Bevacizumab suppresses the growth of established non-small-cell lung cancer brain metastases in a hematogenous brain metastasis model.

Brain metastases are common in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The efficacy of bevacizumab, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) humanized antibody, has been demonstrated in patients with nonsquamous NSCLC. We established a transplantable NSCLC cell line (Nluc-H1915) that stably expresses NanoLuc® reporter and confirmed the correlation between total Nluc activity in tumor and tumor volume in vivo. SCID mice inoculated with these cells through the internal carotid artery formed reproducible brain metastases, in which human VEGF was detected. Next, after metastases were established in the model mice (15-17 days), they were intraperitoneally administered weekly doses of human immunoglobulin G (HuIgG) or bevacizumab. Nluc activity in the brain was significantly lower in bevacizumab-treated mice than in HuIgG-treated mice. Additionally, bevacizumab concentration in the brain was higher in mice with brain metastasis than in normal mice, and bevacizumab was primarily observed in brain metastasis lesions. The microvessel density in brain metastasis was lower in bevacizumab-treated mice than in HuIgG-treated mice. We believe bevacizumab's anti-proliferative effect on brain metastasis is due to anti-angiogenic activity achieved by its penetration into brain metastases; this suggests that a bevacizumab-containing regimen may be a promising treatment option for patients with NSCLC brain metastasis.

In vivo effects of mutant RHOA on tumor formation in an orthotopic inoculation model.

Ras homolog family member A (RHOA) mutations are driver genes in diffuse­type gastric cancers (DGCs), and we previously revealed that RHOA mutations contribute to cancer cell survival and cell migration through their dominant negative effect on Rho­associated kinase (ROCK) signaling in vitro. However, how RHOA mutations contribute to DGC development in vivo is poorly understood. In the present study, the contribution of RHOA mutations to tumor morphology was investigated using an orthotopic xenograft model using the gastric cancer cell line MKN74, in which wild­type (WT) or mutated (Y42C and Y42S) RHOA had been introduced. When we conducted RNA sequencing to distinguish between the genes expressed in human tumor tissues from those in mouse stroma, the expression profiles of the tumors were clearly divided into a Y42C/Y42S group and a mock/WT group. Through gene set enrichment analysis, it was revealed that inflammation­ and hypoxia­related pathways were enriched in the mock/WT tumors; however, cell metabolism­ and cell cycle­related pathways such as Myc, E2F, oxidative phosphorylation and G2M checkpoint were enriched in the Y42C/Y42S tumors. In addition, the gene set related to ROCK signaling inhibition was enriched in the RHOA­mutated group, which indicated that a series of events are related to ROCK inhibition induced by RHOA mutations. Histopathological analysis revealed that small tumor nests were more frequent in RHOA mutants than in the mock or WT group. In addition, increased blood vessel formation and infiltration of macrophages within the tumor mass were observed in the RHOA mutants. Furthermore, unlike mock/WT, the RHOA­mutated tumor cells had little antitumor host reaction in the invasive front, which is similar to the pattern of mucosal invasion in clinical RHOA­mutated DGC. These transcriptome and pathological analyses revealed that mutated RHOA functionally contributes to the acquisition of DGC features, which will accelerate our understanding of the contribution of RHOA mutations in DGC biology and the development of further therapeutic strategies.