Monika Joshi

Small-cell lung cancer: an update on targeted therapies.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths world-wide and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for up to 25% of lung cancer deaths. There has been a considerable amount of research in the understanding of the depth of biology of SCLC and utilizing this knowledge to develop targeted approaches. The treatment of SCLC remains a challenge, despite remarkable initial efficacy to combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The response is usually short-lived and the prognosis of SCLC has not changed over the past few decades, necessitating the critical need for evaluating novel agents/therapies. Several signaling pathways have been found to be activated in SCLC tumor cells, forming a rationale for blocking some of the drugable targets. Molecular changes and biological markers have been identified but remain to be validated. Novel and targeted agents have been evaluated but without much success. Increasing understanding of the biology and potential clinical evaluation of biomarkers will pave the way for more effective treatments.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Two-Step Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been shown to improve survival outcomes in muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide updated results of previous findings. We also summarized published data to compare clinical outcomes of methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (MVAC) versus gemcitabine and cisplatin/carboplatin (GC) in the neoadjuvant setting. METHODS A meta-analysis of 15 randomized clinical trials was performed to compare neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus local treatment with the same local treatment alone. Because no randomized trials have investigated MVAC versus GC in the neoadjuvant setting, a meta-analysis of 13 retrospective studies was performed to compare MVAC with GC. RESULTS A total of 3,285 patients were included in 15 randomized clinical trials. There was a significant overall survival (OS) benefit associated with cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR], 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.79-0.96). A total of 1,766 patients were included in 13 retrospective studies. There was no significant difference in pathological complete response between MVAC and GC. However, GC was associated with a significantly reduced overall survival (HR, 1.26; 95% CI, 1.01-1.57). After excluding carboplatin data, GC still seemed to be inferior to MVAC in OS (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.99-1.74), but the difference was no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSION These results support the use of cisplatin-based combination neoadjuvant chemotherapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Although GC and MVAC had similar treatment response rates, the different survival outcome observed in this study requires further investigation. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) has been shown to improve survival outcomes in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients, but the optimal neoadjuvant regimen has not been established. Methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (MVAC) and gemcitabine and cisplatin/carboplatin (GC) are two of the most commonly used chemotherapy regimens in modern oncology. In this two-step meta-analysis, an updated and more precise estimate of the survival benefit of cisplatin-based NCT in MIBC is provided. This study also demonstrated that MVAC might have superior overall survival compared with GC (with or without carboplatin data) in the neoadjuvant setting. The findings suggest that NCT should be standard care in MIBC, and MVAC could be the preferred neoadjuvant regimen.

Trametinib with or without Vemurafenib in BRAF Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

V-Raf Murine Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homolog B (BRAF) mutated lung cancer is relatively aggressive and is resistant to currently available therapies. In a recent phase II study for patients with BRAF-V600E non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), BRAF V600E inhibitor demonstrated evidence of activity, but 30% of this selected group progressed while on treatment, suggesting a need for developing alternative strategies. We tested two different options to enhance the efficacy of vemurafenib (BRAF V600E inhibitor) in BRAF mutated NSCLC. The first option was the addition of erlotinib to vemurafenib to see whether the combination provided synergy. The second was to induce MEK inhibition (downstream of RAF) with trametinib (MEK inhibitor). We found that the combination of vemurafenib and erlotinib was not synergistic to the inhibition of p-ERK signaling in BRAF-V600E cells. Vemurafenib caused significant apoptosis, G1 arrest and upregulation of BIM in BRAF-V600 cells. Trametinib was effective as a single agent in BRAF mutated cells, either V600E or non-V600E. Finally, the combination of vemurafenib and trametinib caused a small but significant increase in apoptosis as well as a significant upregulation of BIM when compared to either single agent. Thus, hinting at the possibility of utilizing a combinational approach for the management of this group of patients. Importantly, trametinib alone caused upregulation of p-AKT in BRAF non-V600 mutated cells, while this effect was nullified with the combination. This finding suggests that, the combination of a MEK inhibitor with a BRAF inhibitor will be more efficacious in the clinical setting for patients with BRAF mutated NSCLC.

