Anti-cancer drugs
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Acquired resistance develops ultimately in most non-small-cell lung cancer patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations who initially respond to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Overexpression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) contributes to a considerable part of acquired resistance. Therefore, novel approaches are required for better management to overcome the resistance. ⋯ Further, we demonstrated that crizotinib plus gefitinib successfully prevented the emergence of gefitinib-resistant HCC827 cells induced by transient exposure to HGF. In vivo, the combination therapy with crizotinib and gefitinib also markedly suppressed the growth of gefitinib-resistant mouse xenografts established by injecting HCC827 cells mixed with HGF-producing fibroblasts (MRC-5 cells) subcutaneously into severe combined immunodeficient mice. In conclusion, these findings provided preclinical evidence that crizotinib can be used in the treatment of HGF-induced resistance to gefitinib in EGFR mutant lung cancer.
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Review
Role of inhibitors of mammalian target of rapamycin in the treatment of luminal breast cancer.
Approximately 75% of patients with breast cancer present hormone receptor-positive tumors. This subtype of breast cancer initially shows a high overall response rate to hormonal treatments. However, resistance eventually develops, resulting in tumor progression. ⋯ The mTOR inhibitor everolimus, in combination with hormonal treatments, has led to excellent results in progression-free survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer resistant to hormone therapies. Therefore, everolimus has entered the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines 2012 and its combination with exemestane was approved recently by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. This is the first time that a drug will have been approved for the restoration of hormone sensitivity in breast cancer.
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Comparative Study
Cilengitide targets pediatric glioma and neuroblastoma cells through cell detachment and anoikis induction.
The prognosis of children with high-grade glioma or high-risk neuroblastoma remains poor. Cilengitide is a selective antagonist of αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrins, which are involved in tumor growth and development of metastasis. We have evaluated the effects of cilengitide on pediatric glioma and neuroblastoma cell lines for the first time. ⋯ Cilengitide's action on glioma and neuroblastoma cells appears to be dependent on αvβ3 expression and sensitivity to anoikis. Cilengitide is able to target pediatric glioma and neuroblastoma cells in vitro directly and efficiently. Tumor context could validate these promising observations.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Pegylated filgrastim is comparable with filgrastim as support for commonly used chemotherapy regimens: a multicenter, randomized, crossover phase 3 study.
The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of a single subcutaneous injection of pegylated filgrastim with daily filgrastim as a prophylaxis for neutropenia induced by commonly used chemotherapy regimens. Fifteen centers enrolled 337 chemotherapy-naive cancer patients with normal bone marrow function. All patients randomized into AOB and BOA arms received two cycles of chemotherapy. ⋯ Notably, faster ANC recovery was observed with pegylated filgrastim support. The ANC nadir was also earlier with pegylated filgrastim (day 7) support than with filgrastim support (day 9), although the depth of nadir was not significantly different. A single subcutaneous injection of pegylated filgrastim 100 μg/kg provided adequate and safe neutrophil support comparable with daily subcutaneous injections of unmodified filgrastim 5 μg/kg/day in patients receiving commonly used standard-dose mild-to-moderate myelosuppressive chemotherapy regimens.
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The identification of novel compounds modulating the expression/activity of molecular targets downstream to BCR-ABL could be a new approach in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemias (CMLs) resistant to imatinib or other BCR-ABL-targeted molecules. Recently, we synthesized a new class of substituted 2-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoyl)-2-N,N-dimethylamino-benzo[b]furans, and among these 3-iodoacetylamino-6-methoxybenzofuran-2-yl(3,5-trimethoxyphenyl)methanone (TR120) showed marked cytotoxic activity in BCR-ABL-expressing cells. Interestingly, TR120 was more potent than imatinib in cell growth inhibition and apoptosis induction in both BCR-ABL-expressing K562 and KCL22 cells. ⋯ Consistent with this effect, it determined a block of cells in the G0-G1 phase of the cell cycle, a decrease in the level of cyclin D1, and a reduction in Bcl-xL expression; however, it did not cause modifications in the Bcl-2 level. Of interest, TR120 had synergistic effects when used in combination with imatinib in both sensitive and resistant cells. Considering that STAT5 is a BCR-ABL molecular target that plays a key role in the pathogenesis of CML as well as in BCR-ABL-mediated resistance to apoptosis, TR120 could potentially be a useful novel agent in the treatment of imatinib-resistant CML.