Balancing activity and tolerability of neoadjuvant paclitaxel- and docetaxel-based chemotherapy for HER2-positive early stage breast cancer: sensitivity analysis of randomized trials

Timing of postoperative chemotherapy and prognosis in neoadjuvant-treated gastric cancer patients: a multicenter real-world cohort study

BACKGROUND

The optimal time to chemotherapy (TTC) in locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NLAGC) remains unclear.

METHODS

Consecutive 524 patients with NLAGC between Jan. 2010 and Dec. 2022 were identified. Patients were categorized into three groups: TTC < 6w, 6w ≤ TTC ≤ 8w, and TTC > 8w. Survival analysis was conducted using the Cox proportional hazards model to assess the impact of TTC on gastric cancer-specific mortality (GCSM) and all-cause mortality (ACM). Cumulative competing risk curves were employed to evaluate the incidence of competing events.

RESULTS

Overall, 451 patients were included.Cumulative competing risk curves showed that the 3-year ACM and GCSM were significantly lower in the 6w ≤ TTC ≤ 8w group (ACM: 19.7% vs. 37.2% vs. 39.7%, GCSM: 19.7% vs. 35.2% vs. 38.8%) compared to the TTC < 6w and TTC > 8w groups. Compared to patients with 6w ≤ TTC ≤ 8w, those with TTC < 6w or >8w had an increased risk of GCSM (HR: 2.792 and HR: 2.343, respectively) and ACM (HR: 3.102 and HR: 2.719, respectively) after adjusting for confounders. Furthermore, 6w ≤ TTC ≤ 8w had later peak recurrence compared to TTC < 6w and TTC > 8w (Peak months: 9.7 vs. 4.3 vs. 3.1).

CONCLUSION

A postoperative chemotherapy timing of 6-8 weeks was associated with better survival and delayed recurrence in NLAGC patients. These findings suggest that the 6-8 week time-window should be a key timeframe for personalized postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy decisions.

Comparison of paclitaxel and docetaxel in dual HER2 blockade: efficacy and safety in neoadjuvant treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Dual HER2 blockade with trastuzumab and pertuzumab combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves outcomes in HER2-positive breast cancer. The optimal taxane backbone (paclitaxel vs. docetaxel) remains unclear.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 220 HER2-positive breast cancer patients treated with anthracycline-based chemotherapy followed by dual HER2 blockade with trastuzumab, pertuzumab, and either paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 for 12 weeks) or docetaxel (75 mg/m2 every three weeks for four cycles). Pathological complete response (pCR), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), and toxicity profiles were analyzed.

RESULTS

At the time of diagnosis, 6% of the patients included in the study were at stage I, 70.4% were at stage II, and 23.6% were at stage III. The overall pCR rate was 55%, with no significant difference between the paclitaxel (57.9%) and docetaxel (52.2%) groups (p = 0.418). Higher pCR rates were associated with grade 3 tumors, ER/PR negativity, and Ki- 67 ≥ 20%. Patients achieving pCR had significantly lower relapse rates (2.5% vs. 16.2%, p < 0.001). These factors were significantly associated with pCR in univariate analysis but did not remain independent predictors in multivariate analysis. DFS and OS were higher in the paclitaxel group compared to the docetaxel group (DFS: 96.3% vs. 83.2%, p = 0.025; OS: 100% vs. 95.5%, p = 0.042). Grade 3-4 anemia was more frequent with docetaxel (23% vs. 9%, p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

Both paclitaxel and docetaxel are effective in neoadjuvant dual HER2 blockade regimens. Paclitaxel demonstrated better DFS, OS, and a favorable safety profile, supporting its use as a preferred option.

The likelihood of being helped or harmed obtained from clinical trial results for cancer therapy: Can it really help?