Marginal zone lymphoma: old, new, targeted, and epigenetic therapies

Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) is an indolent B-cell lymphoma arising from marginal zone B-cells present in lymph nodes and extranodal tissues. MZL comprises 5–17% of all non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas in adults. The World Health Organization categorizes MZL into three distinct types based on their site of impact: (1) splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL); (2) nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL); (3) extranodal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, which can be subdivided into gastric and nongastric. The subgroups of MZL share some common features but are different in their biology and behavior. Owing to the rarity of MZL there are few randomized trials available comparing various treatment options and therefore treatment is controversial, lacking standard guidelines. Treatment should be patient tailored and can range from a ‘watchful waiting’ approach for asymptomatic patients without cytopenias to surgery or localized radiation therapy. Rituximab in combination with chemotherapy has resulted in longer failure-free survival than chemotherapy alone in patients with SMZL. Helicobacter pylori positive gastric MALT shows a good response rate to triple antibiotic therapy. Newer therapies such as bendamustine, everolimus, lenalidomide, vorinostat and phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitors are in clinical trials for patients with relapsed or refractory MZL and have shown promising results. We are presently conducting clinical trials testing the efficacy of the epigenetic activity of cladribine as a hypomethylating agent in combination with the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) vorinostat and rituximab in patients with MZL. Further studies with the newer agents should be done both in newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory MZL to streamline the care and to avoid the use of toxic chemotherapies as initial treatment.

Afatinib for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer

Targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring sensitizing mutations in the tyrosine kinase (TKI) domain has led to a significant change in the management of this disease. The classic or sensitizing mutations are G719X mutation in exon 18, in-frame deletions or insertion of exon 19, L858R or L861Q mutation in exon 21. Approximately 90% of these mutations are exon 19 deletion or exon 21 L858R point mutation. Gefitinib and erlotinib are reversible first-generation inhibitors of mutant EGFR, and treatment with these agents in the first-line setting has demonstrated a progression-free survival of 9.5–13.7 months. However, the majority of these patients ultimately develop resistance to these drugs. Afatinib is an irreversible pan-ErbB inhibitor that was developed to circumvent the problem of resistance to first-generation TKIs. The LUX-Lung studies have evaluated the efficacy and toxicities of afatinib in treatment-naïve and refractory NSCLC patients. The promising results of some of these trials led to approval of afatinib by the US Food and Drug Administration for patients with advanced NSCLC and EGFR exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations. Afatinib causes toxicities similar to those of the first-generation EGFR TKIs, such as diarrhea, rash, acne, and stomatitis, and overall is well tolerated. This article focuses on the clinical studies of afatinib in patients with NSCLC.

Expression of PD-1 on CD4+ T cells in peripheral blood associates with poor clinical outcome in non-small cell lung cancer.

Recent success of using agents inhibiting the major immune check point, programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) pathway, offers a great promise for effective cancer therapy. Two blocking antibodies for PD-1, nivolumab and pembrolizumab have recently been approved for treating advanced recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Activation of PD-1 on T cells and PD-L1 on tumor cells or antigen presenting cells leads to T cell exhaustion and ultimately tumor growth. In this study, we performed flow cytometry analysis of peripheral blood samples collected from patients with advanced NSCLC at initial diagnosis. We report that surface expression of PD-1 on CD4+ T cells has a prognostic value in NSCLC patients, as high expression of PD-1 is associated with a shorter progression-free survival and overall survival. Importantly, we also found that high PD-1 expression on peripheral CD4+ T cells is associated with inferior clinical response in a subset of patients who received anti-PD-L1 treatment, indicating a potential predictive value of this marker. This work highlights the potential of a non-invasive and effective method to determine prognostic and predictive biomarkers for inhibiting the PD-1 pathway in NSCLC patients.

Taxanes, past, present, and future impact on non-small cell lung cancer.

