Objective: To explore the heterogeneity and growth factor regulatory network of dermal fibroblasts (dFbs) in mouse full-thickness skin defect wounds based on single-cell RNA sequencing. Methods: The experimental research methods were adopted. The normal skin tissue from 5 healthy 8-week-old male C57BL/6 mice (the same mouse age, sex, and strain below) was harvested, and the wound tissue of another 5 mice with full-thickness skin defect on the back was harvested on post injury day (PID) 7. The cell suspension was obtained by digesting the tissue with collagenase D and DNase Ⅰ, sequencing library was constructed using 10x Genomics platform, and single-cell RNA sequencing was performed by Illumina Novaseq6000 sequencer. The gene expression matrices of cells in the two kinds of tissue were obtained by analysis of Seurat 3.0 program of software R4.1.1, and two-dimensional tSNE plots classified by cell group, cell source, and gene labeling of major cells in skin were used for visual display. According to the existing literature and the CellMarker database searching, the expression of marker genes in the gene expression matrices of cells in the two kinds of tissue was analyzed, and each cell group was numbered and defined. The gene expression matrices and cell clustering information were introduced into CellChat 1.1.3 program of software R4.1.1 to analyze the intercellular communication in the two kinds of tissue and the intercellular communication involving vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signal pathways in the wound tissue, the relative contribution of each pair of FGF subtypes and FGF receptor (FGFR) subtypes (hereinafter referred to as FGF ligand receptor pairs) to FGF signal network in the two kinds of tissue, and the intercellular communication in the signal pathway of FGF ligand receptor pairs with the top 2 relative contributions in the two kinds of tissue. The normal skin tissue from one healthy mouse was harvested, and the wound tissue of one mouse with full-thickness skin defect on the back was harvested on PID 7. The multiple immunofluorescence staining was performed to detect the expression and distribution of FGF7 protein and its co-localized expression with dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), stem cell antigen 1 (SCA1), smooth muscle actin (SMA), and PDGF receptor α (PDGFRα) protein. Results: Both the normal skin tissue of healthy mice and the wound tissue of full-thickness skin defected mice on PID 7 contained 25 cell groups, but the numbers of cells in each cell group between the two kinds of tissue were different. Genes PDGFRα, platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1, lymphatic endothelial hyaluronic acid receptor 1, receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase C, keratin 10, and keratin 79 all had distinct distributions on two-dimensional tSNE plots, indicating specific cell groups respectively. The 25 cell groups were numbered by C0-C24 and divided into 9 dFb subgroups and 16 non-dFb groups. dFb subgroups included C0 as interstitial progenitor cells, C5 as adipose precursor cells, and C13 as contractile muscle cells related fibroblasts, etc. Non-dFb group included C3 as neutrophils, C8 as T cells, and C18 as erythrocytes, etc. Compared with that of the normal skin tissue of healthy mice, the intercellular communication in the wound tissue of full-thickness skin defected mice on PID 7 was more and denser, and the top 3 cell groups in intercellular communication intensity were dFb subgroups C0, C1, and C2, of which all communicated with other cell groups in the wound tissue. In the wound tissue of full-thickness skin defected mice on PID 7, VEGF signals were mainly sent by the dFb subgroup C0 and received by vascular related cell groups C19 and C21, PDGF signals were mainly sent by peripheral cells C14 and received by multiple dFb subgroups, EGF signals were mainly sent by keratinocyte subgroups C9 and C11 and received by the dFb subgroup C0, and the main sender and receiver of FGF signals were the dFb subgroup C6. In the relative contribution rank of FGF ligand receptor pairs to FGF signal network in the normal skin tissue of healthy mice and the wound tissue of full-thickness skin defected mice on PID 7, FGF7-FGFR1 was the top 1, and FGF7-FGFR2 or FGF10-FGFR1 was in the second place, respectively; compared with those in the normal skin tissue, there was more intercellular communication in FGF7-FGFR1 signal pathway, while the intercellular communication in FGF7-FGFR2 and FGF10-FGFR1 signal pathways decreased slightly or did not change significantly in the wound tissue; the intercellular communication in FGF7-FGFR1 signal pathway in the wound tissue was stronger than that in FGF7-FGFR2 or FGF10-FGFR1 signal pathway; in the two kinds of tissue, FGF7 signal was mainly sent by dFb subgroups C0, C1, and C2, and received by dFb subgroups C6 and C7. Compared with that in the normal skin tissue of healthy mouse, the expression of FGF7 protein was higher in the wound tissue of full-thickness skin defected mouse on PID 7; in the normal skin tissue, FGF7 protein was mainly expressed in the skin interstitium and also expressed in the white adipose tissue near the dermis layer; in the two kinds of tissue, FGF7 protein was co-localized with DPP4 and SCA1 proteins and expressed in the skin interstitium, co-localized with PDGFRα protein and expressed in dFbs, but was not co-localized with SMA protein, with more co-localized expression of FGF7 in the wound tissue than that in the normal skin tissue. Conclusions: In the process of wound healing of mouse full-thickness skin defect wound, dFbs are highly heterogeneous, act as potential major secretory or receiving cell populations of a variety of growth factors, and have a close and complex relationship with the growth factor signal pathways. FGF7-FGFR1 signal pathway is the main FGF signal pathway in the process of wound healing, which targets and regulates multiple dFb subgroups.
Animals ; Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Fibroblasts ; Imidazoles ; Ligands ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Skin Abnormalities ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Spinocerebellar Ataxias ; Sulfonamides ; Thiophenes ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

