in an obvious manner. Together, our results revealed the PAK expression pattern in NSCLC, and a role for group I PAK in cell proliferation, which provides evidence that decreased PAK activity may have a potential application as a molecular targeted therapy in advanced NSCLC.     

下调miR-23a对EGFR突变非小细胞肺癌细胞吉非替尼耐药的影响研究

目的 探讨抑制miR-23a对EGFR T790M突变非小细胞肺癌H1975细胞吉非替尼耐药性的影响及其可能机制。方法 选取吉非替尼耐药的对数生长期H1975细胞为研究样本,合成miR-23a抑制物（miR-23a inhibitor）,应用脂质体转染H1975细胞以抑制其miR-23a表达（抑制组）,同时设未经转染处理的非转染组和转染无关序列的阴性对照组,实时荧光定量PCR（qRT-PCR）验证转染效果;采用CCK-8法检测转染24、48、72及96 h后各组的增殖情况,同时于转染48 h后用吉非替尼（0.03～300 μmol／L）处理各组细胞以评价对吉非替尼的药物敏感性变化情况;分别用流式细胞术检测各组的凋亡率（FITC-Annexin V／PI双染）和细胞周期（PI单染）情况,免疫印迹法检测各组多药耐药相关蛋白1（MRP1）、肺耐药相关蛋白（LRP）及谷胱甘肽转移酶π（GST-π）的表达变化。结果 抑制组在转染24～96 h出现miR-23a水平的持续下降,其miR-23a水平均低于其余两组,转染 96 h后的miR-23a水平分别为非转染组的（32.06±4.68）％和阴性对照组的（31.77±3.18）％,且吉非替尼对抑制组的半数抑制浓度（IC₅₀）为（2.82±0.46）μmol／L,均低于其余两组,以上差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）;与其余两组相比,抑制组转染后增殖抑制率、凋亡率及G0／G1期比例均升高,S期、G2／M期比例均下降且耐药蛋白MRP1、LRP及GST-π蛋白水平亦下调,以上差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。结论 下调miR-23a可逆转H1975细胞的吉非替尼耐药性,同时可抑制细胞增殖、诱导凋亡及细胞周期阻滞,可能与降低耐药蛋白表达有关。