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Purpose: Tissue-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis is highly recommended for patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated a specific patient population with NSCLC that required tissue-based NGS analysis., Materials and Methods: We enrolled 500 patients with advanced/metastatic (1) epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR ) mutations or anaplastic large-cell lymphoma kinase ( ALK ) rearrangement-positive NSCLC who had failed at minimum one line of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy, (2) EGFR-/ALK -negative nonsquamous, and (3) non- or light-smoker patients with squamous NSCLC who were treatment-naïve or had failed at maximum two lines of systemic treatment. These patients were divided into five cohorts. Comprehensive tissue-based NGS testing (ACTOnco+) was conducted., Results: Cohort 1: EGFR TKI-pretreated EGFR -mutated population (50.0%, n = 250), cohort 2: ALK inhibitor-pretreated ALK -positive population (1.6%, n = 8), cohort 3: treatment-naïve EGFR-/ALK -negative population (28.2%, n = 141), cohort 4: pretreated EGFR-/ALK -negative population (16.8%, n = 84), and cohort 5: squamous cell carcinoma (3.4%, n = 17). In cohort 1, 11.2% (28/250) of the patients had MET amplification, 32.4% (81/250) had been treated with osimertinib, and EGFR C797S was detected in 6.2% (5/81) of these patients. In cohort 2, resistance ALK mutation was detected in 37.5% (3/8) of the patients. In cohorts 3 and 4, targetable genetic alterations, including EGFR mutation (13.3%), ERBB2 mutation (9.3%), MET exon 14 skipping (5.3%), KRAS G12C mutation (4.4%), ROS1 fusion (2.7%), RET fusion (1.8%), and BRAF V600E mutation (1.3%), were detected. In cohort 5, MET exon 14 skipping was detected in 29.4% (5/17) of the patients., Conclusion: This multicenter registration study investigated tissue-based NGS for a specific patient population with NSCLC in Taiwan.

Background: Platinum-based chemotherapy is the standard first-line therapy for patients with advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We compared the effectiveness of first-line chemotherapy regimens., Methods: We searched the database of the Taiwan Cancer Registry for patients with newly diagnosed advanced lung SCC from 2004 to 2007. Medication prescription data were retrieved from the database of National Health Insurance, Taiwan. We identified patients who received standard first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, which was defined as chemotherapy with a platinum (P) compound (cisplatin or carboplatin) in addition to 1 of the 4 chemotherapy agents, including gemcitabine (G), docetaxel (D), paclitaxel (T), and vinorelbine (V). Deaths were identified by searching the National Death Registry. Overall survival (OS) was compared between patients who underwent different therapies., Results: In total, 2790 patients were identified; 983 patients (35.2%) received standard first-line chemotherapy with P and G (58.1%), D (14.5%), T (11.6%), or V (15.8%). Older patients (age ≥ 70 years) were less likely to receive P + D than P + G, P + T, or P + V (P = .018). Patients who received P + G, P + D, P + T, or P + V had similar OS (median, 8.9, 7.9, 9.5, and 8.2 months; P = .816). In multivariate analyses adjusting for age, sex, and stage, the first-line chemotherapy regimen was not a predictor for OS. With P + G as the reference group, the adjusted hazard ratios of P + D, P + T, and P + V were 1.03, 0.90, and 1.02, respectively (P = .710)., Conclusions: In patients with advanced lung SCC, various regimens did not have a significant effect on survival outcomes., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The production of a low molecular weight xylanase by Aspergillus carneus M34 was investigated in solid-state fermentation using agricultural waste as the substrate. Experimental designs were practiced for optimisation of the medium composition. When agricultural wastes of coba husk and corn steep liquor were used in the ratio of 4.5:0.5, a 22.5% increase of xylanase activity was observed compared with the medium containing only coba husk. The incubation time for xylanase production can be reduced from 12 days to six days by increasing the inoculum size to 2 x 10(7) sporesmL(-1). The optimal media compositions were as follows by using statistical approach: coba husk/corn steep liquor (4.5/0.5); NH(4)NO(3), 32.4 gL(-1); CaCl(2), 1.34 gL(-1); MnSO(4).7H(2)O, 0.0124 gL(-1). Xylanase activity of 1721 Ug(-1) substrate was obtained by A. carneus M34 in a six-day period at 30 degrees C, which was a 227% increase compared with that obtained before applying the Plackett-Burman and response surface methodology experimental design., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)