Anti-rheumatic drug iguratimod (T-614) alleviates cancer-induced bone destruction via down-regulating interleukin-6 production in a nuclear factor-κB-dependent manner / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Cytokines are believed to be involved in a "vicious circle" of progressive interactions in bone metastasis. Iguratimod is a novel anti-rheumatic drug which is reported to have the capability of anti-cytokines. In this study, a rat model was constructed to investigate the effect of iguratimod on bone metastasis and it was found that iguratimod alleviated cancer-induced bone destruction. To further explore whether an anti-tumor activity of iguratimod contributes to the effect of bone resorption suppression, two human breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 were studied. The effect of iguratimod on tumor proliferation was detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. The effects of iguratimod on migration and invasion of cancer cells were determined by wound-healing and Transwell assays. Results showed that high dose (30 μg/mL) iguratimod slightly suppressed the proliferation of cancer cells but failed to inhibit their migration and invasion capacity. Interestingly, iguratimod decreased the transcription level of IL-6 in MDA-MB-231 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, iguratimod partially impaired NF-κB signaling by suppressing the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 subunit. Our findings indicated that iguratimod may alleviate bone destruction by partially decreasing the expression of IL-6 in an NF-κB-dependent manner, while it has little effect on the tumor proliferation and invasion.

Use of Chinese herbal medicine therapies in comprehensive hospitals in central China: A parallel survey in cancer patients and clinicians / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), as the largest application category of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is widely accepted among cancer patients in China. Herbal slice (HS) and Chinese patent drug (CPD) are commonly used CHM in China. This study aimed to investigate the utilization of CHM among clinicians and cancer patients in central China. Five hundred and twenty-five patients and 165 clinicians in 35 comprehensive hospitals in central China were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire that was designed to evaluate the use of CHM. The results showed that 90.74% clinicians and 72.24% cancer patients used CHM during cancer treatment. The educational backgrounds of the clinicians and the age, education level, annual income, and cancer stage of the cancer patients were related to use of CHM. More than 90% clinicians and cancer patients had used CPD. Comparatively, the percentage of HS use was 10% lower than that of CPD use among clinicians and cancer patients. More clinicians preferred to use CHM after surgery than cancer patients did (20.41% vs. 5.37%). Enhancing physical fitness and improving performance status were regarded as the most potential effect of CHM on cancer treatment (85.71% among clinicians and 94.07% among cancer patients), in comparison with directly killing tumor cells (24.49% among clinicians and 31.36% among patients). As for refusal reasons, imprecise efficacy was the unanimous (100%) reason for clinicians' rejection of CHM, and 95.58% patients objected to using CHM also for this reason. Furthermore, the side effects of CHM were more concerned by clinicians than by patients (33.33% vs. 15.81%). In conclusion, our survey revealed that CHM was popularly accepted by clinicians and cancer patients in central China. The reasons of use and rejection of CHM were different between clinicians and cancer patients.

Hypoxia-induced autophagy contributes to radioresistance via c-Jun-mediated Beclin1 expression in lung cancer cells / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Reduced radiosensitivity of lung cancer cells represents a pivotal obstacle in clinical oncology. The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α plays a crucial role in radiosensitivity, but the detailed mechanisms remain elusive. A relationship has been suggested to exist between hypoxia and autophagy recently. In the current study, we studied the effect of hypoxia-induced autophagy on radioresistance in lung cancer cell lines. A549 and H1299 cells were cultured under normoxia or hypoxia, followed by irradiation at dosage ranging from 0 to 8 Gy. Clonogenic assay was performed to calculate surviving fraction. EGFP-LC3 plasmid was stably transfected into cells to monitor autophagic processes. Western blotting was used to evaluate the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, c-Jun, phosphorylated c-Jun, Beclin 1, LC3 and p62. The mRNA levels of Beclin 1 were detected by qRT-PCR. We found that under hypoxia, both A549 and H1299 cells were radio-resistant compared with normoxia. Hypoxia-induced elevated HIF-1α protein expression preferentially triggered autophagy, accompanied by LC3 induction, EGFP-LC3 puncta and p62 degradation. In the meantime, HIF-1α increased downstream c-Jun phosphorylation, which in turn upregulated Beclin 1 mRNA and protein expression. The upregulation of Beclin 1 expression, instead of HIF-1α, could be blocked by SP600125 (a specific inhibitor of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase), followed by suppression of autophagy. Under hypoxia, combined treatment of irradiation and chloroquine (a potent autophagy inhibitor) significantly decreased the survival potential of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, hypoxia-induced autophagy through evaluating Beclin1 expression may be considered as a target to reverse the radioresistance in cancer cells.