receptor status, negative progesterone receptor status, positive human epidermal growth factor receptor status, and aggressive molecular subtypes showed higher SWV(mean) + QM (all p < 0.05), while only lymphovascular involvement showed higher SWV(mean) − QM (p = 0.036).CONCLUSION: The use of QM in SWE might improve the diagnostic performance for breast lesions and facilitate prediction of the biological characteristics of invasive breast cancers.]]>
Area Under Curve ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Population Characteristics ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Receptors, Progesterone ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography

epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)–tyrosine kinase domain mutation.METHODS: The results of 230 patients who were pathologically confirmed as having NSCLC; tested using PD-L1 IHC 22C3, SP263, and SP142 methods; and evaluated via the peptide nucleic acid clamping method to confirm EGFR mutation, were analyzed in this study.RESULTS: 164 patients underwent both the SP263 and 22C3 tests. There was a significant positive correlation between the outcomes of the two tests (Spearman correlation coefficient=0.912, p<0.001), with a derived regression equation as follows: 22C3=15.2+0.884×SP263 (R2=0.792, p<0.001). There was no relationship between the expression of PD-L1 and clinical parameters, including EGFR–tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) mutation. The PD-L1 expression in patients treated with EGFR-TKI yielded a 2-month-shorter progression period than that in the PD-L1–negative group. However, this did not reach statistical significance (PD-L1<1% vs. PD-L1≥1%, 10 months vs. 8 months).CONCLUSION: The results of the 22C3 and those of SP263 methods were in good correlation with one another. Since the PD-L1 expression is not influenced by the EGFR mutation, it is necessary to perform a PD-L1 test to set the treatment direction in the patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC.]]>
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Constriction ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; Methods ; Phosphotransferases ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors and anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitors, new therapeutic strategies are needed to improve clinical outcomes. Immunotherapy through the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors has provided one of the most important breakthroughs in the management of solid tumors, including lung cancers, and has shown promising results in numerous clinical trials. This review will present the current status of immunotherapy for lung cancer and future perspectives on these treatments.]]>
Immunotherapy ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung ; Lymphoma ; Phosphotransferases ; Prognosis ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

