Glycididazole sodium combined with radiochemotherapy for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Design and synthesis of phenanthridinone and phenanthridine derivatives and their radiosensitizing activity

To find novel radiosensitizers, a series of phenanthridinone and phenanthridine derivatives were designed and synthesized based on the structural simplification strategy from the natural product oxynitidine scaffold. Colony formation assays indicated that the phenanthridine derivative B9 showed strong radiosensitizing activity in colorectal cancer HCT116 cells in a concentration- and dose-dependent manner. Further investigations revealed that B9 could increase intracellular ionizing radiation-induced ROS levels and DNA damage, and induce cancer cell apoptosis and cycle arrest at G2/M phase. These results suggest that phenanthridine chemotype is a novel scaffold for the discovery of radiosensitizers.

Prognostic significance of circulating tumor cell measurement in the peripheral blood of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) is lethal cancer. Typically, relapse and metastasis are the outcomes of most patients. Against this backdrop, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) profiles and clinicopathological features in patients with NPC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 119 blood samples from 79 patients were collected from patients with NPC during treatment. CanPatrol^TM CTC enrichment and RNA In Situ Hybridization (RNA-ISH) were used to characterize CTCs, including epithelial, Mesenchymal (MCTCs), and epithelial/mesenchymal mixed types according to their surface markers.

RESULTS

The number of CTCs and MCTCs in the pre-treatment group was significantly higher than that in the post-treatment group (p < 0.05). The total number of CTCs and MCTCs cell numbers was significant correlation with Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging (p < 0.05), Progression-Free Survival (PFS), and Overall Survival (OS). The PFS of patients with > 7 CTCs or > 5 MCTCs per 5 mL blood was significantly shorter PFS than those patients with ≤ 7 CTCs or ≤ 5 MCTCs (p < 0.05). Patients treated with targeted therapy combined with chemoradiotherapy had poorer PFS and OS rates than those treated with chemoradiotherapy (p < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis also demonstrated that patients with changes in CTC > 4 were strongly associated with PFS and OS rates (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

CTC and MCTC number detection in patients with NPC is a useful biomarker for predicting patient progress. Patients with more than 7 CTCs or 5 MCTCs in 5 mL of blood had shorter PFS and OS rates. CTC and MCTC count changes were also significantly associated with the patient's therapy.

Circulating Tumor Cells and Fibronectin 1 in the Prognosis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Objective:

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is highly endemic in Southeast China. Circulating tumor cell is an important biomarker in the prognosis of variety kinds of cancers. Overexpression of fibronectin 1 was observed in variety kinds of malignancies and may contribute to progress and metastasis of the cancers. The current study was aimed to investigate phenotypes of circulating tumor cell in nasopharyngeal carcinoma blood and fibronectin 1 expression in the circulating tumor cell, and their clinical application in predicting nasopharyngeal carcinoma prognosis.

Methods:

Blood samples were obtained from nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients before and after treatment. CanPatrol circulating tumor cell enrichment and RNA in situ hybridization were applied to identify circulating tumor cell and its phenotypes. Fibronectin 1 messenger RNA expression in the cells of circulating tumors was examined by messenger RNA-in situ hybridization.

Results:

Circulating tumor cell was not associated with tumor characteristics or lymph node metastasis. Patients with >9 circulating tumor cells or >5 mesenchymal phenotype circulating tumor cell per 5-mL blood had poorer progression-free survival (P < .05). Multivariable analysis demonstrated that 2 or more mesenchymal phenotype circulating tumor cells with high fibronectin 1 messenger RNA expression predicted shorter progression-free survival (P < .05).

Conclusions:

Circulating tumor cells with high-level fibronectin 1 expression was associated with poor survival in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and could be an independent prognostic factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The Radiosensitization of Sodium Glycididazole on Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells via Enhancing DNA Damage and Promoting Apoptosis