miR-200c inhibits metastasis of breast cancer cells by targeting HMGB1 / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

miR-200c has been shown to regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting ZEB1 and ZEB2 expression in breast cancer cells. This study further examined the role of miR-200c in the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer that goes beyond the regulation on ZEB1 and ZEB2 expression. In this study, the bioinformatics software (miRanda) was used to predict the target gene of miR-200c and Renilla luciferase assay to verify the result. The metastatic breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 were cultured and transfected with the miR-200c mimic or inhibitor. The expressions of miR-200c and HMGB1 were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Transwell assay and wound healing assay were employed to examine the invasive and migrating ability of transfected cells. Target prediction and Renilla luciferase analysis revealed that HMGB1 was a putative target gene of miR-200c. After transfection of MDA-MB-231 cells with the miR-200c mimic or inhibitor, the expression of miR-200c was significantly increased or decreased when compared with cells transfected with the miR-200c mimic NC or inhibitor NC. Moreover, the expression of HMGB1 was reversely correlated with that of miR-200c in transfected cells. Tranwell assay showed that the number of invasive cells was significantly reduced in miR-200c mimic group when compared with miR-200c inhibitor group. It was also found that the migrating ability of cells transfected with miR-200c mimics was much lower than that of cells transfected with miR-200c inhibitors. It was suggested that miR-200c can suppress the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells by regulating the expression of HMGB1. miR-200c and HMGB1 may become useful biomarkers for progression of breast cancer and targets of gene therapy.

miR-200c inhibits metastasis of breast cancer cells by targeting HMGB1 / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

miR-200c has been shown to regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by inhibiting ZEB1 and ZEB2 expression in breast cancer cells. This study further examined the role of miR-200c in the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer that goes beyond the regulation on ZEB1 and ZEB2 expression. In this study, the bioinformatics software (miRanda) was used to predict the target gene of miR-200c and Renilla luciferase assay to verify the result. The metastatic breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 were cultured and transfected with the miR-200c mimic or inhibitor. The expressions of miR-200c and HMGB1 were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Transwell assay and wound healing assay were employed to examine the invasive and migrating ability of transfected cells. Target prediction and Renilla luciferase analysis revealed that HMGB1 was a putative target gene of miR-200c. After transfection of MDA-MB-231 cells with the miR-200c mimic or inhibitor, the expression of miR-200c was significantly increased or decreased when compared with cells transfected with the miR-200c mimic NC or inhibitor NC. Moreover, the expression of HMGB1 was reversely correlated with that of miR-200c in transfected cells. Tranwell assay showed that the number of invasive cells was significantly reduced in miR-200c mimic group when compared with miR-200c inhibitor group. It was also found that the migrating ability of cells transfected with miR-200c mimics was much lower than that of cells transfected with miR-200c inhibitors. It was suggested that miR-200c can suppress the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells by regulating the expression of HMGB1. miR-200c and HMGB1 may become useful biomarkers for progression of breast cancer and targets of gene therapy.

Hypoxia-induced autophagy contributes to radioresistance via c-Jun-mediated Beclin1 expression in lung cancer cells / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