The majority of cancer clinical trials leading to therapeutic approval focus on outcomes such as objective tumor responses, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). However, it is equally important to assess toxicity, especially when comparing standard therapies with experimental ones. Clinical trials often fail to synthesize the relationship between efficacy and adverse event frequency, partly due to differences in measurement units. To address this, the number needed to treat (NNT) and number needed to harm (NNH) can be used as standardized measures. NNT represents the number of patients required to benefit from a treatment, while NNH indicates the number needed to experience harm. These metrics allow for a more balanced evaluation of therapeutic efficacy and toxicity. By calculating NNT for PFS or OS and NNH for adverse events, we can assess the therapeutic benefit relative to potential harm. The likelihood of being helped or harmed (LHH) combines these metrics into a ratio that expresses the balance between benefit and toxicity. Ideally, LHH values greater than 1 indicate a favorable balance toward efficacy. Though LHH has been applied mainly to psychotropic drugs, it was used in oncology sometimes. For example, studies in advanced non-small cell lung cancer and breast cancer have demonstrated LHH's utility in comparing treatments. Whereas LHH calculation has some limitations, it offers a valuable tool for explaining treatment risks and benefits to patients. It also could guide clinical trial design in cancer therapy.

MRI-guided optimisation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy duration in stage II-III HER2-positive breast cancer (TRAIN-3): a multicentre, single-arm, phase 2 study

BACKGROUND

Patients with stage II-III HER2-positive breast cancer have good outcomes with the combination of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and HER2-targeted agents. Although increasing the number of chemotherapy cycles improves pathological complete response rates, early complete responses are common. We investigated whether the duration of chemotherapy could be tailored on the basis of radiological response.

METHODS

TRAIN-3 is a single-arm, phase 2 study in 43 hospitals in the Netherlands. Patients with stage II-III HER2-positive breast cancer aged 18 years or older and a WHO performance status of 0 or 1 were enrolled. Patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel (80 mg/m2 of body surface area on day 1 and 8 of each 21 day cycle), trastuzumab (loading dose on day 1 of cycle 1 of 8 mg/kg bodyweight, and then 6 mg/kg on day 1 on all subsequent cycles), and carboplatin (area under the concentration time curve 6 mg/mL per min on day 1 of each 3 week cycle) and pertuzumab (loading dose on day 1 of cycle 1 of 840 mg, and then 420 mg on day 1 of each subsequent cycle), all given intravenously. The response was monitored by breast MRI every three cycles and lymph node biopsy. Patients underwent surgery when a complete radiological response was observed or after a maximum of nine cycles of treatment. The primary endpoint was event-free survival at 3 years; however, follow-up for the primary endpoint is ongoing. Here, we present the radiological and pathological response rates (secondary endpoints) of all patients who underwent surgery and the toxicity data for all patients who received at least one cycle of treatment. Analyses were done in hormone receptor-positive and hormone receptor-negative patients separately. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03820063, recruitment is closed, and the follow-up for the primary endpoint is ongoing.

FINDINGS

Between April 1, 2019, and May 12, 2021, 235 patients with hormone receptor-negative cancer and 232 with hormone receptor-positive cancer were enrolled. Median follow-up was 26·4 months (IQR 22·9-32·9) for patients who were hormone receptor-negative and 31·6 months (25·6-35·7) for patients who were hormone receptor-positive. Overall, the median age was 51 years (IQR 43-59). In 233 patients with hormone receptor-negative tumours, radiological complete response was seen in 84 (36%; 95% CI 30-43) patients after one to three cycles, 140 (60%; 53-66) patients after one to six cycles, and 169 (73%; 66-78) patients after one to nine cycles. In 232 patients with hormone receptor-positive tumours, radiological complete response was seen in 68 (29%; 24-36) patients after one to three cycles, 118 (51%; 44-57) patients after one to six cycles, and 138 (59%; 53-66) patients after one to nine cycles. Among patients with a radiological complete response after one to nine cycles, a pathological complete response was seen in 147 (87%; 95% CI 81-92) of 169 patients with hormone receptor-negative tumours and was seen in 73 (53%; 44-61) of 138 patients with hormone receptor-positive tumours. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia (175 [37%] of 467), anaemia (75 [16%]), and diarrhoea (57 [12%]). No treatment-related deaths were reported.

INTERPRETATION

In our study, a third of patients with stage II-III hormone receptor-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer had a complete pathological response after only three cycles of neoadjuvant systemic therapy. A complete response on breast MRI could help identify early complete responders in patients who had hormone receptor negative tumours. An imaging-based strategy might limit the duration of chemotherapy in these patients, reduce side-effects, and maintain quality of life if confirmed by the analysis of the 3-year event-free survival primary endpoint. Better monitoring tools are needed for patients with hormone receptor-positive and HER2-positive breast cancer.

FUNDING

Roche Netherlands.

