An indirect comparison of the efficacy of bevacizumab plus carboplatin and paclitaxel versus pemetrexed with cisplatin in patients with advanced or recurrent non-squamous adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung cancer

A retrospective analysis of cisplatin, pemetrexed, and bevacizumab in previously treated non-small-cell lung cancer

Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) often have an advanced disease when firstly diagnosed. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of cisplatin, pemetrexed, and bevacizumab in previously treated advanced NSCLC. Results showed that the objective response rate(ORR) of this novel regimen is 43%, median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.2 months (95% CI, 3.7 to 6.7 months) and median overall survival (OS) was 11.4 months (95% CI, 8.8 to 13.9 months). Adverse events were generally mild, ranging from grade 1 to grade 3. In conclusion, the combination of cisplatin, pemetrexed, and bevacizumab obtained promising results in selected patients with NSCLC. Randomized clinical trials are needed to further investigate the efficacy of this regimen.

Prognostic value of serum leptin in advanced lung adenocarcinoma patients with cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy

Cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy has been established as a standard treatment in lung adenocarcinoma. However, the response to the cisplatin/pemetrexed combination varies considerably among patients due to individual variations. Thus, novel biomarkers are required to aid the prediction of the response to the cisplatin/pemetrexed combination. We hypothesized that leptin expression may be a determinant for prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients with cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy. Serum from consenting patients with lung adenocarcinoma were obtained for the measurement of leptin and associated tumor biomarkers. Leptin expression was measured by radioimmunoassay. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), CA15-3, CA125, CA72-4, cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA21-1) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) expression were determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. Serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen levels were measured using a microparticle enzyme immunoassay. The associations between serum leptin and tumor biomarker expression were evaluated by Spearman's correlation analysis. Serum CEA, CA19-9, CA15-3, CA125, CA72-4, CYFRA21-1 and NSE levels showed no obvious difference among patients. However, a trend towards an improved prognosis was observed in patients with lower serum leptin at diagnosis and an increase during cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy. The results indicated that the serum leptin level has prognostic indications in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma during cisplatin/pemetrexed chemotherapy, which indicates that it may be a useful marker for the prognosis of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.