BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent type of cancer with a high mortality rate in its late stages. One of the major challenges in OSCC treatment is the resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors. Therefore, it is imperative to elucidate the mechanism underlying drug resistance and develop appropriate precision therapy strategies to enhance clinical efficacy. METHODS: To evaluate the efficacy of the combination of the Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAMK2) inhibitor KN93 and EGFR inhibitors, we performed in vitro and in vivo experiments using two FAT atypical cadherin 1 ( FAT1 )-deficient (SCC9 and SCC25) and two FAT1 wild-type (SCC47 and HN12) OSCC cell lines. We assessed the effects of EGFR inhibitors (afatinib or cetuximab), KN93, or their combination on the malignant phenotype of OSCC in vivo and in vitro . The alterations in protein expression levels of members of the EGFR signaling pathway and SRY-box transcription factor 2 (SOX2) were analyzed. Changes in the yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) protein were characterized. Moreover, we analyzed mitochondrial dysfunction. Besides, the effects of combination therapy on mitochondrial dynamics were also evaluated. RESULTS: OSCC with FAT1 mutations exhibited resistance to EGFR inhibitors treatment. The combination of KN93 and EGFR inhibitors significantly inhibited the proliferation, survival, and migration of FAT1 -mutated OSCC cells and suppressed tumor growth in vivo . Mechanistically, combination therapy enhanced the therapeutic sensitivity of FAT1 -mutated OSCC cells to EGFR inhibitors by modulating the EGFR pathway and downregulated tumor stemness-related proteins. Furthermore, combination therapy induced reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and disrupted mitochondrial dynamics, ultimately resulting in tumor suppression. CONCLUSION Combination therapy with EGFR inhibitors and KN93 could be a novel precision therapeutic strategy and a potential clinical solution for EGFR-resistant OSCC patients with FAT1 mutations.
Humans ; ErbB Receptors/metabolism* ; Mouth Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Animals ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics* ; Cadherins/metabolism* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism* ; Mice ; Mutation/genetics* ; Mice, Nude ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Cetuximab/pharmacology* ; Afatinib/therapeutic use* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

SMARCA4-deficient non small cell lung cancer (SMARCA4-dNSCLC) has recently garnered increasing attention due to its high malignancy and poor prognosis. The literature suggests that in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the loss of SMARCA4 frequently co-occurs with mutations in KRAS, KEAP1, and STK11 rather than in EGFR, ALK, and ROS1. Herein, we present the first documented case of SMARCA4-dNSCLC accompanied with rare mutations of EGFR exon 20 S768I and exon 18 G719X. The patient achieved partial response with afatinib for 17 months. Our case highlights the importance of EGFR mutations in the precision targeted treatment of SMARCA4-dNSCLC.
Humans ; Afatinib/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/pathology* ; DNA Helicases/genetics* ; ErbB Receptors/genetics* ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Mutation ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; Transcription Factors/genetics*