Incorporating weekly carboplatin in anthracycline and paclitaxel-containing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer: propensity-score matching analysis and TIL evaluation

BACKGROUND

The generation of data capturing the risk-benefit ratio of incorporating carboplatin (Cb) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) in a clinical practice setting is urgently needed. Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have an established role in TNBC receiving NACT, however, the role of TIL dynamics under NACT exposure in patients receiving the current standard of care is largely uncharted.

METHODS

Consecutive TNBC patients receiving anthracycline-taxane [A-T] +/- Cb NACT at three Institutions were enrolled. Stromal-TILs were evaluated on pre-NACT and residual disease (RD) specimens. In the clinical cohort, propensity-score-matching was used to control selection bias.

RESULTS

In total, 247 patients were included (A-T = 40.5%, A-TCb = 59.5%). After propensity-score-matching, pCR was significantly higher for A-TCb vs A-T (51.9% vs 34.2%, multivariate: OR = 2.40, P = 0.01). No differences in grade ≥3 haematological toxicities were observed. TILs increased from baseline to RD in the overall population and across A-T/A-TCb subgroups. TIL increase from baseline to RD was positively and independently associated with distant disease-free survival (multivariate: HR = 0.43, P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed in a clinical practice setting of TNBC patients receiving A-T NACT that the incorporation of weekly Cb significantly improved pCR. In addition, A-T +/- Cb enhanced immune infiltration from baseline to RD. Finally, we reported a positive independent prognostic role of TIL increase after NACT exposure.

Analysis of Differential Expression Profiles of Liver Cancer Cell Proteins After Treatment with Bile Acid

The pathogenesis of liver cancer has not been fully elucidated yet. Bile acids are components of bile, which are inorganic substances and regulate tumor progression. However, the differential expression profile of liver cancer cell proteins after bile acid treatment remains unclear. Human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721 was cultured and randomly assigned into control group and bile acid group followed by measuring the protein expression profile by protein fingerprinting. SMMC7721 cells were transfected with UGT2B or UGT2B, followed by analysis of UGT2B expression, cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and PI3K/AKT signaling protein expression. The most obvious proteins with an increased expression after bile acid treatment were UGT2B, AAP, APLP2, LAPTM4B, NCOA4 with UGT2B being the most significant one. Overexpression of UGT2B decreased cell proliferation, promoted cell apoptosis, downregulated migration ability and AKT phosphorylation (P <0.05). UGT2B siRNA transfection significantly down-regulated UGT2B expression, promoted cell proliferation, decreased apoptosis rate, increased migration ability and AKT phosphorylation (P <0.05). In conclusion, bile acid can alter the protein expressions of liver cancer cells, with UGT2B being changed most obviously. UGT2B can affect liver cancer cell behaviors via modulating PI3K/AKT signaling.

Overexpression of microRNA-145 enhanced docetaxel sensitivity in breast cancer cells via inactivation of protein kinase B gamma-mediated phosphoinositide 3-kinase -protein kinase B pathway

Chemoresistance is a major challenge for the treatment of breast cancer (BC). Previous studies showed that miR-145 level decreases in chemoresistant BC tissues. Nevertheless, the biological function of miR-145 on docetaxel resistance of BC cells remains unclear, which is what our research attempted to clarify. RT-qPCR analyzed miR-145 level, and cell viability and colony formation assays assessed the impact of miR-145 on docetaxel resistance. Molecular mechanisms of miR-145-mediated docetaxel sensitivity were examined by Luciferase reporter assay and Western Blot assessed the function of AKT3 and PI3K/AKT signaling. Our research found that miR-145 expression presented significant downregulation in docetaxel-resistant BC cells. Meanwhile, miR-145 overexpression facilitated the docetaxel sensitivity of BC cells in vivo and in vitro, while the miR-145 inhibitor decreased the sensitivity of BC cells to docetaxel. We also observed that miR-145 inhibited docetaxel resistance mainly via downregulation of the AKT3 expression and further inhibited PI3K/AKT pathway. To conclude, this research provides a novel strategy for improving chemosensitivity through the newly identified miR-145-AKT3/PI3K-AKT signaling pathway in BC.

A Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy of Albumin Paclitaxel versus Docetaxel in the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Objective

To use meta-analysis to systematically compare the efficacy and adverse reaction rates of albumin paclitaxel and docetaxel in the treatment of breast cancer.