Reduced radiosensitivity of lung cancer cells represents a pivotal obstacle in clinical oncology. The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α plays a crucial role in radiosensitivity, but the detailed mechanisms remain elusive. A relationship has been suggested to exist between hypoxia and autophagy recently. In the current study, we studied the effect of hypoxia-induced autophagy on radioresistance in lung cancer cell lines. A549 and H1299 cells were cultured under normoxia or hypoxia, followed by irradiation at dosage ranging from 0 to 8 Gy. Clonogenic assay was performed to calculate surviving fraction. EGFP-LC3 plasmid was stably transfected into cells to monitor autophagic processes. Western blotting was used to evaluate the protein expression levels of HIF-1α, c-Jun, phosphorylated c-Jun, Beclin 1, LC3 and p62. The mRNA levels of Beclin 1 were detected by qRT-PCR. We found that under hypoxia, both A549 and H1299 cells were radio-resistant compared with normoxia. Hypoxia-induced elevated HIF-1α protein expression preferentially triggered autophagy, accompanied by LC3 induction, EGFP-LC3 puncta and p62 degradation. In the meantime, HIF-1α increased downstream c-Jun phosphorylation, which in turn upregulated Beclin 1 mRNA and protein expression. The upregulation of Beclin 1 expression, instead of HIF-1α, could be blocked by SP600125 (a specific inhibitor of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase), followed by suppression of autophagy. Under hypoxia, combined treatment of irradiation and chloroquine (a potent autophagy inhibitor) significantly decreased the survival potential of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, hypoxia-induced autophagy through evaluating Beclin1 expression may be considered as a target to reverse the radioresistance in cancer cells.

Trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for first-line treatment of HER2-positive advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer: a Phase III, multi-center, randomized controlled trial, Chinese subreport / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone in the first-line treatment of HER-2-positive advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifteen Chinese research centers are involved in the BO18255 (ToGA) study. Patients with gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer were eligible for inclusion if their tumor showed overexpression of HER-2 protein by immunohistochemistry +++ or FISH-positive. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive a chemotherapy regimen consisting of capecitabine or 5-FU plus cisplatin or chemotherapy in combination with intravenous trastuzumab. The primary endpoint was overall survival.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eighty-five Chinese patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 84 were included in the primary analysis: trastuzumab plus chemotherapy (FP/H) (n = 36) and chemotherapy alone (FP)(n = 48). The median follow-up was 15.2 months in the FP/H group and 14.2 months in the FP group. The median survival time was 12.6 months in the FP/H group compared with 9.7 months in the FP group [hazard ratio 0.72, 95%CI (0.40; 1.29)]. Grade 3/4 adverse events were higher in the FP/H(63.9%)than FP (47.9%) groups, including neutropenia, vomiting and nausea. Two mild cardiac adverse events occurred in the FP/H group. Severe adverse events occurred in 3 cases of both two groups, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Addition of trastuzumab to chemotherapy is well tolerated and shows improved survival in Chinese patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer. These results are consistent with the results of ToGA whole population trial. Trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy can be considered as a new option for patients with HER-2-positive advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer.</p>

Survival without common toxicity criteria grade 3/4 toxicity following second-line treatment with pemetrexed for nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer in Chinese patients / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The efficacy of pemetrexed in the second-line treatment of Chinese patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been shown to be similar to that of docetaxel in a recent study; additionally, pemetrexed was associated with much better safety and toxicity profiles. Here, the survival without common toxicity criteria grade 3/4 toxicity (SWT) data from a post hoc analysis of this recent prospective NSCLC study in Chinese patients is reported. This post hoc analysis differs from the main study; it focuses on the nonsquamous population to align with the current approval for pemetrexed in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 154 patients with nonsquamous NSCLC received either pemetrexed (500 mg/m(2) intravenously (IV)) or docetaxel (75 mg/m(2) IV) on day 1 of 21-day cycles. SWT was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and univariate Cox methods.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Patients treated with pemetrexed had a longer median SWT than patients treated with docetaxel (7.4 months versus 1.2 months; unadjusted hazard ratio = 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41-0.84; P = 0.003). At 12 and 18 months, the SWT event-free probability for pemetrexed patients (18 months: 24.5%, 95%CI 13.9%-36.6%, vs. 12.3%, 95% CI 4.8%-23.6%) was greater than that for docexatel patients (12 months: 37.3%, 95% CI 26.5%-48.0%, vs. 23.3%, 95% CI 14.4-33.4). The progression-free survival without common toxicity criteria grade 3/4 toxicity (PFS-WT) was also statistically significantly longer for patients treated with pemetrexed than patients treated with docetaxel (1.9 months vs. 1.1 months, P = 0.002).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Chinese patients with nonsquamous NSCLC disease treated with pemetrexed had improved SWT beyond 6 months than those receiving docetaxel. This analysis supports a benefit-to-risk profile that favors pemetrexed over docetaxel in the second-line treatment of Chinese nonsquamous NSCLC patients.</p>

Pituitary metastasis from a renal cell carcinoma progressed after sorafenib treatment / 癌症

Pituitary metastasis from renal cell carcinoma is rare and has never been reported for renal cell carcinoma primarily treated with sorafenib. Herein, we present a case of an advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma in which pituitary metastasis progressed but extracerebral metastases showed partial response to sorafenib treatment.