BACKGROUND: The brain is a common metastatic site in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), resulting in a relatively poor prognosis. Systemic therapy with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is recommended as the first-line treatment for EGFR -mutated, advanced NSCLC patients. However, intracranial activity varies in different drugs. Thus, brain metastasis (BM) should be considered when choosing the treatment regimens. We conducted this network meta-analysis to explore the optimal first-line therapeutic schedule for advanced EGFR -mutated NSCLC patients with different BM statuses. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials focusing on EGFR-TKIs (alone or in combination) in advanced and EGFR -mutant NSCLC patients, who have not received systematic treatment, were systematically searched up to December 2021. We extracted and analyzed progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). A network meta-analysis was performed with the Bayesian statistical model to determine the survival outcomes of all included therapy regimens using the R software. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare intervention measures, and overall rankings of therapies were estimated under the Bayesian framework. RESULTS: This analysis included 17 RCTs with 5077 patients and 12 therapies, including osimertinib + bevacizumab, aumolertinib, osimertinib, afatinib, dacomitinib, standards of care (SoC, including gefitinib, erlotinib, or icotinib), SoC + apatinib, SoC + bevacizumab, SoC + ramucirumab, SoC + pemetrexed based chemotherapy (PbCT), PbCT, and pemetrexed free chemotherapy (PfCT). For patients with BM, SoC + PbCT improved PFS compared with SoC (HR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.17-0.95), and osimertinib + bevacizumab was most likely to rank first in PFS, with a cumulative probability of 34.5%, followed by aumolertinib, with a cumulative probability of 28.3%. For patients without BM, osimertinib + bevacizumab, osimertinib, aumolertinib, SoC + PbCT, dacomitinib, SoC + ramucirumab, SoC + bevacizumab, and afatinib showed superior efficacy compared with SoC (HR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.20-0.90; HR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.31-0.68; HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.34-0.77; HR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.38-0.66; HR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43-0.89; HR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44-0.94; HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.48-0.76; HR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.50-1.00), PbCT (HR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.11-0.74; HR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.15-0.62; HR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.17-0.69; HR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.18-0.64; HR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.21-0.82; HR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.22-0.87; HR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22-0.74; HR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.31-0.75), and PfCT (HR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06-0.32; HR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.09-0.26; HR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.09-0.29; HR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.10-0.26; HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.12-0.35; HR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12-0.39; HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.12-0.31; HR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.16-0.34) in terms of PFS. And, SoC + apatinib showed relatively superior PFS when compared with PbCT (HR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.22-0.92) and PfCT (HR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12-0.39), but similar PFS to SoC (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.42-1.03). No statistical differences were observed for PFS in patients without BM between PbCT and SoC (HR = 1.49, 95% CI: 0.84-2.64), but both showed favorable PFS when compared with PfCT (PfCT vs. SoC, HR = 3.09, 95% CI: 2.06-4.55; PbCT vs. PfCT, HR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06-0.32). For patients without BM, osimertinib + bevacizumab was most likely to rank the first, with cumulative probabilities of 47.1%. For OS, SoC + PbCT was most likely to rank first in patients with and without BM, with cumulative probabilities of 46.8%, and 37.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION Osimertinib + bevacizumab is most likely to rank first in PFS in advanced EGFR -mutated NSCLC patients with or without BM, and SoC + PbCT is most likely to rank first in OS.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/metabolism* ; Afatinib/therapeutic use* ; Lung Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Bevacizumab/therapeutic use* ; Bayes Theorem ; Network Meta-Analysis ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use* ; Pemetrexed/therapeutic use* ; ErbB Receptors/genetics* ; Brain Neoplasms/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics*

Afatinib ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; drug therapy ; Cardiotoxicity ; China ; Cisplatin ; therapeutic use ; Coronary Artery Disease ; drug therapy ; Deoxycytidine ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Kounis Syndrome ; drug therapy ; Male ; Medical Oncology ; statistics & numerical data ; trends ; Middle Aged

Afatinib ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Afatinib, a second-generation irreversible epidermal growth factor inhibitor receptor for the development of non-small cell lung cancer and secondary drug resistance, has low bioavailability and adverse reactions due to current oral administration. The aim of this study was to prepare a novel drug delivery system, afatinib liposome, and to establish a method for the determination of encapsulation efficiency. METHODS: Four different preparation methods were used to prepare afatinib liposomes, and the optimal preparation process was determined by comparing the encapsulation efficiency and particle size. RESULTS: It has been verified that sephadex microcolumn centrifugation can be used to purify afatinib liposomes, and UV spectrophotometry can be employed to determine the entrapment efficiency of liposomes. Among different preparation methods, the encapsulation efficiency of afatinib liposomes prepared by ammonium sulfate gradient method was 90.73% and the average particle size was 108.6 nm. CONCLUSIONS Ammonium sulfate gradient method can be successfully applied to prepare afatinib liposomes that performed higher encapsulation efficiency and smaller particle size. The UV spectrophotometry employed to determine the liposome encapsulation efficiency was easy operation and with high accuracy.
Afatinib ; Capsules ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; Drug Compounding ; methods ; Liposomes ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Quinazolines ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; therapeutic use