Methods

This study included Chinese and English literature studies on clinical controlled studies of albumin paclitaxel and docetaxel in the treatment of breast cancer by searching CNKI, Weipu, Wanfang, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Two researchers participated in the screening of the literature, used the inclusion and exclusion criteria as reference indicators, extracted relevant data, and used the software RevMan5.3 to conduct quality evaluation and meta-analysis of the literature.

Results

4 literature stuides were retrieved that met the inclusion criteria, with 243 study subjects. The included literature had a lower risk of bias. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the docetaxel group, the protein paclitaxel group had significant differences in objective effective rate (ORR) (OR = 1.56, 95% CI (0.80, 3.03), P=0.19), complete remission (CR) (OR = 1.79, 95% CI (0.96, 3.35), P=0.07), partial remission (PR) (OR = 0.88, 95% CI (0.53, 1.47), P=0.62), nausea (OR = 0.87, 95% CI (0.51, 1.74), P=0.84), and vomiting (OR = 0.62, 95% CI (0.45, 1.78) P=0.76). The reason may be that the number of literatures included in this study is small or the sample size is insufficient. However, it had an advantage in the incidence of neutropenia (OR = 0.38, 95% CI (0.16, 0.88), P=0.02), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant.

Conclusion

Albumin paclitaxel treatment can better reduce the incidence of neutropenia in breast cancer patients and is of great significance to the safety of breast cancer patients.

Optimal Duration of Neoadjuvant Taxane and Carboplatin Combined With Anti-HER2 Targeted Therapy for HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Background

Taxane, carboplatin and trastuzumab (TCH) is an effective neoadjuvant regimen for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer with high pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. The KATHERINE trial changes the outlook for high-risk HER2-positive breast cancer, which suggests that escalation treatment for patients with residual disease after neoadjuvant anti-HER2 therapy may improve survival. The major objective of this study was to investigate the fewest cycles of neoadjuvant TCH therapy needed to screen out non-pCR patients.

Methods

This retrospective study included patients with HER2-positive breast cancer who received either four or six cycles of TCH preoperatively at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center between 2008 and 2019. The pCR status was evaluated, and relevant factors associated with pCR were identified using univariate and multivariable analyses. The pathological results of core needle biopsy (CNB) in the breast tumor after two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy were also collected. Kaplan-Meier curve was used to estimate the event-free survival (EFS).

Results

Of 758 eligible patients, 303 were included and analyzed in the four-cycle group and 455 in the six-cycle group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the pCR rate (46.5% [95% CI 40.9% - 52.2%] in the four-cycle group and 49.9% [95% CI 45.3% - 54.5%] in the six-cycle group, p = 0.365) or the four-year EFS (90.8% in four-cycle group and 93.8% in six-cycle group; p = 0.264). Multivariable analysis indicated that a negative hormone receptor status and the weekly paclitaxel were independent factors for predicting pCR. After adjusting for factors in the multivariable analysis, there was still no significant difference between four and six cycles of neoadjuvant TCH (OR = 1.252, 95% CI 0.904 - 1.733, p = 0.176). Furthermore, 17.9% patients with invasive carcinoma on CNB after two cycles of TCH ultimately achieved pCR in the breast after the completion of neoadjuvant treatment.

Conclusion

Four cycles of taxane/carboplatin-based neoadjuvant anti-HER2 therapy may be applied as an optimal treatment duration for screening high-risk HER2-positive breast cancer patients for escalation treatment. Further prospective study is warranted.

Pathologic Response After Weekly Paclitaxel versus Docetaxel in Operable Breast Cancer

Introduction

Weekly paclitaxel (Ptx) and q3w docetaxel (Dtx) are equivalent in adjuvant breast cancer treatment. Weekly Ptx is better tolerated than q3w Dtx and became the first choice in daily practice, even preoperatively.

Methods

To compare the efficacy and safety of the two regimens, a retrospective analysis was performed in breast cancer patients (pts) referred for neoadjuvant, sequential, taxane-containing chemotherapy to the Institute of Oncology and Oncofort Clinic, Bucharest, between 2008 and 2017.