Lapatinib plus capecitabine in treating HER2-positive advanced breast cancer: efficacy, safety, and biomarker results from Chinese patients / 癌症

Overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is associated with poor prognosis. This single-arm open-label trial (EGF109491; NCT00508274) was designed to confirm the efficacy and safety of lapatinib in combination with capecitabine in 52 heavily pretreated Chinese patients with HER2-positive MBC. The primary endpoint was clinical benefit rate (CBR). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), time to response (TTR), duration of response (DoR), central nervous system (CNS) as first site of relapse, and safety. The results showed that there were 23 patients with partial responses and 7 patients with stable disease, resulting in a CBR of 57.7%. The median PFS was 6.34 months (95% confidence interval, 4.93-9.82 months). The median TTR and DoR were 4.07 months (range, 0.03-14.78 months) and 6.93 months (range, 1.45-9.72 months), respectively. Thirteen (25.0%) patients had new lesions as disease progression. Among them, 2 (3.8%) patients had CNS disease reported as the first relapse. The most common toxicities were palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (59.6%), diarrhea (48.1%), rash (48.1%), hyperbilirubinemia (34.6%), and fatigue (30.8%). Exploratory analyses of oncogenic mutations of PIK3CA suggested that of 38 patients providing a tumor sample, baseline PIK3CA mutation status was not associated with CBR (P = 0.639) or PFS (P = 0.989). These data confirm that the lapatinib plus capecitabine combination is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for Chinese women with heavily pretreated MBC, irrespective of PIK3CA status.

Efficacy and safety of bevacizumab plus chemotherapy in Chinese patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: a randomized phase III ARTIST trial / 癌症

The efficacy and safety of bevacizumab with modified irinotecan, leucovorin bolus, and 5-fluorouracil intravenous infusion (mIFL) in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has not been well evaluated in randomized clinical trials in Chinese patients. We conducted a phrase III trial in which patients with previously untreated mCRC were randomized 2:1 to the mIFL [irinotecan (125 mg/m(2)), leucovorin (20 mg/m(2)) bolus, and 5-fluorouracil intravenous infusion (500 mg/m(2)) weekly for four weeks every six weeks] plus bevacizumab (5 mg/kg every two weeks) group and the mIFL group, respectively. Co-primary objectives were progression-free survival (PFS) and 6-month PFS rate. In total, 214 patients were enrolled. Our results showed that addition of bevacizumab to mIFL significantly improved median PFS (4.2 months in the mIFL group vs. 8.3 months in the bevacizumab plus mIFL group, P < 0.001), 6-month PFS rate (25.0% vs. 62.6%, P < 0.001), median overall survival (13.4 months vs. 18.7 months, P = 0.014), and response rate (17% vs. 35%, P = 0.013). Grades 3 and 4 adverse events included diarrhea (21% in the mIFL group and 26% in the bevacizumab plus mIFL group) and neutropenia (19% in the mIFL group and 33% in the bevacizumab plus mIFL group). No wound-healing complications or congestive heart failure occurred. Our results suggested that bevacizumab plus mIFL is effective and well tolerated as first-line treatment for Chinese patients with mCRC. Clinical benefit and safety profiles were consistent with those observed in pivotal phase III trials with mainly Caucasian patients.

