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Breast cancer patients with positive epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression have significantly worse post-relapse prognosis than patients with negative EGFR expression. Vinorelbine (NVB) is usually reserved as a salvage therapy after anthracyclines and taxanes in patients with breast cancer. To see whether EGFR expression has a predictive value in NVB-mediated effect on human breast cancer cells, we examined 50 primary breast cancer samples. Of these, 42% were found to be NVB sensitive by ATP-tumour chemosensitivity assay. Sensitivity was correlated with EGFR expression level (p = 0.001). To dynamically examine EGFR's effect on NVB sensitivity in breast cancer cells, we used the real-time cell electronic sensing system with EGFR-positive and EGFR-negative breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-435s, respectively. MCF-7 is NVB sensitive, while MDA-MB-435 is NVB resistant. NVB-induced cytotoxicity to MCF-7 can be partly reversed with inhibitory anti-EGFR antibody. NVB up-regulated EGFR expression in MCF-7 cells, which affects ERK1/2 phosphorylation. This cellular response mechanism may cause greater input to non-lethally damaged cells. These data suggest that EGFR expression can be used as a prognostic factor for breast cancer sensitivity to NVB, which could help identify appropriate treatments for breast cancer.

Current chemotherapy for esophageal cancer is conducted on the basis of empirical information from clinical trials, which fails to take into account the known heterogeneity of chemosensitivity between patients. This study was aimed to demonstrate the degree of heterogeneity of chemosensitivity in esophageal cancers.A total of 42 esophageal cancer specimens were collected. The heterogeneity of chemosensitivity in esophageal cancer specimens was examined using an ex vivo ATP-tumor chemosensitivity assay (ATP-TCA).Thirty eight specimens produced evaluable results (90.5%). The most active single agent tested was nedaplatin, to which 28.9% of samples were sensitive. Combinations of chemotherapy agents exhibited much higher sensitivity: cisplatin + paclitaxel was sensitive in 16 of 38 (42.1%) of samples, while nedaplatin+paclitaxel was more effective, which was sensitive in 20 of 38 cases (52.6%).There was a marked heterogeneity of chemosensitivity in esophageal cancer. Chemosensitivity testing may provide a practical method for testing new regimens before clinical trials in esophageal cancer patients.

We examined the effects of CD40 activation with dexamethasone (Dex) or 60Co-gamma-irradiation on the growth of malignant B cells in vitro, using the human multiple myeloma (MM) cell line, XG2, and the B lymphoma Daudi cell line as models. Both lines are resistant to Dex and irradiation; 10(-7)M Dex or 10 Gy of gamma-irradiation induced only minimal growth arrest and apoptosis of the cells. Treatment of the cells with the agonistic anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody 5C11 partially inhibited the proliferation of the Daudi cells; XG2 underwent apoptosis. XG2 is an Interleukin-6 (IL-6)-dependent myeloma cell line and CD40 activation blocked XG2 in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, in a manner similar to the effect of IL-6 deprivation. Daudi was blocked in the G2/M phase after treatment with the agonistic CD40 mAb 5C11. Furthermore, the activation of CD40 on Daudi and XG2 enhanced their sensitivity to dexamethasone-and gamma-irradiation -induced growth arrest and apoptosis. CD40 activation stimulated both anti-apoptotic Bcl-XL and pro-apoptotic Bax mRNA synthesis in the Daudi cell line; CD40 activation increased the Bax mRNA level but had no effect on the Bcl-XL mRNA level in the XG2 cell line. Apoptosis in both cell lines was associated with an increasing ratio of Bax-to-Bcl-XL both in mRNA and in protein levels. It is concluded that use of the anti-CD40 mAb 5C11 either by itself or in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy may have significant therapeutic potential.

Ke-Qing Qian1, Heng Ye1, Yi-Wen Xiao1, Yong-Yi Bao2, Chun-Jian Qi11Department of Oncology; 2Department of Pathology, the Changzhou No. 2 People’s Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, ChinaAbstract: Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), a result of rapid cell lysis following tumor therapy, is a well recognized complication during the treatment of rapidly growing tumors. TLS rarely occurs in solid tumors. We present a case report of TLS in a patient with primary retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma. TLS occurred in the patient after four days’ combinational chemotherapy with cisplatin, adriamycin, and dacarbazine. These drugs were selected on the basis of an ex vivo ATP-based tumor sensitivity assay. TLS was properly controlled in the patient with concomitant remission of the sarcoma. Therefore, precautions should be taken to avoid this potentially fatal complication during treatment of solid tumors, especially with tumors highly sensitive to drugs.Keywords: tumor lysis syndrome, retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma, ATP-based tumor sensitivity assay (ATP-TCA)