Results

Forty-seven cases were eligible, median age was 56 years (34–73 years), mainly stage IIIA–B (53.2%, 25 pts) and ductal invasive (70.2%, 33 pts) of which 24 pts (51%) received q3w Dtx and 23 pts (48.9%) weekly Ptx. The histological response rates were 62.5% (15 pts) and 73.7% (17 pts) (p=0.47), average dose-intensity was 87.7% and 96.7% (p=0.002) and grade III–IV toxicity rate was 12.5% and 13% (p=0.64), respectively. Pathologic response was correlated with immunophenotype, PgR expression, tumor size and backbone chemotherapy (p<0.05).

Discussion

Our study showed an improved efficacy of taxane’s weekly administration, probably due to a better tolerance and a lower rate of dose-impairing toxicities.

In vitro Transport Ability of ABCC2 (G1249A) Polymorphic Variant Towards Anticancer Drugs

Objective

Multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2), encoded by ABCC2 gene, is involved in the efflux of certain anticancer drugs. Here we observed whether the ABCC2 (G1249A) polymorphism impacts the transport abilities of MRP2-dependent paclitaxel, docetaxel, and doxorubicin in recombinant LLC-PK1 cell lines.

Methods

LLC-PK1 cell lines transfected with ABCC2_1249G wild-type and ABCC2_1249A variant alleles were used to evaluate the sensitivity, intracellular accumulation, and transmembrane transport of paclitaxel, docetaxel, and doxorubicin.

Results

The recombinant ABCC2_1249A variant cell line showed higher IC₅₀ values for paclitaxel and doxorubicin than ABCC2_1249G wild-type cell system (p<0.01). Intracellular accumulations of paclitaxel and doxorubicin in cells transfected with ABCC2_1249A variant allele were significantly decreased compared to cells transfected with ABCC2_1249G wild-type allele (p<0.01). The efflux ratios of paclitaxel and doxorubicin across ABCC2_1249A cell line were significantly increased compared with ABCC2_1249G cell system (p<0.01). However, ABCC2 (G1249A) polymorphism had no effect on the transport activity of MRP2-mediated docetaxel.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that ABCC2 (G1249A) polymorphism affects the transport activities of MRP2-dependent paclitaxel and doxorubicin, resulting in greater efflux of these anticancer drugs.

A Novel Paclitaxel Conjugate with Higher Efficiency and Lower Toxicity: A New Drug Candidate for Cancer Treatment

Paclitaxel-lipoate (IDD-1040) is a conjugate formed by the chemical joining of the two compounds, by condensing a lipoic acid moiety to the C2′ of paclitaxel. IDD-1040 was evaluated for its anti-tumor activity and potential druggability, using an in vivo non-small-cell, lung cancer (NSCLC) xenograft mouse model. In the in vivo studies, IDD-1040 showed a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 250 mg/kg compared to paclitaxel (PTX), with an MTD of 20 mg/kg. Most interesting, IDD-1040 demonstrated higher anti-tumor activity, and its inhibitory activity on tumor volume (cell growth) was dose-dependent. That anti-tumor activity persisted for two weeks after cessation of IDD-1040 treatment, as opposed to PTX cessation, after which the tumor relapsed, confirming that IDD-1040 exhibits superior tumor inhibition. Similar to PTX treatment, no marked body weight decrease was observed during IDD-1040 treatment, indicating a low toxicity profile. The increase in animal body weight noted over time was due to the increasing weight of tumors, recorded in all the mouse test groups. The results also showed that mortality rate of mice was reduced by treatment with IDD-1040, more so than with PTX. Furthermore, in a preliminary study on the ex vivo distribution of IDD-1040, neutropenia was primarily concentrated in the liver 1 h after injection, and most of the drug was metabolized by the liver in 24 h. All of these results demonstrate IDD-1040’s great potential as a candidate drug for cancer treatment.

