1.
Statins: a new approach to combat temozolomide chemoresistance in glioblastoma.
Shojaei, S, Alizadeh, J, Thliveris, J, Koleini, N, Kardami, E, Hatch, GM, Xu, F, Hombach-Klonisch, S, Klonisch, T, Ghavami, S
Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research. 2018;(8):1083-1087
Abstract
Patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) have an average life expectancy of approximately 15 months. Recently, statins have emerged as a potential adjuvant cancer therapy due to their ability to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in many types of cancer. The exact mechanisms that mediate the inhibitory actions of statins in cancer cells are largely unknown. The purpose of this proceeding paper is to discuss some of the known anticancer effects of statins, while focusing on GBM therapy that includes adjunct therapy of statins with chemotherapeutic agents.
2.
An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the effect of sorafenib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.
Peng, S, Zhao, Y, Xu, F, Jia, C, Xu, Y, Dai, C
PloS one. 2014;(12):e112530
Abstract
BACKGROUND The efficacy of sorafenib in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sorafenib for treating patients with advanced HCC. METHODS The PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assessed sorafenib therapy in patients with advanced HCC. The outcomes included overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), overall response rate (ORR), and toxicities. Hazard ratio (HR) and risk ratio (RR) were used for the meta-analysis and were expressed with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS Seven RCTs, with a total of 3807 patients, were included in this meta-analysis. All patients received sorafenib alone, or with other chemotherapeutic regimens. Pooled estimates showed that sorafenib improved the OS (HR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61, 0.90; P = 0.002), or TTP outcomes (HR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.86; P = 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed that sorafenib was more effective in the patients with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 1-2 (HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.60, 1.0; P = 0.05), or macroscopic vascular invasion (MVI), and/or extrahepatic spread (EHS) (H = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.93; P = 0.02), in terms of OS. Patients who received sorafenib did not have a higher ORR (RR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.65, 1.11; P = 0.10). In addition, there was a slight increase in toxicity in the sorafenib group. CONCLUSION Treatment with sorafenib significantly improved OS and TTP in patients with advanced HCC. Additional large-scale, well-designed RCTs are needed to evaluate the efficacy of sorafenib-based therapy in the treatment of advanced HCC.
3.
The efficacy and safety of panitumumab administered concomitantly with FOLFIRI or Irinotecan in second-line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: the secondary analysis from STEPP (Skin Toxicity Evaluation Protocol With Panitumumab) by KRAS status.
Mitchell, EP, Piperdi, B, Lacouture, ME, Shearer, H, Iannotti, N, Pillai, MV, Xu, F, Yassine, M
Clinical colorectal cancer. 2011;(4):333-9
Abstract
BACKGROUND Panitumumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), is used as monotherapy for chemorefractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in patients with wild-type (WT) KRAS tumors. Although skin toxicities are the most common adverse events associated with EGFR inhibitors, the differences in efficacy and safety between pre-emptive and reactive skin treatment according to KRAS tumor status has not been reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eligible patients had mCRC with disease progression or unacceptable toxicity with first-line treatment containing fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy ± bevacizumab. Patients were randomized 1:1 to pre-emptive or reactive skin treatment (after skin toxicity developed). Patients received either panitumumab 6 mg/kg + FOLFIRI every 2 weeks or panitumumab 9 mg/kg + irinotecan every 3 weeks. Key study endpoints included overall response rate (ORR), overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and safety according to KRAS tumor status. RESULTS Eighty-seven (92%) of 95 enrolled patients had evaluable KRAS tumor status: 49 (56%) patients with WT and 38 (44%) patients with mutant (MT) KRAS tumors, respectively. The ORR was 16% and 8% for patients with WT and MT KRAS tumors, respectively. Median PFS was 5.5 and 3.3 months for patients with WT and MT KRAS tumors, respectively. The most commonly observed adverse events by KRAS tumor status included dermatitis acneiform and pruritus. CONCLUSION Panitumumab in combination with irinotecan-based chemotherapy has an acceptable toxicity profile in second-line therapy for mCRC. Numerical differences trending in favor of the patients with WT KRAS tumors were observed for most efficacy endpoints.