Taxanes are novel microtubule-stabilizing agents and have shown efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) since the 1990s. Paclitaxel and docetaxel have been used either as single agents or in combination with a platinum compound. The newer generation albumin-bound taxane, nab-paclitaxel, has also shown similar efficacy in advanced NSCLC, both as a single agent and in combination with a platinum compound. Nab-paclitaxel, being Cremophor EL free, appears to have a better toxicity profile than paclitaxel. Taxane/platinum combinations still remain the foundation of treatment for advanced or metastatic NSCLC. Docetaxel and paclitaxel as single agents have also shown efficacy in the second-line setting in advanced/metastatic NSCLC. Oral formulations of paclitaxel and docetaxel are of great interest, but have yet to receive regulatory approval in this disease. The phase I–II trials have shown that these formulations are feasible in the clinical setting.

Proteomic profiling of human plasma identifies apolipoprotein E as being associated with smoking and a marker for squamous metaplasia of the lung

Biomarkers to identify subjects at high‐risk for developing lung cancer will revolutionize the disease outlook. Most biomarker studies have focused on patients already diagnosed with lung cancer and in most cases the disease is often advanced and incurable. The objective of this study was to use proteomics to identify a plasma biomarker for early detection of lung lesions that may subsequently be the harbinger for cancer. Plasma samples were obtained from subjects without lung cancer grouped as never, current, or ex‐smokers. An iTRAQ‐based proteomic analysis was performed on these pooled plasma samples. We identified 31 proteins differentially abundant in current smokers or ex‐smokers relative to never smokers. Western blot and ELISA analyses confirmed the iTRAQ results that demonstrated an increase of apolipoprotein E (APOE) in current smokers as compared to both never and ex‐smokers. There was a strong and significant correlation of the plasma APOE levels with development of premalignant squamous metaplasia. Additionally, we also showed that higher tissue levels of APOE are seen with squamous metaplasia, supporting a direct relationship. Our analysis reveals that elevated plasma APOE is associated with smoking, and APOE is a novel predictive protein biomarker for early morphological changes of squamous metaplasia in the lung.

Delayed formation of pulmonary artery stump thrombus: a case report and review of the literature

Pulmonary artery stump thrombosis is a recognized complication after pneumonectomy. However, to our knowledge, there is only one case report of delayed development of this complication. We report the case of a 68 year-old man who presented with chest pain nearly ten years after undergoing a right pneumonectomy for lung cancer. Workup identified a pulmonary artery stump thrombosis. Due to the acute onset of his symptoms, the patient was anticoagulated, and his chest pain resolved. While the literature suggests that anticoagulation is not generally required for stump thromboses, we highlight features of this case that may indicate an increased risk of clinically important sequelae. Taking previous reports into account, we argue that a specific subset of patients with stump thrombosis may benefit from systemic anticoagulation.

Therapeutic approach guided by genetic alteration: use of MTOR inhibitor in renal medullary carcinoma with loss of PTEN expression.

Renal Medullary Cancer (RMC) is a rare and aggressive type of renal cell cancer that presents predominantly in patients with sickle cell hemoglobinopathies, and is typically metastatic at the time of presentation. Although platinum based chemotherapeutic regimens have recently emerged as the best option for producing a clinically significant response as reported in various case series, the response is far from satisfactory, as most RMC patients still succumb to their disease within a year of diagnosis. There is currently no standard of care for treatment of this disease. We report, to our knowledge, the first case of RMC where in molecular characterization of the tumor was used to guide therapy. In our patient, molecular analysis identified a decreased expression of Ribonucleotide Reductase M1(RRM1) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). Based on these results of PTEN deficiency, we started our patient on everolimus (an MTOR inhibitor) maintenance after treating him with an induction chemotherapy regimen of Paclitaxel-Cisplatin-Gemcitabine (PCG). His tumor responded to induction therapy and he went into complete remission and remained in remission for 7 months. He is now alive about 14 months from his diagnosis and is asymptomatic with minimal disease. The rarity of RMC makes it very difficult to do any meaningful clinical trials in this group of patients. The overall prognosis for RMC remains very poor and knowledge about driver mutations may help in guiding therapy to improve survival in this select group of patients, where there is dearth of available therapies.