CD24 Expression and differential resistance to chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Adjuvant systemic chemotherapies are effective in reducing risks of recurrence and have contributed to reduced BC mortality. Although targeted adjuvant treatments determined by biomarkers for endocrine and HER2-directed therapies are largely successful, predicting clinical benefit from chemotherapy is more challenging. Drug resistance is a major reason for treatment failures. Efforts are ongoing to find biomarkers to select patients most likely to benefit from chemotherapy. Importantly, cell surface biomarkers CD44+/CD24- are linked to drug resistance in some reports, yet underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. This study focused on the potential role of CD24 expression in resistance to either docetaxel or doxorubicin in part by the use of triple-negative BC (TNBC) tissue microarrays. In vitro assays were also done to assess changes in CD24 expression and differential drug susceptibility after chemotherapy. Further, mouse tumor xenograft studies were done to confirm in vitro findings. Overall, the results show that patients with CD24-positive TNBC had significantly worse overall survival and disease-free survival after taxane-based treatment. Also, in vitro cell studies show that CD44+/CD24+/high cells are more resistant to docetaxel, while CD44+/CD24-/low cells are resistant to doxorubicin. Both in vitro and in vivo studies show that cells with CD24-knockdown are more sensitive to docetaxel, while CD24-overexpressing cells are more sensitive to doxorubicin. Further, mechanistic studies indicate that Bcl-2 and TGF-βR1 signaling via ATM-NDRG2 pathways regulate CD24. Hence, CD24 may be a biomarker to select chemotherapeutics and a target to overcome TNBC drug resistance.

Efficacy and safety of adding an agent to bevacizumab/taxane regimens for the first-line treatment of Her2-negative patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer: results from seven randomized controlled trials

Background

The combined therapy of bevacizumab (BEV) with taxane (paclitaxel or docetaxel) has shown an improvement on progression-free survival (PFS) and objective remission in Her2-negative patients with locally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer (LR/MBC). However, there was no benefit in overall survival (OS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding an agent to the BEV/taxane regimens for the treatment of Her2-negative patients with LR/MBC in a first-line setting.

Materials and methods

We searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, EBSCO, and the Cochrane Library databases for eligible trials. A meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.0 freeware package. We calculated the hazard ratio (HR) for PFS and OS. The odds ratio (OR) was used to calculate objective response rate (ORR) and grade 3/4 drug-related adverse events. The heterogeneity of study outcomes was calculated by the χ² test or I² statistics.

Results

A total of 1,124 patients from seven randomized controlled trials were analyzed. Our meta-analysis showed that the ORR was significantly improved in the BEV/taxane-based triplet group when compared with the BEV/taxane-based doublet group (OR =1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–1.67, P=0.03). A subset analysis showed that a similar result was achieved in the triplet group in which a cytotoxic agent was added (OR =1.46, 95% CI: 1.09–1.95, P=0.01). However, the PFS and OS had no statistically significant differences between the two groups (HR =0.87, 95% CI: 0.68–1.13, P=0.31; HR =0.98, 95% CI: 0.82–1.16, P=0.78, respectively). Regarding safety, thromboembolic events, fatigue, and diarrhea (all $grade 3) were more frequently observed in the BEV/taxane-based triplet group (OR =3.8, 95% CI: 1.86–7.79, P=0.0003; OR =1.55, 95% CI: 1.05–2.27, P=0.03; OR =2.1, 95% CI: 1.29–3.41, P=0.003, respectively). Other toxic effects had no statistically significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion

Our results showed that adding an agent to BEV/taxane treatment regimens did not significantly improve PFS and prolong OS, except for conferring a significant advantage toward improved ORR in the first-line therapy for Her2-negative patients with LR/MBC. However, its side effects are predictable and manageable.

Effect of Combined Treatment Using Wilfortrine and Paclitaxel in Liver Cancer and Related Mechanism

Background

Liver cancer is a common malignant tumor with high mortality. Currently, effective medicines against liver cancer are still lacking. Paclitaxel is a wide-spectrum anti-tumor agent, while wilfortrine has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of liver cancer cells. This study thus investigated the potential effect of paclitaxel combined with wilfortrine on cultured liver cancer cells and related mechanisms, in order to provide evidence for pathogenesis and treatment of liver cancer.

Material/Methods

Liver cancer cell line HpeG2 was divided into control, paclitaxel, wilfortrine, and combined treatment groups. Cell proliferation was tested by MTT, while invasion was detected in Transwell chamber assay. Apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and Bax expression levels were further quantified using real-time PCR and Western blotting.

Results

Both of those 2 drugs can effectively inhibit cancer cell proliferation, depress invasion ability, increase Bcl-2 expression, and elevate Bax expression levels (p<0.05 in all cases). The combined therapy had better treatment efficacy compared to either of those drugs alone (p<0.05).

Conclusions

The combined treatment using wilfortrine and paclitaxel can inhibit proliferation and invasion of liver cancer cells via down-regulating Bcl-2 and up-regulating Bax, with better efficacy than single use of either drug.