Background: The radioresistance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was the main cause of radiotherapy failure and it was still a challenge in the treatment of advanced NPC patients. Previous clinical studies demonstrated that sodium glycididazole(CMNA) can enhance the radiosensitivity of NPC, but the corresponding cellular mechanisms or processes remains largely unclear. Methods: To clarify the radiosensitizing effects of CMNA on NPC cells and reveal its cellular mechanisms, its effect on cell survival of NPC cells was assessed by MTT and clonogenic assay, with or without radiation. The potential cellular mechanisms such as cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and DNA damage were assessed. A retrospective analysis of the outcome of patients with III-IV stage NPC who undergo same radiochemotherapy with or without concurrent CMNA treatment was performed to elucidate the role of CMNA in the improvement of the curative effects. Results: The treatment with CMNA at the concentration lower or close to the clinical dosage had little effect on cell survival, cell cycle distribution and a weak effect on DNA damage and cell apoptosis of NPC cells. The combination of CMNA and radiation significantly increased the DNA damage and enhanced the apoptosis of NPC cells, but did not significantly alter the cell cycle distribution as compared with the irradiation (IR) alone. A total of 99 patients who underwent radiochemotherapy were categorized into those with (treatment group, n=52) and without (control group, n=47) the treatment with CMNA. The complete response rates of patients in treatment group were significantly higher than in control group. Conclusions: Our results suggested that CMNA enhance the sensitivity of the NPC cells to radiation via enhancing DNA damage and promoting cell apoptosis. It provides clues for further investigation of the molecular mechanism of the radiosensitization of CMNA on NPC cells.

Correlation of hypoxia status with radiosensitizing effects of sodium glycididazole: A preclinical study

The correlation of pretreatment hypoxia status with the radiosensitization effect of sodium glycididazole (CMNa) was not previously defined. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the tumor hypoxia status in various cancer xenografts and to investigate the correlation between tumor hypoxia status and radiosensitizing effects of CMNa based on the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters. Human esophageal cancer (EC109), head and neck cancer (FaDu) and lung cancer (A549) nude mice xenografts were used. The concentrations of CMNa and its metabolites in the tumors and normal tissues were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography following intravenous injection of 171.9, 57.3 or 19.1 mg/kg CMNa. The tumors were irradiated with 30 Gy in 6 fractions with CMNa administration prior to each irradiation. The tumor growth delay values were calculated for each treatment group and compared with groups treated with radiation alone. Tumor hypoxia status was verified by immunohistostaining of tissues for hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) staining, and the concentration of plasma osteopontin (OPN) was determined using ELISA. The correlation between OPN concentration and tumor growth delay was subsequently analyzed. It was observed that the drug concentration in the tumor was 1.6-2.8 times higher compared with adjacent muscle, particularly at high and medium doses. CMNa was able to sensitize tumors to irradiation, particularly for EC109 and FaDu xenografts at high dose (P<0.05). Furthermore, there was markedly increased expression of HIF-1α and plasma OPN levels in FaDu and EC109 xenografts compared with A549. Additionally, it was indicated that pretreatment hypoxia status might be correlated with the radiosensitizing effects of CMNa. The present data demonstrated that tumor hypoxia status might be correlated with the radiosensitizing effects of CMNa in different tumor models.

Preclinical study on hypoxic radiosensitizing effects of glycididazole in comparison with those of doranidazole in vitro and in vivo

To overcome the radioresistance of hypoxic cells in solid tumor, numerous types of radiosensitizers specifically against them have been developed. Glycididazole has a chemical structure in which two metronidazole forms are combined, and is widely used as a hypoxic radiosensitizer in China. However, a detailed investigation of its radiosensitizing properties has not been performed. The present study reported a comparative assessment of glycididazole and doranidazole, another hypoxic radiosensitizer. All experiments were performed using the murine squamous cell carcinoma cell line SCCVII. Prior to X-irradiation, the cells were treated with the test drugs at concentrations of 10 mM and 200 mg/kg in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Uptake and their intratumor chemical forms were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Both drugs enhanced the reproductive cell death induced by X-irradiation under hypoxia. However, the growth delay assay of the transplanted tumor revealed the combination of X-irradiation and glycididazole showed a similar antitumor effect to that of X-irradiation alone, whereas doranidazole significantly sensitized the cells to X-irradiation. HPLC analysis revealed that incorporated glycididazole was decomposed to metronidazole and was therefore present at a lower concentration compared with that of doranidazole. The decomposition of glycididazole to metronidazole reduced its radiosensitizing efficiency in vivo. Elucidation of the kinetics of drugs containing metabolizable chemical forms is necessary for the optimization of clinical treatment.