Chemokine receptor CXCR4 gene silencing with shRNA inhibits breast cancer metastasis to the lung in nude mice / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To construct a CXCR4 specific recombinant plasmid vector and study its inhibiting effect on invasion capacity in vitro of human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line and its metastatic potential to the lung in nude mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A CXCR4 specific recombinant plasmid vector was constructed and transfected into the cultured MDA-MB-231 cell line with lipofectamine 2000. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of CXCR4, respectively. Invasion capability in vitro of the cells was evaluated by Boyden chamber. The cell proliferation capacity was detected by MTT method. The nude mouse model of lung metastasis was established by injection of MDA-MB-231 cells into the tail vein. The animals were sacrificed at 6 weeks after the tumor cells injection. Whole lung tissues were harvested, embedded in paraffin, sectioned serially, and the HE-stained paraffin sections were examined pathologically to evaluate the presence and number of metastatic tumors.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The CXCR4 mRNA expression rate was 29.5% +/- 3.8% in the CXCR4-shRNA group, significantly lower than that of the control group (69.7% +/- 2.6%, P < 0.01) and mock-control group (67.8% +/- 3.5%, P < 0.01). The CXCR4 protein expression rate was 15.4% +/- 1.1% in the CXCR4-shRNA group, significantly lower than that of the control group (39.0% +/- 2.4%, P < 0.01) and mock-control group (35.9% +/- 3.9%, P < 0.01). Silencing of CXCR4 by shRNA lead to a significant decrease in breast cancer cell invasion and proliferation capacity in vitro. Furthermore, tumor cells with CXCR4 shRNA permanent transfcetion had a much lower lung metastatic potential in nude mice than control cells and mock control cells in vivo.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CXCR4 shRNA can inhibit the expression of CXCR4 and decrease the invasion and lung metastatic potential of human breast cancer cells.</p>

Gemcitabine and cisplatin treatment over a 3-week versus a 4-week dosing schedule: a randomized trial conducted in Chinese patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Gemcitabine plus cisplatin is a standard treatment for stages IIIB and IV nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This randomized phase II study evaluated a 3-week versus a 4-week schedule of gemcitabine-cisplatin as first line treatment for Chinese patients with advanced NSCLC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients were randomized to receive cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) on day 1 plus either gemcitabine 1250 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle (3-week group) or gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle (4-week group).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>One hundred patients were enrolled in this study. The response rate was 24% (12/51 patients) in the 3-week group and 27% (13/49 patients) in the 4-week group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups in survival (hazard ratio: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.68 - 2.09) with a median survival of 12.1 months and 13.8 months in the 3-week group and the 4-week group respectively. The rate of grade 3/4 toxicity in the 3-week group was 55% compared with 86% in the 4-week group (P = 0.001). The difference in the incidence of grade 3/4 haematological toxicities did not reach statistical significance (3-week: 37%, 4-week: 57%), however grade 3/4 drug related neutropenia (3-week: 27%, 4-week: 51%) and thrombocytopenia (3-week: 8%, 4-week: 31%) were significantly lower in the 3-week group. Grade 3/4 nonhaematological toxicities were less in the 3-week group (33% cf 63%; P = 0.005).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The differences in the efficacy endpoints were all in favour of the 4-week schedule of gemcitabine plus cisplatin, however these differences did not reach statistical significance. Fewer grade 3/4 toxicities were observed in the 3-week group compared with the 4-week group.</p>

Gefitinib in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the anti-tumor effect and toxicity of Gefitinib in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From August 2003 to February 2005, 50 advanced NSCLC patients were treated with Gefitinib orally 250 mg once per day. All patients were stratified by gender, histology, smoking history and chemotherapy cycles. The response was evaluated as the time to tumor progression (TTP) and the median survival time (MST). Quality of life (QoL) was assessed using the Chinese version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire QLQ-30 and the brief fatigue inventory (BFI).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Even though none of these patients achieved complete response, 16.0% of them still gave partial response. Clinical benefit rate was 60.0% in this series. Objective tumor response was correlated with gender, pathological type and smoking history. Multivariate analysis suggested that gender, chemotherapy cycles and QoL obviously correlated with the tumor response. Twenty of these 50 patients (40.0%, 20/50) were still alive when the follow-up ended in February 2005. The 1-year survival rate was 14.0%. TTP and MST was 5 and 6 months, respectively, in patients who had been dead. The median survival time of patients who are still alive was 13 months. The mean survival time of PR patients was more than 9 months. The rate of QoL improvement was 58.0% and the rate of fatigue remission was 52.6%. The mean time to symptom improvement was 15 days. The main toxicities were reversible grade I or grade II skin rash and diarrhea. Two patients who developed radiation pneumonitis during previous radiotherapy became more deteriorated after Gefitinib treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Gefitinib is effective and tolerated by the patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. It may remarkablely improve their symptoms and quality of life.</p>