BACKGROUND: Plasma epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation tests are less invasive than tissue EGFR mutation tests. We determined which of two kits is more efficient: cobas EGFR Mutation test v2 (cobasv2; Roche Molecular Systems, Pleasanton, CA, USA) or PANAMutyper-R-EGFR (Mutyper; Panagene, Daejeon, Korea). We also evaluated whether pleural effusion supernatant (PE-SUP) samples are assayable, similar to plasma samples, using these two kits. METHODS: We analyzed 156 plasma and PE-SUP samples (31 paired samples) from 116 individuals. We compared the kits in terms of accuracy, assessed genotype concordance (weighted κ with 95% confidence intervals), and calculated Spearman's rho between semi-quantitatively measured EGFR-mutant levels (SQIs) measured by each kit. We also compared sensitivity using 47 EGFR-mutant harboring samples divided into more-dilute and less-dilute samples (dilution ratio: ≥ or <1:1,000). RESULTS: cobasv2 tended to have higher accuracy than Mutyper (73% vs 69%, P=0.53), and PE-SUP samples had significantly higher accuracy than plasma samples (97% vs 55–71%) for both kits. Genotype concordance was 98% (κ=0.92, 0.88–0.96). SQIs showed strong positive correlations (P<0.0001). In less-dilute samples, accuracy and sensitivity did not differ significantly between kits. In more-dilute samples, cobasv2 tended to have higher sensitivity than Mutyper (43% vs 20%, P=0.07). CONCLUSIONS: The kits have similar performance in terms of EGFR mutation detection and semi-quantification in plasma and PE-SUP samples. cobasv2 tends to outperform Mutyper in detecting less-abundant EGFR-mutants. PE-SUP samples are assayable using either kit.
Epidermal Growth Factor ; Genotype ; Plasma ; Pleural Effusion ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, including in Korea. Systemic therapy including platinum-based chemotherapy and targeted therapy should be provided to patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Applications of targeted therapy, such as an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors, in patients with NSCLC and an EGFR mutation or ALK gene rearrangement has enabled dramatic improvements in efficacy and tolerability. Despite advances in research and a better understanding of the molecular pathways of NSCLC, few effective therapeutic options are available for most patients with NSCLC without druggable targets, especially for patients with squamous cell NSCLC. Immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 or anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) have demonstrated durable response rates across a broad range of solid tumors, including NSCLC, which has revolutionized the treatment of solid tumors. Here, we review the current status and future approaches of immune checkpoint inhibitors that are being investigated for NSCLC with a focus on pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab, durvalumab, and ipilimumab.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Drug Therapy ; Epithelial Cells ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Korea ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoma ; Mortality ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‒tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are effective clinical therapeutics for EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Osimertinib, a thirdgeneration EGFR TKI, has proven effective against T790M mutations. However, the vast majority of patients acquire resistance following successful treatment. A 59-year-old female patient with metastatic NSCLC developed resistance after 43 weeks of osimertinib. CancerSCAN of the metastatic liver lesion revealed a EGFR C797G mutation at an allele frequency of 72%, a preexisting T790M mutation (73%) in cis and an exon 19 deletion (87%). Another 53-year-old female patient developed systemic progression after 10 months of osimertinib. CancerSCAN of the lung biopsy identified an EGFR L718Q mutation at an allele frequency of 7%, concomitant PIK3CA E545K (12.90%) and preexisting EGFR L858R (38%), but loss of the T790M mutation. The heterogeneity of osimertinib resistance mechanisms warrants further investigation into novel or combination agents to overcome the rare acquired resistances.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Exons ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Phosphotransferases ; Population Characteristics ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancers have emerged as key predictive biomarkers in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. However, a few patients with wild-type EGFR also respond to EGFR TKIs. This study investigated the factors predicting successful EGFR TKI treatment in lung adenocarcinoma patients with wild-type EGFR. METHODS: We examined 66 patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma carrying wide-type EGFR who were treated with EGFR TKIs. The EGFR gene copy number was assessed by silver in situ hybridization (SISH). We evaluated the clinical factors and EGFR gene copy numbers that are associated with a favorable clinical response to EGFR TKIs. RESULTS: The objective response rate was 12.1%, while the disease control rate was 40.9%. EGFR SISH analysis was feasible in 23 cases. Twelve patients tested EGFR SISH-positive, and 11 were EGFR SISH-negative, with no significant difference in tumor response and survival between EGFR SISH-positive and -negative patients. The overall median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of 66 patients were 2.1 months and 9.7 months, respectively. Female sex and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 0–1 were independent predictors of PFS. ECOG PS 0–1 and a low tumor burden of extrathoracic metastasis were independent predictors of good OS. CONCLUSION: Factors such as good PS, female sex, and low tumor burden may predict favorable outcomes following EGFR TKI therapy in patients with EGFR wild-type lung adenocarcinoma. However, EGFR gene copy number was not predictive of survival.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Biomarkers ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Genes, erbB-1 ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Silver ; Tumor Burden

PURPOSE: Despite the successful use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in cancer patients, their effect on herpes zoster development has not been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) TKI and cytotoxic chemotherapy on the risk of herpes zoster development in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a medical review of all eligible NSCLC patients in Seoul National University hospital between 2002 and 2015. We classified patients based on whether they previously underwent EGFR TKI therapy into either the TKI group or the cytotoxic group. We compared the incidence rates of herpes zoster during TKI therapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy. Additionally, the longitudinal risk of herpes zoster from TKIs was analyzed using the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of the TKI group to the cytotoxic group and the log-rank test of the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Of the 2,981 NSCLC patients, 54 patients (1.54%) developed herpes zoster. In the TKI group (2,002 patients), the IRR of herpes zoster during TKI therapy compared to that during cytotoxic chemotherapy was 1.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 2.09). The IRR of the TKI group compared to the cytotoxic group was 1.33 (95% CI, 0.64 to 2.76). The Kaplan-Meier cumulative risk of both groups was not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Our results show that the incidence rate of herpes zoster in the TKI group was not statistically different from the incidence in the cytotoxic group during and after chemotherapy in NSCLC patients.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Drug Therapy* ; Erlotinib Hydrochloride ; Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Methods ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Seoul ; Tyrosine*

PURPOSE: Although it has been suggested that pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is associated with increased risk of lung cancer, the exact mechanism is not clearly identified. We investigated the effect of pulmonary TB on the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutational status and clinical outcome in patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed data of patients diagnosed with pulmonary adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR mutations and treated at our institution from 2008 to 2015. We divided our population into two groups: patients with pre-existing TB lesions on chest computed tomography scan (TB group) and those without the lesions (non-TB group). We compared the differences in EGFR mutational status, response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and survival between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 477 patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma were analyzed. One hundred eighty-three patients (39%) had EGFR-mutated tumors and 100 (21%) patients had pre-existing TB lesions. The frequency of EGFR mutation was significantly higher in the TB group compared with the non-TB group (56% vs. 34%, p=0.038). Pre-existing TB lesions were independently associated with more frequent EGFR mutations in multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 1.43). In addition, both the progression-free survival (9.1 months vs. 11.6 months, p=0.020) and the overall survival (19.4 months vs. 24.5 months, p=0.014) after first-line EGFR-TKIs were significantly shorter in the TB group than in the non-TB group. CONCLUSION: Previous pulmonary TB may be associated with more frequent EGFR mutations and poorer treatment response to EGFR-TKIs in patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*