Enhanced radiosensitizing by sodium glycididazole in a recurrent esophageal carcinoma tumor model

Re-irradiation is challenging for esophageal cancer patients with local-regional recurrence after initial radiotherapy. The purpose of this study is to establish a recurrent esophageal tumor model and investigate radiosensitizing effects of sodium glycididazole (CMNa). Tumor models were established by pre-irradiation (0 Gy, 10 Gy or 20 Gy) to the right hind leg of the nude mice 24 hours before tumor transplantation (ECA109 human esophageal carcinoma cells). Tumor growth curves were analyzed. Hypoxic microenvironment was exhibited in tumor frozen slides stained for pimonidazole, Hoechst 33342, hematoxylin-eosin and CD34. Mice bearing primary (0 Gy pre-irradiation) and recurrent (10 Gy pre-irradiation) tumors were randomized into control (no treatment), radiation (30 Gy in 3 weekly fractionations), or radiation combined with CMNa (1 mmol/kg i.p. injected 60 min before radiation) respectively. The data showed tumors from 10 Gy and 20 Gy pre-irradiated sites grew significantly slower than those in the 0 Gy pre-irradiated group. The recurrent xenograft tumors showed increased necrotic fractions, decreased micro-vascular density, increased pimonidazole-positive fraction, and decreased Hoechst-positive fraction. In the primary xenograft tumors, CMNa adding to radiation did not lead to significant tumor growth delay than radiation alone. However, for the recurrent tumor model, the growth rate was remarkably reduced as CMNa combined with radiation as comparison with radiation alone. In conclusion, the recurrent esophageal xenograft model with tumor bed effect was successfully established characterized by slow growth, increased hypoxia fraction and decreased blood flow. Significant radiosensitization by CMNa was demonstrated in the recurrent model.

Selective Radiotherapy after Distant Metastasis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated with Dose-Dense Cisplatin plus Fluorouracil

PURPOSE

To investigate the efficacy and safety of selective radiotherapy after distant metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with dose-dense cisplatin plus fluorouracil.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eligible patients were randomly assigned to a study group treated with dose-dense cisplatin plus fluorouracil following selective radiotherapy and a control group receiving traditional cisplatin plus fluorouracil following selective radiotherapy according to a 1:1 distribution using a digital random table method. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate, relapse or progression rate in the radiation field and treatment toxicity.

RESULTS

Of 52 patients in the study group, 20 cases underwent radiotherapy., while in the control group of 51 patients, 16 underwent radiotherapy. The median PFS, median OS, survival rates in 1, 2 and 3 years in study and control group were 20.9 vs 12.7months, 28.3 vs 18.8months, 85.2%vs 65.9%, 62.2% vs 18.3%, and 36.6%vs 5.2% (p values of 0.00, 0.00, 0.04, 0.00 and 0.00, respectively). Subgroup analysis showed that the median OS and survival rates of 1, 2, 3 years for patients undergoing radiotherapy in the study group better than that in control group( 43.2vs24.1 months, 94.1% vs 86.7%, 82.4% vs 43.3%, 64.7% vs 17.3%, (p=0.00, 0.57, 0.04 and 0.01, respectively). The complete response rate, objective response rate after chemotherapy and three months after radiotherapy, relapse or progression rate in radiation field in study group and in control group were 19.2% vs 3.9%, 86.5% vs 56.9%, 85% vs 50%, 95% vs 81.3% and 41.3% vs 66.7% (p =0.03, 0.00, 0.03,0.30, 0.01 respectively). The grade 3-4 acute adverse reactions in the study group were significantly higher than in the control group (53.8% vs 9.8%, p=0.00).

CONCLUSIONS

The survival of patients benefits from selective radiotherapy after distant metastasis of NPC treated with dose-dense cisplatin plus fluorouracil.

Five miRNAs as novel diagnostic biomarker candidates for primary nasopharyngeal carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an essential role in the development and progression of nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC). Despite advances in the field of cancer molecular biology and biomarker discovery, the development of clinically validated biomarkers for primary NPC has remained elusive. In this study, we investigated the expression and clinical significance of miRNAs as novel primary NPC diagnostic biomarkers. We used an array containing 2, 500 miRNAs to identify 22 significant miRNAs, and these candidate miRNAs were validated using 67 fresh NPC and 25 normal control tissues via quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Expression and correlation analyses were performed with various statistical approaches, in addition to logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses to evaluate diagnostic efficacy. qRT-PCR revealed five differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-93-5p, miR-135b-5p, miR-205-5p and miR-183-5p) in NPC tissue samples relative to control samples (p<0.05), with miR-135b-5p and miR-205-5p being of significant diagnostic value (p<0.01). Moreover, comparison of NPC patient clinicopathologic data revealed a negative correlation between miR-93-5p and miR- 183-5p expression levels and lymph node status (p<0.05). These findings display an altered expression of many miRNAs in NPC tissues, thus providing information pertinent to pathophysiological and diagnostic research. Ultimately, miR-135b-5p and miR-205-5p may be implicated as novel NPC candidate biomarkers, while miR- 93-5p, miR-650 and miR-183-5p may find application as relevant clinical pathology and diagnostic candidate biomarkers.