Transdermal fentanyl for the management of cancer pain: a survey of 4492 patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of transdermal fentanyl in management of patients with cancer pain.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 4492 patients (aged 3-90) with cancer pain were enrolled in this multicenter study. The mean age was 58.5 (3 approximately 90) years old. All patients received transdermal fentanyl. The patients were asked to record the attacks of pain, quality of life, and any side effects of the treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Baseline mean pain intensity was 7.37. On days 1, 3, 6, 9, 15, and 30, the mean scores of pain were decreased to 4.04, 2.98, 2.52, 2.19, 1.85 and 1.61, respectively (P < 0.01). The effective rate was 96.8%. The mean doses of fentanyl were 32.37 microg/h (25-200 microg/h) on the initial day, 42.57 microg/h and 49.57 microg/h (25-225 microg/h) on days 15 and 30. The quality of life was significantly improved after treatment (P < 0.01). The common side effects were constipation (9.8%), nausea (13.6%), dizziness (6.5%), vomiting (3.9%), sedation (2.0%) and respiratory depression (0.2%). The incidence of constipation was related to age, and the incidence of vomiting and difficulty of urination was related to gender. The majority (84.5%) of patients preferred continuation of the treatment with transdermal fentanyl.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Transdermal fentanyl for the patients with cancer pain is effective, safe, convenient and can improve the quality of life. Transdermal fentanyl can be recommended as one of first-line drugs for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe cancer pain.</p>

First-line Xeloda (Capecitabine) treatment for advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of capecitabine as first-line therapy in patients with advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From December 2000 to November 2001, sixty patients with advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer received first-line capecitabine treatment given at a dose of 1250 mg/m(2) twice daily, on days 1 - 14 every 21 days. At least 2 cycles were administered.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The overall response rate was 23.3% with 14 PR, 24 SD (40.0%) and 15 PD. The median survival time was 14.7 months. The survival rate was 63.9% at 12-months and 33.4% at 24-months. Grade III-IV adverse effects were diarrhea in 4 patients (6.6%), anemia in 2 (3.3%) and hand-foot syndrome (HFS) in 1 (1.7%); Grade I-II adverse effects were hyperpigmentation in 20 (33.3%), HFS in 18 (30.0%) and diarrhea in 10 (16.7%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Capecitabine is an efficacious and better-tolerated alternative treatment for the patients with advanced and recurrent colorectal cancer.</p>

Expression of thymidine phosphorylase in cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the thymidine phosphorylase (TP) expression in different types of cancer and its correlation with tumor microvessel density (MVD).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of TP and MVD was detected by immunohistochemistry method. In a series of 251 cancer patients there were 48 patients with gastric cancer, 53 with colorectal cancer, 47 with breast cancer, 56 with cervical cancer, 47 with lung cancer. Normal gastric (n = 25), colorectal (n = 25), cervical (n = 17) and lung (n = 25) tissues around the cancer were also examined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The TP expression rate was 64.6% in gastric cancer, 67.9% in colorectal cancer, 80.9% in breast cancer, 82.1% in cervical cancer, and 63.8% in lung cancer, which was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P = 0.0000). TP expression was positively correlated with MVD in gastric, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancers. The correlation was not statistically significant in lung cancer.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study indicates that TP overexpression in cancer may be associated with tumor angiogenesis.</p>

Result of phase II clinical trial of herceptin in advanced Chinese breast cancer patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the clinical efficacy and adverse effects of herceptin for advanced Chinese breast cancer patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-one pathologically proved advanced breast cancer women were treated by herceptin. In the first week, a loading dose 4 mg/kg was administered by intravenous infusion and from the second week, a routine dose of 2 mg/kg was given every week for at least 3 months.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were 2 CR, 6 PR, 7 SD, and 16 PD among 31 patients after treatment by herceptin, the response rate being 25.8%. In factors influencing the prognosis, age and general condition were factors favoring the results, and pathological type, site of metastasis, grade of her-2 over expression and prior treatment were irrelevant to the results. The adverse effects were mild but different from those of the common anticancer drugs.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Herceptin is effective and well tolerated by the Chinese breast cancer patients.</p>